As culture shock went, being surrounded by attractive naked people was not a bad adjustment to make. Not only was Aleksandra Novak herself clad only in straw sandals as she led Lauren and Janet on a walking tour of the Hermitage and NGT offices, but most of the staff they encountered worked in nothing more than shorts or loose sarong skirts--those who wore anything at all.
At one point, Aleksandra stopped in mid-corridor and exchanged brief words with an attaché-toting young islander. Deferentially polite, he wore only a thong and straw sandals. Lauren's eyes followed his trim, muscular ass as he trotted purposefully away on his whispered errand.
"I can't help wondering," she said aside to Janet, "What are casual Fridays like around here?"
Janet grinned and patted Lauren on her bare bottom.
Lauren had long compartmentalized her feelings for her friend. Loving Jan somehow did not mean that she was attracted to other women. Now she found herself so mesmerized by the graceful curve of Aleksandra's back and the rolling of her hips that maybe it was time to reevaluate.
Aleksandra explained that they were in the middle of modernizing the ancient building and its grounds. In addition to comfortable family and guest quarters, the compound now included a wing of offices and a secure private data center.
"We invest most of our earnings in those things that directly benefit the people of the island," Aleksandra went on, and Lauren recognized the universal dialect of the PR copywriter. She wondered if her host had memorized the entire corporate press kit or just the bullet points.
"You thinking about upgrading your telecom network? Getting a signal out of here is a crapshoot."
"In due time. Our first priority is the electrical grid itself. We'll soon be completely wind and solar, replacing the old generators. Oil is an expensive import. That's Stefan's project. He trained as an engineer at the University in Puna'auia." Motherly pride rang in Aleksandra's voice. "Kai'ulau's educational system is very basic, but we're able to underwrite overseas educations for those of our young people who aspire to one."
"It sounds like you're pretty much replacing the government here."
"You make it sound rather sinister." Aleksandra stopped and faced Lauren. "My family has amends to make. I'm ashamed to admit that my father exploited this island and our people as ruthlessly as any colonial overlord anywhere. He grasped the potential trade value of the Tiare, and that is why he resettled and built his business here. But he succeeded in establishing only a limited refining operation. He sold the whole output privately and exclusively to the wealthy and the powerful, gaining a huge fortune and building secret political influence throughout the East. And he hoarded it all. He masterminded our independence from the French and then treated the new local government as a nuisance. He corrupted and destroyed it.
"I am Kai'ulauan by birth. My mother's blood is mine. While Father's death was unexpected, only my sentimental affection for him could cause me to call it untimely. "
There was no trace of any such claimed affection in her voice.
"So, it falls to us to repair the damage that Father did. To restore Kai'ulau and to bring our gifts to the wider world. I believe that we have a great deal to offer."
"Libidramine is pretty amazing," Lauren said. "But to be honest, that's a problem in itself. When demand for it takes off, regulators and politicians are going to be up your ass."
"
Our
asses, I hope," Janet interjected.
"Remains to be seen. And some of these other things you say it does? Not only can't we promote it that way, but the claims themselves are absurd."
If Lauren's skepticism troubled Aleksandra she gave no hint of it. After a moment she asked, "How old would you say I am? Please don't spare my vanity."
Aleksandra had the figure and carriage of a young woman upon whom gravity had yet to take its toll, but Lauren guessed that the Novak matriarch must have at least a decade on either Janet or herself. "Forty...something? Surely not fifty," she guessed diplomatically.
"Try adding twenty years," Jan said.
"I don't believe it!"
"Thank you." Aleksandra's feigned modesty was close to convincing.
"Kai'ulauans are all frighteningly healthy and youthful," Janet said. "When you get out and start meeting more people here you'll see. Chronic problems like diabetes or heart disease are nearly unknown. And they may not have liked Lukasz Novak much, but they do remember him as a strong, active man well into his nineties. Even at his age, his passing shocked everybody.
"Remember how I said I hadn't told you the half of I've learned about Lib? It's not just a sex drug. It's the damn Fountain of Youth. It extends health and life significantly."
"How significantly?"
"That's real hard to say, without a lot more data. There are folks here you'd think are middle-aged but who claim to be nearly a hundred. No one gets cancer or diabetes. No one. Very little obesity. The typical Kai'ulauan diet is a nutritionist's nightmare and nobody even seems to have high cholesterol. For God's sake, Laur, these folks practically live on pork belly."
"I didn't ask the question for vanity's sake," Aleksandra said. "I want you to truly appreciate the magnitude of what a partnership between our two companies represents. The chance to bring people everywhere a product that will immeasurably improve every aspect of their lives. And for this, we're asking to buy only a twenty-five percent stake in Blue Oasis."
"Which would make you our single largest shareholders."
"But far from a majority. Come now, you all seem to operate with a good deal of consensus. So how could our partnership threaten your control?" She paused as if to let Lauren consider her reasoning. "You have a scheduled board election soon?"
"To select a CEO, among other things. Yes."
"And you'll reappoint Jon, of course, as you always have. Your husband. My understanding is that he's open-minded about our proposal. And why should he not be? We have abundant financial resources. You need money."
