Romance: Pummel Me: A Boxing Romance Read online

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Pummel Me

  Front Crawl

  In Love with the Bad Boy

  The Campus Bad Boy

  The Love Triangle

  Chosen by the Billionaire

  The Art of Love

  The Chosen Girl

  Moving West

  A Royal Affair

  A Song for Redemption

  Plundering Booty

  Roughrider

  Pummel Me

  Courtney Clein

  Pummel Me

  Copyright 2016 by Courtney Clein

  First electronic publication: July 2016

  All rights are reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal.

  NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR:

  This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to person, living or dead, actual events, locale or organizations is entirely coincidental.

  Warning: Due to mature subject matter, such as explicit sexual situations and coarse language, this story is not suitable for anyone under the age of 18. All sexually active characters in this work are 18 years of age or older, and all acts of a sexual nature are consensual.

  Pummel Me

  Chapter 1 – Alex

  Alex hit the Gas pedal as soon as the signal turned green. He checked his watch for the fifth time while swerving to avoid a taxi moving at a snail’s pace. He was late. He was never late. Impatiently, he waited at another long red light. On rare occasions when he was late, it felt as if the whole universe was working hard to put obstacles in his path.

  When he finally pulled into the parking lot, the clock read 8:59. He slammed the car door and entered the academy that had been his second home since he was 5. JnM MMA Club was a sprawling six story building with tinted blue windows and brown brick walls, giving it a touch of ancient and modern at the same time. His dad had built the academy some thirty years back and it now ranked as the biggest and most popular club in the USA for MMA, Karate, Jui Jitsu, Taekwondo and several other arts which Alex never paid attention to. On the second floor was Alex’s private training and ring hall. It was an expansive room with a ring in the center. On the right corner was a shelf filled with training equipment and gear. There was a corner dedicated to weights; big, small, heavy, light. There were around thirty of them. On the left corner hung several punching bags of different sizes, weights and materials.

  Alex threw down his bag and pulled out his MMA gear. There was still a good two hours before his coach arrived. Plenty of time to work on the striking technique he couldn’t master yesterday.

  An hour into his practice, the bell to his door rang. Not once or twice, but four times in a row. Confused, Alex hopped over the ring and onto the practice mats surrounding it. He was breathing heavily from the punches he was throwing at the striking pad. Opening the door, he was surprised to find a tall blonde leaning against the door. Without saying anything or waiting for an invitation, she pushed past him and into the room.

  “Hello to you too,” Alex said, sarcastically, shutting the door behind her.

  Carlotta stood before him in a high waist black pair of jeans and a white tank top which complemented her tan skin and ash blonde hair. She was tall, lean and beautiful.

  “I thought I’d stop by and say hi,” she said, flinging down on the couch next to the equipment shelf.

  “That’s…considerate of you,” Alex said, clearly not happy to see her.

  “You never answered my calls,” Carlotta continued. “So I thought I’ll miss my classes today to meet you.”

  Carlotta was a senior at UCLA. He had first met Carlotta when she was a freshman. He had been a senior back then. They had clicked instantly and had been friends on more than one level.

  “I’ve been busy,” he lied, sitting down next to her.

  “Well, I’ve missed you,” she said. Without warning, she pulled him towards her and kissed him. Alex let her kiss him before pushing her away gently.

  “Not now, Car,” he said. “I’ve got training.”

  Carlotta pouted but relented. “So later, then?” she asked.

  “Car, I’ve told you I don’t have time for this.” He was getting tired of the blonde’s advances every time she saw him. Once upon a time, he had found Carlotta alluring. Now, he went out of his way to avoid her.

  “Can I at least come over?”

  “Sure,” he said reluctantly, knowing full well what ‘come over’ always led to.

  He walked her to the door, listening idly to her chatter about college and senior year. Before saying their goodbyes, she kissed him again. This time, he kissed her back, more to avoid further talk than anything else.

  He was relieved when she left.

  Chapter 2 – Jules

  “Well done, Juliana,” Mr. Tuner seemed pleased.

  “Good work,” agreed Mr. Parker. “Let’s review the recommendations with the lead team.”

  Jules collected her flashcards and placed her laptop in her hand carry. She was pleased with today’s presentation and was already running through a list of things she needed to complete before lunch break.

  “Juliana, I want you there at the conference call with our advertising agencies. You’ll be discussing the ongoing and upcoming digital ads and overall communication priorities. Give me a report beforehand so we can be on the same page.”

  “I’ll do it right away, Mr. Parker,” Jules smiled.

  Mr. Parker was her immediate boss and a reasonably good natured man. He was the Senior Brand Manager of Mondelez. Jules had been working with him for the past 2 months since she joined the Brand Representation Department.

