Sweet Obsession (Men of Whiskey Row Book 1) (38 page)

“Monsieur Sullivan, I promise that if you take me on you won’t regret it!” she stated dramatically in her charming accent, pressing a hand to her generous cleavage and slightly brushing her blouse to the side to draw his attention. She tossed her long, brown waves over one shoulder and pouted prettily. It was a deliberately calculating move that was wasted on him, as he was too busy thinking about Ian’s words of warning.

‘If you got her under false pretenses, that will be how you lose her.’

He looked Seline directly in the eye. “I think you’re very talented, and I like the plans that I’ve seen so far. You’re hungry and that’s good, because I will put you where you want to be as long as you are willing to work hard and comply with your contract.”

Seline smiled flirtatiously, a speculative gleam in her eye as she leaned in closer to reveal more of her breasts, slyly suggesting, “Monsieur Sullivan, you are just as hungry as I am, perhaps we should be eating together, non?”

Jack gave her a hard stare. “I only eat with my woman, and she brings the table to the table, comprenez-vous?”

“It sounds like you have your work cut out for you, and you’re both on the same page. I’m glad it worked out well. You’re going to be at the party tomorrow night, right?” Noelle asked stealing some chicken off his plate. Jack snagged one of her plantains and avoided looking at her by pretending to be interested in the news. It flashed to world news in and images of protestors appeared on the screen. Jack quickly changed the channel to HBO, and an image of a woman nursing a dragon appeared.
Tell her,
tell her before it is too late,
his conscience urged. He clenched his jaw tightly, trying hard not to give away his anxiety.

“Yes, it probably won’t be until later. Our other potential client is coming by the office, and I have a dinner meeting with Seline and some investors. Did you need me to get anything for you? Let me know, and I can have Margo arrange it for you. I promise I will be there as soon as it’s over.”

Noelle watched him carefully, looking for signs of affection as he continued to eat and watch the news. There were none. “No, I think I’ve got everything covered.” She glanced at the television. “I didn’t know you were into
Game of Thrones
.”

He wasn’t and found the little blonde girl with the dragon sucking at her breast to be fucking weird as hell. Jack stood up and gathered the remains of their dinner. “Every now and then. I’m going to clean up in the kitchen and lockup. Why don’t you get some rest? I’ll meet you in the bedroom shortly.”

***

Noelle lay in bed sleepily waiting for Jack to join her, but he took so long that she fell asleep. The next morning there was a note on his pillow stating that he’d gone in to work early so he could try to be at the party at a decent time. There was no lovemaking and teasing, and Noelle knew for certain that his feelings had been hurt by her careless words and actions.
Guess the honeymoon was officially over.

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Tarik’s party was in full swing and packed to capacity. The Great Gatsby theme was a hit, and Noelle smiled as she worked the main room, taking in the activity around her. The crowd had gone wild when Tarik rolled into the venue, driving a vintage Rolls Royce surrounded by scantily-clad flapper models. Art Deco décor in black, gold and silver screamed glamour; prints of famous artists from that era were blown up and hanging everywhere. Cocktails named after 1920’s musicians such as Duke Ellington and Louis Armstrong were circulating the room; and the dancers mingled with guests, pulling them onto the dance floor as Sidra rocked out in the DJ booth.

The party was a raging success for
On a Whim
. Tarik had introduced Noelle and Avery to the crowd, thanking them profusely for a wonderful party; and they were now networking as they mingled. Jack showed up around eight-thirty and was at the bar speaking with two men. All evening he’d been in the background, proudly smiling and watching her do her thing. Although right now, he wasn’t smiling. He had a very stern expression on his face as he spoke with the men. Finally they stormed away, leaving Jack to sip his drink and survey the crowd. He looked so dapper in his tux with his hair slicked back, his profile model-perfect and exuding sex appeal.

