Dr. Robert Benoit sat behind his desk listening to the man in front of him speak. For the last three years, Raymond Reddington had been paying him quite well to provide therapy to his adopted son, but he could count on one hand the number of times he had seen him. Of course, he had initially met the man when he had interviewed for the position of private psychiatrist; obviously, he had passed muster because he was recalled for interviews twice; once again with Mr. Reddington and a female associate of his and finally, with Dembe himself.
That original meeting with Dembe Zuma Reddington (as he thought of him) had been quite interesting. Mr. Reddington had been there at first, sitting in a corner, silently observing the interaction between Dembe and him. He remembered that at some point the young boy had turned to his benefactor and indicated that he felt comfortable being alone with him and Reddington nodded and left without saying a word.
He began to see Dembe three times a week and though he never told the man exactly what was discussed in those sessions, he did provide quarterly reports in which he stated whether or not he felt Dembe was making progress. When he first began to hear Dembe's narrative, he had been shocked to his core by the horror of it and impressed by the quiet strength that the youngster displayed. He was pleased to see the teenager begin to blossom and grow into a young man. Dembe had indeed asked him if he should broach the subject of sex with Raymond, so it was no surprise that he had received a call asking for a meeting.
"Mr. Reddington, first of all, I want to commend you for taking in and taking care of Dembe. Physically, the changes in him are astounding. He's grown nearly twelve inches in three years because of the good nutrition and health care he's been receiving. Emotionally, I can tell you that he believes you love him and that inspires him to continue to do well in his studies."
Raymond played with the brim of his hat that he had placed in his lap. "Thank you. I do love him, very much so and I want him to realize his full potential. I don't want him to associate intimacy with pain and degradation. Do you have any ideas about how to proceed?"
Doctor Benoit steepled his fingers and leaned forward. "I do. If Dembe had had a 'normal' childhood and upbringing, I would be telling you to let nature take its course; that his sexuality would begin to assert itself in time. However, his circumstances are so unusual…"
Red waited patiently for a few moments, but when the doctor continued to be lost in thought, he said, "His circumstances are so unusual, what?"
The doctor shook his head. "Sorry. I think, when the time is right, that Dembe would benefit from a sex surrogate. He needs to experience sex as a loving, natural, safe act. He needs to learn the difference between lovemaking and rape. Because of his background, I would strongly advise against leaving these things to chance."
"I agree."
"Mr. Reddington, I know several sex surrogates. They are all certified, discreet and excellent at what they do. I will get in touch with them and arrange for you to meet the ones who I think would be appropriate when Dembe is ready."
Red's expression turned thoughtful. "How are you going to broach the subject with him?"
"We've touched on the subject of sex briefly already. Whenever he has brought it up, I have made it clear that I am open to discussing whatever he wants and I'm not judgmental."
"How would their sessions with him work? I mean, besides the obvious."
"What sex surrogates do is not as 'obvious' as you might think, but I'll let them explain it to you when it's time."