Sweet Obsession (Men of Whiskey Row Book 1) (18 page)

Although it was supposed to be a simple business arrangement, Noelle couldn’t help but to get caught up in the moment. She’d worn a spaghetti strap, white eyelet dress with a sweetheart neckline. The dress was knee-length with a full skirt. Her feet were encased in SJP white, high-heeled sandals, and the outfit complimented her bronze complexion perfectly. Her curly hair was left free, with a simple rhinestone barrette pinning the curls off of her forehead. She’d kept her makeup limited to bronzer and coral lip gloss. The short denim jacket she’d slipped on after the ceremony was over. Jack, scruff free, was handsome in a light-colored suit that he filled out to perfection.

After the ceremony, they celebrated with lunch at the River Café in Brooklyn. The gorgeous restaurant sat right on the water, and it was where the trio of women celebrated all special occasions. They gorged themselves on foie gras, mushroom wellington, branzino, and strip steak. For dessert, they had the two cakes that Noelle had made from scratch. The first was a small champagne wedding cake with strawberry filling; the second, a decadent chocolate Guinness cake with Bailey’s Irish cream frosting, was for Jack’s birthday, much to his surprise. It was a wonderful meal, and they felt blessed to be sharing it with friends and family.

Now the married couple, along with Casey and Darby, were flying on a private jet to Whiskey Row, but making a pit stop in D.C. first to drop off Casey and Darby. Jack also needed to do a brief touch base with his other partner Vivienne. Noelle sneaked a glance at him to find him staring at his gold band, a satisfied smile on his lips as he rolled it around on his finger. She looked across the aisle to find Darby and Casey grinning at them and blushed before turning to look out the window with a small satisfied smile of her own.

The plane ride was short and smooth, and they arrived in the nation’s capital in no time. It was a perfect afternoon in D.C., weather-wise, and as they drove through the city. Noelle was delighted to see that the famous cherry blossoms were in full bloom, coloring the streets in gorgeous shades of pink, red, and white. They pulled up to a distinguished-looking six story building in Georgetown and took the elevator up to the top floor, occupied by
R. R. & S. Public Relations
and the law offices of
Sullivan and Associates
.

Casey leaned over to give Noelle a quick kiss on the cheek, leaping out of the way before Jack could punch him while chuckling at his brother’s thunderous expression. “This is my stop, sis. Feel free to stop by if you get bored over there or if Viv scares you, and you need a place to hide; whichever comes first. Congratulations again, bro. Coming, Darby?”

“Nah, go ahead. I’m gonna chop it up with the “Dragon Lady” for a while. I’ll catch up with you this evening,” Darby said as he held the door open for Jack and Noelle.

“Bye, Casey. Thank you for everything,” Noelle said as Jack clasped her hand in his when she would have given his little brother a hug. She narrowed her eyes at him, and he gave her a bland smile, motioning her through the door before him. As she passed through the open door, Noelle heard Darby say to her new husband under his breath, “Fucking relax, man.”

***

Inside the office was full of women in all sizes and ethnicities, wearing brisk expressions as they bustled about; but Noelle could hear one voice in particular barking orders over everyone. The atmosphere soon changed as the women noticed the good-looking brothers. Tense expressions relaxed into flirtatious ones. The pretty, dark-haired receptionist whose nameplate read Marcella gave them a frazzled smile as she hurriedly answered and connected calls.

As busy as she was though, she did pause long enough to give Darby a sultry gaze and a private smile when he lingered at the desk. Jack just shook his head and placed his arm around Noelle’s waist, guiding her down the hallway to where the barking voice was getting louder and louder. Noelle braced herself as they turned the corner expecting to see an ogre.

