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Overview
Powerful. Dominant, Unforgettable. He demands submission at all costs.
Cage fighter Gabriel Devereaux, a man of barely leashed power, is known as the Bayou Beast.
There is one woman he will do anything, pay any amount to possess.
Karina Armistead, has come a long way from the innocent girl Gabriel used to know. An internationally known singer, she can have anything she wants. But everything tells her that getting involved with the Bayou Beast may leave her wrecked beyond repair.
Little does Karina Armistead know, but Gabriel has decided that she will be his.
He will destroy anything or anyone who stands in his way.
In addition to TAKE DOWN, don't miss KNOCK OUT and POWER PLAY, also by Mallery Malone and available now!
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781466854840 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | St. Martin's Publishing Group |
| Publication date: | 09/02/2014 |
| Series: | The Billionaire's Club: New Orleans , #3 |
| Sold by: | Macmillan |
| Format: | eBook |
| Pages: | 90 |
| File size: | 3 MB |
About the Author
Mallery Malone is the author of contemporary and historical romance of all heat levels. An avid reader, she loves to discover and create new worlds and characters that strike a deep emotional connection.
Mallery lives on the outskirts of Atlanta with her guitar hero husband, several cannibal fish, and two standard poodles who think they are lapdogs. When not working the day job, she spends her time hanging out with friends, people watching, and working on her next writing project.
Her current work is the upcoming Billionaire's Club: New Orleans series. The Billionaire's Club: New Orleans novellas, by Mallery Malone, are steamy contemporary romance stories centered around the Billionaire's Club: The wealthiest, most powerful men in New Orleans. They are used to having whatever they want, whenever they want it.
Mallery Malone is the author of contemporary and historical romance of all heat levels. An avid reader, she loves to discover and create new worlds and characters that strike a deep emotional connection.
Mallery lives on the outskirts of Atlanta with her guitar hero husband, several cannibal fish, and two standard poodles who think they are lapdogs. When not working the day job, she spends her time hanging out with friends, people watching, and working on her next writing project. Her work includes the Billionaire’s Club: New Orleans series.
The Billionaire’s Club: New Orleans novellas, by Mallery Malone, are steamy contemporary romance stories centered around the Billionaire’s Club: The wealthiest, most powerful men in New Orleans. They are used to having whatever they want, whenever they want it.
Read an Excerpt
Take Down
By Mallery Malone
St. Martin's Press
Copyright © 2014 Mallery MaloneAll rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4668-5484-0
CHAPTER 1
It was the perfect place to beat the shit out of someone.
A rowdy ring of men of questionable morals and even more questionable hygiene filled the dilapidated warehouse. Dim fluorescent lighting high above barely illuminated the cracked concrete floor. There was no ring, no cage, no referees. No medical personnel on standby. In this run-down warehouse in Macao, you came to fight at your own risk.
Gabriel swung his arms, warming up his already loose muscles. He kept himself ready, his body primed for battle. For the last ten years, fighting had been his first nature, making money a distant second. That drive had made him a champion cage fighter. He was always spoiling for a smack down. Problem was, finding opponents willing to face him was becoming more difficult—at least on the sanctioned front.
Which was why he was in this hellhole in Macao and not in a cage under the auspices of the governing body. If they knew their reigning champion was about to duke it out bare-knuckled with an opponent who would certainly try to kill him, they'd shit their collective pants and attempt to strip him of his title.
Not that he gave a damn. He'd already fought the best of the good enough and remained at the top of his game. There simply wasn't any challenge fighting by the rules and he needed the challenge. He got it by traveling the world seeking out these deep underground and highly illegal no-holds-barred fights. Where strength, speed, and cunning decided who would walk away and who would be carried out. These days, only when facing possible death did he come close to feeling alive.
The crowd parted, signaling the arrival of his opponent. Gabriel stood still, taking the measure of the man who'd challenged him. His opponent was a six foot four, two hundred and thirty pound Norwegian. Gabriel didn't know his name. He didn't care. All that mattered was that the guy put up a good fight.
The audience placed their last few bets as the blond giant stopped on the far side of the open space, his best game face on. Gabriel stared back with a bored indifference he didn't have to feign. The Norwegian had the advantage of height, but that was about it. Most of Gabriel's power was in his uppercuts. It would be no problem to duck under this guy's swing unless the Norwegian was faster than Gabriel thought he was.
