Waking Up to You: Overexposed

by Leslie Kelly

  She parked in front of the house, slipped from the car and hurried to the cottage. Reaching for the knob, she thought twice, knowing if this was the beginning of the rest of their lives, she needed to start on the right foot.

  She knocked.

  This wouldn’t be about coercion, letting herself in, seducing him—although she hoped she’d get that chance later. She wanted him to let her in, to give her a chance.

  Just one chance to win him.

  A light flipped on and she released the breath she’d been holding. She’d guessed correctly.

  The door slowly opened, and he saw her there. His eyes widened a tiny bit, but his mouth remained set in a firm line. No smile tugged at it, no welcoming glimmer of happiness. He merely waited. Watching, assessing. But she’d bet the wheels were churning away in his mind as he tried to figure out what she was doing at his door.

  “May I come in?”

  Stepping out of the way, he gestured for her to enter, still not speaking.

  “I thought I’d find you here.”

  He finally spoke. “Why did you come?”

  “To claim you.”

  That surprised a flinch out of him. “Huh?”

  Though she desperately wanted to slide her arms around his neck and pull him down for a warm kiss that would do a better job of explaining why she was here, she knew she had to give him the gift he’d given her earlier—utter and complete honesty.

  “I love you, Oliver.”

  He nodded slowly. “You said that earlier.”

  “Yes. But I didn’t say that I want to be with you, for as long as you’ll have me. I want to stay here and build a life with you. To help you figure out what you want to do with your life.”

  He looked stunned.

  “Maybe you’ll want to go back into law, or maybe you won’t. Maybe you’ll want to stay here and help Grandpa turn this into a premiere winery. You can grow grapes, I can draw costumes and we’ll drink wine and live.”

  He stepped closer, not reaching for her, but looking more hopeful by the second. “What about your engagement?”

  “It’s over.”

  His relief was visible. Because she’d known he hadn’t wanted her doing anything purely for his sake, she explained the whole story, telling him about her sister’s plans to stay in L.A., which, frankly, made her very happy on many levels.

  “But you didn’t ask her to?”

  “No, I swear. I was just about to tell Tommy we needed to find another solution because I couldn’t give you up. But before I said anything, Madison jumped in and offered to be the phony fiancée for a while.”

  She wasn’t entirely sure Madison had been serious about the screenplay-writing thing. It was possible, though. Her sister had recently hinted that she wasn’t happy with her job, despite how hard she’d worked toward a career in journalism. Mad had always loved to write, and had thought hard-hitting news articles would be her forte. She’d also been great at creative writing, so perhaps this idea of hers hadn’t been just a throwaway offer meant to make Candace not feel so guilty. Maybe she really wanted this shot at a new career. Candace certainly hoped so anyway.

  “So she’s not giving up her dreams so you can have yours?”

  “No, I really don’t think she was.”

  They fell silent, staring at one another. She saw him processing everything, that keen mind evaluating all that had happened...what she’d said, what she’d done, what it meant.

  “I love you,” she repeated, holding nothing back, her voice thick with emotion.

  He took a step closer. Then another, until he stood a foot away, close enough for her to feel the warmth of his body. Far enough away for her to miss it.

  “Say something,” she said.

  His perfect mouth widened little by little, until that sexy grin appeared, stopping her heart and chasing away all her misgivings.

  “Something.”

  Laughter spilled from her mouth. “Jerk.”

  He didn’t torment her anymore, didn’t hesitate. He reached for her, wrapping his arms around her and drawing her hard against his body. His mouth covered hers, lips parting, in a kiss that seemed like a very long time coming, though they’d only been apart for a few hours. With that kiss, she told him again and again how she felt, and knew he was saying the same thing.

  Eventually, he picked her up in his arms and carried her to the steps. Carrying her up them, he began to whisper the sweetest things—promises, dreams, hopes for the future.

  All she’d ever hoped for. All she’d ever wanted.

  “I love you, Candace. I want you with me always. I want to go to bed with you every night and wake up with you every morning. And I promise I’ll do everything I can to make you happy.”

  This time the wetness in her eyes was brought on by pure joy. She knew he meant what he said, knew she could trust him with everything—her heart, her body, her life.

  He was her present and her future.

  Her everything.

  And she was his.

  Epilogue

  The Hollywood Tattler: She’s Landed The Big One!

  Well, it’s official. Superhunk Thomas Shane has announced his engagement to his childhood sweetheart, a private, reclusive journalist from New York, who has recently moved with him into a new oceanfront home. A certain Ms. Reid is sporting an enormous ring that even Jennifer Aniston would covet, and has quickly settled into life on the West Coast.

  The happy couple has been seen romancing all over town, with cozy dinner dates in exclusive restaurants, and late nights dancing at all the hot spots. Sources say these two put off some major heat—theirs is obviously a real love match.

  Shane’s future wife is also rumored to be writing a screenplay adaptation of a recent blockbuster, with an eye toward her future husband landing the leading role. Sounds like the birth of another Hollywood supercouple!

  Don’t you just love happily-ever-afters?

