CALIFORNIA HARDWOOD FLOORS

Surrender

Desperate straights call for desperate measures---If anyone had asked Anna before what she would be willing to do for money, what she'd just signed up for would NOT have been on the list. She's discovered, though, that the needy can't afford to be too picky. And, after all, what's six weeks in the scheme of things? Despite her internal pep talk, though, she discovers she isn't at all prepared for what she has to face in the mansion of ill repute-where 'no' is no longer a part of her vocabulary unless she wants to forfeit the money she needs so badly. Rating: Contains explicit sex, graphic language, and some scenes of sex with mulitple partners/menage a trois. Genre: Erotic Contemporary Romance.

****Temptation's Price****

The Angel he was, with intentions so pure,
His sole existence, a loved one's cure.

The Devil he was, with intentions so cruel,
His desires and charm, his only tool.

Through his eyes, a sensual object,
Through another, an angel so perfect.

One tried reaching to her skin so deep,
The other delighted her with sweet words to hear.
One would take advantage as soon as she sleeps,
The other would smile and carress her as she breathes.

Like the Angel and Devil, they truly were,
But who would win, who'll be worthy of her?

She carried herself with unbelievable grace,
A mind so pure, with a smile on her face.
Many would kill to hold her in their arms,
But the Angel and Devil rose with their charms.

One seduced her with jewels so pretty,
The other comforted her with innocent pity.
One revealed the taboo that lay ahead,
The other spoke of his heart instead.

The Devil, revealed his horns. The Angel his halo,
But somehow the correct path was a hard one to follow..
And to her companions, she eagerly presented,
Both the challengers for which her barriers have descended.

The Angel's purity was hard to believe,
And so he was judged as boring and naive.
The Devil marked his presence with a spell,
His occasional dark side was accepted well.

Companions:-
"Why not settle for The Devil instead,
When temptation's price was so easily held?"

The battle was so intense and long,
Nine months and she decided where to belong.
She chose the Devil, the Angel was in awe,
Where did he go wrong, where was the flaw?

"The purest of hearts will always bleed,
The tainted hearts they forever succeed." (7 Winters of Pain - Myros)

The Angel tried to deflect her affection,
Towards his arms that seeked her attention.
But the Devil's grasp was ever so tough,
She returned to him, never getting enough.

Days passed, and she trusted the devil more,
Allowing her senses and ecstacy to soar.
But the Angel was ignored, day and night,
For he was trying to set things right.

Months passed, the Angel's scar grew,
The pain was strong, because his emotions were true.
He confessed to her multiple times,
But she always managed to ignore his cries.

The Devil's charm was rather deep,
Haunting her to the dance of restful sleep.
Soon a day came when they were alone,
And that's when she realized something was wrong.

He touched her breasts, she screamed for him to stop,
But he just snickered, and pulled away her top.
He smiled in satisfaction, and grasped her hands,
Following desire, what his heart truly demands.

She cried, and cried, but no one came,
In desperation she cried out the Angel's name.
But he was too far away, to hear her call,
Soon, her screaming subsided, and so did her bawl.

The Devil touched every inch of her body,
Surrendering his senses to her skin's glory.
His ears were deaf to her wailing cries,
For his hand moved down to seal her demise..

Now the silent screams haunted her mind,
She felt his fingers, ever so unkind.
She felt his mouth, press against her lips,
Now the Angel's voice, she can truly miss.

Suddenly, she felt sharp pain in her lower body,
Minutes passed like hours, but he pierced her already.
He moaned in pleasure, she groaned in pain,
Never would her life be the same again...

Once her virginity was stolen, taken away,
"That was marvelous," was all the devil could say.
They were somewhere far away from the city,
But he was already satisfied, and showed no pity.

He slammed her head against the door,
Threw her out of his car, onto the floor.
He drove away, howling in victory,
But she lay there, pleading for sympathy...

To contact the Angel, she already tried,
His phone was off, and her sadness was revived.
She called her friends, and was soon back home,
Never did her tears leave her cheeks alone...

She wished for the Angel now so much,
Stayed up late, to try to get in touch.
She promised herself to visit him tomorrow,
Her only hope to soothe her sorrow...

The morrow came, and to the Angel's house she walked,
All the time recalling memories, the train of thought.
If beneath him lay evil too, she silently swore,
To the next life, she would yieldingly strive for.

She still carried herself with unbelievable grace,
But her mind was tainted, the smile vanished from her face.

She knocked, and his mom opened the door,
And pitch black clothing was all she wore.
Her heart pumped fast now, against her chest,
"He's dead", was all the mother had said.

His mother said in the bathtub he motionlessly laid,
With his wrists cut deep, and wounds too late to aid.
A name was carved, on his chest,
One that the mother wasnt able to attest.

