NUDES: A Hollywood Romance (Exposed Book 1)

  One-by-one, every single person from the Scarlet's Letters cast walked into the frame. Everyone except her because she had no idea what on earth was going on.

  Each person wore only skin-colored underwear, or pasties, and a painted "A" on their chests, a sign by their side. A montage began to play, each person individually holding up different signs to the camera.

  "No one will love you until you lose weight."

  "Get a real job—passion doesn't pay the bills."

  "You'll never be more than an ex-con."

  "His life was worth more than mine."

  "If you didn't want it, you shouldn't have dressed like a whore."

  "Show me how badly you really want this part. On your knees."

  Everyone who held their signs looked deeply emotional, and just from watching it, Aria felt the realness of their pain. She felt the vulnerability these people so bravely displayed to shine a light for others, to lead the way for aching hearts and forgotten souls. These were real…words that had actually been spoken to every person on that screen.

  Her heart shattered for them, and at the same time, for herself. A cathartic release of everything people had called her over the last few months swelling inside her.

  Travis returned on the screen next, and he held up his sign.

  "Faggot."

  One word. So simple. So full of meaning.

  Aria burst into tears and threw her arms around Travis's neck, hugging him tightly. He was crying as well, but smiling proudly, his gaze still on the screen.

  The audience murmured, and gentle sobbing could be heard among the crowd.

  She couldn't even begin to put words to the amount of pride she was feeling for her friend right now. He'd just come out to the entire world in one of the bravest ways possible, and she could only imagine how much this moment meant to him.

  As the music reached a crescendo, the cast returned in the frame together again and lifted their signs in front of them at the same time. A website and non-profit organization was written across each sign that said it was collaborating with Shepherd Films to promote human rights, treating everyone with respect and dignity, and ending shaming in Hollywood.

  Aria couldn't believe it. Did Ben put this together?

  She got her answer seconds later when Ben joined the cast. Completely naked except for skin-toned underwear, he stepped onto the screen with a sign that read "we can do better." Then he gave a ten-second summary of the organization and how viewers could help and donate.

  It was a line from her article, and she knew then and there that she'd inspired this. He'd done this for her, or because of her. Either way, this was the Ben she knew.

  This was the Ben she'd fallen in love with.

  She just wasn't sure how to reconcile this wonderful man with the man who'd sold her photos to the tabloids for ticket sales.

  Tears streamed down her face as Travis whispered to her, explaining how it had all come about and that Ben was the one behind it. The video would play at the end of every showing of the movie across the country, as well as a regular commercial on television for the next few months to aid the non-profit and its cause, all thanks to him.

  She glanced back to look at Ben, not even bothering to wipe the tears from her cheeks. He stared at her, unmoving, his eyes dark and tumultuous. They stayed like that for a moment, just staring at each other—communicating everything and nothing in a gaze.

  Finally, she mouthed, thank you.

  Ben gave her a small nod, but nothing more. He didn't seem to want the praise, and he didn't seem to be using this as some tool to win her back. He just seemed proud, as he should be.

  As she was for him, for herself, for Travis.

  It was truly a big night for all of them, and she was only just now realizing all that really meant.

  Everyone in the theatre began clapping as the screen finally went black and the lights turned on. Before she knew it, people were getting to their feet. The room roared with applause—a standing ovation not just for the clip at the end, but for the entire movie. For what all of it combined had stirred inside each and every person in that audience.

  Aria felt it in the air and on the smiles on all the faces around her. This is surreal.

  And it's just the beginning.

  Chapter Thirty

  Aria entered the hotel ballroom after changing upstairs in her suite. She had loved her gown, but she couldn't dance in it. She'd opted for a shorter cocktail dress for the after party that was the same color, but had a skirt that swirled around her thighs as she moved.

  "Aria!" Travis ran up to her and gave her a hug. "I just saw that the L.A. Times is already rating it one of their favorite movies of the year!"

  "Wow!" The screening had only just ended an hour ago, so word was traveling fast. Aria was absolutely thrilled, not only because she'd truly felt like Scarlet's Letters was some of her best work, but because the movie was inspiring and she wanted everyone to see it. "This is going to be huge."

