A small group of children gathered excitedly around Shane’s luxury rental car scattered in all directions as he and Dani approached them.

“You’d think they never saw an Aston Martin roadster before,” Shane said as he opened the passenger side door for her.

“I don’t know about them…….. but I definitely haven’t.” Dani was clearly impressed as she gawked at the interior.

“Where’s a good place close-by that’s quiet, where we can talk?” Shane asked.

“Well I know a cute little quiet wine bar in Kihei, just a few miles south of here. How does that sound?”

“Sounds perfect.” Shane lowered the convertible top and they took off down the coast.

Danielle thought it would be best if she cleared the air first thing. She immediately jumped in with an apology for lying to Shane about Auntie May being sick. She was pleasantly surprised when he blew it off as “No big deal.” So she decided she might as well come clean about the whole thing; how the lie and her quick departure were both prompted by the sudden warning text from her friend Allyssa. Dani also admitted that she chose not to share the protest info with him due to her deep dedication to the cause.

She thought for sure that would anger him but it didn’t. He simply said, “I’m sure you had your reasons for keeping that to yourself.” Dani was instantly suspicious. She was no fool and Shane Tanner was not that understanding. There had to be a hidden agenda that he wasn’t sharing with her but what was it?

When they got to the wine bar, they took a small table near a window and Shane ordered a bottle of the most expensive red wine on the menu.

“So Shane if you’re not mad about the protest what is the extremely important urgent thing you want to talk to me about so badly?”

“Who said I’m not mad about the protest? I’m fucking livid about it but not at you. It’s no surprise to me that the Hawaiians hate our company and I can certainly see why you were apprehensive about telling me about it. After all there’s no real reason for you to be loyal to me just because you work for me and we had amazing fucking sex.” Shane said facetiously.

“You thought the sex was amazing?” Dani was taken aback by that.

“Fuck yes! Didn’t you thinks so?” Shane took both her hands in his own.

“Of course I did. I just didn’t think YOU probably thought so. I mean, you are an international playboy. A desirable man like you has probably been with thousands of incredibly gorgeous women.”

“Thousands? Really Danielle, I’m a man not a fucking rabbit.”

“Well you know what I mean. I’m sure you have a lot more to compare it to than I have.”

“That may be true but nevertheless I thought it was second to none.” He said as he kissed her fingers.

Dani flushed from the compliment. She was thoroughly enjoying the delicious wine and the company, but she was still wondering exactly what it was that Shane wanted from her. She was sure it had to be something pretty big to warrant a meeting rather than a phone call.

“So what’s this about Shane? I know you sure as hell didn’t ask to meet with me ASAP just to tell me how great I am in the sack.”

Shane acknowledged that she was correct in her assumption and spent the next hour detailing Tanner International’s ongoing problem with the Hawaiian island people; specifically the huge obstacle they presented, not only for the company, but for him personally in his goal as future CEO. Danielle totally agreed that Tanner had a dire credibility problem and that the native people were definitely going to continue to battle any and all Tanner development in their beloved islands. She also readily admitted she couldn’t think of any immediate solution to the conflict. Shane decided then it was the perfect time to propose his unorthodox idea to her.

“Danielle, I need you to help me get the Hawaiian people on my side. You can obtain the credibility for me that I can’t get on my own.”

“Why do you need me for that? How in the world do you expect me to raise your credibility with them?”

Shane signaled the server to bring another bottle of the ultra-expensive wine sent to their table while he continued his argument.

“I think if the island people saw that YOU were on my side, a native Hawaiian woman who also happens to be an environmental activist…….”

“Whoa! Wait a minute. Back up there. Have you looked at me lately? I’m not a native Hawaiian!”

“Are you telling me you’re not at least part Hawaiian?”

“A small part at best. My father told me we have Hawaiian in the family tree but I never pushed it any further. I guess that’s why we ended up here. Dad was always talking about how nice it was to be back ‘home’, and he didn’t just mean the house. He was talking about the ground we’re walking on. He was in the Navy and met my mom stateside. We all moved to Oahu the very first chance he got. I was just a baby, but the people here took me in like one of their own.”

“Well, blood or no blood, the main thing is you look and act like you belong here. You walk the walk, talk the talk, and dance the dance. Everyone on this damn island knows you. A wise woman once told me ‘It’s all about perception’.”

“Well even if that’s true, what do you want me to do exactly?” Danielle was still not quite bringing the big picture into focus.

“First of all as marketing director, I need your finesse and expertise to do a major marketing make-over for the Tanner brand. As you know, your words have an extreme amount of power when it comes to defining our hotel and our commitment to the environment.”

“Your commitment to the environment? What commitment is that? Your commitment to destroy it? You want me to lie?”

“Now Danielle lie is a very harsh word. If anybody understands the power of promotion it’s you. Your brilliant presentation the other day proved that you’re a master at it.”

“Do you honestly think that promoting the hotel as environmentally friendly is enough to get the Hawaiian people on your side?”

“Of course I don’t. Not in itself. But don’t you think it would also help immensely if the Tanner family had some sort of familial ties to the Hawaiian people? Or connections with someone they respect and honor? Wouldn’t that help them embrace our company?”

“I suppose so Shane but how do you propose to suddenly become Hawaiian? By growing your hair long and getting a spray tan?”

“If it was that easy, I’d already be orange. You’re a different story though……your connections here are pure gold. You grew up here. Everyone knows you and they’ve taken you in like one of their own...”

Danielle was still puzzled. She still wasn’t quite sure where he was going with his talk of island ancestry.

“Shane what are you getting at? How do you intend to create an instant Hawaiian family?”

And then it finally hit her.

“Oh my god. Are you insane? You don’t mean that you…… and I……”

“That’s exactly what I mean Danielle. You marry me and we have a baby together. What could be simpler than that?”

“Hello? Just about anything! How can you even suggest something like that?”

Danielle jumped up out of her chair and flailed her arms around comically as she shot down Shane’s outrageous proposal. To her frustration he remained calmly undaunted in his seat, reservedly sipping his glass of wine.

“I know it sounds a bit unconventional to you but it’s really not that far-fetched. I make much more unusual business deals than this all the time.”

“Those are business deals Shane. This is marriage and baby. Those are two extremely different things. We aren’t even in love.” Dani was still very animated as she spoke.

“You might think business and marriage are different arrangements but they don’t have to be……. And honestly how many married people do you know who are actually in love?”

“What do you mean they don’t have to be two different arrangements, Mr. Businessman? ”

“I mean our marriage and child arrangement would be drawn up in a business contract just like any other. We wouldn’t have to stay married for probably more than a year or so. Just long enough for me not to be perceived as a sinister foreign outsider who’s threatening the islands. I can’t continue to allow my business to be held back.”

“Shane that is horrible idea. I can’t believe you would even suggest it. What the hell would even make me consider such a charade?”

“How about one million dollars? And of course, lifetime child support for our bundle of joy should we separate. We can call it a business deal if things don’t work out between us, but who knows, maybe this could be our happy ever after. Promise me you’ll at least sleep on it Danielle. Better yet, we could go back to the hotel and sleep on it together. ”