Red Carpet Romance (13 page)

“You sure?”

“Yeah.” He grabbed his ankles,
stretching his leg up behind.

She strapped Junior into the
stroller, and Quinn wheeled him out the door. The air was cool, brisk, and
refreshing at seven. He looked around then headed south to the crosswalk.

“Your first run, Slugger.” Quinn
started slowly, keeping steady so as not to upset the buggy. He got into a
rhythm and began to think about what he needed to do next to get a producer for
the book. After one producer backed off when he found out Quinn hadn’t
purchased the rights yet, the actor knew he had to strike a deal with Jaden
before he could nail down a deal with a production company.

“Okay. Fifty grand for the rights.”
A sound came from the baby, drawing Quinn’s gaze. “So you think that’s too
much, Junior? I do, too. I’m trapped. Pay it or lose it.” The baby gurgled at
him. Quinn slowed his pace a bit.

“Yeah. But I’m not sleeping with
her. I have my standards. Besides, Susanna’s my girl,” he said. Junior burst
into giggles, and the two males chuckled, chortled, and laughed for the next
block.

The steady pumping of his heart calmed
Quinn.
Patience. Perseverance. Don’t give
up.
As the adrenalin flowed and the dopamine flooded his brain, a sense of
calm purpose settled over him. He finished his run, continuing his conversation
with Junior until they reached the apartment.

He found Susanna curled up on the
sofa reading. Breakfast dishes had been cleaned up. Quinn’s gaze moved slowly
over her curves, bringing a smile to his lips.
Love coming home to her.

“How was it?”

“Fine.” He unstrapped the baby and
put him on the blanket on the floor before placing a soft toy in his little
fist.

“Good.”

“You weren’t worried, were you?” He
ducked into the kitchen and emerged with a bottle of water.

“Not…much.”

“You were? Why?”

“You’re inexperienced.”

“What experience is necessary? Just
don’t go too fast and dump the kid over. He’s a good listener.” He took a long
draught then headed back to his room. Under a hot shower, he plotted his
strategy. Dressed in shorts and a T-shirt, Quinn ran his fingers through his
wet hair as he pulled his phone out of his back pocket. Susanna was on the
terrace, reading.

“Where’s the little slugger?”

“You knocked him out. He’s
sleeping.”

“Oh. That’s good, right? Look, I’m
going to be tied up today. I’ve got today and tomorrow morning to try and get
something going before we leave for New York. Can you handle things without
me?”

“I have been, haven’t I?” She stood
up and put her hand on her hip.

“’Spose,” he chuckled. “Wish me
luck.”

She stepped over to him and planted
a kiss on his cheek. “I do.”

He pressed a button and paced as the
phone dialed. “Jaden? Quinn. Yeah. You’re home? I’m still in LA.”

“Of course. My hometown. Thought we
could redo what I missed in LA. Take me?”

“The premiere…oh, you mean the one
in New York? I’m sorry, but I’ve already made plans to go with someone.”

“A date?” He could hear the edge in
her voice.

“Sort of.” Uneasiness crept up his
spine.
Susanna is more than a date. Can’t
tell Jaden.
“Sorry. I didn’t know you’d want to go.”

“Of course I’d want to go.”

“Next time. Hey, I was
thinking...fifty grand isn’t too much for a great book like yours. Fifty for
five years. Deal?”

“Oh? Changed your mind?”

“You convinced me.”

“Love the book that much, eh?”

“You know I do.”
Love the book but not you.

“Let me
sleep
on it.” The timber of her voice dropped to a deep, sexy
level, and Quinn cringed.

“Just promise you won’t sell to
someone else.”

“No promises, hon. I like to keep my
men guessing,” she chuckled.

I’m
not your man.
Anger gathered in his chest. He hated to be manipulated. His
fist tightened, and he stood still. “I’m counting on you.”

“Like I was counting on you to take
me to the premiere?”

Silence. Quinn took a deep breath,
his mind racing for a good zinger.
I’m
not dumping Susanna.

“I can do a lot for your book.” He
tried changing the subject.

“I can do a lot for your sex drive.”
Again her breathy voice teased.

He shuddered, no verbal comeback in
sight. His gaze scanned the room, desperately looking for something to say.
Susanna looked up from her book and connected with him. She smiled warmly. She
made a motion to indicate eating and raised her shoulders in question.

