Red Carpet Romance (2 page)

Quinn unfolded the paper and glanced
through it. “I see you’ve signed the confidentiality agreement.”

“The one where I’m not supposed to
divulge anything said or done here? Yup. Sure did. Not a problem. No one to
tell anything to anyway.”

“No friends here?”

“Didn’t get a chance to get started
here yet.”

He nodded like he understood what
she meant before changing the subject. “You’ll be bunking in with him. I hope
that’s okay.”

“Makes it easier if he gets up
during the night. Does he sleep through till morning yet?” She turned to look
at him. His robe opened slightly, providing her with a view of his chest.
Susanna had a hard time removing her gaze from his amazing pecs.

“Don’t really know. He only arrived
two days ago, and so far he has, I guess. If he’s up, I haven’t heard him.”

“And your room is where?” She tried
not to be embarrassed asking the question but didn’t succeed.

“Down at the end of the hall.”

“No baby monitor?”

“What?” He raised his eyebrows.

Susanna laughed. “You really are new
at this, aren’t you? A baby monitor is like an intercom. It allows you to hear
him from your room, like a walkie-talkie. If you’re not in the same room, you
need to get one.”

“You’re my baby monitor, now.” He
grinned at her.

“Are you going to get dressed or
don’t big movie stars wear clothes?” She took Junior to the top of the dresser,
grabbing a diaper on the way, and proceeded to change him. Out of the corner of
her eye, she noticed Quinn bolt out the door and chuckled to herself.
Score one for the nanny.

Susanna spent the next hour
searching out Junior’s formula and baby cereal, his clothes and playthings.
Dressed in a T-shirt and jeans, Quinn paced the living room while he talked on
the phone. She tried to ignore his chatter and focus on Junior, combing the
baby’s hair and putting him in the stroller. Occasionally she stole glances at
the actor’s gorgeous body. Snatches of his conversation told her he was getting
ready to do a new movie.

Quinn hung up when he saw the two
standing in front of him, ready to head outside.

“Keys?” She asked.

“I never lock the apartment. Either
Crash or Stokes has the door, so it’s safe.”

“Crash? You have a doorman named
Crash?” Her eyebrows rose.

“Yeah. Love that name, too. He’s my
favorite, though Stokes is nice, too.”

“We’re going for a walk before
lunch.”

“What about your luggage?”

“Oh.” Now it was Susanna’s turn to
blush. “I don’t have much. One suitcase. It’s kind of a long story…”

“One suitcase?” He lifted his
eyebrows.

“At my sister’s place.”

“Call her and tell her to get it
ready. I’ll send Bobby over to pick it up.”

“Bobby?” She shifted her weight.

“My chauffeur. Not mine, exactly. I
share him with Chaz. But Chaz and Meg are out of town, so he’s mine for now.”

“Chaz? As in Chaz Duncan?” She
cocked an eyebrow.

“My best friend.”

“Birds of a feather. I see,” she
commented, pulling out her phone. After speaking with her sister Annie, Susanna
jotted down the address on a piece of paper for Quinn and maneuvered Junior in
his stroller out the door.

The sun shone, warming up the May
morning. She stopped to tuck the little baby blanket around Junior’s small body
before turning right on Seventy-Fourth Street and heading for Riverside Park.
The fresh air cleared her head. She smiled as she walked down the street.
My life stinks, but it’s a beautiful day,
Junior is adorable, and I have a nice place to live. At least for two months.
Could be worse.

Susanna looked at the budding trees,
and her fingers itched to sketch them. Interesting twisted tree trunks and
branches stood out, begging her artistic eye to put them on paper. She had
propped up Junior so he faced her.
Might
as well start a conversation with the little guy.

“So what do you think? Is this the
best day or what?” The baby gurgled at her, his gaze riveted to her face. She
giggled at his response and picked up the pace.
No money to join a gym, so walking Junior will have to be my exercise.

It wasn’t long before the fresh air
lulled Junior to sleep. Susanna finished her loop around Riverside Drive and
returned to the big, wrought iron doors of The Wellington Arms. Crash opened
the door for her.

“I hear you’re going to be staying
here for a while, eh?”

She nodded.

“I’m Crash. If there’s anything I
can do for you…”

“Thank you. I’m Susanna.” She
extended her hand to him, and he took it.

