by Emily Rose
In Sickness and Health
BWWM Interracial Billionaire Romance
Author: EMILY ROSE
© Copyright 2019 by EMILY ROSE All rights reserved.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, or by any information storage and retrieval system without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of very brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to any person, living or dead is purely coincidental.
From the Author:
Thank you for purchasing this book.
Table of Contents
In Sickness and Health
BWWM Interracial Billionaire Romance
Description
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
In Sickness and Health
BWWM Interracial Billionaire Romance
Author: EMILY ROSE
Description
Mia Jefferson, a young woman living in New York City has just finished school and is ready to change the world. That is, until she has the job interview that will change her life.
In a twist of fate and as a direct result of her incredibly poor driving skills, she lands her dream job. That job will come at a cost.
Will she be ready for what it will truly cost her?
Working for pharmaceutical billionaire Lawrence King has it’s perks. The fancy car, the chance to make all of her dreams come true and of course, the man himself. Gorgeous, rich, elusive.
He’s everything that every girl dreams of but will he ever be able to move past his own troubled past enough to give Mia a chance? Or will he come close just to push her away as their relationship deepens and trouble grows at every chance?
In Sickness and Health
Chapter 1
Mia Jefferson woke up to the sun streaming through her window. It was too bright for 7 a.m. and she sat up with a jolt, disturbing the chubby, white cat curled up between her feet. She glanced at her alar m clock and saw that it was completely black. She cursed. It had been raining the night before and she had slept like a baby, lulled to sleep by the sounds of the drops hitting the windowsill. The power must have gone out.
She reached for her cell phone sitting on her dresser. It was an older iPhone that she’d had for several years and had never bothered to update because she was worried it would stop working. She clicked the screen open, seeing her cat’s face on the phone’s locked screen. It was 7:30 a.m. Her heart raced. Her interview at King Pharmaceuticals was at 9:30 a.m. and it was all the way on the other side of the city.
Leaping out of bed, she kissed her cat on the top of the head. He gave a disheartened squeak at being woken from his sleep and she admonished him.
“Come on, Charlie. You know today’s important!”
Mia had finished school one month before after going through a career change. She’d worked for five years as a nurse and four years ago had decided that she’d seen enough death in her lifetime. The job had been hard, full of long hours and thankless work. She loved helping people but being on the front lines was just too much. Every time an elderly patient died, her heart broke just a little more.
So, she had decided to go back to school for cellular biology, hoping to get a job researching rare diseases, and some part of her dreamed that she’d be the one to help find a cure to some of the world’s most elusive medical issues. She knew she’d have to start as a lab tech and would be at the bottom of the totem pole, but honestly, she just didn’t care. It was about the goal. She wanted to save lives instead of postponing the inevitable.
She headed to the bathroom, sliding out of her fuzzy pink pajamas with the holes in the knees. Mia gazed at herself in the mirror, noticing the dark circles under her eyes from the late nights she’d had in the weeks before. She still hadn’t recovered from her grueling school schedule, but she knew she had to start working. Mia took her hair down from the bun that was piled high on her head, long black hair cascading down the dark, luminous skin of her shoulders, and she practiced a smile in the mirror.
Leaning down, she turned on the shower. The pipes were cold and groaned loudly as she adjusted the hot and cold water to the perfect temperature. Shivering, she stuck a hand under the water. It was perfect. She got into the shower and closed the curtain, letting the water cascade over her. Her thoughts turned to her interview. She’d printed off a fresh copy of her resume the night before and laid out the black dress and blazer she was going to wear. She went over a few interview questions in her head.
Absentmindedly, she reached for the shampoo bottle and lathered a large handful into her hair. Closing her eyes, she savored the warmth of the water. It was the middle of November and snow had already started to fall in New York City. The old baseboard heaters in her apartment didn’t do much to keep it warm.
After rinsing her hair, she grabbed her loofah and poured some bodywash onto it, slowly sudsing her body. She moved from her graceful neck, down under her breasts and into the creases of her underarms. She thoughtfully scrubbed every inch of her body, still mulling over the interview questions. She rinsed herself off and turned off the shower.
Stepping out onto the bathmat, she found that her cat was already sitting there, glaring balefully at her.
“Alright, fine. Breakfast time.” She threw on her bathrobe, pulling it tight around her, and padded out to the kitchen. She pulled the bag of cat food out from under the sink and poured a generous amount into the bowl. Charlie immediately began crunching at the food and after checking his water, she moved back into the bedroom. She towel-dried her hair and looked at the outfit she’d picked out, second-guessing herself.
Staring into her closet, Mia shrugged. Nothing else was interview appropriate so this was going to have to do. She missed being able to show up to class in her sweatpants, but it was time to grow up. She slid into the black dress she’d picked out, the tight fabric clinging tight to her slender waist. She grabbed her brush, ran it through her hair, and quickly threw on some mascara and a deep, plum-colored lipstick.