"Are you just going to stand there or are you going to hit me?" Gabriel asked, his tone bored. "I've got a plane to catch."
"I heard about you." His opponent shook his head in disbelief. "Crazy Bayou Beast."
"So I've been told, more than once." Gabriel assumed his fighting stance again. "Are we doing this or not?"
"You want me to hit you and you're not going to try to defend yourself?" The blond giant shook his head again. "I don't want to kill you."
"If you can't handle a little blood on your conscience, you shouldn't have sought out an unsanctioned fight," Gabriel chided. "I thought the gentlemanly thing to do would be to offer you the first shot. After all, it's going to be the only shot you get, so you should make it a good one." Gabriel arched a brow. "Or are you all talk and no balls?"
A guttural curse boiled up from the Norwegian's throat as he swung, throwing his full weight into it. Gabriel sidestepped, the blow glancing his shoulder. His opponent had some power to his punch, but so did Gabriel. He quickly delivered two gut punches then a knee that bypassed the chin and went straight for the nose. The Norwegian stumbled back as his nose sprayed blood.
With a bellow, the giant rushed Gabriel, his eyes glinting with murderous intent. The anger made him clumsy, and the clumsiness made him vulnerable. Within three minutes, Gabriel had the larger man on his back on the concrete, Gabriel's foot at his throat. The Norwegian yielded, and Gabriel stalked out of the open circle, took his cut from the fight organizer, then made his way to the door.
A massive man melted out of the shadows, followed by two more. His personal security team, chosen because they were almost as dangerous as he was. "I thought we talked about letting the other guy swing first."
Gabriel flicked a glance at the first man, Kilgore. "Yeah. So?"
"What if he'd dropped you?"
Gabriel shrugged. "I would have deserved it for being careless, I guess. Besides, it gave the crowd a show. Can't disappoint them when they're so eager to bet against me."
Kilgore shook his head. "Man, sometimes I think you have a death wish."
"Sometimes I do too." He handed over his winnings to the head of his security team, then accepted his shirt from one of the others, James or Jonas. In the dark it was hard to tell the silent twins apart. Whatever he made on the underground fights he gave to his men. He didn't need the money and they deserved the extra on top of their already generous salaries for putting up with him and making sure he got out alive. "If it makes you feel better, we're going to take a break from fights for a little while."
"Really? Where are we going?"
Gabriel entered the armored utility vehicle. "New Orleans. You could say I have a date with destiny that I have to keep."
He grinned to himself as they drove off into the night, heading for the airport and his private jet. It was finally time to make the last moves in the game of revenge he'd been playing since he pocketed his first million. Time to obliterate his enemies once and for all. Maybe then he'd be able to feel something other than the rage that had consumed him for the last ten years.
Revenge was sweet, and he'd saved the sweetest treasure for last.
"I'm coming for you, Karina."
CHAPTER 2Karina stood just offstage, waiting for Macy Lovelace to introduce her. The crowd's anticipation flowed through the ballroom, reaching her, firing her senses. She knew who they expected to see: the dark-haired angel with the powerhouse vocal range of an opera diva and the stage presence of a sex kitten, who couldn't be seen in public with a member of the opposite sex—and sometimes, members of the same sex—without dating rumors flying. They wanted the pop-dance superstar whose fans had nearly caused a riot in Germany the week before, who was allegedly dating a prince, an action film star, and a Japanese rock band.
That's who they wanted, and who she intended to give them. This benefit concert was for the city that had saved her, that had made her stronger and given her a voice. Now she'd pay the city back, and with the donation of a date to the silent auction, put the Girls Up Foundation over the top in their charity drive. It didn't matter that New Orleans was his. Tonight it was hers, and she'd show it proper gratitude.
Macy Lovelace stepped up to the microphone and looked out over the gathering. "I'd like to thank all of you for coming to the Starry Night Fund-raiser and Auction. I also appreciate you opening your hearts—and your wallets—for the Girls Up Foundation."
