Round & Ravishing

by Mary E Thompson

  “Why would he do something like that? Your relationship is long over and you aren’t anyone important now.”

  Leave it to my mom to put things so succinctly.

  “I don’t know. That’s what I’m going to find out.”

  “Okay, well, be careful. When Dad and I left there were more cars pulling up. It seems they know where you live.”

  Shit.

  “Thanks, Mom. I’m sorry you guys are dealing with this.”

  “We’ll figure it out, Tara.”

  I hung up and felt like someone was watching me. I knew that was crazy since you couldn’t see the office from the outside, but my privacy was being invaded. When I lived in California, no one cared. I was in a few movies, but so was everyone else who lived out there. I was no big deal, and certainly not someone with reporters or paparazzi following them.

  But reporters in Winterville? The sleepy little town near where I grew up? At my work? At my home? Harassing my parents?

  It was not cool.

  I turned off all the lights and ducked out the back door. No one was in the parking lot so I rushed to my car and left, keeping an eye on my mirrors to make sure I wasn’t being followed. Not that it mattered. They already knew where I lived and worked and had apparently seen me naked.

  I needed sugar.

  I parked in front of SkinnyCakes and walked across the parking lot, hoping my friend, Abby Bentley, wasn’t too busy.

  “Welcome to SkinnyCakes!” she said as I entered, definitely out of habit. “Oh, hey!” she added when she looked my way and realized it was me.

  “Hey Abby. Do you have coffee? And something delicious? I need sugar.”

  Abby laughed. “Of course. Come sit and you can tell us what’s going on.”

  “Us?” I asked, finally picking up on the fact that she was talking to someone when I walked in. Someone with wavy brown hair, as many curves as I had, and a penchant for lying.

  Olivia Brooks. No, Humphrey.

  “Hi Tara,” Olivia said, turning on her stool to face me. She gave me a sad smile, but I didn’t feel the need to return it. We’d been playing nice ever since Abby re-introduced us, but I’d had more than I could handle, and being nice to Olivia was not in the cards at that moment.

  “Olivia,” I grumbled.

  Abby put my desserts on a plate and set it in front of the stool next to Olivia. I really didn’t want to sit down. There was no way in hell I was going to spill my guts with her sitting there. She’d just take the information and use it against me.

  How, I had no idea. It couldn’t get much worse. But if anyone could make my life worse, it was definitely Olivia.

  “I think I’ll just take this to go instead,” I told Abby when she set a cup of coffee next to the plate. “I need a few minutes to myself.”

  “Are you sure?” Abby asked, clearly not picking up on the animosity between Olivia and I. But Olivia knew exactly why I wasn’t staying. I could see it in her brown eyes and the slump of her shoulders. Why she thought we would be friends again, or wanted to, was beyond me. I wasn’t worried about her though. I needed to get my own shit straight, not obsess over Olivia’s precious feelings.

  I looked into Abby’s kind green eyes and forced a smile. “I’m sure. Do you mind if I hang out at your place for a bit though? I don’t really want to go home.”

  Abby shook her head. “Of course not. When I close I’ll bring dinner.” She bagged my snacks and poured my coffee into a to-go cup and handed both over with a smile.

  “Thanks, Abs. I’ll see you later.”

  Abby smiled, but I knew she was worried. Her eyebrows dipped in the center when she was trying not to frown. She knew something was up. I was just glad she was willing to let it go for the time being.

  I let myself into Abby’s apartment and kicked the door closed behind me. She’d become a lifeline for me since I moved. Since she and Graham, her amazing boyfriend, got together, she’d given me a key and told me to stay whenever I wanted. It was nice to have a place to go when I needed a break from my parents.

  I went straight to the bedroom where Abby kept her computer. I grabbed it and headed back to the living room. I opened a bottle of wine and turned the laptop on. With a very full glass, and no intention of going home before dawn, I typed my own name into the search engine and waited.

