
Title: Strings
Author: Dawn L. Chiletz
Genre: Contemporary Romance/Suspense/Lite Humor


Agreeing to fake a relationship with a stranger for a few hours doesnāt seem like too much to ask for someone whoās 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.
Weāre all attached to something. Some strings are invisible - until theyāre not.

Bella motions two fingers from her eyes to me to let me know sheās watching me. It almost makes me snort-laugh. Watch me, bitch. Watch me all you want. Now that Iām 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. Sheās a rich girl who thinks she can have whatever she wants. I start to genuinely feel sorry for Sebastian. He seems like heās being honest and sheās 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. āOh, Sebastian, darling, itās not your fault. Some people are just crazy.ā
I face forward in my seat and place our entwined hands on my thigh, knowing Bella is watching. āItās only a couple of hours. Iāve got you,ā I whisper, leaning toward him.
āReally? You are solid gold. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. Iāll never forget this.ā
āYouāre lucky I have a big heart, Bash.ā
āBash?ā
āIāll call you whatever I want and youāll like it.ā
He smiles and my heart feels odd. Can helping someone actually make you feel good?
āDo you think perhaps I could know your name? I mean, weāre holding hands and you are my girlfriend for the next few hours.ā
āSā¦ā I stop myself. Shit, I almost gave him my old name. āNataliaā¦ Natalia Pearson. My friends call me Nat.ā It feels odd as it leaves my mouth. The truth is I have no real friends and Iāve never told a soul my new name before, unless you count Joey the Juggler when he forged all my new documents.
āAnd youāre okay with that?ā he asks.
āWhat?ā I question, wondering if I spoke my thoughts out loud.
āYouāre okay that your friends refer to you as a cumbersome insect that flies in swarms and bites people?ā
āCumbersome? Grand? Solid gold? Who talks like that? What are you, sixty? And no, itās not G-N-A-T like the bug. Itās Nat. Itās cute, like a cool chick you want to drink beers and play pool with.ā
He scrunches his face and shakes his head. āI refuse to call you Nat. Youāre too sweet to be a bug.ā
Iām sure he thinks heās being nice, and maybe someone else would see it as a compliment, but Iām not sweet. He doesnāt know me. And Iām kind of pissed he dissed my nickname for myself. I liked it perfectly well until now. Why is he ruining this moment for me?
āThen donāt say my name. Itās not like youāll need to say it in the next one hundred and forty minutes or so weāll be pretend dating.ā
āTrue.ā
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 Iām not that girl anymore.


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 sheās not binge writing or reading, youāll 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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