"I want to meet with both you and Travis to plan this. Can you fly to Los Angeles soon?"
"I'm still filming the mini-series for 2 more weeks, and then I'm coming back to audition for Murals," Aria explained. "We could meet then."
“Murals? I thought you said they were in talks with someone else."
"They were, but it fell through. Looks like I may get a shot!" Aria sounded excited, and he could almost visualize her doing a little dance at the very idea of it.
"That's fantastic. HBO and big box office. Told you that you were going place. I'll send you and Travis a meeting request via email. See you then?"
"Sounds good." Aria's voice got a little quieter, trailing off. "Goodbye, Ben."
"Goodbye, Aria."
He hung up the phone and looked at the calendar. Two weeks and she'd be standing in front of him again. There was no doubt he'd count down every day until then, and he hated himself for his lack of control. She was not his girlfriend, and she didn't want to be. Hell, he didn't want her to be.
Time to stop thinking with his heart and get back to being in charge. He was cutthroat in the boardroom and the studio, and one weekend of lust—love—wasn't going to change that.
Chapter Fifteen
Hearing his voice was hard. So damn hard.
Aria stared at her phone after she hung up the call with Ben. Walking over to the hotel window, she looked out at Manhattan below her. Gray. Dark. Desolate.
New York had once been her favorite place to visit, but the last few weeks of filming hadn't been enough of a distraction to keep her from thinking of him.
Everything was such a mess now. The one man she wanted could tank her career. So, she was choosing her career over him, and she hated how sad that made her feel. She hated that she couldn't have both in a world where women were judged harshly by who they dated.
Her phone rang again, and her heart leapt in her chest to talk to Ben again. "Hello?" she answered quickly, without looking.
"Hey, baby girl," her mother's voice came across the line. "Listen, I got your voice message about Travis and I think it's absolutely nuts. Your father does, too. Here, see?"
"IT'S NUTS!" he shouted in the background, and Aria guessed her mother had held up the phone to him.
"Mom..."
"But," her mother continued, speaking over her. "I think you might be right. I think this will lead to a lot of good press for the movie. Co-stars dating is a paparazzi's wet dream."
"Mom. Gross."
"Well, it's the truth." Aria head a muffled sound on the phone and then her mother returned, her voice lowered now. "But, that still doesn't explain to me—your goddamn mother—who your mystery man is."
"I told you. It was a one-time thing."
"Aria, I swear to God, you're going to tell me eventually."
"I'm not," Aria replied in a singsong tone.
"You are." Her mother matched her tune. "But enough of how you're trying to break your mother's heart and send her into an early grave, did you get the script for the L.A. movie?"
"Murals? I did. I'm going to start practicing tonight."
"Good. Jennifer Lawrence turned it down—signed on to a movie with Chris Pratt instead," her mother explained.
"And I'm next up?" Aria sometimes couldn't believe her life. The fact that she was even having these kinds of conversations was mind-blowing...and ego-inflating.
"Well, a few other people turned it down, too. And you're a lot cheaper than them, so we've got a good shop."
Ego down. Aria rolled her eyes. Her mother always knew how to put her back in her place. "Thanks, Mom."
"No need for sarcasm, Aria. Study those lines. I'll see you when you get back—two weeks, right?"
"Yep. It's going to be jam-packed. The audition, Scarlet's Letters promo photo shoot, meeting with Shepherd Film studio exec, the Travis situation..."
"You're going to be even busier when Scarlet's Letters wins an Oscar and you're the hottest actress in Hollywood!"
"Mom..."
"Don't argue with me, Aria. And drink some water. You don't drink enough water."
"Okay, Mom. Love you."
"Love you, too, baby girl." Her mother hung up the phone.
Aria tossed her cell phone onto the unmade hotel bed then collapsed onto the sheets next to it. She missed her own bed. Her own apartment. She missed the man she'd last shared it with.
Aria sighed. Things were beginning to feel way too complicated, and yet, at the same time, so simple.
She missed Ben. And she wished that she didn't.
