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.”
Colby's eyes flew open. She blinked, unable to believe who she saw. Standing next to the tub at a towering height and a stance that was forbearing was Sterling Hamilton. A shriek escaped from her lips. Covering her chest with her hands, she sank deeper in the bubbles. “What are you doing in here? You have no right to be in here!”
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,