  "I told you." Travis wrapped an arm around her waist and led her further into the party. "This is just the beginning."

  She smiled at her best friend and laid her head against his shoulder. "I'm so glad I got to do this with you."

  "Me, too, girl." He kissed her cheek. "But you know what this means, right?"

  "What?"

  Travis squeezed her to his side and made a super serious face. "We've got to break up."

  "No!" Aria mocked, pretending to be shocked. "Travis Peters, do not tell me you're going to break my heart when I'm head-over-heels in love with you!"

  He put a hand to his chest. "I know. I'm such a lady-killer. It pains me to say this, but we'll always have Paris."

  Aria laughed. "We've never been to Paris!"

  "Oh. Right. Then, we've got nothing, and you're just going to have to find some way to get over me." Travis grabbed her face and kissed her right on the lips. "Goodbye, darlin'," he said in a funny, old-Hollywood voice straight out of black-and-white movies. "Wish me luck out there."

  "I'll never forget you, lover." She used her best Elizabeth Taylor impression. "Never!"

  They both dissolved into giggles, hugging each other tightly.

  "Seriously, Aria. I can't thank you enough," Travis whispered in her ear.

  "You don't need to," she whispered back, and she completely meant it. They'd find a way to come clean to the press about their fake relationship, and she had no doubt it would all be fine. And if it wasn't? Well, she still didn't regret helping one of her best friends. "Love you."

  Travis kissed her cheek. "Love you, and as much as I'd love to spend the whole party shaking it with you, there is a hottie in the corner who's been giving me 'the eye' all night."

  Aria followed his gaze to another actor raising a glass of champagne in their direction. "Oh, he's cute. Go!"

  "I'll talk to you tomorrow?"

  "You'd better." She laughed as she watched him walking nonchalantly to his admirer, knowing he was actually probably nervous as hell.

  "If your dance card is empty..." A voice behind Aria caused her to spin around, finding Ben standing there in his tux, offering her his hand. "I'd love this dance."

  The corners of her lips twitched into a smile. She slid her hand in his, no longer trying to ignore the spark of electricity that happened every time they touched. Her other hand rested against his chest as he wrapped an arm around her and pulled her to him.

  They swayed gently in the middle of the dance floor, a slow song playing as the party was still in its early stages.

  Aria leaned her head against his shoulder. "That was an amazing thing you did, Ben."

  He squeezed her a little tighter. "I didn't do much. You were the inspiration. Your article...it was amazing, Aria." Ben pulled away just far enough to look her in the eye. "You're amazing."

  "Ben..." Heat infused her cheeks, and she dropped her gaze as her insides began to flutter with nervous energy. As angry as she still was over what he'd done with her photos, the sa
me desire she'd felt with him from the start was just as strong. She was overwhelmed by how badly she wanted to kiss him and never let go, and how terrifying that idea seemed. "I...I..."

  The words froze in her throat, her nerves increasing as she realized this could be entirely one-sided. Aside from one email, he hadn't tried to contact her at all. She'd told him not to, of course, but it still left her completely unsure of how he felt.

  And how she felt? God, she had no clue.

  "What is it?" he prodded her. The palm of his hand brushed against her cheek and she leaned into it.

  Looking up at him from beneath her lashes, she let out a shuddering breath. "I miss you, Ben. I really miss you."

  "You do?" Ben's brows lifted for a moment, surprised. "You miss me?"

  She nodded her head slowly. "But..."

  Swallowing, she paused for fear she'd burst into tears or be completely swallowed by the emotional moment. "But...I'm so angry, Ben. I'm so angry at you. You hurt me—badly. You completely betrayed me, and I'm just...I'm so angry."

  Ben's eyes leveled with hers. "Good."

  "What?" She blinked in confusion. That wasn't the response she'd been expecting, despite the fact that she felt a million times better having gotten all of that off her chest. In fact, it wasn't until right then that she'd realized just how angry she was and how badly she'd needed to say it to his face.

