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Title: Confessions of a City Girl - Los Angelos
Author: Juliette Sobanet
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Chick Lit
Tour Organized by: Indie Sage, LLC
Goodreads: https://www.
Synopsis:
In their efforts to start a family, talented DC photographer Natasha Taylor and her professor
husband have plunged headfirst into the stressful world of fertility treatments, scheduled sex, and
IVF-induced debt. When an opportunity arises to sell a gallery left to Natasha by her late mother,
Natasha hopes the sale could dig the couple out of financial ruin, give them one last shot at a baby,
and save their crumbling marriage.
But when her husband walks out on her and doesn't show up to her most important exhibit, an
intense encounter with the alluring Nicholas Reyes—a once-famous photographer turned investor—
leaves Natasha questioning everything she believed she wanted for her life.
Nicholas offers to buy the gallery...on one condition: Natasha must join him for a decadent weekend
in Los Angeles, where he will give her the career opportunity of a lifetime and one unforgettable
Hollywood night.
How harmless could one night be?
As it turns out, one night with the disarming Nicholas Reyes has the power to unravel Natasha's
tightly-wound world and awaken her in ways she never could have imagined.
Chapter 5 Excerpt:
An hour and a half later, I am feeling more vibrant, alive, and excited about life than I have felt
in years. I’ve showered alone in Nicholas’ stylish penthouse suite at the W Hotel, put on a splash
of make-up—okay, perhaps more than a splash—and slipped on a slinky black cocktail dress and
tall pink stilettos.
As I ride the chic elevator down to the lobby where I’m meeting Nicholas before our night
out on the town, I steal a quick glance in the mirror, not recognizing the woman staring back at
me.
She certainly doesn’t look like a woman who has just lived through her third failed IVF
attempt, a woman who has spent hours crying alone on the bathroom floor over the loss of a
child who has yet to exist, or a woman whose husband hasn’t taken her out on a real date in over
two years.
No, this woman looks confident, strong, sexy…happy even.
Like a woman who knows what she wants.
I bottle up the confidence I haven’t felt in so long and carry it with me as I strut through
the glitzy lobby, past a crew of photographers and wannabe stars, and down a set of red velvet
stairs. Nicholas is standing beneath a dazzling crystal chandelier, tilting his head to the side and
shooting me a bold, deadly grin—the kind of grin that makes a woman want to do things she’s
never done before.
He slides a hand around my waist, and I know the minute he’s touched me that the damaged,
lost soul who lives underneath this dolled-up exterior is a long way away. Perhaps just for
tonight, I won’t even acknowledge her existence.
Nicholas leans into my ear, whispering, “I’m going to have to keep you close tonight;
otherwise, you’ll be stolen away from me in seconds. You look ravishing, Natasha.” Then he
steps back to take me in once more, shaking his head. “My God.”
Nicholas has surely been out with women who are younger, more glamorous, and hotter than
me. Women who are much more comfortable in their skin than I am. But I stop myself from
saying as much, because what he has just said to me—no matter how overtly bold it may have
been—is the nicest thing a man has said to me in years.
And by the way he cannot take his eyes off me, I can tell that he actually means it. None of
the budding actresses with legs for miles and four-inch heels strutting past are even getting a
sideways glance from this man.
A girl could get used to this.
I suppress the nervous giggle that wants to escape and instead place a smooth hand on his
arm. “Where are you taking me tonight, Casanova?”
“Dinner first, then cocktails, dancing, and a little burlesque. Sound good?”
I can hardly contain my excitement at the thought of a real night out on the town—or over
the fact that Nicholas has planned all of this in advance just for me. I’m tempted to pinch myself
to see if I’m dreaming, but instead I smile and say, “Perfect.”
With a hand on my back, he escorts me out of the hotel, into the warm Los Angeles evening.
Two stretch limos line the driveway of the W while a group of twenty-something blondes in
absurdly tight dresses smoke cigarettes and let out obnoxious high-pitched laughs. The typical
Hollywood vibe of trashy meets money hasn’t changed since I was a young girl, following my
own celebrity mother around town. But I am unfazed by it all tonight, simply happy to be with
Nicholas, no matter where we are.
Raoul is waiting for us with the black town car, and just as I am about to slip into the
backseat with Nicholas, the lamplight above catches on my wedding ring. The diamond which
has been a permanent fixture on my left ring finger for the past ten years glints and sparkles,
making me remember Ethan and the days when we were so in love.
It feels so far away, a distant memory that has been covered up by years of heartbreak.
Nicolas slides up behind me, placing a soft hand on my shoulder. “Everything okay?”
I glance back, finding a genuine look of concern in those gorgeous eyes of his.
This would be the moment to call it off. To tell him I can’t take the night any further. That
I’m still technically married, and while I’m almost positive my husband has been seeking
pleasure elsewhere, that doesn’t mean I should spend the night with another man…even if it
means losing the sale of the gallery, and the financial relief that this could provide.
But with the heat of Nicholas’ chest pressing into my back, the warmth of his breath on
my skin…I realize that while I know logically how wrong this is, something about tonight—
something about him—feels so right. More right than anything in my life has felt in a long, long
time.
I smile boldly at Nicholas. “Yes, everything’s fine.”
I slide into the car, knowing that I am taking a step in a dangerous direction.
But I also know that I won’t turn back now; I want to go wherever Nicholas is taking me.
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