As Noelle watched him, a beautiful blonde woman walked up to him and gave him a very long hug which he returned affectionately. As the woman pulled away, she realized it was the woman from her birthday party on the night they met. Noelle felt her left eye twitch as Jack kept his hand around her waist and leaned down to listen to her speak, and she wrapped her arm around his. Occasionally he smiled and nodded. Noelle felt a stab of pain in her heart as he brought his hand up to take a drink, and she stared at his bare left hand.
Well what did you expect, missy? That’s what you wanted right?
her conscience taunted her
.

“That’s Jack Sullivan, the P.R. guru. Isn’t he yummy?” a woman’s voice said behind Noelle. She turned around to see two well-dressed partygoers who probably hadn’t eaten in years surveying
her
husband like he was a seven course meal. She turned back around to watch him, engrossed in deep conversation with the blonde leech. The handsome husband that she’d let out of the house without the ring he was supposed to be wearing and was surrounded by beautiful women daily.
Dumbass.
Noelle caught Sidra’s look and her raised bitch brow as she looked back and forth between Jack, blondie, and her.
Whatchu wanna do?
her look said.

“Yeah, that’s him. They say he’ll never settle down and commit to one woman. The woman standing next to him was his on and off again love. Her name is Vaughn Emerson, and she’s a shoe designer. They look good together don’t they?” Hungry Girl Two confirmed.

“They might look good together, but I heard she’s married to some asshole banker who runs around on her,” Hungry Girl One said in a gossipy tone.

To hell with this, Noelle had heard enough and walked away, shaking her head no at Sidra. Protocol demanded that she go over to the blonde hussy and beat her down for touching her man; then turn to said man and knee him in the balls for allowing himself to be touched.
Jerk.
Unfortunately, since she was here in a professional capacity, she’d have to take the high road. For now…

She grabbed a Sidecar cocktail from one of the waitresses before crossing the room to stand by the side doors where she could view the entire room. Downing a big gulp, Noelle grimaced as she thought about her situation with Jack. Deep in thought, she didn’t even notice when someone crept up behind her.

“There was a time when you could drink three of those like they were water,” a British accent said in her ear. Noelle spun around to see Theo standing there grinning at her. “Theo! What are you doing here?!”

They exchanged hugs, and Noelle stiffened as he squeezed her extra tight, pulling her against him. She stepped back and gave him an eyebrow as he laughed. “Sorry, luv. It’s just always a pleasure to see you. So this is your shindig, eh? Absolutely done right. Completely spot on and I’m proud of you and your mate.”

“Awwww thanks, babe. It’s nice to see you as well. How’s the painting going?” she asked with a big smile and it was his turn to grimace.

“Not well. My best subject seems to be fond of up and disappearing. I’ll need you to come by the studio sometime this week and see what I’ve done with your painting. I’ve been experimenting with shading, and I have to say that I think I’m onto something. Aside from that, I’ve got a show in London next month,” he beamed proudly, and she grabbed his hand, squeezing it tightly.

“Theo, that’s wonderful! I’ll give you a call later so we can set something up,” she promised with a big smile.

“Okay then; it’s a date. Looking forward to it. Hey, I ran into an old friend from school here earlier. Elizabeth Markel? Busty girl with multi-colored braids? Anyway, she wanted to meet me so that we could catch up. Poor thing looked pretty down in the dumps about an old flame dying, so I shall do my best to console her,” he wagged his brows and kissed her cheek.

“You are absolutely incorrigible,” Noelle said, rolling her eyes. “Don’t go breaking her heart, Theo.” He didn’t say anything for a moment as he gave her a head to toe lingering look.

“How is it that you get more gorgeous every time I see you?” He shook his head in bemusement. “Anyhow bye, luv. Congrats to you and Avery on a successful party!” And with a two finger wave, he was gone, mingling into the crowd.

Noelle smiled to herself. Theo would probably gag if she told him the answer to his question was post-coital glow.

“I’d like to laugh with a pretty lady. Care to share the joke?” The voice behind her was silky smooth with a Long Island accent.

Men are just popping out of the woodwork tonight;
she thought and turned to meet a pair of ice-blue eyes. They belonged to an owner who wasn’t handsome, but there was something about him, Noelle decided, with his wavy brown hair slicked back and his nose that was a little on the larger side, and lips that were too full for his face. Something that women would like; and when he licked his lips with his long tongue as he coolly perused her from head to toe, she knew what it was. This man knew how to fuck, and women loved the way he did it. He was one of the men that Jack was speaking to earlier.