Chapter Sixteen
"Ready, baby?" Travis exaggerated the nickname as he took Aria's hand while they walked across the airport terminal.
She took a deep breath. "You know there are going to be a million reporters the moment we step out of the airport, right?"
Travis furrowed his brow. "Are you nervous? We don't have to do this, Aria. You're doing me a huge favor, but I'd never want to make you uncomfortable."
"No, I'm doing this." She readjusted her bag on her shoulder. "I just hate paparazzi. Tabloids. All of it. It's such an invasion."
"I kind of like it," Travis admitted, squeezing her hand tighter. "I'd rather they want me, than not know I exist."
He had a point. Fame was a double-edged sword.
"Travis, can you promise me one thing?" she asked as they neared the exit.
"Anything."
"One day—when you're ready—tell the world the truth. You're one of the best guys I know, and any man would be lucky to have you."
Travis smiled and gave her a sideways hug. "I love you, kid."
"Love you, too." And the truth was, she did. Travis had been working on a new independent movie in New York City at the same time as she'd been filming the HBO series—not to mention all the time they'd spent as lovers and co-stars in Scarlet's Letters—and they'd spent a lot of time together as friends when they weren't on set. She absolutely adored his sweet nature and giving heart, and one day, she hoped the rest of the world could see what she did.
"TRAVIS PETERS! TELL US HOW YOU AND ARIA MET?"
"ARIA, WHAT'S IT LIKE FILMING A SCENE WITH YOUR BOYFRIEND?"
"ARE YOU GUYS IN LOVE?"
"ANY PLANS TO WALK DOWN THE AISLE SOON?"
Microphones were shoved in their faces the moment they stepped out onto the sidewalk, and the shouted questions continued, though the words quickly blended into a dull roar. A burly security guard was already pushing photographers out of the way and guiding Aria and Travis to a waiting car. Her hand never left Travis', holding tighter as the crowd swarmed them from either side.
"Jesus Christ!" Travis gasped as the collapsed on the back seat of the town car with tinted windows, the door slamming shut behind them. "That was insane!"
He was smiling, but Aria was nearly shaking. "Insane," she repeated, her voice trembling.
"Are you okay?" Travis pushed closer to her on the seat and wrapped an arm around her. "Damn, you're shaking like a leaf. Aria, maybe we shouldn't do this. It's too much."
"It's already done," she reminded him, trying her best to calm herself down. The crowds, the pushing, the shoving, the screaming. She felt silly that it bothered her so much, but it was frightening. Despite her rising fame, she tried to live as quiet a life as possible—until now, apparently. "They already got pictures of us holding hands and flying together. Mystery Man revealed."
Travis sat back and sighed. "I'm sorry, Aria. I never should have roped you into this."
"Travis, stop." She put a hand up. "I'm just being a wimp. I'm an introvert, you know? I'm more than happy to do this for you."
He surveyed her face as if he was trying to see if she was lying. She just stared at him harder. Finally, he nodded. "Okay. Well, thank you. Again."
Forty-five minutes of Los Angeles traffic later, they arrived at Shepherd Film Studios and headed straight for Ben's office.
“Hi, Jackson,” Aria greeted Ben’s assistant who was sitting at a large desk outside of Ben’s offic
e.
He smiled brightly up at them, his eyes lingering a little longer on Travis. “Good to see you again, Miss Rose. I’ll let Ben know you and Mr. Peters are here.”
“He’s cute!” Travis whispered to her the moment Jackson disappeared from the room.
Aria batted his arm. “He’ll hear you! Plus, you’re my boyfriend—remember?”
Jackson emerged from the office seconds later, and Travis offered Aria a sideways smirk. She stifled her laughter, nudging Travis instead.
Ben emerged from the office right behind his assistant.
The moment Aria saw him—perfectly coifed in a three-button suit that was clearly tailored for his body—every lustful memory came flooding back to her. And it wasn't just the heat in her core as she remembered how he felt pressed against her, but the flutter in her chest as she remembered how he made her smile, laugh, and feel adored and cherished.
Ben gestured for them to follow him. "Hey, guys. Come on in.”
