He ran his fingers slowly over it. ‘I have thoroughly enjoyed myself, looking at these papers as you so delicately called them, I would warrant tha...t they might be described as smut at any School of Venus. Indeed, it seems you have taken lessons at a house such as that to make such fine illustrations in your books,’ insulting her, his haughty tone boiling her blood. ‘I am no courtesan. I am an artist!’ she huffed, all the while her hands had started trembling. Her body felt compelled to. Dick looked at Gay, “Would be interested in doing something like that? Take over the logging?”Gay looked at me and then back at her father, “I sort of do it now.”“Yes, but not how you would like to do it, huh. You’d have to hire the workers, feed ‘em and organise the contracts. Maintain the tools and get your contracts in on time,” Dick warned her.“I’ve got to do some replanting too. We’ve got an erosion problem were that last lot were cut down that I told you about,” Gay said already thinking. She might not go for it, Sid.”“Ack, just let me handle it. She’ll soften up, dude.”“What about your dad?”“Pfft! He’s not gonna miss me, man. He’ll probably just get drunk and not even bake a turkey. It’s win-win. Trust me... Anyway, you said you were spacin’ out. What’s got you cruisin’?”Terry fidgeted and looked uncomfortable. His eyes settled on one of his guitars. “Well, my dad might not even be in town for Thanksgiving. My mom seems fine, but Mal’s quieter than usual and Cassie doesn’t know. Maria and I were now, alone, we had not yet changed, a fact I was quite glad about. I pulled two chairs together facing each other, ‘Maria, why don’t you come here and sit down?’ I asked. Maria showing compliance with my request (or was it in order?) came and sat on one of the chairs facing me and waited for me to speak. ‘I want to ask you some questions whilst you are not in a hypnotic trance, and I hope you will be able to answer them without feeling embarrassed, however if you do feel uneasy.