Exposed: Laid Bare (Laid Bare #1)

Exposed: Laid Bare (Laid Bare #1)

S.R. Grey



A sexy novella where things are not always as they appear. Enter the Laid Bare world only if you dare.



There’s something about Lucien Chambers. Something beyond his amazing success, his good looks, and his uncanny ability to turn everything he touches to gold.



In the eyes of the world, Lucien is a sexy and savvy business man. But when a na?ve photographer, Dahlia Vaughn, is hired to take pictures of the hot entrepreneur, she discovers Mr. Chambers may be much more than what he seems.





Just as I was taking in a sweeping gaze of the most magnificent Christmas party I’d ever attended, someone snuck up behind me and whispered in my ear, “You are such a little bitch, Dahlia.”

“Veronica,” I huffed, annoyed.

I tried to spin around to confront my verbal assailant—who also happened to be my best friend and cousin who delighted in driving me crazy—but before I could get my bearings, Veronica’s delicate, slender fingers slid over my eyes.

Everything went black, but the smells and sounds of the holidays were still all around me. Eggnog and cinnamon scents punctuated the air, and the comforting lull of classic holiday tunes filled my ears. But with my sight obscured as it was, there would be no more gazing at the yards and yards of multi-colored, twinkling lights draped from the raw wood beam rafters above me, and no more admiring the sparkling, decorated fifteen-foot fir in the far corner of the large banquet hall the party was being held in.

Prior to Veronica’s interruption, I’d been mesmerized by the tree with its shiny glass ornaments and bright lights adorning the branches. I found it amazing how the holiday glow made all the beautiful party guests look even more dazzling. Glamorous and sophisticated, all dressed in their holiday party finest and milling around, drinking too much champagne, having too much fun. But the glitz and glamour were momentarily hidden from me, thanks to Veronica’s hand over my eyes.

“Are you done,” I inquired. I made my tone sound miffed, but I wasn’t, not really.

“No, and don’t look now,” she replied from behind me, hand still in place.

“As if I could,” I interjected as I shifted from one way-too-high stiletto heel to the other. “So, why am I a bitch?” I continued. “And why in God’s name are you still covering my eyes?”

“First, you’re not really a bitch,” Veronica replied apologetically. “And secondly, the answer to your other question, my dear, just walked in the door.”

Aha! Her answer, not to mention her tone, meant one thing and one thing only—he was here.

Oh, boy.

I pushed Veronica’s hand away, blinked twice, and peered through the crowd. It wasn’t hard to spot the man I sought, not with his commanding height and his room-filling presence. He radiated confidence and outshined even the loveliest of guests. With his coal-black hair and, seemingly, even darker eyes, combined with a lithe body and the best bone structure I’d ever seen on a man, Lucien Chambers was quite the male specimen. Still, I could barely believe what was so clearly in front of me—Mr. Chambers, guest of honor at this year’s Lucent Magazine bigwig holiday party, had actually taken it upon himself to grace everyone with his presence.

Interesting.

Lucien, entrepreneur, millionaire at age twenty-four—multi-millionaire three years later—was successful and loaded. And at age twenty-nine, as of last month, he’d been declared Chicago’s most eligible bachelor.

Well, he definitely deserved the title. Lucien was rich, stunning to look at, and available. I’d previously read that he dated frequently—usually beautiful models, of course—but he’d never gotten married. Perhaps he’d just never found the right one.

No surprise there. I imagined a man such as Lucien would possess rather discerning tastes.

Glancing over at my beautiful cousin, I thought about how Veronica would have been a good match for Lucien. With platinum blonde hair that flowed to her waist, a killer body, and icy blue eyes, she was almost as stunning as Lucien…almost. Oh well. Too bad she was engaged.

I returned my attention back to the situation at hand, murmuring, “Hmm, this is unusual.”

“What?” I could feel Veronica’s cool blue eyes on me, assessing.

“Nobody thought Mr. Chambers would put in an appearance tonight, given his reclusive nature.”

“Well, he’s here,” she replied matter-of-factly.

Yes, he sure was. And—uh-oh—he was currently walking my way.

“Shit,” I hissed rather loudly.

Veronica paid me no heed, though. She was too busy leaning into me and whispering in my ear, “Oh, Dahl, just look at him. That man is so damn sexy.”

“I am looking,” I said.

And, oh, was I ever. It was almost impossible not to stare, as Lucien was one smoking hot man. And tonight he looked especially magnificent in his dark gray suit, the ritzy fabric allowing his body to move elegantly and fluidly.

“Wow,” I sighed. “He is impressive, right?”

“For sure,” Veronica murmured.

There was something more about the man, though, something beyond his great looks that made him so appealing. Lucien was a man with great confidence.

Conversely, I was the exact opposite—a woman with very little confidence.