Red Carpet Romance Read online

  “You’ve got some nerve. Assuming because you’re, you’re famous…”

  “It has nothing to do with that. You like me. The real me.”

  “Yeah?”

  He stopped pushing the stroller. “Yeah. And I like you, too.”

  “Arrogant. Over confident. Full of yourself. In love with yourself,” she muttered under her breath.

  “What?” he asked.

  “Nothing.” She kept walking, training her eyes straight ahead. When they reached the condo, Junior was napping. Susanna tried to change him and put him to bed without waking him. He did open his eyes once or twice but fell right back to sleep. She tiptoed down the stairs to the first floor and joined Quinn in the living room.

  “I hope you like Mexican food,” he said, putting down his phone.

  “Why?”

  “I ordered some enchiladas and tacos from Casa Mexico. They have great food.”

  “I love Mexican food.” She placed her hand on her stomach, which rumbled at the thought.

  “Good. We’re very gastronomically compatible. Now come here.” He motioned to her.

  She shook her head.

  “I said come here.” His mock look of anger, along with a smirk, made her giddy. She shook her head again, but a smile played at her lips.

  “You’re going to make me come over there, aren’t you? Playing hard to get?” He began to advance. She backed up, bumping into the back of the sofa. Quinn gracefully leapt over the couch, cutting off her escape.

  “What do you want?” She stuck out her chin, trembling in anticipation.

  “You,” he said, folding her into his arms and placing his lips over hers.

  He took his time, exploring and tasting her. Like bands of steel, his arms tightened around her, pinning her against him. Her fingers curled over his muscular shoulders, thrilling to the feel of him. Her breasts crushed against his hard chest as he deepened the kiss. She breathed in his alluring, masculine scent mixed with a hint of aftershave. Her bosom rose and fell rapidly as desire flickered inside her. More.

  He lowered his hands, sliding them down her back, down, down below her hips. He pulled her closer until she could feel him growing harder. Her body softened, molding to his, while a small moan escaped her throat. He moved his mouth to her neck. Listening to his ragged breathing while his lips tantalized her ignited budding desire into white-hot flames. Touch me, take me. Right here. Right now. The voice in her head screamed for him until it was interrupted by the buzzer.

  He pulled back from her suddenly. “Shit!”

  She looked at him with a question in her eyes.

  “Food’s here. Dammit.” He shook his head as he slipped his wallet out of his back pocket. Glancing down at the front of his pants, he groaned. “Crap. Here. Give him a good tip.”

  He handed his billfold to her and went to push the button, admitting the deliveryman. Susanna’s gaze moved down his form, noticing his obvious erection. She stifled a giggle as she combed her hair with her fingers, running her tongue over her bruised lips, and went to answer the door. When she took the food, she heard the rattle of plates coming from the kitchen. They set up on the small dining room table, as it wasn’t warm enough to eat out on the terrace.

  Quinn unpacked the bag, telling her about each item as he revealed it. “Guacamole. Salsa. Chips. Cheese Enchiladas. Beef soft tacos. Beer.”

  “A feast!” Her stomach rumbled.

  “Interrupting one feast for another…” he mumbled, his face still cloudy.

  “No salad?”

  “I’m sick of salad. Goddamn salad. I need real food.”

  “So you’ll be stoked for those strenuous interviews?” She covered her smirk with her hand.

  “Go ahead, laugh. You eat real food. You don’t know what it’s like. I have another Joe Martin coming up. I can’t gain weight.”

  She patted his arm. “You’re right. I’m sorry. Not very sympathetic.”

  “No, you’re not.” He shoveled a chip loaded with guacamole into his mouth and closed his eyes, sounds of satisfaction vibrating in his throat.

  “If it’s that good, I’ve got to try it.” She loaded up a chip.

  “Tell me what happened to you. Why is Coach Joe’s daughter working as a nanny?” He put an enchilada on his plate.

  “Where to begin? Dad had retired. He was driving me into the city, to my new apartment. I’d found a place, a share with two women, near the Empire Art Museum. That’s where my new job was. Assistant curator in their Impressionist painting section.”

  “Art museum, huh? Interesting.”

