Colby lifted an arched brow. “I was the one you chose? What on earth for?”
Neither man answered.
Colby looked from one to the other, flashing them a dark look. “Have the two of you suddenly gone deaf? I asked what was I chosen for?”
A few moments later Sterling Hamilton broke the uncomfortable silence when he answered her question in a clear distinct voice. His eyes, indecipherable as water, met Colby’s directly.
“You were chosen to have my baby.”
CHAPTER 2
Colby was stunned into silence by Sterling Hamilton’s statement. When she gazed into his face, he returned her stare with bland indifference. Mr. Stewart, however, seemed to have gone a little pale.
“Now wait just a minute,” Colby said, raising her chin and keeping her expression stern. “I asked a simple question. The very least you gentlemen can do is not play games with me and give me a straight answer.”
She watched as Sterling sat down on the edge of the desk facing her. Her eyes involuntarily shifted from his face to where his slacks stretched tight across his thighs. She was so caught up in her close study of him that she was startled when he spoke.
“We did give you a straight answer. You were chosen to have my baby. That’s the reason you’re here and not for some cologne endorsement I most certainly won’t be giving.”
A wave of anger surged through Colby. She glared at him. “You can’t be serious about a baby!”
Sterling met her glare. “I am serious.”
Colby stiffened. If she didn’t know better, she would think her reaction to this entire escapade amused him. “Then I suggest you do what most people do—fall in love, get married and make one!”
She could tell her suggestion hit a sore spot with him. She watched as his eyes radiated bits of stone.
“I plan on getting married and making one, but I have no intentions of falling in love,” he snapped. “Of that you can be sure.”
Colby shook her head and walked over to the window. It afforded her a breathtaking view of the city below. She turned back around and glanced at Edward Stewart. “Is what he wants to do legal?”
Edward Stewart cleared his throat before answering. “Yes, it’s legal as long as the two parties involved agree.”
Colby was aghast. “What woman in her right mind would go along with such a thing?”
“Evidently quite a few, Ms. Wingate,” Edward Stewart continued. “We received over a hundred responses.”
Colby still was not convinced. “Did you tell them exactly what they would be doing?”
“We told them enough without exposing Sterling’s identity. However, it wouldn’t have mattered if we’d wanted them to have a baby by Godzilla, the thought of a million dollars would make most people do anything.”
“A million dollars!”
“Yes, with an extra half-million dollars as a bonus in the end.”
Colby stared at the two men. This couldn’t actually be happening. She’d come all the way from Virginia to discuss a cologne endorsement, and they were only interested in paying someone to have a baby.
“This will be strictly a business deal between me and the woman,” Sterling spoke. “No love, no romance, and no ‘till death do us part.’ When the child is six weeks old, we will end the marriage in a no-contest divorce with me getting full custody of the child.”
“And the child’s mother?”
Sterling continued to meet her glare. “She can go on her merry little way. I’m sure my one and a half million dollars will make it a lot easier and sweeter for her to do so.”
Colby was appalled by his callous statement. Surely no man could be so heartless about the notion of separating a child from its mother. “Well, I wish you much success in your repulsive endeavor, Mr. Hamilton. Now if you gentlemen will excuse me, I’ve wasted enough of your time already.”
Giving both men one last glare, she turned around and, without so much as a glance back, walked out of the office.
* * *
A few hours later, Colby was relaxing in a pool of bubbles in the huge bathtub in her suite at the Beverly Hills Hotel. She had been more than surprised when she’d arrived the day before to discover reservations had been made for her here. The beautiful hotel was a California landmark known to be frequented by numerous movie stars. She had noted quite a few when she had checked in. In fact, she had been speechless when Nicolas Cage had gotten on the elevator with her that very morning.
She’d let out a low whistle when she had entered her suite. It was exquisite. The room had been done in soft colors of peach and cream. The carpet felt like mink and the furnishings made hers back home seem obsolete with the Victorian velvet-covered sofa and chairs, marble-top tables and a four-poster king-size bed. Never had she stayed in a place so elegant. The sight of it had almost taken her breath away. However, it was the oversized bathroom that definitely made a statement. The tub was shaped in the style of a huge clam with fixtures in the shape of seashells. And it was big enough to fit at least four people comfortably.
“Ahhh,” she moaned as she lay against the back of the tub. What a way to relieve the tension and unpleasantries of her earlier meeting with Sterling Hamilton. In the morning she would catch a plane and return to Richmond, disappointed that she had been unsuccessful in accomplishing her goal. At least she hadn’t jumped the gun and told her brother about what she’d planned to do. He thought she was in California visiting a girlfriend from college. She hadn’t told him the truth because she wanted to surprise him with the news once Sterling’s endorsement agreement was a done deal.
For the past year and a half, Wingate Cosmetics had shown incredible profits. However, those profits were nothing in comparison to the likes of Flori Roberts and Fashion Fair. Both of those well-known cosmetic companies had something Wingate Cosmetics didn’t have—celebrity endorsements.
And she had been determined to change that.
