Conflict of Interest_A Mustang Prairie Romance

by N. D. Jackson

  She stared up at him with her mouth hanging open, looking less than sexy she was sure, and had no idea how to respond. He thinks I’m amazing? Can’t be. His sparkling liquid green eyes looked sincere but he couldn’t mean amazing amazing, could he? He probably just meant amazing like it’s so great that she takes such joy out of wearing other people’s old clothes, she thought to herself. “Uh, thanks. Really.”

  Noel laughed, of course that would get her to shut up. He made a mental note to himself to compliment her whenever she got that fiery look in her eyes that spelled argument. “I’m serious Shellie.”

  Realizing she was still staring up at him and that her mouth was still hanging open, she shook her head as though trying to shake him from her mind. Say something, she admonished herself. She fixed a smile on her face, which wasn’t hard to do staring up at Noel’s half wet dark golden hair and those piercing eyes. “Good,” she said handing him the rest of the treasures she’d found, “Hold these while I find some more stuff to enjoy!” She turned away and he stood watching her go, holding enough stuff to fill his trunk.

  Noel shook his head at her. The women he normally dated would’ve taken that compliment as a marriage proposal but not Shellie. She simply blushed, unwilling to believe it, and continued shopping. She really is special, he thought grinning widely.

  “Let me help you with that, son.”

  Noel reluctantly tore his gaze from Shellie as an old man wearing dark blue jeans, red Converse sneakers and a Chicago Cubs t-shirt approached him. “It’s alright sir, I’ve got it.”

  The old man shook his head stroking the carefully manicured silver beard. “No son that one looks like she’s just beginning and even your big strong arms won’t be able to hold another load.” He laughed to himself, grabbing his falling jeans and hiking them up a little too far.

  Noel smiled back, deciding that the old man was probably right. The old man had grey eyes that looked as though they’d seen a lot but they were friendly and understanding. He thought this man looked like a grandpa should look. “You’re probably right, sir. Is this your place?”

  The old man nodded, running his big hands over his closely cropped silver mane. “Yep belongs to me and my wife for the last fifteen years. The store not the wife, I’ve had my beautiful wife for almost 40 years.”

  Noel smiled again at the way the man’s face lit up at the mention of his wife. “Wow that’s amazing. You look like you’re still very much in love.”

  The old man patted Noel’s shoulder, taking the newsboy cap and several scarves and handbags from him. “Only a man in love would recognize that look, son. Trust me I’ve been in love with my Trudy since the day I met her.”

  He followed the man to the counter, where his big paws looked out of place folding the small items belonging to Shellie. “Oh no, we’re not-,” Noel began but the old man cut him off.

  “Maybe you all haven’t admitted it to yourself yet but son you look like a man in love.” He smiled up at him for a few seconds before returning to the items now spread across the glass counter.

  Noel looked as the old man carefully removed the perforated edges of each tag and folded the items methodically. When he finished there were two piles. One full of clothes and bags and hats and the other stacked with multi-colored price tags. He thought about what the man had just said, a man in love. He wasn’t a man in love, was he? He couldn’t be a man in love, he didn’t even really know Shellie. Not for a lack of trying of course, but hell he hasn’t even slept with her properly yet, he couldn’t be in love. "We barely know each other,” he said more to himself than the old man.

  “Doesn’t mean you don’t love her, son.” The old man pointed over to where Shellie was helping a beautiful older woman try on a lime green corduroy blazer. Her smile was big as she smoothed the collar down and planted the older woman in front of the mirror so she could see herself. The older woman was probably in her sixties but Noel thought she was still beautiful and had great legs she showed off with fitted dark blue jeans. “She’s got spunk, that one. She’ll make your life interesting that’s for sure.” They watched as the woman gestured her uncertainty over the purchase but Shellie turned her toward the mirror and gave the woman a forceful pep talk. “You can’t pass up a woman like that son, she’ll brighten every day. It’s a blessing to find a woman like that and if you pass it up I swear you’ll regret it.”

