The Tycoon's Proposition

“You’re kidding!” She glanced at her watch. Two hours had passed. He was right. “Did I snore?”

Ben burst into laughter, the kind that came from deep down inside. “I’ll never tell.”

“I did!”

“If that’s your only secret, you have no worries.”

Oh, yes, I do. What if she’d talked in her sleep? What if she called out his name in longing?

“Which oversight do you want to hear about first?” She half grumbled the question.

“Whichever one you deem the most important.”

“They’re all important.”

“Go on.”

She bit her lip. “Are you sure you want to talk about this right now?”

He eyed her frankly. “What better time?”

Right.

“Your brochure talked about family living. I didn’t see a veterinary hospital listed.”

“The board voted against having pets on the ship.”

“But most families have one. Why is the board against the idea?”

“Because there are a lot of rules and laws about animals. Quarantine procedures.”

“Are there women on your board? I didn’t meet any today.”

A long silence followed before he said no.

“Well, that explains it. The men didn’t want to be bothered. That’s one of the reasons you need a chamber of commerce to make certain all services are offered. I’ll look into the details and present a proposal at your next meeting. They probably didn’t want a day care center, either.”

“The subject never came up.”

“Does that mean you have an age limit for children?”

“They have to be in high school.”

“Really? I didn’t see that in the brochure.”

“A list of rules accompanies every brochure. I just don’t happen to have one on my desk at the moment.”

“Won’t there be a problem if one of the mothers finds herself pregnant after thinking she was through?”

“If that should arise, the condo will have to be sold.”

“Just supposing you and I were to have children. Would I have to live away from the ship?”

“Of course not.”

“So there’s one rule for the directors, but not for everyone else?”

“These directors have invested billions of dollars. That gives them rights.”