“Wait, what do you mean, you don’t have experience? Does that mean Darren is the one who wears the ball gag?” Violet’s eyes light up.

I snort. “I’d have better luck getting a porcupine to wear a T-shirt.”

“So what do you do with it if you don’t use it?” Lily looks like she might be interested in taking that ball gag off my hands.

I don’t want to explain where it all came from, but I’ve kind of boxed myself into a corner. I mean, some of the stuff I bought myself, but the majority came in the form of gifts—not from Darren. Violet and Darren know about my mother’s unconventional career, but I generally don’t broadcast that she’s a Dominatrix. Usually I say she’s in the entertainment industry, which is categorically true.

I have never worn that ball gag. It was one of my mother’s gifts that ended up in my this sounds interesting pile on the heels of a super-smutty read. It always sounds so hot in books, but then when I tried it on, I didn’t like the way the rubber tasted, and it was awkward. Also, I don’t like not being able to talk. And I couldn’t stop drooling, which is completely unsexy, so it went in my box of no thanks toys. It’s a big box.

“We use some things.”

“Like the mask with no eyeholes?” Sunny asks.

“Well, no, not that either.”

“Wait a hot damn minute!” Violet slaps the arm of the couch. “Does this mean Darren doesn’t actually have Area 51 access?”

“Oh, he definitely has Area 51 access, but I get why you don’t want Alex in there.”

“It’s not that scary. You just need to work up to it,” Lily says.

“Hold the fucking phone, you let Balls and his giant dick in your backdoor? How does that even happen?” Violet looks shocked.

“Lots of patience and lube,” I reply.

Lily smiles. “Exactly. How do you think that hotel bathroom got destroyed?”

“I guess we know the value Balls puts on anal,” Violet says. “All right, my butt is clenching just from talking about this. Let’s move on, shall we? You know what I’m curious about?” She looks to me. “That necklace you always wear.”

I finger my pearls. “This?”

“For a while there I thought maybe it was a collar and Darren was your Dom or something.”

I roll my eyes. “That’s because we went on a BDSM reading spree in our book club.”

“What’s the significance, then?” Violet asks.

“I bought them a long time ago, when I was a teenager, and I wore them until they broke. I loved them so much that I put them in a little bag and carried them around with me all the time anyway.” Which I’m sure sounds silly, but they were the first thing I bought after we left The Ranch. I found them at a thrift shop and fell in love with them.

“Anyway,” I continue. “One day Darren found them and had them restrung for me, and I’ve been wearing them ever since.”

“Oh, huh. I made that into something a lot bigger than it was.” Violet seems a little disappointed.

I’m relieved when no one brings the conversation back to the wheel of sex toys. Maybe it was the mystery and secrecy of what Darren and I do or don’t do in the bedroom that made it more intriguing than it really is.

Phones start pinging mid-afternoon, signaling the end of practice. Poppy checks her messages, a frown tugging at her mouth. “This whole expansion draft is crazy.”

“It really is,” Sunny agrees.

“Between that and playoffs, Randy’s super stressed.”

“At least he’s safe, though,” Poppy says. “I’m still trying to figure it all out, and getting Lance to explain it is maddening.”

“What do you mean?” Violet asks.

“I don’t get how it works.”

“Oh, well, every team in the league can keep nine players safe from the draft. Players with no-trade clauses can’t be picked up by Vegas, so Alex and Randy are automatically safe. That leaves the team with seven additional players they can keep safe.” Violet pops a grape into her mouth and pushes it to the side, making a lump in her cheek. “There’s no way they’ll let Lance go.”

“You can’t be sure of that, though, since he doesn’t have a no-trade clause.” Poppy’s anxiety is obviously shared collectively.

“From a pure numbers perspective, it makes sense, though, right, Char?” Violet looks to me, and I nod.

As an accountant and financial portfolio manager of NHL players, we know not just what kind of money they make and how to invest it, but also trends, stats, and player viability. We need to be able to look at career trajectory and performance in order to help make smart short- and long-term financial goals.

I’ve also been obsessed with hockey since I watched my first game, so I know a lot about this.

“Can you explain that? Because Lance is kind of freaking out a lot about this whole thing. I think he’s worried he’s going to be moved to Vegas and he’ll have to start all over again.”