Painkiller (BWWM/Interracial MMA New Adult Erotic Romance Novella) Read online

  Text Copyrighted 2015 Diana D. Jackson

  All Rights Reserved

  The characters and events featured in this story are completely fictional. Any and all similarities are purely coincidental. These characters are all of adult age and lack blood relations. All sexual encounters depicted in this story are completely fictional and involve consenting adults.

  It takes a few months of living at college to start appreciating your home. It takes a few months of living at home to start missing college. Life is funny like that.

  In a span of less than one year, college had gone by like a blur. It felt odd to have my first year as an adult past by so fast. In contrast, high school had felt like an enjoyable enough grind over the course of four years. My childhood felt like a lifetime onto itself.

  I had always thought my younger years would feel like they had gone by in a flash. However, I had found that being an adult meant living life at a brisk pace. Perhaps, it was the fact that I was living in a place that was far away from where I had grown up. College was an exciting and fast-paced environment. Coming home for the summer just nailed down how slow it was back at home.

  To be honest, it was a much welcomed break from my hectic schedule at college. I was a pre-med student and planned to become a doctor someday. Pre-med meant I would be up to my eyeballs in biology and chemistry classes. This was after the fact that I took advanced classes in high school to get an early start for college. That left me with somewhat of a manageable workload. Even then, I still had to take some elective classes to fulfill my degree requirements.

  This meant there little time for a college romance. Good luck trying to schedule dates between a pair of three-hour biology lectures. I spent my weekends reading one hundred page chapters and preparing for the next class. I did not have as much time as I would have liked to meet new people and explore the campus. In fact, most of the guys I had dated were fellow pre-med students. Misery loves company and Organic Chemistry can cause a lot of misery.

  Let me tell you, dating another pre-med student can be just as enjoyable as going to your professor’s office for help. The only thing we talked about was how difficult the upcoming test would be. Instead of going out to the theatre, we went over online videos about molecular biology to help us study for quizzes. Instead of romantic dinners, we were splitting a pack of ramen noodles while memorizing formulas. Instead of receiving a card for Valentine’s Day, I asked to borrow his flashcards for the next midterm.

  Needless to say, I was dating my class schedule with all the romance that came with it.

  Nevertheless, that did not stop my mother from gossiping about my love like in college. There honestly was not much to say. I was more worried about fitting in and getting through the two semesters than dating college boys. While I was not as obsessed with studies as some of my classmates, I wasn’t exactly into the dating scene either like many of my friends.

  As for my mother, she worked as a nurse at a local clinic. My mother’s side came from a long line of women involved in the medical field. The women of my family were known to have a healer’s touch even if their administration of it was not always gently enough for the patient. It must have been genetic since I was following their footsteps.

  My mother enjoyed her work since it let her meet new people. I was not so keen on doing clinic hours with people who had the flu or did not particularly take good care of their bodies. Nevertheless, she enjoyed the work and it kept her busy. My mother always came home with a new story to tell. I was not sure which medical field I would enter but I’d prefer something a little less hands on.

  I took the summer as a chance to relax and recharge my batteries. I wanted to catch up with some old friends. I missed being around them and the high school where we grew up. The campus at college was a huge and busy place. It was hard meeting up new friends, especially in between studying. Thankfully, I would be spending the summer break with my old high school friends.

  There was hot nightclub in downtown we planned on visiting. It was called Shot Glass and just about everyone was trying to get in or sneak into it. Normally, the nightclub would card me and tell me to take a hike. Luckily, I knew someone who worked there. It wasn’t just a waitress or bouncer who owed me a favor.

  My best friend, Amelia, was one of the co-owners of the bar. She had decided to open her own nightclub using money left to her by her late uncle. Her uncle had been a bartender and she had been close with him. After school, she would visit the nightclub he worked at. He would let her do her homework in the back while making drinks at the counter. Eventually, she decided her dream would be to open her own nightclub.

  Her parents were concerned over her career choice. They would’ve preferred her to go to college and get a regular job. Besides, the nightclub would be located in a dangerous side of town. Even I was concerned with my friend’s risky decision.

  However, the choice paid off in spades. The nightclub was a huge hit. Amelia told me the club was operating in the black just two months in. Even at college, I would hear how it had become a popular attraction back home.

  A part of me couldn’t help but feel a little jealous of my best friend’s entrepreneurship. She had taken her destiny into her own hands instead of following a path laid out for her. I wished I had the same nerve to forge my own path. Sometimes, I wondered if I would work in some hospital or take a risk and open my own practice. I loved medicine but I didn’t know what to do with this love.

