Sweet Obsession (Men of Whiskey Row Book 1) (10 page)

The moment was soon broken by the return of the beautiful blonde from earlier as she pulled him onto the dance floor. Noelle hated to admit it, but they made a good looking couple. They appeared to be having the time of their lives laughing and talking to each other, she thought enviously. The woman oozed confidence, and Noelle was pretty sure she would have never let anyone treat her like she was a five-year-old. There was no way someone as sophisticated as Jack would ever be interested in someone as gauche as me, Noelle thought despondently as she tried to listen valiantly to whatever the hell Charles and her mother were talking about. From that moment on, she made it a point to avoid being alone with Jack Sullivan lest she embarrass herself.

Chapter Seven

  Noelle was laughing and clutching her stomach as the tears rolled down her cheeks, because she just couldn’t stop…laughing. Jack watched in silent bemusement as it went on and on. Out of all the reactions he’d expected her to have, this wasn’t one of them; and it left him feeling slightly offended. Typically, women fell all over him and laughed with him- not at him. Finally, she stopped and wiped her big gray eyes with the backs of her hands.  

“Thanks; I needed that, Jack,” Noelle sighed in relaxation. “So what are we really going to do?”  

“We are going to get married, Noelle. I wasn’t joking.” Jack restated firmly. She opened her mouth in protest, but he continued on. “The kind of people your ex is mixed up with are the worst kind of greedy lowlifes. If you give in to Dumont’s blackmail, they will eventually come after you and everyone you love, ruining your family’s good name in the process. Are you willing to risk that?” Jack asked sharply, prompting her to slowly shake her head in the negative.   

“I didn’t think so. In his culture, there is a mafia-like syndicate that ensures everyone falls in line and doesn’t bring dishonor or attention to them. I know a guy that can make all of the shit he has on you disappear, but I have to show him that we are legally married. It’s disrespectful to make advances on another man’s wife in general; but from where his family is from, they take it to the umpteenth power. All your problems will disappear. Unless you’ve told anyone other than your closest friends about this, no one needs to know,” Jack finished smoothly watching her pensive expression as his words sunk in.  

Jack knew it was a long shot that Noelle would tie herself to him, because frankly he wasn’t even sure if she liked him. She avoided him and was always careful to make sure they weren’t alone. He felt like a pathetic fool as she digested the information. There was a long moment of silence before she finally spoke. “Would you like some pie?”   

Pie. The hell?? And because he’d been raised to be a gentleman, he replied politely, “Yes please; I would love some.”

 Noelle beamed at him and took off towards the kitchen leaving him alone in the living room. Pie. Jack shook his head in bewilderment. Why couldn’t pie be code for sex? He sure as hell would love a big helping of sex with her. He stood up and watched as she walked down the long hallway to the kitchen. Again her ass teased him from underneath the long shirt she wore. The urge to bury his hardness in her balls deep was unbearable. He wanted to fuck her like an animal marking its territory so that everyone would know whom she belonged to. And that was the part of him that scared him the most. Noelle brought feelings out in him that, until they met, Jack didn’t know he possessed.

Women passed through his bed, but he was always cool and detached. It was like a business deal where each party walked away mutually satisfied-until he was alone and his thoughts turned to the insanely gorgeous girl in the kitchen. He longed to make her his and felt the need to kill any man that looked her way. As he was older than her, Jack knew he had no right to want her like he did. An image of his father flashed before his eyes, and he rubbed his face trying to clear it.
You’re nothing like that psychotic bastard,
he told himself firmly.  

Jack wandered around her living room, attempting to clear his head. Taking in all the framed pictures of friends and family she had; one frame in particular was hidden behind all the others and immediately caught his eye. Jack was amazed to see it was a picture of him taken at one of her father’s events two years ago. Why did Noelle have a picture of him? He looked up and discreetly placed the frame back as Noelle reentered the living room with a tray that held two slices of pie and two glasses of milk. He couldn’t even remember the last time he drank straight milk.
That’s how goddamn sweet she is; don’t corrupt her,
he told himself watching as she set the tray on the coffee table between them.