  It didn’t take long for millions of posts to be found. I clicked on the first one. It was an article about the leak, not the actual leak. I still didn’t know what pictures had been posted. Then I remembered the article from the morning with my name in it.

  I searched for Patrick’s name again and found the article I’d been reading at lunch. I scrolled through until I found my name.

  Patrick Williams’ ex, Tara Fisher, fell off the radar of Hollywood when Patrick became a household name. Rumors surrounded the couple for months following their break-up but neither confirmed or denied any of them. Now, more rumors are circulating as pictures of the actress were leaked online. Some rumors think it was the actress herself sharing the pictures and trying to get her career started up again with her ties to the now-famous director. Others believe it was Williams, but the motivation behind him sharing the pictures is unclear. What is clear is that Ms. Fisher no longer is afraid to show some skin.

  I gasped. They thought I would do that! That I would share my own naked pictures. Why?

  “I gotta see these pictures,” I muttered aloud, searching for my name again.

  The third link was the actual leak. I waited for the pictures to load and knew immediately one bottle of wine was not going to be enough.

  Abby walked in a few hours later. I nearly kissed her when I saw bags of food from Thai This and more wine.

  “Are you going to tell me what’s going on now?”

  I nodded and led her to the couch. The article was still up. I set the computer on her lap and hit the keyboard to wake it up. She gave me a questioning look then turned back to the computer.

  “Is that you?” Abby asked, gasping when she saw the photo.

  I sat back and sipped my wine. “Yep.”

  “Is this real?”

  “Mmm hmm.” More wine.

  “Who took these?”

  I huffed a laugh. “My ex. He thought it would be hot for us to take pictures of each other before sex one night. Too bad mine are the only ones that made it online.”

  “Do you really think he’s the one who leaked these?”

  I laughed mirthlessly. “Who else would have? It’s not like they were taken in a studio and the photographer could have published them.”

  “Why would he do this?”

  “How the hell do I know, Abby! I guess I shouldn’t be surprised though. The asshole thought it was okay to cheat on me and was perfectly okay with leaving me when someone better came along. He was probably having money trouble and decided to sell the nude photos he had of his barely b-list ex-girlfriend!”

  “I’m sorry, Tara,” Abby said, sounding contrite. “I didn’t mean to upset you.”

  I waved off her concerns. “It’s fine. You didn’t upset me. That stupid son of a bitch did.”

  “What are you going to do?”

  “I’m going to make him pay.”

  Abby sighed. “How are you going to do that?”

  I shrugged. “I haven’t figured that out yet, but I have to do something. I can’t let him get away with this.”

  “I don’t understand how someone could publish these without your permission. Didn’t you tell me people couldn’t publish pictures of you without you saying it was okay?”

  I laughed mirthlessly. “Sure. Reputable places. But bottom feeders like these sites don’t care. To them, if more people complain, they’re doing better. They love shit like this.”

  “Ruining people’s lives?”

  I shrugged again. “To them it’s entertainment. There is no person behind that photo. It’s just something that will bring them visitors and make them more money from their advertisers.”

&n
bsp; “I still think it’s wrong. Can you report them or something?”

  I shook my head. “It’s not worth it. At this point, the pictures aren’t just at this site. They’re all over. I’ve spent the last few hours looking for them. All the tabloids have them posted on their sites. With the black lines, of course, because they’re ‘reputable’ places. I can only imagine the number of porn sites that have already picked the pictures up. All they have to do is download the photos, change the information attached to it, and upload it again and I’ll never find it. They won’t use my name, but they’ll use my face. And all my other parts.”

  Abby shuddered. “It’s so creepy. I don’t know how you ever lived this life.”

  “I didn’t have this happen when I was in Hollywood. I was no one. Which is why the whole thing is so confusing. I don’t know what Patrick’s getting out of this. I’m nobody, even less of a nobody than I was before. Why? Why does he care? The only thing I found out in all my digging is that he’s shooting his next movie here. It came out this afternoon that Winterville is the small town that was chosen for the shoot.”

