The Ultimate Takedown (Kick Ass Academy Book 1)

by LL Dahlin

  Cash waited for the man to finish what he was saying and even though he knew what was coming next he wanted to hear it. So they both waited. Cash refused to ask the question.

  “No one talked about you. I’ve spoken to several of your graduates and a couple of your fighters who love to do interviews but no one talks about you except to say you’re an amazing guy.” Myles appeared to be looking for him to flinch or say something but neither thing was happening. “What do you do to get such loyalty? Do you pay them? Make them sign a contract saying they won’t talk about you? What?”

  “I’m a simple man who’s only ever wanted to be the best at what I do and to have a bit of money in my pocket at the end of the day.” Cash had been asked that question, off the record, so many times that it was almost laughable. He’d received it in email, voice message and carrier, but the truth was much simpler than most people would think. The people around him knew how much his privacy was important to him and Kick Ass Academy was important to them. His people protected him just like he’d done for them in different ways.

  Myles shook his head and smiled. “You’ve said absolutely nothing.”

  Cash found himself returning the smile and then wanting to wipe the grin off his face. He didn’t do this mooning thing especially with a guy who now seemed shady as hell. Typically when he saw someone he wanted he went for it and the guy went with it or he didn’t, it wasn’t a big deal but this whole stomach flip shit was for the birds. The guy was an amazing lay and his body was like Kryptonite, but he was also an asshole reporter. He knew how tricky they could be when they wanted a story and his sister had served this man his ass on a platter for the next 30 days. “I guess you’re right about that. This interviewing thing is difficult for me but I made a promise and I’ll fulfill it.”

  “Does that include the part where I get to follow you around for a month and stay at your home?”

  Cash had agreed to that thinking it would be Karrie doing all the following, asking and living with him, but this is what he got for trusting people. “I’m sure you’d be more comfortable in a hotel but if that’s what I said I’d do you are welcome to stay with me and follow me around.” This should have made him more angry than aroused but his dick was in notice me mode since the images of last night played in his mind on a loop. Dicks were so fucking stupid.

  “Great.” Myles grin was attractive but this smile was making him want to give him one in return. That shit wasn’t happening. Cash decided to put an end to this shit right here and now. Putting on his most dismissive expression he cleared his throat and looked over at the monitor.

  “I’ll have Maddox walk you through the paperwork for the Kick Ass Challenge and we can get started this evening.”

  “I know how to read people so I can tell you’re not totally alright with this arrangement, but I’m going to do my best to make this as painless as possible. I’m going to enjoy this next month Cash. It’s a real honor.” Myles stood up and walked out toward Maddox’s desk, but he turned when he got to the door. “As for last night…I wasn’t going to talk to you at all but you walked up to me. You didn’t want to hear who I was and I’m not going to say I’m sorry for everything that went down after that, but it was in no way planned.”

  Cash turned back to the man as he spoke so he could judge the body language that came with his little speech. Myles was near the door and Cash remained in his seat not sure what to say about any of that. Mr. Intelligent gave up the battle of the stare down and closed the door behind him. Cash let out a frustrated breath that filled the now quiet room as he mentally listed all the reasons why having any more contact with this man was a bad idea and trying to figure out how he could keep his word and his sanity at the same time. He flipped his monitor to view the area where Maddox’s desk was and tried to find something unattractive about his new housemate, but the longer he looked the more he knew he must have made a deal with the devil somehow and he was going to be on the losing end.

  First day of January and he was already knee deep in shit. Happy fucking New Year.

  Chapter 2 – Myles

  Myles had finished the paperwork that went with the Kick Ass Challenge and read through it carefully. He was looking for anything that would tell him that he couldn’t talk about the owner of the facility but he’d not found anything close to what he was looking for.

  “Since you appear to be reading and analyzing each word, you can take it with you and sign it when you’re done.” Maddox was the executive administrator. It said so on his desk and he was an interesting choice of gatekeeper for this type of establishment. Tall, lean with fashion model looks but that wasn’t all that made him appear a bit out of place. He was a younger man but he had grey hair that set off his cornflower blue eyes making him look ethereal. Everyone he’d seen since he’d arrived looked like fighters and like competing was their first priority. Sweat pants and tee shirts seemed to be the norm in terms of uniform, but this guy wore a casual outfit but it was more preppy and fashion forward than everyone else. One thing Myles knew for sure is the man was upset with him and he understood why but he wanted to hear it from the well dressed, super organized man who Myles would bet kept this place moving.

  Myles signed the papers and handed them back to the man who had a pleasant look on his face but the aura that surrounded him screamed displeasure. He was quick to put the papers into whatever particular order he liked and the room was filled with heavy silence and the hum of the heater. Myles tried to catch the man’s eye and he glanced at him but he didn’t hold eye contact for very long.

  “Is there something you want to say to me Maddox?” Myles knew if he wanted to get any inside scoop other than what was going to be coming out of Cash’s mouth he needed this man to like him…at least a little bit.

  Maddox stood up and took the paperwork with him, ran it through the printer and put the copies in an envelope before handing it back to him.

