A woman had just stepped out of the shower, warm steam still clinging to the air, when the doorbell rang. Her husband, about to take his own shower, called out from the bathroom, “Can you get that, honey?” Still dripping, she quickly wrapped herself in a towel and padded down the hallway. When she opened the door, she was surprised to see Bob—their longtime neighbor—standing there with an odd glint in his eye. Without missing a beat, Bob said, “I’ll give you $800 if you drop the towel.” She froze.

For a second, she thought it was a joke. But Bob looked completely serious. Her heart pounded. It was a wildly inappropriate request, but $800 was a lot of money—especially for something that would last only a second. After a brief pause, and a quick calculation of how long it had been since she’d treated herself to anything, she hesitantly let the towel fall. Bob handed over the cash, gave a small, awkward nod, and turned to leave.