Conflict of Interest_A Mustang Prairie Romance

by N. D. Jackson

  He kept thrusts fast then slow and fast again. Then slow again. The slow burn simmering inside her was a full-fledged flame. The frenzy of waiting months for this moment, of waiting to have Noel with her. Near her. In her, was finally pulling at her as hard and fast as she pulled at him. Grasping his behind, grabbing his shoulders and tugging at his hair she couldn’t get close enough in this moment, his slow fast slow fast rhythm lifting her higher and higher until she thought she would simply float away and watch him love her in this frenetic alternate reality that was now her life.

  The sound of her panting heavily and the feel of her nails skipping over his glistening skin drove him closer to the edge, the pace of his thrust increasing as he tried to merge their bodies closer. Removing his lips from her neck he stared down into her eyes, golden with desire and he took her over the edge. Her muscles gripping him tightly as they contracted around him, forcing him to increase his speed further and going over seconds later.

  Her climax still claimed her body and she was convulsing and shuddering beneath and around him minutes later, keeping him hard and hitting her spot with slow and deliberate movements. Without breaking eye contact he palmed her large globes in his hands and continued the slow assault on her already tender nether regions until she was tightening around him faster and harder until she clutched his wrists between her hands and screamed out, “Oh, oh, yes!” Her tightening muscles wrenched every last drop of him, lapping it up into her as though it were nourishment for her body. He growled through the last few thrusts before collapsing on the bed beside her, working hard to return his breathing to normal.

  “That was,” he struggled for the right word through his sex-addled brained and oxygen deprived lungs.

  “Intense,” Shellie finished for him.

  “Yeah. Very.”

  “Amazing,” she panted, reaching for a pillow and sharing it with him.

  Noel propped himself up on his elbow and looked down at her. She was lovely with her wild curls, even wilder than normal and face flushed from exertion. Her eyes were still shining with desire as she looked up at him innocently. He pulled her in closer to him, certain he had never felt quite like this after sex. “It was more than amazing,” he assured her as he leaned over to claim her mouth yet again. He couldn’t seem to get enough of tasting her.

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  Shellie and Noel spent the morning after that kiss the same way they would spend every morning for the next month. They woke up wearing ridiculous smiles and gazing in awe at one another. Neither could believe the night they shared together, that there were finally no barriers between them and they were determined to make it work.

  When Shellie woke up early she stared at the wild blond curls spread across his face and she would gently caress his chest and abs with her fingertips, lightly grazing his nipples until he was awake and ready to love her again. Those mornings when Noel rose before Shellie, he stared at her sexy tousled hair and marveled at the curve of her hips and breasts rising and falling as she slept. He whispered kisses across her neck and shoulders, her chest and breasts until she awoke, purring for his touch.

  They were each so consumed with worshipping the other’s body that they missed breakfast most days. After her morning wake up call, that’s how she described it to Alex, she would let him have the shower first since she could afford to go to work a little late. Rather than prepare a quick breakfast Shellie would lie sprawled across her bed in post coital bliss wondering how she could have gotten so lucky. Girls like her, she thought, didn’t capture the attention never mind the hearts of men like Noel. They often slummed it with imperfect women like Shellie but never dared to love them.

  Noel seemed too good to be real. He was kind and honest, handsome, an excellent lover and driven to success. All traits she admired and desired in a man. And as far as she could tell Noel was just as besotted with her. He seemed to enjoy the time they spent together because she often caught him staring intently at her while she read or talked on the phone or cooked. He laughed with his whole body when they were together and he had even kissed her a few times in public. When doubt inevitably crept into her mind and clutched her heart until she couldn’t breathe, she would tiptoe across the hall to peek at him in the shower just to make sure it all was real and not an elaborate daydream. Noel would catch her peeking at him, flash his sexiest smile and invite her to join him.

  When the water became too cold they would escape to the bedroom and wrap around each other until one of them would insist it was time to get to work. Without breakfast.

  Shellie spent her days at the office placing orders for a growing number of clients in need of cheaper operating costs. Her initial plan worked so well that Paul and Shirley had spread the word. Jacques of course kept to himself, fearful someone would try to steal his customers. Shellie knew the plan would work and she felt more satisfied with her work than she had in a long time. She was certain that by helping these businesses survive, the future of Mustang Prairie would be secure. It was hard to imagine what the future would hold for her and her friends without Mustang Prairie. Her business would fail and she would have to move, a thought that left her feeling lost.

  Most of her time however was spent researching ways to prevent KitchenMart from opening. They would officially open in a few weeks, in time for the Corn Festival, if she couldn’t convince the Town Council to stop it. She uncovered some interesting information about other companies that she eagerly compiled into colorful graphs and charts to present at the upcoming Council Meeting. The graphs represented so much to her that Alex often caught her staring into them as if the answers to life’s mysteries were contained within them. For Shellie they did. These graphs--if successful—would save Mustang Prairie and ruin Noel and whatever future they could have together.

