“So, it’s merely circumstantial?”
“I…I suppose.” This was the strangest conversation she’d ever had.
“I could remedy the situation for you. Quickly. Painlessly. Make your first experience less...traumatic.”
Her heart pounded in her ears.
He rested a hand on her knee, dragging it slowly down her calf. “Would you like me to help you with that, Daisy?”
Her name in his mouth sounded obscene, like ownership.
She opened her mouth to refuse, to demand he remove his hand, to?—
He cupped her sex, and the tip of his longest finger pressed forward.
Just slightly. Just enough to breach her entrance and slip inside.
“Try to relax.”
The strange intrusion stirred a surge of wet heat as he dipped his finger slowly in and out. A strangled sound escaped her throat as her body reflexively yielded to him.
“Very good.”
She couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t think.
He cautiously explored her. Testing. Was this part of the exam?
“You have a healthy response to touch. Nothing to be ashamed of.”
The locket around her neck slipped from her collarbone, sliding behind her shoulder. Dr. Tannhäuser’s eyes followed the movement. Fingers still wedged inside of her, he reached for the locket.
“May I?” He opened the locket before she answered. His head cocked to the side. “Your mother?”
Acutely aware of his other hand, Daisy swallowed tightly and nodded, unable to speak.
“You have her eyes.”
She reached up and closed the locket, sliding it around to the back of her neck where it would stay safely out of his reach.
He smiled at the protective motion and hummed with amusement. “You’ll need that instinct tomorrow. If I were you, I’d put that locket in a safe place—if it’s important to you.”
He moved back to the foot of the table, but held eye contact as his finger pressed down into the base of her opening. “How does that feel? Any pain?”
“No,” she said tightly.
“And this?” He traced the opening of her sex in a way that made her body clench. “Any pain or discomfort?”
“No. No pain.”
“How about this?” His thumb dragged higher, and her breath hitched. “A little sensitive?”
Her brow knit as she gave a tight nod.
“That’s good. That’s exactly how your body should respond.” He withdrew his fingers and lowered to the stool. Her knees knocked together only to have him press them apart. “Not yet. I need to take a deeper look inside.”
He adjusted the lamp and reached for an instrument on the tray. Metal clinked, and his fingers breached her again.
“A little pressure.”
