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current forty-something, with an older man he bore a slight resemblance to. Possibly his uncle. He’d been at the helm before the younger Mr. Beaudelaire took over.
    “Mr. Beaudelaire, this isn’t easy for me to say.”
    Especially not with Max in the room.
    Mr. Beaudelaire made a let’s have it gesture.
    She took a deep breath and looked down at her lap. Her right knee pistoned up and down, and she pressed both hands against it. “Have you…ever been in love with someone you couldn’t have but couldn’t get away from?”
    Her voice caught at the end, and she grimaced. If she were any more pathetic her grandmamma would probably crawl out of her burial vault, shamble across town, and smack some sense into her.
    She risked a glance up in time to see Mr. Beaudelaire’s expression transition from its usual blank to a pained one. She was staring astounded at his parted lips when Max put himself between her gaze and Mr. Beaudelaire’s desk. “In love with me?” His voice dripped with incredulity, and forehead furrowed, but then—as if a revelation had suddenly been bestowed on him—his eyes darkened with anger. “You do mean me , right, G? Or are you fucking someone else?”
    She had one mind not to answer. How dare he act all possessive when he’s probably had his dick in half the kink-inclined women in the parish?
    She crossed her legs, squared her shoulders, and lifted her hand to study her cuticles. No way was she going to let him spin her out of control again.
    “Yes, Max, I’m talking about you. Congratulations. I love you.” She buffed her nails against her shirt. “Although, on days like today, I wish I could turn it off.”
     
    Three Strikes is available for purchase now .

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
    Holley Trent is a Carolina girl gone west. Raised in rural coastal North Carolina, she’s a lady with Southern sensibilities, but in 2011 her adventurous spirit drove her to Colorado for new experiences. She lives on the Front Range with her husband, two kids, and two cats.
     
    She writes snarky contemporary and paranormal romances ranging from sensual to erotic that are usually set in her home state. Her humor is sometimes subtle, often ribald, and regularly inappropriate. If any of her stories seem overly serious at first glance–keep reading.
     
    She’s a winner of the inaugural CIM-RWA Abalone Award (for My Nora ) and a three-time Colorado Romance Writers Award of Excellence finalist ( My Nora , Calculated Exposure , and A Demon in Waiting ). A Demon in Waiting was a RomCon Readers’ Crown finalist in 2014.
     
    For Holley’s complete backlist, including titles from Musa Publishing, Crimson Romance, and Lyrical Press/Kensington please visit her website at http://www.holleytrent.com .
     
    Want to chat about Two Strikes or another Holley Trent title? Catch her online on Twitter where she tweets under the handle @holleytrent or fan her Facebook page.
    If you’d like to be notified of Holley’s new contemporary romance releases, subscribe to her newsletter .
     

COPYRIGHT
    Copyright 2013 Holley Trent
    Excerpt Three Strikes copyright 2014 Holley Trent.
     
    Two Strikes is a work of complete fiction. All characters appearing in this work are fictional or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
     
    Photography credit
    ©Saverio M Dollar Photo Club
     
    WARNING: this story contains adult situations including sex and strong language. It is not intended for consumption by minors (age of majority as specified by your territory of residence).