Takedown: An Enemies to Lovers Dark Romance

by Lana Hartley

  “You’re the luckiest person I’ve ever met, did you know that?”

  “Not so fast. I still have to set up an appointment with Hunter. I got lucky with Logan, yeah, but I don’t know how things will go with Hunter. He seems… wild.”

  “Oh, he’s definitely wild,” she agrees with me, nodding gravely. “If there’s something that guy likes more than punching people, it’s fucking hot women. So, you know… You’re in luck.”

  “It’s not like that,” I protest. “What happened with Logan… I don’t know, it just happened, okay? And I’m not planning to sleep with Hunter!”

  “Yeah, right…”

  “I’m serious! I need to keep my focus, Michelle. I know that there’s a story there. I can feel it,” I tell her, thinking back to the way Logan reacted whenever I said Hunter’s name.

  “What kind of story? Are we in for a scandal?”

  “I don’t know… But I have a feeling that it might be a game changer. At least for me. If I uncover whatever skeletons these guys have in their closets, Ed will see what I’m worth, and he’ll start giving me better assignments.”

  “Ed, pfft. He’s just interested in selling newspapers, you know that, don’t you? He doesn’t really care about journalism… If turning the Gazette into a tabloid helped his bottom line, he’d do it in a blink of an eye.” She shrugs as she says this, completely accepting the way her corporate overlords see the newspaper we work for. I have no illusions about Ed, but having Michelle put it like this… well, it’s a sobering thought.

  Still, if I manage to uncover something interesting, I can launch my career into the stratosphere fast. Be it at the Gazette or somewhere else.

  “It doesn’t really matter,” I tell her, feeling a surge of renewed confidence. “One step at a time, right?”

  “Right,” she grins, “and one cock at a time.”

  “C’mon,” I protest, but I can’t help but laugh at what she just said. She really doesn’t have any kind of filter between her mouth and brain.

  “Seriously, though… How are you going to approach Hunter? That guy is always up to something crazy, I doubt he’ll even pick up his phone.”

  “I have no idea,” I admit, tapping my fingertips against the counter. It sure as hell isn’t going to be easy but—hang on, my cell is vibrating. “It’s Ed,” I say, raising my eyes from the screen and looking up at Michelle. “What the hell does he want this late at night?”

  Without waiting for Michelle’s reply, I put the phone up against my ear.

  “I don’t know what you’ve been doing, but it’s working,” Ed grumbles in that ruined voice of his. “Hunter’s agent just gave me a call… He wants to set up a meeting with you.”

  Oh, Michelle’s right—I gotta be the luckiest woman in the world.

  Natalie

  “I don’t know how you can eat with these fucking things,” Hunter complains, giving up on trying to grab the sashimi. Instead, he turns the chopsticks around in his hand and uses them to stab one of the thin slices of raw fish on his plate.

  “It takes a bit of time,” I admit, deftly maneuvering my chopsticks as I pick a slice from my own plate and take it to my mouth.

  “I've never been a fan of sushi,” he continues, stabbing another piece of sashimi. “But this is good!”

  “Oh, yeah, this is probably the best sushi restaurant in New York. I just found out about it a few days ago too.”

  Truth be told, bringing Hunter to Asakura’s wasn’t my first thought. But then I started thinking about it, and I realized Asakura’s had to be our meeting place. It doesn’t seem to make any sense, right? Well, just think about it; Logan owns this place, he’s friends with the chef, and he comes here a lot… Which, if I’m lucky, means that he’ll show up while I’m having dinner with Hunter. And once these two are face-to-face, then I’ll know if there’s a story to be told or not.

  “So, how do you wanna do this?” Hunter asks me then, turning on his seat to face me while he drinks from his sake cup.

  “We can talk. Just a normal conversation, and we’ll go from there… I’d like to know more about your upbringing, your background; you know, the usual.”

  “Uh, yeah, right,” he whispers distractedly, running one hand through his hair as he looks away from me. For a guy that seems to thrive on attention, it doesn’t look like he enjoys talking about himself.

