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LOVE IN THE ROCKIES
SPRING’S MOUNTAIN MEN
EVA WINNERS
 CONTENTS

Author’s Note

Prologue
1. Diana
2. Reid
3. Diana
4. Reid
5. Diana
6. Reid
7. Diana
Epilogue

Acknowledgments
Susan C. H
 Copyright © 2021 by Eva Winners

All rights reserved. The people, places, and situations contained in this book are figments of the
author’s imagination and in no way reflect real or actual events.

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 AUTHOR’S NOTE

Dear reader,
Thank you for reading this short standalone story. If you read my works,
you know that I mainly write full-length romance novels, so I hope you enjoy
this short escape with a happy ending.
If you are eager for more, my current list of published or upcoming works
is below.
Love Isn’t What It Seems series
Devotion www.amzn.to/2FubBWH
Adoration www.amzn.to/38bCt8k
Revelation www.amzn.to/3nIFC5m
Affection www.amzn.to/2LzMyEM
Chance At Love Series
Second Chance At Love www.amzn.to/3hZc29m
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Russian Sinners
Marked www.amzn.to/2KhpuKm
Scarred www.amzn.to/3bDEwpc
Disgraced www.amzn.to/3bKiUY3
Eva Winners
PROLOGUE
 REID - 4 YEARS AGO

I watched her sitting on the rock at the edge of the cliff. She was
all sweaty, a satisfied smile on her face. The Rocky Mountains
stretched all around us. The view from here was amazing, but it
was even better from where she was sitting. The lingering snow caps on the
highest mountains, stoic among the clouds, gave the most beautiful view. I
couldn’t see the lake from my spot, but I was sure this young woman could.
The mountains’ reflection on the lake’s surface always gave me the most
serene and peaceful feeling. Combining all the thousands of acres between
our neighbors and us, that spot was my favorite. And right now, it was taken
by a beautiful woman that seemed like a woodland fairy admiring her lands.
The idea of a possible interruption to this peace irked me. This place was
my true escape, my only one, from all the responsibilities that weighed on my
shoulders… my business, carrying on the family legacy, the pressure to settle
down. I almost envied the woman up there. She looked like she didn’t have a
care in the world, and her whole focus was on this moment. I went to leave to
go back to my cabin when I noted her hands reached up high in the air. A
yodel from the top of her lungs left her lips, immediately followed by her
laughter. The sound echoed through the breeze and the mountain. I imagined
they probably heard her all the way down to the valley.
Despite myself, I laughed. It was funny and impulsive. I couldn’t even
remember the last time I acted on impulse. Was it my first year of college? So
that would make it roughly eight years ago, when I was eighteen. My parents
died that year, and I was forced to grow up fast. The business and
responsibility all fell on my shoulders. My grandfather tried to help, but he
couldn’t carry the burden all by himself either.
 I certainly envied this woman. With one last glance at the smiling woman
who was completely oblivious to anyone and anything right now, except the
views spread out in front of her, I headed back to my cabin.
The only reason I was here was to buy a large stretch of land and sign the
purchase agreement that would ensure these lands stay intact. I didn’t want to
see a developer get their hands on it and make it a commercial property. It
was too beautiful and too peaceful to let it go away. There were always hikers
roaming the mountains, like this woman, and I wanted to keep it that way.
Peaceful and quiet.
I usually never came to Vail in the summer, although now I wondered
why. It was a lot more tranquil and less crowded. Even in town, there were
only locals. There were no sightings of any celebrities or famous, wealthy
members of the world trying to get spotted by the paparazzi. I might even hit
the local tavern this evening. It beat sitting at the cabin and making my
dinner. Since the town wasn’t crowded, it could be an enjoyable event.
Five hours later, that was precisely what I did. As I walked into the
tavern, nobody spared me a glance, which was how I liked it. My summer
months were usually spent on my yacht or in Monte Carlo. In fact, I couldn’t
remember the last time I spent the summer in the States. My mother was
French, so my parents came to an arrangement before they had children. Our
school years were spent in the States and summers in Europe. Our family's
vast fortune allowed for that sort of arrangement. Unfortunately, that same
fortune made us the source of reporters’ fascination and the topic of their
articles.
It was precisely the reason I enjoyed this so much. Nobody paid me any
attention or spared me a second look.
A girl’s voice had me turning my head towards the window table. I
recognized her the moment she raised her head and called out to the waiter.
“Hey, Phil,” her voice was soft, a smile playing on her lips. “Could I get
another beer, please?”
She looked relaxed and happy, like she was at home here.
“Sure thing, Diana.”
She must be a local. It was the same girl from earlier today. She was even
younger than I thought. Her dark hair pulled into a high ponytail; it looked
like she was working on something. Against my usual behavior, I strode to
her table.
“Is this seat taken?” I asked her.
 She never even raised her eyes from her laptop.
“Nope.”
“Do you mind if I sit at your table?” I wanted to see her eyes. She was a
beauty with no makeup on and comfortable in her simple jeans and a plain
blue t-shirt.
“Nope.”
My lip quirked.
Nothing strokes my ego like being ignored, I thought wryly to myself.
She was vigorously typing away, and I wondered what was it that took so
much of her focus that she couldn’t even spare a glance at a stranger who sat
down at her table.
The waiter came up with her beer. “Here you go, dear.”
Now she raised her head and gave him a beaming smile. “You are the
best.”
Her eyes traveled over to me, and the moment our eyes met, I felt an
immediate attraction. It was like a punch in the gut, in the best possible way.
From that moment, I knew I was smitten with this woman with sparkling blue
eyes.
Her delicate eyebrows wrinkled as if she was trying to figure out why I
sat at her table.
“You are not a local.” She tilted her head, watching me.
“I’m a semi-local,” I told her. “I don’t stay here all the time, but I come
and go.”
This time she smiled wide. “That’s great! Me too.” She extended her
hand to me. “I’m Diana.”
I took her hand in mine. “Josh.”
I had no idea what made me give her my middle name instead of my first
name. Only my grandfather called me by my middle name. He would say it
reminded him of his father. I didn’t want her to realize who I was, the
wealthy billionaire that reporters labeled as a rogue playboy. I just wanted to
enjoy a simple dinner and a simple night.
“Nice to meet you, Josh.”
“Do you want to order anything?” Phil asked.
I glanced over to Diana. “Anything you recommend?”
“Burgers here are the best,” she beamed. “I just woofed one down. I’m
debating whether I can fit another one in.”
I liked her more and more with each passing second. I loved a woman
that could eat.
“Keep me company,” I suggested.
She chuckled. “Twist my arm, why don’t you?” She turned her gaze to
Phil. “Okay, I’ll have another one. But don’t make it huge for me.”
“Great. And I’ll get a local beer, please.”
Phil went off to make our burgers, and I glanced at her laptop.
“Working?” I asked her.
“No, just finished my last, final paper,” she retorted, rolling her eyes.
“My favorite subject. Business and Finance.”
“Really?” I asked her curiously.
She laughed. “No, not really. I hate it. It was the reason I left it for last.
But it is turned in now. Hopefully, I pass, and I’m all done with college.
Yay!”
She was younger than I thought. She had to be about twenty-one. She
shut down her laptop victoriously and her eyes shone like sapphires. It was
such simple happiness, I envied it. She leaned over, pulling her backpack
onto her lap, and stuffed her laptop in it. Then followed up by clearing the
table of her notebook and a few papers.
She raised her eyes and smiled, “Got to make room for the food. I won’t
let my final paper get in the way of enjoying my burger.”
I threw my head back and laughed. I had never met a woman that openly
admitted she loved her food that much.
Since the place wasn’t very busy, Phil arrived with the burgers pretty
quickly, leaving the tab on the table next to our plates.
“Yummy,” she exclaimed and went to pay her bill.
“Thank you, Phil,” I beat her to it, handing him a hundred-dollar bill.
“You can’t pay the bill for a perfect stranger,” she objected.
“I can,” I told her, smiling. “And you are not a stranger. I know your
name, we are both semi-locals, and consider this your celebratory dinner.
You just wrote your last paper on a boring subject in the thing they call
Business and Finance.”
Of course, I wouldn’t tell her that business was pretty much my life.
She’d write me off and consider me boring for sure.
She chuckled. “Right you are.” She raised her beer and we clinked our
drinks. “Okay, but I’ll buy the next round of drinks.”
“You got it! And after that round, I’ll buy the next one.”
We both chuckled and dug into the food. We spent the next hour eating,
laughing, and drinking. She entertained me with stories of her classes, of her
love of hiking around the area. I found out that her grandparents are from this
area and she had been coming here for years. I wondered how we’d never run
into each other.
The jukebox kicked on and a song came on.
“Oh, I love this song,” she exclaimed. “Do you know it?”
“Garth Brooks?” I wasn’t exactly sure.
I must have guessed right because her eyes flashed in approval. “That’s
right. “Friends in Low Places”.”
“You up for a dance?” There was nobody on the dance floor and I usually
didn’t care about dancing. But something about this young woman made me
want to try everything with her.
“I thought you’d never ask!” She took my hand and dragged us onto the
dance floor.
We swayed to the music, laughing and joking. Then we drank some more
and danced more. Someone kept popping coins into the jukebox so there was
a never-ending stream of songs playing.
“You are a good dancer,” she commended me.
“So are you.” I pulled her closer, her soft body fitting perfectly against
mine. “What is this song?”
“It is one of my favorites,” she rasped low. Her arms around my neck and
mine around her waist. God, she felt amazing against me. Like she was the
one I had been missing my whole life. It felt right to have her in my arms.
She felt right. “It’s called “I Hope you Dance” by Lee Ann Womack.”
“I like it,” I told her in a low voice.
She lifted her head and our eyes met. She took my breath away. She was
so warm, soft, and easy going. Unlike any other woman I had ever met.
I bent my head and pressed a fleeting kiss onto her soft lips. Her soft sigh
was the only thing I heard and felt. The music, the background, nothing
registered… except for this woman in my arms.
“You two have to call it a night,” Phil interrupted. “You can’t dance into
the morning. The bar closed at eleven. It is eleven thirty.”
Neither one of us spared him a glance.
“Want to go somewhere cool?” she uttered, her stunning eyes drawing me
in.
I took her hand and pulled her along. “Let’s go.”
It was the night I never forgot. She might have left me the next morning
but she took my heart with her.
 DIANA

