Ethan (Members From Money Book 37)

by Katie Dowe

  Ethan

  She's deeply against war but his family make a living from it!

  A sexy marriage romance by Katie Dowe of BWWM Club.

  Ethan Shaw is the CEO of a war-profiteering company.

  Harper Simmons is an anti-war activist!

  At a glance it would seem that these two would never get along.

  Or at least that’s what Harper initially thought…

  The more she is with the handsome billionaire, the more her resistance slips away.

  Soon she is spending night after passionate night with Ethan…

  But still she wonders if she’s going against everything she stands for!

  When Ethan’s life is put into danger, will she finally be able to realize the true extent of her feelings for him?

  Find out in this thrilling yet sexy romance by Katie Dowe of BWWM Club.

  Suitable for over 18s only due to sizzling hot sex scenes!

  Tip: Search BWWM Club on Amazon to see more of our great books.

  Free: Get Jason from the Members From Money series where YOU'RE the star!!

  Hi there. As a special thank you for buying this ebook, for a limited time I want to send a copy of Jason free of charge directly to your email! It's a personalized story, meaning you'll add a few details about yourself (these won't be shared with anyone else) and you'll become the star of the story!! :D

  You'll be emailed a new chapter once a day for 7 days. You can get it by clicking the cover below or going here:

  Direct link: www.afroromancebooks.com/personalized-jason-members-from-money

  This book is so exclusive you can't even buy it. As well as sending daily emails with the story, I'll also send you updates when new books like this are available.

  Copyright © 2018 to Katie Dowe and AfroRomanceBooks.com. No part of this book can be copied or distributed without written permission from the above copyright holders.

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

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  Chapter 1

  “There are threats every single day! Radicals who do not like the fact that we make money providing the military for them to go to war. It could be any number of countries! Or even radial Christians who claim they do these things because they hear God’s voice telling them to do them!” Evelyn Shaw poured some more wine into her glass with a touch of impatience in her voice. “We have pharmaceutical companies and our drugs help people worldwide and yet the fact that we supply the military with the necessary things to fight the war against our country is the only thing that stands out!”

  “War causes upheavals in families and drains the country’s resources,” her son Ethan reminded her. “You cannot blame people for their opinions, Mother.”

  “I can blame them when their opinions end up on our doorsteps,” Evelyn said grimly. She nodded as the housekeeper came forward to clear the dishes. “Just coffee please Rachel.”

  “I don’t what the fuss is all about. There have been wars since the beginning of time and there will be wars until the world has ended.” Erin drawled carelessly as she shook back her sleek black hair, her dark blue eyes twinkling.

  “It is not as simple as that Erin and you know it,” her mother said impatiently as she looked at her daughter. “We are sheltered here because of the money we have.” She looked at her son. “I know our money is a cushion that we use. You were drafted for the military and your father used his connections to get you out of it. You are our only son and we had no intention of allowing anything to happen to you. Needless to say; losing your life to some sniper’s rifle.”

  “Isn’t that a little biased?” Erica asked as she sipped her coffee. “We resent those people who demonstrate against the war and yet Ethan was able to avoid it because of our family’s money.”

  “No one said that the world is level.” Ethan commented. “I would happily go and fight for my country if given the chance.”

  “You are the heir to a fortune so that was not a risk we would have taken.” Evelyn told him. “Is the latest demonstration making a dent on our profits?”

  “No,” Ethan was getting a little tired of the talk about demonstrations. He had to face it — every single day when he was at the office and then to come home to it was starting to wear on his nerves! But his mother was all business and even though she was not CEO of Shaw’s Holdings she was a member of the board and played a vital role in the running of the company. She was carrying on her husband’s legacy and that meant coming into the office every day and weighing on the decisions made. The twins: Erin and Erica both were in charge of the accounts department and they were not just put there because their names ended with Shaw but had been to the top business school in the world. Ethan himself had a Master’s in business at Harvard and also a Bachelor’s. He had been groomed to take over the company and had started to work there since high school. He knew every aspect of it and loved being in charge. He also loved the privilege that his wealth and position gave him. He finished his coffee. “You will have to excuse me, I have some things to do before work tomorrow.”

  “The board meeting is still on for nine tomorrow?” his mother asked him.