  Noel continued to watch her as the old man continued to talk, his words still echoing in his ears. I can’t love her yet it just isn’t possible. I may be feeling something towards her but it isn’t love, not yet, maybe not ever. She looked over at him and the old man and winked when the woman decided to keep on the blazer. He smiled.

  “A man doesn’t smile like that at a woman he’s not in love with. He sure don’t,” the old man shook his head and laughed to himself.

  “She’s just different from what I’m used to, that’s all.”

  “And my Trudy is like no woman I’ve ever met, even in all these years. They never are like the rest.”

  Shellie shuffled over to the counter with another pile so large all that could be seen was her now frizzy mane. She plopped down her finds on the counter and released a long breath. “Okay that’s it, I refuse to go back for more,” she laughed and turned to the old man behind the counter. “You have a great store here, sir.”

  “Call me Albert, sweetie.”

  “Albert this place is great! I’ve never found so much good stuff at one Thrift Store.”

  “You can thank my Trudy for that. We take donations but she goes looking for items like one of them big time store shoppers.” A smile washed over his face and he released a chuckle.

  “Did you leave any clothes for the rest of the shoppers,” Noel joked.

  “Says the guy who just spent a small fortune on a new wardrobe,” she winked at the old man. “I’ll bet my stuff costs a fraction of yours.”

  “Maybe, but mine have never been worn. And it’s not like this shopping trip was for fun.”

  She pouted her lips, “So you didn’t have fun,” she mocked him and flashed a smile and a quick wink to the old man, who just smiled at them.

  “Just smile and nod son, smile and nod. You can’t win.”

  “Thank you Albert,” Shellie said gratefully. “See Albert knows how to treat a lady.” She didn’t know why she was having so much fun teasing Noel but she didn’t want to stop.

  “I’ve stood here for hours while you shopped, and I don’t know how to treat a lady?”

  “Hours, we’ve been here for twenty minutes!”

  “Well it felt like hours to me,” he smiled. “But I guess it’s worth it if you’re wearing color again,” he fingered several dresses in summertime solids and colorful prints.

  She blushed and turned her attention to Albert. “So does Trudy work here with you?”

  Albert nodded as he continued to fold her clothes and separate the tags. “Yep we’ve had this place for a long time. You already met Trudy,” he indicated the older woman in the green blazer with his head.

  “That’s your Trudy?” Noel couldn’t believe that beautiful woman Trudy. “Good for you Albert!”

  Albert laughed loudly, grabbing his midsection. “I didn’t mention she was quite the looker, did I?” He glanced over at Noel. “Well that didn’t hurt either.”

  Shellie looked from Albert to Noel and back to Noel, confused. “What?”

  “Oh nothing sweetie, I was just telling your Noel all about Trudy.”

  “He isn’t my Noel,” she said with more venom than she intended.

  “Not yet, he isn’t. Doesn’t mean he couldn’t be.”

  “Noel and I are friends, Albert.” She looked to Noel for help but he held his hands up letting her know he had no intention of getting involved.

  “Trudy is my best friend, dear.” He looked knowingly at her. “The right one always is.”

  Shellie shook her head. “Well we are just friends Albert. Nothing more.”

 
Albert began tallying the price tags at the register as he continued, “You two can fight it all you want, but you can’t deny your feelings. I see it,” he pointed to his eyes.

  Shellie blushed then suddenly found counting the cash in her wallet the most interesting thing in the world. Meddling old man, putting ideas into my head that will never come true. She looked at Albert and his knowing smile. “How much?”

  Before Albert could say a word, Noel handed the man a credit card. “Just put it on here please, Albert.”

  “No!”

  Both men looked at her, stunned.

  “I can’t let you buy all this stuff for me, Noel. It’s too much.”

  Her eyes were pleading with him but he had to do this. He didn’t know why but he felt that buying these clothes for her was something that he just needed to do for her. “I insist Shellie, really. Consider it a thank you for coming shopping with me today.” His eyes softened as did her resolve.

