NUDES: A Hollywood Romance (Exposed Book 1)

  "Welcome to Casa Lawson." Ben gestured to the giant metal and concrete monstrosity.

  While they walked up the strong steps, he told her about the architect that his ex-wife had hired to build it and how luxurious the house was, even though it wasn't really to his taste.

  He wasn't wrong. Walking into the foyer, it was even more apparent how decadent the home was, and how much money it all must have cost. But...it...was...ugly...as fuck.

  After a short tour around the main floor—kitchen, living room, dining room, each colder and darker than the last—Ben turned to her. "So, what do you think?"

  Aria didn't say anything for a second, considering whether to lie and rave about the house he was clearly proud of, or tell him how much she despised every single thing about it. "Um...well...I think I understand why we always stay at my place."

  Ben burst out laughing, a deep belly laugh that caused his head to tilt backward. "God, I love that you were honest. Truthfully, I hate this place. We spent so much time and money building it, but everything about it is Marion's taste, not mine."

  "Why didn't she keep the home then?"

  "She wanted to, but wouldn't be able to afford the taxes on it."

  Aria headed for the staircase. "Maybe the bedroom isn't so bad?"

  The bedroom was worse. So much fucking worse. Metal everywhere. It was so damn cold that her skin immediately broke out in tiny bumps.

  "Ben, I hate your house."

  He wrapped an arm across her shoulders. "Me, too. Want to head back to your place tonight instead?"

  She shuddered. "God, yes."

  Ben laughed and took her hand. "Let's go then. I'm officially calling my realtor in the morning and listing this place."

  "Ben, no. You can't sell your house just because I don't like it."

  "The hell I can't," he countered with a chuckle. "If my girlfriend hates it and I hate it, why on earth would I keep it?"

  Aria's heart thumped a little harder in her chest. "I like when you call me that."

  "Good. Get used to it, babe." He kissed her again as he wrapped his arms around her entire body, securing her against his chest. "I'm ready for this, Aria. I'm ready for a life of warmth and love. For the good and the bad. I'm ready to build a life around you, around us. I don't want anything else. I don't want anyone but you."

  "Ben..." Aria's head was swimming, fear gripping her because damn it if she didn't feel exactly the same way. "We haven’t known each other that long. This is crazy."

  "Why is it crazy? We film movies all the time about people who meet and fall for each other...soul mates. Why is it crazy just because it's real this time?"

  "I don't believe in soul mates, remember?" She hid her eyes from him, but the corners of her lips were tilted north.

  "Liar." He tipped her chin up and met her gaze. Warmth flickered in his eyes. "Maybe you didn't before, but you believe in it now. You believe in this."

  Her body trembled, and she swallowed hard, her chest rising and falling faster as he leaned toward her and placed his lips on hers. Circling his neck with her arms, she fell into his kiss. She fell into his promise, his security, his love.

  He might not have said he loved her with his words, but everything about the way he held her, gazed at her, kissed her...he loved her. It was overwhelming and wonderful and terrifying and all too much, but she needed more.

  She was beginning to come to terms with the fact that she was head-over-fucking-heels for Ben Lawson.

  And maybe, just maybe, she was starting to believe in soul mates.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Aria woke with a jolt, looking around her dark bedroom. As her senses slowly began to adjust, she looked for the source of whatever had disturbed her. Her cell phone vibrated against the surface of her nightstand, its screen casting a square light onto the ceiling above.

  Yawning, she grabbed for it, glancing over at the man in bed next to her, her heart filling with warmth at the sight of Ben's sleeping form. Yesterday had been a dream, as it always was between them. They’d spent their entire Saturday either in bed, on the beach, or in the shower. There was a delicious, dull ache between her legs from how many times they’d been together, but that did nothing to temper how much she still wanted him.

  Weekends with Ben were quickly becoming her favorite pastime.

  She ran a hand down his naked back as he slept sprawled on his stomach, his head turned in her direction. She leaned over and kissed his cheek and he stirred, but didn't wake. Long, dark lashes rested peacefully on his face—not a care in the world in his expression.

