Red Carpet Romance (14 page)
Read Red Carpet Romance Online
Authors: Jean C. Joachim
Annie schlepped a large makeup case.
Fancy building, ordinary elevator.
Susanna
had asked her sister to help her with her hair and babysit for Junior.
Jonathan, Annie’s husband, had consented to take care of their kids so Annie
could help out.
Greeting her at the door, Susanna
chattered away a mile a minute. Annie finally put up her hand. “Halt! Susie.
Let me look around. You may live here, but this is my first time.” They slowed
their pace. Annie’s gaze moved from fabulous, huge oil painting to fabulous,
huge oil painting gracing the walls of the long hallway. She gasped when she
entered the living room, with its masculine leather and clean white, black, and
brown colors and designs.
Quinn sauntered up to her. “You must
be Annie,” he said, offering his hand.
She nodded. “I am. Mr. Roberts, so
nice to meet you. I love your movies,” she gushed.
“Quinn, please. Thank you. And thank
you so much for taking care of Junior.” He shot her his sexiest grin, and she
almost swooned.
“Okay, you two. Enough. Come, Annie,
Junior’s in the bedroom.” Susanna took her sister’s arm and dragged her away
from Quinn.
“This is Junior.” She picked him up
and held him where he could look Annie over. The cautious look on his face
troubled her. “I hope he takes to you.”
“Kids love me. I’m a mom, remember,”
Annie said, smiling at the baby.
Susanna moved to hand him over, but
Annie stopped her. “Wait. Give him a chance to get used to seeing me. Besides,
we have a few minutes before I have to do your hair.”
Annie chatted with Junior, who
simply stared at her as she talked. She made lots of hand gestures and finally
picked up a toy. Junior reached for it immediately, and when she handed it
over, she touched his face gently. He smiled at her.
“Let me change and feed him a snack
while you shower, sis.” Susanna handed him to Annie slowly, but the baby took
to her right away. Susanna let out a sigh and headed for the bathroom while
Junior and Annie, his new best friend, went to the kitchen. Annie busied
herself gathering fruit,
Cheerios
,
and a bottle of juice for the little slugger.
She sat down in front of the infant
and listened to his babbling while she supplied him with food. Quinn strolled
in while they were there.
“So you’re Susanna’s big sister?” He
leaned against the archway.
“Yep. Susie’s keeper.” She laid out
some
Cheerios
on the highchair tray.
“Susie?” He lifted his eyebrows.
“That’s what I’ve always called
her.” Heat colored Annie’s cheeks while she watched Junior pick up each piece
of cereal, one at a time.
“Think she’d mind if I called her
that?” He pulled up a chair.
“Don’t know. Depends on how…uh…close
you are.” She offered the baby the bottle of juice.
“We’re not that close…yet.”
“But you plan to be?” Annie turned
to face him squarely as she asked the question. Her unvarnished stare made him
blush.
“I wouldn’t say that.”
“What would you say, Quinn? This is
my sister, my vulnerable sister, we’re talking about.” She kept her gaze
trained on his face, watching his confusion. He seemed to be struggling for
words.
“Susanna is…a…remarkable woman.”
“Damn straight.” Junior whimpered,
drawing Annie’s eye.
“Beautiful, too.” He fidgeted in his
seat.
“Got that right.” Annie spooned some
applesauce in the infant’s mouth before turning to Quinn again with a direct
question. “Are you playing with her heart? Are you planning to seduce and dump
her? Because if you are, you’ll have to answer to me. Our daddy’s gone now.
Protecting her is up to me.” Anger bubbled up in her chest, and try as hard as
she could, she couldn’t keep the edge out of her voice.
“Susanna’s a grown woman. She
doesn’t need your protection.”
“Oh? Are you planning to break her
heart?”
“Never. I’d never do that to her.”
“Can I trust you…famous movie star,
heartbreaker?”
“How am I a heartbreaker?”
“I’m not ignorant, I read the
tabloids.”
He laughed. “Then you are ignorant.
I’m not a heartbreaker, no matter what those rags say. I’m not a serial dater.
My last relationship lasted over two years, and that was over a year ago. I
care for Susanna…Geez, I can’t believe I’m telling you this!” He raked through
his hair.
“Why?”
“Because I haven’t even told her
this.” He pushed to his feet.
“Oops!” Annie chuckled, turning her
attention back to Junior.
“Does she ever talk about me?” He
paced.
“I plead the fifth.” Annie raised
her right hand.
“Come on, Annie. Does she like me?
What does she say about me?”
“You’re wasting your time. I’d never
breach her confidence.” Annie turned her attention back to the baby.