  To be honest, I wasn’t expecting his hesitancy. The moment he strolled inside the restaurant, I was already sitting by the counter; he came in loud and confident (to the point of arrogance), and greeted me from the other side of the room, taking his sunglasses off and looking at me with a devilish grin. Just like Logan, he’s wearing a suit that wouldn’t look out of place in a James Bond movie set, and everything about him oozes confidence and raw power.

  Still, so far he’s proving to be different than what I expected. From what I read about him, I expected a complete asshole, but he’s actually very gentlemanly. Sure, he’s very different from Logan, while one is calm and collected, the other is a brash fast-talker with a penchant for cursing. He’s very cocky and, unlike Logan, he grew up in the United States. Maybe that explains why they’re so different.

  “I had no idea you'd be this good looking,” he tells me suddenly, the grin on his face letting me know that he sized me up the moment he stepped inside the restaurant. I noticed the way his eyes lingered on my cleavage then (this time I made sure I had one that was sexy enough), and I gotta say… I don't mind the attention, not at all. After all, not only is he one of the most fit people on Earth, he's also one of the most good looking.

  “Thank you?” I laugh, tucking a lock of hair over my ear as I smile at him. In case you haven’t noticed, I’m not acting like a well-behaved journalist; no, I’m leading him on. I know that Hunter can’t help himself whenever he’s around a woman, and maybe I can use that to my advantage. Besides, it isn’t particularly difficult to act as if I’m being charmed when, in fact, that’s really happening.

  “Just saying the truth,” he laughs, once again using his chopstick as a spear. As I laugh with him, I notice Asakura frowning behind the counter. He probably knows who Hunter is (who doesn’t), and he isn’t particularly impressed with the way the heavyweight champion is stabbing the food he prepared. Yeah, finesse isn’t a word you’d use to describe Hunter, but I’d counter that’s just part of his charm. A very rugged, American charm.

  I spend the next thirty minutes pestering him with words about his upbringing and, despite his reluctance to talk about himself, I still manage to wrangle some answers out of him. Unlike Logan, for instance, he wasn’t born to a family with means; he was part of the lower class, another troubled inner city with a passion for punching every kid taller than he was, and he fought long and hard to reach the top. He’s the embodiment of the American dream, it seems, and I like that; it gives me a nice angle to work with.

  Still, it isn’t as juicy as I need it to be.

  I keep on making all kinds of questions, hoping to bring Hunter into the conversation, but he sidesteps and disarms me each and everytime. Instead of answering me, he deflects my questions and turns them on their head, always coating his words with some kind of innuendo.

  “It’s hard to focus, you know?” he eventually tells me, cleaning up what’s left on his plate and washing it down with a cup of sake. I arch one eyebrow questioningly, and he opens up into a wide grin. “I have a hard time focusing whenever I’m around beautiful women.”

  “You really don’t know the meaning of the word subtle, do you?” I laugh, feeling my cheeks burn.

  “I do. I just don’t like to risk being subtle.”

  “And since when is being subtle a risk?” I ask him, not entirely sure where the conversation is headed.

  “Subtlety means you’re using tactics. It means that you don’t want to face whatever it is head-on. Whenever I want something,” he says, lowering his voice and looking straight into my eyes, “I just go and get it.”

  With
that, he reaches for me and lays his hand on top of mine. I look back into his eyes, my gaze drawn to his lips, and --

  I turn my head around as I hear the restaurant’s door swing open, and my heart almost stops as I notice the man standing there.

  Just like I planned, Logan’s here.

  Logan

  I walk into my favorite sushi restaurant and freeze as soon as I enter.

  What the fuck?

  I reach up and rub my eyes. I can hardly believe what's in front of me. Am I seeing this correctly?

  No. This can't be happening.

  What the fuck is Hunter doing in my favorite sushi restaurant? And what the fuck is he doing with Natalie? Who does he think he is, putting his hand on Natalie's?

  I feel my pulse kick in my chest and there's an anger building behind my vision. It almost makes me dizzy. I try to take a few, deep, mindful breaths but it doesn't help to ease the tension building behind my temples. I unconsciously ball one hand into a fist.

