The Suspicious Proposal (10 page)

He sighed, smiled, and handed it to her. "This is from Sherman and me for you."

He held his daughter, smiling and talking to her, kissing her soft face as Brittany looked at him in confusion and opened the heavy envelope. Inside was the thick stack of papers that she had once signed that made the prenuptial agreement. They were legally voided out. Attached to the form was a letter telling her that the agreement had been fully voided and destroyed, and that there was no longer any hold of any kind on Grayson property, business, or money, which excluded her from it under any circumstance.

She felt tears sting her eyes and she looked at Logan in surprise.

"What on earth is this for?" she asked him, amazed that he had done it.

"It's a gift for you, on the celebration of the day our daughter was born. It's from me to you, to show you how real and true my love is. There is no more prenuptial agreement. Sherman was able to take that part out of the requirements in the will that my father left.

“When we get the inheritance in three weeks, we will both get it, and some of it will go to our daughter right away. It's the right thing to do, and it's the fair thing to do. I'm not ever going to hold anything back from either of you. I love you both too much." He leaned over to her, kissing her face and her lips.

She took his hand in hers and knew that he was speaking the truth to her. They had a true and real love, and no contract or money could ever change it or alter it. She had found it with him, and together they had created a family that love would forever rule.

THE END

Message From The Author:

Hiii

I really hope you enjoyed “
A Suspicious Proposal
”.

As you bought the special edition of this book you now have a FREE bonus book to enjoy starting on the next page entitled “
Baby By Contract
”.

I hope you enjoy that one too!

Cherry x x

FREE BONUS BOOK

BABY BY CONTRACT

CHERRY KAY

Blurb:

David is a wealthy and successful businessman who seeks a woman to bear his child and he is willing to pay what it takes to make it happen.

Andrea is a struggling business woman who is finding it hard to make ends meet and David's offer makes sense to her financially.

Now the two of them are legally bound to have a baby by contract. Is it possible they might also find love in the most unlikely of circumstances too?

Chapter One

“Do what it takes,” David told his high paid team of professional businessmen. “I don’t care what it costs, just find a woman who agrees and pay her what she wants.”

He stood up from the table in the conference room and massaged his temples. The team of men around him was highly intelligent, Ivy League educated, fierce businessmen. Surely, they could handle the simple task of finding him a wife. He had plenty to offer her and the marriage would be strictly business and short-term. The marriage would, of course, have to produce a baby within three years, but the right women would be single, smart and would want a child of her own, too. Plenty of women existed like this. It was difficult for David to understand why, then, it took his team so long to find this kind of woman.

David exhaled loudly and shook his head.

“Sir, we will find you the perfect wife,” one of them said.

“She doesn’t have to be perfect, she just needs to be willing to abide to the contract. And make sure you tell her how much I’m willing to pay.” David sat back down in his leather office chair and crossed his arms.

“Right, sir. We’re on it.” They rose from their chairs and headed for the door.

“And remember;” He told them. “She must be African American.”

“Got it, Sir.” They all disappeared from the conference room, leaving David alone to ponder if they would ever get the task done in time.

*

Andrea had always loved clothing and fashion. She was fascinated with materials and patterns from a young age. She would sit in her room for hours staring at the pages of a magazine, mesmerized by the lines and curves of the clothing. She loved the colors, the shapes and sharpness. It grew from a hobby to a talent for her when she majored in Fashion and Design at college. It all came so naturally to her and she thrived in her studies. When she graduated, her professors told her they knew they’d be seeing her work in the future. She was the most promising student in her class.

That was ten years ago, yet she was still designing and making clothes from the living room of her one bedroom apartment. Of course, she was still pursuing her dreams, but they now seemed more like distant memories than realistic milestones in her future. She was a thirty-two year old single woman. Her life was unlike what she had imagined it would be. She had hoped for a better career but that was not the only thing she felt was lacking; she had thought she’d have a baby or two by now.

It was an empty feeling that she faced sometimes at night while she lay alone in bed. It was lonely and she yearned for a family of her own, even if it meant having a child alone, but even that was out of reach for her at this time. She could barely pay her car payment some months. Her career needed to be more stable and steady before she could bring a child into the world, but she still couldn’t break the biological need to have a baby in her arms.             

“I love that color,” Nikki said from beside her.

Nikki had been her best friend for years and always supported her goals, even when that meant lending her money to pay the rent. Andrea had months where her business was booming and she could hardly keep up with demand, but she also had months where orders would completely stop. This was one of those months. Andrea had an online website that she sold her clothing on and took custom orders from clients. It was unpredictable but she felt like she still had her foot in the door, even if her foot was beginning to grow numb.