Quinn sighed deeply and sank down
into his chair. “It’s not easy, you know.”
“You’re joking, right?” Junior
babbled and slapped his hand down on the tray, asking for more Cheerios. Annie
reached in the box and pulled out a handful. She scattered a few for him.
“Dead serious.”
“A gorgeous movie star? You can have
any babe you want.” She turned to look him right in the eye.
“But I don’t want
any babe
. I want a woman who can see
past this movie star crap.”
“Good luck with that,” she sniffed.
“Right, Annie! Now you’ve got it.”
“You think Susie’s that girl?”
“Maybe. What do you think?” He
coaxed.
“I think she’s amazing, a gem. She’s
smart, strong, independent. But I’m her sister.”
“She’s had a rough time, hasn’t
she?”
Annie stared at him briefly before
turning her gaze back to Junior. “That’s putting it mildly. The last few months
have been a nightmare. Poor thing. She’s lost everything, except me, Jonathan,
and the kids.”
“And me,” he said softly.
“So if you break her heart, I’ll
break your leg.” Annie made a small fist and waved it at Quinn.
“I have no intention of doing that.”
“Good. Then we can be friends.” She
smiled at him.
“I’d like that. I have an older
sister, too.”
She chuckled. “Does she give you a
hard time like I just did?”
“All the time.” He laughed.
Susanna entered the kitchen wearing
her new pink terry robe. “The Bobbsey Twins,” Annie muttered under her breath.
“My hair is almost dry. It’s time,
Annie.” The raven-haired beauty flashed her a smile.
“What?” Quinn shot Susanna a puzzled
look.
“Annie is going to do my hair and
help me get dressed.”
“This isn’t an inauguration, just a
premiere.”
“She has to look her best…to be
there with you, doesn’t she?” Annie asked, cocking an eyebrow at him.
“She’d be the prettiest one there if
she dressed in rags,” he said.
Susanna blushed a becoming, peachy
pink before grabbing her sister’s arm. “Finish up with Junior and let’s go.
Bobby’s going to be here with the car in an hour.”
* * * *
The dress seemed a touch too tight.
Susanna shifted the bodice a little.
“I know it seems snug, Susie, but
much looser, and it’d fall down,” Annie chuckled as she fastened the straps on
her sister’s sandals. Susanna’s hair, swept up on the sides but flowing down
the back with some small summer flowers woven in, looked magnificent. The
turquoise set off her dark hair and clear, gray eyes to perfection.
“Won’t be anyone there can hold a
candle to you,” Annie said, standing back.
“You think so?”
“Absolutely.” Annie picked up
Junior.
“Thank you for the dress. It’s
perfect. What would I do without you?” She gave her sister a small hug,
allowing for the baby.
Annie’s eyes teared up. “Boy if Pop
could be here to see you…he’d flip!”
“Yeah…and give Quinn the third
degree.” She smiled. “I can hear him now—‘Have her back by midnight or answer
to me.’” The women laughed at Susanna’s imitation of her father, and Annie
wiped her eyes.
A sudden rap on the door startled
the sisters. “I need you to tie my tie, and it’s time to go.”
“Let me go first. I want to see his
reaction,” Annie said, tightening her grip on Junior as she opened the door.
When she entered the living room, Quinn, who had been looking out the huge
window, turned to face her. Her eyes widened, and she sucked in a breath. “Wow!
You clean up good.”
He smiled. “I need her to tie my tie.”
“Yeah, she used to tie Pop’s all the
time. No one could get the bow just right like Susie.” Annie turned to face the
hallway when she heard the
click click
click
of Susanna’s heels on the wood floor.
Quinn looked up, his gasp audible.
“Wow! You look…amazing.” He bent slightly as if he were going to kiss her but
stopped. “My tie…”
“Of course.” She got up close to him
and teetered for a moment on her too-high heels. He placed his hand on her
waist to steady them both. Annie grinned behind her hand.
Their chemistry is like tiny bolts of lightning in the air. I can
almost see it.
“You smell fantastic,” he said.
“That lilac thing, maybe?”
“Um hmm. Hold still.” Her gaze met
his for a moment, before she turned her attention back to his tie. “There.
Perfect.” Annie watched in silence, cradling Junior.
He gazed in the oval mirror on the
wall for a moment and nodded, smiling. “Perfect is right. A guy could marry you
just for your tie-tying ability,” he muttered. Annie’s eyes opened wide when
she heard his comment.
“What?” Susanna asked.
“Nothing. I’m taking the most
beautiful woman in the world to the premiere tonight. Your chariot awaits,” he
said, making a sweeping gesture with his hands.