“C ome the fuck on, Diana,” my older sister’s voice had me raising
my eyes from my computer. Of course, her tone and language
had every pair of eyes in the little coffee shop staring at me. “We
are never going to make it on time.” Emilia could be such a pain in the ass
sometimes.
I didn’t let her rush me. My eyes returned to the screen in front of me.
Focusing on the sentence, I re-read it and finished typing the paragraph. I was
on a tight deadline; as a marketing editor, there was always a deadline. It was
supposed to be my vacation week, but who kept track. If I didn’t get this
paper in, I could kiss my job goodbye.
It was early April and we were on our way to my grandmother’s cabin
located right outside of Vail, a Rocky Mountain town in Colorado. It was one
of the world-class ski destinations, but I preferred this place in the dead of the
summer, when most of the crowd was gone. Unfortunately for me, in April,
the rich and famous still liked to linger around. My sister thrived in these
places; me, not so much.
And here I was, doing my duty. My grandmother was getting married. I
was happy for her but it seemed a bit extreme. But my grandmother was
nothing, if not extravagant. I loved her but I had always been closer with my
grandfather. He had been gone only four years but I still missed him horribly.
There were days I wanted to pick up the phone and dial him up, only to
remember he was gone. His passing was so sudden, it was hard to cope with
it. I never even had a chance to say goodbye. Coming to the Rockies was
always bittersweet. I had so many fond memories of our time spent together
getting lost in the mountains. Those lands were his heart and soul. The
moment part of it was taken away from him, it was like he slowly started
withering away.
God, that whole year was one of the worst. Starting right with Josh. Just
the memory of him soured my mood. No, not Josh. Fucking Reid Mason.
After finishing the article, I closed my laptop, shoved it into its protective
sleeve, and put it into my bag. The article, Reid Mason, and all the
bittersweet memories were pushed away, just like my laptop.
“Why are you working anyhow?” my sister questioned me. “I thought
you were on vacation.”
I shrugged as an answer.
The aroma of coffee lingered in the air and the constant noise of the
people chatting in the background and door beeping each time someone
walked in or out helped when I wrote. It drowned out all the noise in my
brain, which was what I needed lately.
I wondered if I timed the barista, whether his “Next” would be every two
minutes. He had a good rhythm going.
I stood up and headed for the door, ready to leave the noise of the shop
behind me. The background noise helped me write articles but nothing beat
the silence. The silence around me and in my brain as I hiked through the
mountains around the cabin was what I needed and loved the most.
As soon as the fresh air hit me, I inhaled deeply. The Rockies’ air was
intoxicating. The scent was a mixture of woodsy and bitter from the woods
and crisp, freshness from the snow-covered mountain tops.
I couldn’t wait to go for a hike all alone and get some peace and quiet.
The last two days have been long. I took a flight from L.A. to Utah,
where Emilia lived and worked in Fishlake National Forest as a forest ranger.
And then we drove from Utah to Vail and the drive seemed a lot longer than
the six hours it required. She talked the entire time and drove me nuts.
“I can’t believe our sixty-year-old grandmother is getting married,”
Emilia complained. “If she asks us to wear bridesmaids dresses, I swear I am
going to lose my shit.”
“I think you lost your shit already,” I retorted dryly, giving her a side
glance.
“So, you‘re telling me the fact that our grandmother is getting laid more
than we are doesn’t bother you?” she asked loudly.
I turned my eyes to Emilia in shock, my steps faltering. “Jesus, Emilia,
keep it down. And I don’t care if she is getting laid or not. The last image I
want stuck in my head is of my grandmother getting laid.”
I heard a stifled laugh behind us, and of course, Emilia’s head
immediately turned back. Just by the look on her face, I could tell she liked
what she saw.
“Hello, boys.” She beamed at them and I rolled my eyes. God give me
patience and help me retain my sanity this week.
“Hello, ladies,” a deep voice sounded behind me.
My phone beeped and I glanced at the screen. “Damn it,” I muttered.
“Diana,” Emilia was pulling on my sleeve. “Stop looking at that damn
phone. Say hello to these guys.”
“Hello,” I said without looking up.
“Diana,” my sister’s voice was annoyingly elevated. “Would you stop
answering damn work emails and say hi?”
“I just did.” I snapped my head up, annoyed. The six-hour drive had
already made me cranky and tired, and Emilia’s constant need for attention
gave me a headache that was worsening with each minute.
As soon as I met Emilia’s eyes, she nudged her head behind us. I
followed her gaze to find two good-looking men standing there. My gaze
traveled to the first guy. He seemed our age. His blonde hair and brown eyes
made him look very appealing, but I’ve seen plenty of attractive men.
My eyes traveled to the guy next to him and it was like a punch in the gut.
I knew this asshole! And how in the hell did he just appear here. Was it the
fact that I actually thought of him a few minutes ago? The towering man with
dark hair and a forest green gaze was not someone you could forget easily.
Reid Mason, for all his faults, was a gorgeous man… but none of that helped
to overcome his shortfalls in my eyes. He lied to me, deceived me about who
he was and then seduced me. Shit, even to this day thinking about that night
brought on fury and desire, such a horrible mixture of feelings.
Unfortunately, Reid Mason knew how to pleasure a woman and that night
ruined me for anyone after him.
“You,” I practically growled. Reid’s expression was that of annoyance.
Damn man, how dare he be annoyed? After what he had done? He should be
embarrassed, ashamed… anything but annoyed.
“You know him?” Emilia’s eyes darted between the two of us.
No wonder Emilia was drooling. This guy was exactly her type; they both
were. I opened my mouth to spit out a smartass comment when my phone
started blasting some rap song I didn’t recognize, shouting about lady parts
and some intense sex.
“What the-” I muttered confused, glancing at my phone; drop dead Reid
Mason was completely forgotten. Emilia burst into laughter. My damn sister
had the worst sense of humor, and she had been on a kick of changing my
phone ringtones to the most inappropriate songs.
“Oh my gosh,” she barely spoke through laughter. “You should have seen
your face, Diana.”
I raised my eyes to the sky praying for the patience that was dangerously
close to evaporating into thin air, and the vacation hadn’t even officially
started.
“I will never survive this week,” I muttered to myself. Glaring at Reid
and his friend, I answered the phone, “Hello, Mother.”
I threw another glance at Reid as I started walking. I couldn’t help
myself; he really was gorgeous. He had been the only one that captured me
from the moment we locked eyes. It should be illegal for a man to be that
handsome. Although I hated what happened between us four years ago, I
couldn’t discount his impact on me.
“Yes, we are almost there,” I told my mother as I walked towards my
Jeep Grand Cherokee.
“Just wanted to make sure my girls made it safely.” My mother’s voice
was soft over the line. I swore I never met a woman with more patience than
her. I often wondered how she held onto it with Emilia because I was ready
to throttle her.
“Yes, we made it. We just stopped for a cup of coffee.” I clicked the car
open and noted my older sister wasn’t right behind me.
“Oh, that is good, darling. Then I shall see you in a little bit.” My mother,
with her latest kick of using British English, which was driving me nuts, but I
kept the comment to myself.
“Yes, see you soon.” I clicked the end call button and searched for Emilia
who was still drooling over the two men.
“Emilia,” I shouted out to her, agitated. “If you are not here by the time I
start the car, I’m leaving you, and you can ask them to give you a ride.”
She reluctantly said goodbye to the two men after a minute of hesitation.
“That asshole you are drooling over pushed our grandparents into selling
all of grandpa’s property,” I remarked loudly. Emilia’s face held shock, and
just like that, her expression turned from swooning to dismissal.
I had to hide my smile as I sat into the driver seat. For all my sisters'
obsession with men, I knew this wouldn’t be forgiven. We both loved the
land Reid Mason basically stole from us.
I could see a frown on Reid’s beautiful face. Even after all this time, he
acted like he did nothing wrong. He deserved nothing but pain. Fucking
asshole!
Okay, maybe I was going a bit overboard. But seeing him after four years
was not something I was prepared for. I needed to get back to the cabin so I
could process all this. If my mother, sister, and grandmother even gave me
thirty minutes to myself to process anything.
My sister scurried into the car, throwing a glance behind at the two men.
“Gosh, he is really hot,” she muttered. “I would really like to get laid.”
I rolled my eyes. Something was seriously wrong with her, with this
entire family.
Emilia was right, it was ridiculous our grandmother was getting married
at her age. I was all for her living it up but tying a knot at sixty-eight was a
bit much.
“Are you sure that is him?” Emilia asked
“Yes, I am sure,” I told her as I put my car into drive. Maybe I could just
bump into Reid Mason, just as a small payback. The only thing stopping me
was the idea of getting in trouble. And the man had so many lawyers, he’d
probably put me away for life. Just for the mere pleasure of seeing me gone.
Yeah, he was totally not worth it.
 REID

I spotted Diana Summers the moment I entered the coffee shop.

She was just as I remembered her: beautiful, elusive, and lost in
her own world. She chewed on her full sensual lips as she stared
at the laptop in front of her, focused on whatever task she was doing, and
everyone around her was forgotten. I couldn’t see her eyes but knew they
were the color of stormy seas. It was the same hairstyle she had the last time I
saw her--a messy bun that made her look like a nerd. A very beautiful nerd.
The last time I saw her was four years ago. The summer I bought her
grandfather’s property in the mountains. We ran into each other at the local
bar. She didn’t know I was a buyer, and I didn’t realize she was connected to
the sellers. From my perspective back then, she had no clue who I was, which
was refreshing. So that night we enjoyed each other's company but it ended
too quickly and the ending was bitter.
We spent all night drinking and dancing at the local joint. I honestly
could not remember the last time I had such a good time. She didn’t flirt with
me and had no agenda besides a good time that night.
My lips tilted into a smile remembering how the owner had to kick us out
of the bar that night. Her laugh as the bar owner scolded us on the way out
was the sound that stuck with me. It was the best night, hands down.
I always thought she was beautiful. Even when she raged against me,
calling me all kinds of creative names that day her grandfather signed away
most of their property on the dotted line.
“Come the fuck on, Diana,” a girl yelled across the shop.
Diana raised her eyes for a fraction of a second, and it was enough to feel
like a punch in the gut. Those beautiful eyes of hers had a distant look in
them and I wondered what she was thinking about. She was just as alluring as
that summer four years ago. I had never felt with any other woman what I
had felt with her… at ease, comfortable, and connected. She was not
someone you could easily forget.
Whoever the girl was talking to her from across the coffee shop, she was
dismissed as Diana went back to her task at hand.
My younger brother was with me, flirting with any skirt within twenty
miles. I wasn’t looking forward to spending an entire week with him. Trouble
always followed whenever he was around, girls chasing him like he was easy
prey. In turn, it made them chase me too. And I fucking hated that.
Diana started packing up and I urged my brother to hurry up. I knew it
was ridiculous. I was a thirty-year-old man, and here I was, trailing behind a
woman who couldn’t stand the sight of me.
Ah, it was her sister. Rhett and I walked close enough to hear the
conversation.
I had to admit, Diana had a dry sense of humor. But oddly enough, I
loved it. And her voice was incredibly soft for someone who could spit fire
and call you every single cursed name under the sun.
When she exclaimed that she didn’t want to imagine her grandmother
getting laid, I knew Rhett would give us out. He was already eyeing both
women like they were candy. Bottom line, my brother was a manwhore; and
due to our wealth, he got lucky pretty much all the time.
Diana still refused to turn around even with all her sister’s nudging. When
she finally gave up, her eyes traveled to my brother first; there was nothing in
her eyes but disinterest. When her eyes landed onto me though, I swore there
was damn lightning in her eyes.
Four fucking years and she was still fuming about it.
“You!” There was so much accusation and rage in her voice, but I was
saved by her phone’s absurd ringtone.
“What the-” She seemed confused about her device and everyone was
forgotten till her sister burst into laughter.
It was ridiculous that I felt saved by her phone. Her rage still stung. That
amazing night we spent together meant so little to her that she never even
wanted to discuss it with me. She refused to give us a chance. Before we
could even see where our instant connection and attraction would take us, she
shattered it.
Diana raised her face up to the sky, her eyes even brighter under the clear
sky. It was as if she was praying for patience or a murder weapon. The
question was whether she would kill her sister or me.
No doubt me.
She confirmed my suspicion when she glared at me, then turned around
leaving me on the spot, muttering to herself.
If I had any doubts that she still despised me, it was confirmed when she
shouted to her sister who still stood here locking eyes with Rhett.
“That asshole you are drooling over pushed our grandparents into selling
all of grandpa’s property.”
Her sister’s face changed from swoony to shock, to dismissal in less than
sixty seconds. Yep, Rhett wouldn’t stand a chance with Diana’s sister now.
As I watched Diana drive off, I realized it still pained me to see her go.
Losing her stung. Just as it did four years ago.
But I knew we’d see her really soon. Because our grandfather was getting
married too.
 DIANA