  “There isn’t anything I’m going to say, Mr. O’Rourke, regardless of what I want to say.”

  “Please call me Myles and know that I can take whatever you want to say. I know the man you work for is private and I’m going to attempt to make this whole process as easy and comfortable as possible.”

  Maddox stared at him like the answers of the universe were in his eyes and Myles attempted to allow the deep gaze to find whatever secrets he was looking for. With a deep sigh the man turned and sat in his chair. “I hope so Mr. Rourke…I mean Myles. This is highly irregular and all of us here at Kick Ass Academy are very protective about Cash. I don’t know how much information you’ll get from other people but there will be hell to pay if you try to cause a shit storm. We all like it here and want to keep everything the way it is. Drama free.”

  Myles didn’t know what the man was talking about but he wanted to relieve the man’s worry. “It isn’t in my nature to cause drama. I’m not sure if you’ve read my work or know anything about me but I’m just here to satisfy my curiosity about a man who I’ve followed as a fan and wanted to interview since I can’t remember when. I want to leave this place with the high standings it’s always had and not rock the boat too hard. I’d appreciate if I could ask you a few questions as well. Nothing serious just about the way things work around here.”

  “I’ll talk to Cash and see what he would approve. There will be nothing hidden from Cash.” Maddox stood and got a badge out and handed it to Myles. “Here is your badge to roam around the main part of the facility. I’ll let Cash tell me where else you can go. Feel free to take a look at the place.”

  “Not a problem.” Myles wanted to walk around Kick Ass to get a feel for the place and the people. He had the feeling he’d been dismissed in terms of Maddox and that was okay for now.

  “We close today at 3PM.”

  Myles nodded and wasn’t sure what he was supposed to do with that information. He was going to be going home with Cash so maybe the man was just letting him know that’s how long he’d have to stay here or maybe it was s
omething else. He didn’t have anything else planned for the next few days so it really wouldn’t matter if they closed at 3 PM or 3 AM the next morning. Myles was here for the duration.

  Maddox was on his way back to see Cash before he’d gotten to the main office door. Myles wasn’t sure if it was the reporter in him that was always so curious about things or the man that wanted to hear what thoughts were going through Cash’s mind, but he’d have loved to be a fly on the wall for the conversation they were about to have.

  Walking out of the office to the closed off hallway he pondered that what he saw was nothing like he thought the office of Cash Tucker would look like. With its comfortably stylish leather couches and dark wooden desks, clean masculine lines and tidy appearance. It was the exact opposite of the gym that was functional and stark. It was as if they were trying to go for the look of a gym on a budget. The sparing equipment, boxing rings, punching bags and other materials were top shelf but there were no signs that this is the gym of champion Cash Tucker. No awards, no belts…no praise of any kind for the man who made all of this possible. The offices is where no expense was spared and if he had to guess it was the work of Maddox who looked like luxury personified. Myles wondered what was the story with those two. He’d heard only the faintest inklings of Cash being sexually paired to anyone, but never any male. Cash was one of the hottest men out there when it came to ratings and articles that featured the fighter. Just because he didn’t participate didn’t mean he wasn’t written about. He’d just earned sexiest athlete in one of the biggest sports magazines which is why his sister thought it would be a great time to capitalize on his surging popularity. In pictures and on screen the man was the epitome of good health and good genes. He exuded a charisma that leaped off the page but in person the man was even more electric. Myles had gone from half chub to full hard within the time he’d walked in the door and the moment he was graced with the deep, melodic southern draw that shouldn’t have taken him by surprise, since they just left each other’s presence that morning. The chemistry was still there but the man’s tone was laced with anger making his accent a bit thicker than it was last night. He wasn’t going to fuck up this interview by fucking with Cash, unless that’s what the man wanted. He knew the man was a one and done type of guy so he’d play by the rules. He’d had his one time with the man and he regretted nothing, but he’d not turn down the opportunity for a repeat. Cash didn’t look like he returned those thoughts.

  It had taken a while for him to get through the hallway of the office since that is where the awards and accolades of Cash were housed. He promised himself he’d get to travel down this hallway at his leisure as he walked to the office and it looked like the time was now. He had nowhere to go and although he’d been told what time the place closed he hadn’t been said when Cash or Maddox would get back to him.

  He made it back to the main floor of the gym and took a look around. Trying to take stock in the type of guys who would be here working hard even though it was a holiday. There was no way he was going to walk around with a pencil and paper so he’d have to take it all in and write about it later. Myles noticed a few men sparring in the 4 rings located in the middle of the floor. The sounds of leather hitting leather filled his ears as the men hit the punching bags. People looked his way and he realized he wasn’t in the appropriate uniform.

  Myles looked for a spot where he could sit and watch without looking like some sort of reporter. There were people who glanced his way but they didn’t bother him. He found a big red couch against one of the walls of the gym. It was far enough away from the action to get an all access view of everything going on and remain out of the way.

  He noticed a few of his favorite fighters were here and working hard. The light heavyweight champion Sam Steele was running drills with a coach. The punching and ducking moves were done at a quick speed. It didn’t take long for the place to quiet down as fighter after fighter left for the day. There were some speculative looks as people walked out the door that he’d inadvertently sat next to, but most people just nodded a greeting at him that he returned.

