"This is my birthday," she said. "They can amuse themselves."
Then she pulled him down and put her lips to his ear. "Besides," she whispered. "I've got an identical copy with electronic works. No one will even know I've left, unless they get too friendly with it."
"Pretty clever," Mark admitted thoughtfully. "But I wouldn't always be so ready to break the law like that."
"Who's to know except you, Mark?" She looked up at him with burning, gold-flecked eyes. "You wouldn't tell anybody, would you?"
Mark shook his head uncomfortably.
"All right, then."
They entered the elevator that took them down another half mile to the central living quarters of the ancient shelter. It had been built early in the flux period and remodelled several times. It was one of the best equipped on the planet.
"Tell me," Jennette said, gazing appreciatively at the heavy bronze shoulders, "where on earth did you get that?"
"I—Oh, it was just lying around somewhere," Mark mumbled.
"I bet," she said. "But it's nice. I like it."