Red Carpet Romance (10 page)

When he came on the screen, her
pulse kicked up.
So handsome, so sexy, so
talented. And here with me. Pinch yourself, it’ll never happen again.
She
glanced at him from time to time then back at the screen.
Yes, that amazing man is sitting right next to me, holding my hand.
She
could hardly catch her breath.

The tense look on Quinn’s face
melted with the sound of the hearty round of applause following the movie. The
studio bigwigs stopped by to congratulate him on their way out, shaking his
hand and appearing relieved. Susanna let out a breath and grinned, mouthing the
words, “another hit.”

“I hope so!” He said with
enthusiasm. “Now the party.”

“Will they have food?”

“A few classy
hors d’oeuvres
, tons of booze.” He took her hand again, and they
left the theater. Quinn spent time signing autographs while they waited for
their limo. It wasn’t long before the car pulled up, and Quinn waved to the
fans who hung around to watch him leave.

They pulled up to a large
restaurant, attempting to look swanky. Quinn and Susanna went inside and were
ushered into a large, back room. Josh, the executive producer, greeted them.

“So this is the lady who had your
baby and needed all that stuff?” His gaze traveled her length, stopping at
every curve.

“No, no. She’s a friend. It’s a long
story, Josh.”

“You’re taking in homeless infants?”

“Trust me, when I can tell you, I
will. Where’s the food?”

Josh pointed to the back of the
room, “Next to the bar.”

“I need a drink,” Quinn uttered to
her as he maneuvered them through the throng.

* * * *

Relief flooded through Quinn’s
veins.
Don’t know if it’s a hit yet, but
I doubt it’s a flop. Thank God.
Drink in hand, a smile crossed his lips as
member after member of the cast and crew sought him out to congratulate him. He
kept Susanna close by his side, afraid some smooth-talking shark would steal
her away.
She’s handling this like a pro.
He noticed her make chitchat with important and unimportant people alike.

“I’m starved. You hungry?” she
asked.

The thought of food tempted his
empty stomach. “Yeah.”

“I’ll make a plate to share.” Before
he could stop her, she was threading her way through the crowd.

Josh interrupted the star’s focus on
Susanna. “Great flick, Quinn. Next one starts shooting in a couple of months.
Are you ready?”

“I suppose.” He watched Susanna
respond to a crewmember who was talking to her.

“Suppose? This is important,” he
said, taking the actor’s arm.

Quinn shifted his focus to Josh.
“What?”

“Are you ready? Geez, guy. Where the
hell are you?” Josh’s eyes scanned the room. “I see. Watching that chick, eh?”

“Yeah, yeah, Josh. I’ll be ready.
Always am. Studying the script now. This is a party. Chill, buddy,” Quinn
patted him on the shoulder then returned to watching Susanna. The crewmember
now had his arm around her waist as he moved her closer to the food table.
Quinn’s heart rate increased. Anger bubbled up in his chest.

“Be right back.” He tossed down the
rest of his drink, then moved away from Josh and made his way through the
crowd, taking a few moments to shake a hand or sign an autograph. Still
smiling, he came up behind Susanna.

“Wondered what was taking you so
long,” he said, placing a possessive hand on her shoulder.

“Is she with you, Quinn?” The
crewmember backed away slightly, dropping his arm from her waist.

“Yeah, Eddie. She’s with me.”

“Sorry. Had no idea.” He backed off
and disappeared in the crowd.

Susanna turned toward Quinn.
“Jealous?”

“He was moving in on you.”

“I can take care of myself,” she
sniffed.

“Just making sure you were okay…”

“And still yours, right?” She arched
an eyebrow at him as they reached the food table.

An embarrassed smile claimed his
lips. “Guilty as charged.”

“Thirty days in jail. Next case,”
she tossed off, making him laugh. Susanna picked up a plate and loaded it up
with finger foods—cold jumbo shrimp, tiny quiche Lorraine, stuffed mushrooms,
warm figs wrapped in bacon, and little meatballs. His hunger grew as he
watched.

When she was done, he took her free
hand and guided her toward a window and a small round table with a white
tablecloth. Quinn grabbed two forks. They sat down, and Susanna put the plate
on the table between them. They tore into it.

“I have two more hands to shake,
then we can go.”

She nodded. “You didn’t really think
I was going to go home with that guy, did you?”