  “Well I didn’t really offer to come all the way to Chicago to go shopping with you so I can pay for my own stuff.” She crossed her hands over her chest defiantly.

  Noel leaned down to her ear. “And you came anyway and were very useful, so just let me pay.” His playful eyes were dancing over her face, daring her to continue.

  “Fine,” she yanked the bag off the counter. “But I’m buying dinner.”

  Noel’s mouth turned up into a half-smile. “Why Shellie, are you asking me out on a date?”

  She willed her face, neck and chest not to flush but her body betrayed her again. “If you’re not hungry I’ll just go eat alone,” she walked to the door with the large bag in her hands.

  Noel signed the slip and gave Albert an exasperated look.

  “I told you the good ones are always a handful,” he laughed while waving them off.

  ##

  The rain stopped but the sky was still a treacherous shade of grey indicating that the storm would return at any moment. Shellie was happy for the dark skies and overall gloomy weather because it reflected her conflicted emotions. She knew that Albert and Noel were talking about more than they let on, and the way he kept poking at her about her feelings for Noel made her wonder what was said. She noticed them talking while she helped Trudy see how perfect that green blazer was for her. It made her green eyes nearly as dark as Noel’s were…in the dressing room.

  That thought caused her skin to warm and pop with goose bumps. I need a cold shower, she thought when she couldn’t shake her mind of how much she’d like to have Noel properly in a bed and taste every inch of him. Those thoughts were interrupted by one single drop of rain on her forehead. “I think maybe we should get on the road, it looks like the storm isn’t letting up.”

  Noel looked over to her, staring a hole through her. “I thought you were buying me dinner,” he smiled. “Trying to get out of it already?” He shook his head and waving his finger, giving her a ‘tsk tsk tsk’ for good measure.

  “You live with me now, it’s not like I can get out of dinner with you.”

  “Then,” he wrapped his arm around her shoulder, pulling her closer as the breeze grew cooler, “we may as well enjoy a night out before we start acting like an old married couple.” He kissed her hair.

  She bumped him playfully with her hip, fighting a smile at the thought of them as an old married couple. “We have a three hour drive Noel. If we eat dinner here we won’t even get on the road until after midnight.” She freed herself from his grasp. “Look at me, I’m not dressed for dinner anywhere!”

  He grabbed her shoulders forcefully, staring at her eyes and making his way down to her beautiful neck with a line of freckles down the right side and the constellation of freckles across the exposed part of her chest. Even though her dress was long, he took the entire journey down imagining what she would look like naked. He got to her bright pink painted toes before making the trip back up to her now whiskey colored eyes staring at him with a mixture of lust and longing and confusion and fear. “You look beautiful to me.”

  She shrugged him off. “Be serious Noel! My hair is so frizzy it’s almost an afro my dress smells like rain and sand and Lake Michigan. The rain removed what little make up I was wearing, oh and I’m wearing cloth shoes from a pharmacy. I may look a lot of things right now, crazy, homeless, a total wreck but two things I don’t look and that is great or prepared for dinner.” Her breathing was heavier and her cheeks were flushed but most of all, her shoulders now felt cold where his heavy hands were.

  Noel wrapped one of her curls around his index finger loving the way she looked as though she just rolled out of bed. “I think you look perfect Shellie and I really would love to have dinner with you tonight. In the city.”

  She sighed heavily knowing that she would give in, hell wanted to give in. But she already felt insecure about how she looked with him and right now she looked atrocious with or without this Adonis standing near her. “I’d like to have dinner with you too Noel. I just don’t feel good like this,” she tugged at her dress. “I need a shower and change of clothes, really. Let’s do it another time?”

  Noel stared at her for a moment, unsure if she was sincere about wanting to have dinner with him or looking for a way out. He thought his chances of getting her to come back here with him were slim and he wanted to seize this opportunity he already had. “If I can get you a shower and change of clothes, you’ll have dinner with me tonight?”

  She nodded.