  Noel spent his days scrambling to make sure all departments were ready for the Grand Opening. His goal was to open just before the local Corn Festival so that vendors would get their supplies from KitchenMart. He also hoped that the restaurant would have a great opening weekend since the Festival coincided with Parents Weekend at the nearby University. Radio ads played on local stations, flyers and coupons were sent to the surrounding towns and Noel even rented the billboard once deriding KitchenMart and him. Things were starting to fall in place at work and Noel was beginning to feel at home in Mustang Prairie and in Shellie’s home.

  When the hectic work day was over both Noel and Shellie rushed home hungry for food and each other. Their nights were routine but never boring. The first one to make it home would create a gourmet meal fit for a king and his men. Whether it was French cuisine or Southern home cooking, they delighted in trying to outdo one another in the kitchen. The last to arrive home would be met with a delightful mix of herbs and spices, secretly hoping that they would devour dinner before they devoured each other. The sight of a freshly showered body still glistening with beads of water was often too much for the cook to handle and dinner was usually quickly forgotten as another hunger was fed.

  It wasn’t uncommon for them to feed each other cold food in front of the television hours after the dinner hour. Shellie found that she didn’t mind cold food as much as she used to.

  ##

  With just a few days until the Council Meeting Shellie had been unable to sleep last night. She got up early and decided to make breakfast, something she hadn’t done in more than a month thanks to Noel’s other insatiable appetite. She smiled to herself, ok not entirely because of his appetite. Nevertheless she needed to do some serious thinking and preparing a big breakfast was her preferred way to think.

  She measured flour, sifting it into a large mixing bowl with nutmeg and cinnamon before turning to whisk eggs in a nearby bowl. She poured pureed pumpkin, buttermilk and a dash of orange juice in with the eggs before combining with the flour. Now that fall was almost here she could indulge in her favorite orange pumpkin pancakes. The buttermilk gave them a tangy flavor that made the pancakes worth all the measuring and mixing they
required. The melted butter on the stove sizzled and she happily dropped the batter in before sliding the bacon in the oven. Pancakes helped Shellie through plenty of difficult decisions and she knew they would prove as helpful today.

  The time had come to talk to Noel about KitchenMart, she just didn’t know how to bring it up or what to say. She had uncovered some disturbing information and she knew he was unaware of his company’s practices but would deny it all the same. Removing the thick cut apple smoked bacon from the oven she wondered if this would be one of the last meals they shared together. She was sure the information she’d uncovered would convince the Council to find a way to kill the KitchenMart deal. They would have no choice and Noel would have no reason to stay in Mustang Prairie.

  The thought of waking up every morning without him beside her made her heart catch in her throat and she could feel tears stinging behind her eyes, threatening to break free as she set the table. No, she would have to be strong. The time had come to talk about this. They avoided it long enough. In a few short days his career would probably come to a screeching halt and it would be all her fault.

  “Why now?” She wondered aloud. Why did she have to find Noel now and in this way? Hadn’t she had enough obstacles in life without having to choose between the only home she has ever known and a love unlike any she’s never experienced?

  Flipping the last pancake onto the plate, Shellie sat down in front of the early morning feast she’d prepared. It smelled delicious and looked even better but she ate it absently as she stared at the changing scenery outside. The large tree in her backyard was full of green leaves speckled with gold and red. Noel and I will be over by the time those leaves hit the ground, she bit back tears and became lost in her thoughts.

  “What smells so good?” Noel burst into the kitchen interrupting Shellie’s thoughts.

  Shellie took a moment to discreetly wipe her eyes. “Just breakfast,” she smiled weakly at him. He looked so beautiful in his midnight blue cotton lounge pants and nothing else but a mop of disheveled hair. She wanted to remember everything about him right now. His hair flying in all directions, muscles rippling with every breath and cording with every movement, and the way his eyes sparkled like jewels when they connected with hers.

  Noel walked over and greeted her with a deeply sensual good morning kiss. “Morning,” he smiled at her when he pulled away. “You okay?” He asked when he noticed her slightly red eyes.

  Shellie turned back to the window willing her tears to stay put. “I’m fine. Just thinking.”

  “About anything in particular?” He poured a cup of coffee and walked around the table to sit across from her.

  She shrugged. “Yes. No. Sort of.” She struggled to find the words while watching him stack pancakes, eggs and bacon onto his plate. “We need to talk,” she finally said.

  Noel stopped abruptly a forkful of pancakes half way between his plate and his mouth. He sat the fork down and pushed away from the table and sighed. “I don’t think I’m going to like this talk.” He crossed his arms and looked at Shellie.

  “It’s nothing like that Noel, but don’t you find it odd that during this last month we’ve talked about everything except our work?”