  Taking out his computer he thought he’d type up a few notes to help him keep the activities of the day fresh in his mind. He knew he was going to have a shitload of information to process in this article and he wanted to make it as clear and concise as possible.

  He finished the notes and was about to close his computer when he had the feeling he was being watched. Myles looked up to find Cash standing against a pole a good distance away from him. Had the man not wanted to interrupt him as he wrote or was he just planning the best way to attack this situation.

  “Are you ready to show me what you’ve got?” Cash said as he walked over to him. The empty gym echoed with the man’s words.

  Just watching the man walk his way was a bit arousing and his words sounded like the start of a super hot porno. The sentence scrambled his brain and he didn’t want to answer with the dirty response that sprung to his mind. He’d wait to find out if it truly was an x-rated request or if Cash meant something else by it.

  Cash’s eyebrow went up like he was waiting for an answer to the question. Myles looked the man up and down to gather some intel on what he was being asked. He’d noticed the clothing Cash had balled up in his hand.

  “Are you ready to fight?” Cash asked as he moved in front of Myles and held his hand out that had the clothing toward Myles.

  “I thought you were supposed to be getting me into Kick Ass shape.” Myles took the clothes from Cash and noticed there was a shirt that said “Ask me how to get in Kick Ass shape” and a pair of shorts.

  “Cute shirt!” Myles said as he held the shirt up.

  Cash nodded. “You can change your clothes in the bathroom and then meet me back out here.”

  Myles made quick work of getting undressed when he got to the bathroom because he didn’t want to make Cash wait any more than he needed to. He returned to find Cash laying against the ropes and checking his phone.

  “I’m ready.” Myles said as he stepped up into the ring.

  “Good.” Cash put his phone on the mat near the corner and walked up to Myles.

  Cash looked like he could step back into the ring right now. The man hadn’t fought in a while but he must be doing something to keep himself in shape. Myles was trying not to be intimidated but standing toe to toe with a champion while he asked him to show him what he had left Myles at a loss.

  Myles stood next to Cash and asked the question he’d always wanted to know…the world wanted to know. “Why did you leave the game when you were on top? You appeared to have a lot of fight left in you back then and you still do.”

  Cash shook his head and Myles waited but didn’t think he’d get the answer because there was nothing but silence for a few minutes.

  “Throughout my fighting career I made a lot of money and found scores of boys who reminded me of myself. Some had been kicked out and others had just left. My entourage was huge and I didn’t have much for any of them to do. I remember fighting Benson Arterio. Do you remember that fight?”

  “Of course, it was a bloody battle but you beat him.” Myles remembered being so impressed by that fight. “It was like two gladiators I thought you were going to kill that guy.”

  “So did I. When I looked at the tape the next day and looked at Benson I was sick. He was a great fighter too. Turn a different corner and that could have been me. He never fought again.” Cash took a deep breath and let it out. “I love MMA but I wanted to be a part of building people up and not tearing them down. I was fortunate that I had the money to make that decision. Are you ready?”

  Myles hadn’t thought he could be more impressed by Cash but it turns out he was wrong. Now he had to act like that answer didn’t just flood him with more respect for this man.

  “We are just going to do some simple things so I can assess where you are in terms of strength, agility and focus. It will help me get you into shape.” They circled each other like lions in the w
ilderness and he wondered who this was all for since it was just them in the room.

  He remembered that he was supposed to be showing Cash what he had in terms of his fighting skills. Should he actually connect his punches?

  “Don’t overthink it. Just fight. I can take it.”

  Myles took a few jabs at Cash only to find that it was pretty difficult to get him. He’d been taking a few classes and worked some of the moves he’d seen in the rotation. One thing was clear…Myles needed more stamina to keep up with this man. After about 20 minutes he could feel how tired he was.

  “Okay, stop.” Cash hopped out of the ring while Myles tried to catch his breath. He had bent over so that his hands were on his knees when he saw Cash’s feet come into view. “Here.”

  Myles stood up and took the water bottle Cash offered. It took everything he had to pull himself together. Sounding like a wind machine couldn’t be making a good impression. He drank down most of his water and chose to pour the remaining few ounces over his head.

  “Looks like you’ve taken a few classes.” Cash said as he walked over to the side of the ring and walked down the stairs. He turned back toward Myles and motioned for him to follow. “Judo?”

  “Yeah. I was torn between that and Brazilian Jujitsu.” Myles caught up to Cash and wondered what was next. He wasn’t going to ask as his plan was just going with the flow.

  “Hmm.” Cash walked back toward his office.

  “I should have done the Jujitsu. Right?”

  “It’s the mainstay of MMA but we are getting you in Kick Ass shape, not ready for an actual fight.”

  Myles was looking at the back of the man’s head as he walked in front of him. He got to his office and Maddox’s desk was cleared. The man must have been gone. There was nothing in the room but silence and expectation.

  Cash sat in his seat and handed Myles a paper that he took and sat down in the chair across from the desk.