I was going to lose my mind any second now. We’d been at my

grandmother’s cabin for less than twenty-four hours and it was
already painful.
The moment we stepped into Grandma’s fancy cabin, the rain started and
hadn’t stopped since. It was a cabin but had all the comforts of a real home. It
had always been my favorite place. I had so many fond memories from my
childhood here. My grandfather would take me hiking through the mountains
with him for hours on end. We’d talk about my school, his health, our plans
for the future… anything and everything.
Today, however, I would rather be anywhere but here. We were all
cooped up in this home and although it was over five thousand square feet, it
felt too small when stuck with three other women.
I had parked myself in the sunroom, which connected to the living room.
The front door was open wide, allowing for the cool wind from the rain to flit
and flutter through the house, despite the heated discussion happening.
Grandmother, Mother, and Emilia were all arguing and shouting over each
other as if they were discussing the next World War and not a wedding.
I tried to tune out my family, tried to enjoy the beautiful, expansive view
of the mountains and rain while I worked. Not having neighbors for miles
had its perks, most of the time. Like now, regardless of the door being open,
no one aside from me could hear the yelling taking place in the next room.
My mother wanted to have a white wedding, like grandma was still a
virgin. Grandma wanted a champagne cascading waterfall, and Emilia
wanted to stop the wedding all together, complaining about the fact that she
was getting laid while her granddaughters were having a dry season.
 I mean WHAT THE FUCK!
I didn’t say I was going through a dry spell. I could find myself a
boyfriend. I definitely could. I just wasn’t interested.
“Tell her,” Emilia tried to pull me into her debate for the hundredth time.
“Keep me out of this clusterfuck,” I told them all, trying hard to focus on
the screen of my laptop. I would have had better luck concentrating in the
middle of a damn rock-n-roll concert than this cabin with the three of them.
My grandmother’s fiancé was coming over in about thirty minutes. I
almost wished he’d come now so this shitshow could be over.
“Grandma,” Emilia started again. “You are way too old to get married.”
“Says who,” Grandma challenged her back.
“Everyone!” Emilia shouted like there was a chance someone wouldn’t
hear her. None of us had lost our hearing yet, but with all this shouting, we
might. I almost expected Emilia to throw the blame at me. But she didn’t. I
loved my sister but she hated owning up to her own mistakes and her own
opinions. She always needed someone in her corner to back up her
arguments. Sometimes I was stupid enough to do just that but not today.
Today, I had a deadline to meet.
“Well, tell everyone to mind their own business,” my grandmother told
her off. “Because if they don’t, I am young enough to kill them.”
“Everyone says it doesn’t make sense to get married at such an old age!”
Emilia was adamant about not letting her get married. I didn’t give a crap, as
long as she was happy and this circus ended. Because I was about to lose my
shit and kill someone. I guess I was taking a page out of my grandmother’s
book.
Normally we all got along great. But this upcoming and very sudden
engagement of our grandmother’s had everyone worked up. All the women in
our family were a tad bit dramatic. It was why I always loved hanging out
with my grandfather. He’d take me out of the drama and we’d get lost
through the trails, inhaling deep fresh air. God, I really missed him.
Sometimes we’d walk in silence for hours but it still offered comfort.
“Emilia, stop it,” my mother butted in. She should have really left those
two to work it out.
By all means, let’s all discuss this circus. It wasn’t enough my sister and
grandmother were arguing, we needed another woman’s opinion here too.
“Your grandmama might not have much time left on this Earth, but she
deserves to be happy.”
 “What are you talking about?” Grandma’s snapped back at my mom. “I
plan on outliving all of you.”
All in all, my grandmother was still a beautiful woman. Yes, she was in
her late sixties, but we’d all eventually get there. I would imagine what
attracted this poor fellow into being willing to get married in his seventies
was her humor and her wit. My grandmother had the wits to spare. She was
still a fun woman to be around and talk to.
Just not when she was getting married, I added wryly in my head.
“Mother, she is old,” Emilia shouted. “She is marrying a fucking old
stranger. He could die tomorrow.”
If there was something to say to set the flames ablaze, that was it. All
three of them started arguing and none of them could even hear each other
over their high-pitched voices.
I had thirty minutes to get this shitty article back to the office for
tomorrow’s run, and a pounding headache was already putting pressure on
my eyes.
Grandmother’s intended was to coming over for dinner any moment and
these three crazy women were arguing about a fully grown woman getting
married. With my mother wearing only her robe, because the debate started
right after her shower.
“That is enough,” I yelled off the top of my lungs, getting onto my feet
and storming into the living room. “Enough!”
All three of them turned to me in unison, shocked.
“I can’t take this shit anymore,” I continued shouting. “Emilia, stop
nagging the woman. If you must, go find someone and get laid so you can be
happy for her. Mother, go get dressed, and for Christ’s sake, we all know
Grandma is not a virgin. She gave birth to you and there was no Holy Spirit
in play. No to the fucking champagne cascade also. Now everyone, shut up
and be still till the groom gets here. Read, crochet, do anything. Just please,
be quiet so I can get this article out before I get fucking fired. My head is
going to explode from all this bullshit.”
Once the words were spoken, I rolled my shoulders and tried to release
the tension in my neck. I closed my eyes for a second before piercing them
with another look. All three of them were standing stoic, an unreadable
expression on their faces.
Why weren’t they moving?
“Hello, dear,” a man’s voice came from behind. I whipped around and my
mouth just dropped to the floor. “You must be Diana. These two are my
grandsons. Reid and his brother, Rhett.”
The three men stood in our living room. The blonde guy, who apparently
was his brother Rhett, was smiling with wicked amusement. Reid’s
expression was unreadable.
“What are you doing here?” I uttered, shock and anger lacing my voice.
“Can’t you see this is private property?” My voice became louder with every
tension in my body. “And it is not for fucking sale. So turn around and go
somewhere you are welcome.”
Reid’s brother laughed out loud. “Oh, I like you.”
“And I don’t like you,” I gritted through my teeth, my headache
intensified with each second. “Listen, you guys want to argue or start some
shit? Come back tomorrow. We are busy today and I have a deadline to meet.
Now out!”
“Diana, you can’t talk to my fiancé like that!” My grandmother’s voice
had me blinking in confusion.
“What?” It must be my headache, making it hard to process words.
“I am sure I told you. River Mason is my fiancé.” My grandmother knew
very well she didn’t tell me.
I looked over to my mother and Emilia. “Did you two know?”
Emilia’s shocked expression told me she didn’t, but my mother’s face had
guilt written all over it. They both hid it on purpose. Sneaky relatives! Yes,
we should add that adjective when describing our family.
“No,” I railed. “No, no, no.”
“No what, my dear?” My grandmother was playing me. She knew I was
furious.
“You cannot marry that man,” I shouted like she couldn’t hear me,
pointing to River Mason.
“But dear, you just told Emilia to be happy for me,” she beamed
innocently. “Do you need to get laid too in order to be happy for me?”
This couldn’t be happening. It was my worst nightmare. I glanced at my
sister and she had an I told you so look. My eyes went to the three men that
stood in our living room, and they clearly did not belong there.
How could my grandmother even stand to look at them after what they
had done? Well, I was not going to be a part of it. I refused to be pulled into
anything to do with the Mason family.
“I’m leaving,” I finally said. “I refuse to be part of this clusterfuck.”
 ‘But dear-” my grandma started.
“Don’t you dare,” I hissed at her. The whole circus at Mason’s family
display. “You know very well you didn’t tell me. You want to play games,
fine. But leave me out of it. I’m going back to L.A.”
“Diana, you should-” Reid actually dared to address me.
My head snapped to him. “Don’t you address me,” I raged at him.
“Whatever the fuck your family is planning, it won’t work. You are lucky I
don’t punch you and break your nose again… Asshole!”
“Ohhhh, please do,” Emilia chimed in, eager to get the shit started.
I leaned over and snapped my laptop with unnecessary force. Then
glancing at my sister asked. “You staying?”
“Fuck no,” she replied right away. “Let me grab my shit.”
She ran to her room, while I rushed packing my work stuff into my bag. I
couldn’t care less if all my clothes were left behind. I couldn’t wait to get out
of here.
“Diana, don’t you think you are being dramatic?” My mother asked. “It is
Grandma’s wedding.”
“I’ll send a card,” I retorted dryly. “And please, don’t invite me to any
more shit. I’m busy for the rest of my life.”
Emilia came back at that moment with her bag and a wide smile. “I’m
ready.”
“Good.” I pushed the last piece of paper into my bag and put it over my
shoulder. “Let’s go.”
“Diana,” my grandmother’s voice was sad and that had my step faltering.
“Don’t you want to even hear how we met or why we want to get married?”
I turned my head towards her. “No, I really don’t. All I know right now is
that you lied to me.” My gaze shifted to Reid, remembering that night four
years ago. “You’ll fit right in with the Mason family, though. They are good
at that shit too.”
I walked out the door and into the pouring rain.
 REID