  “Really?” Abby squeaked. “He’s shooting a movie in Winterville?”

  I rolled my eyes at her. She was clearly more excited about the prospect than I was. “Yes. But it’s only going to mean aggravation. Roads will be closed, all the hotels will be booked, it’ll be a mess of paparazzi. Trust me, this isn’t a good thing.”

  Abby sobered and considered what I said. I knew she wasn’t done. She just had to figure out a new way to attack the problem.

  “Maybe he leaked the photos because you live here. A little added drama for the upcoming movie. Real life drama.”

  I sighed but knew she was right. That was so Patrick. Anything for his career. I knew that well. “Dammit. I bet that’s exactly what he did.”

  “This is good though. He’ll be here. You can get your revenge on him when he’s in town.”

  A dangerous thought filled my head. It was perfect. I’d have the chance to ruin him. To do to him exactly what he did to me. To show all of Hollywood exactly who he was.

  “The only problem is I don’t have any sort of clearance. They keep those things tight. I could try to get on as an extra, but the extras don’t interact with the director or the actors.”

  “What about an interview or something? Get an entertainment channel to do an exclusive with both of you. Promise them some kind of drama. Maybe not what you’ve got in mind for him, but something.”

  It was the perfect angle. Exactly what they looked for. The failed actress. The successful director ex. And the scandal that surrounds them as he travels to her town for his new movie.

  I could see them salivating over it.

  I just had to find a way to convince Patrick it would be good for his career. Make him think it was his idea. After all, he was the one of the two of us who was still famous. The one that would be the real draw to the interview. I had no doubt he’d make sure I was well aware of that.

  And it would only make taking him down that much better. He’d never even see it coming.

  I just had to figure out how to make it happen.

  Chapter 3

  I avoided work for the next two days. Thankfully Mom didn’t argue with me. She understood it was hard for me to face the life I’d left behind. The life that chewed me up and spit me out. More reporters came into Coming Up Daisies, but Mom said she sent them packing.

  By Friday night though, I was getting stir crazy. I needed interaction with other people. Preferably not reporters, but if I was going to leave the house, I was taking my chances.

  Instead of eating another dinner with my parents, I poured myself into my favorite black skinny jeans and added a pool blue top. The color made my hazel eyes brighter and the lacy edge accentuated my hips. The low cut neckline helped my cleavage look bigger and gave me the appearance of an hourglass figure.

  Although more of a Marilyn Monroe figure than a Kardashian one.

  I was okay with that.

  With black boots and silver jewelry, I was ready to find some entertainment of my own. Armed with my Prada bag and the thick skin I grew in California, I headed out for dinner.

  Instead of one of the smaller places I’d tended toward since I got back, I needed crowds and noise and anonymity. Malley’s was rarely my scene, but it was always full of people on a Friday night and I could get lost in there without a problem.

  The parking lot was jammed but I managed to grab one of the last few spots. It was still early, but that meant the night could only get better. Inside was just as crowded as the parking lot and I had to squeeze my way to the bar for a drink.

  “Cosmo,” I told the bartender with a wink.

  He smiled back and his eyes dipped to my cleavage. I was already feeling better. Thankfully, someone vacated a seat just after the bartender handed over my drink. I started to slide onto it the same time someone else went for it.

  “Excuse me,” I said, flashing him my best movie star grin.

  He returned my smile. “I apologize. I wasn’t paying attention.”

  “It’s okay. The place is pretty crowded. I guess seats are tough to come by.”

  His brown eyes scanned my body and paused on my breasts. He licked his lips slowly then met my eyes again. I held his gaze for a second then let my eyes roam over him. Broad shoulders. Tightly stretched Henley. Long fingers. Narrow waist. Long legs. I took my time going over him in reverse and let him see a smirk when our eyes collided again. That scruff on his chin was just long enough to leave a burn on my skin that would remind me of him for days.

