“I know.”
“I don’t think you do,” she said adamantly. “For the last six years, you’ve lived your life away from celestial. You’ve lost your way. I think the real reason you came home was because your soul demanded it. Not because of what Mr. Summerfield wants you to do. You are at a crossroads Aries, and the decisions you make from here out will decide your fate.”
“I never thought of it like that,” Aries admitted, taking a deep breath. He still wasn’t sure she completely understood the reason he was home, but she wasn’t angry at him. That in itself was a relief, nor was the fact that he didn’t know where to go from here. He felt dirty where she was pure.
“Come with me,” she said getting to her feet. “I want to show you something.”
Taking her hand, Aries followed her into her bedroom. Sitting on the edge of her bed, he asked, “So, you’re not mad at me?”
“No,” Capri replied. “I was never mad at you, Aries. Just sad that you left. But you came home and that’s all that really matters.”
“Goddess, I love you woman,” he said reaching for her hand, pulling her toward him. “Do you know how scared I was? I thought if you knew, you’d leave me.”
“I’m not going anywhere. I’m happy here and now that you’re home, everything feels right. Though, I know there is more to your story, I’m not worried. In time, I know the whole truth will come out, until then, I guess I’m just going to have to give you a reason to stay.”
“Is that so,” he said, wrapping his arms around her, pulling her down to the bed with him.
Chapter Nine
Aries couldn’t believe his life could get any better. Everything his heart wanted lay next to him, snuggled against his body. He was in heaven. He had just spent the last hour and a half making love to the most perfect creature in the Universe, amazed that he was the lucky cosmic being who got to have her. She was a true gift from the cosmos and he was never going to leave her again.
Not very long ago, it seemed more like ages, he thought he needed more, wanting to run out into the world and experience everything the Universe had to offer him. What he didn’t know at the time, was what he needed and wanted was right where he left them. Being home was humbling for him. He now knew what meant the most to him. He could do anything he wanted, as long as Capri and his brother were right beside him. Life was funny that way. He left home to find what was missing only to return home to find them right where he left them.
“I’m surprised Aquarius isn’t here with you,” Aries said softly, kissing the top of her head. Laughing, Capri replied, “I’m not. I think I’ve worn him out. I wouldn’t be surprised if I don’t see him for a week.”
“He enjoys helping you.”
“I’m sure he does, but even Aquarius needs down time. He’s probably sitting in his beanbag chair, smoking some herb he shouldn’t. Did you know that he was smoking parsley last week and Apollo told me a couple of weeks ago, he was smoking oregano?”
Aries chuckled. “That boy always did like experimenting in Momma’s kitchen too much. Though it does sound as if he’s taken it to the extremes. Don’t worry, I’ll talk to him.”
* * * *
Like most things in a small town, it never took long for word to get around. Aries was pacing inside the conference room of the Best Lay Hotel, waiting for the three members of the Celestial Town Council to show up as most of the town was outside waiting to hear what was going on. He had already called his boss earlier and told him about the meeting and though Tristan wasn’t happy the papers weren’t signed yet, he was happy to know that finally the town was going to hear his proposal. Aries had given it quite a bit of thought and was going to do everything he could to discourage the council from agreeing to Mr. Summerfield’s plans, but apparently his boss had other plans.
“Oh do sit down, Mr. Deveroux. You’re wearing a hole in the carpet.”
Aries turned and looked at the man seated comfortably next to him. Dressed in a pristine suit, tailored for his body, Tristan Summerfield looked out of place against the backdrop of the Best Lay Hotel. What concerned Aries more, was that his boss was here in town. How he managed to arrive just in time for the meeting was beyond him.
“How did you get here so fast? I thought you were in New York?”
“I was in the area, that’s all you need to know.” Tristan smiled up at him. “So where is this council we need to talk to?”
“They will get here when the cosmos demands it. Not a moment sooner.”
“Are you sure they will show up?”
“They will be here,” Aries replied, looking at his watch. “I’m just not sure when.”
“Well, they are already fifteen minutes late. If this is how they conduct business, it will be their last. When I take over this town, I will have it running like a smooth ship.”
“Celestial isn’t a ship Tristan. It’s a town, comprised of human beings, not engines and electrical equipment that you can shut off at a moment’s notice.”
“We’ll just see about that,” Tristan said, as the doors opened. Aries turned as Fairy Belltower and Capri walked in.
“Please sit down, Aries,” Fairy said sweetly, taking a seat across the table from him. Aries couldn’t move. His eyes were locked on Capri’s. Why she was here, he didn’t know, but he had a sinking feeling in his stomach that what was about to happen was going to be the end of everything he knew. Slowly sitting, he never looked away from her as she looked solemnly at him.
“I hear you gentlemen have need to speak with the council?” Fairy asked.
“I was told there are three members, where is the third?” Tristan asked stiffly.
“I am sorry for the inconvenience, Mr. Summerfield, but the third member of the council is missing. Moon Goddess hasn’t been seen in over a month. But rest assured that myself and Capri are more than capable of making a decision. However, I must inform you that since our third member is missing, you must have both of our votes before you can proceed with whatever it is you are requesting.”
