Campaign for Love (30 page)

 

 

When they finally came up for air and were hungry for real food, she
went into the freezer and got out the Thanksgiving leftovers she had
bundled up before they had headed to the Bahamas.

 

 

It was hard to believe a month had flown by since then, she mused as
she warmed them in the microwave, and said as much to Quentin when
he
came in a short time later to see if she needed any help.

 

 

"I know, it's hard to believe. So much has happened, all of it
great."
He gave her a warm kiss.

 

 

"So now, can I give you a hand in here?"

 

 

"No, just grab whatever you want out of the fridge for a drink, and
I'll join you in a moment."

 

 

After they ate, they switched on the television set so they wouldn't
miss any commercials. Then they played a cut-throat game of
Scrabble,
complete with some rather suggestive words that got them in the mood
all over again.

 

 

Quentin had one more surprise for Suzy after they finished making
love
on the living room carpet.

 

 

They headed into the shower, and then he started to get dressed to
head
back to his apartment just to make sure it was still there. But just
before Quentin went home, he took an envelope out of his pocket, and
handed to her with a smile.

 

 

"What's this?" she asked in surprise.

 

 

"Another little holiday treat."

 

 

In it were two tickets for the latest musical she had been dying to
see, for Friday night.

 

 

She kissed him warmly, and then he gently removed her arms from
around
his neck and said with a sigh, "I hate to leave, my darling, but I
need
clothes, and there are a few things I have to do at the apartment.
For
one thing, it doesn't pay to leave it empty too long, not around the
holidays, anyway, as you know. But I want you to know that this has
been a Christmas I'll never forget."

 

 

"I tried to make it one worth remembering. When I'm old and gray, if
anyone asks me about my best one, this will surely be the one I'll
recall."

 

 

"The bed will be lonely tonight. Think of me, and I'll see you in
the
morning."

 

 

With one last kiss, he reluctantly left.

 

 

She shut the door behind him with a sigh, wondering why she felt so
empty now that he had headed home.

 

 

 

CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR

 

 

After their magical holiday weekend, reality beckoned on Tuesday
morning. Both returned to work on Tuesday morning rested, refreshed,
and brimming over with new ideas for old clients. This was the day
Suzanna was to spend two hours at the Femme Fatale cosmetics company
studios to start on their spring sales campaign.

 

 

This time, instead of going on location, they were working at home.
Later, there would be outdoor shots in the parks and zoos and
indoors
in the various museums. Suzy would be part of it all, despite her
concern that they might want to go with another ordinary before and
after model. Apparently they had done some tests and focus groups,
and
her face had not only launched the sales of a thousand lipsticks, no
one else surveyed could imagine another Femme Fatale.

 

 

She ate lunch with Sharon in the cafeteria as usual. It was her
first
cafeteria appearance since the Christmas party. People who had only
nodded or said a polite 'hello' just a few weeks ago now called her
by
name, waved at her across the room, or stopped by her table to say,
"I
saw you on TV in the Femme Fatale commercial. You looked fabulous."

 

 

To her relief, the men, though they exchanged pleasantries, made no
attempt at further familiarity. They treated her like a
professional,
not a mannequin or sex object.

 

 

She was relieved, and thrilled with her new life. Thanks to Quentin
and
her own hard work, everything seemed possible. And just seemed to be
getting better and better.

 

 

The rest of the week passed uneventfully enough considering how busy
they were with their top clients, and now more companies hearing all
about the new wonder team at Elder and Rubin who had swept the top
commercial listings for the month with their Femme Fatale and Quik
Bix
campaigns.

 

 

Quentin no longer needed to surprise Suzy in her office. They had
their
private lives at night. Once in a while, though, he stopped in for a
'fix', which was what he called their stolen kisses.

 

 

One bit of news Quentin had for her was that when he had arrived
home
one night, there was an invitation from the Reeds, who were having a
New Year's Eve supper party at their estate in Tuxedo, New York.
Although addressed to Quentin, the invitation specifically included
Suzanna.

 

 

Since all traces of snow were gone and Suzanna thought it would be
fun
to go, Quentin decided to rent a car and drive up. Black tie was
specified.

 

 

Quentin was the type of man for whom evening clothes were made, and
Suzy looked forward to them both dressing up.

 

 

They headed out to dinner after work on Friday night, then went to
the
musical he had so thoughtfully found tickets for. She thought it was
every bit as good as she had heard, and thanked Quentin warmly in
the
back of the taxi on the way back to apartment.

 

 

Once there, they indulged in a few heated caresses, and then she
finished packing her bag with everything she'd need for the party
the
following night, plus another change of clothes. Then they called a
cab
and went to Quentin's apartment.

 

 

They had decided it would be easier to drive to Tuxedo from
Quentin's
than from Suzy's since he lived right by the George Washington
Bridge,
and he wanted to host for the New Year's weekend, since she had had
him
over for Christmas.

 

 

This would be the first time they dressed together for a party. It
was
a little bit like the informal intimacy of being married, involving
as
it did some little elbowing to get a peek in the mirror for shaving
or
makeup. They loved it.

 

 

Quentin was strikingly handsome in traditional black with a white
pintuck shirt. Looking at him made Suzy's heart stand still.

 

 

Suzanna wore her gold lame, not new, but exquisite. Quentin had
never
seen it on her before, and was enchanted. He called her his 'golden
girl' all evening.

 

 

They made a spectacular couple. Her gold charm bracelet was her only
piece of jewellery and she knew it would be a real conversation
piece
that would help break the ice at the party.

 

 

The Cyrus Reed estate was on the side of a mountain, across Route 17
and almost opposite the old Tuxedo railroad station. There was a
high
privacy fence around it with a uniformed security guard at the gate.

