She steeled herself, her jaw tightening. "If this is real...if our love is real...then we'll survive this. Without the lies, the tricks, the falsehoods. We can survive this, James."
Ben felt a swelling in his chest, a lump in his throat. He wasn't even sure what the storyline was about, and yet, he was captivated by the woman in front of the cameras. Her presence was powerful...she was powerful.
"No, Anna." He dropped her arms and stepped back, a look of disgust on his face. "We can't survive this. Not if you choose their lives over mine...over ours."
The blonde shook her head slowly, her hand now on her stomach as if she might be sick. "You can't mean that, James. You can't make me pick between loving you and my purpose in life."
"It's them...or it's me. Now or never, Anna."
Ben focused on the actress's face, expecting to see her acquiesce to the steely-delivered ultimatum. Instead, her chin pushed up and she inhaled deeply. Everything about her posture and stance screamed strength, and yet, in the exact same moment, those blue-gray eyes ached with pain. Ben nearly forgot he was watching actors because her portrayal was so genuine...she was so genuine.
"Goodbye, James." Her voice was gentle, but resolute.
The soldier's nostrils flared angrily, before he slowly shook his head. "Goodbye, Anna." With that, he walked out of the door and left her standing alone in the bedroom.
She waited a moment, staring after him. Her hand slowly lifted to her lips, covering her mouth as a loud sob ripped from her throat. In an excruciating display, her body dipped forward slightly before completely crumpling in on itself. She fell against the edge of the bed, sobbing into its sheets, as the lights on set dimmed.
"Cut!" the director yelled. "Holy fuck. That was amazing, Aria!"
The blond actress pushed up off the bed, smiling and wiping the tears from her cheeks. Everyone in the studio erupted into applause, and Ben joined in. She deserved every second of it after that performance.
A surge of excitement ran through Ben's body—he could do this. With acting like this, there was no way their movie wouldn't be a success. There was no way he wouldn't be able to bring this studio success within the year with a film like this.
"Hey, Russell," Arthur called out to the director and ushered Ben over to him. "Meet our new studio head, Ben Lawson."
Ben extended a hand to the grungy looking man with long, curly black hair to his shoulders. "Good to meet you, Russell."
"Please, call me Russ. I'm Russ Rains, director. I'm sure you've heard of me." He donned a cocky smile. Metal and bracelets around his wrists made a clanking sound as they shook hands—a not too unusual fashion choice in this city.
"I have," Ben admitted, though he didn't really like this man's ego already. It was certainly nothing unusual in Hollywood, and Ben had met the type many a time before. Russell Rains was a legitimately well-known director with several big box office hits under his belt, though it had been many years since his last. "Your work is amazing, Russ."
"Thank you, Benji," Russ said with an obnoxious chuckle. "Come on. Let me introduce you to our leads."
"I'll meet you back at the office," Arthur told Ben. "Have fun on set!"
Ben followed Russell onto the bedroom set where the actress he'd been so captivated by was hugging the soldier who'd just broken her heart.
"You were amazing, Travis," she said to him, pulling back from their embrace to smile at him.
Something inside Ben stirred—irritation, anger? He wasn't sure, but he didn't like seeing the man's arms around the beautiful blonde.
"Sweet pea, come meet our new studio head," Russ called out to Aria, who visibly bristled at his demand. Ben made a mental note to ask about the director's dynamic with the actors later. "This here is Benji."
"Ben Lawson," Ben corrected the director, extending his hand to the woman.
"Aria Rose," she replied, taking his hand with a gentle squeeze. Her fingers were small and warm around his, and there was something sad about letting go. "Pleased to meet you, Mr. Lawson. This is my co-star, Travis Peters."
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 mon
ths 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 she'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.
Keep Reading Nudes!
Purchase this e-book or paperback by visiting Sarah’s website at https://booksbysarahrobinson.com/books/nudes/
About the Author
Photo Credit: Valerie Bey
Sarah Robinson is the Top 10 Barnes & Noble and Amazon Bestselling Author of multiple series and standalone novels, including the Exposed series, The Photographer Trilogy, Kavanagh Legends series, the Forbidden Rockers series, and Not a Hero: A Marine Romance. A native of Washington, D.C., Robinson has two master’s degrees in forensic and clinical psychology and works as a mental health therapist during the day. She is a recent new mom and married to the love of her life.
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