“Wow, Jaden…oh my God, it’s one
already, and I’m late for a lunch date with a producer,” he lied.

“A producer?” Her lazy tone became
razor sharp again.

“That’s right. We could be talking about
your book.”

More silence. Quinn grinned at
Susanna.
Gotcha now, Jaden.

“Go ahead. If he’s interested, then
maybe I’ll sell you the rights for fifty. Of course if he’s interested,” her
harsh tone melted into a purr, “then the price will have to go up.”

“Gotta go, Jaden. Talk to you
later.” He hung up the phone, picked up a throw pillow from the floor, and
fired it at the wall. His hands fisted, and he stomped out to the terrace.

Susanna rose from her seat. “Didn’t
know you were that hungry. I’ll get lunch going right away.”

Quinn grabbed her arm. “It’s okay.
It’s not that.”

She tilted her head and stared at
him.

“It’s Jaden Benedict. She’s such a
bitch, holding me up for more money. Wants to sleep with me…” He ran his hand
through his hair.

She took his arm and dragged him
inside. “Come on. Let’s eat. You can tell me all about it.”

“Nothing to tell. She won’t make a
deal.”

“Are you going to sleep with her?”
Susanna moved toward the kitchen with Quinn following along.

“Hell no!”

“Good. Thought I might have to smack
you.” She shot him a mischievous grin.

He ruffled her hair. “I’m starved.
What’s for lunch?”

“Since I’ve been promoted to
producer, maybe you should make lunch?”

“You heard?” He raised his eyebrows.

“Kinda hard not to.” She opened the
refrigerator door. “How about egg salad?”

“Works for me.” He sat down at the
table.

She handed him a loaf of bread.
“Here, you can make the toast.” The muffled sound of a baby crying caught their
attention. “Looks like Junior’s going to join us for lunch. I’ll be right
back.”

Quinn took out four pieces of bread
then brought down two jars of baby food and the box of baby cereal.
Never made egg salad before. How hard can it
be?

* * * *

When Susanna returned with a freshly
changed, smiling baby, she couldn’t believe her eyes. Junior’s cereal was made
and a jar of strained apricots was sitting open. A bowl filled with crudely
chopped eggs mixed with mayonnaise sat on the counter while Quinn spooned big
portions out onto two slices of toast.

“You did all this yourself?”

“It took a while to find the hard
boiled eggs. I cracked one that wasn’t. Made a mess.”

“And you cleaned up…I’m impressed.
You can make lunch for me anytime.” She eased the baby into his highchair.

“Guess when my run with Joe Martin
is over, I can become a short order cook.”

She snapped her head around to stare
at Quinn as he cut the sandwiches. “Are you worried…about your career?”

“Not really. Frustrated that I can’t
get anyone to make this movie. But I have several appointments this afternoon
and even one for breakfast tomorrow before we leave.” He handed her a plate.
“By the way, I hope you don’t mind, but I have a dinner meeting with a producer
tonight.”

“No problem. Junior will keep me
company.”

When he had changed and was ready to
leave the apartment, he stopped to kiss her goodbye. “Wish me luck.”

“I do,” she said, resting her hand
on his cheek.

The afternoon was a quiet one, she
played with Junior, took him for a walk, and then read. The baby was asleep by
seven. She watched television before climbing into bed around ten.

Junior awoke at two o’clock, crying.
Susanna sat up, but the door opened before she could move.

“Stay. I’ll get him,” Quinn motioned
with his hand from the door. He was wearing his terry bathrobe, so he had
arrived home some time earlier, she surmised. He padded over to the crib and
picked up the baby. He spoke softly to the little slugger, patting his back.
Junior rested his head on Quinn’s shoulder as they slowly made their way out of
the room.

Susanna slipped back into bed. She
tossed and turned for a half an hour, expecting to hear a baby’s wail or the
click of the door opening, but there was only silence. Unable to stand not
knowing, she slipped a big T-shirt over her head and crept silently out of her
room.

Tiptoeing to the living room, she
heard the soft murmur of
BABY BELUGA
.
Quinn was in the rocking chair with
Junior cradled in his shoulder, holding him securely with his large hands. The
chair moved slowly back and forth. The baby’s eyes were shut, and Quinn’s were
closing. She crept up quietly and stopped to gaze at him for a moment.

