"Brian, Amanda - Womb For Rent" - читать интересную книгу автора (Brian Amanda)

Minutes later he wadded the message into a ball and tossed it into the waste basket. Then he reached for and turned out the desk light. Derek leaned back in his black leather chair with a sigh. The message had been a birth announcement, heralding the arrival of twins. That made five kids in as many years for Lydia and Gary. Still, going strong from the looks of things.
After the wedding fiasco, Lydia and Gary eloped barely three months later. A quickie ceremony in Las Vegas to offset the "premature" birth of their baby girl. Now, the total Brooks clan had grown to five, three girls and a set of twin boys! Obviously, Lydia had married the right man.
At one time, revenge had been sweet as he wrecked havoc at his own wedding. Now, he could hardly remember that fateful day due to the amount of alcohol he had consumed.
Even though the memory and pain lay etched deep down in his heart, Derek knew he and Lydia never would have been able to make a go of it. She needed a man who would be there for her - not someone traveling thirty-nine weeks out of the year. She needed someone to share her days and nights with--not a workaholic such as himself. Five years ago, he and Lydia had dated for such a long time, everyone assumed they would marry. Back then, marriage would have been the next natural step. Now, he realized the folly of his thoughts. He was no woman's prize. Not him. He was a work-driven, hard-core loner.
He saw it more and more as the years passed. His face appeared in the society pages on a regular basis, usually with a stunning blonde or ravishing brunette on his arm. Never seen with the same woman twice. Derek Cameron was touted as society's most eligible bachelor according to the local rag mags and he planned to keep it that way for a very long time. The less of a personal life he had, the better off he would be. Yet, there were still times...times when the Christmas cards arrived, filled with pictures of Lydia and Gary, holding the children close and smiling for the camera. A perfect family scene.
Every now and then, those moments tugged at the strings of his heart. Lately, the moments were coming way too often. Something had to be done about it, but what?
Derek sat alone in the dark and stared out the window. He was thirty years old, no family and no true friends to speak of. What did he have to look forward to in life? The holidays passed in quiet solitude at Cameron Manor, with only the household staff in attendance. Of course he received invitations to all the prominent social functions in town, but holidays were different. He didn't feel comfortable intruding on family times, so he choose to decline the requests.
How many times had Maimie told him to get out and find himself a real woman. Not those "dyed and fried" versions, as she called them, that he dated. He smiled wryly and allowed himself an opportunity to reflect. His own housekeeper knew more about him than he did. Sometimes he thought she might be right; other times he wasn't so sure.
His only attempt at marriage had been an unmitigated disaster. Not one he planned on repeating! Growing up in a divorced home, listening to the all-night fights had taken their toll. Words spoken in a drunken stupor reverberated in his head.
Derek remembered the pride on his mother's face, the tears sliding down her cheeks as he walked across the auditorium stage to accept his diploma. His father was drunk at home, uncaring and unwilling to put down the bottle for anyone or anything. Derek had been the only one in his family to graduate from high school. After the ceremony was over, he handed his mother the slim parchment and tenderly kissed her, trying not to notice the black and blue bruise that covered most of her left cheek.
His father's verbal and physical abuse rang in his ears, even after all these years. The sounds of breaking glass mingled with explosive outbursts dogged his steps. Fights followed by his father's broken promises, half spoken truths tailed by out and out lies. If only he had intervened sooner on his mother's behalf, maybe she would still be alive today. The "if only's" were creeping back up on him again.
He closed his eyes, allowing his thoughts to drift toward the small yellowed obituary tucked safely away in the recesses of his wallet. The only remainder of the parents he once knew.
Minutes later, the front legs of the chair hit the floor with a loud thump. Why hadn't he thought of it before? It was so simple. With a swipe at the lamp, Derek bathed the office in light. He blinked momentarily, then grabbed the phone and punched in a set of numbers. As he cradled the receiver to his ear, he quickly scribbled notes on a yellow legal pad.
"Anthony, Derek Cameron here. Listen, do you have time to meet tonight? There's an urgent matter I need to go over with you. No, nothing to do with Cameron Creations. More on a personal note. I'll meet you there. Thanks, Anthony." Derek dropped the receiver back down and surveyed his notes. This might just work!