I swore the look Diana gave me was pure disgust. She could barely
stand to even look at me. Neither she nor her sister knew their
grandmother was marrying our grandfather it seemed. I
remembered how Grandpa refused to announce the engagement or list
anything about it in the paper. It all made sense now. They were trying to
ambush her and force her into an agreement. I could have told them it
wouldn’t work. She hated to be cornered. And she hated to be lied to.
I wished I’d known that myself four years ago. Maybe she’d given us a
chance. Now, all that was left were bitter memories and things I could never
have.
As she walked by me and out the door, straight into the pouring rain, I
went after her.
“Diana, don’t be stupid.” I grabbed her hand and she pulled it out like my
touch disgusted her. It was abundantly clear she couldn’t stand me.
She ignored me as she put her laptop in the backseat of her car.
“Diana, the roads are flooded,” I warned her. “It is not safe to drive with
all this rain.”
“How convenient!” She at least acknowledged me, I thought to myself as
she continued with her rage. “Considering every word out of your mouth is a
lie, you’ll forgive me if I take it with a grain of salt.”
“Diana-” She didn’t even bother to glance my way, shutting the car door
in my face.
Damn stubborn woman!
She put her Jeep in drive and sped down the steep driveway. I wasn’t
exaggerating when I told her the roads were flooded. We were basically on
the side of the mountain and the constant rain over the last twenty-four hours
caused mudslides.
I swore that woman didn’t think straight when she got mad. How she
functioned in the marketing business, I had no idea. From everything I heard,
she was great at it too; although her company didn’t deserve her at all.
“Shit,” I muttered to myself. I had to go after her and ensure she got to
the bottom of the mountain safely. Once there, I could come back or stay in
the hotel until this passed.
“I’m going to make sure they make it past the bridge,” I shouted out to
my grandfather and brother. “I’ll be back when it’s clear.”
“Be careful, Reid,” was all my grandfather said. He knew me well enough
to understand he couldn’t stop me.
“Hold up,” my brother shouted and I really wished he didn’t. “I’ll come
with you.”
“No need-”
“Yes, yes,” he answered mischievously. “There is plenty of need, I’m
coming.”
He thought there’d be some excitement going on. He was dead wrong.
The only thing that might happen was the possibility of Diana actually
breaking my nose this time. The last time she got pissed off, she punched me
in the nose. And damn, I could feel the pain for days.
I didn’t realize I was pinching the bridge of my nose till my brother asked
smugly, “Did she really break your nose?”
“No, she didn’t.” Before he could ask more, I added, “Although she
definitely tried.”
He laughed, although his expression was slightly impressed.
I sped down the same road that Diana had taken. The sound of the rain
and windshield wipers was the only sound in the car. The storm was getting
worse by the minute and it wasn't good timing at all for all this to happen.
Where the hell was she? She shouldn’t have gotten that far ahead in this
short of a time.
“I didn’t think she’d make it far before we caught up to her,” my brother
echoed my thoughts. “How fast is she driving?”
I pressed my lips together. Diana liked to drive fast. I remembered that
night when we left the bar.
Fuck, definitely not a good thing to think about right now. The purpose of
going after her was to ensure she made it down the mountain safely, not to
crash while daydreaming about that one night with her.
One night, that was all it took for me to fuck it up with her.
She was barely twenty-one and I was twenty-six back then. Nobody had
ever impacted me the way she did. She wasn’t like anyone I’d ever met.
Everyone dressed to be noticed, she dressed to be comfortable. While every
female in the bars constantly sought me out, she barely noticed me. It was as
if she was lost in her own world, some woodland fairy tracking around the
mountains and coming down to the local bar for food and beer. Sometimes
when I watched her, I’d catch her smile to herself as if she was having a time
of her life in that pretty head of hers.
“Hey, what’s that?” My brother’s voice had me focusing on the present.
“I think that’s their car.”
I slammed on the breaks, which was a stupid move. The vehicle swerved
on the narrow road and I silently cursed myself for such stupidity.
Finally, the car came to a stop and I let out a long breath of relief. Thank
God there was nobody else out on the road; otherwise, we’d be tumbling over
the mountain rather than occupying the entire road.
“Okay, that was scary,” my brother muttered, slightly shaken.
We both got out of the vehicle and ran towards Diana’s car on the landing
of a side road. Both of us drenched within seconds. A loud thunder shook the
ground, and lightning lit up the forest like fireworks. Damn, this was going to
be a bad storm.
I couldn’t understand why Diana took that side road. She knew better
than anyone that road went nowhere. Just a short patch of road that stopped at
the edge of the mountain with the steep drop.
And then I saw her car. My heart stopped and with lead in my stomach, I
ran faster. The fear like I had never experienced before had my blood running
cold.
Her front left tire was hanging off the ledge, the car balanced, threatening
to tilt over. One wrong move and the car would tumble down the mountain’s
steep fall.
“Her tire is hanging off the ledge,” I pointed to my brother, while we both
continued to the passenger’s side.
My heart pounded hard in my chest. Regardless of her anger and hate
towards me, I couldn’t bear to see anything happen to her. This world without
her was nothing. She has been the one for me since that summer day four
years ago.
 I carefully opened the door and both girls sat frozen, a terrified look in
their eyes.
“It’s ok,” I tried to assure them, although I was just as scared. I reached
my hand for Diana’s sister. “Unbuckle your seatbelt slowly and come on
out.”
“What about Diana?” her voice shook from fear. I didn’t blame her since
her sister was in the driver’s seat and couldn’t get out.
“Do as he says, Emilia.” My eyes met Diana’s blue gaze. She was pale,
scared to her core.
“I’ll get her,” I told Emilia, never looking away from Diana. I’ll get her
or die trying.
She must have believed me because she slowly unbuckled her seatbelt,
taking my hand, and I pulled her out.
Without a backward glance, I yelled over to my brother. “Rhett, take
Emilia back to the house. I’ll help Diana.”
“But-”
“Now, Rhett,” I demanded. At times, he really required a firm hand. He
was too impulsive, sometimes too reckless. He was similar to Diana in a lot
of ways. The thought hit me like the thunder that boomed around us. Those
two were the same age too.
“I’ll get her out,” I threw him a quick glance and saw him nod.
“Come on, Emilia,” he took her hand and walked her to the car. “Reid
will get her. Don’t worry.”
God, I hope he is right.
My eyes returned to Diana’s unmoving form.
I heard him start up my Rover and get it in the drive. The sound of the
engine was only a hum over the storm.
“Can you get the car into reverse?” I asked her, now that it was just the
two of us.
“Every time I even slightly move,” her voice shook, “the car leans more
to the left.”
And over the damn mountain!
“I’m going to sit in the passenger seat,” I informed her. “You just lightly
press the brake pedal and I’ll change the gear to reverse.”
“Reid, I don’t think you should-”
I cut her off. “We can do this. Just do as I say.”
She shut her eyes for a few seconds like she was silently praying.
 I slowly slipped into the seat that had been occupied by her sister mere
minutes ago. I hoped my weight would help to tilt the car to the right.
“We can do this, Diana,” I repeated. “Ready?”
“Yes,” her voice was a hoarse whisper
“Push on the brake pedal,” I instructed her. To be honest, I was scared,
but I didn’t let my voice waver. She didn’t need my fear on top of hers.
As she pushed the pedal, the vehicle barely tilted and a whimper escaped
her lips.
Without further delay, I shifted the gear to reverse.
“Good,” I praised her. “Good job. Now, push the gas pedal and I’ll guide
the wheel back onto the main road.”
Shock and fear mixed in her eyes as she glanced my way.
“We got this,” I assured her. There was no alternative.
 DIANA

