“My understanding is the order has been cancelled by mutual agreement,” Sora said pleasantly, looking to the eldest for the seatback that bald announcement would cause.

Leeteuk’s eyes rested on her very steadily. Matter if fact, Sora had been assured of his constant focus on her throughout the meal. She blamed it on the tiny, bust-hugging black dress that little more than a swatch of silk skimming armpit to armpit.

Of course, it had plenty down below where it counted. The black tube hugged her body to her hips then flared to an absolute decadent miniskirt. Her long legs were encased in patterned silk stockings and y heels boosted her height. It was a “knock-em dead dress,” here father said.

Leeteuk was true urbane to say anything about her attire. His brothers were too intimidated to do anything but drool behind their napkins.

Another ball of fool and mutton sailed into the dog’s jaws. Sungmin growled something that made Kyuhyun blushed.

“Do you fly?” she asked Kyuhyun.

“No, they do not let me.”

“Are there restrictions on when one can take flying lessons?”

“No,” Sungmin answered. He did a lot of the talking at the table. Leeteuk remained quiet and thoughtful at the head, watching. “But we adhere to the tenet that too much given too early ruins the man.”

“I see. Good thing that doesn’t apply to women. I got my first license in high school and was flying commercial planes by eighteen. I paid my own way through college.”

“High school?” Kyuhyun echoed, shooting an I-told-you-so look toward his eldest brother. “I will be finished with my O levels next year.”

“And you will still not be flying airplanes,” Leeteuk informed him.

“Why not?” Sora jumped in where she knew she shouldn’t. It was childish of her, but she had to admit she got a rise out of challenging Leeteuk. “Flying is a very useful skill, especially so when distances are as great as they are in the desert. Your father must think so. Why else would he have ordered twenty planes from my company?”

That outlandish assumption made Sungmin chocked. Kyuhyun gawked at her, open mouthed. Sora wondered if she’d just broken tribal taboo by contradicting the eldest.

Leeteuk was nonplussed, and easily deflected the focus off his family onto hers. “Tell is more about the work your father does. How many planes can Kang Industries can remanufacture in a year?”

“Oh, that varies. Some of the refitting is very detailed. Prototypes like the Vixen take three, four mounts to complete. Overhauling Cubs and Cessnas take a week or so once we got them on the line.”

“What is so time-consuming about the Vixen?”

Sora stopped to think. “Well, actually, once the design worked was finished, the refitting went ahead uite quickly. I think it was the installation of the computers that took the longest. The first plane, being a prototype, had quirks in it.”

“Quirks?” Sungmin frowned.

“Yes, quirks, glitches, problems to work out.”

“I am not surprised,” Sungmin said. “That is because you have woman employed in your factory. The distraction of women on the shop floor would cause many mistakes to be made.”

“Excuse me,” Sora corrected. “Quirks and glitches aren’t gender-based. It’s a computer thing.”

“There are bugs in the programs, Sungmin,” Kyuhyun said. Sora silently thanked him for rallying to the defense of women even if he’d come to it by the way of the back door.

“Statistics prove that women are less likely to have accidents in factory setting than men,” she said.

“Women belong to home and their children,” Sungmin declared peremptorily.

“How boring.” Sora sputtered.

Kyuhyun’s head titled to the side a tight frown knitted on his forehead. “You would not prefer to be at home now, Miss Kang?”

“Well, of course I would,” Sora grimaced over being snared in a verbal trap. “If I were, I would certainly wouldn’t certainly have had the opportunity to meet you charming gentlemen, now, would I?”

“Truly?” Kyuhyun asked. “You don’t mind having risked your life?”

“No, you’ve got that wrong. Flying isn’t as risky as driving an automobile, and everyone drives automobiles in my country. I like flying. I always have and I’m fortunate that I can do what I like to do.”

“That does not make it right.” Sungmin countered. He certainly was coming across as a rigid conservative. “If American women would return to their homes and take care of their children, your country’s crime rate would drop dramatically.”

“That’s a gross oversimplification of a very complex social problem,” she countered. “Poverty is the major source of crime. What would you know of that? Isn’t every Kuwaiti born with a guaranteed annual income in the range of sixty thousand dollars? Or is that just men?”

Leeteuk cleared his throat. “This is the most unproductive discussion, especially in light of what happened to Kuwait this week. Nor is there any chance that a nation as small and insignificant as Kuwait can have any influence on American thought.” He looked at his brother. “Sungmin, here you have an excellent opportunity to learn first-hand why is it a young American woman has chosen a career over marriage. Obviously, with Miss Kang’s attributes, she would have any man of her choice. Yet, she has opted for a taxing and dangerous career. I myself, am curious as to why you have never married,” he asked her.

“Nobody interesting ever asked.” Sora laughed.