Embarrassment, obviously, over the fact that I’d bore witness to what he’d been wearing. Clearly not a choice then.
How could it be when there was shame involved?
There was something else, though, too. A touch of awkwardness that wasn’t necessarily his pride being hurt.
Humiliation?
No, too poignant.
He finally let out a long, and drawn out sigh.
Disappointment.
I’d gotten a better look at the waist chains afterward. Had rinsed them under water to look at the metal, the dire need to know compounding all sense telling me to let the subject go.Caught a look at the small tag on the back of one of the gem settings to see it was, in fact like I’d suspected, 14k gold.
Real.
Quite the expensive hazing ritual.
But by then, Claudia had come around with that damn disposal tray, shaking it at me like the fucking holiday bell ringers. And into the trash it went. Forever.
“So. It’s…allgone.” His tone was flat. “I can’t get anything back?”
“I’m not authorized to encourage anyone to dumpster dive.”
Besides, I wouldn’t have any idea what direction to possibly point him in. We had over a ton in waste disposed of weekly. Sifting through any of that was not only hazardous but dangerous in the sense of there being such an overwhelming capacity. There was no telling what would be where and with the chains being so small, there was no doubt they were at the bottom of some biohazard bucket. Sealed and ready to be burned at the landfill.
The disappointment wafting from him was unsettling.
Did that mean his wearing it had been completely intentional?
Looking at him, I had a hard time believing it. People like him weren’t into kink. Not like that, anyway. They were into day drinking with their buddies and then going home to their wives to slap a pair of fuzzy handcuffs on her and fuck her until the leftovers in the microwave chimed.
There was no sophistication to the act of sex. No dressing up in pretty little pieces that showcased every curve or plane of muscle hiding underneath regular, everyday clothing.
“Nothing was saved for evidence?”
“What evidence? Do you not remember who stabbed you?”
To my surprise, he lifted his hands to groan into them.
An odd reaction out of someone forced into play like that. Relief would surely come at the possibility of the ritual having to be cut short due to unforeseen circumstances. A lucky cop-out to more hazing and a story of guts and bravery to go along with the bragging rights of almost dying on the job.
A young cop’s wet dream.
Unless it actuallywashis and now it was beginning to set in that he’d just lost a very,veryexpensive looking piece of permanent jewelry.
Fine woven lace and a little ribbon rose flashed in my mind.
As I sucked my tongue against the back of my teeth, the tablet’s screen came to life with a single flick against it.
“A week post-op, you’ll need a scan of the area to make sure there was nothing missed. Once that comes back clean, you’ll be free to get discharged. Until then, rest and sleep. I hear it does wonders on the body’s ability to heal.”
Tabbing over to the notes section on his patient portal, another sigh answered me while I inputted the request for his follow-up scan.
The next two days away from this place would be blissful. Much needed in terms of getting away from what was clearly scrambling my brain no matter the force I’d been using to stamp it down.
By the time I returned, a clear mind would be coming with me.