“And if I don’t?”
“Then you will not get what you want,” Fairy stated clearly.
“You’re a council member?” Aries whispered.
“Yes.”
“You never said anything?”
“You didn’t need to know. The council members are changed after every meeting. When this meeting is over, I will be replaced.”
“What kind of democracy is that?” Tristan demanded.
“One that has served our community well for hundreds of years, Mr. Summerfield. Everyone has a say in how this town is run. The governing body of Celestial made sure of that many years ago. No one person was above anyone else. We all live and work to make this town unique. To keep that creed, once a council is convened, new members will be appointed afterward for the next meeting, thus ensuring that everyone has a chance in governing our town. Now, if we may proceed with this meeting. So tell us, Mr. Summerfield, what can the town of Celestial do for you?”
* * * *
“How long have they been in there?” Aquarius asked, standing next to Apollo and Helios.
“Over three hours now,” Apollo ground out. “I don’t like it Aquarius. The longer they are in there the more time that bastard has to sway the girls.”
“I trust Fairy and Capri. They won’t agree to anything that will change the dynamics of this town. Have some faith Apollo,” Helios muttered.
“Oh, I have faith in Fairy and Capri, it’s the other two I don’t trust.”
“My brother will do the right thing, I know it,” Aquarius said clearly. “He may have strayed for a time, but when it comes to this town, he won’t allow his boss to change anything.”
“Are you sure about that?” Apollo asked.
“No,” Aquarius replied. Goddess, he hoped he was right about Aries. He wanted his brother home for good. The only way that was going to happen was if Aries did the right thing. He knew Aries wouldn’t risk Capri for anything, now that he had her back. He just prayed th
at the connection between them was strong enough, because if it wasn’t, he didn’t know what he was going to do.
“The rules are simple. Both girls have to agree. If they don’t, then whatever Mr. Summerfield wants he isn’t going to get,” Charity said walking over to them. “I wish Moon Goddess was here, but I know Fairy and Capri will do what’s right for the town.”
“He wants the town,” Apollo muttered.
“What!” Charity shouted. “What do you mean, he wants the town?”
“Exactly what I said. Mr. Summerfield wants to buy Celestial. If the girls side with him, our little town won’t be ours anymore. It will belong to him.”
“How do you know this?” Helios asked.
“I talked with Aries the other day at the Rainbow Room. I did some digging after he left and found out that Summerfield Corporation is looking to move its headquarters to our neck of the woods and if that happens, he will bring everyone from his New York offices to Celestial. He’s already hired a contractor. Building has commenced on a large suburb just west of town. I was talking with Chardonnay the other day and she said that she sold a portion of her wine fields to Mr. Summerfield for a corporate parking space. The construction of his new office building is already underway. From the looks of it, the man is settling down roots here and I’m afraid that there is nothing Fairy or Capri can do to sway the man. He’s here to stay.”
“He can’t have our town,” Charity stated firmly. “We won’t allow it.”
“It doesn’t matter. If he moves his offices here and sets up shop, then this town is going to change. We’re going to have a lot more people in and about town. The face of Celestial is changing, and the only people standing in his way are Fairy and Capri.”
“Dear Goddess,” Charity muttered. “Those two wouldn’t harm a fly. How can they stand up to a man like that?”
“Exactly,” Apollo replied.
“My brother is in there with them. He will protect them,” Aquarius said, looking at Apollo.
“Yeah, but who’s going to protect the town?”
* * * *
Capri listened carefully as Mr. Summerfield spoke eloquently. He was a handsome man, who definitely had a head for business. She couldn’t fault him for that. However, as she listened, she worried what he really wanted to do with her town. Though, Celestial wasn’t a town that belonged to one person, at the moment only she and Fairy stood between the CEO and what he wanted.
What worried her the most was how Aries sat next to the man, not saying a single word. He had plenty of chances to interject and put a stop to the man next to him, but he chose to stay silent as he never took his eyes from hers. He was watching her and she knew it. He was gauging her reactions to what she was hearing and what she was hearing wasn’t the Celestial way. She wondered if Aries would do something, but as Mr. Summerfield finally stopped talking, she knew that Aries had made his decision. It pained her to see him sell his soul to the devil so to speak, but it was his decision and he had made it.
Now it was her turn.
“Thank you Mr. Summerfield for that lengthy and very detailed presentation. What concerns me is the influx of people your industry would bring to Celestial. We are a simple folk here and we live our lives accordingly. If we were to allow you to bring your company here and set up shop, then our way of life would change. I’m not sure we can offer you what it is you really want,” Capri said clearly.
“I understand your concerns, Ms. Chantilly, but my business would no way interfere with this town. I only want to help boost your economy and by allowing my company to move in would do so. The Summerfield Corporation is a multi-billion-dollar-a-year industry that prides itself on the technical advances to help the ecosystem. I am always looking for better ways to harvest the natural resources of our planet. In doing so, I have come to respect the land and what the earth has to offer. I feel your small town would be a perfect place to showcase such advancements. You yourselves respect nature and all that she offers. I want to show the world that just because we live in the twenty-second century that we don’t have to burn fossil fuels and pollute our air. I am hoping with your permission to show the world that a town can run and operate on clean energy.”