  Hunter doesn't even like Japanese food. And look at the way he's eating … fumbling his chopsticks, and pouring soy sauce over his sushi. It's all wrong.

  It's more than wrong. It's borderline embarrassing.

  The way he pours it is greedy and wasteful.

  I'll admit; I'm normally a calm and contained person. But right now? In this moment? There's a vein in my temple that's pulsing so fast, it feels like it might burst. I'm trying to resist the violent urge to rub wasabi in his eyes.

  I'm anything but calm right now … to say the least.

  There's something about Natalie that makes me feel possessive … and protective. It's animalistic. It's a feeling I normally don't experience.

  For a moment, I debate whether or not I should just turn around and leave and pretend like I never saw this. I could sweep this under the rug of my mind and move on. I have bigger things in my life to worry about. I could be the bigger man.

  But as soon as I think this, I know it's not true.

  I can't sweep this under the rug. I can't ignore it.

  It's more than just an emotion. My entire body is reacting to this.

  I know Hunter, and I can't let that cocky bastard get away with this. The way he's looking at Natalie. The way his hand is on hers.

  No, that's going to stop right now.

  I approach their table, and without wasting another moment I say, "What's going on?" My voice is calm but serious. It's hiding the rage boiling just below the surface.

  I catch them off guard and Hunter seems genuinely surprised to see me.

  "Well, look who it is," Hunter smiles. "Logan the swingin' Lion … or should I say lamb? You aren't much of a lion these days, are you? Tell me. How long has it been since you've lined up a fight? Months? Years? Let's be honest. It's been so long, we've all stopped counting."

  My jaw grows tense and I grit my teeth. "I didn't know you were one for … second place."

  As soon as the words leave my mouth, the realization hits Hunter and I watch his eyes go from me to Natalie, and back. And then he grins.

  "I'm never in second place," he growls. "Jealous?"

  I know I've struck a nerve because he pushes his chair back and stands up so that we're facing each other with an even gaze.

  Our chests are puffed out and the way we're breathing is causing our nostrils to flare.

  The air between us is thick with tension.

  "Stop, both of you," Natalie pleads, but Hunter and I ignore her.

  "I'll take it from here," I say to Hunter. "You can leave now."

  He laughs. "You're fucking kidding, right? What are you, fucking mental? This is my dinner date, which you've so rudely interrupted. I was here first."

  "I was with the girl first," I growl.

  "I'm going to give you three seconds to get the fuck out of here before I make you wish that you never showed your face here," Hunter says, a seriousness growing across his brow.

  "You've always been a big talker," I growl. "You talk a big game Hunter, but you can't back it up. Natalie is mine."

  "Sure doesn't look that way," he sneers, taking another step closer to me, "and time's running out. Now you've got two seconds … and that's generous."

  "Good, then that gives me just enough time to put my fist in that mouth of yours." My eyes are now shooting daggers, and every muscle in my body is taut, and ready for action. If he wants to talk big, he better be ready to back it up.

  "What the fuck did you just say to me?" Hunter growls. He steps toward me and we bump chests.

  Just then, Natalie jumps out of her seat. "I said stop! Please!"

  Now we're listening. We have to. She's pushed us aside and is standing in between both of us.

  Then she turns to me. "I don't belong to you Logan. I want you to remember that. I don't belong to anyone. You don't own me like some pretty piece of furniture."

  I shake my head. "I didn't mean it like that, I—" but Natalie quickly cuts me off.

  "Go home Logan; I mean it," she says to me, and then grabbing Hunter's hand, she storms out of the restaurant, dragging him behind her to make her point clear.

  Fuck.

  That's the last thing I thought would happen.

  Natalie

  I was right. There’s a story between these two. Did you see the way they reacted? Even though they like to pretend they don’t know each other, this was the proof I needed. These two definitely know each other, and there’s more than meets the eye here.

