I never thought stepping into this examination room would leave me so exposed. James examines me by his own protocol, and every instruction he gives reminds me how little control I have left.

He tells me what to do in the same steady voice he uses everywhere else. The gloved hands make it worse. He has seen the tattoo I keep secret and has never once mentioned it. The scar at his collarbone is the only unguarded thing about him. The door is shut for every appointment now.

I should stop this before the fellowship and our careers are ruined, but the authority in his voice keeps me still. Part of me fears what he will take from me here, while another part waits for him to claim it.