  “Yeah. My training is in art, mostly art history with a little fine art thrown in.”

  “So what are you doing here? Not that I don’t love having you here, but…it doesn’t make sense.”

  “After I got my Master’s, I spent a few years at home, taking care of my mom because Dad sure as hell couldn’t do it. He was working all the time. Or traveling, scouting new players, away games. You can guess the drill.”

  “You didn’t work at all?” He took a sip of his beer.

  “Don’t think taking care of my mom wasn’t a full time job. It was. She deserved my help. She was a great mom…and a dad, too, most of the time, since he wasn’t around much. I spent my spare time drawing.”

  “So what happened?” He loaded two tacos on his plate and offered one to her.

  “On the highway to New York, a drunk driver went out of control, jumped the median, and plowed into us. Dad was killed, and I was in the hospital for three weeks.” She sighed before picking up her beverage.

  “Wow. I’m sorry,” he said, shaking his head.

  “The timing couldn’t have been worse. Now that Dad had retired, we were going to spend time together. We’d planned a trip…vacation…for all of us. But we were too late.” Her eyes watered.

  He reached out, squeezed her forearm, and planted a kiss on her hair. “Now you’re left penniless? How could a man like that not have money?”

  “Oh he had money. But until the will is probated, I can’t touch it.”

  “What about life insurance?”

  “Dad left coaching. Life insurance stopped the day he left. He hadn’t gotten around to getting any. He was busy, trying to figure out what to do with his life.”

  “And your job? Did that go up in smoke?”

  “Hell, they didn’t hear from me for three weeks. So they gave the job to the number two choice. Can’t blame them.” A soft, shuddering sighed escaped her throat.

  Quinn stared at her while he chewed his food. “Pretty lousy.”

  “I’ll survive.” She cast her gaze down at her plate and put down her fork to hide the slight tremble of her hand. Her appetite seemed to flee.

  “I’m glad you came to work here.” He ran his finger down her cheek.

  She looked up at his soft touch and managed a weak smile. “Me, too.” They finished the rest of the meal in silence. Susanna cleared the food away while Quinn went to the sink to wash the dishes.

  “Thank you. That was great.” She picked up a dishcloth to dry. “What’s the schedule?”

  “Tomorrow night is the premiere and the party. Sunday, I have an interview with Entertainment News. Monday afternoon, I’m taping a Meade Rivers show plus another interview, this time with the Who’s News columnist…”

  “Allie Peterson?”

  “Yep.”

  “I hear she’s hot.”

  “Wouldn’t know. It’s business. Monday afternoon another taping, this time with Wyman Joseph for his show. Then on Tuesday, relax at the beach in the morning and leave on the four o’clock plane.”

  “And you remember all that? Without a notebook or phone or anything?”

  “Hell, yeah. My agent has a PR person. She gets all this done and sends me an itinerary.”

  “I’m impressed you’ve memorized it. All you have to do is sit back and talk?”

  “I have to be there on time,” he said, rinsing a dish before handing it to her. “And
sound intelligent.”

  “Not bad. Sounds like fun.”

  “It isn’t. People try to trip you up all the time. Especially the media. The talk shows are a little better, at least the ones run by comedians. Real interviewers, like Peterson, want some gossip—something juicy—and push you, try to trap you into revealing something they think all the world wants to know…and you don’t want to tell.”

  “That’s tough.”

  “It’s their business, to sell papers.”

  “You have to be careful not to get caught, right?”

  He nodded. “Never go to an interview drunk.”

  She snorted. “Did you learn the hard way?”

  He chuckled. “Chaz and I went on an interview together, both drunk. It got pretty raunchy. I think they had to bleep more than they ran.”

  Susanna laughed as she put the last dish away.

  “Come on, let’s kill these beers.” He flipped the top off the last bottle and handed it to her. Quinn stretched out on the couch, propping his feet up on the coffee table. Tucking her toes underneath her, Susanna plopped down next to him.

  “I’m taking Jaden Benedict to the premiere tomorrow night.” He lifted the beer to his lips.

  She lifted her eyebrows. “Is she your girlfriend?”