I should have insisted that Reid not enter the car. We could both
tumble down the mountain to our deaths. Me threatening to kill
him or punch him intentionally was different than both of us
tragically dying.
It was so stupid not to turn around when I noticed Reid was right. The
roads were too dangerous to drive on. But I was too stubborn and proud to
turn around. My grandmother was right. Grandpa and I were similar in that
aspect; it was hard for us to admit our defeat or mistakes. So here I was! One
moment driving through the rain and slippery roads, and next I lost control of
the wheel and we hydroplaned off the road.
Thank God, it happened on the only part of the road that had this side
road. Otherwise, we would have tumbled down the mountain already. The
fear of dying gripped me on the inside.
Who would have ever thought four years ago, after that night, that we’d
end up here?
“We got this,” he repeated again.
His big hand was on the wheel with a firm grip. My own hands shook
from fear. I was too young to die. So was he.
I really wished I listened to him and stayed in the house. Too late, though;
I let my anger get the best of me and it might cost us both of our lives.
“Ok, push the gas pedal,” he urged me.
“Are you sure?”
“Yes.” Not an ounce of uncertainty. “Do it now.”
I did as he instructed and my heart might have stopped for the duration of
that activity. My foot pressed on the gas pedal, the car dangerously tilting
over. I was too scared to breathe, too scared to move.
“Press it harder,” he ordered, his tone calm.
Without a question, I did what he said and the car jerked. Instinctively, I
squeezed my eyelids tight. If we were falling to our death, I didn’t want to
know.
“Good, good,” he muttered. I opened my eyes with his voice. We were
back on the pavement, and he was steering us backwards.
“Okay, love,” he murmured, his eyes locked behind us. “Press the brake
now.”
Without even a second thought, my foot was on the brake and the Jeep
came to a screeching halt. I couldn’t believe we made it. My pounding heart
was slowly turning back to its normal rhythm. Suddenly, everything from
outside came crashing down on me. The heavy rain was splashing against the
windshield, the sound of the wind blowing through the trees, and the thunder
in the distance.
He called me love, the thought seemed irrelevant but nonetheless
important.
I turned my head at Reid, the man I’d been mad at for the past four years,
and smiled shakily.
“We made it,” I beamed, although my voice still trembled.
He smiled back and I was struck with how gorgeous he was.
“Yes, we did,” he replied. “Can you drive us out of here? Or do you want
me to drive?”
“Where are Rhett and Emilia?”
“I told Rhett to take her back to the cabin.” It was a good decision. He
didn’t want them to see if something went wrong.
“Do you mind driving?” After this ordeal, I wasn’t sure if driving would
ever be a comfortable event.
He went to grab the door and my hand reached out to stop him. “Where
are you going?”
“I’ll go around to drive.”
I looked at the rain, which was pouring even more heavily than before.
“You’ll get soaking wet,” I muttered. Although he was fairly drenched
already, outside of the car seemed scary. “Just swap with me. I’ll get to your
side first, and then you climb over here.”
I unbuckled the seatbelt, climbed over the console, and fell back straight
into his lap.
 “Shit, I’m sorry,” I apologized, feeling his body lined up with mine. I
tried to find my balance, but it only made me grind against him.
“No worries,” he groaned. “But please, stop grinding against my dick. I
can only take so much; I’m just human after all.”
I stilled immediately, but I felt him harden under me. It was enough to
turn a switch inside me, desire coursing through my body.
I mentally slapped myself. It was just an adrenaline rush.
I pushed myself off of him, by holding on to the door armrest and
dashboard.
“Can you crawl to the driver’s seat?” I asked him, my voice strangely
husky.
“Yes.” His mouth was right against my neck, and a shiver ran down my
body. His body brushed against me and each connection increased the ache
between my thighs. There had to be a psychological term for this kind of
reaction. A near-death experience turned into a hyperactive sex drive.
He finally shifted over and I threw myself back into the seat, his warmth
and musky smell still lingering against the leather. Without another word, we
both put our seatbelts on and Reid shifted the car into drive.
The rain was falling hard and steady. It didn’t look like it would ease up
anytime soon. Just at that moment, a loud crack of thunder made me jump.
Before I could cover my fear with small talk, a trail of curses left his lips.
Turning my eyes to him, I followed his gaze. There was a tree down, and
it was our only way back to my grandmother’s cabin.
“Now what?” I asked him. There were no other ways to my
grandmother’s cabin. “Do you think Emilia and your brother made it?”
“Give your sister a call,” he suggested. “To ensure they got to the cabin
and let them know we are alright. I’m sure they’ve made it back to the
cabin,” he quickly assured me, seeing the worry on my face. “Otherwise, they
would be sitting here in the car. There isn’t anywhere else to go.”
“Okay.” His logic made sense but still made me worry.
I leaned over to the backseat and reached for my laptop bag, digging
through it for my cell.
“Here it is,” I exclaimed when I finally found it.
Quickly scrolling through my address book, I pressed dial. Emilia
answered on the first ring.
“Diana!” My sister’s voice sounded panicky.
“Are you guys alright?” I asked her, worried that maybe they didn’t make
it to the cabin. It was only a fleeting second but the worst images colored my
mind.
“Yes, we are safe. We are back at Grandma’s. I was worried sick about
you.”
I turned my head to Reid, who was patiently waiting. They are okay, I
mouthed to him and he nodded.
Then I continued talking to my sister. “We are okay. Reid got us out,” my
voice slightly shook just thinking about it. Reid saved my life, there was no
doubt in my mind.
“There is a tree on the road, a few miles from the cabin. It fell just as we
passed that part of the road. It was scary as hell,” my sister was shaken up.
“You won’t be able to get back.”
Reid put the car in reverse and drove about a hundred feet backwards. I
glanced at him curiously, the phone still pressed against my ear.
“We’ll check if the path to my cabin is clear,” Reid uttered, worry etched
on his face. There were branches and limbs everywhere and the wind was
picking up hard.
“Reid will take us to his cabin,” I told my sister. “Don’t worry. Just stay
put at Grandma’s and let them all know we are okay.”
“Okay. Love you.”
“Love you too.” We ended the call and I focused on Reid and myself. We
were in a dire situation and needed to get out of this storm.
“Our luck couldn't possibly be this bad to have another blocked way to
your cabin,” I told him.
“It shouldn’t,” he retorted. “We’ll have to stay in the cabin till this storm
passes. It might be a day or two.”
“Good idea.”
His head snapped to me, like he couldn’t believe I agreed with him.
“What?” I wondered, although a bit too defensively. “We almost died. I’d
go anywhere with you right now.”
He threw his head back and laughed. He actually laughed.
“Is that all it took?” He smirked. “A near-death experience to have you
agree with me?”
“I agreed with you before,” I retorted dryly. “And the near-death
experience opened my eyes. No sense in arguing.”
“Truce then?” he suggested and reached out his right hand.
I rolled my eyes at the gesture. “Sure,” I answered him, taking his hand in
a handshake. “Truce, for now.” I couldn’t resist adding the last two words.
He shook his head, but there was a smile lingering on his lips.
The road towards the mountain to Mason’s property was as much of a
mess as the one leading towards my grandmother’s. But luckily, there wasn’t
anything blocking the way. Yet.
The wind started howling hard, and thunder seemed to shake the
mountain.
“Did you know there was a storm coming?” I asked, glancing around at
the whirlwind happening all around.
“They said it was going to be a small one,” he replied. “They were
certainly wrong. This is not a small storm.”
He was right. The way it raged told me we shouldn’t even be out in it.
“Is it much further to your place?” I couldn’t hide the concern in my
voice. It would be bad news to get stuck out there if this got much worse.
“No, there it is,” he pointed with his chin.
I squeezed my eyes and tried to see where he was pointing through the
heavy pour of rain. The cabin was nice and had a good view, but it wasn’t
extravagant or luxurious. Certainly not what I envisioned a successful and
rich billionaire would own.
“This is it?” I knew I sounded incredulous, but the Mason family was one
of the richest families in the States and I was expecting to see something that
screamed money and power, a place that was designed to scare people away
instead of inviting them in.
He chuckled. “You sound disappointed.”
“No, not at all,” I quickly told him. I actually liked it very much. “It just
isn’t exactly what I expected.”
He only hummed. Reid parked the car as close as he could to the house.
“Ready to make a run for it?” he asked.
It wasn’t as if we had a choice, unless we wanted to sit in the car.
“Yes.” I grabbed a handle of the door and we both ran. His hand grabbed
mine as we ran together. The memory of the last time we held hands played
in my mind and I pushed it down.
Busting through the front door, we stood in the entrance, soaking wet.
I turned to look at him. His hair was a sexy mess. His lips were wet and
parted with his fast breathing. His shirt was stuck to his body, accentuating
every hardline of it. I swallowed the lump in my throat with the memory of
his body against mine just a few minutes ago. The concerned look in his eyes
changed to lust as I kept staring at him.
“Diana,” he whispered before lowering his head to mine. The question
was clear in his eyes, but there was also an answer I needed. I wanted this.
Whatever this was, I wanted it.
I reached for him, my hands wrapping at the nape of his head, and pulled
him closer to me. Our lips smashed together for a hard and desperate kiss. He
held me by my waist, bringing our bodies closer. A groan vibrated in his
chest, causing a delightful shiver in my body.
“We need to get out of these clothes,” he rasped against my lips. “We
don’t want to get pneumonia.”
“Definitely,” I agreed eagerly, and it had nothing to do with pneumonia.
I pulled his shirt over his head, throwing it carelessly onto the tile floor
with a loud, wet splash. He did the same with my shirt, then we both fumbled
with the rest of our clothes, discarding them along the floor.
The next moment, his mouth was back on mine. The kiss was possessive,
hard, demanding, and I clung to it. All thoughts fled as I focused on the
moment. My hands roamed over every inch of his skin I could reach. His
flesh warmed under my touch, and I got lost in the way my skin burned
everywhere he touched me.
Sliding my hands into his hair, I relished in his kiss, giving him
everything I had in me. The crazy, fiery desire in me left no room for
anything -- no past mistakes, nor broken trust. There weren't any doubts
concerning our past ghosts.
I wasn’t sure how we found ourselves in the bedroom, my body pressed
against the wall, his hands on me, and his mouth devouring mine. I didn’t
recognize myself, just a few hours ago I was telling him off; yet now, I
couldn’t get enough of the feel of his rock-hard chest pressed against me. His
hungry tongue plunged into my mouth and I sucked on it shamelessly. I
wanted the pleasure his touch promised, the pleasure I still remembered. I
wanted it all. I blamed it all on the adrenaline, on the near-death experience.
He broke the kiss and I tried to control my breathing, taking big gasping
breaths. Every breath I took turned into a moan as he buried his face into the
crook of my neck, tasting, nipping, and sucking at the tender skin, causing
shudders through my body.
His hands trailed all over my body, leaving a trail of delicious heat as
they moved up my thighs. My breathing became shallower as I twisted my
body to mingle with his. I wanted more of him. I needed him closer. When
his fingers slid inside me, I gasped with sudden pleasure.
“So wet,” his voice was a soft murmur against my lips.
He slipped another finger inside of me and a deep sigh left me. His
fingers thrust expertly in and out of me, fast and fluid, and my hips matched
his onslaught in a lustful haze. The waves of pleasure enveloped me as he
continued his perfect rhythm. When my orgasm hit me, there was nothing
else in this world, just him. I held onto him for dear life, my breathing hard
and ragged. My vision was blurred by the intensity of my pleasure. Pleasure
incited by him.
He saw me through the last shiver, his lips savoring mine.
In a haze, I watched him stroke his shaft up and down my swollen,
soaked sex; my body shivered in response.
He stilled and I met his eyes, wondering the reason behind his hesitancy.
“You okay?” I asked him, my voice slightly shaking from the intense
need I felt for him.
He nibbled my ear. “I need to grab a condom.”
“I’m on birth control,” I murmured. My body still remembered him, eager
to have him inside me. Four years was a long time without Reid. Four years
of fantasizing about him while pleasuring myself was too long, and now I
wanted to chase the pleasure he ignited within me. My pride be damned, I
needed him. I almost died today and would have never felt his hands on me
again.
With a growl of pure possession, he plunged into me hard, taking my
breath away. It was gentle and rough, too much and not enough, everything I
needed. I pressed myself harder against him, trailing kisses along his neck…
licking, tasting, nipping.
“Fuck,” he groaned as he pushed into me again and again, filling me to
the hilt. “Look at me,” he said with a gruff voice and I did as I was told. The
look in his eyes was pure lust. My heart skipped a beat with the intensity of
that look. “Diana,” he breathed out before pulling back and thrusting into my
body. Hard and perfect.
“Yes,” I hissed. A throaty moan echoed throughout his cabin, our frenzy
matching the storm outside. “More, Reid,” I begged on a moan.
And he gave me more.
Reid fucked me hard, his cock ramming mercilessly into me. I wrapped
my arms tightly around his neck and hung on. My whole body was in tune
with his; matching each one of his hard thrusts and welcoming it.
 An orgasm burst through me like an explosion. My whole body
shuddered uncontrollably and my pussy convulsed around his thick cock,
pushing him over the edge. We both shook with the strength of our orgasms.
Together, we fought hard to catch our breaths.
With my head in the crook of his neck, I enjoyed his masculine smell that
overwhelmed my lungs. I expected to feel regret when the cloud of lust and
adrenaline eased up, but I couldn’t find it in me.
Somehow, it wasn’t surprising this was where we ended up.
Ever since that night four years ago, when we spent the night together…
every action, every breath, every argument was leading us here.
 REID

T he fire crackled in the fireplace, our only source of heat

currently. Diana and I sprawled in front of it in the living
room, cuddled within multiple blankets. She was asleep, her
body tucked safely in my arms. It wasn’t how I expected the night to end, but
I was more than happy with the turn of events.
Just thinking about how I found her car, with a tire over the ledge of the
mountain, sent cold fear straight to my heart. Was that the reason she let go
of her anger? Or would she go back to it in the morning? I really hoped we
would be past it and maybe focus on the present. If I knew how badly she
would react to me withholding my true identity four years ago, I would have
just told her my full name. Of course, the fact that I was the one buying her
grandfather’s property added fuel to the fire. Her grandfather was getting
ready to lose it and it was just smart business. There were fifty acres of land
between the two properties that would have ended up being a hotel resort.
But she would never let me explain. I wanted to talk it through with her and
start over.
No woman had ever left a mark on me like her before.
The storm raged violently outside, the windows crackling. I shifted
Diana’s body gently off of me. I had to make sure our shutters were holding
up.
“Reid,” her sleepy voice had me turning to her, the firelight dancing
across her face. “Where are you going?”
I kissed her forehead. “I’m going to check on the shutters. The storm is
getting worse.”
I quickly pulled on a pair of jeans and went around the cabin. Diana sat
up, holding the blanket to her naked body, her hair a delicious mess. She
looked like a woman utterly pleasured. Her eyes stayed on me as I moved
from window to window, from the living room to the kitchen and to the
dining room.
Once done, I came back to our spot in front of the fireplace.
“All good?” she asked, nibbling her lip.
“Yes, we should be good.”
Taking my jeans off, I crawled underneath the blanket, joining her once
again.
“We should have called your brother or Emilia to let them know we got
to the cabin,” she said as she snuggled into me.
“It crossed my mind too,” I admitted to her. “I left my cell phone in my
car that Rhett took.”
“I left my cell phone in the car. It’s not safe to go out there,” she
murmured.
“Cell service is probably down anyway,” I told her.
There was no sense in dwelling on it. The main thing was that we were all
safe. We knew Rhett and Emilia made it past the blocked road before the tree
fell down. They were safe and so were we. Diana was safe and in my arms.
Nothing else mattered.
Her stomach rumbled at that moment and I remembered she hadn’t eaten.
“Shit, sorry,” she muttered.
“I should be sorry,” I apologized. “Let me get you some food.”
“If you give me a shirt, I can help you,” she offered. I kind of liked the
idea of having her go around the cabin wearing my clothes. I helped Diana
wrap her blanket around her, then we headed back into the bedroom. I pulled
a shirt out of the drawer and helped her put it on.
She chuckled, her face relaxed. She took my hand and pulled me towards
the kitchen. “Show me what you have to eat here. Because I am starving.”
Thirty minutes later, we were back in front of the fireplace with a platter
of cheese, cold meats, and a bottle of wine. We were limited on what to fix
since the power was out.
“Did you know your grandfather and my grandmother were getting
married?” Diana’s question didn’t surprise me. I knew it was coming.
“I did,” I told her. “Although neither one of them mentioned they didn’t
tell you or Emilia.”
She watched me silently, and tension instantly seeped into me. “Diana,
about what happened four years ago,” I started hesitantly. “I didn’t lie to
you.”
A light scoff left her lips.
“I didn’t,” I repeated. “Josh is my middle name. I know it looked like I
tricked you because I bought your grandfather’s property. But I gave you my
middle name because nobody knew it, except my close family. And I wanted
you to like me… not the name or the bank account coming with it.”
“What about my grandfather’s property?”
“I had no idea you were their granddaughter. Until I saw you that
morning during the sale.” I still remembered it all like it happened yesterday.
After spending most of the night with me, she left in the early hours of the
morning. That last kiss, her lips curved into a smile as our mouths met, still
haunted me. It was a kiss that seared into my soul. That time spent with her
was the glimpse of what I wanted for my future. We agreed to meet at the
same local bar the next night.
That moment she came into my lawyer’s office with her grandfather was
the pivotal moment in my life. A blink of an eye and she was lost to me. I
was shocked but got myself together quickly. I realized who she was. Her
eyes, so much like her grandfathers. I should have noticed the resemblance
earlier. I watched her emotions play across her face from confusion to hurt
and ending with hate. It was like a knife to my chest. Her grandfather signed
the paperwork with his shaky hands while Diana sat next to him stiffly, never
sparing me a glance. The moment it was over, they both stood up and left
without a word. I went after her, trying to explain but as soon as I turned the
corner, I found Diana comforting her grandfather. She held him tight,
whispering words I couldn’t hear. It wasn’t the right moment to interrupt.
That night, I went to the tavern to meet her. She didn’t show up. I knew
she wouldn’t, but I still hoped.
“Why did you buy it?” I watched her, trying to understand. Would she
have rather had a hotel resort up there? Wasn’t it better that I bought it?
“Your grandparents were getting ready to lose the property,” I told her.
She gasped and there was a surprise in her eyes. “What?”
I frowned at her surprise. “Did you truly not know?”
“No,” she whispered. “My grandfather said he was pushed out and you
got it for a steal.”
“I’m not sure what he meant by that,” I murmured. “The bank was going
to take it due to half a year of missed payments and there were a handful of
developers already jumping on it to turn those acres into a resort. So I bought
it. It was just smart business and ensuring there wasn’t a tourist circus up
here. I know you love it up here, and so do I. This is how I want to see it
hundreds of years from now, regardless of who owns it.”
“I didn’t know,” she muttered, under her breath. “Jesus, what else did
they not tell me?”
It would seem her family was in the habit of hiding stuff from her.
“I went to that bar that night,” I took her face in between my hands. “I
waited for you, hoping against all odds that you’d come.”
I wasn’t sure why I was admitting it to her. After all this time. I just knew
that I hoped she’d call me or search me out. Every woman I met in the last
four years; I had compared them to Diana. There hadn’t been a night I didn’t
wish to see her, relive that one night we spent together four years ago. And
tonight, it finally felt like coming home.
 DIANA