Mia looked at herself in the full-length mirror. It’ll have to do, she thought to herself. Grabbing her purse, she headed out the door, locking it behind her. She headed out to the elevator, pressing the button.
Chapter 2
“You’re looking awfully nice today, sweetie.” She turned around to see Greta, the older Greek woman from down the hall. She smiled at her, a wide, toothless and kind grin. Mia smiled back at her.
“Job interview today. Wish me luck!” Greta reached out and grasped Mia’s hand in her own.
“Darling, don’t you think it’s time you find a man? Then you wouldn’t have to work!”
Mia laughed loudly, shaking her head.
“Come on, Greta. You know I’m way too busy for that.” The elevator dinged as it arrived. Mia gestured to Greta to get in first and waited for the older lady to get settled before getting in herself and pressing the first floor button. She pulled out her phone, checking her emails for the address so she could put it into her GPS.
They reached the first floor and Mia smiled and waved at Greta before heading out to the parking spaces behind the building. She walked up to Old Betty, her beat-up car that she’d had since she’d learned how to drive at 16. It had belonged to her father and even though it cost her more than it was worth in re
pairs, she hadn’t been able to bring herself to sell it. Maybe after she got this job. If I get this job, she corrected herself.
Mia put the address into the GPS and unlocked the car, getting into it and turning it on. She pulled out into the street quickly. Driving fast was a bad habit of hers but she loved how invincible it made her feel. Like nothing would ever catch her again. She slammed on the gas pedal and whipped around the corner, using her spare hand to turn up the radio. A woman was singing a feel-good song and even though she was feeling anxious about the interview, she belted out the lyrics along with her.
The GPS told her at the last minute to turn into the left lane. Without looking, she veered into the lane and then heard an enormous crash. Her entire body jolted forward as the air bags went off. Her ears rung from the impact and the car filled up with smoke. Dazed, she undid her seat belt and wobbled out of the car.
She had hit a beautiful, very expensive-looking black car and the man driving was getting out. Her blood ran cold. She hadn’t meant to be so distracted and her mother had always told her that her driving was going to cause an accident. She prayed that her mother wouldn’t judge her too harshly when she found out.
A tall, well-built man in a black suit stepped out of the black car. He looked at her, ice visible in his steely gray eyes. He stormed towards her.
“Don’t you know how to drive? You could have killed the both of us!” She stared at him. His gorgeous face was twisted into a scowl, making him look somewhat like a lion; a dangerous predator. Her voice caught in her throat as she stuttered.
“I’m... I’m so sorry. I should have been paying attention. It was an accident. Are you okay?” She smiled at him tentatively, hoping to soften the mood. He continued to scowl at her.
“Of course I’m fine, if I wasn’t I wouldn’t be standing her talking to you. But, look at my car! Do you even know how much this car is worth?” Derision was thick in his voice as he took in her old car and her scuffed heels. He immediately judged that she couldn’t possibly know how much the car was worth.
He pulled out his phone to call the police. Mia got back in her car, head in her hands. She hoped she’d still make it to her interview on time and felt like a total idiot. She sat there like that; anxiety written in her face. Eventually, she heard the whooping of sirens as the police arrived.
The police officer came over to take her statement and she barely registered what they were saying. She stumbled over the story and the police officer gave her a sympathetic nod. He headed over to the man she’d hit, and she could hear his deep voice raising and lowering as he ranted at the police officer. Anxiety settled in the pit of her stomach as she checked her watch. Only fifteen minutes until her interview.
She debated whether she should show up at all and eventually she sighed. Of course she had to go, it was the first interview she’d had since finishing school. She motioned to the officer.
“Am I free to go? You’re going to tow the car, right? The airbags went off so it’s probably not drivable...” She trailed off, sadly eyeing the wreckage of her car. She hadn’t planned on buying a new one so soon, but it didn’t really look like she had any choice.
The officer smiled at her and nodded.
“You’re free to go, ma’am. We’ll take it from here.” Mia breathed a sigh of relief. She headed to the sidewalk to hail down a cab and was startled to find the man she’d hit waiting to hail one too. She ignored him and raised her hand.
A cab pulled over for her and the man cleared his throat.
“Uh, I was here first. This is my cab.” He stared into her, daring her to fight him on it.
“I have an interview, and I’m really late. Please, please let me take this cab. I need to get to King Pharmaceuticals.” A wry grin spread over the man’s face.
“Very interesting, since I’m going to King Pharmaceuticals. I guess we’ll just have to share then!” He gestured a hand towards the cab. She couldn’t help but notice the strength of his hand and the thickness of his forearm. He spends a lot of time at the gym, she mused.
“Fine.” She scowled at him and slid into the back seat as he slid in after her. He closed the door and spoke to the cab driver to tell him where to go. He then lounged back in the seat, his long legs barely fitting in the space between his seat and the passenger seat in front of him.