Laughter and applause rolled toward the stage. "Seriously though, the Girls Up Foundation is dedicated to helping young girls from all walks of life live up to their full potential. Your donations help provide programs and materials for education, fitness, and positive outreach. There's still time to place your bids for some of the bigger auctions tonight. Someone has a chance to win a date with pop superstar Karina. To give you an idea of what you can expect on that date, here to perform live is my friend and fellow Louisiana native, Karina!"
The applause rose again as Karina stepped onto the stage and gave her old friend a hug. She walked up to the microphone and beamed at the audience packing the glittering ballroom as her bandmates took their places. "Thank you, everyone, and thank you, Macy, for asking me to help raise money for such a wonderful cause. I've always believed in girl power, and I believe we can do anything we put our minds to, whether that's running a company or a country. Or standing on a stage, singing to an audience."
She launched into a tailored version of her concert spiel, engaging the crowd, encouraging them to have fun, enjoy themselves, and spend freely. The black-tie audience was different from her usual collection of concertgoers. Then again, her usual audience didn't pay anywhere near what these donors had paid to be there.
Her band started up the single that had gotten her national traction, a heartache-filled ballad called "Over." They quickly segued into her biggest hit to date, the rocking "Life After You." She'd made her career singing about the brokenhearted and how living well was the best revenge, though she knew most people didn't think she had any experience in that department. They all believed the angelic sex kitten, the hot girl next door, the sultry songstress was the real Karina. It was an image she and her manager had cultivated from day one. It was also a shield she used to keep the world at bay.
She sank into the song as she usually did, pouring her all into the story of hopeful young love, the aching bridge of betrayal and heartbreak, and the joy of eventually coming out the other side stronger and better. She felt every one of the words, and here in this place, so close to her hometown, so close to her past, the lyrics had even more weight, her voice catching on the quiet bridge before roaring into the defiant chorus.
She changed gears with a bouncy party song to lighten the mood for the finale. After introducing the band, she stepped back into the spotlight. "For our last number, we're going to debut a song we've been toying around with ever since Macy Lovelace asked us to participate in tonight's benefit, because we wanted to do our part for the foundation too. We're releasing it next week to all outlets and one hundred percent of the profits will go to the Girls Up Foundation. I hope you like it and you'll tell your friends all about it. It's called 'Girls Up,' and it goes like this."
As her drummer started a heavy bass beat, cheerleaders flooded the room, gathering at the front of the stage. They went into a raucous cheer that set up the girl-power anthem that had the crowd surging upright, clapping their hands, and stomping their feet. Karina basked in the energy, her earlier melancholy obliterated by the sheer joy of the song. She put her all into it, bouncing from one end of the stage to the other, working the crowd, hyping them up with words and music. The song raced to a stunning crescendo. For a moment, the ballroom choked on electric silence. Then the audience burst into rapturous applause, screams, and whistles.
The house lights rose as Macy returned to the stage. "Isn't she fabulous, ladies and gentlemen? Let's give Karina and her band another round of applause."
The crowd obliged. Karina smiled and blew a kiss, then thanked all the girls who'd helped make the anthem rock like it did. She scanned the crowd, but she recognized no one in the sea of faces. Disappointment welled inside her, but she rapidly squelched it. Why would he come? They hadn't been anything to each other in ten years. Just because Macy was dating one of his business partners didn't mean he'd show up tonight. He hadn't come for her then, and he hadn't come for her now.
"And now the moment you've all been waiting for." Karina's stomach fluttered as Macy held up an envelope. "In my hot little hands is the winning bid for a date with Karina!"
Macy opened the envelope. "The winner of the date with New Orleans's own superstar, Karina, with a bid of one hundred thou—"
"One million dollars."
* * *
Gabriel stood in a shadowed alcove of the ballroom, watching Karina Armistead sing her hit "Life After You," a song about love, betrayal, and heartbreak. As if she knew what the words meant. As if she'd experienced it.
Of course, she was just Karina now, a gifted songstress storming the charts. Dropping her last name didn't change the fact that she was an Armistead, the family that had burned him a decade ago. A family that had driven him out of town like a dog with its tail between its legs. Those days were long over and the Armistead clan no longer had any power over him. But he held the power now, and he intended to use it.