  “Yes,” he nodded as he got up from the table. Dining at the Shaw’s mansion had always been formal and they had never break from tradition. Ethan was beginning to wish they would! He strode from the vast dining room and made his way through the passageway before climbing the spiral staircase. His suite was at the end of the east wing and he loved the privacy it gave him. He opened the doors and walked through his sitting room and into his bedroom. He had entertained the idea of getting his own place for a long time but had dismissed it when his dad had passed away two years ago. His mother had told him that he was the man of the house now and there was no sense in him getting somewhere when there were more than enough rooms in the mansion. He had agreed but had purchased an apartment near to the office to crash when he felt the need to or when he had a female companion which was frequent. He was a bachelor and a billionaire, the combination meant that he was approached by women every single day and offered without even having to say anything. He had been linked to women from all walks of life from movie stars to highly trained professionals. He had been seeing the very lovely Samantha Graceland, an entrepreneur in her own right for the past six months and was wondering if she was the one he would be settling down with. He undressed slowly and went into the massive cream and gold bathroom and stood before the mirror. He had turned twenty-eight in June and was starting to think about settling down. His mother had said it to him several times in her forthright manner and he was buying into the idea. But he was restless and he knew he was searching for something more. He passed his fingers through his sable black hair and stared at himself critically. He was tall, well over six feet tall and was tanned because he traveled a lot and exposed himself to the sun often and he had naturally dark coloring, a throw back to his Italian heritage on his mother’s side. He had a personal trainer whenever he could find the time and a well-equipped gym in his suite. He was handsome and well aware of it and knew he had a positive effect on women. But what he needed was someone who challenged him and did not tell him what he wanted to hear at all times. Samantha was lovely but she
was into pleasing him. There was no ripple in their well-seamed relationship and that was the problem. It was too tame and he hated tame!

  *****

  Harper sipped her wine as she read the piece that she had just written. It sounded good but she wondered if there was something missing. She had started writing ever since she left college five years ago. First, she had started with little fluff pieces that were well written but had no real meaning and then the writing had changed as she got older and realized that there were real issues going on in the world around her. She wrote under a pseudonym, a pen name and other than the editor who employed her no one else knew who she really was and she preferred it that way. She wrote explosive stuff and stuff that offended a lot of people. Usually she did not give a crap what people thought about her but she realized the advisability of writing under an assumed name. It served its purpose. Her writing had gotten more passionate when her best friend Laila had lost her husband a year ago in Iraq due to what she considered an unnecessary war leaving her with her two children to take care of and giving her hardly any time to grieve! Harper had been furious and had vented her fury with her pen, lacerating the President and the companies that supplied the equipment for war. Her editor in chief had warned her about boundaries but she had reminded him of her freedom of speech.

  “You are very passionate about things like these Harper, but be careful that your passion is not misplaced.”

  “What does that mean?” she had demanded. “I write about the things that most people are afraid to talk about. I am the voice of the people.”

  “You are a one woman crusade and sometimes you go too far. You have called Shaw’s Holdings and others like them greedy and grasping and profiting from other people’s sufferings” he had pointed out.

  “I am all about telling the truth, Dudley. What is the point of the war? To prop up a government that’s failing the people every single day?” she had blazed at him, her dark brown eyes flashing. “There are more that the money this country shells out for war could do. Children are dying of hunger. Young people are swimming in student loans debt and cannot find a way out. What is the point of it all?”

  He had stared at the beautifully passionate woman in front of him and nodded. “You are right, but you need to use diplomacy.”

  She had smiled at him suddenly, her mood shifting dramatically. “I am nothing if not diplomatic,” she had said cynically. “My mother would say otherwise, but I am.”

  She finished the wine and put the glass away. Her phone rang just as she was about to turn in for the night. She hesitated about answering when she saw who it was but she knew her mother would keep calling until she did. “Mother,”

  “Darling! I hope I am not disturbing you.” She gushed.

  “I was on my way to bed.” She said pointedly but her mother chose to ignore that.

  “Good. I just want to see how you are doing and if you will be attending the Mayor’s ball on Saturday.”

  “No,” Harper said firmly. “I promised Laila that I would babysit the children for her while she goes out on a much needed night on the town.”

  “Darling, I know that you are a very good friend and I applaud you for taking an interest in that poor girl’s predicament--”

  “Mother, she lost her husband to the war. I would hardly call it a predicament.” Harper said dryly.

  “I know darling, but there will be hundreds of eligible men out there for you to choose from. You turned twenty-five in May and you should be thinking of finding yourself a good husband.”

  “You mean a rich husband.”

  “Exactly,” the sarcasm was lost on Faye Simmons. She had made it her life’s mission to find someone suitable for her only child and had made no secret of it that it was to elevate her own position in society. Harper did her best to thwart her at every turn. Because of that, she had never been in a relationship before. Her mother had spoiled it for her and she poured her every effort into her writing and helping to provide care packages to be sent to the soldiers who had been deployed. “You are a beautiful woman darling and you need a man by your side.”

  “To prop me up?”

  “To make you look even better. When I am on the arms of your father, I feel safe and secure.”