  ##

  “A hotel? I can’t stay at a hotel with you!” Shellie tried to keep her voice quiet as she yelled but the vaulted ceilings and marble floors of the hotel lobby made her attempts worthless.

  “Why not? We live together,” he lowered his voice, “and we had sex in a dressing room earlier today.”

  “Shhh!” she placed two fingers up to his lips to silence him, wishing desperately that his soft lips were on other parts of her body. “At least get a suite so I can have my own room.”

  “I’m sorry ma’am,” the tall clerk said getting their attention. He began again, “I didn’t mean to overhear but the only available rooms this weekend are the Honeymoon Suite and two rooms with King size beds. Which would you prefer?”

  Shellie dropped her head to the marble counter enjoying the cold on her face. “Of course that’s it, because that’s my life.” She looked at Noel who appeared nothing short of amused. “You’re paying so get whatever you want.”

  His smile grew brighter as he turned to the clerk. “We’ll take the Honeymoon Suite, Derek!”

  “Right away sir.”

  He placed a hand on Shellie’s shoulder causing electricity to run through her body. “You said you wanted a suite, honey.” He chuckled softly in her ear.

  “I’m gonna kill you, Noel.”

  He grabbed their electronic keys from the counter and placed one hand on the small of her back, leading her to the bank of elevators. “By the way, I prefer the left side of the bed.” He winked.

  She leered up at him, wanting to be mad but feeling more nervous than mad. What would happen if she slept with him again, would she be able to shake her growing feelings? Would he even want to sleep with her again after the quickie in the fitting rooms? Would this complicate their already complicated living situation? She exhaled forcefully, trying to expel the thoughts invading her mind.

  Noel took both of her hands in his trapping her against the elevator wall. Their bodies were so close he could feel the heat emanating from her body as he held her gaze with his intense stare. “If you really don’t want to share a room I’ll go back down and get us separate rooms.” He stopped her attempted interruption with a brush of his thumb over her lower lip. “It’s just I thought we were having a good day, enjoying each other’s company. Besides Shellie we don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do, you know that don’t you?”

  She nodded, floored by this moment of honesty and vulnerability. “Can I talk now?”

  He nodded.

  “I get the shower first.”<
br />
  He laughed.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  “I can’t believe they lost my underwear!” Shellie was still dumbfounded about the loss of her underwear by the hotel’s laundry service. As great as it was that they actually provided laundry services she would have preferred to still have something to wear under her freshly washed clothes. As it was standing hand in hand with Noel at some swanky Indian restaurant was wreaking havoc with her senses and being with him without underwear had her senses swirling. His familiar rosemary and mint scent seeped into her nose and it was so intoxicating she knew that she would always smile when she thought of her new favorite herb.

  A seductive grin split Noel’s face and he squeezed her hand. “I wish I could say I had a hand in it, but alas, just my good fortune.” He chuckled, more to himself than her.

  Her cheeks reddened as his dark green gaze worked over her body. “I wouldn’t put it past you,” she glared with none of the venom she was trying for.

  Holding his hands up in surrender and biting his too sexy bottom lip, Noel’s smile never faded. “Hey I offered to take you lingerie shopping.” Although it would be more for his benefit than hers, she didn’t need to know that.

  “Either way you win, is that it?”

  “I’m completely comfortable with you in no underwear or you in sexy new underwear we buy together Shellie. As long as you’re happy,” he tipped her chin forcing her to look into his seductive stare, daring her not to look.

  His intense stare made Shellie uncomfortable as she fought against the attraction she could no longer deny. She wanted to break their stare but his emerald gaze was mesmerizing and she found that her body would not allow her to look away despite her mind’s protest. This sweet torture was more than she could stand, having fought every urge to follow him into the shower and standing this close to him smelling so good, and her without underwear must be punishment for a previous life as an evil dictator, she thought. Summoning all the willpower she could, Shellie was grateful to the hostess for her interruption. Now she could focus on her surroundings for a moment, instead of her dinner companion and when she finally looked around she noticed that the restaurant was stunning.