Freddy gives me an odd look when I ask him to come to join us. He seems unsure whether or not I’m going to have the two of them fight, have him witness me yelling at Mel, or what. I hold up a hand and smile at him. “I was hoping we could talk to you a bit about submission,” I say.

He looks at me, then at her, then back at me. “What about it?” he asks.

I gesture to a chair, and he sits down, on the same side of the table as me.

“It’s not ...