“Stayin’ with Mr. Roberts, are ya?
Nice man. He needs you since he got that baby. The guy’s out to lunch when it
comes to a kid.”

“I see. This must be his first. Do
you have kids, Crash?”

“Got two of me own. Yeah. Think it’s
his first.”

Junior woke up and started crying.
Crash closed the front door, and Susanna walked briskly to the elevator, which
whisked them up to the twenty-first floor within seconds. Once inside, she
brought him right to the kitchen. He was fussing while she put him in the high
chair and fastened a bib around his neck. Quinn came in.

“What’s wrong? Is he hurt? Is he
sick?” His brow knitted.

She glanced at him, noticing the
concern in his eyes and smiling. “Nope. Just hungry.” She had to open cabinet
after cabinet and drawer after drawer to find a bowl and a spoon. “Don’t you
have a baby spoon for him?”

“I only have what his mother dropped
off. Here,” he reached into his back pocket and pulled out a wad of cash. He
peeled off five twenty-dollar bills and handed them to her. “Buy whatever you
need for him.”

She stuffed the money in her jeans
before mixing some formula into the cereal and beginning to feed him. “What did
you do before I got here?”

“My sister came.” Quinn plopped down
in a chair and observed.

“Sister?”

“Older. She’s raised three kids.” He
put his finger near Junior’s and watched the baby close his tiny digits around
Quinn’s large ones.

“You don’t have a clue what to do,
do you?” She stirred the formula and water.

He shook his head as Susanna spooned
another portion into Junior’s mouth.

“This is the first time I’ve met
him.”

She put the spoon down, and her jaw
fell open. “He’s your son, and you haven’t seen him for five months?”

“It’s not exactly like that.”

“Divorce lawyer already in the
picture?” She continued to feed the hungry baby, who eagerly opened his mouth
in anticipation of the food.

“Please. No questions.”

“Sorry. I forgot you’re a public
figure. Right. I get it. I grew up with that. All the ‘
be good, smile for the camera, behave, people are watching’
stuff.”

“You did?” He leaned back in his
chair.

“Have you heard of Coach Joe?” She
wiped Junior’s chin.

“Coach Joe…Kensington State
Kings…basketball coach?”

“My dad.”

“Wow! I had no idea.”

“Yeah. He’s…was…We lived in the
spotlight all the time. Local papers were always watching, National, too. I
hated it.”

“Was?”

“He died in a car accident…three
months ago. Just as we were getting going.” She paused, resting the spoon on
Junior’s’ bowl for a moment while her eyes watered. She pushed the heels of her
palms into her eyes and wiped away the tears.

“I’m so sorry. I didn’t know.” Quinn
put his hand on her shoulder.

“He’d retired and was driving me and
my stuff into the city. My first apartment…I was finally getting time with
him.” She continued to feed the baby.

“So you were in the car when the
accident happened?”

She nodded.

“Were you badly injured?”

“I’m here and in one piece.” She let
out a shuddering sigh and put down the utensil.

Junior looked up at her, his big
eyes searching her face while he swallowed a mouthful of cereal. Quinn squeezed
her hand. “I’m glad you’re okay.”

“Thanks.” A small smile raised the
corners of her mouth for a moment then disappeared. She flipped her long, dark
locks back over her shoulder and resumed feeding the infant.

“How much is this little guy going
to eat?” Quinn turned his attention to the child.

She shrugged. “We’ll find out.” He
ate all the cereal so Susanna opened a jar of baby peaches. She spooned some
into Junior’s mouth, and he gobbled it up. “Guess he’s going to be a good
eater. Probably grow big. After all, look at his father. What are you, six
two?”

“Yeah, but he doesn’t take after
me.”

“How can you be so sure?”

He shrugged then glanced at his
watch and rose from the chair. “I’m late. See you later.” Quinn grabbed his
briefcase and was gone before she had a chance to ask where he was going.
Nice man, lousy father. Too bad.

* * * *

The elevator came quickly for Quinn.
While he rode down, he thought about Susanna.
She’s gorgeous. Amazing gray eyes, they look right through me. Smart.
Already asking too many questions. Damn! She’s hot. Do I have to keep my hands
off her? Can I trust her?

Bobby was waiting when Quinn hit the
street. “Where to?”

