One Special Moment - Brenda Jackson [19]
“Did you enjoy having breakfast with Edward?”
“Yes. He seems to be a nice guy.”
“He is. I’ve known him all of my life. He was a very good friend of my father’s.”
“Yes, he mentioned that,” Colby replied. After Sterling poured some more tea into her glass, she asked, “Why did you send him here?”
“Who?”
“Mr. Stewart.”
Sterling simply shrugged before replying. “You needed an escort.”
Colby chuckled, “I didn’t need an escort.”
“I believed otherwise.”
She sighed. She was in no mood to argue with him. “Suit yourself.”
He smiled. “I did.”
Colby became angry with herself when she felt momentarily mesmerized by his smile, feeling an instant attraction again. “Thanks again for lunch. Now if you’ll excuse me, I—”
“What’s your decision, Colby?”
She gave him a hostile glare. “Do we have to discuss this now?”
“Yes. Your decision is very important to me.”
Colby inwardly fumed. How dare he make it sound like the decision was hers to make. He had her backed against a wall and he very well knew it.
“Before I give you my answer, there’re some questions I’d like answered.”
Black brows lifted. “Such as?”
“I want to know exactly just how you plan to stop Morton Industries.”
Sterling sat back, relaxed. “It will be simple enough. During the next couple of weeks, Morton Industries will be so busy trying to take control of Wingate Cosmetics, they’ll be overlooking something important.”
Colby arched a brow. “What?”
“A certain company, one that I happen to own, Hamilton Enterprises, will be doing a corporate takeover of them. In other words I’ll give them a dose of their own medicine.”
Sterling met her gaze directly as he continued. “At this very moment plans are being developed to put the squeeze on Morton Industries. They’ll either have to back off or they’ll find the tables turned on them. All the Wingate Cosmetics stock they were able to obtain will be purchased by me and I’ll sign them over to you, as well as controlling stock in Morton Industries, to ensure they stay in line. Everything is on hold, Colby,” he said quietly, “just waiting for me to give the word to put a stop to the hostile takeover of Wingate Cosmetics. And if things go as planned, your brother won’t even know there was ever such an attempt.”
“What about the endorsements?”
“It will be stipulated in the contract that I’ll be at Wingate Cosmetics’ disposal for whatever advertising they deem necessary to get Awesome off the ground.”
Colby nodded.
Sterling regarded her over his cup of coffee and asked. “Any more questions?”
She nervously ran her fingers through her hair. Shyness and embarrassment now plagued her over asking the next question. But it was something she desperately needed to know. “If I decide to go along with your proposal, how am I going to get pregnant?”
His eyes were contemplative when he answered. “What do you want me to do? Draw you a diagram or something?”
His unwavering gaze made her even more uncomfortable with this topic of conversation, and his flippant response didn’t help matters. She glared at him. “For your information, Sterling, there are a number of ways for a child to be conceived instead of just the usual way.”
He eyed her for a moment, then bestowed upon her a very sexy smile. “By the usual way I take it you mean conceiving during the heat of passion.”
His steady gaze that held a spark of smoldering fire, and the smile that overtook his features made Colby’s insides tremor. “Yes, I suppose,” she replied. She held his gaze for a moment as she tried to decide what about him attracted her the most, his seductive eyes or his heartstopping smile.
“In that case, I like the usual way,” he said.
“What about artificial insemination?”
He laughed and shook his head. “I don’t consider that an option.”