  He was yummy.

  “I’m Noah.”

  I raised an eyebrow. “Do you have an ark?”

  He laughed, the deep timbre splitting the noise of the bar around us. He leaned in closer, the stool still between us, and said, “I’d build one for you.”

  I snorted. “Does that line ever work?”

  He shrugged. “Never used it before. You tell me.”

  I considered him for a long moment. He was hot, definitely. And clever. Maybe a bit cheesy, but I was okay with that.

  “I think I’d let you buy me a drink.”

  He grinned, a full smile that made the shitty week I’d had more of a memory. “I can do that,” he said. “What do I have to do to get your name?”

  I tapped my lip with my index finger and considered his question. If he was another reporter, which was definitely possible, he knew my name. Of course, if he was playing me, he was doing a hell of a job.

  “How about tell me what you do for a living and I’ll tell you my name.”

  His eyebrows pulled together, but he shrugged. “I’m an oncology nurse. I work at Winterville Memorial in the pediatric chemo wing.”

  Damn. If I was looking for a relationship, a guy like Noah would be it. He worked with sick kids? Did it get any sweeter and sexier than that?

  But I was content being single. And besides, I wasn’t planning to make Winterville home for much longer. My dad was feeling better and I needed to get back to the real world, and a real life.

  “Impressive. A deal’s a deal. My name is Tara.”

  “Tara,” he said, his eyes sparkling. “It suits you.”

  I lifted an eyebrow. “How so?”

  He shrugged. “No nonsense. Not frilly. Strong.”

  “How do you know if I’m any of those things?”

  “I can sense things about people.”

  “What kind of things?”

  He leaned closer. “Well, first, I know you’re dying to finally sit on this stool we’re both hovering around. Second, I know you’re here tonight because you’re trying to get away from something or someone. Third, I’m pretty sure you wouldn’t slap me if I tried to kiss you, but you really don’t want me to in the middle of such a public place.”

  I slid on the stool, inching my body closer to his. He laughed and stood so I had room to sit. I turned toward him and my hands went to the front of his Henley and he stopp
ed laughing. His eyes darkened and held mine as my fingers worked their way up to his shoulders and around his neck. He leaned toward me as I pulled him in. He didn’t pause or wait for me to meet him halfway. He just claimed my lips.

  Damn could he kiss.

  His lips were warm against mine. Soft. His hands fell to my hips and tugged me against his body. He wasn’t much taller than me, but not many men were. At 5’10”, kissing could get awkward, but with Noah it was perfect. He was perfect.

  Then his tongue traced the seam of my lips and I stopped thinking.

  I opened for him, reaching for his tongue with my own. He tasted like beer but smelled like heaven. His masculine scent filled my lungs as his erection filled the space between us. His tongue swept through my mouth, tasting me, exploring. He wasn’t in a hurry to slow things down and I was more than happy to let him take his time. When he started to ease back, he kissed me again once, then dove right back in for another toe-curling kiss that left me panting, completely oblivious to the scene we were making on a bar stool.

  “I might have to take you home with me tonight,” he whispered against my lips when we finally came up for air. “If you kiss like that, I don’t think I can pass up a chance to find out how we would be in bed.”

  I grinned. “I thought you were going to buy me a drink.”

  He pulled back slightly and lifted an eyebrow. I could get used to that quirky, amused expression on his handsome face. He could have easily been a movie star. Instead, he was doing something amazing with his life. Helping kids who were fighting for their lives. I’d never been that selfless, but I had a lot of time left to make things right.

  “One drink,” Noah said firmly. “Then you’re mine.”

  “Just for tonight,” I said. “I don’t do relationships anymore.”

  He smirked. “I knew you were running from something.”

  I let it go, not wanting to get into anything that had to do with Patrick or my life. Noah was a hell of a kisser and hopefully sensational in bed, but I’d never see him again. He didn’t need to know more about me than he already did.