  Just pure happiness.

  Aria put a hand to her chest, feeling the thump behind her ribs. Sometimes she needed to remind herself that this was really happening—she was really falling in love with a wonderful man who she could trust and give her whole self to.

  It was new territory for her. She'd always been so guarded in relationships, but with Ben...she didn't feel the need to be.

  She felt safe.

  She felt loved.

  She was in love.

  Pulling away from her self-indulgent thoughts, Aria finally focused on her phone. Furrowing her brow, she realized she had dozens of missed texts, calls, and emails.

  "What the hell?" she whispered to herself, sitting up. She pulled the sheet with her, covering her naked body with the thin linen as she propped her elbows on her knees and scrolled through all her missed notifications.

  Aria, are you awake? WAKE UP NOW.

  Don't look at the news. We need to talk. 911.

  Is that you on E! News? Did you allow that?

  OMG, ARIA! WHAT THE HELL?

  What did you do?!?! This is career suicide!

  Her heart began to race, panic swarming her every cell as she quickly clicked out on a website link that Steele had sent her, the first text she'd received.

  A photo popped up. Then another. And another, and another, and Aria knew exactly what she was looking at.

  Herself.

  Nude.

  Aria could barely breathe, trembling as she searched social media and entertainment news sites from her phone. She prayed that it was an anomaly—only one site had them and no one else. This wasn't wide spread. She could fix this.

  The photos were everywhere.

  Every entertainment site was carrying the story, the photos. She was trending on social media, and everyone had an opinion to share. None of them kind.

  Her breasts, her body, her love life on full display for the world to see. It would have been bad enough if they'd just been images of her posing nude, but these were pornographic. These were her in her most intimate moments with a man she'd...

  Did he do this? Why? A sob stuck in her throat. She looked at the man still sleeping beside her, fear gripping her heart.

  This couldn't be happening.

  If Ben found out about these photos, he'd never forgive her. He'd never see her the same way again—how could he? She was disgusted with herself right now almost as much as all the trolling comments from people online calling her a slut and a whore.

  Articles were debating who was in the photos with her, but she knew. Crawling out of her bed as quietly as she could so as not to disturb Ben, she quickly got dressed and closed herself off in the bathroom, dialing her mother.

  "Mom?" Her voice shook, her eyes already welling with tears. "Mom, I'm so sorry. I didn't know...I didn't mean to..."

  She didn't even know what she was apologizing for, but embarrassment flooded her at the thought of her parents seeing those photographs. Her sisters, oh god. She'd always wanted to be a role model to her sisters—that was ruined now.

  "Don't be sorry, baby," Betty said over the line, her tone the exact calmness Aria needed right now. "Come to my house right away. I'm sending a car and security to get you here. They'll be there in ten minutes. We'll fix this, okay?"

  Panic clutched at her. "How? It's everywhere, Mom. I'm..."

  "Aria, have I ever failed you before? No. I'm your manager, y
es, but I'm your mom first. And I'm going to help you fix this, okay? Do you trust me?"

  "Of course I do."

  "Then trust that it'll be okay. And, baby girl?" Her mother paused for a moment, then sniffed. "I'm so sorry this is happening to you. I love you. Your daddy loves you. Nothing has changed. Understand? We love you no matter what."

  Aria burst into tears, her hand over her mouth to muffle the sounds. Relief flooded her at their unconditional support and love. "Thank you, Mom."

  "I'll see you soon, sweetheart." The line went silent.

  Aria looked at herself in the bathroom mirror and washed her face. The sun wasn't even up yet, so there was no way she was going to wake up Ben. She didn't want him knowing about any of this. For a minute, she considered dropping his phone in a glass of water.

  Running her hands through her hair, she groaned. There was no point. He'd find out from someone. At least she could hold it off as long as possible, and not be here to see the look of disgust and disappointment on his face when he did find out.