  "I'm glad you're angry at me. You have every right to be. I deserve every bit of it, and you deserve to feel it. Do not let me off the hook for what I did, Aria. But..." He took the pause this time, shaking his head slightly, his face twisting in pain. "But don't let me go. Please. Make me earn back your trust. Make me do whatever you need for me to show you that isn't who I am. I'll do anything, but please, Aria...don't make me go."

  She searched his eyes, aching at the suffering she saw behind them. "I…I don't want you to go."

  Her admission surprised her as much as it did reassure her.

  "Thank fucking goodness," Ben said, his face spreading into a wide smile. His hand slid to the back of her head and he crashed his lips to hers so fast she didn't even have a chance to breathe.

  She let him dip her backwards as he kissed her with a dizzying passion, gripping her arms around his neck to hold on. His tongue pressed between her lips, and she parted for him, inviting him in to every part of her. It was everything she remembered, and everything she'd forgotten how badly she'd needed.

  As absolutely sure as she was in that moment that she wanted to kiss him, wanted to feel him pressed against her, and wanted him to become a permanent fixture in her life, fear still swelled in her gut.

  "Ben," she whispered against his lips. "We still need to talk. I have a room upstairs..."

  He let out a low growl she felt rumble inside his chest. "What the hell are we still doing down here then?"

  When they entered Aria's hotel room a few minutes later, their hands were all over each other. She had so much she wanted to say, so much she wanted to tell him, but she couldn't find the words.

  Instead, there was a fervor between them—heated and passion-filled need that made her ache for him even more than she already was. It was overwhelming, nearly drowning out the voice in the back of her head screaming—danger!

  He slid her dress over her head, tossing it onto a nearby chair. The cold air made her skin pucker, a shiver running down her spine as she stepped out of her high heels.

  She helped him unbutton his shirt and remove his tuxedo, all the while finding every possible second to press their lips to one another. It was like she couldn't stop kissing him. She couldn't stop needing him, and maybe she never had.

  He lowered her onto the bed beneath him, and she let her eyes roam the length of his body above her. "God, Ben..." She licked her lips. "I've missed this."

  "Me, too," he said with a groan, moving down her body and kissing every inch of her. His lips slid across her black bra and lace panties, and she writhed beneath him. Every bite, nip, kiss, lick pulled her further down, down, down, drowning in every inch of him until suddenly she gasped, needing to breathe.

  "Wait!" Aria sat up quickly, pushing him off of her. "Ben. Stop."

  He blinked, sitting back on his heels. His manhood was pressing against the front of his boxers very...obviously. Aria blushed and looked away.

  "What's wrong?"

  She shook her head, trying to figure out the answer to that very question. "This is what we do, Ben." She gestured between their bodies. "And then what?"

  He chuckled, shrugging his shoulders. "Orgasms?"

  "No. I mean, yes, but that's the problem. We haven't talked about anything. I just told you a few minutes ago how angry I am at you. I'm...I'm fucking livid, Ben. You can't charm your way out of that with..." Her eyes roamed his chiseled abs and the muscular lines that pointed down in a V to the top of his boxers. She motioned to his abs with a swirl of her wrist. "All that. I won't be distracted."

  Ben laughed and sat back on the bed, getting comfortable. "Okay. No distracting you with my body. I got it." He reached down and picked up his undershirt and tossed it at her. "Here. Put that on."

  "What? Why?"

  "If you want me to focus, I can't be able to see your boobs. I'm only human, Aria." Ben smirked, and she rolled her eyes, laughing a bit.

  She pulled on his shirt and sat back against the bed. "I'm not trying to be a buzz-kill here, and I am trying to see past what happened, but...it's hard. I thought what we had was so different, Ben. This was unlike anything I'd ever felt before."

  Ben moved closer to her on the bed, pulling her against his side. "This is different. Aria, you and me are electric. We're everything you said you'd never believe in."

  She raised one brow, curling into his side. "Soul mates?"

  "Don't scoff. It's a real thing, and you're looking at it, baby."