She was so different from the way he remembered her. Her dark hair fell in waves of soft mink about her face and shoulders, cascading almost to her waist. Worldly experience tempered the innocence in her wide cornflower-blue eyes, giving her a sultry gaze. He wondered if her creamy clear skin was just as soft as he remembered. If the cupid's bow mouth, now a scarlet siren red, was just as sweet.
Her voice was different. Back then, she'd had a clear soprano and had already begun training for opera. Now she had an alto perfect for the soulful, emotional songs she wrote. A tempting siren who fired his blood and made him want more than was wise.
Her body was certainly different. The sixteen-year-old slenderness had blossomed into a woman's form. The sparkling blue strapless top and barely there miniskirt revealed a woman's curves, the generous handfuls of her breasts, the trim waist, the way her legs went on for days beneath the scandalously short hem and stiletto boots. No, she wasn't the Karina Armistead he remembered, the young girl he'd foolishly given his heart to only to be rejected and betrayed. She was so much more.
Need slammed into him. It was ferocious, tearing at him like a wild animal on its prey, making his blood pump hot and heavy through his veins. Karina had always had that effect on him, even when they were teens, but this was more intense, more relentless. He shouldn't have wanted her so strongly, as if he'd die if he didn't taste her. The stinging anger of betrayal and the overarching desire for revenge should have tempered the uncontrollable hunger he felt for her, but it didn't. Instead, staring at her now, this new, mature version of his young love, everything came roaring back. Every bit of hunger and need.
Macy, his partner Raphael's fiancée, ripped open the envelope. Karina tensed. Beside him, an older man rubbed his hands together with relish. "I've got the winning bid. I wonder if she lives up to her reputation."
Oh, hell no. Gabriel suppressed the urge to pound the man into the carpet. There was no way in heaven or hell that he'd let anyone else get his lecherous paws on Karina. She's mine. Mine!
"The winner of the date with New Orleans's own superstar, Karina, with a bid of one hundred thou—"
"One million dollars."
The audience gasped, turning to see who'd made the last-minute bid. Both Karina and Macy wore equal expressions of shock. The man beside Gabriel spluttered. "You can't do that!"
"Why not?" he asked, unconcerned. "It's for a good cause. Think of the children." He turned his head, giving the older man a level stare. "Unless you care to outbid me?"
The man opened his mouth, looked into Gabriel's eyes, and thought better of whatever he'd been about to say. He turned and quickly disappeared into the crowd.
"Excuse me?" Macy called from the stage. "Do we really have a legitimate bid of one million dollars from the floor?"
"You do." Gabriel strode forward, the crowd quickly moving aside to let him through. He ignored them, his gaze once again fixed on Karina. His prize. The final part of his revenge. And at one time, the closest he had ever come to love. He should have known better—she was so far above him he couldn't breathe her air. He hadn't believed it then, but he knew now.
Karina stared at him, shock clearly written on her features, her luscious mouth rounded into an O of surprise. Did she really think she could come into his town and auction off a date without him making an appearance?
Macy recovered her ability to speak as he reached the foot of the stage. "Ladies and gentlemen, it appears that Mr. Gabriel Devereaux has reopened the bidding for a date with the lovely Karina! Are there any other bids?"
Gabriel didn't bother looking out over the ballroom as he climbed the stairs to the stage. He knew no one other than his business partners could attempt to outbid him, and since they were both newly occupied with their women, there was no one standing in the way of his date with Karina. Except perhaps, Karina herself.
Between one blink and the next, the shock vanished from her beautiful features, replaced by a glint of mischief. "Why Mr. Devereaux," she purred in that sultry voice of hers, "how kind of you to help the foundation. Though I'm thinking we're letting you off too easily. Perhaps I should bid on you. A million five for you to be on my arm."
He unzipped a grin as the crowd gasped again. Karina wasn't bluffing with her bid; he knew she had that amount at her disposal. His pockets were much deeper though. Cameras and cell phones flashed, and he knew they'd be the major news all over the social media sites in moments. Just as he wanted.
He leaned toward the microphone that Macy held between them. "I'm honored that you think I'm so valuable," he told her. "As flattering as that is, manners dictate that a gentleman should pay for the first date. Granted, not many people in this room would call me a gentleman."
(Continues...)
Excerpted from Take Down by Mallery Malone. Copyright © 2014 Mallery Malone. Excerpted by permission of St. Martin's Press.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
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