  Sneaking back into the bedroom, Aria turned off Ben's phone and replaced it on the nightstand. She quickly grabbed a small bag of clothes, changing into casual sweats and an oversized sweatshirt.

  Her phone lit up with a text from the driver her mother had sent. Tossing her wallet and phone into her bag, she slung it over her shoulder and headed for the front door. When she swung it open, there was a security guard standing there with a cup of coffee and a small bag that smelled like warm muffins.

  "Good morning, Miss Reynolds. I'm here to take you to your mother's house." He handed her the coffee. "She insisted I bring you breakfast."

  "Of course she did." Aria chuckled, enjoying the small reprieve of emotions. She locked her apartment door and then followed him down to the lobby of her building.

  "We're going out the back." He motioned for a back door she rarely took. "Too many reporters out front."

  "Seriously? They're already here?" Aria felt her stomach turning. "This is a disaster."

  "Duck your head and grab the back of my shirt. Don't stop moving until you're in the back seat. Got it?" he instructed her right before opening the back door. "There's bound to be a few back here, too."

  The moment he swung the door open, lights flashed in her face and questions were hurled at her. She clutched the guard's shirt—grateful for the advice, since she'd be blind otherwise—and in seconds, she was shoved into the back of a car. The entire thing lasted less than two seconds, and yet, it was the most stressful two seconds of her entire life.

  She'd dealt with the occasional paparazzi before, but never so many at once. There'd never been such an interest in her before, and she was both devastated and furious that nude photos were the thing that had pushed her into the spotlight.

  "Windows are tinted, ma'am," the driver told her after he’d climbed into the front seat, and passed the bag of muffins back to her. "So, you're safe."

  "Thank you." She leaned against the leather seat back and took a sip of the warm coffee and a bite of the muffin. The car was pushing through throngs of reporters slowly.

  Freaking insane.

  "I can't even believe this," she whispered to herself, watching reporters trying to film the car and stop her for a question. She couldn't hear them very well—mostly muffled thanks to the car's interior, but she caught the occasional word from reading lips and none of it was kind.

  They were ravenous, wanting to rip her apart for the sake of ratings and website clicks. Not a single empathetic face in front of her—they only wanted to feast on her remains to pad their bank accounts.

  Her career was over before it had even begun.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Ben stretched an arm out across the bed to pull Aria close to him. An insatiable need drove him when it came to her, and he was quite certain now that it would never be quenched. He needed her, wanted her, had to have her as often as he possibly could.

  Instead of finding her warm, slumbering body next to him, his hand fell against the cold sheets. Blinking his eyes open, he yawned and looked around the room.

  Sitting up, he realized he was alone. Strange.

  Ben turned and placed his feet on the floor, shivering slightly at the cool wood beneath his feet as he located his clothes. He tugged on a pair of pants, opting for no shirt yet, and headed out to the living room to find Aria.

  But a quick walk around the small apartment revealed she wasn't there.

  A scowl tugged at his brow, unease settling in his gut. Maybe she was on a breakfast run? Patting his pockets, he couldn't find his cell phone. The clock on the wall in her kitchen revealed it was almost noon.

  Crap. He hadn't meant to sleep in that late.

  Returning to the bedroom, he found his phone on her nightstand. His initial ease turned to full-blown frustration when he realized his phone was off. Did I forget to charge it overnight? He felt around the back of the nightstand for the phone charger plugged into the wall, but there was nothing there. Peering behind it, he saw the charger on the ground.

  Why would I pull it out of the wall? The answer was that he wouldn’t. Frustration slowly dissipated into fear, an unfamiliar feeling swarming his gut as he plugged his phone in and sat on the edge of the bed, waiting for it to turn back on.

  The screen lit up several excruciatingly long minutes later. “Finally,” he muttered, gritting his teeth. He noted a few missed calls and texts, but bypassed them when he saw none of them were from Aria. Instead, he dialed her number.

  The phone rang three times, then went to voicemail. "You've reached Aria Rose. Please leave a message after the—"

  Ben hung up before it clicked to voicemail. Opening his texts, he sent her a quick message asking where she was. He waited a minute to see if she read it, but the text wouldn't even confirm it had been delivered.