  Aria sighed, and kissed his chest when she wrapped her arm around him. They were both lying back on the bed, quietly staring at the ceiling, her leg and arm flung over his chest.

  She still felt...unsettled. Fear still swarmed her stomach, and she couldn't break through whatever was keeping her from diving head first into a relationship with the man she lo—did she love him?

  Ben broke the silence. "Aria, I can't tell you how sorry I am. When Russell showed me the pictures of you and Travis to leak to the press, I approved them without actually looking at the full roll of film. He told me to check them all. He made sure I signed papers saying I'd seen them all. The fact is…I lied. I saw two or three innocent photos of you and Travis, and, even knowing they were fake, I couldn't handle it. I couldn't look at all the pictures. If only I'd looked at the entire thing, none of this would have happened."

  Aria pushed up against the mattress, propping herself up on her elbow. "You…you didn't see the photos?"

  He shook his head. "Not until they were splashed across every tabloid in America. And I'm so sorry. It's completely my fault, and I will never forgive myself for it. Ever."

  Aria shook her head, trying to make sense of it. "Ben, are you telling me you didn't purposefully leak the nudes of me? That wasn't a stunt for the movie?"

  "WHAT?" Ben sat up, almost knocking her over. His eyes were wide, bewildered. "Aria, I would never do that to you. Not on purpose. Not for a movie. Not for a million movies. Not for any reason. Ever."

  "God, Ben, I spent the last few months thinking you were exactly like every other power-hungry Hollywood exec who'd throw me under the bus to make a quick buck! Why didn't you tell me Russell was the one behind it?"

  "I thought you knew," Ben said, rubbing his hands across his head and pushing his hair off his face. "Fucking hell. I'm going to kill Russell all over again."

  "I knew Russell was the one leading the charge, but I thought you had gone along with his plan. I expected that kind of asshole stunt from him, but from you?" Aria felt her a lump swell in her throat, her voice breaking. "God, Ben. I was heartbroken."

  Ben pulled her back down to the mattress, le
aning over her and kissing down her jaw. He slid his tongue down the length of her throat, nipping her flesh along the way. "Aria, I'm so sorry. I'm sorry I let Russell do what he did. I'm sorry I didn't protect you. I'm sorry I didn't come find you immediately and explain it all. I'm sorry I ever let a minute go by that you didn't know exactly how much I love you."

  She cupped his face in her hands, searching his eyes for any hint of doubt or insincerity but there was none. "You love me?"

  Ben grinned his slightly crooked smile, his entire face lighting up in the process. "Head-over-fucking-heels, baby."

  Aria kissed him, softly this time. Just her lips pressed to his, as if sealing their fate in the best possible way. "I love you, too."

  Pushing her hips up against his, she kissed him again, but this time with heat. She'd waited long enough to feel his skin pressed against hers, and she wasn't going to waste one more moment of their lives together.

  Sliding his undershirt over her head, she trembled as his fingertips caressed her skin as he moved down her body. Pushing her knees apart, he kissed her inner thighs until he reached her core. Aria nearly jolted off the bed at the contact, gasping and thrusting her hips against him harder.

  Ben grinned up at her. "You're already soaked, Aria." He was rubbing his palm against her center, over the top of her lace panties. He gripped the edge, ripping them off her body entirely.

  She heard the fabric tear, felt the cool breeze against her core, and then his mouth was on her and she wasn't sure she'd ever be able to breathe again. "Oh, my God!"

  "Lay back, Aria. I've missed your taste too much to wait another second."

  Aria swallowed hard as he dipped down between her legs and slid his tongue inside her. Moaning, she twisted her hands in the blanket beneath her and pumped her hips against his face greedily.

  When he flicked his tongue across her length, her whole body jumped, and damn it, she wanted more. "Ben, I'm close..."

  He picked up the pace, pushing harder against her as he licked and sucked until she tumbled over the edge, stars bursting in front of closed eyes, a wave of electricity pumping through her body so hard she wasn't sure if she was frozen or shaking uncontrollably.