  “I don’t have a girlfriend. Jaden would like to change that…and cast herself in the role.”

  “So you’re squiring her, hoping she’ll be satisfied by that and sell you the rights?”

  “Something like that.” He crossed his ankles.

  “Do you think that’s gonna fly? Won’t she see through you?”

  “I don’t dislike her. She’s just not my type.” He shrugged.

  “Oh? What is your type?” She lifted her eyebrows.

  He shifted to his side to make eye contact with her. “You.”

  Heat rushed to her cheeks. “Oh?”

  “Yeah.” He moved closer to her on the sofa.

  “Is that a line? If it is, it’s not working.” She inched farther away.

  “It’s not a line. I’d say we were smokin’, more like it.”

  “You mean that kiss?” She continued to move away.

  “Honey, that was more than a kiss.”

  “Was it? Famous movie star like you. Probably kiss women like that all the time.”

  He grabbed her elbow and yanked her to him, holding her against his chest. “I haven’t kissed anyone like that in a long time. I’m not a man-whore just because I’m an actor.” Then his lips descended to take hers.

  Heat between them momentarily melted her resistance until rational thoughts recaptured her brain. He’s got a kid. Probably married. Stop before you get hurt. With her last shred of dignity, Susanna slowly eased away from Quinn.

  “I…I…I think it’s time for bed,” she stumbled, hoping the fire inside her would die down.

  “My thoughts exactly.” A gleam of sexual desire shone in his eyes. His gaze dropped to her chest before returning to her mouth.

  “I meant me. Alone. Time to sleep.” She glanced at her watch. “Ten thirty already and Junior will be up before six.” She pushed to her feet, combing her shoulder-length hair with her fingers.

  Quinn remained seated. “Anything I can do to change your mind?” He raised his eyebrows.

  She shook her head.

  “That’s what I was afraid of.”

  “Goodnight,” she said, turning toward the stairs. “Oh, thanks for the great dinner.”

  “You’re welcome. Thanks for the great kiss.” She watched him rise and stroll to the terrace door before she got to the second floor and out of view. After slipping soundlessly into bed, Susanna lay awake for a bit. He’s so sexy. That hair. Those eyes. That body. Such a good kisser. Still, too many unanswered questions. Who is he? Don’t know how much longer I can hold out. When he starts a fire…I get swept away.

  Chapter Five

  Like clockwork, Junior was up by five forty-five. His early cry woke Susanna. She got him changed, threw on her seersucker robe, and padded down the stairs, holding the baby close.

  She almost dropped her teeth to find Quinn wearing nothing but a pair of jeans, sitting at the kitchen counter sipping coffee. “A bit early for you, isn’t it?”

  “Told you I get up early to be on the set. Hard habit to break. Besides, I got a text. Woke me up at five, dammit.”

  “A text?”

  “Jaden Benedict. Stomach virus. She can’t come to the premiere tonight.”

  “What a shame.” Susanna tried to hide her smile as she placed Junior in his highchair and mixed a bottle of formula.

  “I guess that means you’re standing in.” He sat back, grinning at her.

  “What?” She whirled around to look at him.

  A lazy smile made its way across his lips. “You heard me. I need you to go in her place.”

  “Why? She took a box of cereal down from the cabinet.

  “Because I don’t attend premieres stag. Bad for my image.”

  “What image? As a playboy or an actor?” She mixed the cereal with formula and put a bib on Junior.

  “I’m not a playboy. I prefer to look like a guy who can get chicks. Women. Beautiful women. Even if it’s not true. You know. Doesn’t mean I’m sleeping with them…”

  “Think you’ll look like a loser if you don’t have a woman on your arm?” Her gaze rested on his bare chest. Her fingers twitched at the thought of touching his skin. The baby gurgled at Quinn, who put his finger within the tyke’s reach. “Are you really that shallow? I didn’t think so.”

  “Hey if it was any other event, I wouldn’t care. This is all about image. Very important in Hollywood.”

  “Who’ll look after Junior?”

  “Damn! Forgot about that. My producer. I’ll call Josh. He’ll get a babysitter.”

  “And I don’t have any formal clothes.”