  Feeling more and more anxious, Ben began flipping through his other missed messages. He was a little surprised he had so many missed messages for a Sunday morning, but he and Aria had spent most of the day in bed yesterday ignoring the outside world, so it wasn’t too unusual.

  Until he realized why.

  Ben’s body went stiff, every muscle locking into place as he clutched the phone tighter in his hand. His other fist knotted in the bed sheet next time, nearly tearing the fabric in two. “WHAT THE FUCK?”

  Rage misted his vision red for several seconds before he could gather enough control to read through everything in front of him. This could not be happening.

  Nude photos of Aria had gone viral overnight.

  Not just nude, actually. These were candid shots of her having sex with...I’ll kill him! That fucking bastard! The internet was abuzz trying to figure out who the mystery man was, but Ben recognized the long, curly, black hair immediately. He'd worked with him for weeks.

  Russell.

  A fury stronger than he'd ever felt before slammed through Ben's body, and he jumped up from the bed, gathering the rest of his clothes and roughly pulling them on. He slammed the bedroom door into the wall with a loud bang as he stormed into the living room and grabbed his keys, heading for the front door.

  Aria had tried to convince him her relationship with Russell was in the past—hell, she even said he'd helped her. Ben had given her the benefit of the doubt, but he had never liked Russell. And now? He fucking hated him.

  The fact that that bastard could do this to Aria—let alone any woman—made Ben sick.

  Wait until I get my hands on him. Anger clouded Ben’s vision as he charged down the stairs and out the front door of Aria's apartment complex.

  "Is that Ben Lawson?" someone called out the moment he stepped onto the sidewalk. "Ben Lawson? Head of Shepherd Films?"

  Flashes started going off in his face, and Ben stepped back, shocked. What the hell?

  "MR. LAWSON, WHAT ARE YOU DOING COMING OUT OF ARIA ROSE'S HOME? ARE YOU SLEEPING WITH HER, TOO?"

  Fuck! Ben steeled himself and walked briskly the rest of the way to his car, dodging
the few photographers and paparazzi who seemed to have set up camp outside her building.

  “Just business,” he said loudly, hoping they’d buy it. Their expressions were dubious.

  Climbing into his car, he quickly sped off and away from the cameras, hoping he hadn’t made everything worse. Guilt swallowed him whole as he pointed his car toward the highway. He should have considered that photographers would be staking out her apartment now, but he'd been so livid, it hadn't even crossed his mind.

  Now he might have romantically linked her to the executive in charge of her movie, not to mention she was still publicly involved in that fake relationship with Travis. And now these photos with Russell.

  The fall out is going to be astronomical. Especially if they didn’t buy his business story and painted her as someone who sleeps her way into roles—which of course was the furthest thing from the truth. Aria had earned everything she had because of her talent and hard work.

  Ben cringed, feeling sick at the thought of what Aria must be experiencing right now. He needed to talk to her.

  Grabbing his phone, he dialed her again. Still no answer. This time, he stayed on the line until the voicemail clicked on. "Aria, I just heard the news. I am so, so sorry. Please call me. I can fix this. I'll freaking kill him! Call me, Aria."

  He hung up and quickly dialed Arthur next.

  "Bloody hell, Ben. We're in deep today," Arthur said the moment the line clicked through.

  "Tell me about it." Ben groaned. "I need Russell Rain's address. Now. Text it to me."

  "Why? Oh, wanker. He's the bloke in the photos with her?"

  "Just text me the address, Arthur. And talk to whoever you need to talk to about getting those photos off the internet. We'll pay any price."

  "On it, boss." The line disconnected, and a second later, a beeping sound told him Arthur had sent the address.

  Coordinating it into his car's GPS, Ben broke every speed limit on his way. It was no secret Russell had a sleazy side, but this was beyond anything Ben could have imagined. It doesn’t make any goddamn sense!