‘Yes, I think so,’ he said slowly. ‘She has to do what you tell her. She has s*x with you sometimes.’
‘That doesn’t trouble you?’ I asked him.
‘I’m not sure. I’m trying to take it in,’ he said. It was an honest answer.
I could feel Matthew wasn’t very friendly to the boy. He was determined to show him exactly what the situation was.
‘Take off your t-shirt,’ he said to Beth.
She glanced at the boy to see his reaction, and blushed. Matthew stared at her, daring her to disobey. Slowly Beth pulled her t-shirt over her head.
‘I’m going to tell her to undress, item by item,’ said Matthew. ‘She doesn’t have any choice about doing it. She always does what I tell her. But you aren’t obliged to watch. If you want to leave, of course you can.’
The boy didn’t say anything. He stared at Beth.