  * * * * *

  Leslie Kelly

  Overexposed

  Contents

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Epilogue

  Excerpt

  Prologue

  THEY CALLED HER the Crimson Rose.

  As her name was announced in sultry, almost reverent tones at Leather and Lace, an exclusive men’s club, an awed quiet began to slither through the crowd. The room stilled, noisy conversation giving way to quiet expectation.

  Businessmen in open-collared shirts stopped their whispered flirtations with waitresses wearing tiny black skirts and skimpy tops. Attendees of an entire bachelor party returned to their table, elbowing the groom to watch and weep. Single men who came every week just to see her sat back in plush leather chairs and stared rapt at the stage through hooded eyes. The ice tinkling against their glasses was soon the only sound in the lushly appointed room, even the servers knew better than to interrupt the clientele when the Rose was on stage.

  She danced only twice a week—on Saturdays and Sundays—and since the night she’d started, the Crimson Rose had become one of the hottest attractions in the Chicago club scene. Because while the jaded city had long been used to hard-looking dancers taking off their clothes and gyrating to the heavy beat of sexual music, they simply hadn’t seen anything like her.

  She wasn’t hard-looking, she was elegant. Her delicate features and natural curves made every man who saw her wonder what it would feel like to touch her creamy skin.

  She didn’t strip...she undressed. Slowly. Seductively. As if she had all the time in the world to give a man pleasure.

  She didn’t gyrate, she swayed, moving with fluid grace. Every gesture, every turn an invitation to gaze at her.

  Her sound wasn’
t sexual, it was sensual, erotic and soulful enough to make a man close his eyes and appreciate it. Though, of course, when she was onstage none ever would.

  While her job might have diminished some women in the eyes of those around her, the Rose owned it, embraced it, lifted it up to a level of art rather than pure sexual titillation.

  She liked what she did. And they liked watching her.

  The low, sultry thrum of a smoky number began, but the stage remained dark as the workers put final placement on a portable red satin curtain, used only by her. It had been a recent addition by the management, who’d realized that the high-class, stage-performer feel was part of the Crimson Rose’s appeal. As was the mystery.

  While most of the other dancers at the club performed under bright overhead light and full exposure, the Rose danced in shadow and pools of illumination provided by precisely timed spotlights. Her red velvet mask never came off. Most figured the management was playing upon the popularity of the aura of secrecy surrounding the Rose.

  Finally the music grew louder, the gelled spotlights, ranging in color from soft pink to bloodred, illuminated the stage, dancing back and forth, each briefly touching on one spot: the seam of the closed satin curtain.

  “Now, for your viewing delight,” said a smooth male from the sound system, “Chicago’s perfect bloom, the Crimson Rose.”

  No one clapped or whispered. No one moved. All eyes were on the center of the curtain, where a hand began to emerge.

  It was pale. Delicate, with long fingers and slender wrists. A colorful design—painted-on body art—began at the tip of one finger, with a tiny leaf. It connected to a vine, which wound up her hand, around her wrist. As her arm emerged, more of the leafy vine, complete with sharp thorns, was revealed. It glittered, sensuous and wicked, alluring and dangerous.

  Sinuous, slow, unhurried, she emerged from the drape, until she was fully revealed. But her head remained down, her long reddish-brown hair concealing her face.

  The tempo throbbed. The dancer stayed still, as if completely oblivious to the crowd. Finally, the spotlights changed color, the vibrant reds giving way to a soft morning-yellow. And, as if she were a tightly wound blossom being awakened by a gentle dawn, the Rose began to move.

  Her head slowly lifted, the delicate beauty of her pale throat emphasized by more body art. Her hair fell back as she turned toward the light, as if welcoming the morning.

  Her full lips—red and wet—were parted, sending vivid images and erotic fantasies into the mind of every man close enough to see their glisteny sheen.... This was a woman made for the art of kissing. And sensual pleasure.

  There the view of her face stopped. A soft red velvet mask covered the rest. The mask glittered with green jewels like those in the vine, leaving her audience certain that the temptress’s eyes must be a pure, vivid emerald. Most already knowing the mystery of her face would not be revealed, her admirers refocused their attention to the rest of her.

  She wore layers of soft fabric, cut in petal shapes. Still like the flower being awakened by the sun, she began to indulge in the spotlight’s warmth. Swaying, she stretched lazily like a cat in a puddle of light. Her movements were unhurried, revealing a length of thigh, a glimmer of hip.

  Then the tempo picked up. So did her pace. She arched and swayed across the stage with feminine grace. But to most, she appeared lonely—removed from her surroundings—revealing a sensual want that begged for fulfillment that would never come.

  Anyone in the audience would have fulfilled it for her.

  Anyone.

  Every move she made set the billowing layers of her costume in motion, until the petals nearly danced around her on their own. They parted to reveal her slender legs, providing a peek here and a glimpse there.

  And then they started to disappear.

  Every man in the place leaned forward. Wherever she turned, another bit of fabric hit the floor. Her hands moved so effortlessly that the layers seemed to fall by themselves. The light pinks and puffy outer veil went first, followed by the heavier satin pieces. Soon her long, perfectly toned legs were revealed up to the thigh. A drape of satin covering her stomach fell next, torn away from the strings of a bikini top.

