Page 74 of Cherry Auction

“Says the beautiful woman on her knees in just a towel.”

I roll my eyes. Then I tug open the top drawer in an opaque tower in one of the cabinets and find cotton balls and swabs. Okay, now we’re talking. I keep opening drawers and find antibiotic cream, long bandages, gloves, and medicaltape. I snatch them all into my arms as I look back up at Domhn.

“Get the butterfly bandages, too.” His voice has gone monotone. “A drawer down. You might need them.”

I find them, exactly where he says, then order him, “Go lay face down on the bed.”

One of his eyebrows hefts as some life comes back into his face. “Are we playing switch? You’re the dom now?”

I glare at him. “For all intents and purposes, yes. Now be a good boy and go do exactly what I say.”

He looks at the jumble of supplies in my hands and sighs. “If you insist.”

“I do.”

Without another word, he turns and goes back into the bedroom. I follow him out. He’s still got the towel covering his back, but when he reaches the bed, he drops his soggy boxers to the carpet—no doubt intentionally distracting me with his taut ass. He only loses the towel at the last moment before flinging himself face-first down on the bed.

I grimace when I see his angry back again, glad he can’t see my reaction. He’s got his face buried between two pillows.

“Can you breathe in there?” I call.

I get a grunt back that I’ll assume means yes. After climbing on the bed beside him, I open the little tube of antibiotic cream and then look down. Immediately I’m swallowing back tears again. Is there even enough in this small tube for his big back and all the damage here?

I should take him to the hospital. He needs stitches.

But when I tell him so, he only grunts again, turning his head to the side. “Just use the butterfly bandages. They work fine.”

I grit my teeth together and snap on some gloves. “Who usually does this for you?”

His back shifts slightly as he shrugs. “Sometimes it’s fine just wearing light shirts and taking antibiotics if there’s a problem. If it’s bad, I call in a nurse I have on call. She’s discreet.”

I stare down at the gory mess in front of me. “You don’t consider thisbad?”

“Mild.”

I swallow at his words, looking at the older scars of crisscrossing pink raised skin. There’s no inch of his back that’s not scarred. And the rest of his torso and arms are covered in tattoos that must’ve taken hours upon hours.

He said he was a sadist, but he’s a liar. He made my skin tender with the caning, it’s true, but it didn’t even leave a mark… whereasthis…

I suck in a deep breath, twist off the top of the antibacterial ointment, and set to work. I hate touching the fresh wounds, even with the most ginger of touches. He tries not to flinch, but he can’t help it. I try to work as quickly and efficiently as I can.

There are seven fresh lashes. Some are shorter, but there’s one especially vicious one that stretches from his shoulder tohis buttocks, crisscrossing the others. Everywhere it crosses the other wounds, the flesh is split horribly. How can he consider thismild? I run out of butterfly clips and have to go back to the bathroom for more. That entire drawer is filled with them. As if he always knows there will be a next time.

I swipe my tears for the umpteenth time with my shoulder as I continue the macabre work.

“Donny, please,” I beg quietly, throat raw. “Promise me you won’t do this anymore.”

He’s quiet a long time as I stretch out the roll of bandaging down the long lash-mark and tape it down.

“I dunno how to stop.”

“You’ll stop because I’m here now,” I say fervently. “There’s no need for it anymore. He was a demon, but he’s gone and I’m here. We won’t let him win. Do you hear me, Domhnall?” I demand, unspooling more bandaging from the roll. “We won’t let him win. This is our life now. You and me together. And we’re taking it fuckingback.”

Beneath me, Domhnall starts to shiver.

“Donny?” I ask. “Shit, you must be freezing. I’m almost done, then we’ll get you under the covers.”

He nods but doesn’t say anything. I quickly finish bandaging his back, then I start to pull the covers up over him.

---