 “This is a new recipe of mine, peach–blueberry basil. I hope you like it,” she said shyly and handed him a plate.  

 “It smells great,” Jack replied truthfully as he moved back to his seat across from her. Aware that Noelle was watching him; he cut a piece of the golden-crusted pie and put it into his mouth. The flavors of the fruit, basil, and cinnamon coated his tongue. It was delicious and made him think of his mother baking on Sunday mornings before church. 

“Damn, Noelle, this pie is amazing.” Quickly, he shoved another bite into his mouth. The crust was buttery and light, making him groan in happiness. All too soon his plate was empty, and he looked so forlorn that Noelle laughed and got him another piece. The musical sound played in his ears over and over again, making him realize how badly he wanted to be the only one who made her laugh and smile.  

“So did you get Tarik to straighten up?” Jack asked licking his fork clean. Noelle watched his tongue swirl around the fork prongs and groaned inwardly, imagining it on her nipples.
Lawd, have mercy.
   

“Actually, he called me yesterday to apologize,” she beamed, remembering how surprised she’d been to hear from him. “We have a meeting tomorrow afternoon at 4:45 p.m. My goal is to get everything finalized by the end of the meeting. Avery is coming with me to make sure he stays on task.”

 Jack nodded his head. “Good plan. Another way to achieve that goal is by making sure the environment is business-oriented. I find that meeting my clients who are prone to distractions in boring places makes them focus on the task at hand; they’re eager to do what I need them to do to get them out of there. If you’d like, you guys are more than welcome to use my conference room,” he volunteered. That way, he could keep an eye on the little shit.

 Noelle nodded her head in agreement. “That’s great advice, and we actually did rent a meeting room. If the non-refundable deposit didn’t already clear, I would have totally taken you up on your generous offer.”

 They continued to eat and talk about current events, avoiding the topic of marriage altogether. When the plates and glasses were empty, Jack gathered them up and took them to the kitchen. Noelle laid back and watched him move around her place, thinking again to herself how well he fit in her space.   

Jack had discarded his jacket and loosened the pinstripe tie. Damn, he was so freakin’ sexy; and just looking at him was making her panties wet, which was nothing new. It seemed to be the constant state Noelle was in whenever she was in his company. It made her angry how much of her emotions were invested in a man, that before this week, barely knew she was alive. She thought he would address the topic of marriage again, but instead he was examining her table.  

“Don’t you just love it? It was a gift from Uncle Ian along with the bookcase.” Noelle pointed to the corner where the beautifully carved bookcase stood. Jack turned to look as she continued. “I’ve been in love with some of the pieces of furniture at his house for a couple of years now; the day that I moved in here, he surprised me with them. The craftsmanship on both pieces is stunningly unique. From what I understand, the carpenter works on commissioned items only and is in very high demand. I don’t even want to think about what Uncle Ian paid for them,” she said with a mock shudder. 

 Jack smiled enigmatically. “They’re really nice pieces and compliment your space, which I really like by the way. It suits you perfectly.” Noelle blushed and murmured thank you. There was a moment of silence, and she realized by his patient look that he was waiting for her to bring up the subject of marriage again.

“So Jack, how would this work? I mean, do you really think we could pull this off?” Noelle asked seriously.   

Jack answered carefully. “Monday, we go down to the court house and have a quick ceremony. Afterwards, we’ll send the certificate to my contact so he can put things in motion overseas. In the meantime, to give our relationship some credibility, I think it would be best if we were seen in public together as frequently as possible. I can spin a credible story for those who know us; but honestly, the less we say about our relationship to family and friends the better. That way, the chances of us getting caught in a lie will be slim to none. We would need to stay married at least six months. I know a really good lawyer that can draw up a pre-nuptial agreement to protect our investments.”   

