Sweet Obsession (Men of Whiskey Row Book 1) (9 page)

 “Am I interrupting something?” Jack asked icily while continuing to survey pretty boy. According to the private investigator he’d reamed thoroughly, Theo Adams was a friend of Noelle’s from school. He was an up and coming artist; and judging from the belligerent expression on his face, his interest in the gorgeous girl standing next to him was anything but platonic. 

 “Jack…” Noelle breathed, shocked to see him on her doorstep. At eight-thirty in the evening, he was still immaculate looking in his navy Hugo Boss suit and tie. His expression indicated he was seriously annoyed, and she really hoped he wasn’t going to be the bearer of more bad news.

 Jack inclined his head curtly. “I wanted to discuss a few things with you. If now is not a good time…” 

 Noelle quickly stepped back and held the door open. “No, please come in. Theo was just leaving.” Theo stepped aside quickly as he risked being run over by the larger man. Jack stepped past them; and she closed her eyes, breathing in his cologne as he headed down the hall.
Lord, he smells good,
she thought dreamily leaning on the door. 

 “Really, Noelle? That guy?” Theo’s disgusted tone brought her back to reality as she opened her eyes to his angry expression. “That’s the guy that has you moping all over the place? He’s way out of your -”

Noelle grabbed the door and opened it wider. She shot him a look of irritation. “Good night, Theo. Call me later okay?” Not giving him a chance to finish his sentence, she shoved him out and shut the door in his face. Noelle was well aware of the fact that she didn’t have a snowball’s chance in hell of being with Jack. Taking a deep breath, she locked the door and put the chain on it before walking down the hall where she found Jack standing in the middle of the living room, observing her space.  

She wondered what he was thinking. Noelle’s brownstone was a far cry from the refined palatial elegance of her parents’ estate. Her childhood home was filled with tons of breakable antiques and no-touch rules. It had a very museum-like feel to it; and growing up, she treasured the normalcy of her school friends and uncles’ homes. 

 Although she had grown up in subdued elegance, Noelle’s taste was wildly eclectic. She liked bohemian, vintage, rustic, and industrial. You could see it reflected in her decorating with the tarnished crystal chandelier, printed velvet pillows, and navy leather- tufted sofa. Wildly-patterned floral vases were overflowing with various plants. Her favorite pieces were the large reclaimed wood coffee table and bookshelf her godfather Ian had given her. They were replicas of pieces in his home; and when he saw how much she loved them, he had them commissioned for her as a surprise housewarming gift.   

When she’d moved into the large three-bedroom building, Noelle had painted all the rooms in varying shades of neutral colors. There were windows in every room, so there was tons of light to offset the rich taupes and grays. The wood floors were an aged walnut covered with multi-colored kilim rugs. White subway tile and recycled wood cabinets complimented the kitchen and bathrooms. Gold framed pics of her loved ones were scattered throughout the place. Since the kitchen was where she spent most of her time, she’d designed it to hold up to ten people, about the usual size of her dinner parties. It had a huge dining table and was filled with state of the art appliances.   

“So what brings you to Brooklyn, Mr. Manhattan?” Noelle asked sarcastically, watching as he bent to admire her table. Jack straightened to examine her, taking in her clothing with a disapproving frown.

 “Who’s the guy, Noelle?” Jack asked coolly although he already knew. He just wanted to hear her confirm that nothing was going on between them. Jack was actually proud of his controlled tone because internally a seething mass of jealous rage was brewing; and he was dying to chase the asshole down and give Theo Adams a southern style ass whoopin’ that he wouldn’t soon forget.

“Theo is an old classmate of mine. Would you like something to drink?” Noelle asked. The look in Jack’s eyes made her think of a predator stalking its prey; and she took a step back, watching with relief as his gaze lost some of its intensity.  

“No, thank you. I actually came by to let you know that we’ve reached out to Mr. Dumont. Do you mind if I sit down?” Jack gestured to her sofa.  