“That is very noble, Mr. Summerfield,” Fairy said then asked, “but how you plan to do that worries this council. Can you honestly tell this council that what you want is to better this world, or is it to better you pockets?”
“Ma’am, I make no excuses. I am here to make money and with your help, I will make quite a bit, which I will gladly put back into this towns economy, but I am sincere about the environment. I want to make Celestial the prototype for future towns. If I can show the world an easier and healthier way to live, I will do so.”
“But you are drilling right now outside of our town. You are disturbing the ecosystem. And there have been reports that your drilling machines caused the destruction in Treasure Cove, our sister city. Can you explain that?”
“There is no evidence to support those findings. The latest reports show that the destruction of Treasure Cove was due to an unstable mine. My drilling machines had nothing to do with that. I have…”
“How do your drilling machines work?” Capri asked, interrupting the man. This farce had gone on long enough and she wanted it to stop. She had already made her decision and nothing the man could say would change her mind.
“Excuse me?”
“Are they solar powered? Do they run on electricity? Fossil fuel?”
“No ma’am.”
“Then how do they run?”
“Diesel.”
“I see.”
“No I don’t think you do,” Tristan said angrily. “My drilling equipment is…”
“Stop,” Aries said before Tristan could say another word.
“Let me handle this Mr. Deveroux. You had your chance.”
“No, you’ve said enough,” Aries said getting to his feet. “The moment you said the word diesel, you lost Tristan. This town will never allow you to take over. Haven’t you been listening? This town and all of its residents are pro-environment. There is nothing you can say or do to change their minds. It’s over.”
“Like hell it is,” Tristan replied furiously, rounding on the two women across the table. “You people are fucking nuts you know that. Your town is stagnant. I am offering this town a way to prosper and you are turning you backs on my offer because I use diesel to operate my drilling equipment. Do you know that diesel is a natural resource, milled by the very earth you want to protect?”
“Technically, it’s not. However you are right about one thing Mr. Summerfield, we are concerned with the pollutants your drilling machines pump out into the atmosphere from using said resources. Though diesel may at one time been nature made, it stopped being that when man engineered it into diesel.”
“How the fuck are you supposed to use diesel if not to burn it and it is a natural fuel.”
“No, it’s not. Diesel is a chemically altered fuel from petroleum. Petroleum is a natural yellow-to-black liquid found in geologic formations beneath the Earth’s surface. A fossil fuel, petroleum is formed in large quantities of dead organisms, usually zooplankton and algae, which are buried underneath sedimentary rock and subjected to intense heat and pressure. What you use to operate your drilling machines is refined and separated, by distillation, into a large numbers of consumer products, from gasoline to kerosene to asphalt and chemical reagents used to make plastics and pharmaceuticals, even diesel. What you use is a man-made product that has had a negative impact on Earth’s biosphere, damaging ecosystems through events such as oil spills. Diesel releases a range of pollutants into the air including ground-level ozone and sulfur dioxide from sulfur impurities in fossil fuels. Burning diesel in particular releases carbon dioxide, a powerful greenhouse gas which is the main cause of man-made global warming,” Fairy replied.
“She’s right,” Capri said then added. “When burned, petroleum releases carbon dioxide a greenhouse gas which
contaminates our air. It doesn’t matter how refined your diesel is, Mr. Summerfield, you are participating in the destruction of our earth. The ever earth this town and its residents have spent our lifetime to protect. I am sorry, but I vote no to your offer.”
“How the fuck do you know so much about petroleum? You’re nothing but a small-time shop owner.”
Capri smiled sweetly and Aries cringed. He’d seen that smile before and it still caused him to cringe. Slowly sitting back down, he moved his chair out of the line of fire, because Tristan was about to have his ass handed to him. “You’re right, I am nothing more than a small time shop owner. I have lived my entire life in Celestial, Mr. Summerfield, and in that time, I have learned that bullying isn’t nice, nor is coming into someone’s town and berating its residents. I chose to stay in this simple town and live as the cosmos intended, free from industry and the monopolizing government you support. You say you want a cleaner environment, then do something about it. There have been many advances in the drilling industry since the late nineteen-nineties. Solar power for one is a big one. So is wind power. Yet, you still use diesel. The very crude oil that pollutes the air, damages the soil and destroys the eco-system. You want to know how I know so much about this stuff, well let me enlighten you, asshole, I may be a simple shop owner, but I am also a graduate from MIT with a degree in bio-mechanical engineering. I have traveled the fucking world helping and teaching other countries to produce and mill such natural resources that won’t hurt their environment. We only have one earth Mr. Summerfield, and men like you are determined to destroy it just for a few bucks in your back pocket. I may not practice my chosen field, but you better be damn sure I know what the fuck I am talking about. Now, get your shit and get the fuck out of my town. You cannot drill here!”
“Though I’m not as vocal as my fellow council member,” Fairy added. “I agree with her. My vote is no.”
Chapter Ten
Celestial's Love Machine [Celestial Nights 5] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Page 11
