Exposed: An Anthology

by Brooke Cumberland

  “Let’s go eat.” He grabbed my hand and I followed him through the restaurant and then through a door.

  “Wow.” I stepped out the door and saw the candlelit tables overlooking the great expanse of water that was lit up by the huge condos on the other side. “This is magnificent.”

  “I had to make our first date special.” Braydon smiled and we sat down. “And let me recommend the Strawberry Mule to drink, it’s delicious.”

  “Done.” I grinned. “Alcohol and strawberries sound good to me.”

  “I love a girl who is easy to please.”

  “Well, that’s me.” I laughed.

  “On our next date, I’m going to take you on my boat.”

  “Oh.” I bit my lip and leaned forward. “About that …”

  “Oh no, did I do something wrong already?” He sighed and slapped his forehead.

  “No, no, no. Not at all,” I was quick to reassure him. I was actually enjoying my time with Braydon. More than I thought I would. “I’m having a good time, but I’m actually leaving Miami tomorrow.”

  “Wait, what?” He frowned. “For good? Aren’t you in school?”

  “I am in school.” I smiled, slightly embarrassed. “I’m going to withdraw from my classes and I’m not sure how long I’ll be gone.”

  “Sorry. I’m really confused here.”

  “I got a job. It’s related to my major, so I thought it would help me in my career, you know.”

  “Are you going to be teaching history to kids in Africa or something?”

  “No.” I laughed. “I’m going to be helping with a documentary that will be focusing on the era of my studies.”

  “Oh, wow. A documentary?” He looked intrigued and then the expression on his face changed and he looked somewhat angry. “Please do not tell me that Zane Beaumont is in any way involved with this documentary.”

  I bit my lip and stared at Braydon’s handsome face across the table. I didn’t know what to say.

  “He is, isn’t he? That asshole.”

  “He’s not an asshole,” I spoke quietly, defending a man I wasn’t sure actually deserved to be defended.

  “He did this because of me, you know,” Braydon hissed. “He must have heard me telling Evan how nice I thought you were and how I was interested in you.”

  “I’m sure he didn’t hire me because of that.” I frowned.

  “Trust me.” Braydon frowned. “I didn’t even know he was making a documentary.”

  “Well, he is.” I looked down at the menu, uncomfortable with where the conversation was going.

  “He needs to just get over this bullshit,” Braydon swore and I saw his fists clenching.

  “What bullshit?” I asked curiously.

  “With Noah.” He frowned and looked out at the bay. “He needs to fucking move on.”

  I sat back and wished that I was still at home. Braydon’s mood had changed and I was no longer comfortable in his presence. “What does Noah do?” I asked, hoping to finally get some information about Zane’s brother.

  Braydon looked back at me with clouded eyes, and attempted a smile. “Let’s not talk about the Beaumonts right now.”

  “Okay.” I tried to hide my disappointment. What was the big secret about Noah?

  “So where in L.A. will you be?”

  “I’m not sure.” I shrugged.

  “Can I come out and see you?”

  “Come out where?”

  “To L.A., silly.”

  “Oh. Sure. Though, I’m not really sure how busy I’ll be.”

  “Can I ask you something, Lucky?” Braydon’s voice was serious and I nodded slowly, wondering what he wanted to ask me. “Do you like me?”

  “I think you seem like a nice guy, yes,” I answered, truthfully.

  “Could you see yourself dating me?”

  “I don’t know.” I frowned. “I don’t really know you well enough to answer that.”

  “Would you give me the opportunity to get to know you better?” Braydon looked bashful. “I’m not sure I’ve ever met a girl that Zane and I both seem to like.”

  “Sorry, what?” Why had he brought up Zane’s name?

  “It’s obvious to me that Zane wants to get into your pants. I don’t know if he was interested in you before he saw us together, but I’m pretty sure he wants you now. I don’t—”

  “Stop.” I held my hand up. “I like you, Braydon. You seem like a nice guy. Please don’t bring Zane into this. I would like to get to know you better. If you’re in Los Angeles, give me a call and we can talk.”

