As Brooke Richards walks toward you int he Playboy Mansion West gym, extends a hand (it's warm) and offers that down-to-earth smile, she is instantly familiar. Featured in several of our newsstand specials (including Girlfriends and Sexy Girls Next Door) and as our July 1999 cover girl, the 23-year-old South Carolina native is the center of attention as this century's last Playmate. And why not? As the youngest of 14 children, Miss December is unquestionably the pick of the litter. Playboy: Did you realize that you had an unusual family? Brooke: A big family seemed normal to me becaues I had nothing to compare it to. I have five brothers and eight sisters. The oldest was born 25 years before me, to the month. There are no multiple births, and we have the same parents. Mom was just very fertile, I guess. Playboy: Was it weird to visit friends with smaller families? Brooke: It was a lot quieter [laughs]. Playboy: What did your parents do for a living? Brooke: My mom stayed home to raise us. My dad, who passed away last year, did a little of everything. He drove a truck. He had his own business. He worked for the county. He was a skilled mechanic. Playboy: How did you get attention? Brooke: As the baby, I got a lot of attention. I'm also the wildest. Playboy: Were men attracted to you early? Brooke: Yeah. I developed really young. Even in third grade, guys would write me notes and give me gifts. They'd build me little things with their dads' tools and bring them to school. My mom still has a wooden heart on a stick, painted red and put on a stand, that I got. Playboy: What's your taste in men like today? Brooke: A heart on a stick is nice [smiles], but I like somebody with goals. He doesn't have to be successful yet, but he needs that drive. Being honest and genuine is necessary, too. I like attractive men. I'm a sucker for a tall, dark and handsome man. But I'm open. I don't have a list. Playboy: What's unacceptable? Brooke: I've met a lot of men who say, "Oh, I'm this and that, and I have this, and I can do this for you." I don't want anybody to do anything for me. I want somebody to fall in love with. My biggest turnoff, besides men who cheat, is somebody who has a big ego. It's so unattractive. I prefer someone who's kind of humble, who knows he's good-looking but doesn't show he knows it. I don't like a prima donna. I grew up dirt-poor, and though I didn't like it at the time, looking back, I'm so glad I was raised that way. Playboy: Does your family endorse your appearance in Playboy? Brooke: Some do, some don't. Some are indifferent. In a family this size, that's typical. It's something I wanted to do. I didn't call everybody to ask if it was OK. I do my own thing and dont' judge them for what they do. I expect the same treatment. Playboy: What makes you feel sexy? Brooke: Wearing a tank top with no bra, and baggy pants. Playboy: How do you like to be kissed? Brooke: Where or how [laughs]? Just passionately. I like to feel it the whole way up my body, from my stomach through my chest. Playboy: How do you feel about being the final Playmate of the century? Brooke: Wonderful. It's an honor. Also, of all the months, I wanted to appear in December because when it's cold and you're naked - well, there's something very sexy about that. Playboy: You have eight sisters. Do they all look like you? Brooke: You mean, are there more where I come from? Yes.
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