The soldier shook his hand next. "Good to meet you, sir."
"Please, call me Ben," he instructed them both. "Travis, you were fantastic. And, Aria, I have to admit that your performance just now was incredible. I was unbelievably moved."
Her pale pink cheeks darkened as she looked down at her hands. "Thank you."
"I have no doubt this movie will be phenomenal."
Russ slapped a hand on Ben's back. "Hell, yeah. That was our last scene, so we're officially wrapped." The director stepped away from them and yelled to the entire crew. "It's a wrap, fuckers!"
Ben didn't even cringe at the man's abrasiveness this time.
The crew clapped and cheered, and everyone was hugging and high-fiving each other. A swarm of people came onto the bedroom set to congratulate Aria, pushing Ben backward as he watched her gracefully accept their praise.
In fact, he couldn't take his eyes off her, and it only had a little to do with how unbelievably attracted he was to her. As he stepped to the side, he watched how she smiled, laughing and embracing her co-workers. It was captivating. Aria commanded a room, not just when she was acting, but as herself. Her eyes danced and shone as she spoke to the crew and other actors, her smile wide and transformative.
He felt drawn to who she was, not just what he saw, and it was intoxicating. Though, what he saw was certainly breathtaking. Gorgeous wasn't enough to describe this woman, or the way her long neck dipped into thin shoulders and a deep collarbone. Her breasts pushed against the dark red dress she was wearing that highlighted her hourglass silhouette, and her golden braid hung down over her shoulder with a weight and visible softness he'd never seen before.
Someone bumped Ben's shoulder as they rushed in her direction, bringing Ben back to reality. What the fuck am I doing? He was barely six months out of a long divorce and had sworn off women entirely for now. And an actress? That was not happening. No way would he repeat his previous mistake twice. Not to mention that he was her boss, essentially, and that it would be a major conflict of interest. That was even assuming she was single and interested in him, which...
Why am I even thinking about this? Ben shook the thought from his head, unsure when the last time was that he'd ever felt this foggy-headed over a woman.
Aria's laughter peeled through the air just then, melodic and joyous. Ben swallowed hard, shoving his hands in his pockets and heading for the door. He had to get out of there. Now.
He wouldn't let himself fall for another actress, not even one as beautiful as Aria Rose.
Chapter Two
"Congratulations, sweetie!" Betty Reynolds, Aria's mother, rushed over to her and threw her arms around her neck. "You were amazing. There was no doubt, of course, but my God, sweetheart! You're a star!"
"Ma! Too tight!" Aria gasped, but hugged her mother back.
Her mother held her at arm's length. "Look at you." She exhaled loudly, smiling dreamily at her. "Seriously, Aria. You are so talented."
Aria felt her cheeks heat and looked away, never one to be very comfortable with praise. "Ma..."
"I'm serious, baby girl. The most talented actress I've ever seen."
Aria laughed, but welcomed her mother's input anyway. At times, Betty Reynolds may be overly involved in her life, but she'd prefer that than to not have her at all. In fact, Betty was not only her mother but her manager. She'd hired her years ago and hadn't regretted it for a second, probably because no one would ever work as hard or fight as fiercely for her. Aria credited a lot of her own success to her mother for that. "Thank you, Ma. I'm happy we're wrapped, though."
"Well, given your history on set..." Betty glanced toward the director, Russell Rains, who was currently talking to one of the cameramen. "It's understandable that you'd want to be out of here."
Aria pulled her gaze from Russ, her stomach turning at the thought. No one else in her family but her mother knew that she'd dated Russell for the first three months of filming. He was brilliant and intense, and she'd gotten swept up in the passion of it all, mixing her real emotions into the scripted life he led. She'd been so naive—a harsh fact she'd learned when she'd found him with an intern's head bobbing up and down in his lap.
Since breaking things off with Russell, she’d found him unbelievably difficult to work with. He'd made it very clear he resented the fact that she'd initiated their end—as if she was the first woman to ever reject him. It had made for an uncomfortable last few months of filming, but she'd done her best to ignore his passive aggressive barbs and blatant advances.
