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He looked stunned and stupid with pleasure, like a milk-drunk baby, and she thought that maybe this was what she loved most about sex—a guy revealed like that. Robert showed her more open need that any of the others, even though he was older, and must have seen more breasts, more bodies, than they had—but maybe that was part of it for him, the fact that he was older, and she was young.
During foreplay, Margot temporarily achieves some control of the sexual action by getting on top of Robert and guiding his motions. This control doesn’t last—eventually, he takes complete control, but before this happens Margot has a moment of aroused enjoyment as she looks down at Robert and he gazes up at her, showing his desire for her openly. She imagines him comparing her favorably to others, and her own fantasy about his desire gives her pleasure for a few moments.
…she felt a wave of revulsion that she thought might actually break through her sense of pinned stasis, but then…her revulsion turned to self-disgust and a humiliation that was a kind of perverse cousin to arousal.
Part of what leads to Margot’s feelings of revulsion during sex with Robert is his age, which she exaggerates in her disgust. Part is her disgust at his general chubbiness and heavy belly, a fact that has led some readers to accuse Roupenian of fat-shaming. And part is his aggressive, dominating style of sex, hurting her even after he has just promised to take it slow. A key phrase is “pinned stasis.” Margot feels that she is unable to contribute to the sexual encounter except as a prop for the fantasy Robert is playing out in his head.