“Eddie’s a mover.” He popped a
meatball in his mouth.

“But I’m not going to be taken in by
that…and dump you? That’s crazy.” She picked up a quiche.

“Is it? He’s taken women from me
before.”

“Oh?” She lifted her eyebrows.

“Well, maybe only one or two.
Still…” He bit off the end of a shrimp.

“Have some faith in me. I’m not some
dumb chick looking for a night of fun and games.”

He shot her a lustful look. “Shucks.
That’s just what I was hoping for.”

She laughed, picked up the last shrimp,
and stuffed it in his mouth. He kept eye contact as he chewed the shrimp, then
leaned over and kissed her.

“Finish that meatball and let’s go.”
Susanna popped the
hors d’oeuvre
in
her mouth as three more people stopped to congratulate Quinn. He took her hand
and led her outside. The car pulled up, and they were on their way home.

Hands
off tonight? Can’t. She’s too, too much.
He wound his arm around her and
she snuggled into his shoulder. Lights from houses twinkled in the darkness as
the smooth ride calmed him.
Made it
through another premiere. Yippee.
His fingers idly stroked her arm.
Soft.
She closed her eyes and sighed.
I could carry her right into my bed.

The limo pulled up and let them out.
“Wait here. You can take Mrs. Evans home.”

They held hands on the way inside.
Quinn paid the babysitter while Susanna checked on Junior.

“He’s asleep but his breathing seems
a little heavy. The babysitter didn’t report any trouble. Probably just my
imagination,” she said when she returned to the living room.

“Want tea?” She asked Quinn, on her
way to the kitchen.

“All I want is you,” he said,
pulling her into his embrace before lowering his mouth to hers. Her body
softened against his. His hands moved slowly up and down her back, where he
felt the rate of her breathing increase, before they stopped, cupping her
bottom. He squeezed it and pulled her closer, causing desire to course through
his veins.

He wanted her like he hadn’t wanted
any other woman. He moved his lips to her neck. She loosened her arms around
him so he could kiss her shoulder. Her hands moved up into his hair, and her
mouth teased his ear.

Quinn raised his hand to her breast.
A low moan from her throat gave him permission to continue.
She wants me, too.
He closed his fingers
around the soft mound and squeezed gently while his fingertips eased over the
rim of her dress to pull it down. He kissed his way down her chest. Then he
heard it. Soft at first but growing louder. The cry of a baby. Quinn lifted his
head, shooting a questioning look at her.

“Junior?” He asked.

Susanna nodded. “I’ll check on him
and be right back. Hold that thought.”

He chuckled before pulling his
bowtie free and removing the studs from his shirt.

“Quinn!”

His head snapped up at the panicky
tone in Susanna’s voice. He rushed into the bedroom to find her holding Junior,
whose face was red from screaming.

Chapter Six

“Quick, unzip me. Can’t get this
dress dirty.” The gown quietly slipped to the floor, revealing that she was
stark naked underneath. His stare almost burned her skin. Unable to hide her
embarrassment at being undressed in front of him, Susanna focused her attention
on the screaming baby as she stepped out of the dress and grabbed her robe.
Placing Junior on his back on her bed, she threw it on, hastily fastening the
sash while Junior screamed louder.

“He’s burning up,” she said, picking
the little slugger up and holding him against her chest.

“What can I do?” Quinn turned his
attention to the child.

“In his suitcase. There’s a plastic
bag with emergency stuff in it. Get a thermometer.” She walked out of the
bedroom and into the kitchen.

A few moments later, Quinn followed,
toting the plastic zip bag. “Which is the thermometer?”

Susanna thrust the baby at Quinn and
motioned him to the rocking chair. She handed him a bottle filled with cool
water and helped him settle Junior into a comfortable position. The infant took
the water eagerly. While he sucked quietly, she searched the bag. There were
several contraptions that looked like they might be thermometers, but she wasn’t
sure.

“Damn! No rectal thermometer. I
don’t know what the hell these are.” She continued to rummage, finally pulling
out one. “I think this goes in the ear.”

“Too short for the butt,” he put in.

She gave him a sharp look, and he
grinned. Susanna placed the thermometer in the baby’s ear. It registered
quickly, reading 103.4. “Holy Hell. This kid is sick.” Sinking down on the
sofa, she put her head in her hands.