All things considered, she was really happy with her own performance, even if she hadn't seen the final product yet.
"This movie is going to be big, Aria. I can feel it."
Aria wrapped an arm around her mother's shoulders as they walked in the direction of the dressing rooms. "From your lips to God's ears."
When they arrived at her room, a small room with no windows on the second floor of a long row of dressing rooms, Aria dropped down on the couch with a big sigh. "I could sleep forever."
"Why don't you take a nap before heading home?" Betty asked, her eyes on her watch. "I've got to get home to relieve your father's nurse for the evening."
"Oh, go, go. Don't let me keep you." Aria pulled her feet onto the couch and pushed a pillow under her head, curling up for a nap. "I probably will rest my eyes for a minute."
Betty grabbed a throw blanket off a nearby chair and draped it over her. "Okay, sweetheart. I love you."
"Love you, Ma," Aria said, already drifting off to sleep. They'd been filming since four in the morning today, trying to finish the last scene. Now that it was over, she felt like she could sleep for days.
Darkness fell over the room, and Aria felt her body relax, slipping out of consciousness. Minutes, hours, she wasn't sure how long she'd slept before she was jolted awake.
"Oh, shit. Were you sleeping?"
Sitting up, Aria blinked and rubbed her eyes. Russell was standing in the doorway of her dressing room, a wicked grin on his face.
"What do you want, Russ?" She kept her tone flat, her teeth clenched.
"You coming to the wrap party tonight?"
Aria yawned, checking the clock on the wall. She'd apparently been sleeping for three hours—much longer than a nap. "Yeah, I'm going."
She was feeling refreshed after the extra hours of rest, and she did want to celebrate with the crew—even if that meant enduring another few hours of her ex-boyfriend.
Russ glanced up and down the hallway outside the room, then stepped in and closed the door behind him. "Hey, maybe we should have a celebration of our own..."
Aria immediately got to her feet. "Get. Out."
"Come on, baby," he cooed, crossing the room. "Don't you miss us? The film's wrapped, and we can get back to being us outside of work."
"Us was over the moment I caught you fooling around with an intern," she seethed, instantly angry that he still couldn't take a hint.
Russ's face glowered, going from sexual to angry. "Whatever. I’ve got a good memory." He winked at her and gestured first to his head, and then to his crotch as if he was jerking off.
Aria's stomach turned. "You're disgusting."
He shrugged while he walked back to the door, nonchalantly. Looking back over his shoulder, his face split into a wicked smile. "You'll be back. D-List actresses always come back for this dick when they realize I'm the best they'll ever have."
"Fuck you," Aria shot out, crossing her arms over her chest.
With his signature sinister smile, he walked out of the dressing room.
Aria's insides boiled. Slime. He was complete and utter slime. Clearly, she'd lost her damn mind when she'd briefly dated him. She'd been so easily mesmerized by his talent as a director, and he'd taught her so much. She'd thought it was just innocent, but all those extra late night lessons had turned into him hitting on her and her...just going with it.
Groaning, Aria dropped back onto the couch. God, I'm so stupid. She couldn't believe sh
e'd been fooled by someone as blatantly slimy as him.
"Hey, Aria!" A silver-haired beauty bounced into the room through the doorway Russ had just exited.
"Hi, Steele," Aria greeted her makeup artist and hair stylist, who was really more like her best friend after spending every day together over the past few months of filming. Steele was her full name—or so she insisted—like Cher, she always said.
Steele collapsed onto the couch next to her, leaving a puff of glitter in the air. "Today is the absolute worst."
"What? Why?" Aria turned to her friend, pulling her legs up on the couch to face her.
Steele was uniquely gorgeous, the kind of beauty that was all personality, too. Brightly dyed silver hair, colorful makeup, ears lined with half a dozen earrings each, and vibrantly colored clothes made her stand out in any room. Her always exuberant attitude matched her style, and the two had quickly grown close.
"It's our last day," Steele said, her voice exaggeratedly whining. "Friendship over!"