"Thanks, Mr. Lawson. It's good to see you." Travis shook his hand, then headed in first.
Aria paused in the doorway for a moment, lingering next to him. She lowered her voice and looked up at him from under long lashes. "Hi, Ben."
"Good morning, Miss Rose." He gave her a polite smile and escorted her into the office.
What the actual fuck is happening right now? Aria's brow furrowed as she tried to decipher Ben's brush off. Was he just putting on a show for Travis and Jackson? She doubted they would have noticed anything from just a secretive smile, or tiny touch of her arm.
She swallowed hard. It bothered her how much this bothered her. How upset she was that he hadn't flirted with her, touched her, or acted like they were anything other than producer and actress. Because this is exactly what she'd told him she wanted.
So…I guess this is good, she decided, mentally trying to comfort herself as she and Travis took seats across from Ben at his desk.
Ben folded his hands on the wooden desk in front of him, a picture of professionalism. "How did it go at the airport? We tipped off every photographer in town."
"Fantastic," Travis replied, his tone obviously excited. "We were nearly swarmed. Good call on the bodyguard, though. Aria was pretty freaked out."
"Are you okay?" Ben turned to her, a worried expression on his face. But, it wasn't Ben-and-Aria worried...it was co-worker-worried and she hated it.
"I'm fine." She kept her teeth clenched, her lips tight.
There was no way she was going to explain herself. He most definitely should know how much she hated being in the tabloids or swarmed by paparazzi. He'd been the first person she called when her dating life started popping up in magazines. She was not enjoying this distant side of Ben. It felt...callous.
They were closer than this. Even without the romance, they were...friends. He was acting like he barely knew her.
"All right. Glad it went well," Ben continued. "We've got the photo shoot in two days, and we're going to arrange for some fake candid photos of the two of you from the set to be leaked to the press. With only three months until the release of the movie, this will be a nice way to keep people talking about it. Closer to release we'll have you do a press tour on talk shows, radio, things like that. You should be finished filming the mini-series by then, Aria, but we’ll happily work around your schedule. People will certainly be asking questions about you two by that time, so it's up to you how long you want to make this fake relationship last. Two co-stars in love sells well, but so does feuding co-stars who just broke up. We can discuss closer to date."
"Sounds good to me," Travis said, turning to her. "Aria?"
"Good with me, too."
"Jackson has some paperwork for you both to sign, and then we'll see you in a couple days for photos. We'll need you to be seen occasionally in public, and turn down any requests for interviews. Feign a need for privacy."
"I actually do like my privacy," Aria reminded Ben, struggling to hide the angry tone in her voice.
Ben shrugged. "Right. Well...that's Hollywood for you."
Fuck. You. Ben Lawson. Aria was nearly seeing red at this point. Did he seriously not give a shit about her? It had been about a month and a half since their weekend together, which, in the grand scheme of things, wasn't that long. Had their connection been completely in her head?
"Well, it was good meeting with you, Mr. Lawson," Travis said, sticking out his hand to shake Ben's. "We'll go get on that paperwork."
Ben stood and shook his hand, a friendly smile on his face. "Good to see you again, too, Travis."
Aria didn't say anything, just gave Ben a curt nod and headed for the door. She saw a brief flash of confusion when she didn't accept his handshake, which only made her more annoyed. It couldn't possibly be a secret to him that he was acting like an asshole.
Travis caught up to her in the hall outside his office after they'd both picked up their paperwork. "Hoooooly shit. Aria!"
"What?" She looked at him with alarm.
"He's the mystery man?" Travis nodded his head back toward Ben's office. "You're dating the CEO of the entire studio?"
"Really?" A familiar grating voice caught Aria off guard, and she jumped. Russell Rains stood in the hallway behind her, a sinister grin on his face. "Not such an innocent flower, are you now?"
Travis smiled at Russell. "Hey, Russ! How's it going?"