It was the least she could do for the brother who’d single-handledly taken on the responsibility of raising her after their parents’ death in a plane crash. She had been ten at the time and James had been twenty. Because of her, he had turned his back on a full scholarship to Harvard and dropped out of college to become her parent, brother, friend and protector. A year or so later, he was able to enroll in night classes at a local college and complete his studies, obtaining a bachelor’s degree in chemistry. He then continued and a few years later got his M.B.A.
She smiled. If all they had needed for the Awesome ad was a handsome face, then James would have been perfect. Her brother was a very good-looking man who stood well over six feet. A lot of women had tried capturing his attention and his heart, but none had succeeded until the beautiful and perky Cynthia Johnson entered the picture. James had been smitten instantly. However, it was only after Colby had graduated from high school and left home to attend Hampton University, that James and Cynthia got married. She adored her sister-in-law and knew she was the best thing to ever happen to James.
Closing her eyes, Colby inhaled the scent of the bubbles. Nearly eight years ago for her eighteenth birthday James had created a special cologne just for her and named it Colby. It had a subtle, incredible scent of a variety of flowers and had been made from natural ingredients known only to James. His refusal to expose the ingredients had led to him losing his job as a chemist with one of the largest pharmaceutical firms in the country. James had tried explaining to his superiors that the fragrance had been created for her as a gift and was not to be marketed and worn by other women.
Later, he had started his own cosmetic company, sinking every penny that he owned into it. Then as a gift for her twenty-first birthday, he had developed the fragrance Colby in both bath oil and bubble bath just for her. Every time she wore the cologne, bathed in the bubble bath, or used the bath oil she thought of how blessed she was to have a brother like James.
“I think it’s about time you got out of this tub. Your toes are beginning to shrivel.”
A smile tilted the corners of his lips. “The reason I’m here is for us to talk, and since I’m footing the bill for you to stay in this place, that gives me the right. Now, I’m going to leave you to get out of the tub. If you take too long, I may be tempted to come back and hurry you along.”
Colby’s eyes narrowed. ‘Why do we need to talk?” she asked angrily. “As far as I’m concerned, we have nothing to discuss.”
Sterling’s smile turned into an insipid grin. “Oh, I think we do. Colby. There’s definitely unfinished business between us.”
Colby watched as he turned and with the cool, collected swagger he was famous for and that was known to drive female moviegoers out of their minds, he boldly strutted out of the room.
CHAPTER 3
Colby’s jaw dropped. Just who does he think he is? she asked herself as she quickly got out of the tub. Hurriedly she began toweling herself off with one of the huge, thick velour towels.
Slipping into her robe, she swiftly walked over to the closet looking for something to put on. She finally settled on a light blue skirt set.
She could care less that he was footing the bill for her to stay in this place. No one asked him to. It was their screwup not hers. She shook her head when she thought about the fact that Sterling Hamilton, of all people, was actually sitting in the other room waiting for her to appear.
Colby’s eyes brimmed with amusement in knowing that Cynthia would give anything to be in her shoes right now. Correction, she thought, looking down. Cynthia would give anything to be in her bare feet. Her sister-in-law would die at the thought of coming within ten feet of Sterling Hamilton. She saw all of his movies, some more than twice, and purchased any magazine if his face appeared on the cover.
In fact, Colby thought, as she rubbed some Colby bath oil onto her skin before slipping into her outfit, it had been Cynthia’s constant chattering about Sterling Hamilton’s sex appeal that had given her the notion to approach him with the idea of an endorsement.
A few minutes later, Colby entered the sitting room of the suite where Sterling sat lazily reclining on the sofa scanning a magazine.
Sterling looked up. His gaze swept over Colby’s appearance. Somehow she seemed to have gotten prettier since their meeting earlier that day. He noted she was no more than five feet four inches tall and had what he considered one helluva voluptuous figure. It was an enticing contrast to the figures of the women he usually dated. Most of them thought too much meat on their bones was a crime. They were totally obsessed with their thinner, willowy frames.
He thought there was something blatantly sexy about Colby Wingate’s small waist, curvy childbearing hips and her nicely rounded behind. And with her full breasts and shapely legs, all her feminine attributes were enough to make any man take a second look.
So he obliged himself and took a second look before getting to his feet.
“You made excellent time, Colby. But I only asked you to get out of the tub. You didn’t have to get dressed on my account.”
Colby glared at him. For some reason he appeared even taller than he had in Edward Stewart’s office. She suddenly felt rather small in the room with his six feet three inches of towering height. If he thought he would use his height to intimidate her, then he had another thought coming. James was just as tall, so tall men didn’t bother her one bit. But, she thought as she continued to glare at him, although his height didn’t bother her, his penetrating stare did. She had been fully aware of his close scrutiny of her when she had entered the room. She had seen his gaze make a slow journey down the full length of her body and had wondered just what he thought he was looking at. She knew most men preferred pencil-thin, size-five women. Pencil-thin she was not, but she felt completely comfortable and satisfied with her size-ten figure.