Aria laughed, tipping her head back at her friend's dramatics. "Our friendship is not over! It's the last day of filming, but you know I'm going to need you again. There's still the photo shoot for promos for the film. There's the red carpet look. Press events. There's a ton of things I still need you for."
"Oh, great," Steele teased, tossing her hands up. "So, we're only friends because you still need me."
"Aside from being the best makeup artist and hair stylist in town, I have no use for you," Aria said in mock seriousness. "Honestly, you're just in the way otherwise."
Steele squawked. "Bitch."
"You know I'm kidding!" Aria leaned her head on Steele's shoulder, hugging her arm. "I love you, girl. We're still friends even if we aren't working together."
"Ugh." Steele squirmed away and stood up. "That's enough mushy gushy for now. I don't do feelings."
Aria grinned, fully aware that Steele was a lot more emotional than she let on. "Whatever, crazy. Help me pick out an outfit and look for the wrap party tonight."
"Now that I can do." Steele was already pulling clothes apart on the rack to one side of the room. "Let's go slutty tonight."
"I'm not going slutty," Aria countered, thinking of Russ's attendance.
Steele sighed. "You always turn down slutty. What about half slutty?"
"What's half slutty?"
Steele held up a dress that had no cleavage. It completely covered her chest and wrapped her neck, leaving only her arms and shoulders bare.
Aria frowned. "How is that half slutty?"
Steele held it up against her body and indicated the hem at the bottom. It barely touched the top of her thighs.
Laughing, Aria shook her head. "So, I'm a nun on top and then naked on the bottom?"
"Exactly. Half slutty."
Aria took the dress and held it up to her own body. It went a little lower on her because she was shorter than Steele, reaching about mid-thigh. "Pair these with knee-high boots to cover my legs and I'll wear it."
Steele pumped her fist through the air. "Finally! Maybe you'll meet a guy tonight."
"I am not dating right now," Aria countered, closing the dressing room door so she could get changed. "Not even interested."
"Imagine how pissed Russ would be if he saw you with another guy though." Steele handed her a set of suede boots that matched the emerald green cocktail dress perfectly. "It's the perfect revenge for his cheating ass."
Not many people knew about her affair with Russ, but Steele was part of her inner circle. Still, she had no desire to make Russell jealous. She just wanted him gone.
"I think I've learned my lesson about dating people I work with," Aria countered, lifting her shirt over her head and tossing it onto the couch. "And there's no one here I'd want to date anyway."
Steele shrugged. She was lining makeup on the counter. "There was a new guy on set today. Sexy as hell in that suit. I might have to call dibs on that."
"You're engaged," Aria reminded her. She had to admit though, Steele was right. Shepherd Film's new CEO was handsome as hell. So handsome, in fact, that she'd already completely blanked on his name from when he introduced himself. His smoldering blue eyes, rugged jaw, and broad shoulders had completely eclipsed her attention for a moment.
Steele winked at her in her reflection in the mirror as she stood behind Aria and zipped up the back of the dress. "Engaged, not blind. Sit. I'm going to do a smoky eye tonight."
"Like you'd ever leave Xavier. I've never seen two people more in love." Aria grabbed Steele's phone off the counter, clicking it on to show her the background photo. It was of Steele and a tattooed man kissing, arms wrapped around each other.
Steele blushed and took her phone back. "It's true. We're really fucking cute." Aria sat still as Steele began wiping off the makeup from filming. "And I'm about to make you really fucking cute, so you better not waste it on another night alone with your battery-operated boyfriend."
She giggled, feeling her face flush with heat. "Steele!"
Part of her had to admit, she wasn't as closed off to dating and men as she let on. She was focused on her career and not about to let a man get in the way of that, but it would be really nice to have someone to fall asleep next to again.
The truth was, Aria was lonely, and she was starting to think it was time to do something about that.
