Nils asked Alice if she would be willing to pose for a series of alphabet paintings he was doing.

“I guess,” Alice responded. “What would it entail?”

“Entail, I like that word,” Nils said. “I’ll have to remember it when I get to E.”

“What letter are you on now?” Alice asked.

“I’m skipping around,” Nils said. “For you I’m thinking of J.”

“So I have to kind of pose like a J?” Alice wondered.

“No, it has more to do with the words. I like to have three words for each letter.”

“And what words do you have in mind for me?”

“Want to guess?”

Alice thought for a moment. She managed to make a J sound. “Juh, juh ... Juice!”

Nils’ face brightened. “That’s right, or close. Juicy.”

Alice contemplated this. “So you think I’m—juicy?”

“I know you are,” Nils said. “Especially when the other words come into play.”

“And what are they?”

“Jilling and Jingly.”

“So this is all about sex,” Alice said. “I should have known. But I’m not sure I get Jingly.”

Nils handed her a slim box wrapped in pink paper.

“For me?”

“For taking part in this project.”

Alice unwrapped the box and opened it. “Oh, a bracelet. It’s very sweet. Thank you.”

“I picked this out because of the colors and because of the sound it makes when it moves. An almost moist, muted jingle.”

Alice shook the bracelet. “Mmm, very soft. I like it. Should I try it on? Right or left do you think?”

“Whichever hand you use to masturbate,” Nils said.