Placing her hands on her hips, she asked. “What do you want, Mr. Hamilton?”
Sterling’s gaze again roamed over her figure before he brought his eyes back to hers, with mesmerizing intensity. His perusal caused an unexpected quickening of Colby’s pulse and made her feel momentarily light-headed. She struggled to control her body’s reaction to him.
“I asked what you wanted, Mr. Hamilton,” she repeated nervously and with a little less force.
Sterling walked over to her slowly, with the ease of a predator stalking his prey. His dark eyes were sharpened and held Colby transfixed in place. She couldn’t have moved if she wanted to.
He reached out and tipped her chin so he could see even deeper into her eyes. “I’m glad you asked because I have every intention of telling you exactly what I want, Colby Wingate. I want you to have my baby.”
“No,” Colby murmured in a choked whisper. Her head began spinning at his words. And to make matters worse, her body began aching in a very private place. What was wrong with her? She took a step back and out of his grasp. Finding her voice, she replied, “We’ve gone over this before and my answer is still the same. We can’t always get what we want.”
Sterling chuckled. “But I usually do.”
She tilted her chin. “Usually isn’t the same as always.”
“That’s true. Then maybe I should rephrase my statement so there won’t be any misunderstanding. I always get what I want. Eventually.”
Colby swallowed again. “Not this time.”
Sterling’s gaze penetrated hers. He noticed the color of her eyes had darkened even more. There were traces of fire in them as her gaze challenged his. He gave her just as good a glare as she was giving him, and wondered when the last time was that a woman, any woman, had gotten under his skin like she was doing.
He moved in closer and lowered his face over hers until their lips were less than mere inches apart. His hand cupped the center of her back. “On the contrary, Colby. Especially this time,” he whispered hoarsely. “I’ll get everything I want…and more.”
Colby saw his intent and quickly twisted away from him. She walked swiftly to the door and opened it. “Please leave.”
“I will if you really want me to, but if you really love your brother and care about what happens to him and his company, you’ll let me stay.”
Colby drew in a deep breath. Her throat became congested with fear and uncertainty. “What do you mean by that?”
“If you’ll allow me a few minutes of your time, I will tell you,” he said, returning to the sofa to sit down.
Colby eyed him narrowly. If there was something concerning James and Wingate Cosmetics, she wanted to hear it. “All right,” she said, closing the door. “You got five minutes. No more and possibly less.” She took a chair opposite the sofa. “I’m listening.”
A soft chuckle escaped Sterling’s throat. Although he didn’t want to, he actually liked her. She was an amusing change from most of the women he came in contact with. He couldn’t remember the last time a woman had acted as if he’d crawled out from under a rock.
“We could have shared the sofa. I don’t bite.”
“Your bite is the least of my worries, and you’re down to four minutes, Mr. Hamilton. My patience is wearing thin.”
Sterling laughed. “So is mine. And I prefer you call me Sterling, or anything else you may find endearing.”
Colby gave him a withering glance. “There’s nothing about you I find endearing.” She knew to him this was just a game. A game she wasn’t interested in playing. Women threw themselves at him constantly, and she had no intention of being one of them. He was way out of her league.
Sterling reached for a briefcase on a nearby table that Colby noticed for the first time. He leaned back against the sofa and proceeded to review a stack of papers he took out of it. He didn’t bother to look up as he began speaking.<
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“After you left Edward’s office I made a few calls and found out some rather interesting information regarding your brother’s company.”
Colby cocked an arched eyebrow. “Such as?” she asked blithely.
He looked up and wished he hadn’t. Heat surged through his body just from looking at her. He quickly looked back down at the papers he held in his hand. What was wrong with him? You would think Colby Wingate was the first woman he’d been around in a long time, but that wasn’t the case. He’d just flown in from Paris, where he’d been surrounded by numerous beautiful women on the set of his latest movie. What was there about her that drew his gaze to her tempting mouth time and time again? He shook his head and took an exasperated breath.
“I’m waiting for an answer, Mr. Hamilton.”
He looked up again and met her gaze, grateful he was a little better in control. “Such as the fact that Wingate Cosmetics is about to be faced with a hostile takeover attempt by Morton Industries.”
Colby sat up straight and stared at him with openmouthed shock. “What? Are you sure?” she asked in a whisper.
“I’m positive. A very good friend of mine named Jacob Madaris is a top-notch player on the New York Stock Exchange. He handles most of my investments and is known to have inside information about a lot of things.”
Shakily, Colby reached out to steady herself by grasping the arms of the huge chair she was sitting in. “But why? How?”
Sterling watched her reaction to the information. “Correct me if I’m wrong but according to my sources, Morton Industries released your brother from their employment several years ago when he failed to divulge the ingredients of a certain perfume he had created. I gather they liked the fragrance and wanted him to sign over the rights to them.”
Colby sighed. “Yes,” she replied softly. “He created it as a present for my eighteenth birthday and named it after me. It’s called Colby. I’m the only woman who wears it.”
One Special Moment Page 2