Beer sloshed over the sides of the frosted mug, spilling out on the scarred wood surface of the table.
Derek watched Anthony Baretti ram plump fingers through his thinning hair, then groan. "Are you nuts? You'd have to be to believe this would work! Derek, this has to be the craziest idea you've ever come up with." Anthony shook his head and took a healthy swallow of his beer.
Derek smiled at his longtime friend and most trusted confidant. Anthony tended to over-react at times, but never like this. He picked up his own mug, took a slow drink and watched the older man's emotions play across his face. Sputtered words hastened along by disbelief, followed by outrage, then disbelief again.
Anthony verbally listed a dozen reasons why Derek's idea was harebrained, but offered no solid negative response in return.
When his tirade of protests slowed, Derek sat his mug on the table and smiled. "Finished yet?"
"No, yes--well maybe. I'm not sure. How serious are you about this cockamamie idea of yours?"
"Very," Derek stated calmly.
"Well then, I'm not finished."
Derek held up a hand. "Give me a chance to explain. Then lambaste my idea if you must."
Anthony nodded and picked up his beer. "Go ahead. I'm listening."
Thirty minutes later Derek finished, giving Anthony the floor. The older man conceded that Derek had sound and valid reasons for his request. He couldn't fault any of them, logically they all made sense. He looked down at the scribbled notes in front of him.
"Well, it might work. But that's a mighty big might," he reiterated. "You would have to draw everything up nice and legal to be sure all gray areas are covered."
Derek nodded, smiling broadly. This would definitely work. He was one hundred percent sure of it. "Good. Put the ad in the papers tonight. Pull whatever strings you have to see that it runs first thing in the morning. I want to see all the responses, every single one of them."
"How can you be sure you're going to get any replies?"
"Oh, I'll get responses. Money moves mountains. You can be sure of that."


Talli watched the four dogs lift their heads in unison at the sound of the front door closing. Their master was home. She turned on her side to glance at the neon clock on the night stand. Two-thirty in the morning. Derek Cameron kept the strangest hours of anyone she could imagine. She fought down the mental image that he had been out with a woman. It was none of her business who he saw or what he did, but a gnawing ache made her pray she was wrong.
After listening in the dark, the dogs quietly put their heads back down on Talli's bedroom carpet. Soon the room was filled with the sounds of snoring. She smiled at her four watchdogs. Pity Derek didn't spend more time with them. But with his business, he was gone most of the time. Anyway, if he was home more, she would be out of a job.

You are cordially invited to
help Derek Cameron produce an heir
No strings attached. Generous benefits.
Resume required
Seriously interested parties apply to:

An address followed the advertisement. Talli couldn't believe her eyes! Produce an heir? He had to be kidding. The full page tricolor ad screamed out in boldface black letters, impossible to miss on the second page of the Detroit News. Somehow though she sincerely doubted this was real. Probably just another attempt to elicit media coverage.
A wet nose pushed the paper off her lap and down to the damp grass as she gazed at the sorrowful face nestled there. Talli smiled as she patted the furry beast.
"So, your master wants a baby, huh? Hasn't he got enough to do with his life already?" The Basset Hounds panted in excitement. Talli rose to her feet and headed for the kitchen doorwall to let the dogs in, their antics causing her to quickly forget the ad which only minutes before she had exclaimed over.


In the kitchen doorway, Derek quietly watched Maimie clasp her hands to her heart in disbelief. "Good gracious, what has that boy gotten himself into this time?"
Joseph Henderson patted his wife's arm and spoke placatingly. "You have to trust Mr. Cameron to know what he's doing, Maimie. Don't go getting yourself all in a tizzy over it."
"A tizzy? Is that what you think I'll do? Well, listen up husband of mine. I've been working here for almost ten years and I don't plan on keeping my opinions to myself now. I'm going to give `Mr.' Cameron an earful."