  “I don’t want you to get hurt, Lucky. Zane’s not a nice guy,” Braydon said earnestly.

  “And you are?” I laughed, not quite believing that both guys had warned me off of each other.

  “I am, actually.” He sat back. “I have a good family. My parents are still together. I’m looking for love. Real love. Not Hollywood love.”

  “I see.”

  “I’m sure plenty of guys say that though, right?”

  “Some do.”

  “I don’t expect you to trust me just because. I would like to prove myself to you.”

  “You don’t even know me.” I looked at him incredulously. “I’m no one. You don’t have to prove anything to me.”

  “I’m going to sound crazy right now, but have you ever just met someone and knew?”

  “Knew what?”

  “Knew that they were the one?”

  “I don’t know.” I bit my lip. “I think that’s lust.”

  “Lust is immediately knowing you want to get into bed with someone.” He laughed. “I’ve felt that many times, but that’s not what I felt when I saw you for the first time.”

  “Oh?”

  “You looked so innocent at the party. You stood out among all the other girls. I saw you cringe when Evan started talking to you. I saw the red creep up your face, and I saw the look of thanks as I came to save you.”

  “Thank you for that, I wasn’t sure how I was going to get away from Evan.” I faked a shudder, hoping he would change the subject.

  “And as soon as you looked into my eyes, I felt a connection with you.” Braydon chuckled again. “I feel like I’m in a movie right now. This has never happened to me before.”

  “It does feel like a movie, doesn’t it?”

  “I’m going to be honest, Lucky, I’ve haven’t been the best guy. I’ve done things I’m not proud of, but I’m serious about wanting to settle down.”

  “This isn’t a proposal, is it?” My voice rose with fear. I knew I sounded crazy, but I had read enough celebrity magazines to know that actors moved fast when they wanted to. Braydon seemed like a nice guy and I wanted a guy who was looking for a serious commitment, but I wasn’t a desperado.

  “A proposal?” Braydon looked taken aback and I laughed.

  “Okay, no need to have a heart attack. I was just checking. You never know with you guys.”

  “I’m coming on pretty strong, huh?”

  “You could say that.” I sipped my drink. “Let’s just enjoy some good food. I think I’ve had too many intense conversations today.”

  “Okay. That sounds like a plan.” Braydon looked bashful and I felt bad for him, but I was not in the mood for another life-defining moment.

  “I guess it would be too much to ask you what other intense conversations you had today?”

  “Yes, yes it would.” I racked my brain for something else to talk about. “So what made you want to be an actor?”

  “My parents.” He laughed. “My mom was obsessed with Hollywood. She had tried to be an actress for so long, but she never made it, so she ended up marrying my dad instead. And from the age of six months, she paraded me to every agent there was. I suppose it helped that I was a cute kid.”

  “With your thick blond hair and big brown eyes.” I laughed.

  “Yeah.” He grinned. “I got lucky, actually.” He laughed. “No pun intended. The blond-haired, blue-eyed babies were a dime a dozen, but the bl
ond-haired and brown-eyed kids were pretty hard to come by.”

  “You were a diamond in a store of sapphires.” I groaned at my analogy. “Well, you know what I mean.”

  “Yes, I do. And you’re correct. I was lucky and got cast from an early age, and there’s been no looking back.”

  “Now you’re Braydon Eagle, successful movie star.” I smiled gently, still slightly fazed that I was sitting across the table from him. I felt a bit troubled that I wasn’t able to enjoy the moment more, as my mind was still on Zane.

  “Well, if you think riches equal success, then yes. But if you equate success by good friends and love, then no.” He sighed.

  “Well, you have one, and hopefully, the others will come soon.”

  “I hope so as well.” He looked at me intently. “It’s funny. They say that one man can’t have everything. But I want to prove them wrong.”

  “You mean the career and money versus love debate?”