She stood in shock, soaking in the pain,
Now her life was truly a hopeless game...
Her innocence was stolen, by one simple choice,
Her ears now longed for the Angel's placid voice.

She asked hi

Charleston, Meeting Street, Hibernian Hall, immediately south of the Mills House Hotel. Photo of ruins of the portico of Hibernian Hall just after the 1886 earthquake, taken within a few day following 31 August 1886.

Hibernian Hall was later repaired and the portico rebuilt, but with pressed metal sheeting standing in for much of the stone and plaster details that were thrown down in the earthquake. Over the years the great hall of this private club has consistently served monthly dinners for the men's club that owns it while the portraits of its past presidents look down in approval. Green, more than orange, is the preferred color here. In addition the Irish hall has been a temporary home for several churches or their Sunday schools while they underwent renovations or repairs, most recently by the Presbyterians.

The neighboring Mills House Hotel uses it as an extension of their conference facilities. Events as diverse as wedding receptions, debutant balls, including the annual Saint Cecelia, and the Southeastern Wildlife Exhibition book it. Then there's that one Wednesday evening each spring when the Junior Cotillion, i.e. dancing school to the locals, holds the last go of it for the school year. Boys in navy blue blazers and girls in white gloves behave for an hour, all to the relief of the parents of these otherwise socially awkward adolescents.

Hibernian Hall is the seat of the Irish social and benevolent organization founded in 1798 to provide for needs of its members, all of Irish descent. Its large, elaborate and well placed hall was constructed in the 1840's employing the Greek revival style. Its grand proportions were an outward sign of the financial and political success of its members within the Charleston business and social community then reaching its zenith before it collapsed by the end of the American Civil War in 1865.

It was not without some irony that Charleston would host the national presidential nominating convention for the Democratic Party in 1860. Hibernian Hall was leased to the state party delegations from New York and Ohio which held their state caucuses on separate floors within the large and imposing structure. Unfortunately the Democratic Party sliped over the slavery issue and could not confirm a unifying nominee for president.

Eventually Stephen Douglas of Illinois was chosen, but the convention in Charleston ended in disarray with a deeply divided Democratic Party. Southern delegates walked out rather than endorse Douglas of Illinois. The result was that a little known third party with a roundly disliked candidate for president, Abraham Lincoln, became the winner of the general election by default. The Democratic Party had destroyed itself from within and the Southern wing would tragically do more than just walk out of the convention...it would attempt to leave the Union that many of their own grandfathers had risked their lives to create.

Hibernian Hall was one of many public buildings that served as venues for the one and only national political party's presidential nominating convention to be held in Charleston. Months after the ill fated Democratic Party convention had disbanded, and a month after the election of Abraham Lincoln, those same buildings became the platforms for the Secession Convention which formally declared the Union to be dissolved between the United States and the sovereign state of South Carolina.

Given this complicated history, the ghost of Stephen Douglas might be finally appeased if a future US President, also a Democrat from Illinois, were to be given a more positive reception here. Barack Obama at least received a resoundingly positive endorsement with his party primary victory in South Carolina in January 2008.

Almost exactly one year later, after all reasonable politics and diplomacy had failed and open civil war had erupted, a fire swept through the cradle of secession destroying a third of the city. Prophetically, with the destruction of that fire went every building that would have become a shrine. These would be the national landmarks to an independent South Carolina and the equally ill fated Confederacy. A bit player in this history and removed from being the center stage of each of these event, Hibernian Hall alone has survived among all the public buildings directly associated with Southern Secession in Charleston.

In 1865, just over four years after it declared open rebellion, a defeated and devastated city surrendered to Union forces. Confederate defenders had unceremoniously withdrawn in the middle of the night. This was less than 2 months before the general surrender of Confederate forces at Appomattox. Hibernian Hall would be used by occupation forces. Again it would become a temporary home to delegations from New York and Ohio, among others, albiet a barracks for several military units. Gradually, over the 11 year long military occupation of Charleston and as Federal troops were withdrawn following the failed rebell

If you've been fighting a losing spiritual battle, it's time to give up. Bow the knee. Wave the white flag. And turn yourself over to the King of kings. The truth is, your salvation,your initial 'surrender' to Christ,was just the starting point. You will never know real joy, real peace, real success until you learn what it means to live a fully surrendered life,to continually say 'no' to self and 'yes' to God.Choosing the pathway to full surrender will transform your perspective, set fire to your soul, revolutionize your life, and give the spiritual victory you have sought for so long.The Revive Our Hearts Trilogy - Now in Paperback!This bestselling series by Nancy Leigh DeMoss has sold well over 80,000 copies! All three titles now include study questions at the end of each chapter, making them ideal for personal or small group study.