H earing Reid’s admission was like a punch in the gut. Four years
had been wasted.
Was it a misinterpretation of my grandfather’s words? My
grandmother never spoke of that land; she didn’t really care. But to Emilia
and me, it meant a lot because it meant a lot to our grandfather. That was the
only day I had ever seen him cry. I should have asked more questions, but I
was so wrapped up in my own hurt I couldn’t see clearly.
“I came to the bar that night,” I murmured low. The wind howling outside
matched my inner state. “I never went in. I couldn’t decide-” I wasn’t even
sure how to explain it. “I wanted you so much, but it felt like a betrayal, so I
left.”
The shock on his face said it all.
“I saw my grandfather cry that day. He was heartbroken over that land.
And I mistook his words for something they were not.” It sounded defensive,
but I wasn’t sure what else to say.
“So much time wasted,” he uttered and I couldn’t agree more. He took a
deep breath, a troubled look passed on his face before he finally asked, “Now
what? Will you pretend nothing happened in the morning?”
His question stung, but I deserved it.
“I’m willing to give this a try.” It was time I stopped hiding behind my
walls. And it was time I started to be honest. “I couldn’t forget you, Reid.”
My heart raced at the admission. “Or that night we spent together. I thought
about you so often over the years, but I was too stubborn to reach out.”
There was a soft yet guarded look on his face, like he wanted to believe
my words but he wasn’t sure if he should. With a smile on my face, I leaned
toward him. “And I can’t even tell you how many times I pleasured myself
thinking about you, imaging your lips on me, fantasizing about your body on
top of mine.”
He groaned and took my lower lip between his teeth. “And I thought
about you. I tried to forget you, but the more I tried, the more you were on
my mind. So I ended up burying myself in my work.”
“Me too,” I admitted. And now that I look back, it was all for nothing. It
was all a huge misunderstanding. I wasn’t sure if it was Reid’s admission or a
near-death experience, but life was too short not to go for what you loved and
wanted. “So if you’ll have me, I’m all in.”
“I’ve been all in from the moment I saw you in that bar.” It seemed like a
different lifetime, I was a different girl back then. “Our dance sealed the
deal.”
“Kind of ironic,” I teased, “you had to pull me off the edge of the
mountain for me to come around.”
“Let’s not do that again,” he grunted. “My heart stopped seeing your car
like that, knowing you were in it.”
I had to admit I’d never been more scared. My whole life flashed in front
of my eyes and the strangest thing was that I didn’t think about my
grandmother, my mother, or sister, not my grandfather nor the land I thought
he was forced to sell to Reid. It was Reid that I thought about. The fear of
never seeing him again, not having a chance to touch him again, was what
shook me the most. The images flashed through my mind of that night four
years ago when we danced and our first kiss. He had me, my heart, and my
body from that moment on.
“So do you think this storm will pass before the wedding?” I asked him.
“I think so,” he nuzzled his face against my neck. His deep inhale
followed. “God, I missed your smell, Diana. I missed everything about you.”
I wrapped my arms around his nape. “I missed you too.” Taking a deep
breath, I continued, “When I was hanging on the ledge, scared I’d fall to my
death, it was you that I thought about. I regretted not seeing you again.”
Surprise flashed across his face at my admission. I meant it when I said I
was all in. There was no sense in pretending I didn’t love him or want him.
His lips pressed hard against my mouth, his desire reflecting mine. The
kiss ended too soon, both of us breathing heavily. We’d have time to explore
each other more. All the time we wanted because this time I wouldn’t leave
him.
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building. In this building, fifty store buildings from here west, are
operated and controlled; in our sister building the fifty buildings from
here east are operated."
Leading us to the escalator, he said, "Let us go up and see one of
the offices in action." In the office we visited, there was a personnel
of five; a chief and four assistants. They had complete operating
charge of an entire storage floor in a store building. Each one of
them was responsible for one-quarter space of it. They not only were
supposed to be experts in the special merchandise handled on that
floor, but they also had to do the ordering from the production point
and the inspecting of materials. They had to keep a full supply of
stock at all times.
Seated at their desks with an assortment of business machines,
including a television set, they could clearly see the floor under their
control. From their seats, they operated heavily loaded elevator
platforms to the appointed portions of their floor. Loading and
unloading, taking up and storing, and taking out units of merchandise
to near or distant destinations were done by them.
One operation attracted my particular attention. A large freight ship
was being unloaded under a store building. I could very clearly see it
on the television. The ship had just anchored directly beneath the
elevator shafts, following the orders of the clerk by whom we were
standing. A removable metal frame was being put together by the
ship's crew to fit into the up-going shaft, through the hatch, and right
down to the bottom of the hold.
Meanwhile, the clerk was manipulating an empty elevator platform in
the down-going shaft to the ship's deck. When the frame had been
securely placed in the up-going shaft, he guided the elevator into it
and down to the bottom of the ship. Then, propelling it out, from this
frame to a large loader of four units on the platform within the ship,
he skillfully loaded it on the elevator. The loaded elevator he now
moved back into the temporary frame, up the elevator shaft, and on
to its floor. He neatly unloaded it at its appointed place. All that
maneuvering was accomplished quickly without hitch or man power
by buttons and two-inch levers on the desk. The clerk certainly had
complete control of his elevator platforms.
I could not help calling out, "Bravo! Bravo!"
At the adjoining desk another clerk was loading an underground
subway freight car and speeding it to its distant destination.
Addressing myself to Mr. Amony, I asked, "These clerks seem to
have great responsibility. Do they have the authority to give their
orders to the producers or factories supplying the merchandise
under their control?"
"Of course," he answered. "Not only that, but the manager at the
factory has that floor where his goods are kept constantly under his
vision; therefore, he knows when the floor is under or overstocked.
After daily consultation, he and the clerks here on duty manage to
keep the supply sufficient. Samples of the merchandise in these
units are always mailed to this office for inspection before the
merchandise is shipped. We have only one factory for every
individual article, with its branches on all our continents. They work
together and compete with each other to produce the best of a single
material thing or article allotted them. Executives for our industries
are appointed solely for their experience, and efficiency, and not
through political or other influences. It is the same in personnel.
"This system of remote control, with few exceptions, is used by us on
vehicles, locomotives, passenger airplanes, and machines doing
heavy duty work, such as those you would call bulldozers, plows, or
other farm machinery. In fact, we use it for almost all laborious work
and engineering projects, on stationary and mobile engines, and on
machinery used on dry land, marshes, and on the fertile floors of the
sea."
Addressing Xora, he said, "Let us give our visitor a look into one of
our mechanical factories across the river. I will meet you outside
factory No. 100 in half an hour."
We landed in a large open parking ground where Mr. Amony was
waiting for us. As he guided us into a large building, he said, "I am
surprised you Earth men don't go in for similar manufacturing and
improvements and reforms. They have the idea, which we hope will
soon be also in operation. Look!" Meeting our sight was a
"Factory as clean, spacious, and continuously operating
as hydro-electric plant. The production floor is barren of
men. Only a few engineers, technicians, and operators
walk about on a balcony above, before a great wall of
master control panels, inserting and checking records,
watching and adjusting batteries of control instruments. All
else is automatic. Raw materials flow in by conveyor,
move through automatic inspection units, fabricating
machines, sub-assembly and assembly lines, all
controlled from the master panels, and arrive at the
automatic packaging machines a finished product."[19]
"We have machines that see better than eyes, calculate
more reliably than brains, communicate faster and farther
than the voice, record more accurately than memory, and
act faster and better than hands. These devices are not
subject to any human limitations. They do not mind
working around the clock. They never feel hunger or
fatigue. They are always satisfied with working
conditions."[20]
Now Xora interrupted, "I need a garment which is in the store
building of No. 1 east. Let us go there."
I found this store impressive. Mr. Amony explained that the other
ninety-nine stores were of similar size, but carried different articles.
They received, stored, delivered, and distributed all foods and
merchandise and other necessities and luxuries for all the
inhabitants of Amboria.
These buildings were sixty stories high. The first ten stories in each
of these hundred buildings were used for shopping, display,
individual ordering, and disposing of merchandise to shoppers. Each
floor had its own exclusive kind of merchandise.
Going up the moving stairway to the first floor, we landed in front of a
slowly moving, large, circular inside platform twenty-five feet wide,
which went on the floor around the full size of the building. On both
sides of this platform were plush rope rails with many openings and
provided with comfortable seats. An attendant at each opening
helped people off and on.
Alongside this moving platform was a stationary floor of twenty-five
feet in width for walkers. We sat on a seat for three on the moving
platform, and were taken around to see the beautiful displays on
dummies and on beautiful living models. Each side of the floor
showed its own special variety of displays. My feeling was that the
ladies on Mars were no different from ours insofar as feminine finery
was concerned.
From the moving platform to the show cases was a ten foot
stationary floor, where the distributors and recipients were sitting on
comfortable seats and were being shown different articles and
negotiating transfers. As we were nearing a special display, Xora left
us sitting, and lightly stepped off the platform. During her absence,
Mr. Amony gave me some information.
"The attendants in our merchandising department are called
merchandise distributors, not salespeople. We have no high
pressure employees. Our distributive system is more simple than
yours, which I have seen through television. We do not advertise.
We have no bargain sales or substituting. Our attendants are
courteous. The people they serve give them courtesy in return.
"We try not to strain the patience of our distributors. We provide
comfortable seats for them. Your salespeople spend hours on their
feet. The high pressure selling methods induce nervous tension and
fatigue. They become old before their time.
"After the day's work is over, our distributors are not worried whether
they have sold the day's quota or have made a commission. They
are not afraid of losing their jobs or having their salaries reduced,
because of a shortage in merchandise. We have no shoplifters or
detectives in our stores."
By this time Xora had returned from her shopping. We thanked Mr.
Amony for his kind services and departed. As we approached the
plane parking ground, I suggested that we fly to the center lake, as I
wanted very much to hear the symphony orchestra which was
playing about this time. At the same time, I took her hand and held it
firmly but very tenderly. She blushed deeply, but her return pressure
gave me my answer.
"Oh, yes," she said, "We can spend some time there and have our
afternoon tea." Hand in hand, we again took to the air. Soon we
landed in a secluded portion of the center parkway, near the center
lake.
We were served tea with a large assortment of dainty little
sandwiches, cakes, fruits, and candies. The sweet soft music
permeating the air exalted me, and we were both wrapped in the
exultation of our newly found love.
My deep love for her made me more happy than I had ever been in
my life. I could hardly express what I wanted to say. But she seemed
to understand. She listened attentively, and when I started
stammering, she pressed my hand to encourage me. I was
astonished that such a wonderful girl could have any interest in a
blundering person like me. When I had finished, she answered, "I
love you, too; I loved you the first time I saw you on Mars.
"You must know that I watched you in our television when
grandfather took possession of your plane," she continued, "and I
greatly admired your actions and the way you carried yourself. It
wasn't hard to grow to love you.
"You must understand that we have no sympathy with many of the
conditions on earth. I was deeply impressed when Grandfather told
me about the conference he had with you and your Earth friends,
and of the plan you boys have made. The news has been broadcast
all over Mars. Your success or even a partial one will be an
outstanding feat of our time.
"We all hope that our sincere admiration for you boys shall be an
inspiration for your success. We shall encourage you and take great
pride in your work. Even though you don't succeed fully, but only
plant among your people the seed of the way we live our life, I will be
just as proud of your achievement."
We spent the whole afternoon, until late in the evening, telling each
other of our love, and planning and hoping for our future.
We were in a deep embrace when her mother called her on the inter-
communicating instrument to come home.
That was the most momentous day of my life.