  Nevertheless, it wouldn’t be hard to get into the Shot Glass. Amelia even had a private room set for us that most other people would have to reserve. It would technically be legal as long as we weren’t served alcohol. Besides, Amelia herself wasn’t twenty-one years of age yet. She knew how to bend the rules without getting into trouble. One year of being a model student meant my wild side was yearning to have some fun.

  Nevertheless, the Shot Glass was known to attract unwanted trouble. The place could get pretty rowdy during primetime. Amelia had hired an army of bouncers to keep the peace.

  The nightclub was located near some gangs and other small criminal elements. That was the price of setting a business in a not so nice side of town. Still, it was usually a safe place. I knew it would be a great place to meet up with friends over the summer.

  Or so I thought.

  “Mom, why did you do this to me?” I groaned, sinking into my chair when I heard my mother’s new ‘arrangement’ for me. “I had my whole summer planned out! It didn’t involve surprise dates with one of my mom’s clinic patients.”

  My mother laughed. “Don’t be so dramatic, Jessica. It’s just a date. Remember, how you told me about how difficult it was to find a date in college? Now, you’re complaining about a date that’s fallen into your lap.”

  “I have enough unwanted electives at college,” I sighed, seeing my plans collapse into the ether. “I don’t need one at home. Couldn’t you have pointed him to some dating website? It would’ve been a lot easier than offering your daughter as a date. Without her permission, I might add.”

  “Jason needs something better than a dating website,” my mother replied. For her, clinic hours didn’t end when she got home. She loved to help people, even if it meant inconveniencing herself. Or her family. “He needs something more than a checkup, a booster shot, and a lollipop. He needs to talk to someone about his feelings.”

  “Dad wouldn’t have let this happen.”

  “It’s a good thing I sprung this on you while he was watching the big game with his drinking buddies,” my mother laughed. “It’s just few hours of talking to h
im. I’m sure he’ll pay for dinner.”

  “He can talk to you while you’re on the job.”

  “He needs someone his age. You’re just a little younger than him. I’ve talked to my boss and she agreed it wouldn’t break the rules if he went on a date with my daughter.”

  “It’s great that your boss has approved this little arrangement,” I said, rolling my eyes. “How about getting my approval? I had plans for the night. I had plans for the whole summer!”

  “Well, change them,” my mother demanded. “Jessica, you have this wonderful opportunity to help a nice young man. Come on and take it.”

  I slumped back on my chair and folded my arms. “It doesn’t sound like I had much of a choice. This guy sounds like he’s sick. Is he even healthy enough to take me on a date?”

  “Physically, he’s like an Olympic athlete,” my mother said with a smile. “I don’t usually get too many people in this great of a condition. It’s just his emotional side that has been a problem. Other than that that, he’s in great shape and has a nice motorcycle. It purrs like a kitten. Don’t girls your age love guys with motorcycles?”

  I had to admit he sounded intriguing. “Okay, so who is this Jason guy, exactly? What’s been bothering him… emotionally?”

  “One of his friends passed away a year ago through a drug overdose,” Mom began. “Jason has taken it very hard. He’s been hitting the gym pretty hard and the gym has been hitting back just as hard. A few months ago, he started sending his sparring partners. They were covered in bruises and one of them dislocated his shoulder. Now, Jason has come to me due to sheer exhaustion from his intensive training. The guy’s an MMA fighter so he needs to be in tip-top shape for competition. However, it’s just not his physical injuries I’m worried about.”

  “MMA?” I asked, raising an eyebrow. “Like the UFC fights on television?”

  “Oh no, he just fights at the local circuit,” Mom answered. “Jason is undefeated with many of his wins coming from knock outs. However, he’s worried that he might start bringing baggage from his personal life into the ring. It’s why I suggested he take a step back from the fighting and try the dating scene.”

  “I guess I’ll watch him wail on some punching bag for couple of hours and call it a night,” I grumbled. “You could have gotten me someone who wasn’t some dumb muscle-head. At least, it’s more romantic than memorizing the periodic table over microwaveable ramen cups.”

  “Jason is an intelligent man,” Mom defended. “I’ve never met someone so worldly at such a young age. He just finished his degree from a local college off various sports scholarship. That’s with him balancing his very demanding MMA career. You’d never think a man called the Painkiller would be so mature and kind.”

  The name sounded somewhat familiar. “So Professor Roundhouse-Kick has a degree and a few fights under his belt. Why does he need a pre-med student like me for?”

  “He needs to understand that he’s young and has a bright future ahead of him. There’s more to life than training and fighting. I think being around someone his age will help him put things into perspective.”

  “What am I supposed to do? Hold his hand while he cries next to the punching bag?”

  “No, I want you to talk to him,” she answered. “Let him catch some of that infectious enthusiasm of yours. Complain about teachers, pop musicians, or whatever it is you kids hate. Have a good time with him. I’m suspending your curfew for that night. Stay at his place for the night if you have to.”

