A Daring Proposition. Miranda Lee

with the same woman for the rest of my life. Hell, I’m hard pushed to make it to six months before I’m bored out of my mind. I won’t marry a woman just to have a child when I know it will end in divorce.’

      Samantha accepted this quite easily. It was the pattern of his life so far. If only he could see that sex without love had to be boring in the end. Not that she said as much. She was too enthralled in hearing what he was going to come out with next.

      ‘The same goes for these so-called love-children,’ he went on with a derisive wave of his hand. ‘What happens when the parents fall out of love? Just as devastating a situation for the child as divorce. Besides,’ he added scathingly, ‘I’ve never been in love in my life and, quite frankly, I’m thankful I haven’t. Makes idiots of the most sensible sane men!’

      And women, Samantha added to herself with a silent groan.

      ‘No,’ he pronounced. ‘I discarded both of those ideas weeks ago, which left me with two remaining possible courses of action,’ he stated, walking slowly back to her desk. ‘Firstly, I thought of paying a surrogate mother to have the child by artificial insemination and hand it over after it was born. But that’s awfully risky. She could change her mind and take me to court later and get the child back. I would never let a child of mine be an emotional football!’

      The vehemence behind these last words gave Samantha another glimpse of a man harbouring a lot of pain. Since Guy loved his father without reservation, she could only imagine that his mother had to be the responsible one.

      ‘Not only that,’ he growled, ‘but I find the concept of artificial insemination distasteful. Maybe I’m a closet romantic, but I prefer to conceive my child the normal way, not with me as a mere extension of a test-tube. If I’m going to embrace the most important commitment a man can make—that of fatherhood—I want to be involved in a personal way right from the start. Damn it, I need to be involved. It’ll be my child!’

      Samantha could only stare at Guy, so astounded was she to even hear the word ‘commitment’ come out of his mouth, let alone in such a passionate and caring way. It came to her quite forcibly that any future child of his would be a very lucky boy or girl indeed. For Guy would undoubtedly love it with all the love he’d never before bestowed on another human being, except perhaps his own father.

      For a moment her mind drifted to the most impossible fantasy—of this unexpectedly emotional Guy somehow finding out he’d loved her all along, of his proposing marriage, of their having this much longed-for child together. She suppressed a sigh and gave her full attention back to her darkly frowning boss.

      ‘Which brings me to the second, final and ultimate solution to my problem,’ Guy went on, a dry sarcasm creeping into his voice. ‘I find some nice single co-operative lady who wants to have my child, will agree to let me share its upbringing, but who won’t make any demands on me other than financial ones. Now isn’t that the best fairy-story of a female you ever heard?’ He threw his hands up in the air in exasperated defeat. ‘Find me such a woman, Sam, and I’ll give you every cent I have!’

      Samantha’s heart went into total seizure.

      Not so her mind!

      My God, it virtually exploded. Did you hear what he just said, what he wants? This is your chance, your wildest dream come true.

      Well, not quite, harsh reality answered. He’s not offering love and marriage. But he is offering his body and his child! A life-long bond that would tie him to you forever!

      That’s more than you ever hoped for. More than your other proposition would have given you. Much more. For this leaves you with your pride and self-respect.

      All you have to do is dare...

      But to succeed with such a daring proposition she would have to be very calm. Super-calm. One whiff of emotional involvement and Guy would cut her dead.

      ‘This nice single co-operative lady,’ she drawled, her heart pounding so loudly in her chest that she was certain he must hear it, ‘would she have to be a blonde?’