Instead, Noelle saw a petite, black woman with a dark honey complexion. Her shoulder-length, black hair was thick and styled in big curls. She wore a well-cut, short sleeve, hot pink sheath that molded to her slender curves and pair of paler pink high heels. Her delicate, arched brows, eyes the color of molasses, short straight nose, and full mouth epitomized pretty, despite the tongue-lashing she was administering into her Bluetooth. Vivienne Romankov was absolutely gorgeous, and from what Noelle was hearing, hell on wheels.

“Go on in,” Jack urged softly. “I’m going to grab us some coffee.” He placed a brief kiss on the back of her neck, before walking towards the coffee station located at the end of the hall. Noelle turned back to the fireball of energy frantically pacing up and down the length of the huge, modern office decorated in shades of white. She took in the large, framed pictures of the Sullivan brothers at varying stages in their lives along with photos of a stunning girl of mixed heritage.

“Well, what the hell are we paying you for if the press junkets are a no-go? You’re either going to move forward with them or give us back our damn money plus interest, as you obviously didn’t read the contract. Don’t screw with me, Marvin,” she warned in a softer tone; it was almost seductive, and Noelle found herself leaning forward, captivated as she imagined Marvin on the other end doing the same thing. “Or I will sue your ass for everything you’ve got!” And with that, Vivienne disconnected the call.

She caught sight of Noelle in the doorway and raised an eyebrow as she looked her up and down. “Okay… a couple of questions: One, do you always eavesdrop on peoples’ conversations? Two, how did you get back here? And three, who the hell are you??? If you’re the new receptionist, you obviously didn’t get the dress code memo, sweetie.”

Noelle stiffened her spine at the woman’s blunt approach and decided to meet it head on. “One, I wasn’t eavesdropping. I could hear you as soon as I entered the offices. Two, I walked back here with my husband, Jack Sullivan. And three, my name is Noelle, not ‘sweetie’.”

Vivienne’s eyes went wide, and then she went
off
. “You’re
married
to Jack?? Oh no he didn’t have a wedding and not invite me! That little shit! I helped to raise that boy, and this is the thanks I get?! Wait a minute. Noelle? As in Kramer? You’re Harvey’s niece, which makes you Ian’s goddaughter! And Alicia, your mother?” The last was asked with a sour expression, before a thought occurred to her. “Wait. Does Ian know you and Jack got married?”

“Ummmm…well no. The thing is…well ...” Noelle fumbled over her words, and judging by the sparkle in Vivienne’s eyes, she was enjoying her discomfort. A lot. The tiny dynamo, with her quick wit and ‘don’t fuck with me’ personality, made her think of Cookie from that hit show Empire.

“Cut it out, Vivi,” Jack ordered pleasantly as he entered the room with a tray of cappuccinos and set it on a beautiful, dark wood console, before passing Noelle a cup. Noelle breathed a sigh of relief as he grabbed her other hand and held onto it. He walked forward and gave the other woman a brief kiss on the cheek, before handing her a cappuccino and leading Noelle to sit next to him on the baby blue sofa. His arm was stretched out behind her possessively.

Vivienne stared at the two of them with pursed lips. It was strange to see her normally unflappable godson being affectionate with a woman. Although he dated, Jack was not one for PDA. This pretty young thang had him wrapped around her elegant little finger, and from the looks of it, was clearly unaware of this fact as she sipped her cappuccino and he played with her curls.

“I never thought I’d see the day…,” she murmured gleefully, before taking a sip of her own frothy, caffeinated beverage. Jack shot her a warning look, and she found herself wishing her best friend was here to witness this in person.
Oh Moira, I hope you’re watching,
she thought wistfully
. Our little Jackie’s got it bad!

“And I’ll do no such thing,” she retorted in response to his look. “Not until you admit that taking on Inez Gaines was a mistake. That woman could ruin a wet dream. Her ex is having all of his boys come forward to say that she was distributing. She has a horrible temper and keeps doing crazy things like throwing eggs at reporters who get too close to her. Why is she carrying eggs around in her Gucci bag anyway?! It’s Gucci for Christ’s sake! Bless her heart; she doesn’t even
realize
how crazy she is!”