“Annie, call us if there’s any
problem with Junior.”
“Don’t worry. I’m experienced. Have
a ball, you two. You look fantastic!” Annie held Junior’s hand up and waved it
at the handsome duo as they walked out the door. Before it shut behind them,
she noticed Quinn take Susanna’s hand.
“Daddy would be proud, Susie,” she
muttered. She put Junior in his highchair. “Dinnertime for us, slugger,” she
said as she gathered food from the refrigerator.
* * * *
Crash had just come on duty. He
lifted his eyebrows and stared at Susanna as she approached the door. Bobby
gave a low whistle when he saw her. “Wow! Has Chaz seen this one?” he asked
Quinn.
“I’m saving her. Besides, they’re
not back from their honeymoon yet.”
“Coming back tomorrow.”
“Don’t say a word. I want to
surprise him.”
“Damn!” Bobby said in mock anger as
he glided through traffic. He lined up behind another limousine waiting to drop
people off for the premiere. Police had a section of Columbus Avenue blocked
off so the big cars could line up there before swinging around to Sixty-Eighth
and Broadway to deposit the Hollywood bigwigs.
Quinn squeezed her hand. “Ready for
this again?”
“Piece of cake. It’s all about you.
No one will even notice me.”
“How could they not? You look…beyond
tempting. A thousand-calorie dessert.”
Heat suffused her cheeks as a smile
stretched her lips, sporting a rosy pink lipstick. He leaned over and planted a
quick kiss on her a minute before Bobby pulled up to the front of the line.
“Dangerous move there, Quinn.” Bobby
winked at Susanna.
The uniformed man in front of the
theater opened the door. Quinn got out first, to a roar of applause and cheers.
He waved to the crowd then offered his hand to Susanna. She struggled a bit
getting out of the car in her tight dress. Finally resigned to the inevitable,
she slid the fabric up to her thigh, swung her legs over the side, and pushed
up. Flashbulbs went off by the dozens. She laughed.
Don’t miss a sexy picture!
She placed her hand on Quinn’s
outstretched arm and smiled at photographers. On the left, she noticed one
nudge the other. He tried to whisper, but it was loud enough for her to hear.
“Isn’t that the same babe he took to the LA premiere?”
“Naw. That babe wore silver, I
think.”
“Not the dress, the chick.”
“Have to check my pics. Yeah.
Maybe.”
The first man stepped closer and
took several shots of Susanna while the others all snapped Quinn like crazy. A
man announced their arrival, asked two questions of Quinn, and nodded to her
before letting them go inside. She was relieved to be out of the spotlight. He
laced his fingers with hers and guided her toward the escalator.
“They’ll direct you upstairs, Mr.
Roberts,” an usher said, grinning at him.
“Thanks.” He pulled her close to
him, and they rode up together. It wasn’t long before they were holding hands
and viewing the movie for the second time. Pride flowed through Susanna’s veins
to be sitting next to Quinn. As she watched, she noticed little things he did
while acting, small touches that either made her laugh or made him seem so
real.
He’s a wonderful actor. He has to
get a shot at BLIND LOVE.
The same routine as in LA happened
in New York. The studio big guns all stopped by to congratulate Quinn. They
shook hands. Susanna waited patiently then filed out with him holding her hand.
Some photographers were there to grab pictures of the stars leaving the
theater.
By this time, Quinn had his arm
around Susanna. She stood close to him with her arm snaked around his waist.
The bulbs kept flashing until Bobby finally pulled up.
“Where’s the party?” she asked.
“Café Limoges,” Bobby replied.
“My favorite place.” Quinn lounged
back against the seat.
“Did you arrange that?”
He grinned. “I put in my request.”
“Yummy!” She clapped her hands
together.
There were some more photographers
at the restaurant, snapping pictures. Quinn smiled and waved like he had
before, taking her by the hand and leading them inside.
Claude, the short, slender,
gray-haired owner of the restaurant, greeted Quinn with a kiss on each cheek.
“And who is this?” He looked at Susanna with lustful eyes. She shrank closer to
Quinn.
“Susanna, meet Claude Vivier.”
Claude took her hand and kissed it.
Then rubbed it between his. “She is lovely, Quinn. Such a peach. My dear, if
you ever get tired of this man, you can always come to me.” He bowed, kissed
her hand again, and then moved on to Quinn’s leading lady.
“Is he always such a letch?” Susanna
whispered to Quinn.
“Just a big flirt.”
“I’ll say.” Her eyes widened.