  She walked to her office, chatting with Mr. Parker about the online marketing trends they had observed that morning. Some of their brands were showing an all-time low following on Twitter, which needed to be taken care of. Mid conversation, Mr. Parker received an excited phone call from his granddaughter. Jules could hear her voice from the speaker. She’s training in Taekwondo, Parker explained after he hung up. She just won her first tournament. Jules smiled, reminiscing back to the days when she was somewhat of a Karate Champion in her district. She had been 10 when she won her first tournament. Her opponent had been taller and leaner than her. She remembered the suffocating feeling of intimidation when her opponent towered over her. But Jules had learned to use her small height and light weight to her advantage. She had gone to get her brown belt, before the tough studies at UC Berkley and a mother suffering from cancer, in need of constant care, had forced her to quit Karate. It had been almost 5 years since Jules said goodbye to her nearest and dearest hobby. Jules bid Mr. Parker goodbye and walked slowly back to her desk. She held her fist before her, wondering if it still had the same strength it once had, knocking off opponents stronger and bigger than her. Her kicks had always been extremely flexible. Her blocking techniques had been quick and decisive. But now, all her trophies and accolades reflecting the fighter that she used to be lay in a box under her bed, long forgotten.

  By the time Jules was back in her office, she had forgotten about her reminiscing already. She was busy evaluating market trends and preparing for the conference call when lunch break started. She had a lunch date with her colleague and friend, Davis which she was looking forward to. When the elevator door opened, she found a girl of about 6 inside, wearing a black Taekwondo uniform and look
ing extremely excited. She was clutching the receptionists’ hand who was apparently assigned to take her to her grandfather.

  “Jules, where’s Parkers office?” Mary asked. The receptionist looked haggard, trying to control the enthusiastic girl.

  “First door to your left in the second corridor,” Jules replied automatically.

  Jules watched the child walk towards the office. She made up her mind. Glancing at her watch, she figured Davis didn’t expect her for another 15 minutes. She rushed back to her office and opened her laptop. Searching “Karate clubs in California”, she clicked on the first link that came up. Jackson and McKinnon MMA Academy had a nicely designed website. On the front page was a picture of several MMA fighters. The most prominent seemed to be a man called Alexander McKinnon. He was built, with a prominent jaw and messy hair.

  ‘UFC heavy weight champion, gold medalist at The International MMA Champions League, ranked no. 2 in California district’ read the description under his picture. Below that, there was a detailed list of all the medals and tournaments he had won. Other MMA fighters had similar descriptions.

  Jules clicked the Karate section and signed up for an intermediate Karate class. She figured that an intermediate class was suitable for a brown belt that had been out of practice for 5 years. She printed out the class schedule and smiled, feeling the same contentment she used to feel when she won a good fight.

  Chapter 3 – Carlotta

  Carlotta felt the soft glow of sunshine touch her face as she stirred. She didn’t want to wake up. She wanted to stay in this moment of serenity forever. She turned her face and opened her eyes sleepily. Alex was already awake, sitting up and typing away on his laptop. She took a moment to appreciate how beautiful he looked with his hair disheveled from sleep. He had pulled on a white T-shirt which hung to his body, revealing the strong muscles of his torso.

  “Good morning,” she said cheerfully.

  “Hey,” he replied, continuing his typing.

  “What are you doing?” she inquired.

  “Needed to sort out some logistical stuff for the club,” he replied, vaguely.

  Alex was a stakeholder in JnM MMA Academy. Since as long as Carlotta remembered, MMA had been a huge part of Alex’s life. He scheduled everything else in his life around his MMA timetable. Even when she had been his girlfriend in her freshman year, she always came second to his training. It used to put her off but it was also incredibly sexy to see him so dedicated to his art. She loved watching him practice. She loved the way the muscles in his arms became more prominent when he punched during his training. She loved watching his tournaments, his quick and decisive techniques that left him undefeated, always.

  She closed her eyes, thinking of the previous night again. It had been amazing, as always. Except they weren’t together anymore and hadn’t been together for the past 3 years, ever since Alex had graduated. In the course of time she had met Alex, they had been everything from friends to partners to friends with benefits. She wasn’t sure of what they were at this point. Alex didn’t seem to want anything more than occasional sex from her. She knew she shouldn’t allow that but she was helpless when it came to him; he was her weakness.

  Alex had always been extremely loved amongst the ladies. Before she started dating him in her freshman year, she had seen several girls leaving Alex’s room at odd times of the day. She used to live across from him so he was never too far. Carlotta still believed she could win Alex back if she tried hard enough. He was everything a girl would want. Strong, good looking, smart and rich. Carlotta had dated many guys after him but none could satisfy her mentally and physically like Alex.