Chapter Three
"Thank you," Aria said to the cocktail waiter who handed her a glass of champagne the moment she walked onto the yacht. The studio had rented out an insanely large yacht docked in the Marina del Rey in Los Angeles for the entire crew to celebrate the wrap of production, and Aria was already overwhelmed by the size of the crowd onboard.
It wasn't that she wasn't a social person, but rather, a bit of an introvert. She'd been up since four in the morning working on a busy set with hundreds of people, so her energy level was pretty drained already.
"Aria!" Travis, her co-star and close friend, waved to her from the front of the ship. "Come join us!"
She made her way toward him, squeezing past groups of people and downing half her champagne. "Hey, guys."
"You remember our new CEO, Ben Lawson, right?" Travis pointed to a man whose back was to her. "Ben, you know Aria Rose."
When he turned, she was confronted by the same smoldering blue eyes she'd been mesmerized by earlier in the day. But, he was different. Calmer. Relaxed, even. He wore dark jeans and a collared shirt that wasn't buttoned completely to the top, and his chin was scruffy, as if he'd shaved that morning but it had already begun to grow back. As attracted as she had been to the suited stranger before, she was even more enthralled by the rugged man standing before her now.
"Of course," Ben replied, extending a hand in her direction. "Wonderful to see you again, Ms. Rose."
Aria took his hand, letting it linger in his large grasp a moment longer than necessary. "It's actually Reynolds. Rose is my stage name."
"Interesting," Ben replied, his eyes raking over her body not so subtly. She felt her skin warming, suddenly feeling fidgety. "Is Aria your real name, too?"
"It is," she replied, unsure why she was even telling him this. Most people weren't privy to her personal life at all, and yet she felt an immediate desire to have him know her. "I use a stage name to stand apart from my cousin. He's a famous actor, and I wanted to make my own way in this industry."
"Didn't want to ride his coattails...very admirable."
"Thank you." She tipped the remainder of the glass of champagne past her lips, finishing the glass. Before she could even clear her throat, Travis was already handing her another.
"No drink limit tonight!" Travis wiggled his brows. "Mr. Hot Shot CEO here hired sober rides for anyone who needs it."
Aria glanced at Ben, his gaze cast down with a small smile on his lips. He wasn't embarrassed by Travis's admiration, but he clearly wasn't looking for praise either. She liked that level of confidence in a man, or in any person.
"Sober rides, huh?" Russell Rains su
ddenly appeared in the circle and tossed an arm around Ben's shoulders. "Trying to win them over before your first day, Benji? It's working!"
Travis laughed. "He's got my vote—and my car keys."
Stepping back slightly, Aria tried to blend into the crowd behind her. The moment the group's focus no longer included her, she pivoted and put as much distance between herself and Russ as she could.
Hard to do on a yacht.
Finding solace at the bow of the ship, Aria was now in a much smaller crowd. Lights were dimmer, music was softer, and the few people there were having intimate conversation rather than the raucous party happening at the back of the boat.
Aria inhaled the ocean air and leaned against the railing, her elbows propped against it. Water crashed against the side of the yacht in a lazy, rhythmic manner that entranced her for a moment. It was serene and beautiful, and her mind began to drift to everything the last few months had brought her.
She'd done a few small movies before this one, never big budget and never a starring role. Growing up in Los Angeles, the daughter of a low-budget cinema owner, watching movies hadn't just been a hobby—it was her whole childhood. Her father often let her and her sisters tag along to work with him, leaving them to sneak in and out of theaters all day. She fell in love with the silver screen young, and that passion never left her.
"Aria?" A deep voice cut through the crisp nighttime air.
She turned to see Ben approaching her, the shadows from the upper deck of the yacht moving across his face as he came closer. "Oh. Hi, Mr. Lawson."
"Please, like I said, call me Ben," he reiterated, leaning against the railing next to her.
"Right. Ben. Sorry, the last exec wasn't quite so..."
His lips curved into a smile. "So, what?"
She wasn't sure what to say, because her honest answer was sexy. That didn't seem like the best thing to a man who now funded and controlled her film. "Approachable?"
NUDES: A Hollywood Romance (Exposed Book 1) Page 2