“So, you have an interview at King Pharmaceuticals. That’s why you were in such a big hurry?” He cocked one well-groomed eyebrow at her, awaiting her response.
“Yeah, it’s my first interview since I decided to change careers. Today was supposed to be the day everything changed for me but now I’m so late and they’re probably going to turn me away at the door.” The words tumbled out of her mouth and she suddenly felt embarrassed. Why am I telling this guy my whole life story? She chastised herself and shuffled away from him, staring pensively out the window.
His voice was soft as he spoke.
“I get it. I mean, I probably wouldn’t hire you but maybe the next one will be the one.”
She eyeballed him, shrugging. The tension was thick in the car and she appreciated that he seemed to have calmed down a little, but she was still on edge. It also didn’t help that he was incredibly attractive and within a foot of her, but she tried to push that thought out of her head. He was not for her.
Mia saw the tall, grey towers of King Pharmaceuticals rising above them as the cab stopped. She reached for her wallet and the man put his hand on hers.
“Let me, I’ve got this.” Before she could protest, he flashed a black credit card and winked at her. She caught his name on the credit card. Lawrence King. Her heart jumped into her throat. There was no way, it couldn’t be the Lawrence King, multi-millionaire and owner of King Pharmaceuticals. There was no way she was getting this job now, she felt it in her soul.
She managed a weak smile at him as her heart pounded in her chest.
“Uh, thanks, Mr. King.” She emphasized his last name so that he would know that she knew. He raised an eyebrow and a devilish grin spread across his handsome face, so flawlessly sculpted that it looked like an artist had created him.
“Good luck on your interview.” He got out of the car and reached his hand back in to help her out. This was the second time he’d touched her hand in as many minutes and her mouth went dry. For a moment, she wondered what that hand would feel like on her body and she flushed.
“Thanks, you too.” She immediately cursed herself, what a dumb thing to say. They walked into the building together and the perky blonde woman at the front desk waved at Lawrence.
“Mr. King! Anna called in sick today, would you mind doing her interview for her? The girl who’s supposed to be interviewing isn’t here yet so she’s probably a no show, but can you keep a space in your schedule in case she does? You don’t have any meetings until this afternoon.” The blonde woman chattered quickly, her energy overflowing into the entire room.
Lawrence grinned widely, his canines showing.
“Of course. I actually ran into the interviewee on the way in. She’s made quite an impression... on my car.” He chuckled at his joke, leaving the receptionist confused. Mia stared up at him, wide eyed. Oh no…
“Come this way, Miss…?”
“Jefferson.” Mia choked out, hardly believing her bad luck. She couldn’t imagine a worse possible way for her day to go at this point, so she might as well see it through. She followed him to the elevator and waited, staring at the ground while the elevator arrived.
Once in the confined space of the elevator, he pressed the 21st floor. Oh, so we have to go up 21 floors before I have all of my hopes and dreams crushed. Fantastic. She was filled with dread, but the show had to go on.
He led her to his office and opened the door into a well-lit, well-designed room with a long marble desk seated in front of a large window. A large potted aloe vera plant sat on his desk. He sat behind the desk and gestured for her to sit down.
“Resume, please.” His tone was sardonic. She pulle
d it out of her manila folder and handed it to him. He browsed it and then he read something that made him pause. He looked up at her.
“You’ve been studying Somunal Disease? And you’re a nurse?”
“I was a nurse,” Mia emphasized. “But yes, I was studying Somunal Disease in school. My specialty was incurable diseases. I really want to start working on some big projects with bigger results. I want to save people.” Her voice was passionate, and the color rose to her cheeks, giving her a lovely flush.
He looked contemplative.
“Listen, I wasn’t really going to give you a chance. You already knew that. You totaled my car, and that’s worth more than you’d be making in a year. But...” he paused for a moment, collecting his thoughts.
“You might be able to help me. My sister has been suffering from Somunal Disease for the last year. She was bitten by a mosquito while on vacation in the Caribbean. It’s been... a really tough time for both of us.”
Mia nodded, not sure where the conversation was going. He continued.
“I want you to take care of her. As a nurse and someone who truly understands her illness, you’re uniquely qualified. If you agree to take care of her for the next two years, I will offer you a job in our labs studying rare diseases. You’ll be paid handsomely. What do you think?” His gray eyes bored into hers and she could sense the intensity radiating off of him.
Mia thought for a moment. She had wanted a job, right? She was done with nursing; she’d sworn off watching people die. But, maybe, if she took this job, she’d be able to land the job of her dreams. She fiddled with the edge of her dress before looking up at him.
“I’ll take it. I want a contract to prove that we had this conversation, though. Can you do that?” She stared at him fiercely. A broad smile spread across his face and he reached his hand out to her.