  She continued her siren’s dance as the fabric fell away, the tempo pushing harder, her hips thrusting in response. Finally, when she wore nothing but a sparkly red G-string and two tiny delicate pink petals on the tips of her breasts, she glanced at the audience, deigning to give them her attention. Normally, at this point, she would offer a saucy smile, pluck the petals off her nipples, then duck behind her curtains. She’d give them a glimpse—quick, heart-stoppingly sexy—then disappear into the dark recesses of the club until her second performance of the night. But tonight...tonight, she hesitated. No. Tonight, she froze.

  Because as she cast a final glance at her audience, seeing a number of familiar faces in the crowd, her attention was captured by a shadowy figure standing in the back of the room, beside the bar. Ignoring the expectant hush from those familiar with her performance, all of whom were waiting for the payoff moment they’d come to see, she focused all her attention on him.

  She couldn’t see much at that distance, both because of the mask she wore and the spotlights still shining in her face. But she saw enough to send her heart—already beating frantically due to her performance—into hyperdrive.

  From here, he appeared black-haired and black-eyed and black-clothed. She could make out none of his features, just that tall, dark presence—broad of shoulder, slim-hipped. He might be dangerous, given his size and the shadowy darkness swallowing him from her view—but now, at this moment, she felt lured by him. Entranced. Captivated.

  Their eyes locked. He knew he had her attention. And in that moment, she desperately wanted to walk off the stage, across the room, close enough to see if his face was as handsome as his shadowy form hinted. Then closer—to see what truths lay in the mysterious depths of those inky black eyes.

  But suddenly someone whistled...someone else catcalled. She realized she’d lost track of the music and the dance and the audience and her reasons for being here.

  Titillation. Seduction. Those were her reasons for being here. Which made it that much more strange that, right now, the Rose was the one who felt seduced.

  Enough. Time to finish.

  Sweeping her gaze across the crowd, she gave them all a wickedly sexy look, as if her pause had been entirely purposeful. And entirely for their personal delight. In it, she invited them to imagine just who had her breathing hard—licking her lips in anticipation. Who had her skin flushed and her sex damp and her nipples rock hard.

  She only wished she knew the answer.

  With one more sidelong glance through half-lowered lashes, she reached for the tiny petals—pink, to match the tender skin of her taut nipples—and plucked them off.

  The crowd was roaring as she disappeared behind the curtain. They cheered for several long minutes during which she regained her breath and tried to force her pulse to return to its normal, measured beat.

  When it did, she took a chance and peeked through the curtain, her stare zoning in on that dark place by the bar.

  But the shadowy stranger was gone.

  1

  FOR THE FIRST two weeks after he’d returned from the Middle East, Nick Santori genuinely didn’t mind the way his family fussed over him. There were big welcome-home barbecues in the tiny backyard of the row house where he’d been raised. There were even bigger dinners at the family owned pizzeria that had been his second home growing up.

  He’d been dragged to family weddings by his mother and into the kitchen of the restaurant by his father. He’d had wet, sticky babies plopped in his lap by his sisters-in-law, and had been plied with beer by his brothers, who wanted details on everything he’d seen and done overseas. And he’d had rounds of drinks raised in his honor by near-strangers who, having suitably praised him as a patriot, wanted to go further and argue the politics of the whole mess.

&nbs
p; That was where he drew the line. He didn’t want to talk about it. After twelve years in the Corps, several of them on active duty in Iraq, he’d had enough. He didn’t want to relive battles or wounds or glory days with even his brothers and he sure as hell wouldn’t justify his choice to join the military to people he’d never even met.

  At age eighteen, fresh out of high school with no interest in college and even less in the family business, entering the Marines had seemed like a kick-ass way to spend a few years.

  What a dumb punk he’d been. Stupid. Unprepared. Green.

  He’d quickly learned...and he’d grown up. And while he didn’t regret the years he’d spent serving his country, he sometimes wished he could go back in time to smack that eighteen-year-old around and wake him up to the realities he’d be facing.

  Realities like this one: coming home to a world he didn’t recognize. To a family that had long since moved on without him.

  “So you hanging in?” asked his twin, Mark, who sat across from him in a booth nursing a beer. His brothers had all gotten into the habit of stopping by the family owned restaurant after work a few times a week.

  “I’m doing okay.”

  “Feeling that marinara running through your veins again?”

  Nick chuckled. “Do you think Pop has ever even realized there’s any other kind of food?”

  Mark shook his head. Reaching into a basket, he helped himself to a bread stick. “Do you think Mama has ever even tried to cook him any?”

  “Good point.” Their parents were well matched in their certainty that any food other than Italian was unfit to eat.

  “Is she still griping because you wouldn’t move back home?”

  Nodding, Nick grabbed a bread stick of his own. For all his grumbling, he wouldn’t trade his Pop’s cooking for anything...especially not the never-ending MRE’s he’d had to endure in the military. “She seems to think I’d be happy living in our old room with the Demi Moore Indecent Proposal poster on the wall. It’s like walking into a frigging time warp.”