  She opened her eyes again as she heard him sigh and close his laptop. He sat up and stretched. Carlotta sat up too, reaching across to touch him. She kneeled behind him on the bed and began to massage his shoulders, wanting to help him relax. Unable to resist, she bent down and kissed his neck. He didn’t object, which encouraged her. She wanted another round of their adventure last night. Sometimes, she got mad at herself because of how much she wanted Alex, at all times of the day. The duvet covering her slipped as she adjusted her position to kiss him. Alex kissed her back, turning around to face her. She felt it a little unfair that he had put on a shirt while she was still naked. Carlotta pulled him down on the bed, so that he was lying on top. Her hands closed around his hair as his tongue traced her bottom lip. She began to pull up his shirt but he smiled, caught her arms and held them to the sides of her head. “I’ll be late for practice,” he murmured, his lips torturously close to hers but denying her the kiss she was anticipating. And suddenly, he was standing and retreating to get ready for his training. Carlotta took a deep breath, trying to recover.

  She loved and hated how this man made her feel.

  Chapter 4 – Alex

  The clock read six as Alex came back to the club for his evening training. He wasn’t expecting anyone and so he was surprised when he heard the door open behind him. He took note of a young woman walk in, dressed in a sleeveless gym top and pajamas. He had never seen her before and assumed she was one of the new comers to the club who had lost her way. He threw down the gloves he was wearing and walked towards her.

  “May I help you?” he asked as he approached her. Close up, he noted that she was extremely pretty. Her red hair was pulled back in a high pony tail. Her figure was petite, with just the right amount of weight, not too skinny.

  “Er, yes,” she said, looking around the room. “I’m looking for the- “she held up a paper in front of her and read aloud from it. “Intermediate Karate coaching class with Donna Lewis.” She looked at him expectantly, waiting for him to direct her.

  He took the paper from her, frowning. “That class was cancelled,” he said. “Donna had to go out of town. You should have received an email.”

  “I didn’t receive anything,” she said.

  “You start from next week when Donna comes back,” he suggested.

  “I see,” she said, more to herself than to him. She looked so disappointed that Alex felt an instinct to help her out.

  “Maybe I can take your first class until Donna comes back,” he suggested. Her green eyes lit up at this and she agreed.

  “I’m Juliana,” she said, holding out her hand. “You can call me Jules.”

  “I’m Alex,” he took her hand into his larger one and shook.

  “I think I saw your picture on the website,” she mused as she took out the various equipment that she had brought with her. Since she had signed up for an intermediate class, Alex guessed she wasn’t new to this.

  After their initial warm up, Alex wanted to judge her strength so he held up a striking pad, asking her to punch. Alex could tell by her stance and her movements that she had either practiced the art before or she was an exceptionally good learner. Her punch caught him off guard and he almost stumbled a little since he wasn’t standing in the balanced stance. If he was being honest, he wasn’t expecting such a heavy punch from a 5’4 tall, petite woman.

  “Very good,” he said, taken aback. She looked amused at his expression. When he asked her to kick, he noticed her kicks almost reached the top of his head despite him being a good half foot taller than her. Now he was really surprised.

  The training session lasted two hours instead of one and a half like scheduled. Alex hadn’t had this much fun training any of his students for a long time. During the session, Alex learned that Jules was a Karate brown belt, which didn’t come much as a surprise to him. She was a good fighter, though clearly out of practice like she had told him.

  When they were done, it was nearly 9 o’clock. Alex suggested he’ll walk her to her car, since he was winding up his training too.

  “Why did you stop your practice?” he asked as they walked down the stairs.

  “Oh, I had to,” she replied. “I was a freshman at UC Berkley, doing a double major, completing my degree a year early, taking care of my sick mother,” she ticked off all the reasons on her fingers. “Then my
mother passed away and I had to look after my little brother too.”

  “That sounds tough,” Alex said, sincerely. “I’m sorry.”

  Jules shrugged. “I didn’t realize how much I missed Karate up until now. You teach really well, by the way. Better than any coach I’ve had.”

  Alex was pleased at that comment. “You’re a good fighter too,” he reciprocated.

  “Yeah, yeah, I’ve been better than this,” she shrugged off his comment. “I thought of going back to Karate after I graduated but then I landed a big job and thought I was more suited to the corporate world.”

  “What do you do?”

  “I am the Senior Sales Representative at Mondelez,” she replied.

  “Wow, that’s big.” Alex wanted to know more about her, but then she asked him of his professional career in MMA and the talk diverted from her. They ended up having dinner at the restaurant in front of the club on Alex’s suggestion. Somehow, he didn’t feel like separating just yet. He hadn’t clicked with anyone like this for years. They talked about everything. Jules was interested in his upcoming tournament in Manchester which would be a make or break moment for his career. The Manchester MMA Championship was big for any serious MMA fighter. Alex promised to help her with training until Donna came back into town.

  When Alex got home to his apartment, he felt a strange feeling of satisfaction which he hadn’t felt in years. He couldn’t quite place a finger on what the reason was. Or maybe he didn’t want to.

  Chapter 5 – Jules

  Alex texted her the next week, setting up a time for Sunday night. Jules confirmed her presence. She had liked his coaching well enough. Alex had been encouraging, and good at catching any mistakes in her strikes and techniques. He had also been extremely good looking, but that wasn’t relevant. Up close, he had a prominent jaw, light brown eyes and soft hair.