“This is my last order,” Andrea told Nikki. “The client wants this dress for an event she has next week, but after I finish this, I don’t have any new orders to fill.”

“You’ll get some.” Nikki encouraged her. “One of these days, your business will be so successful I’ll see your dresses on the red carpets of Hollywood.”

“Thanks for your support but until then, I’m going to have to pick up a second job.” She hung the dress up and admired her work. It was moments like this, when she looked at a piece and felt proud, that reignited the flame inside of her. It was enough to keep her dreams lit.

“You know you should check out Craigslist. My friend picks up side work on there all the time.” Nikki sat down on the couch and made herself at home.

“What kind of work?” Andrea asked her.

“All kinds of work. They have random jobs listed on there. She finds cleaning jobs on there all the time. The pay is usually decent, too. You just have to search through a lot of listing and look for the best ones.”

Andrea ran her hands across the blue dress. She was still fascinated with material and all the things she could do with fashion. She just needed to find a few gigs to keep her afloat until her business picked up again. Cleaning wouldn’t be too hard.

After Nikki left, Andrea opened up her laptop and pulled up Craigslist on the internet. She began searching through the listings. Phone sales. Factory work. Laborers. Nothing seemed to be good for her. Just when she was about to close her laptop and explore a new option, she saw an odd ad.

GET PAID TO BECOME A MOTHER

The unrealistic ad was obviously nonsense, but it peaked a curiosity inside her. She clicked on the listing to read the description.

Seeking a smart, driven and motivated woman that wants to have a baby of her own. You will be paid substantially for your time and commitment.

The ad was brief and simple, but complex at the same time. There were so many questions left unanswered. Partly out of curiosity and partly wishful thinking, Andrea clicked the contact link and responded to the ad. It may just be a joke or she might end up with spam in her email but she took a chance and contacted the listing for more details.

*

Andrea walked through her door carrying four full grocery bags and a hand full of mail. She barely made it to the kitchen before the plastic bags ripped and her groceries spilt on the checkered linoleum floor, cans of soup and vegetables rolled across the floor. She sighed and took a deep breath. It was just another disappointing moment of her day.

Earlier that morning, her landlord had informed her was upping the rent when her lease was over next month and after a visit to her bank, she saw that her account was lower than she had thought. At least she had enough money to buy food for the week.

Her day had been long and draining. She wanted nothing more than to crawl into bed and get warm under the blankets, which was exactly what she was going to do as soon as she checked her email to make sure no one had ordered from her website or contacted her about her designs. She took her laptop to her bedroom with her and sat it on her mattress while she threw on her favorite pink pajamas.

Taking her time, she tied her hair up into a bun and looked at her image in the mirror. Her hazel eyes and dark hair were just the same as when she was a child, but she was growing older every day and her need for her own child kept nagging at her. Andrea didn’t want to look into the mirror one day and see an eighty-year-old woman looking back, alone and regretful. Maybe she had focused too much on fashion and her career, and what good had that done? If she had gotten out of the house more, or lived a little, she might’ve met someone special and started a family by now. It was a question she would never have an answer to, since you don’t get to go back in time and do it over.

Andrea slithered into bed and pulled the blankets over her legs, opened her laptop, hoping she got a few orders so that she could have some flow of income this month. Her inbox was empty except for one email.

RE: GET PAID TO BECOME A MOTHER

The ad had actually responded. Laughing, she clicked on it expecting to see spam or read a bogus explanation, instead, she was surprised at what she read.

Hello Andrea Grant. We received your email in response to our ad on Craigslist. Yes, this is a legit and real proposition.

We’re searching for a woman who would agree to get paid to have a baby. Of course, there are more details to the agreement, all of which include your consent and approval. If you’re interested, we would like to meet with you to discuss it further. You can meet us at Kenny’s Diner on Main Street at noon tomorrow.

Please respond to let us know if you’re available.

Thank you

Andrea stared at the screen. This couldn’t be real, could it? Maybe they were serial killers searching for their next victim or maybe they were baby snatchers prepping her for a pregnancy from hell. There were so many possibilities, none of which sounded realistic or safe, and yet, she sent an email back confirming she would be there.

Chapter 2

How do you dress for an interview for a baby making position, Andrea asked herself while looking through her closet. Andrea was not sure but if her fashion studies had taught her anything, it was that you could never go wrong with a little black dress. Andrea chose one she had made that was a perfect fit for her body. When she paired it with her flats and jacket, it was just right.