“Let’s get a drink.” Quinn steered
her to the bar, where they had excellent Chablis. She saw many of the same
people as in LA. This time they came up to her, introduced themselves, and
talked to her for a moment before turning their attention to Quinn.
Hmm. Guess I’m more than a one-nighter to
them, now that I’m at this premiere, too.
Small dishes of
Coquilles St. Jacques, Coq Au Vin
and other French delights were
superb, done to perfection. Quinn filled a plate high with bits of each
delectable dish.
“What happened to the rabbit diet?”
She asked him.
“Not tonight. This stuff is too
good. I’ll run an extra lap or two in the park tomorrow. Come on, eat.”
She grabbed a fork, and they shared
the food he brought. But it was the dessert table that caught her eye.
Napoleons, cream puffs, crème brulée, giant strawberries dipped in chocolate,
elegant flavors of sorbet, including pomegranate, coconut, French vanilla,
chocolate, and latté. “I’ll get our desserts.”
“I thought I’d fill up on you for
dessert,” he snickered softly in her ear.
Embarrassment sent color to her
cheeks as she peered at him.
“You’re not surprised at that, are
you?” His eyes glistened with desire as he raised his second glass of Chablis
to his lips.
“Knowing you? Of course not. Save
that appetite, I’ll be right back.”
* * * *
Stuffed to the gills, they sat back
against the comfortable seats in Bobby’s limousine.
“Thanks for a wonderful evening,”
Susanna said, turning to look at him.
He took her face in both his hands
and kissed her before whispering, “It’s not over yet.”
Before she could reply, Bobby pulled
up in front of the building. Crash opened the door and offered her a hand. She
managed to get out of the car without splitting the dress or revealing too
much, breathing a sigh of relief. They bid Bobby farewell and went up to the
apartment.
Annie was asleep in the rocker with
a magazine lying open on her chest. Susanna assumed Junior was in the crib but
tiptoed into her room to make sure. His even breathing reassured her, and she
joined Quinn in the living room. Susanna gently shook her sister’s shoulder.
Annie bolted upright almost immediately.
“What’s wrong? What’s wrong?” She
looked around.
“Nothing. We’re home is all.”
“Oh. How was it?” Annie rubbed her
eyes.
“Awesome. How was Junior?”
“A delightful little boy.” She
commented, looking directly at Quinn.
“I have a car waiting downstairs to
take you home. The driver’s name is Bobby. Thank you so much, Annie. And it’s a
pleasure to meet you.” Quinn shook her hand.
“Thanks for everything, Sis,”
Susanna hugged her sister.
“The photographers took an interest
in Susanna tonight. You might find her picture in the paper tomorrow.”
“Oh my God, another celebrity in the
family? Not sure if I can handle it,” Annie joked.
Susanna walked her to the door.
“How about a
Drambuie
on the terrace?” Quinn asked.
“Yum. The perfect ending…”
“You keep saying that. Who said
anything about this evening being over?”
She strolled onto the terrace in
silence.
Here it comes. The pass. You’ve
been waiting for it. What are you going to do?
He filled two cordial glasses and
joined her at the railing. Susanna looked out over the city, the lights
twinkling, showing that the evening wasn’t over for most of Manhattan, either.
The night breeze picked up, cooling her face. She raised her glass. “To huge
success for
Joe Martin’s Himalayan
Adventure
.”
He clinked his glass with hers, and
they drank. “Now to finding a producer for
BLIND
LOVE
.” Quinn chugged the rest of his drink then stepped closer to her. He
folded her in his embrace, winding his arms around her waist, bending to kiss
her neck. “I want you,” he whispered. “And I won’t stop until I have you.” His
mouth clamped down on hers, his tongue coaxing her lips apart.
Expecting an assault, grabbing, and
possibly brute force, Susanna was taken by surprise at his gentle approach. His
lips played with hers, sucking and pulling, his hands slid up her back, his
fingers disappearing in her hair.
Then he moved his head back to look
into her questioning eyes. Slowly, he lowered his head until his lips were on
her neck. Gently nibbling and kissing his way down to her shoulder, his lips
left a trail of heat where they touched her skin. He dropped his hands down her
back to her bottom, squeezing and pulling her right up against him at the same
time.
Her pulse kicked up as desire warmed
her body. She melted against him, softening to his form. She needed him and
decided to take what she wanted.
I can’t
fight it anymore.
Winding her arms around his neck, she closed the tiny gap
between them, crushing her breasts into his chest. She felt his breathing
increase as she ground her hips against his.
“Oh, God. If you keep doing that,”
he moaned.
“What? You’ll take me? Make love to
me?” She spoke softly.
“Hell, yeah.”
