A Night of Desire

When Seth Quinn returned after throwing out the trash and washing his hands, he found her lying quietly on the bed. At first, he thought she was just pretending to be asleep, but as he got closer and heard her even breathing, he realized she was well and truly out.

Seth Quinn chuckled, then lay back down beside her. He wrapped an arm around her and closed his eyes.

...

The next time Clara Grant woke, it was to the sound of her phone ringing. She rolled over, discovering the space beside her was empty. Seth Quinn was gone, and her phone was buzzing incessantly on the nightstand.

Clara Grant sat up and reached for the phone. Seeing the caller ID said "Director Keane," she quickly answered. "Director Keane."

Liam Keane’s voice was warm, tinged with a slight apology. "Clara, I hope I’m not disturbing you."

Clara Grant replied quickly, "Not at all, Director Keane. What can I do for you?"

"Well, I tried calling President Quinn, but he didn’t pick up, so I figured I’d try you. I was just calling to ask how he’s doing."

A couple of days ago, he had visited Seth Quinn in the hospital and saw that he was in good spirits. He also heard from the doctor that Seth could be discharged in a day or two. Worried about the filming schedule, he decided to call President Quinn and ask when they might be able to resume.

The reason he had to ask President Quinn was that resuming filming depended on Clara Grant returning to the set. And Clara’s ability to return depended on President Quinn making a full recovery.

But President Quinn didn’t answer his call just now, so he dialed Clara Grant instead. Since the two of them were together, finding Clara was as good as finding President Quinn.

"Oh, he’s almost fully recovered. He’s already been discharged and is back home."

"Is that right? That’s great, that’s great. I was just calling to discuss with President Quinn when we might be able to resume filming."

"Are all the issues resolved, then? Can we start filming again? Have you found a replacement for Sandra’s role?" Clara Grant asked. Since Sandra had been arrested before her character’s scenes were complete, they would certainly need to find a new actress to finish them.

"I’ve already found one. All the other actors are ready to go; we’re just waiting on you," Liam Keane replied. Aegis had plenty of artists on its roster, so finding a replacement hadn’t been difficult.

Clara Grant understood. Director Keane was just trying to find Seth Quinn to confirm her availability. Without a second thought, she replied, "If everything’s ready to go, then of course I have no problem. Just tell me when."

Liam Keane spoke up. "The sooner, the better, of course. If you’re available, I’d like to resume with your unfinished scene tomorrow afternoon."

"No problem. I’ll be back on set tomorrow morning," Clara Grant agreed without hesitation.

Liam Keane sounded a little hesitant, though. "Shouldn’t you ask for President Quinn’s opinion?"

"No need. He’s recovered very well. Besides, he would absolutely never object to starting filming again sooner." ’Of course he wouldn’t object,’ she thought. ’Every day of delay is just more money down the drain. He’s the boss—it’s *his* money being burned. He’d never say no.’

"Alright then," Liam Keane said, relieved by her certainty. He chuckled, "I won’t keep you any longer. Please give my best to President Quinn, and I’ll see you tomorrow."

"Okay, see you tomorrow," Clara Grant laughed.

Just as the words left her mouth, before she could hang up, the bedroom door was pushed open gently. Seth Quinn tiptoed in. He had assumed she was still asleep, but when he looked up and saw her on the phone, he froze for a second before closing the door and walking farther into the room.

Clara Grant hung up and checked the time. It was a little after one in the afternoon. She had managed to sleep the entire morning away.

She put down her phone and was just about to speak when Seth Quinn sat down on the edge of the bed. He reached out, tucked a stray strand of her long hair behind her ear, and asked, "Who were you on the phone with?"

"That was Director Keane. He tried calling you, but you didn’t pick up, so he called me. He said he wants to resume filming for *A Lifetime of Splendor* tomorrow and wanted to get your opinion."

"Tomorrow? Absolutely not. I don’t agree!" To her surprise, Seth Quinn flatly rejected the idea.