The diner was not far from her apartment. It was actually close enough for her to walk. That, in truth, was one of the reasons that she accepted the interview because she felt safe and comfortable there since she’d frequented this restaurant. Besides, she let Nikki know where she was going (she left out the part about being paid to have a baby).

Kenny’s Diner was busy with customers since it was lunch hour, but as she walked through the door, she knew exactly whom it was she was meeting. Three men sat at the back of the restaurant staring at the front door like they were waiting for someone special to come in. No drinks or food were in front of them, only folders and cellphones.

“Hello, I am Andrea Grant,” she said, after approaching the table.

“Welcome, have a seat, please,” the oldest of the men said as they all three stood to greet her. “Would you like a drink or anything to eat?”

“No, thank you.” She was too anxious to even think about food.

“Okay, great. Well, let’s get started,” the oldest continued. “Our boss is looking for a wife.”

Andrea’s eyes grew wide with surprise.

“It would be strictly business,” the man next to him said, his bushy eyebrows overtaking his face and making it hard for her to focus on anything else. “You’ll not have to do anything you don’t wish and you’ll not be obligated to give anything to him except for three years of marriage and a baby during that time.”

“You don’t have to have sexual relations with him, of course, he’ll pay for you to be artificially inseminated,” a third, younger man said. “And you’ll be compensated very well at the end of the marriage.”

“And what about during the marriage?” I asked.

“You’ll receive a large salary each year to spend as you please. And the baby will be taken care of his whole life. Our boss wants to be an active father,” the younger man said.

“And I don’t have to sleep with him?” Andrea felt crazy to even consider the offer.

“Of course not. You just have to, for all appearances, be his wife and the mother of his child,” the bushy eye-browed man said. “After the three years is up, you’ll get a very large amount of cash to continue with your life.”

“So let me get this right, your boss will pay me to have his baby but I still get to keep the baby and raise it?” This all sounded so absurd to Andrea, she couldn’t figure out the endgame.

“Yes. You’ll have full custody of the baby,” the oldest confirmed, as though he was talking about real estate property, and not a baby.

“And he wants to be married for three years?” Andrea asked astonished.

“You’ll be contracted to be married him for three years,” the younger one said. “Does this sound like something you would be interested in?”

“How much?” Andrea asked, attempting to seem professional.

Without speaking, they slipped a piece of paper her way.

“The top number is how much you’ll receive annually during the marriage and the bottom number is the amount you’ll receive when the marriage is completed,” the bushy eyebrow man said.

Andrea looked at the paper and back at them, waiting for the punch line. The yearly salary was five times what she made in a year and the pay off, after the three years, was double those salaries entirely.

“Is this for real?” Andrea asked, suspiciously.

“Yes,” they all answered in unison.

Andrea’s mind was racing at those figures; it wasn’t just the money, it was the fact that she could have her own baby, too. It was what she’d been wanting for years but never had the chance to have. Now, she wouldn’t have to worry about paying for artificial insemination and she’d be able to start her business properly.

It seemed too good to be true. All of the reasons to get up and walk away were flashing before her eyes. There was no reason she should trust these three strangers. They’d given no evidence that any of this was fact but, for some reason, Andrea wasn’t working off logic.

Instead, she heard herself say, “Yes, I’ll agree to the terms.”

*

David watched from a nearby table as three of his employees questioned the potential woman. She was beautiful and had a confidence that radiated off of her that he recognized from across the diner. But none of that mattered, he just needed a willing woman to marry him and have his child. He wasn’t looking for a relationship or the baggage that came with it. He just needed the right woman who could abide to the contract and accept the terms.

His men smiled at the woman and stood up from the table. They seemed happy as they shook her hand again. Did she agree to the terms? he wondered. The three businessmen walked towards him as she stayed seated at the table.

“She said yes,” Greg announced as he came up to his table. “Sir, you should go meet with her and make sure she’s a good fit for the position.”

“It doesn’t really matter to me,” David said nonchalantly. “As long as she is willing and able.”

“Sir, with all due respect, this woman is going to be a part of your life for the next three years and the mother of your child, you should at least have a conversation with her once before she signs the contract.” Greg was older than the others and had always advised David well. He had actually been David’s boss when they first met, but now Greg worked for him.

David nodded, as he knew Greg was right, and went to the woman’s table.

“Hello.” David reached his hand out to Andrea. “I’m David Lewis.”

Her hand was small and warm as he took it in his own. From afar she was beautiful but now that he was just a few feet away, he found her even more captivating. Her hazel eyes were enchanting and her skin was so smooth he wanted to touch it. She was gorgeous.

