Game Maker: a Triple Play Curse Novella: Triple Play Curse, #2

By Lori Ryan

Pitcher Aiden Kyle knows the Triple Play Curse has the ability to mess with his life and with his team's performance. And, now that the curse has been triggered, Aiden also knows he has to do all he can to avoid being its next victim. And that means strippers and hand lotion in the shower for the rest of the season for him. Until Lily Dupree whirls into his world with a crash that puts a kink in his plan. If Aiden can find a way to help Lily and get her out of his life, he just might avoid being the next victim of the curse.

The Triple Play Curse 

Every member of the Strikers, San Francisco's professional baseball team, knows about the Triple Play Curse. When one Striker falls in love and gets either married or engaged during the season, two more will fall for a total of three. And, whenever the curse is in play, the team suffers for it. More errors and injuries, lost pennant runs, you name it. No one wants to trigger the curse. 

Book One: Game Changer

Book Two: Game Maker

Book Three: Game Clincher 

Each book in the series is a standalone plot with no cliffhangers. The series can be read in any order but readers may enjoy it best read from book one through three. These books were previously published under the same title as part of Bella Andre's Game for Love World.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lori Ryan
• Release date: Jul 30, 2019
• ISBN: 9781941149911

Lori Ryan

Lori Ryan writes romantic suspense, romantic thrillers, and small town contemporary romance. She loves connecting with readers, so reach out to her at www.loriryanromance.com. She and her husband live in Austin, TX with their three beautiful daughters and three dogs. It's a madhouse. 

Book preview

Chapter One

Aiden Kyle stalked through the door of the San Francisco Strikers’ locker room and scanned the area for his friend and shortstop, Rafe Wilson. Aiden had been pitching for the Strikers for three years, and he and Rafe were close.

But, Rafe had just screwed the whole damn team and Aiden was ticked.

He slapped the newspaper down on the table in front of Rafe and pointed to the picture of a smiling Rafe with his fiancée, Ashlyn Daniels. It’s not that he begrudged Rafe his happiness. He wanted his friend to be happy. If Rafe was crazy enough to think marriage would give him that happiness, Aiden was on board. Rafe had been stupidly happy and blissfully ignorant of what was happening to him since he met Ashlyn. And, if he was honest, Aiden liked Ashlyn. She was good for Rafe.

That didn’t mean he had to like the fact that his friend had just selfishly triggered the curse right in the middle of their season.

You couldn’t wait? he asked Rafe. You just couldn’t wait until the end of the season to save us all from the curse?

They all knew what the curse was: if one Striker fell in love during the season and got either married or engaged, two more would fall, for a total of three victims. And, every time that had happened, the team as a whole suffered. Record high injuries one year, missing out on a pennant they should have won another, distractions and errors when they should be at the height of their game.

Hell, a month ago, Rafe had been just as adamant as Aiden that none of them trigger the curse this season. If no one fell in love and got married or engaged, they’d all be safe and the season wouldn’t go to pieces overnight.

Rafe shook his head at Aiden, grinning up at him. Shoot, you should be thanking me. Now you have a shot at happiness, too.

Aiden grumbled under his breath as Gage Collier, their catcher as well as another good friend, picked up the paper. In addition to the picture of Rafe and Ashlyn, the columnist—who wrote as much about gossip as he did about the sport itself—spilled the entire story of the curse, along with the fact that Rafe Wilson had just initiated it.

Right there, in bold heading letters, the column screamed: The Triple Play Curse: Which Striker Will Be Next To Fall?

How the hell did Brian James get wind of the curse? Gage asked before turning to the other end of the locker room. Hey, Denali! Have you been out drinking with Brian James again?

Their teammate, Jason Denali, grunted an answer as he shrugged a shoulder.

You run off at the mouth again? Tell him about the curse?

Denali grimaced. Maybe? The tone of his question made it clear he wasn’t really sure himself. Denali tended to drink a little too hard and talk a lot too much, and Brian James had figured out that little weakness a long time ago.

Aiden rolled his eyes. Great. I’ll have to spend the season with nothing other than strippers and my freaking hand lotion in the shower if I want to avoid this damn curse. Thanks a lot, Rafe. Keeping women out of his bed seemed to him to be the best way to ensure he didn’t fall prey to the curse.

Rafe just grinned. Aiden shook his head and tossed his bag into his locker. Not him. He wasn’t going to fall. He wasn’t going to forget what he had going here. He was still young, a pitcher for one of the best teams in the American League, and he sure as heck planned to enjoy the benefits of that position for a good long time to come. Those benefits included women, gorgeous women, throwing themselves at him night after night.

Crap. With the exception of this season. Being with a woman now would be too risky. Nope. Strip clubs and hand lotion was it for the rest of this season.

Chapter Two

Lily Dupree carefully gripped the edge of the round drink tray as she balanced the three drinks in its center. Her second night at the Candy Shoppe Lounge wasn’t going any better than her first night had. During that first shift, she had tipped over more than a few drinks and broken several glasses.

She took a deep breath and steadied the tray, lifting it above her head as she rotated it gently in the air, as her friend Katie had taught her. The gentlemen’s club had a strict rule that the waitresses straight-arm their trays above their heads at all times. Lily was hardly cut out for waitressing, much less straight-arming a tray of drinks over her head through a dark and crowded room. She was clumsy on the best of days.

But, she needed this job. Without it, she wouldn’t be able to make her loan payments for the next few months, and she’d lose everything she’d worked for. Asking her parents to rescue her was out of the question. Her family was supportive of anything she did, but she wanted to stand on her own two feet this time. Calling them would mean failure, and that would be as bad as losing her business.

Lily shoved the thought aside and began to wend her way through the tables fronting the stage. She tried not to gape as one of the dancers on stage mimicked things with the pole that made Lily want to blush and run the other way. She’d never really thought of herself as prude, but good heavens, there were just some things you shouldn’t do with a pole. And, certainly not in public.

Only two more steps, she whispered under her breath. One more. She could feel the glasses begin to slide on top of the tray. She tilted her wrist to the left to compensate and knew almost immediately that it was too much. Too far. She tilted back the other way, trying to regain the balance, but the tray was hopelessly unsteady at that point. Her eyes caught on

Reviews for Game Maker

[pam50627 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The Triple Play Curse is now in play. Everyone knows how superstitious baseball players are. Anything out of the ordinary had them overthinking every action. Aiden is determined that the next to fall is not going to be him. He’s determined to stay focused, in shape & on point this year. So why does a nervous, awkward cocktail waitress catch his interest? Why is her so determined to helping her out so she can quit this job? Lily is down on her luck. By miscalculating her startup expenses for her business, she’s short of cash. Working as a cocktail waitress, even an inept one, for a short time should get her back on track. She didn’t expect Aiden to take an interest & sign up for her meal service. He even convinced several others to do the same. When exactly did her feelings for him start to deepen?I really enjoy these novellas from Ms. Ryan. They are short, entertaining stories that are quick to read. The baseball players look after each other even as they constantly poke at each other. I love the way they all buy into the Curse when they make everything worse by trying not to fall in love. The characters are realistic & very likable.