The men hugged, but Russell never took his eyes off her. Aria didn't blame Travis. He had no idea that she'd dated Russell, or that she'd thought she loved him. Or that he'd been making her life hell ever since she broke up with him. Hell, even Ben didn't know that. It wasn't exactly a proud moment in her life that she wanted to share.
"How are you, Aria?" Russell moved to hug her next, but she shrunk back, offering him a curt nod as well.
"I'm fine, Russ. Thanks."
"Oh, hey, listen, Russ," Travis began. "What you heard about Aria and Mr. Lawson? That's got to stay between us. Aria and I are pretending for the press that we're a couple."
Russell nodded. "Smart. Good publicity in co-star romance."
"Great." Travis smiled. "So, you won't say anything."
"I won't say a thing." Russell smiled again, and it looked even more wicked than before.
Aria hated that he knew anything about her, but especially this. What she had with Ben...or what she'd thought she had with him...it was none of his Goddamn business.
"See you kids on the photo shoot," Russell called out as he headed down the hallway toward Ben's office.
Aria crossed her fingers, hoping Russell really would keep his word and say nothing.
"Okay, Aria. We're doing lunch." Travis linked his arm with hers as they exited. "Because I need to know every detail of you and that hunk of man upstairs. My God, he is gorgeous."
Aria laughed, her cheeks heating as she pictured Ben's chiseled, naked body. No, Aria. Not happening. She pushed the images from her mind.
Ben Lawson didn't want her. Good.
Damn it.
Chapter Seventeen
Aria stared at the stucco ceiling of her small bedroom. It was way past midnight, but she couldn't sleep. Luckily, she had all of tomorrow off and could sleep as late as she wanted. She always had the day before a photo shoot off for that reason specifically. No photographer wanted her showing up with tired eyes. Her audition for Murals was in a week and she really wanted that movie. Every free minute of the last few weeks had been dedicated to practicing and studying the role.
Though none of that was the reason for her sleeplessness.
The ceiling lit up and her cell phone buzzed on the nightstand. Aria rolled over and caught it before it vibrated its way onto the floor.
Are you awake?
Ben. Unbelievable.
Aria shook her head as she tried to decide what to do. She had no idea what she even wanted to hear from him. The last month and a half had been confusing, and today had only made things worse.
Sighing, she finally typed back a simple yes.
&nb
sp; The phone buzzed again almost immediately. Good. Open your door.
Aria's eyes widened and she looked in the direction of her front door. He was here? She jumped out of bed, tossing her phone back on the nightstand. Scurrying around her room, she put away some clothes, straightened the bed, and cleaned up a dirty mug she'd had hot tea out of earlier.
On her way to the door, she glanced in the full-length mirror. Damn it. Her hair was unkempt and messy, her face washed clean with no makeup, and she was wearing an old T-shirt with holes in it. Nothing else.
Note to self: buy real pajamas. Actually, just buy lingerie. Wait, no. Don't buy lingerie, because you don't want Ben.
She ran her hands across her face, hating that she was so conflicted.
There was a soft knock on her front door, and she unlocked it, swinging it open slowly.
Ben stood in front of her, his hands in his pockets. Crap, he looked insanely good. Even better than earlier today. He was wearing the same suit, but his face was scruffy and rugged, his hair slightly mussed. His eyes darkened the moment they reached hers, his nostrils flaring, and a wave of heat flushed through her body directly to her core.
"Ben—"
He reached for her and his hands grasped her shoulders, tugging her against his taut body before she could say another word. Aria’s breath stalled in her lungs. As he slid his arms around to her back, she glanced up and he crushed his lips to hers in a heated kiss. There was nothing left to do but melt into his touch—and damn, did she melt. His hands beneath her butt, he lifted her against him and she wrapped her legs around his waist as he walked them both inside.
Her mind was swimming, dizzy with the sudden ache between her legs and need swelling inside her. She pushed her hips against him, wanting to quench her desire.
Ben growled against her neck, nipping her flesh as he pushed her against the wall and closed the door behind them.
What am I doing? The lust-filled fog began to lift, and she slapped him on his chest. Pushing him away, she righted herself and readjusted her clothes. "Ben! Stop! What the hell."