  I mean, the moment Hunter saw Logan come in through the door… He was so relaxed, but then he tensed up in a fraction of a second, almost as if Logan was the grim reaper. And when they started fighting… Swear to God, I almost thought they’d start punching each other right then and there.

  To be honest, I wasn’t planning to leave with Hunter (or was I?), but the moment Logan started to claim me as his property… Yeah, I’m not the kind of girl that stands for that. I don’t have an owner, even if the one staking his claim is someone as hot as Logan.

  “The gym I train at is closed. It’s nearby here.” Hunter says, his eyes focused on the road ahead. We’re inside his sport car, aimlessly driving through the city, and he has finally decided to crush the silence that settles in between us.

  “Ohhkayy,” I say. I don’t get what he means by that. “For what reason?” I think maybe he wants to get a quick workout in. Yeah, right…! A quick naked workout. Still, I wonder if it has to do with seeing Logan. Was it a guy thing to want to go work out when they get worked up? I honestly have no real idea.

  “So, we can be alone. I can answer your questions better if we’re alone. Then we won’t have to worry about interruptions,” he tells me and, even though on the surface his idea sounds good, I know that there’s more to it. And I like that.

  As we get to the next light, he puts on his left blinker and I have a pretty good idea of where we're headed. There’s a huge gym that’s sort of hidden away. One that’s secretive and you would only know about it if you did your research.

  I did my research.

  We pull into the empty parking lot. Hunter shuts the car off and we both get out of the car. I follow him toward the door. He pulls out a key and unlocks the door. We both step inside.

  “Have you ever stood inside of a ring before?” he asks me.

  I shake my head. “No, can’t say that I've done that before,” I say.

  I follow Hunter down a hallway. It’s barely lit. As we walk, I’m picturing him taking me and shoving me against one of the walls. I’m so turned on it’s crazy. We’re alone in a dark, empty building and the first thing I think of, is fucking him. I was sure he wanted to fuck me. I could tell by the way he was looking at me. I don’t blame him though, I couldn’t keep my eyes off him either.

  When we come to a big dark room, he reaches along the side of the wall and flips on a light switch. Light illuminates the very large room, revealing the ring in the center of it. There’s different weights and punching bags in different areas of the room, away fro
m the ring.

  I follow him into the room more and watch as he climbs into the ring.

  “Come on. Don’t be afraid,” he says and motions for me to climb into the ring.

  “I’m not,” I say and climb into the ring with him. I lose my balance a little and fall into him. He catches me. It’s totally like a cliché from a movie but it works. I can feel the sexual tension eating at us. I want him so bad.

  He looks down at me, while I look up at him. “You okay?” he asks and brushes a hair from out of my face. That simple gesture… it sends a shiver down my back and right to my pussy.

  I nod my head and his mouth finds mine. His soft lips moving with mine, his tongue entering my mouth and encircling my own. I have to admit, he’s an amazing kisser and it’s turning me on so bad. I love the way his tongue is massaging mine. I picture him moving that tongue along my pussy. Making me cum just from barely touching it with his tongue.

  His hands are in my hair and I feel like I can’t get enough. He stops kissing my mouth and instead starts kissing my neck. Each kiss is soft and sends a shiver down my body.

  He reaches the shoulder straps of my dress, which makes him stop. He grabs them and pulls them down my arms, revealing my black lacey bra.

  “Gorgeous,” he mumbles and folds my bra down, which makes my nipples pop out over the fabric. He takes one in his mouth, sucking gently and then he repeats this on my other nipple. A soft moan escapes my mouth.

  I feel his hand move around my back, to the clasp of my bra. He undoes it and moves back. I shake the bra down my arms and onto the floor and then I push my already bunched up dress down my legs.

  I’m standing in front of him, in the middle of the ring, in just a black lacey thong. I feel so sexy. So powerful.

  “You know, I heard that if a girl has matching bra and panties, she's the one who planned on sex.”

  I laugh and shrug. “I don’t know. Do you think that’s true?” I ask. Even though I know it was semi-true. I planned to wear matching bra and panties, just in case our little date ended with us fucking.