FOOTNOTES:
[19] Reprinted from the Nov. 1946 issue of Fortune Magazine.
Machines Without Men by E.W. Leaver and J.J. Brown, by special
permission from Editors, p. 165.
[20] Ibid., p. 204.
 CHAPTER VI
Auri Sacra Fames
"The accursed thirst for Gold"
A week after our first meeting, we again met in Sun-Rank Banard's
library. Addressing Mr. Galoway, he said, "I am very sorry to hear
that you have failed to find the missing element for the proposed
radio transmitter. You certainly tried hard enough. But don't let this
discourage us. In a conference with several of our Supreme Council
members, we decided that it might be a good plan to take Lieutenant
Balmore back to Earth and let him parachute down right over his
home. He can disseminate the experiences he has had on our planet
and, at the same time, acquire an airplane with the best high
frequency radio transmitter. Then he can contact us on our airship at
a prearranged time and place.
"Before he leaves, it may be a good idea to take down in shorthand
notes and memorize a convincing lecture with illustrations which may
succeed in influencing and possibly converting terrestrial men to our
way. I am now going to show you television and moving pictures of
some of the gruesome happenings on Earth. I may find it necessary
to offend many of your people on Earth by exposing their grim way of
living and I will even have to exhort them; but I feel that my method
may be the best way to arouse serious attention. You will have to
steel yourselves against not only what I am going to tell you but what
you will see with your own eyes of the horrible ordeal on Earth in
both past and at present. These pictures were shown only to a few
Martians. I certainly would like to show them to your Earth peoples,
or at least to your ruling class. Your economic system is so strongly
entrenched that I doubt your living generations can or will even try to
take advantage of my findings or counsel. I will have made a start if
the coming ones will benefit. Our combined talks, and suggestions
will be recorded and translated into each of your different languages.
When the occasion arises, you may reach your people in your own
language.
"It will be important for each one of you to be able to give the history
of your adventures, the details of your landing experience. Vividly
contrast our way of living on Mars with the way of living on Earth;
then you may in your own way tell them of the lecture I shall give you
now.
"We have found that human beings here and on your Earth have
potentially the same physical and mental caliber. Nature implanted in
all of us the primitive instincts of selfishness, acquisitiveness, and
brutality. By some good fortune our primordial ancestors on Mars
started to cast off and definitely curb these instincts and aversions by
good judgment, reason and repression, and have forcibly continued
to do so until evolution has eliminated our undesirable traits.
"Our early progenitors ingrafted in us high ideals, thus developing in
us a high mentality; fortunately we have not inherited your instinct to
desire wealth and power for individual self. We, like yourselves,
require good health, love, happiness, good nourishment, warm and
fashionable clothing, sanitary, and comfortable homes, safety
against want and old age, dependence, medical care, luxuries, and
honors.
"On our globe we have intensified the production of natural
resources from our lands, seas, and air until now we can produce
more than we actually need. Every Martian gets his necessities free
as a matter of right and his expensive luxuries and honors according
to the merit of his achievements.
"Your forefathers, even though they were groping for the best way of
life, through ignorance, gradually drifted into the path of least
resistance. From time immemorial you have always desired the
acquisition of more wealth than you needed, to give you power over
your fellow man.
"We on Mars have been objective observers of your sick economic
system. We have carefully studied its functions. Although I do not
pretend to be an expert, I have consulted with our own experts, and
feel myself qualified to make suggestions. From the analysis we
have made, we call it moneyism which is the root of your economic
evils. Your whole existence centers around your desire for money,
and you are handicapped in that you must have money to live even a
comparatively normal existence.
"In nature, only living matter is productive. But contrary to natural
law, you have created money, interest and reproductivity into an
unnatural body, that has elements of the corrupt.
"I am not going into the detailed dogmas of your economists, nor will
I define them and their functions; but I will try to give you a summary
of the history of money, past and present.
"Money started in your ancient times, as a barter system.
"Beginning by gradual evolution in your stone age, you started with
living money like cattle, slaves, next came shells, colored fancy
stones, stone axes, and tools. Then your earth man discovered iron
ore, mining and smelting. At that time iron was scarce and became
the most valuable metal of the time. You forged it into lance points,
arrow points; then into axes, knives, swords, arm and leg bracelets,
using these articles as a medium of exchange.
"You afterward discovered silver, gold, other metals, and precious
stones. With your innate craving for self decoration, you forged
golden crowns, medals, belts, arm and leg bracelets for your leaders
or kings; and then earrings, necklace, finger, and nose rings, and
arm and ankle bracelets for your sweethearts, wives, and daughters.
Thus, the more scarce and rare the metals, the more valuable they
became, starting the medium of barter and exchange in metal bullion
and coins.
"You find an account in your Bible.
'In Genesis XX, 15, "And Abimelech said, Behold, my land
is before thee; dwell where it pleaseth thee." 16, And unto
Sarah he said, "Behold, I have given thy brother a
thousand pieces of silver; behold it is for thee a covering
of the eyes to all that are with thee, and to all others. Thus
she was reproved."'
"The American Indians and white settlers used wampum as money.
Tobacco government warehouse deposit certificates were also used
as money.
"In some of your Southern Pacific Islands your cannibal tribes used
compressed human heads and skulls to purchase their wives; in
Africa ivory elephant tusks were used and others of you have used a
great many other mediums of exchange.
"Mr. Norman Angell, one of your economists, in his book, The Story
of Money, gives a clear description of the uses of money. He says it
is used
"As a medium of exchange, a measure of value, a
standard of deferred payment, and as a store of value."[21]
"Mr. Victor L. Clark, one of your authors, in his book What is Money,
says that
"It is something with which we can buy goods and
services."[22]
He further writes:
"In the 16th century, 'a new aspect of credit appeared.'[23]
"deposit banking developed out of an ancient custom of
leaving money in safe keeping with responsible
merchants."[24]
"In the 16th century banking by check system was started in
Amsterdam by large Dutch Banking Companies, bringing into
existence your present system of moneyism. Later, London
goldsmiths began to create bank money by issuing receipts or other
paper instruments originating out of money in bullion of copper, silver
and gold by weight deposited with them, or loaned out by them, on
which they paid out or received interest.
"This practice of saving and getting interest on money started your
moneyism system, gradually developing into your present
stupendous one which holds in its power every one of you on Earth.
"Where the profit angle is concerned, you seem to forget and not to
adhere to traditional and religious custom and laws.
"It may be unknown by many of you, that the receiving or charging of
interest, was, and still is condemned in most of your religious
scriptures, as immoral, illegal, and sinful.
"During your Roman era, and even for some time afterwards among
your world nations interest charging was severely punished as a
crime.
"Interest charging, contrary to your religious precepts, is now not
only legal, but justified, and is the fundamental principle of your
moneyism.
"Every one of your nations and states legally permits a different
standard level of interest plus premiums, commissions, and other
charges. In some of them it has reached high usury proportions.
"Land and commercial moneyism, in existence for so long, brought
on your money and industrial financiering. Inasmuch as you
gentlemen come from the United States of America, the foremost
financial country of your world, we had better concentrate on it.
"Don't let us confuse your money system with your form of
government, or political economy with your political science. They
are two different, and distinct entities.
"Your founding fathers certainly originated a sound form of
government. You can be proud of your constitution, your three
branches of government, your bill of rights. We on Mars feel it is the
best government on your earth, outside of your economic system, in
many ways similar to ours. As your traditional and very ancient
custom for the benefit and protection of your citizens and for the
purpose of withholding its control from greedy, monopolistic or
dishonest individuals, as well as guarantee its uniform value, your
government was compelled then, as it is duty bound now, to assume
the many responsible and most important money functions, as well
as create, promulgate, and enforce its laws, developing the following
bureaus and departments. The bureaus of the mint, engraving, the
office of the treasurer, register of the treasury, controller of currency,
the farm loan bureau and the federal reserve system.
"Thus Congress, the Treasury, and the Federal Reserve, are the
fountain heads of your money and moneyism; your banks, its
multiplex reproduction incubators, and foster parents reproducing it
with lightning rapidity, through interest, compound interest,
dividends, bonuses, premiums, commissions, dues, rents, and
profits. Your commercial and investment banks and your trust
companies receive, pay out, finance foreign credits, underwrite and
distribute new securities, and buy government and state bonds.
There are more than 14,855 establishments, with arteries in more
than 20,000 large business savings and investments. National and
state banks and trust companies are located in all your large and
small cities. Many of them are members of the Federal Reserve
Banks. Your 300 large life insurance companies and all other lesser
ones, your great number of private bankers, your financial
investment, loan, and mortgage companies, your pawn and stock
brokers, and your many other financiers control the loans of money.
They loan it on stocks, bonds, notes, commercial paper, collateral
securities, on contracts of future deliveries of all staple commodities,
imports, exports, real estate mortgages; to nearly all of your
industrial, commercial houses and utility companies, transportation,
shipping, your farms, your business, your home, your furniture, your
food, your automobiles, trucks, your jewelry, your clothes, your tools,
your wages, and anything you possess of value. Even on your false
teeth. That money loaned to you is derived from your savings, dues,
and premiums.
"Bonus and other charges and loans to you are as high as the
companies can get. Some of them ask the highest usurious rates
allowed by your different legal state rates, and other charges are
added—as much as they can milk out of you. Note that:
"The civic agencies conducting the Dallas, Texas loan
shark fight found that interest as high as 1,131.4%, over
3% per day, was charged gullible victims. The lowest
interest rate was 120% per annum, and the average
271.68%."[25]
"Money circulation and interest are the most expensive operations in
your moneyism. Mr. Norman Angell in his book Story of Money calls
it 'Velocity Circulation.'[26] Money travels rapidly from hand to hand,
from one pocketbook to another, from bank to bank, to borrower or
drawer, in constant circulation.
"Has any one of your economists calculated how many times an
active one-dollar multiplies itself in a year from the time it is first
issued from the Treasury? How much does it earn in interest,
compound interest, commissions, bonuses, dividends, and profit
gain from constantly being shifted from person to person, bank to
bank, and loan to loan? Or how many times does the actively
circulated dollar change hands per day, month, or year? Your World
Almanac, 1950, page 716, gives the deposits for the year 1949 as
one hundred and fifty-five billion dollars, and on page 715, money in
circulation for 1948 of $28,224,000,000. Every one of these dollars
must have earned quite a lot in interest and must have multiplied
itself many times on its rapid velocity circulation.
"How about your floating currency, in safe deposit vaults,
pocketbooks, pockets, or hidden away underneath mattresses and in
hundreds of nooks? How much of it is in the hands of foreign holders
all over the world? And in their banks going through the same
interest-earning and loaning-out processes?
"For your convenience in receiving, withdrawing, and checking out
your money and for other services that your bank performs for you,
you are being charged in many ways. The banks do not allow your
money to lie idle. It must work and earn interest and other charges
over and over.
"Other powers in your moneyism are your Stock Exchanges and
Boards of Trade. Security trading has developed and perfected
these Stock Exchanges to the point where they are the main
financial markets in your United States as well as in all other
financial centers of your world. They are the mediums to help keep
securities at all times in a liquid and convertible state; they are the
main avenues where buyers and sellers can always transact a
purchase, or sale of stocks and bonds. The Boards of Trade are the
mediums or markets for transacting purchases and sales of your
staple commodities like wheat, corn, cotton, eggs, butter, coffee, and
other staples.
"The New York Stock Exchange with its 1,375 broker members and
members of your other exchanges and Boards of Trade in New York
and other cities are the agencies of purchases and sales from client
to client for cash or on margin for your stocks, bonds, and future
staple agricultural commodities. These brokers also do a sort of
banking business with their money and profits, and with money they
borrow on call from banks at 1% and 2% interest and charge their
customers 6%. They trade not only for their clients, but also among
themselves.
"The next power in your moneyism is rent: Payment for the use and
occupancy of property owned by another party as landlord. It is
another form of interest on invested money. Rent is nothing else but
a gain or interest on money. The rents paid for your homes,
apartments, shops, offices, business houses, farms, and equipment,
must be an enormous expense for you.
"Profit, another form of interest, is an expensive process of your
money system. The Romans had a saying, Caveat Emptor, 'Let the
buyer beware.' History shows that your industrial, and commercial
business, and services have always been based on hard bargaining.
The desire for more money gain was and is so deeply impregnated
in you that it has blunted and broken down your ethical standards.
You have always tried to get the most gain for the least value. Some
sellers take advantage by overcharging, underweighing,
substitutions. Others, through their open and secret control of
combinations, and cartels create price fixing pools. Some
manufacturers, retailers, contractors, and producers monopolize and
create a scarcity and a demand. The consumer through necessity is
compelled to purchase from them, or from cut-throat grey and black
markets.
"Your World Almanac of 1950, page 652, gives for 1945 as many as
250,881 manufacturing establishments, with wholesale value of
manufacturing at $74,425,825,000 on page 656 for 1948, and retail
sales at $130,000,000,000. Whatever you purchase has also an
added cost by billions of dollars for advertising, from your biggest
article down to your match or piece of chewing gum.
"Your credit sales and charge accounts have not only increased the
cost of your purchases, but have intensified the demand for luxuries
you do not need or can't afford. You buy these things on the
installment plan, even if you have to pay more, plus interest, to carry
your account.
"Commissions, and fee payments on your purchases, sales, and
rental collections to stock, bond, real estate, and commodity brokers
plus your attorneys' fees is another enormous and excessive drain
on your resources.
"The economic financial incubuses you have created now control
your lives, from the day of your conception, until long after your
death. With your money they directly control your most essential
industries; and indirectly hold ownership through their loans, and
mortgages, of your business, your homes, farms, stock, lands. They
are on the Board of Directors, guiding the policy and controlling all
your financial institutions and your most profitable enterprises taking
most of the profit for themselves by devious methods. To hide and
not openly show their large earnings, they often by subterfuge,
declare and cut 'melons' to their stockholders by exchanging three,
four or more shares of the same company for every one of their
shares. By this artifice, they endeavor to show a smaller dividend as
well as make the new issue of shares of a lower value, for
manipulative and trading purposes. They also continuously increase
their capitalizations or lower their par value sometimes for the same
purpose.
"They even control your new discoveries, and inventions, which they
get possession of, for mere pittances. They often suppress some of
them to suit their convenience. Through their financial power they
directly and indirectly control and influence the political status of your
land. They control operations of agriculture, commerce, industry,
transportation, utilities, shipping and all kinds of intercommunication,
your wineries, breweries, distilleries, and your tobacco industries,
from the smallest business to your largest enterprise. Ultimately
restricting your opportunities for economic advancement.
"All these are interrelated: your Banks, Trust Companies, Business
Banks, Savings Banks, Financial Companies, Loan Companies, Life
and other Insurance Companies, Stock Companies and Exchanges,
Boards of Trade, and other exchanges. Stock brokers, real estate
brokers, pawn brokers, with numerous branches covering the best
locations in the United States, occupy many buildings and
establishments, and send their private wires over every section of
your nation and foreign countries. All of them are maintained at your
expense through your large deposit reservoir and your earnings.
"Your moneyism has weakened you mentally, physically, and morally
and has created in you an unquenchable desire for their acquisition;
from your poorest to purchase his bare necessities to your richest to
get richer, bringing on deficit spending, mounting debts, increasing
taxes, incessant relief and unemployment payments. All these with
no end in sight.
"Everywhere, everyone among you always has a demand, and you
create the demand for more and more money. You always have
need for more of it, for more financing, and there never seems to be
enough of it. But it is only your few who seem to get it and hold it."