“There’s no joke. Are you enjoying the party, sir?” Noelle asked politely, stepping back to put distance between them. He grinned, leaning his shoulder against the wall which put him in closer proximity to her than she liked.

“I am indeed. You and your lovely partner are responsible for putting it together, right? Maybe we should get together to discuss an event that my brother and I are considering having for the Fourth of July? Pardon me; I just realized that we haven’t been properly introduced. I’m Joel Rothman,” he said charmingly and held out his hand.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Rothman. My name is Noelle…Kramer,” she said stiffly, realizing that she couldn’t give her married name as much as she wanted to. Joel took her hand and held onto it, looking into her eyes.

“No, Noelle, the pleasure is all mine,” he said and reluctantly let go of her hand as she tugged it away. Joel reached into his pocket and pulled a small leather case out. He extracted a business card and handed it to her. “Please come by so that we can talk about it.”

Noelle glanced down at the blue card with silver writing and took it from him. Joel Rothman, Vice President of
Rothman Capital Investments
. “Is Ira Rothman your father?” she asked curiously.

Joel smiled blandly at her. “Yes he is, and I believe he made the loan for your business. It was the last one he did before semi-retiring. As a matter of fact, you really should come by Friday. He’ll be in the office, and after I tell him about the raging success of this event, I’m sure Dad will want to talk to you about expanding. It was a great party, Noelle. Call me,” he said persuasively, before turning to leave, as his gaze lingered again on her body, clad in a black, clingy dress that accentuated her curves.

Jack was furious as he watched Joel walk away from Noelle. First that British pussy, and now Rothman. His fingers clenched his glass as she slipped the card Joel gave her into the small beaded clutch she was carrying, before continuing to mingle with guests and speak to her staff. Knowing Rothman, he was probably pissed that Vaughn had sought him out. Joel would probably be even more pissed to find out that it was in regards to retaining Casey as her attorney when she filed for divorce from his sorry ass.

Good for her. Although Jack had a great deal of respect for Ira, his boys could kick fucking rocks as far as he was concerned. They were lazy motherfuckers that were just waiting for Ira to die so they could fuck up his legacy. A couple of years ago, he and Vaughn had dated on and off. She wanted a commitment, but he didn’t and they ended things a week after he met Noelle. Now she wanted to meet with him to brainstorm ideas for her new purse company, she claimed, but he knew from the way her brown eyes flirted and she clung to his arm, that wasn’t all she wanted to do. In no uncertain terms, he told her no. He wasn’t going to screw anything up with Noelle.

Jack was filled with pride as he looked around the beautifully-decorated venue. Everyone was having a good time. The food and drinks were amazing as was the music Sid was spinning; and he wished Ronald and Alicia were there to see Noelle in her element. They made eye contact, and her eyes briefly squinted at him, letting him know that she wasn’t too pleased about something. He started to walk across the room but was stopped by Art Sanchez, a reporter with the NY MAG.

“Jack, I think I have enough coverage of Tarik’s party. Thanks for getting me in here,” Art said sincerely.

“Not a problem, Art. Hey, a friend of mine at the Times was looking for a really good freelance reporter,” Jack said nonchalantly. He could see that Art was drooling at the thought of getting in good with the Times. “Think it’s something you might be interested in doing? Nothing really big but some solid pieces to get you in the door. If you’d like I could put in a good word.”

“Yeah for sure, man. That would be great! Thanks for looking out,” Art said enthusiastically as Jack clapped him on the back and gave him a friendly smile.

“Not a problem, man. Listen is there any way you could get a picture of the event planners and maybe add something on them. I’ve got a feeling that their business is going to take off after tonight, and they’d be some great people for you to network with. What do you say?” Jack asked, looking Art squarely in the eye. The other man didn’t even blink as he said, “I was thinking the same thing myself.”

