“Yeah, Char, wouldn’t a mask with no eyeholes be dangerous?” Violet props her fist on her chin and smiles. “And please, do explain what a ball gag is.”

“I’m not sure you really want the answer to that, Sunny.” Poppy gives me a look I can’t quite decipher.

Sunny twirls her hair around her finger. “Why not?”

“Where’s the harm in a little bondage-sex education? It’s not like Miller’s ever going to go out and buy either item for her. First of all, Alex would murder him, and secondly, I don’t think that’s Miller’s thing.”

Sunny’s face lights up, and she does jazz hands. “Oh! I think I know what Miller’s thing is!”

Lily grins. “Eating your cookie?”

“He really likes to do that, a lot. When my belly gets too big I’ll have to watch from the mirror.” She gets a faraway look in her eyes. “But he has another thing! Kind of like how you and Randy are always getting it on in bathrooms, except I think it’s a bit more sanitary.”

“And it doesn’t cause thousands of dollars of damage,” Violet adds.

Lily throws her hands up in the air. “That sink was already falling off the wall. It’s not my fault it broke!”

“That was one expensive orgasm,” I say.

“And Randy says it was worth every penny.” Lily’s smile is devious as she bites her knuckle, then turns to Sunny. “Anyway, back to Miller’s thing.”

Sunny wiggles around excitedly in her chair. “So Miller paints my toenails for me.”

“Miller’s thing is painting your toenails?”

“Yes. Well, no. I think he likes my toes.” Her fingers go to her lips, and she looks around the room, her cheeks flushing.

“Say what now?” Violet asks.

”Sometimes he kisses them.” She covers her mouth with her palm and says something unintelligible.

Violet sits forward in her chair. “Hold on a second, does Buck have a foot fetish?”

“Um, I don’t know.” Sunny looks worried now. “Is that weird? Is it, like, mask with no eyeholes kind of weird?”

I dig my toes into Violet’s calf, a warning for her to keep her mouth shut. “No, Sunny. It’s not weird. Lots of people like feet.”

“All our nerve endings are in our feet,” Sunny says matter of factly.

“That’s actually true,” Poppy confirms. “I’ve taken a course on foot massage.”

“Miller gives the best foot massages! Anyway, he didn’t say anything about what happened yesterday apart from that he saw your boobs and some things he shouldn’t have, so I want to hear more about that, especially the face mask and ball gag thing. Who else wants to know what they are?” She raises her hand again and looks around, expecting everyone to raise their hand, too.

“Am I the only one who doesn’t know what this stuff is?” Sunny frowns.

“It’s okay not to know,” I tell her.

“But all of you know.” Sunny sits up a little straighter and flips her hair over her shoulder. “I want to know then, too.”

I look to Poppy and Lily, who both shrug. They spend more time with Sunny than me. They would know what could potentially upset her, which is not something I want to do to a pregnant woman—especially not one as sensitive, and obviously naïve, as she is. I’m almost sad that I’m taking this little piece of innocence from her. “I guess a ball gag is exactly what it sounds like. It’s a rubber ball that goes in your mouth.”

Sunny looks horrified. “Isn’t that dangerous? You could choke!”

God, I love her. “It has straps attached to it, so you can secure it at the back of your head,” Lily explains.

Sunny blinks a few times. “Why would you strap a rubber ball to your face? I don’t get it.”

“Maybe a picture would help.” Violet performs a quick search on her phone, but I grab it from her before she can show Sunny the image. I would like it to be the least potentially scarring ball gag picture out there—which seems like an oxymoron. I find one that doesn’t look too awful and show it to Poppy first. Her eyes flare, but she tips her head to Lily.

I pass the phone to Lily, who grins. “I think my question is, who wears it? You or Darren?”

Sunny throws her hands in the air. “Will someone show me what it is!”

Lily holds the phone out to Sunny. “Remember to keep an open mind.”

Sunny peers at the small image on the screen. She frowns and brings it closer to her face. She twists her hair furiously around her finger until she’s either at risk of knotting it or ripping out the entire chunk. “Wouldn’t it be hard to talk?”

Lily coughs. “I think that’s kind of the point.”

Sunny looks from the phone to me and back to the phone. “But . . . why?”

“So no one can hear her scream.” Violet’s grin is evil.

“Don’t be a jerk!” I jump in. “It’s about trust, and heightening the experience. When you remove the ability to communicate through words, your partner has to be able to read your body and your reactions. Just like if you remove sight, it heightens touch, smell, and taste. You focus on feeling and being in the moment.” I’m fidgeting with my pearls, nervous about the way they’re all looking at me, maybe judging, seeing me differently. “Not that I have personal experience or anything.”