FOOTNOTES:
[21] Story of Money, Norman Angell, Garden City, Publ. Co.,
1929. p. 72.
[22] What is Money, Victor L. Clark, Houghton Mifflin Co., p. 2.
[23] Ibid., p. 23.
[24] Ibid., p. 24.
[25] The Family Circle Inc., June 28, 1946, V. 28, No. 26, pp. 10-
11, by W.W. Wheatley.
[26] The Story of Money, Norman Angell, Garden City Publ.,
1929, p. 381.
 CHAPTER VII
Octopus Colossus
Sun-Rank Banard remarked, "It's time for lunch, so let's adjourn to
the thought transmission-proof dining room. Our women folk are
away visiting, so we will be by ourselves, and we can informally and
freely converse."
During the meal we carried on an animated and pleasant
conversation in which Sun-Rank Banard very often joined. The gist
of it was mainly, at our earth men's lack of impression and perception
of earth conditions.
Our boys were astonished at the detailed information the Martians
had on our earth life. One said that he had never clearly thought
through its economic ills. He had merely accepted them. Although he
had heard and studied many of these points, they are beginning to
now take on a new significance. Another remarked that the
observers seem to be more impressed and are more retentive to
what takes place, than those who are within the actual performance
of the scenes of our life's functions.
Sun-Rank Banard said, "Now let's go back and continue the lecture.
"Nature on your earth has destined and caused man to come into
existence, and has provided him with parents to protect him during
his helpless infancy and childhood. During his growth, development,
and maturity, it endowed him with a mentality higher than that of
other animals. But in spite of his intelligence, he is often more cruel
than predatory jungle beasts, especially to his fellow men.
"Creation is prolific even prodigal in its overabundance of production
for your necessities and can produce and supply the needs of a
population more than twice your number, providing you all will work;
but many of you, for a life of ease, use this God-given intelligence
especially for acquisition, storing and hoarding as a means of power
over your fellow man.
"During the Stone Age, your each tribe lived together in caves
adjoining each other for protection, primitively tilling the soil, and
grazing your cattle around your habitations.
"It was then the survival of brute force. The bully domineered and
became the leader of his tribe, acquiring for himself the most wives
and food and the best shelter. The next best he bestowed upon his
gang.
"For defensive and offensive weapons against predatory animals
and tribes, you used stones and stone axes. Brute force gradually
lost its power when the more progressive one of the tribe became
adept and dexterous with his stone throwing sling, his lance, and his
bows and arrows. He then succeeded to the leadership.
"As your numbers increased, you expanded your land holdings. This
continued from generation to generation; from squatters you
graduated according to your own laws of possession until the time
came when you were encroaching on the lands of your neighboring
tribes, starting your process of forceful aggression and acquisition.
With the Iron Age started the evolution of your civilization, with sharp
iron-pointed lances, arrows, and axes, leading to the barbarous
Middle Ages.
"Laws of property ownership, and barter of land, slaves, cattle, furs,
clothes, utensils, ornaments, food, and offensive and defensive
weapons marked the beginning of this era. In its constant evolution,
property ownership law was continually and mercilessly improved
according to your standards, with the utter enslavement of weaker
tribes, and races who were a good source for procuring slaves and
extracting tribute.
"In the further property development during succeeding centuries
your ancestors continually improved, and increased their property
power so that now it is the dominant factor controlling the very life
and destiny of every one of you.
"You have defined and legalized property as everything on your
earth capable and possible of being possessed, and owned,
including intangibles. It even includes the waters of your rivers, your
seas, and the atmosphere over your earth surface, and you seem to
be disputing the ownership of the clouds. Sunshine and air, for the
time being, are still free and cannot be owned and claimed.
"Your Webster's Dictionary defines property as a thing owned,
exclusive right of possession.
"Your Amendments to your United States Constitution, Article V, also
gives assent to property. They say, 'Nor shall private property be
taken for public use without just compensation.'
"You have created it into and described it as wealth, or money. You
have advanced it from stage to stage and perfected and increased
its power to make it a fluid currency system without which no one
can obtain or purchase the necessities of life. You have outlawed
compulsory slavery, for a better system which compels you to
voluntarily hire yourself out.
"Those in power, to protect themselves, helped to pass strong laws
for property control. Not content with the ownership of basic raw
materials, real estate, financial affairs, transportation, utilities, and
food production and distribution, they systematically entered into
every sphere of industrial manufacturing—commercial fields,
transportation, shipping, in fact every necessity of your life's
existence—through individual ownership, partnership, companies,
corporations, holding companies, national and international cartels,
and chain company stores.
"To supply the labor they need in their enterprises, most of you,
through necessity, hire yourselves out to them either individually or
through union contracts.
"Their accumulative hoarding, cartel, and pool forming to control,
monopolize, and corner industry are such that you are forced to
purchase your necessities from them only, at the highest profit. Thus
you pay for products, which, without your labor, could not have been
created into value. Your ownership and lack of ownership of property,
wealth, and power are the main contributive causes for 98% of the
laws you make and have on your statute books.
"Your controlling class who largely contribute to political campaigns
influence your ruling class through political parties who openly or
secretly help to elect some of their representatives to your Congress,
or appoint former directors, and attorneys as members of important
key cabinet and diplomatic offices. Their numerous inside and
outside lobbyists and subservient newspapers influence the passing
and suppression of laws. They even volunteer as advisers to your
administrations. Most of your professional politicians 'kowtow' and
are servile to them.
"There is always great agitation going on in regard to labor. Next to
war, it is the most important problem to your government and most
exciting discussions and newspaper headliners.
"Your moneyism and labor struggles are an old, festering sore.
These struggles are the general cause of your poverty and
destitution. Your system is such that you have no cure in sight. No
matter how successful you may be in your unionized demands for
more remuneration, prices and values are bound to spiral upward,
increasing your living cost in proportion. You are infallibly moving in a
vicious circle which tends for the rich to get richer. Many among you
are born with pronounced natural aptitudes; some of you have
strongly developed these aptitudes and inclinations and constantly
use your full mentality and energy for accumulation and hoarding for
your own use. But you also use this proficiency especially to gain
power through the need of others. The school boy with the
accumulative instinct will spend most of his time training himself to
become an expert marble shooter in order to win those of his
schoolmates. Even though they should find his full bag of marbles
and divide them amongst themselves, or should he voluntarily give
them the marbles, there is no question that he is bound to always
win them back again.
"It is the same with your money and wealth; their division among all
of you would not heal your economic diseases, because it would be
only a question of a short time before most of you would lose yours