No Strings Attached

Chapter 422

Sasha shoved him away with a roll of her eyes. “Cut it out. There’s nobody here.” Then, she spun on her heel and stepped into the elevator.

Chase followed her with a devilish grin plastered on his face. “Come on, we gotta act lovey-dovey like any other couple. You don’t want to mess up your good rep, do you?”

He reached out again, pulling Sasha close. She made a move to resist, but he leaned in and whispered tantalizingly in her ear, “I’ve got some juicy gossip about your best friend Clara. Play nice, and I’ll spill the beans.”

The mention of Clara perked Sasha up instantly. She looked up at him, all ears. “What’s the scoop? Spill it already!” Property belongs to Nôvel(D)r/ama.Org.

Chase lowered his voice. His gaze locked with Sasha’s. “Clara and Ian tied the knot. It’s official.”

He showed her the news on his phone. At the sight of the message, Sasha’s spirits soared. “I knew it! I had this hunch all day on set. It was a sign of good news coming my way.”

Chase chuckled at her excitement. “Or maybe it’s a sign that you’re about to land a handsome, loaded boyfriend.”

Sasha shot him a look. “Don’t forget. You’re just a stand-in.”

“What if one day the charade becomes the real deal?”

“Don’t hold your breath. It’s never going to happen.”

Sasha was too absorbed in the happy news about Clara and Ian to notice the expression on Chase’s face.

Even as they drove home, she drifted off to sleep, still babbling about the perfect wedding gift for Clara. Chase couldn’t resist pinching her nose affectionately. “Only when you’re out like this can I get some peace,” he mused in a husky tone.

Exhausted from a week of night shoots, Sasha slumped into the car seat and fell asleep instantly. She didn’t even stir when Chase carried her out of the car and into her house.

It wasn’t until her phone buzzed incessantly the next afternoon that she forced herself to sit up, groggy and irritable. “Who’s calling at this ungodly hour? Can’t a girl catch a break on her day off?”

With her eyes still closed, she answered the call. Her voice was hoarse and laced with the crankiness of being woken up. “Who is it?”

Chase couldn’t suppress his laughter when he heard her voice. “It’s me, your boyfriend.”

Sasha gnashed her teeth in annoyance. “Chase, for crying out loud! Quit your games! I’ve been working my tail off for a week straight, and you’ve ruined my one day off!”

She flopped back down and tossed her phone aside, pulling the covers over her head. Chase’s voice filtered through from the phone again. “Sasha, I made you breakfast. It’s in the thermal containers. Get up and eat. You haven’t had a bite in over 24 hours. You’ll wreck your stomach lining and end up with an ulcer, you know?”

Sasha flung off the covers, glaring at the phone. “Mind your own business!”

Chase’s voice was laced with amusement. “But you’re my girlfriend. Of course, I’m going to take care of you. Now be a good girl, eat your breakfast, then you can go back to sleep. Ian and Clara are hosting dinner tonight. I’ll swing by after work to pick you up.”

Lying in bed, staring at the ceiling, Sasha couldn’t shake Chase’s teasing voice from her head. She cursed inwardly, “This guy must be new to the game. Playing pretend boyfriend’s got him all fired

up. If we were really together, he’d be all over me every day.”

Despite her notorious grumpiness in the mornings, Sasha actually got out of bed and headed to the kitchen. On the counter, she found two pink thermal containers. She wondered when on earth those had appeared in her house. With curiosity piqued, Sasha opened them up, eager to see what culinary adventure Chase, the playboy, had embarked on for her.

“Please don’t tell me this is some kind of bizarre fusion cuisine.”