“Yes, afterward in my bathroom. It’s attached to my bedroom, and I don’t have to go out in the hall.”
“Okay, Brandon. The next time you feel the need or urge to cut yourself, I want you to promise to call or text me. Your thighs are scarred, and I don’t want you to put scars on top of scars. Is that the only place you cut?”
“Yes, I promise it’s the only place. And I’ll reach out to you next time. I didn’t think this was normal behavior and that you’d think I was really fucked in the head.”
“It’s more common than you think.”
I nodded against him again and then slowly pulled out of the hug and took a deep breath. Finally, I looked up at him, and I didn’t see anger, disgust, or disappointment in his eyes. I glanced down at the wet spot that was still on his pants and felt embarrassed.
“Sorry about that,” I said and gestured at the damp spot. “I don’t know why I reacted like that to being spanked.”
Elijah smiled and looked down at my boxer briefs that had a big wet spot high up on the front of the pouch near the waistband.
“Pain turns you on, Brandon. That is why your body reacted like that,” he explained.
“Is that bad?”
“It isn’t. It’s also a little more common than you are probably imagining. Obviously, our little spanking exercise gave you a little release. I think this might be something for us to explore next week as well. Perhaps, part of our session could include a spanking. What do you say?”
“Yeah, we can try it. I will admit, I was really getting into it before you stopped.”
“Forgive me for stopping, but the cuts warranted a conversation.”
“I know. I understand. I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. I’m not. I’m glad we discussed it and that’s out in the open now. But I mean it, Brandon. I want you to call me or text me when the urge to cut is weighing on you. I don’t want you to risk getting an infection, or not able to stop the bleeding.”
“Okay, I understand.”
“Come on, let me help you off the floor. What are you doing tonight?” Eli asked as he gripped my biceps to help me stand without tangling up my feet.
“Nothing.”
“What’s your mom doing?”
“She has a party in Hollywood tonight.”
“Shall we go to Artie’s Pizza?”
“I’d love that,” I said as a sigh of relief and calmness washed over me. I had survived the humiliation of being spanked and the embarrassment of him discovering an ugly side to me that I’d kept hidden.
6
Brandon
Eighteen-Years-Old
Eli helpedme hang up my clothes in the spare bedroom that I would be using. I was so glad to be out from under my mom. Elijah had a good-sized house, though, not as big as my mom’s, but it was still really nice. I was sick to death of being so lonely at home.
Now that I had graduated high school, I was taking an online summer school class at UC Irvine for sociology. It was just one class, and Eli thought it would be a good class to start with and to see how I would like college. As Elijah had promised, we always had breakfast and dinner together. He would go to work, while I would study. When I finished, I’d clean up around the house and help earn my keep. Eli was adamant about him not wanting me to work. He said it was a big transition time for young adults between high school and college, and he wanted me to settle and relax into it.
Glancing at my phone when it rang, I rolled my eyes to see that it was my mom. I’d dodged her call every day this week so far. I didn’t want to talk to her, and I didn’t have anything to say. Eli said that I didn’t need to communicate with my mom if I didn’t want to. I had only been out of her house for about three weeks, and this week had been the first time that she’d tried calling me. I’d received a few texts here and there, but no calls.
“Hello?” I answered by putting it on speakerphone since Eli wasn’t home.
“Brandon! For god’s sake, why haven’t you been answering me?” she barked at me.
“I’m an adult, Mom. I don’t have to answer if I don’t want to,” I reminded her.