“Café Limoges in the Park.”

“You got it.” He put the car in gear
and pulled away from the curb. “Meeting a new chick there?”

“Yes and no. I’m meeting Jaden
Benedict.”

“The author?”

“Yeah.” Quinn turned his gaze to the
flowers blooming in Central Park.

“She hot?”

“I want to option her new book, not
take her to bed, Bob,” Quinn laughed.

“But you’re taking her out, wining
and dining…sure she isn’t falling for you?”

“Come on, Bobby, this isn’t a movie.
It’s real life. I’m no Casanova. Just an actor looking for a breakout role.
This is the way business is done.”

“Be careful. Women are funny. And
with your Don Juan rep and your Joe Martin character and all…she could be
interested.”

“The Don Juan stuff is all fake
publicity. I’m not interested in her, outside of her book. Hell, I’ve got the
hottest babe in the city in my apartment. The nanny showed up today, and she’s
blazing.” An image of Susanna’s curves danced through his head.

“Isn’t that convenient?” Bobby
laughed. “With any luck she can take care of both you and Junior.”

“It’s not like that. She’s really
taking care of the kid. Better watch myself…if she leaves, I’ll be feeding and
diapering the little slugger myself.” He looked out the window at the trees
sporting light green, spring leaves as they drove down the park drive. Blossoms
on fruit trees were bursting with color, adding pink and white to the lovely
shades of the season.

“This is as close as I can get,”
Bobby said, pulling up to the curb about a block from the restaurant.

“Thanks, buddy.”

“Good luck. With both chicks,” he
snickered.

Quinn gave him a grin and got out of
the car. He put on sunglasses, hoping to shield his identity as well as his
eyes while he walked down the path. Café Limoges was one of his favorite
restaurants. He loved French food and, while he watched his diet very carefully
at home, he allowed himself to eat what he wanted when he was out.

The
maître d’
showed him to a booth. Jaden was already there, drinking.
He slid in opposite her.

“It’s about time, Quinn. I’d almost
given up.” She took a sip of her white wine.

“Sorry. Got detained by…well, it’s a
long story.”

“I have plenty of time,” she said,
whipping out a small notebook and pen. “Tell me all about it.”

He laughed. “I don’t think so,
Jaden. You know nothing about me is for publication. Even in a book. An actor
is entitled to some privacy.”

“I know, just teasing.” She tossed
her short brown hair and grinned at him.

“I’m never sure with you.” His brows
knitted. The waiter stopped by, and they placed their orders. Quinn ordered
eggs benedict, and Jaden ordered a salad.

“Tell me, are we friends,
colleagues, lovers…where do you see this going?”

Quinn sat back and stared at her.
Definitely not lovers. Can’t trust you, and
you can’t compare to Susanna.
“Tell me again about your new book.”

“
BLIND
LOVE
?” When he nodded, Jaden went into detail about her story of a man
temporarily blinded in the war, who falls for a blind girl. “They have a love
affair, but then a third man, who is also blind, comes along. The first man—the
perfect part for you—gets his sight back, and the blind girl rejects him in
favor of the other man who is permanently blind.”

The waiter delivered their food,
another glass of wine for Jaden, and a mimosa for Quinn.

“I love the story. Would you be
interested in an option?” He sipped his drink.

“Like what? Forty grand to hold the
story for you for a year?”

“Five years is about what I figured.
It’ll probably take me at least two years to get the go-ahead and a decent
script.”

“Five years for forty grand? Come
on, Quinn, you can do better than that.”

“Okay, so what do you want?”

“Seventy-five thousand for five
years.”

“Seventy-five! That’s pretty hefty.”
He finished his mimosa.

“Not for the star of the Joe Martin
series. Hey, I’m a lowly author with no money. The book is climbing. It might
be a blockbuster. Which is why I can’t sell it cheap. Know what I mean?”

He took a bite of his eggs. Silence
fell over the table as they ate
. If I
can’t sell it to a producer, I’m stuck for a bundle.

“Of course if we were dating…well,
how could I hold up my boyfriend for big bucks?”

A chill went up Quinn’s spine.
Your bony ass in my bed for a story? Don’t
think so.
“I prefer not to mix business with pleasure, Jaden. Hope you
understand.” Sweat broke out on his palms.
Easy,
don’t lose this deal.