Jack spied Joel heading out to the terrace for a smoke and shook Art’s hand before walking away. “Good seeing you, Art.”

The terrace was empty except for Joel smoking his cigar and talking on his cell phone. Jack quietly shut the doors behind him before approaching him. “Enjoying the party, Rothman?”

Startled, Rothman whirled around, cursing as some of the ash from his cigar flicked onto his hand. “What the hell, Sullivan?” He took a quick puff of his cigar and sneered. “As a matter of fact I am. How about you? Are you enjoying my soon-to-be-ex whore- wife hanging onto your every word? Just like old times for you, right?”

Jack stepped closer to him, anger coursing through his body. Although he wasn’t the least bit interested in Vaughn and hadn’t been in years, she didn’t deserve to be talked about like that. Silkily he replied, “Tell me, who is the whore when you’re banging your unsuspecting brother’s wife? You or her?”

Joel froze in shock, but quickly recovered, “Who the fuck told you that-”

“No one had to tell me anything. I do my homework. What I’ve found is that The Ace Hotel is a great place to have some Rothman family fun time on Thursdays between noon and three,” Jack smirked nastily at him.

Joel’s face was purple with rage. “You bastard! You even attempt to say anything, and I will deny it. You’re nothing but white trash aspiring to be better. You’re just mad because I stole Vaughn away from you,” he finished triumphantly. “It kills you that she didn’t want to marry beneath her status.”

Jack stared at him for a long moment before bursting out laughing. He laughed long and loud which angered Joel even more. “Where do you get these stupid-ass ideas from? Shit, no wonder Ira refuses to retire. I’d be scared too of leaving everything I’ve worked my whole life for to a brainless, conniving, little shit that’d stab his own family in the back and a moron too clueless to know he was being fucked over. I can’t do this with you or even stand too close to you, because your stupidity might be contagious. Later, Rothman.”

Shaking his head and still chuckling, Jack turned away to walk back to the terrace doors; but Joel wasn’t done yet. From behind him he heard, “I don’t think I’m so brainless that I can’t figure out that you’re interested in that fine piece of chocolate who’s throwing this event. You’ve been watching her all night,” he laughed spitefully as Jack stiffened and slowly turned around. “That’s your client Senator Kramer’s daughter, right? Hell Jack, I didn’t know you liked them like that. Maybe I should just call you Willy Wonk-”

Jack’s fist smashed into Joel’s face, and he felt immense pleasure as bone crunched underneath it and the bastard landed flat on his ass. Blood spurted from his nose uncontrollably, covering his white dress shirt. He glared up at Jack evilly as he yelled, “You son of a bitch! You broke my fucking nose! I’m going to sue you!”

Jack stood over him shaking with rage. He wanted to pick this piece of shit up and toss him over the balcony. “Keep Ms. Kramer’s name out of your mouth. My business relationship with your father has nothing to do with you or your brother, and it would be in your best interest to remember that. See Rothman, your problem is, you’re too arrogant. You want to run with the big dogs when you’re just a fucking chihuahua nipping at our heels, barely keeping up. This is your only warning. Stay your ass on the porch, and you won’t have to find out how hard I bite.”

Jack waited to see if the other man would retaliate and was disappointed that he chose to wisely remain on his sorry ass and stay quiet. “Hmmm, just like I thought.
Now
you can have a goodnight.”

***

The party was over and the ladies were standing outside talking about what a great success it was. “Ladies, this might be my last gig for a while,” Sidra said with an excited smile. “I’ve been chatting with Dominick, and he wants me to be a DJ apprentice for his upcoming world tour!”

Noelle and Avery squealed in delight, hugging their friend. Sidra smiled amidst their words of encouragement.

“Thanks, lovelies! I’m so excited for the experience. I’ll be shadowing two other guys for the first half of the tour, but then I‘ll get to spin. It’s all-expenses paid, and it will be good to get away for a while,” Sidra said with a pensive look in her eyes. Lately to Noelle, she’d been acting a little out of the ordinary, but when she asked what was wrong, Sidra just waved her off saying she had a lot on her mind.