She turned, put out her hands, and untied the string that held up my trousers.

“Please, Patricia,” I said. “Don’t—”

She was holding my penis. “That’s a mighty fine thing you’ve got there. Know how to use it?”

“No, I guess you could show me.”

“You haven’t slept with Alicia?”

“That’s right.”

“You’re a good boy, then. Now, be an even better boy for me.”

Her eyes were glazed with desire.

I said, “I thought you were supposed to be a wise woman?”

“Even the wise need a prick now and again. You’ve been fluttering your eyelashes at me for days, don’t think I haven’t noticed. I’m very intuitive. Now, can you follow through?”

I didn’t want to disappoint her; I didn’t want her to feel her age or resent me.

Her hands were rough, and at one point I wondered whether she might be wearing gloves. I remembered that for exercise she liked to build stone walls. But, to my surprise, I became excited.

Her noises were honest and forthright. I was sitting facing her. We were rocking. I must have been holding my breath. “Breathe, breathe,” she ordered. I did what she said. She went on. “Relax and breathe from your stomach, that way you’ll hold out longer.”

It worked, of course. When I’d relaxed, she said, “Now, continue.”

Patricia howled, “Adore me, adore me, you little shit!”; she dug her fingers into me, scratched and kicked me, and, when she came, thrust her tongue into my mouth until I almost gagged.

“I needed that,” she said at last. She was lying on the bed, legs apart, almost steaming. “Dear boy, do fetch me a glass of water.”

I took it to her.

“Thanks, Oddjob. A job well done, eh?”

I sat on the end of the bed and said, “Now you’ll be able to give an orgasm workshop.”

“You know,” she said, “a lot of the women here think you’re a haughty little kid. I don’t mind that. I like it. I could humble you, you know.”

“Thank you, Patricia,” I said. “I think you just have. I’d better go now.”

“One more thing,” she said.

Patricia opened her legs and, from the end of the bed, had me look at her masturbate busily. At times her entire hand seemed to disappear into her body, as if she were about to turn herself inside out.

“Bet you haven’t seen that before,” she murmured.

“No,” I said sourly. “One lives and learns.”

She was about to fall asleep. She waved me away, but not before saying, “You come back here tonight. Bring your things. Everything will be better if you come and live here.”

“Why would that be?”

“This is the best room in the village. See you tonight!”

I scurried away across the square. Alicia called after me, caught me up, and put her arm through mine.