  “Yeah. I used to think for a long time that love was closed off to me. Being an actor, you never really know who you can trust. I thought I would just have to accept the groupies and accept that I would have a trophy wife. But now …”

  I didn’t want to ask him, but now what? In all honesty, he was starting to get on my nerves. He had only known me for a day or so. I’m not a bombshell and I didn’t think my conversation had been that witty, either. I mean, I know I’m pretty friendly, but I didn’t think I was great enough to warrant the endless stream of wonder and praise that was emanating from his mouth. Perhaps his real goal should be to move from acting and become a poet. He certainly knew how to wax on. I started laughing to myself at my wax on thought and Braydon looked at me curiously.

  “Sorry, I didn’t mean to be funny. Am I boring you?”

  “No, of course not.” Yes, you are boring me, I thought. “Let’s talk about something else. This isn’t a Hollywood movie. We don’t have to fall in love in five seconds and have two point four kids in as many years.”

  “I’ve been accused of being a bit too serious in relationships.”

  “Oh?” Relationships? What was he talking about? I kept a pleasant smile on my face, but I was starting to think that Braydon Eagle was bonkers, and perhaps on drugs as well. I giggled and kept my head down. Shit, I thought to myself. The alcohol was getting to me. I was a pretty light drinker and I was pretty sure that this drink contained a high level of alcohol. I could feel that I was a little tipsy and I was scared I was going to tell Braydon just how ridiculous he was acting. And I didn’t want to do that. There was something about Braydon that I liked deep inside. He seemed like an honest, genuine guy. And I was surprised that I wasn’t in awe of him.

  “What are you thinking right now, Lucky?”

  “I’m thinking that this is a totally cool moment.” I grinned. “I’m here sitting with a huge star and I feel like I’m out with a regular friend.”

  “I like that.” Braydon smiled and we both laughed as a woman ran up to the table and asked him for an autograph. As Braydon smiled at the young lady and signed her napkin, I wondered at how down to earth he seemed. He was the sort of guy that I felt could make me happy. He was a forever sort of guy. I sat back and smiled to myself. Maybe everything was going to work out after all.

  ***

  “I’m so sorry for getting you home so late.” Braydon parked his car and turned to me. “I didn’t think we would be out this long.”

  “It’s okay.” I hiccupped and closed my eyes. “I shouldn’t have had so much to drink.”

  “You only had three.” He laughed.

  “I’m pretty sure each drink was like two and a half normal drinks,” I sighed. “I only hope I don’t have to be up too early tomorrow morning.”

  “What time is Zane picking you up?”

  “I forgot.” I started to shake my head and groaned. “Oh, my gosh. I need to go to bed. I feel like I’m going to be sick.”

  “Oh, no.” Braydon jumped out of the car and ran to open my door. “Maybe you should get out?”

  “I don’t want to puke in your Fiat,” I agreed.

  “It’s a Bugatti.”

  “Huh?” I frowned. “But it looks like a Fiat because it’s flat.” I laughed. “You have a flat Fiat and a big, hairy cat and it’s sitting on the mat wearing a woolly cap, no, no, wearing a woolly hat. The cat in the hat on the mat in the Fiat.” I laughed and fell against Braydon as he helped me out of the car.

  “You’re really drunk, aren’t you?”

  “Nope.” I hiccupped again. “I’m just relaxing before Zane takes me to L.A. to be his assistant.”

  “Yeah.” Braydon frowned. “You don’t have to go, you know. If you need a job, you can be my assistant.”

  “Really?” I looked at him in surprise. “Would I get a Fiat as well?”

  “I don’t …”

  “Wait until I tell Shayla and Maria that I’m getting a Fiat.” I laughed and then stopped still. “Oh, nooo, I can’t remember if I called them and told them about my new job.”

  “I’m sure you can do that in the morning.”

  “I’m so bad.”

  “I’m sure they will understand.” Braydon held on to my waist as we stood on the pavement. “Are you sure you don’t want to work for me instead of Zane?”

  “Zane brings a different girl to the diner every week. Can you believe that?” I shook my head. “A different beautiful girl every week. He is a player.”

  “That doesn’t surprise me.”

  “I have no interest in him, you know that?” I shouted. “I do not want him to kiss me.”

  “Can I kiss you?” Braydon leaned in towards me and I stared up into his brown eyes.