  I hated being treated like a child when I was an adult. I missed the freedom of college already. “So it’s an actual date then? I thought this was some therapy session.”

  “He’s quite handsome,” mom said with a sly smile. “The younger nurses always are abuzz when he arrives at the clinic.”

  I rolled my eyes again. “I’m not sure I’ll take your word for it. I’ll believe it when I see it.”

  “I think you’ll like him, Jessica.”

  “I don’t know about that…”

  “Come on, it’ll just be one date.”

  “Alright, just for one night,” I said with a sigh. “After that, I want to spend my summer without babysitting some MMA fighter who has the blues. Is he free this Saturday?”

  My mother glanced at a nearby calendar. “That’s perfect! You’re going to have a great time with him.”

  It was like she was running the clinic from home. I hated it whenever she did that. At least her underlings got a paycheck for doing whatever she asked of her. Hopefully, this Jason guy would pay for food when we went out.

  A few days later, the moment of truth arrive. I didn’t bother asking mom details about Jason. It wasn’t like I was going to ever see him again after this night. This was just a favor to my mother. There was no point in getting to know him better.

  Nevertheless, that didn’t stop mom from dolling me up. She made Jason out to some sort of prince I was betrothed to. She seemed nervous as if I was about to head off to marry my future husband at a wedding. It was all very silly for date with some MMA fighter.

  I didn’t go out on too many dates during high school. Hell, I even skipped out on prom to stay home and read a book. I didn’t want to have a long distance relationship once I graduated. This didn’t change when I got to college. I was too busy studying to pursue a long-term relationship. Besides, most of the boys there were either insensitive or plain idiotic.

  I knew my mother hated that I wasn’t more outgoing with an active dating life. She had talked about finding a husband for me and how I needed to give her grandchildren. I was more worried about passing mid-terms than I was about who would father my future children. I could tell this was as much of a ploy to get me out of the house with a guy as much was to help a patient. You could always count her to turn a problem into an opportunity.

  My father was cut from a different cloth. Having served as a high school teacher, he had been rather gruff with any boy who came over to our house. It didn’t matter if we were staying home and doing homework. No wonder my mother had planned this when my father was out of the house for work.

  Eventually, my mother got a call from Jason. He was on his way to pick me up on his motorcycle. I couldn’t help but feel at bit anxious. While I was confident when it came to organic chemistry and molecular biology, I wasn’t as ease when it came to interacting with the opposite sex during a date.

  It didn’t help that the guys at college weren’t exactly the pick of the litter. They acted like they were even younger than the boys back at high school. You would think being a pre-med major would mean you would have some semblance of maturity.

  My mother heard the door ring. “Stay here, Jessica. I’ll get him.”

  I wanted someone who was mature and caring. From what mom had told me, my date didn’t sound like a complete caveman. Even if this Jason guy wasn’t a looker, having an actual adult to talk sounded pleasant enough.

  So I was pleasantly surprised when my mom opened the door and he came in.

  Scratch that.

  No, I wasn’t just surprised. I was so shocked that my heart seemed to pound against my ribcage. It was like a bomb had gone off in my chest.

  Jason was absolutely drop-dead gorgeous. His reputation was an MMA fighter hadn’t prepared me for his size and physique. The man towered over my mother with his tall, muscular frame. This man wasn’t one of the out of shape, acne-ridden guys I associated with the college dating scene. Jason was as big and fit as they came.

  For that matter, the MMA fighter was a devastatingly handsome man. I could make out the powerful sinews in his body flex as he gently shook my mother’s hand. His dark, silky hair looked it had been combed but the wind had swept it away. His facial features were sharp with a somber smile on his lips.

  There was a certain power and authority in his step. His body held a grace and confidence that could only come from years of training. His piercing grey eyes were intelligent and alert as they cautiously scanned my home. Every movement o
f his seemed calculated as if deciding the best way to go from point A to point B. Jason seemed like a predatory jungle cat reborn as a man.

  With a playful nudge to my ribs, my mother smiled at the dumbfounded look on my face and whispered. “I told you he was good looking.”

  I had to admit the assessment was right. Jason’s features could land him on the cover of any men’s health magazine. There was a natural beauty to his face that no makeup artist could ever hope to replicate. His sea grey eyes pierced through me like the blinding illumination of a lighthouse in the middle of the night. There was barely any marks or scars on his face. If this man was a fighter, then he must have been as quick as he looked powerful.

  The leather jacket and denim jean he wore were a simple combination that looked light years ahead of the fashion sense of most of the guys who lived around these parts. The thick fabrics failed to hide his powerful physique. I was happy he had dressed casually for the event since I wouldn’t have been able to keep up with his appearance.