  Harper just managed not to mention that her mother was the one who called the shots in that marriage and her dad was merely a by stander! “Mother thank you as usual for the concern of my unmarried state, but I really have to go.”

  “You won’t reconsider coming to the ball?” she asked hopefully.

  “No,” Harper said patiently. “I am sure there will be other functions, and the next time I will try my best to be present.”

  “That’s what you said the last time darling.” Her mother pointed out.

  “I cannot help the fact that other more important things keep coming up. Tell dad hi for me and I will see him on Sunday for the usual dinner.”

  “You missed two Sunday dinners in a row,” her mother complained.

  “I had the flu the first Sunday and I had cramps the last one. Surely even you can be sympathetic.”

  “I know darling, but I miss having you there and your father relishes your company. You know we did not approve of you moving out.”

  “I needed my own space.”

  “If it was to entertain a gentleman I would have been happier.”

  “Most mothers would have loved the fact that their daughter keeps themselves pure but not you. “

  “I want to see you married before it is too late,” Faye said defensively.

  “When will it be too late? Goodbye Mother, I really have to go.” She hung up before the conversation could continue and put the phone on silence. If she called again she would be on her own!

  *****

  “Darling, you are not paying attention,” Samantha reproved him gently as she handed him the glass of wine. They were in her apartment for a change and had just finished dinner.

  “A lot on my mind,” he said lightly as his dark blue eyes eyed her as she took a seat next to him on the sofa. She wore her wheat blonde hair in a chic style that rested at the nape of her neck and had smoky grey eyes that shone with the light. She was a very interesting conversationalist and maybe that was why he had stayed with her so long.

  “The demonstrations,” she said with a nod. “They are pretty harmless so far, people just airing their views and holding up placards.”

  “Pretty harmless can turn into something more vigorous or violent.” He pointed out.

  “It has not been so far.” She reached out to clasp his arm. “Could we not talk about work right now?”

  “What do you want to talk about?” he asked her with a smile.

  “I would rather not talk at all.” She said suggestively.

  He almost told her he was tired but he had told her that the last time. “Okay,” he set the glass down and reached for her and she settled into his arms with a sigh!

  *****

  “Thank you, I really appreciate this!” Laila said as she gave her friend a hug.

  “No problem. It will give me time to catch up on my reading and spend time with my godson and daughter. Right guys?” she turned to look at the six year old boy and his eight year old sister who were bathed and dressed in their pjs. “We are going to be gorging on pizzas and basically getting drunk on sodas.” She grinned as they cheered up at that.

  “You spoil them,” Laila said with a smile as she grabbed her jacket. “Next time we get a babysitter and both of us go somewhere.”

  “We will,” she waved her friend away. “Have fun.”

  “Okay’” she hurried back. “Mommy will be back to tuck you in. Please behave for aunty Harper.”

  “Go honey and stop worrying.” Harper urged her.

  “Okay guys, what do you want to do now?”

  “Watch cartoons!” both of them chorused.

  “Okay let’s pick one that we all like.”

  They were very good children and spent the time
quietly watching the movie she had put on. She paused it when the pizza came and they all ate their fill before going back to watch the television. She alternated between reading her articles and watching them, making the necessary comments to let them know that she was still with them and not ignoring them. She had been there when Laila was pregnant and how excited she had been! She had married Barry at the young age of nineteen and had started having children immediately after. She had stayed home with the kids and had told Harper that she had never regretted it but was thinking of trying to find something to do. Harper wanted children eventually because she loved them but she was not thinking of that right now. There was so much to do and say, and she knew when she eventually got married and start having children that she had every intention of giving them her full attention! She glanced over and saw with a smile that they had started to sleep. A glance at the clock showed that it was almost eleven. She put aside her papers and picking up Nicolas first she took him to his room and then came back for Nadine. She came back into the living room and turned the television off relishing the quiet. She wandered around the slightly untidy room and straightened the place automatically. She knew her friend had it rough and helped out whenever she could. They had been friends for so long and although they came from very different backgrounds, they had remained friends. She settled back into the comfortable sofa and was asleep before she knew it. The sound of the key turning inside the lock brought her out of the sleep and she was wide awake when Laila came in. “You wore them out.” Laila said with a grin as she hung up her coat and came towards the sofa.

  “And they wore me out too. I fell asleep.” She examined her friend. “How was it?’

  “I met someone.”

  “That’s good, I think.”

  “You are thinking what I am thinking,” the woman said with a sigh. “I compare every man I meet to Barry and I know that’s not fair.”

  “You only just lost your husband a year ago honey. Give it some time. You are still grieving.”

  “I am not like you Harper; I get lonely at nights when the children go to bed.”