 

 

Quentin stopped to be identified, and showed their invitation. The
house itself was huge and of whitewashed brick. A butler answered
the
door and took Suzanna's wrap and Quentin's coat.

 

 

He announced them in the doorway which led to a small ballroom where
dancing to a three-piece combo was in progress.

 

 

Martha and Cyrus Reed came forward to greet them and introduce them
around the room to those not dancing. All heads turned toward them
to
look and question. The faces, in addition to being exceptionally
striking, were also vaguely familiar to everyone.

 

 

Gradually, people started to recollect where they had seen these
now-familiar faces before, and gathered around to express their
admiration of the commercials. Cyrus and Martha explained that these
were also the two talented people responsible for their latest sales
campaign.

 

 

Then Suzy showed her bracelet to the Reeds, who were extravagant in
their praise.

 

 

Martha Reed expressed a desire to have copies of the Imperial Food
charms, and asked if Suzanna or Quentin would mind.

 

 

They were both flattered.

 

 

"I don't mind at all," Quentin said with a smile, before telling
them
where he had had them custom-made.

 

 

Now that the ice was broken, Suzy and Quentin became part of the
friendly gathering. Martha Reed told Suzy she had tried all her
recipes, with excellent results. They showed Suzanna and Quentin to
the
bar, then left to greet more guests.

 

 

The bartender fixed them a drink apiece, and they picked up some
food
from the lavish buffet, and sat for a while watching the dancers.

 

 

The food served consisted of delicacies like lobster thermidor,
salmon
in aspic with truffles, Japanese snow crab, jumbo shrimp and prime
rib.
They had helped themselves to a bit of each, and were impressed with
all they ate.

 

 

When they had finished eating, they joined the throng on the dance
floor. Suzy was comfortable in Quentin's arms, and they were
well-matched. He was, like Suzy, a good natural dancer. They saw
quite
a few people they knew since many of the guests were also in
advertising, although with other agencies.

 

 

By the time the eleven o'clock dessert buffet was served, they had
met
everyone there. It was a congenial gathering with none of the
cattiness
she had come to fear. The dessert table was laden with various
cakes,
an assortment of ice creams and sauces, chocolate mousse and
crème brulee. She had to try to restrain herself and not eat
her
dessert too romantically with Quentin, who had a dab of mousse at
the
corner of his handsome mouth which she would have loved to have
licked
away.

 

 

When everyone had finished with brandy or liqueur, they went back to
the dance floor. Quentin and Suzy danced the night away, hardly
noticing the time as their bodies met, melded, merged, a tantalizing
taste of what was to come once they were finally alone together. She
had never been so happy, and hoped he felt the same.

 

 

Near midnight, noisemakers of all kinds handed out. At five minutes
before twelve, the host turned on the large TV set to the throngs in
Times Square.

 

 

The whole convivial group joined in the countdown as the giant
golden
ball descended.

 

 

On the stroke of midnight, Quentin took Suzanna in his arms to give
her
his first kiss of their first New Year's Eve together.

 

 

"I love you, my golden girl," he whispered in her ear.

 

 

"I love you too, darling," she whispered back, stroking his cheek.
"I'm
so glad we came. Thank you."

 

 

"So am I. I know all these people can see that we belong together."

 

 

After that, pandemonium broke loose. There was lots of kissing,
hand-shaking, back-slapping and horn-blowing. There was a
magnificent
grand piano in the room, and Suzy wasn't standing far from it.

 

 

She turned to Quentin and said, "The three piece trio seems to be a
bit
remiss. Do you think I should play Auld Lang Syne?"

 

 

Quentin beamed and nodded. "I think they'd love it. Go ahead."

 

 

Suzanna sat down, and after a four-bar intro that caught everyone's
attention, she and Quentin started to sing. In seconds they were
joined
by the whole party, including the three musicians, who had been on a
mis-timed supper break.

 

 

Then the band started up again, and began to play the slow,
nostalgic
golden oldies--the kind for lovers only.

 

 

Suzy saw Martha and Cyrus Reed watching them indulgently from the
sidelines. Their kindly smiles led her to believe that they now knew
there was more that a business arrangement between the advertising
executive and his assistant, but were pleased for the and not at all
scandalized.

 

 

She mentioned it to Quentin, and he nodded. "I don't care who knows
now. You've more than paid your dues, with all your hard work. We
both
know I had nothing to do with Candy choosing you as her Femme
Fatale,
and your Imperial Foods success was the product of years of your
fabulous cooking, darling. Nothing at all to do with me, or even
Elder
and Rubin."

 

 

"Thank you, darling, but I think you're underestimating how much you
did contribute to my success. Your support, especially when Brad was
stealing my ideas, meant the difference between soaring like an
eagle,
or getting fired and scurrying away with my tail between my legs,
and
we both know it."

 

 

"You, scurry? Never."

 

 

"Except to get into bed with you," she said with a sultry purr.

 

 

He grinned. "Indeed. You are a most frisky little kitten then, my
love."

 

 

"But seriously, thank you. And Happy New Year. With us toasting to
an
even better one than last year, if such a thing is possible."

 

 

"Amen to that, my gorgeous pet." He stooped and kissed her, amid the
indulgent smiles of all who had been admiring the young couple.

 

 

It was almost one when the party started to break up.

 

 

Since Quentin and Suzanna had a fairly long drive ahead of them,
they
were among the first to take their departure. They said goodbye, and
as
they stopped to say goodnight and thank you to the Reeds, Suzy was
surprised and delighted to be given a motherly embrace and a kiss on
the cheek by Martha Reed. She was even more surprised to receive a
bear
hug and kiss from Cyrus.