Jack gave a deep laugh. “I’ll admit she may not have been my best idea, but we can still fix it. I’m not leaving her hanging.”

“Humph, well that was Marvin Sinclair with
Modern Girl
cosmetics. They’re trying to break her contract and cancel her press tours. I think I threatened him with enough lawsuits to keep him at bay. If that doesn’t work, I want Casey to hand me his balls in a blue and white Tiffany’s box after they’re turned into earrings for me,” she said with enough relish to make Jack wince and cross his legs as Noelle laughed. Vivienne winked at her before continuing. “So, I’m sure there’s a story here that I’m missing. Why don’t we go to Public Trust for dinner and you can fill me in? How long are you guys in town for?”

“How about Clyde’s instead? We’re here for the night, and then I’m taking Noelle for a visit to Whiskey Row. Wanna go?” Jack asked casually, even though he knew what the answer would be, watching as her eyes turned emotionless.

“You know damn well I don’t,” she replied in a matter of fact tone. “Please send Kat my love and let her know that she can’t put off a visit forever. She seems to think that she can hide out there.” Vivienne pursed her lips in dismay, and Noelle got the feeling that she was extremely agitated. The laughter of several women could be heard from the front of the office and quickly diverted the older woman’s attention. “Is your good-for- nothing, womanizing brother out there?”

“I’m sure Darby would be hurt to hear himself described like that, Viv; but yes, he is up front,” Jack said cheerfully as he stood up and helped Noelle to her feet before entwining their hands together.

“Oh Lawd! You left him at the reception desk with Marcella? Do you know I had to threaten to fire her because she wouldn’t stop Googling his ass?” Vivienne shook her head and hurried down the hallway. “Darby Liam Sullivan, stop that flirting right now, or I’m going to smack you silly! Why the hell is everyone gathered around the reception desk? I’m not paying you all to stand around and look pretty! Get back to work!”

***

Dinner was a lively affair with Vivienne entertaining Noelle with stories of the boys and the mischief they’d gotten into growing up. She could see what a close knit unit they were and found herself enjoying the camaraderie they shared over crab cakes and pasta. Outside of the restaurant, they exchanged goodbyes; and Vivienne pulled Jack closely for a fierce hug, quietly saying, “Your mama would be so proud.”

She gave Noelle a big hug as well. “It was a pleasure to meet you. You’re just like Harvey, and I can see why Jackie is so taken with you. Look after my boy, and let’s stay in touch.”

To Darby she simply said, “Baby, stay out of trouble and have your sister call me.”

Darby responded with a hug that lifted the petite woman off of her feet and spun her around. “Relax, Mama Bear. She’s a good girl.”

After making sure Vivienne and Casey got into their cars safely, Darby went back into Clyde’s to hang out. Noelle couldn’t help but notice that the receptionist from Vivienne’s office was smoothing her hair and hurrying towards the entrance of Clyde’s as she and Jack got into a cab.

***

The cab took them to a small, nondescript hotel that barely had a sign. The inside was another story, however, decked out in lavish opulence. The lobby and bar were filled with well-dressed guests; while they waited to check in for the night, Jack informed Noelle that it used to be owned by an infamous madam. The elevator ride up to their room was filled with physical awareness as they realized they were alone for the first time today.

Jack thought Noelle had never looked lovelier. Her eyes sparkled partly due, he was sure, to the alcohol she’d consumed; and her cheeks were flushed. He let his gaze travel down to the swells of her breasts, framed enticingly by wisps of lace, to her long legs, down to the palest pink shimmer on her toes. He wanted to pull her close and explore the softness of her sexy mouth; maybe slide the dainty straps of her dress down, lower his head, and feast on her plump breasts. His dick was painfully hard; and he leaned back against the wall, watching her eyes drift down and linger between his legs. Jack smirked as she bit her bottom lip and looked away.