“Oh my goodness, sorry! Yes, please sit down,” Noelle urged and watched as his large frame settled with ease into her leather couch. Amidst all the feminine floral and velvet touches, as masculine as he was, Jack should have looked out of place with his suit and tie; but instead, he looked absolutely perfect.
Like he belonged in her space,
Noelle thought with immense satisfaction as she took the seat across from him on the velvet chaise. “So what’s the word, Sullivan? Am I going to have to change my identity or what?” she asked flippantly, trying to hide her nervousness.  

Jack grunted but didn’t answer. He was too busy taking in Noelle’s bronze skin gleaming in the soft lamplights, and her seemingly endless legs He was sure the artist hadn’t missed any of these things. “Do you always run around damn near naked?” Jack asked bitingly, enraged all over again as he imagined her all hugged up with him.
Punk-ass Theo.
Damn, he really needed to get it together.  

The temperature in the room turned up fifty degrees with his provocative question. Suddenly they were both aware of the fact that they were alone; away from her nosy family and the hustle and bustle of his office. Just the two of them. Noelle noisily cleared her throat.  

“First of all, I am nowhere near naked; and even if I was, this is my damn home. My apologies; I wasn’t aware that the great Jack Sullivan was going to grace me with his presence, or I would have dressed in my finest silks and rolled the red carpet out upon your arrival,” she snapped at him. 

Despite his anger, Jack grinned; he was really feeling this fiery side of Noelle much more than the passive one she usually portrayed. He watched as she huffily tucked her legs underneath that luscious bottom. All of a sudden, Jack felt the tension he’d been carrying for the last two days’ drain from him. It was nice being here with her alone, and he planned to have many more moments like this by proceeding with his plan.
Time to get to work.

 “Dumont wasn’t bluffing about blackmailing you. He made some bad gambling investments, and now it’s time for him to man up. But that’s only going to happen if you give in to his blackmail and pay the money. Otherwise, he needs to get out of Europe, and you’re his only solution. Dumont knows that if he marries into a well-known political family, he’ll be somewhat protected. 

These people he did business with like keeping a low profile in their country, and your ex is the type who would make a lot of noise if he felt threatened. Your pics would come out either way, and this could have lasting negative effects on your father’s career,” Jack finished bluntly, watching as the realization of how big a scandal they were trying to contain dawned on Noelle. Her hands were gripping her shirt tightly, and she was struggling to take calming breaths.   

When problem-solving in his business, Jack always let the client see the enormity of the potential damage that could be done. He gave them a moment to feel the fear, and then he alleviated it with a rescue plan. It was what he called “Tough Love”, and it enabled him to do his job smoothly.  

“So what can we do to fix this?” Noelle asked determinedly. “If it was just me, I wouldn’t give that asshole one fucking penny. But it’s my family…” she shuddered. “Oh my God, Jack! My mother!!” 

 Jumping up, she started to pace the room, and Jack took in the alluring view she made; hair whipping, hips switching, and ass swaying.
Focus Sullivan,
he reminded himself and willed his growing erection to stay down. No such luck.   

“Alicia would not be happy with pics of her baby girl in her birthday suit floating around, that’s for sure,” Jack murmured and winced for good measure. That was the understatement of the year. Although he’d put a considerable dent in her armor and she’d reluctantly agreed to back off, the Kramer matriarch was still no one to fuck with. Heads would certainly roll, starting with the beauty’s in front of him, if the pics were made public. Fortunately for Noelle, Jack liked her head attached to that delectable body. “Now I’m going to do what’s best for my clients in a way that allows them to focus on their priorities as I make their problems disappear. Lucky for you I have an easy solution to your problem.”  

Noelle whirled to face him hope lighting up her pretty face. “Well don’t keep me in suspense. What’s the plan?”  

He watched her carefully before dropping his bomb. “We get married.”

***

 Past…

 Noelle’s heart was pounding furiously as Ian escorted her across the ballroom to where Tall, Dark, and Fine as Hell stood watching their approach. His hazel eyes gleamed with masculine appreciation as they thoroughly inspected her. Goosebumps appeared on her skin; she was short of breath and unable to look away from him.  

“Are you okay, my dear?” Ian asked again. Noelle reluctantly dragged her gaze away from the specimen of male perfection ahead of them to look into her godfather’s amused eyes.   