“What do we do?” He asked, rocking
the infant while he sucked down water.

“I don’t know.”

“What?” His eyebrows shot up.

“I don’t know. Annie always took
over when the kids got sick.”

“Call her.”

“It’s four o’clock there…but this is
an emergency.” She whipped out her cell phone and dialed her sister’s number.
It took a while for Annie to answer. Susanna paced as she spoke to Annie.

“He’s burning up, Annie. Over one
hundred and three.”

“How old?”

“Five months, give or take.”

“Get some baby acetaminophen. Send
Quinn out for it. Before that, you’ll have to bathe him down first.

“Bathe him down?”

“Put him in a tub—”

“No baby tub here.”

“Use the kitchen sink. Make sure
it’s clean first.”

“Got it.”

“Fill it part way with lukewarm
water. Hot water will make his temperature rise and cold water will chill him,
make it hurt.”

“Cold will make him hurt?”

“Trust me, okay? Take a washcloth
and soak it with the water and gently stroke it over his chest, arms, and back.
Lightly.”

“Why?”

“When the water evaporates, it cools
the skin. Rubbing a little brings blood to the skin and when the skin cools, so
will the blood. That will bring his temp down. The medicine will keep it
there.”

“What if this doesn’t work?”

“It will. It will. Get some
Pedialyte
, in case he’s getting
dehydrated. That can be dangerous. He needs to take in a lot of liquids, and
that’s one of the best.”

“
Pedialyte.
Got it.”

“Call me in two hours.”

“Thanks a mil, Annie. Go back to
sleep.” Susanna hung up and faced Quinn. “This requires two people. I need you
to find an all-night drug store.”

“McGinty’s. Got it.”

“You know all night drugstores right
off the bat?”

“Coming home drunk, occasionally, I
knew I’d need something…,” he said sheepishly.

“Okay, okay. Forget that. Go there.
Buy Children’s
Tylenol
. Also
Pedialyte
. A
big
bottle of
Pedialyte
.”

“What the hell is that stuff?”

“It’s to keep him from getting
dehydrated. It’s necessary, that’s all you need to know.”

“Got it.” He handed the baby back to
Susanna and pulled out a pen and paper from his breast pocket. He jotted down
the small list.

“How are you going to get there?”

“I keep an SUV in the garage here.”

“Wonderful,” she said, relief
evident on her face.

Quinn grabbed his keys and flew out
the door to the car. She washed out the sink and ran a lukewarm bath while she
held the baby. Junior had finished drinking the water and began to cry again.
Susanna paced, holding him to her chest while the sink filled up slowly.
God, I think he’s getting hotter!
Beads
of sweat broke out on her forehead.

Undressing the baby, she noticed his
diaper was dryer than normal.
Dehydration?
She lowered him gingerly into the warm water. As soon as she seated him, he
started to cry. Susanna’s pulse raced. Her hand shook as she dipped the
washcloth, wrung it out a bit, and smoothed it gently over Junior’s chest and
arms.
Where’s Quinn? I need you!
She
kept up the routine even though the baby continued to cry.
Crying will dehydrate him!

As she was finishing up, she
realized she forgot to bring a towel to the kitchen. She couldn’t leave Junior
in the bath, even for a second, as he could slip under the water. She had to
wait for Quinn. In a shaky voice, she began to sing the Raffi song to the baby
while she wiped him down again. He whimpered, but was distracted by her voice.

After soaking the washcloth again,
she gently put it on his skin and squeezed. Water ran in rivulets down his arm,
making him cry harder. She bathed him tenderly.

Finally, Quinn came crashing through
the door. “How is he?” He asked, turning the bag upside down and dumping
everything on the counter.

“I’m so glad you’re back.” She
blinked back tears. “Watch him. Hold him upright while I get a towel.” When she
left the room, Junior began to howl again.

“What do I do? What do I do?” Quinn
called.

“Wait! I’m coming.” Susanna slung a
towel over her shoulder and picked up the wet and slippery baby. “Read the
label on the
Tylenol
. Give him half
the dose.” She chested him and as she was wrapping the towel around him, his
bowels rebelled. He let loose a stream of brown liquid all over Susanna.
Horrified but afraid to drop the baby, she froze while he emptied himself.