She ground against him again,
feeling his growing response. “What are you waiting for?”
He raised his head, and their eyes
connected. She saw raw need in his. Lifting the protective veil over her
emotions, she let her face reveal everything. Love and lust blended together in
her heart, bubbling up through the flush in her cheeks and the darkening shine
of her eyes. Her lips parted slightly, her tongue peeked out. She noticed his
gaze shift to her mouth, and the hunger in his eyes increased.
He lowered his head. “Your wish is
my command,” he uttered, his breath caressing her cheek before his lips barely
grazed hers.
His fingers found the zipper on the
back of her dress and began to unzip it ever so slowly, touching the delicate
skin it revealed, exciting her. She deftly untied his tie and removed the shirt
studs, placing them in his pants pocket, brushing her hand by his fly with each
stud. He jerked at her first touch but then relaxed. A small moan escaped his
lips when her fingers lingered longer there each time.
When her dress was fully opened, he
eased his palm down her back. His head snapped up with a questioning look in
his eyes. “No bra?”
She shook her head. He glided his
hand all the way down to her rump, pausing to squeeze her firm bottom.
“No panties either? You’re naked
under the dress…have been?”
“Yup.”
With that, he bent down, slinging
her over his shoulder and carried her inside to his bedroom. He lowered her to
her feet then ripped the dress down until it puddled on the floor. She pushed
his shirt off his shoulders, unbuttoned his pants, and pulled the zipper down.
“Off,” she commanded, pointing to the floor. He obeyed, shedding his clothes
quickly, his gaze glued to her naked body.
“You’re gorgeous,” he breathed as he
dropped his boxers and stepped out of them.
“So are you,” she quipped, her gaze
roving over his chest and down. “And ready.”
He blushed. “No hurry.” He
approached her, circling her waist with one arm while his other hand explored
her breast. “These are…beyond words. Fantastic…” he breathed, lowering his
mouth to taste her peak.
Susanna dropped her head back,
almost closing her eyes, until something stood out, demanding her attention.
She pushed away from Quinn. “What’s that?” She asked, pointing to a vertical,
speaker-like gadget on his nightstand.
Quinn opened his half-shut eyes.
“Hmm?”
“That. What is it?”
His gaze followed her finger. “That?
It’s the intercom thingy.”
“A baby monitor?”
He stepped closer to her. “Yeah.
That’s it.” His fingers caressed her skin.
“Is it hooked up to my room?”
“Yeah.”
“All this time?”
He nodded.
“Why?”
“So I’d hear if you needed me…be
sure you and Junior were…okay. Kinda scared me when I realized I’d been
sleeping without it for a couple of days.”
She stood in front of him, stark
naked, and stared into his eyes. Tears choked her for a moment.
“What did I do?” He shrugged his
bare shoulders.
“That’s the sweetest thing in the
world.” She stepped up to him, winding her arms around his neck, pulling his
head down. She kissed him with a renewed hunger, and he responded, running his
palms up and down her back. He eased her down on the bed.
Looming over her, he kissed from her
neck to her breast, where he lingered, laving the hard nipple with his tongue,
taking it into his mouth. She moaned. He cupped her soft flesh, squeezing it,
making her squirm. After raising his head, he took her mouth with a hard kiss,
and then angled his head to deepen it.
Weeks of pent up desire ignited a
fire in Susanna that quickly threatened to rage out of control. She closed her
fingers around his shoulder muscles then slid one hand down his chest, through
his smattering of soft chest hair.
The touch of her fingertips moving
down over his pecs and lower made him groan. His fingers gripped her thigh then
glided up into her core, causing a tremor to rocket through her body. She
shuddered as he stroked her, exploring her wet warmth.
She curled her fingers around him.
“Oh, God, Susie,” he moaned.
She smiled at the affectionate nickname
but kept her hand in place, sliding it up and down. She squealed as he pushed
two fingers into her. “Oh! Quinn, please,” she begged, her eyes closing, her
breath coming quickly, her hips moving in rhythm with his fingers pumping in
and out.
“You ready already?” His eyes
widened as his gaze sought hers.
“Please…yes…do it…,” she whispered.
He closed his hand under her knee
and raised her leg as he mounted her. “Protected?” She shook her head. Quickly
he opened the drawer in the nightstand and extracted a condom. He covered
himself then resumed the position. “Want me now?”
“Yes!”
He chuckled as he positioned himself
outside her, and then plunged in. Both lovers groaned when they were joined.
Quinn kissed her lips, thrusting his tongue into her welcoming mouth. Her arms
held him to her tightly as his hips achieved a steady beat. He turned his head
and kissed the inside of her knee.