“I don’t blame you for staring my dear; he really is quite dazzling. Hell, you should see his brothers, and he’s considered ‘the ugly one’. Their parents were quite the lookers,” Ian said with a tinge of bitterness.  

“He has brothers? That are better looking? Good Lord, there should be a crime against that much attractiveness in one concentrated area.” Ian laughed as they reached the beautiful man; and Noelle realized he was even better looking up close as he gave them a slow devastating smile. His skin was smooth and supple looking with a faint hint of a five o’clock shadow.  

“Jack, good to see you,” Ian greeted warmly and released Noelle’s arm to give the other man an affectionate hug. Turning back to Noelle, he explained, “Jackson here is one my business partners in our public relations firm. Jack Sullivan, this is the birthday girl Noelle Kramer. She’s also my goddaughter,” Ian added with a warning look at the younger man. Noelle blushed as Jack winked at her. Be still her beating heart…

 “Ms. Noelle, it’s a pleasure to meet you. Happy Birthday, and I hope you don’t mind me attending your party; Ian invited me. Are you enjoying yourself?” His voice was deep and velvety with a southern drawl. Noelle wanted to throw her panties at him right then and there. With a voice like that she didn’t care if he described his bowel movements as long as he never stopped talking. She realized both men were staring at her waiting for her to say something.

 “It’s nice to meet you as well. You can crash my party anytime,” she finally answered, breathlessly. Whaaat?? Who said that? At his amused expression and Ian’s raised eyebrow, Noelle flushed. Clearing her throat, she corrected herself. “I mean, it’s a pleasure to have you here. I..uh..hope you’re enjoying yourself.” 

“Oh, I definitely am. Would you like to dance?” Jack asked in that deep voice with the charming accent as he held out his hand. Noelle nodded her head dumbly and placed hers in his much larger one. It was electrifying, and awareness ran through her in currents. He watched her intensely, and judging from the way his hand clasped hers tightly; she was pretty sure he felt it too. And in that instant, Noelle knew, with this meeting, everything had changed for her. She knew that all other men would be compared to this one; and that they would fall short. But all too soon the moment was broken by her mother’s cool, commanding voice as she glided up behind her daughter and gently pulled her away. Noelle frowned at her, annoyed that she was no longer touching Jack, who also looked irritated by the interruption.  

“Please excuse us, gentlemen,” Alicia trilled with a brilliant smile. “Noelle, darling, I’ve been looking for you everywhere! You simply must come with me. Geneva Winters middle son is home for a brief stay. You remember Charles, don’t you? He’s an investment banker now. Anyhow, he recently ended his engagement to Tabitha Logway and is available. There’s no time to lose as you’re not getting any younger. Posture in place and smile agreeably to whatever he says. Let’s go, dear,” Alicia ordered briskly as she whisked Noelle away.  

Mortified, Noelle turned back to look helplessly at Jack and found him expressionless with his hands now in his pant pockets as he watched her departure. Ian wore a frown of disapproval and she was certain he would have blunt words for her mother later. Pissed off at being treated like a child, Noelle pulled away from her mother’s grasp and continued to walk alongside her.  

“Smile agreeably to whatever? Really, Mother?” Noelle shook her head in disgust, looking straight ahead. “Thanks for setting us back fifty years. Gloria Steinman should definitely ask you to speak at her next rally on women’s liberation.” She was horribly embarrassed at how her mother had just treated her in front of Jack Sullivan and Ian.  

“Oh relax, Noelle. I’m just looking out for your best interests. Charles Winters is a good match for you. If you’re not going to finish school and have a lucrative career, you should at least have a lucrative marriage. Or both. Look at your sister; she’s beautiful, successful, and has a wonderful marriage. You just have to want these things for yourself. I don’t know where your lack of ambition comes from.” Alicia shook her head in disappointment at her youngest daughter’s choices.  

“Well, never mind, here we are. Hello Charles! You remember Noelle, don’t you?” Alicia simpered as she shoved Noelle forward to meet the studious-looking man who held her hand limply. Just to be sure, she squeezed his hand and watched him give a slight frown. Nope, nothing. Releasing it she glanced across the ballroom to find Jack watching her; and for a moment, it felt like they were the only two people in the room. Even from afar, this thing between them was tangible, like an electric wire.