  “Aha! Right. Hmm. Let me think.” He stood up from his chair and began to pace. He snapped his fingers. “Penny! Chaz’s sister-in-law.”

  “Who?”

  “Penny…she’s a…a fashionista, I think is the term. She used to live out here and knows the best stores on Rodeo Drive. We won’t waste time. I’ll call Chaz and get her number.”

  Susanna sat quietly, feeding Junior and talking in a low voice to the baby while Quinn heated up his phone with call after call. She heard bits of his conversations, the funniest being when he was trying to get her a dress. He had to describe Susanna’s body.

  “Her breasts are…well…sort of.”

  She peeked out to spy him holding a cupped hand in front of his chest. Unsuccessful at stifling giggles, she clamped her hand over her mouth.

  “I can hear you in there…laughing,” he called out.

  “Do you want my dress size?” She asked.

  “Might make this easier.”

  She left the baby gumming his strained fruit to mouth “size eight” to Quinn in the living room. When he finished, he returned to the kitchen.

  “She said we should be able to find the right dress in your size at La Maria, Jean Louis Designs, or Rossini Boulevard on Rodeo Drive.” With a look of satisfaction on his face, the actor rested his foot on a chair seat and pointed one finger at the sky. “Dress shopping at noon. Babysitter arrives at five.” He added another finger, one for each point he made. “Limo at five thirty. Red carpet at six thirty. Brief interview. Movie at seven. Tons of cringing when I see myself up there. After party at nine thirty. Home by midnight.”

  “You did all that just now?”

  He nodded. “I had help. Josh, Penny, Fran…they all have contacts here.”

  “Guess I’m going to the premiere. But what about being seen in public with you? Holding hands and all?” She put down the baby’s spoon.

  “This is a date. Formal date. Holding hands is okay. Being seen on the street wheeling a baby and holding hands is not.”

  “Guess you’ve got your reasons.” She added more fruit to Junior’s cereal.

 
“Trust me.”

  Why am I finding that so hard? “I’m taking Jaden’s place?”

  “You’re going because I want you to be my date. She asked me…caught me off guard. I didn’t have a good excuse.”

  Susanna stopped, holding the utensil in midair. He wants to take me, wants to date me?

  “Isn’t that okay?” For the first time, a frown of worry creased his handsome brow.

  “It’s more than okay,” she smiled at him. “You’re not married, are you?”

  He burst out laughing. “No. Why are you asking?”

  “You’ve got a child, his mother is coming, and you’re not dating anyone that I can see.”

  “I’m single. Believe me.”

  “If I find out differently, you’re dead meat.” She shot him a warning look.

  He chuckled. “That I believe.”

  Susanna cleaned up Junior and put him in the stroller. “Maybe we’d better go out for a walk without you. You never know who’s going to pull up with a camera.”

  “You’re right. Sorry.” He washed out Junior’s bowl before returning to the living room.

  “All part of the job, isn’t it?”

  “Yep, unfortunately.” He plopped down on the sofa and turned on the forty-eight inch, flat screen television. “Don’t get into any trouble.”

  “What trouble could we get into?” She shrugged.

  Quinn turned to face her. “A woman who looks like you, with a mouth like yours…you could get into lots of trouble.” A lopsided grin claimed his lips.

  She made a noise and a dismissive motion, before opening the front door. The air was comfortably cool as she walked along. Junior cast his gaze across the wide sky and then at Susanna. She chatted with him, and he gurgled back at her. After an hour, the baby was fast asleep, so she headed back to Quinn’s place. Heading home. Home? No. It’s Quinn’s place.

  The beautiful apartment was spacious and welcoming. She liked the sea air and cool, ceramic tile floors. Everything about the apartment pleased her. Of course adding the tall, handsome, sexy man in with the fine furnishings didn’t hurt one bit. And what would I do if he were single…unattached. What do I do then? What if he wanted me, and Junior too? What would the baby’s mother say?

  But she had no answers to her own questions. The thought of a battle with the infant’s mother sent a shiver of fear up her spine. He’s trouble. Stay away from him. Yeah, right, while living in the same house.