Her heart lurched to see the tiny
infant snuggled against the large man.
So
cute!
As his empty arm dropped, she lunged forward to snatch the sleeping
child from Quinn’s lap before he fell. Quinn started, his eyes popping open,
his hands searching for the infant.

“Wha? Where?” He rubbed his eyes.

“Shhh. It’s okay. I’ve got him.” She
rested her hand on his shoulder for a moment.

Quinn looked over and smiled when he
saw Junior safely tucked into Susanna’s arms. “You got ’im?”

“Yup. Relax.”

He stood up, yawned and blinked.

“How did it go,” she whispered as
they headed down the hall.

He shook his head. “No deal.”

“I’m so sorry,” she murmured quickly
before slipping into her room.

“Good night,” he whispered.

“’Night.”

* * * *

The next morning was chaotic. Junior
was fussy after waking up in the middle of the night. Quinn was frazzled as he
had overslept, barely leaving in time for his breakfast appointment. With
everyone growly, Susanna’s good humor went south. Junior cried or whimpered as
she raced around the apartment, packing up his clothes, hers, and Quinn’s
things as well.

When he returned half an hour before
the car to the airport, she breathed a sigh of relief. “I didn’t know if you
were going to make it.”

“Sorry to be so late. Everything is
lousy this morning.” He frowned.

“Another turn-down?”

He nodded, grabbing his bag and
setting it by the living room door before he retrieved hers and Junior’s.
Traveling with the infant involved too many suitcases, too many items to be
remembered. They ran from the vehicle to the house twice before hitting the
road.

Even being in first class didn’t
calm Junior down. The plane ride was tense with both the baby and Quinn in bad
moods. Susanna tried to cheer them up, to no avail. Within three hours, her
good mood had turned sour as well. The flight was long and tedious.

When they arrived in New York, they
were glad to see Bobby, who was there to pick them up. He was chatty but
quickly doused his good humor when they only replied with “yes” or “no.” Junior
fell asleep in the car on the way back to Manhattan. “Why couldn’t he do that
on the plane,” mumbled Susanna crossly.

Stokes helped with the bags. Once in
the apartment, she managed to get the baby into the crib without him waking up
completely. Susanna then shut her door while Quinn disappeared into his room.

She toed off her shoes and washed
her face. There were two boxes on her bed, one huge and the other small. She
opened the smaller one first and smiled as she pulled out a female version of
Quinn’s blue terry robe in pink. Then she opened the huge box as quietly as she
could. Turquoise taffeta rustled slightly as she pulled down the tissue paper.
This was the dress Annie bought for her to wear to the premiere. It was
strapless and form fitting, with a discreet ruffle down the side and across the
bottom.

She held it up to herself and peeked
in the full-length mirror. “It’s beautiful,” she mumbled, then checked Junior
to make sure she hadn’t woken him up. He stretched a bit in his sleep but then
settled down.

She hung the gown in the closet and
almost fell over a shoebox that had fallen on the floor. Inside was a pair of
silver sandals with three-inch heels. She slipped them on. They were a perfect
fit.
Bless you, Annie!

After putting away the shoes, she
lay back on the bed.
The New York
Premiere
Another walk down the red
carpet on Quinn’s arm. And the party afterward would be amazing.

She closed her eyes and allowed
herself to dream for a few moments. Life had been hard for the past few months,
since the accident, but now everything seemed on track. She was floating,
happy.
Enjoy it. When Junior’s mom comes
back, this will be over for you.
Happy thoughts crowded out the doubts and
anxieties about what was to come.
Princess
for a day. Cinderella. Enjoy it before the clock strikes midnight.

She drifted off to a calm rest until
Junior awoke and she was back to work.

Chapter Eight

The night of the premiere, Annie
Asher rode up in the elevator to Quinn Roberts’ apartment. Though she was
older, Annie was shorter than Susanna at about five foot four. She had curly,
sandy hair to her shoulders and freckles.
She
wore a summer shift, flat sandals, and big hoop earrings. With three children,
she hardly had time to worry about fashions or her attire. Her figure was
similar to Susanna’s, with attractive curves and slim legs.