ection id="ue34abd45-afcb-5548-9789-c17e050d1c5a">
The Bare Truth
Just weeks ago, Levi Walsh became the proud part-owner of Beaux Hommes, a bar featuring the sexiest exotic male dancers in the city—including himself. But as Levi, a financial whiz in his own right, goes over the books, he realizes something is definitely not right. And then the IRS comes knocking on his door.
IRS investigator Harper Banks is determined not to notice that Levi is hot, ripped and seriously sexy. Her job is to investigate dirty businesses, not indulge in even dirtier pleasures. But even as his skilled seduction melts her rigid self-control, Harper is certain of one thing: Levi is lying to her. Which means she’ll have to strip him down...and pull him under!
“What is it exactly that you do for Beaux Hommes, Mr. Walsh?”
His eyes grew hooded. Tossing his glasses onto the desk behind him, he slowly pulled his sweatshirt off to reveal a wickedly cut torso, his obliques so defined they were like funnels for the eye, drawing it straight to... Whoa.
Harper lost her battle to subdue a heated blush. “You’re a stripper. Why are you working in the office?”
His face closed down. “They keep the Hooked on Phonics in the closet for us to come by and use whenever we want.”
“I didn’t mean it that way,” she fumbled, beyond irritated that she’d so completely lost her footing. She’d known he was a stripper. She just hadn’t expected him to own it with such authority—or to demonstrate it.
His shoulders went rigid. “Stop assuming I’m stupid.”
“Then stop using your body as your primary asset!”
And that, right there, was the problem. She’d assumed he was harmless.
She wouldn’t make that mistake again.
Welcome to the third book set in the world of Beaux Hommes, the most exclusive all-male revue in Seattle. This story definitely showcases some of the hottest skills the men have, not the least of which is brains. The men are all more than fun personalities and, well, great bodies. They’re all driven to find the ultimate success.
Oh! You’re curious about their greatest skills? They might argue, but I’m going to set the record straight: their capacity to love wildly is off the charts.
Writing this, the third book in the trilogy, was the most challenging story I’ve ever undertaken. Never before have I had two characters so absolutely opposite to each other, two people who have very legitimate reasons to distrust, even dislike, each other from the moment they meet. Our hero has a past that still haunts him and drives him to find monetary success. He’s taken on financial responsibility for more than just himself, and he takes his obligations seriously. But there’s more at stake for him than the bottom dollar.
And our heroine? So much is going on behind the face she shows every day. Glass ceilings, inner-office politics and a history of heartache have combined to make her who she is—cautious by nature and a definite stickler for rules. Irony twists her into knots when both she and our hero discover she’s the one person who can save his future or see him awarded three meals a day and recreation time...in prison.
Pulled Under is a story about being willing to take the kind of chances that force a person to walk the tightrope strung between want and need. Even more, this story is about discovering the confidence to follow one’s heart. When it goes against everything a person believes in? That’s when a person finds out just how far they’re willing to go for the ultimate payout.
Love.
Fondly,
Kelli Ireland
Pulled Under
Kelli Ireland
KELLI IRELAND spent a decade as a name on a door in corporate America. Unexpectedly liberated by Fate’s sense of humor, she chose to carpe the diem and pursue her passion for writing. A fan of happily-ever-afters, she found she loved being the puppet master for the most unlikely couples. Seeing them through the best and worst of each other while helping them survive the joys and disasters of falling in love? Best. Thing. Ever. Visit Kelli’s website at kelliireland.com.
To Adrienne.
Without you, this story simply wouldn’t have been.
I owe you huge.
Contents
Dear Reader
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
A PAPER AIRPLANE soared over the top of Harper Banks’s cubicle wall and bounced off her computer screen. She picked it up and unfolded it, then scowled. The plane had been made of what had to be the hundredth copy to circulate the office from her most famous pinup photo shoot for a custom motorcycle magazine. Disgust drove a hot flush across her skin.
“Ignore them, Harper.” Daniel Miller looked over his shoulder and shouted, “You guys cut the crap already!”
“Forget it, Daniel. They won’t stop. I’ve moved on.” A woman might think the universe would cut her a little slack for a slew of bad decisions, but no. No slack for her. She’d spent the past five years paying for blindly leaping for that elusive gold ring—and failing.
Her cell gave a Harley-like rumble, the ringtone she’d set for her dad.
“I need to take this,” she muttered, turning