 
“Six months is a long time. Won’t this cramp your social life with your revolving door of women? I don’t think there’s a stick big enough to beat off your hundreds of admirers with,” Noelle said giving him a saccharinely sweet smile that quickly turned into a frown when he grinned smugly.

 
“This is actually a situation that would be beneficial to me as well. In my line of work, my job is to fix things for our clients so that their lives are interruption free and that they are seen in the best light possible. I frequently encounter women who see me as a knight-in-shining-armor type and concoct ridiculous situations where I’m left wishing someone would just rescue
me
instead. If I were taken off the market, I wouldn’t have those problems anymore and could just focus on doing my damn job,” Jack said simply. He gave her a woeful look. “Won’t you help a poor lil’ country boy out and say yes?” 

She gave an unladylike snort. “Maaan, please! Don’t give me that crap. You think being married would stop these thirsty chicks from pressing up on you? Your voice alone could convince women to drink your bath water,” Noelle imitated him by deepening her voice and adding a country twang. “This here dirty ass bath water is the best you’ll ever taste. Why, the dirty bubbles just melt on your tongue’” 

Jack howled with laughter, and Noelle joined in, enjoying the deep booming sound as it filled her home and did crazy things to her tummy.  

“Marriage might make some of them go away, but I doubt it,” she mused; looking at her hands, particularly her empty left ring finger.  

“So does this mean you’re considering my offer, Noelle?” Jack asked, still chuckling over her teasing. It was the kind of shit he took and gave to his brothers. Add funny to the growing list of traits he realized he liked about her. 

“Possibly… So when the coast is clear, the marriage will be annulled, correct?” she asked. Noelle knew the deal and resented him for it. Jack’s firm went above and beyond to protect their clients, and the Kramer’s were very good clients.
Of course he’s going to get rid of you as soon as possible! Why would someone like HIM go for YOU?,
her inner voice taunted her. Gritting her teeth, she did her best to ignore it. At his raised eyebrow, she carried on dryly. “Of course we’d get an annulment. I mean look at us. It’s not exactly like we’re each other types,” Noelle waved her hands between them. 

Jack sat up straight, all traces of humor gone and fire blazing from his hazel eyes as a slow flush was crept up his face. “Yes, what exactly am I, Noelle? What, white? Or is it because your family comes from money? What exactly is it, Noelle??” Jack asked very precisely as she recoiled from him like he’d slapped her.  

The thought that she might be color struck and averse to having an interracial relationship had never entered his mind. A sharp pain ripped through his chest. Fuck that shit! He
would
fight for them to have a chance and overcome any objections she might have if that was her concern. Although they lived in the most diverse city in the world, he was well aware that racism still existed. He’d grown up with a father who deliberately exposed his family to it daily. 

Noelle stood up quickly. “How dare you try to imply I’m some sort of snobby racist bitch? It just gets better and better with you doesn’t it? First I was a whore, and now this shit. Fuck you and your offer, Jack Sullivan!!” Noelle sneered. Jack also stood up and got in her space. 

 “Well what the fuck did you mean exactly? Besides, I wouldn’t know if you were a ho or a racist because you always run away like you’re afraid of your own shadow whenever I come around, Noelle.” Jack stated harshly. She opened her mouth to retort in anger but opted to take a deep breath instead before continuing in a more reasonable tone. 

“I didn’t mean it like that. I just meant that you’re this great-looking successful guy whose career is on track. And well there’s….me. The Kramer screw-up destined to wind up living with a hundred cats, if my mother doesn’t get her way. Why would you want to tie yourself to someone like me?” Noelle asked with a tinge of bitterness. 

Jack felt his heart start to calm down, but his anger remained; only this time it was directed at her mother. “Someone like you? You’re fucking joking right? Someone who’s funny, smart, and gorgeous? Someone so kind that she lets the chef take credit for her amazing meals?” he shook his head in disbelief. “Don’t sell yourself short, Noelle; you most certainly are a catch. Just ask your artist friend,” he finished with a sense of irritation. Yeah, he was still mad as hell behind that shit.