‘I asked my parents if we could have a real Christmas tree this year, with lights and everything. I said that I just knew if we all worked hard all ...ear, and put aside a little bit each week from all our jobs, we could have such a tree this year. We already have a Christmas tree, of course, but it is a short, false tree, with tired, fading paper leaves, that Papa has pulled out of a cardboard tube and fluffed out every year since before I was born. We can’t put lights on it, Papa said—if we had. He manages to catch a quick glance of both her hair and body wrapped in towels before his door closes completely. That last image helps. One thing Trent has always been good at is using his imagination. It serves him, especially now, to help him play out the scenes he wishes would happen. Quickly, he strips off his clothes to put on Thea’s bra and panties. With his clothes a pile on the floor, Trent springs to his bed, tossing his feet over the side.There is a knock at the door and Trent looks. I can't get over how much you look and movelike a real girl. And you've absolutely nailed that subservient maidpersona. Once word gets out, you'll have office groupies flocking toyou all day, even more than last year! They won't even believe it'syou. I hope you didn't plan on getting any normal work done today."Janice's fawning over me was music to my ears. If her reaction was anyindication of what I could expect throughout the day, then I knew myfrilly dress was the right choice. "You flatter. You knowhow sometimes in the summer, on a hot and muggy day, you walk into anair-conditioned place and it feels like you just stepped into adifferent world? It was like that, except instead of going from hot tocool it went from normal to weird.Nothing stood out as being overly strange inside - it looked like apretty basic office, with an older fellow at the reception desk. Therewere chairs in a waiting area with a table beside them offering somemagazines, there was a ceiling fan that seemed to.