Title: Strings
Author: Dawn L. Chiletz
Genre: Contemporary Romance/Suspense/Lite Humor
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Agreeing to fake a relationship with a stranger for a few hours doesnât seem like too much to ask for someone whoâs trying to be a better person. But when their paths cross again, that temporary agreement becomes a much longer, sexier, and more spirited commitment. One she may like more than she cares to admit.
Weâre all attached to something. Some strings are invisible - until theyâre not.
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Bella motions two fingers from her eyes to me to let me know sheâs watching me. It almost makes me snort-laugh. Watch me, bitch. Watch me all you want. Now that Iâm looking right at her, I realize she reminds me of a girl back home who always acted like she was better than everyone else. I feel myself grimacing. Sheâs a rich girl who thinks she can have whatever she wants. I start to genuinely feel sorry for Sebastian. He seems like heâs being honest and sheâs got coo-coo written on her face. So, I decide to do the only thing I can think of. I take his hand in mine and hold it on the armrest between us. Then I smile at her as I raise my voice. âOh, Sebastian, darling, itâs not your fault. Some people are just crazy.â
I face forward in my seat and place our entwined hands on my thigh, knowing Bella is watching. âItâs only a couple of hours. Iâve got you,â I whisper, leaning toward him.
âReally? You are solid gold. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. Iâll never forget this.â
âYouâre lucky I have a big heart, Bash.â
âBash?â
âIâll call you whatever I want and youâll like it.â
He smiles and my heart feels odd. Can helping someone actually make you feel good?
âDo you think perhaps I could know your name? I mean, weâre holding hands and you are my girlfriend for the next few hours.â
âSâ¦â I stop myself. Shit, I almost gave him my old name. âNatalia⦠Natalia Pearson. My friends call me Nat.â It feels odd as it leaves my mouth. The truth is I have no real friends and Iâve never told a soul my new name before, unless you count Joey the Juggler when he forged all my new documents.
âAnd youâre okay with that?â he asks.
âWhat?â I question, wondering if I spoke my thoughts out loud.
âYouâre okay that your friends refer to you as a cumbersome insect that flies in swarms and bites people?â
âCumbersome? Grand? Solid gold? Who talks like that? What are you, sixty? And no, itâs not G-N-A-T like the bug. Itâs Nat. Itâs cute, like a cool chick you want to drink beers and play pool with.â
He scrunches his face and shakes his head. âI refuse to call you Nat. Youâre too sweet to be a bug.â
Iâm sure he thinks heâs being nice, and maybe someone else would see it as a compliment, but Iâm not sweet. He doesnât know me. And Iâm kind of pissed he dissed my nickname for myself. I liked it perfectly well until now. Why is he ruining this moment for me?
âThen donât say my name. Itâs not like youâll need to say it in the next one hundred and forty minutes or so weâll be pretend dating.â
âTrue.â
He squeezes my hand and glances down at my fingers. I wonder if the pale pink color I chose suits a Natalia. I used to keep my nails a fire engine red, or sometimes black like my soul, but Iâm not that girl anymore.
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Dawn L. Chiletz resides in Illinois with her two boys and three dogs. She may not be a best-selling author yet, but she did have that little orange best-selling banner on Amazon for a few hours one time. When sheâs not binge writing or reading, youâll most likely find her on social media making a sarcastic comment or watching animal stories.
To find out more information, including her upcoming signings, please visit her website at: http://www.dawnlchiletz.com
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