  “If it’s a kiss you want, you may have it,” I sang loudly and stuck my face up into the air with my eyes closed.

  “What’s going on here?” I heard Zane’s deep, gruff voice and opened my eyes, feeling disoriented. Was I so drunk that I was now having hallucinations?

  “Zane,” Braydon sighed and stepped back from me. “What are you doing here?”

  “I came to make sure Lucky got home safely,” Zane growled at Braydon as he glared at him. “I’ve been trying to call her all night.”

  “Zane?” I peered at him. “Is that you?”

  “Are you okay, Lucky?” He walked over to me and stared down into my eyes. I felt like he was trying to look into my soul.

  “Is that you, Mr. Big Tipper?” I laughed and touched his arm. “Oh, you’re real.”

  “Are you drunk?” He sighed and I bobbled.

  “And I need to go to bed.”

  “I was just taking her inside.” Braydon glared at Zane and attempted to push him out of the way.

  “I think I’ve got it from here, Eagle.” Zane grabbed my arm and turned his back to Braydon. “Lucky, are you always this reckless?”

  “Huh?” I frowned at his angry tone.

  “Last night you drove home late at night in a car you knew was faulty, and tonight you get drunk on a dinner date with a guy you barely know.”

  “I know him.”

  “You met Braydon before the party?”

  “Well, no, but I know him from movies.”

  “Lucky,” Zane’s voice sounded really angry, and I cringed.

  “Lucky, do you want me to escort you inside?” Braydon interjected.

  “I’m okay.” I shook my head and held on to Zane. “Thanks for a great evening. I’ll see you soon.”

  “Yes. I will be in Los Angeles very soon.” Braydon smiled sweetly at me. “And think about my offer as well. I would love to have you work for me.”

  “I will.” Hiccup.

  “Let’s go.” Before I could say a word, Zane was pulling my arm and dragging me away from Braydon.

  “That hurts,” I groaned.

  “What job is Braydon talking about?”

  “Huh?” I frowned and closed my eyes. “My head hurts. I just want to go to bed.”

  “Lucky, what if he’d tried to sleep with
you?”

  “Who?” I yawned, overcome with sleepiness.

  “Braydon.” He sighed.

  “You smell good.” I buried my head into his chest.

  “Is this your door?”

  “Yes.” I smiled up at him.

  “Where are your keys?”

  “My keys?” I closed my eyes again and put my arms around his waist. “You are so warm.”

  “Lucky, your keys.” Zane pulled me away from him and I groaned.

  “They’re in my purse,” I pouted and then giggled as he took my handbag from me and took out my keys. I stared at him as he opened the front door and I wondered at how handsome he was. He was too good-looking. “You’re too hot, you know that?”

  Zane ignored me and dragged me through the front door. “Okay, show me to your room.” He closed the door quietly and looked at me seriously.

  “Are you going to carry me?” I giggled.

  “No.” He frowned and sighed again. “What would you have done if I wasn’t here, Lucky?”

  “Nothing.” I frowned back at him. “Why?”

  “Do you know what Braydon could have done to you?” His voice was angry again. “Do I have to watch you 24/7?”

  Something in his voice reminded me of something that had been in my brain since I had seen him. “Why are you here?”

  “I told you. I was worried. I wanted to make sure you were okay.” He led me up the stairs. “And don’t try and change the subject.”

  “I’m not a baby. You don’t need to check up on me.”

  “I’ve been calling you all night.”

  “Oh, my battery died. Stupid phone.”

  “It’s irresponsible to go out with a dead phone battery,” Zane growled. “Especially when going out with a guy like Braydon.”

  “All Hollywood guys aren’t bad.”

  “I hope he didn’t drug you,” he hissed. “I’ve never seen you like this before.”

  “But you’ve never seen me out.”

  “I saw you last night.”

  “But I wasn’t really drinking.” I hiccupped. “I knew I had to drive home. I don’t drink and drive.”

  “Well, that’s good. I also advise that you don’t drink when you go out on dates with shady guys.”

  “Why do you dislike Braydon, Zane?” I asked him seriously. “Wait, this is my room.” I stopped suddenly.