“Hi. My name is Andrea Grant.” She looked at him intensely as though she was sizing him up as he sat down. “Can I ask, why you need to pay someone to marry you? You seem handsome enough to find a woman who doesn’t need to get paid.”

David grinned. She was opinionated; he liked that.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to be rude,” she said a moment later as she leaned back in her chair. “I’m just trying to wrap my head around this proposition.”

“Don’t worry, I understand.” He tried to look away from her dark, honeyed eyes so he could speak without the distraction of her beauty. “It’s a business-minded decision. I’ve never been married and my media company would be more secure if it appeared that I was settled down and committed to a wife and family.”

“I suppose that makes sense.” Her face showed that she was struggling with the whole idea.

“What is it that you do Ms. Grant?” He asked her.

“I’m a fashion designer. I own my own business designing and making clothes for clients.”

“Do you enjoy it?”

“Yes, I love it. All I’ve wanted to do since I was a little girl was make pretty dresses. It hasn’t turned out to be as lucrative as I’d hoped, but I manage. Being able to design pieces for clients has always been a dream.” She seemed proud as she spoke about her business, as though it were a passion and art close to her heart. He remembered a time when he was passionate about his own career, when he enjoyed each moment of what he did, before the job seemed like an irritating chore each day.

“Do you have plans to expand your business?”

“I wish. I’ve always wanted to make it bigger and better, but right now, I run an Etsy page from my living room. Some months I’m lucky to have enough money for food on the table.” She suddenly looked embarrassed. “But I work hard and I love what I do.”

“Would if you get your business to an international level? I have many contacts and money I can give you to fund the project.” He suddenly had the urge to not only convince her to sign the contract, but also to help her with her passions.

“That would be amazing.” Her eyes were looking deep into his, the hazel shade watching him as he stood up from the table.

“Good, I’ll have Greg show you the contract. You have twenty-four hours to make a decision.”

“Can I ask one more question?” She stood up and bent her neck to look into his eyes.

“Yes, what is it?”

“Why me?” She looked innocently at him.

“Why not? You’re perfect on paper and you look the part for what I need.” He nodded and walked away.

*

Perfect on paper; Andrea wasn’t sure why David’s answer offended her so. She wasn’t sure what she’d expected him to say but something inside of her had hoped for more. When she had first seen him approach her table, she was pleasantly surprised. He was very handsome and tall with dark blonde hair and piercing blue eyes. It wasn’t clear why he would have to pay a woman to marry him and have his child. When he shook her hand, she couldn’t help but wish he would touch her more. It was odd for her to feel that way; she wasn’t usually so distracted by attractive men or gorgeous eyes.

As Greg went over the contract, she couldn’t focus on his words. She was thinking about David. By the time Greg had finished reading her all the terms and conditions of the marriage contract, she realized she hadn’t heard anything he said.

“You have twenty-four hours to accept and sign the papers,” He told her.

“I don’t need twenty-four hours. Where’s a pen? I’ll sign right now.” She had made up her mind. This was fate. She wanted a baby and this man was her solution. The money was just a bonus.

“Okay, here is a pen.” Greg handed her a black pen and watched intensely as she signed each letter of her name. “Now remember, you cannot tell anyone about this contract. It is part of the agreement.”

“I’ll tell no one.” She hadn’t heard that part but she was willing to abide to that rule. Besides, she didn’t want people knowing about the arrangement anyway, since she’d be giving birth to this man’s child.

“Good.” Greg smiled at her. “I like you. I think you will be good for him.”

“Thanks, I guess.” She picked up her purse and got ready to leave.

“We’ll send movers next week for anything you wish to bring with you to the house,” he told her.

“Next week?” She stopped and listened to him.

“Yes, as stated in the contract, you have one week to move in with Mr. Lewis.”

She really should’ve paid attention instead of day dreaming about David’s sky eyes. This was so unlike Andrea, the whole situation.

“Fine.” She shrugged.

“And you’ll need to find a wedding dress by Saturday. I’ll set up an account for you at a bridal shop nearby and let you know where.”

“Huh? Saturday?”

“Yes, you two will be married this coming Saturday. Did you listen to anything I said?” He smiled but asked her seriously.

“Yeah, yeah. Saturday. I’ll be ready.” As she left the diner, the reality hit her; she was going to be married and moved in with David in a week.

What had she done? she thought panicking. She hadn’t thought this through. She hadn’t made a wise decision. But even as the hard reality hit her, she knew what she did was right. Her choice was the right one and she wouldn’t have any regrets, no matter what.