  He nodded. “I guess so,” he began. “But I think we both have a very good reason for not bringing it up.” Things had been so amazing the last month that he couldn’t bring himself to mess it all up by talking about KitchenMart.

  “We do,” she agreed. “But it isn’t healthy and if we’re only in this part of the way, maybe we shouldn’t be in it at all.” Those weren’t the words she meant to say but they were out now and it was up to him to respond.

  Noel leaned back in his chair, staring at her with a mixture of curiosity and amusement. “So you woke up early and made me a delicious Sunday breakfast to break up with me?”

  “I’m not breaking up with you Noel but I am saying that eventually this is going to come between us and it already is if we’re not even willing to talk about it.” She didn’t want to have to be the one to start this conversation but it was obvious he was content to ignore it. “I know what you’re doing and you know my efforts to stop it, but we don’t talk about it. Does that seem like a healthy relationship to you?”

  Noel wasn’t ready to have this conversation just yet. He’d been doing some research of his own and found out a few things he didn’t like. He needed more time to crunch the numbers, but their endless sessions of lovemaking had him less than focused lately. “No I guess it doesn’t.”

  “Are you serious about this Noel? About us?” She diverted her gaze away from his, unable to bear the answer.

  “Do you even need to ask? I’m crazy about you, Shellie.”

  “What will you do if KitchenMart doesn’t open?” Her jaws clenched in anticipation of his answer. She knew he would be on the first flight back to New York and his tall, skinny supermodel girlfriends. “Will you stay here with me or will we say goodbye?” She needed to know now. She already knew she was in love with him, but she could handle it now. In a few months, his departure would devastate her.

  He raked his fingers through his hair as a sign of his frustration. “I don’t know Shellie, I honestly don’t. But I don’t anticipate KitchenMart not opening.” He said it with such authority as he lifted a slice of bacon and bit into it, she wondered if he did know already. “Should I?”

  “There are some things you should know about KitchenMart,” she said as she stood to leave the kitchen.

  ##

  Noel had spent the last few nights bathing in the light of his computer screen with a heavy sense of foreboding weighing on him. After finally finagling all the numbers from the legal department he started to notice a disturbing pattern. If the numbers were true—and he’d already confirmed them twice with accounting—then Shellie was more right than she knew.

  He knew before she returned to the kitchen that her tenacity had probably uncovered the same information he now had sitting in his work bag by the sofa. It had taken him just a few weeks when he finally sat down and looked at the different numbers in Gage, Indiana and Sandstone, Arizona and even projected numbers for Mustang Prairie. It all added up to a lot of money for the company and probably a big bonus for him. But it also meant that he was, albeit unwittingly, doing everything she had accused him of. Dammit.

  The question he asked himself as he listened to her shuffling papers around on the other side of the door was could he confirm her research or should he deny it. He knew that confirming it right now before he had a chance to speak to Rich and the rest of the guys at headquarters, would ensure this deal blew up their faces. Especially his. He thought back to all those rants he’d overheard about the “evil corporations like KitchenMart” bent on destroying the towns they claim to care so much about. While he found her passion admirable he also found her anti-corporation stance a tad naïve.

  No, he decided, he would not confirm it. Not now. Doing that now would be the same as admitting that everything he’d done over the last half year, all the accomplishments and hard work, was for nothing. But what felt worse for Noel was knowing that his company had set him up to fail. If the numbers told the whole story, he reminded himself.

  This could be one big mistake, he tried unsuccessfully to convince himself. “You don’t believe that,” he muttered aloud, disgusted with his own attempts at hiding from the truth. He needed to talk to Rich first before he said anything to Shellie. He could always tell when Rich was lying and he needed that confirmation before divulging anything to her.

  Shellie rushed back into the kitchen with a gale force trailing her. She was red in the face from tackling the large stack of papers and binders she now slammed onto the vacant portion of the table. Taking a moment to catch her breath, she placed her hand on the large stack and locked eyes with Noel. “You know,” she began hesitantly nibbling the corner of her mouth, “that I was against KitchenMart before I even knew you were involved.” She looked to him for confirmation. “Well I have be
en doing any and every thing I could think of to find a way to stop that, that monstrosity from opening.”

  “Monstrosity? Really?”

  “Yes Noel really,” she said incredulously. “A town like Mustang Prairie should have many small shops where residents get what they need, not one big made in China factory that does nothing to help the town.” She held up her hand to stop the response she knew he had prepared. “Anyway I’ve done a lot of research about KitchenMart and others and their practices. Don’t you find it odd that these big companies set up shop in small towns and less than a year later they fail?”

  Noel looked at her with her hands on her hips and he knew without a doubt that she had found the same information he had. “Companies fail all the time Shellie. It’s the risk of doing business.” He crossed his arms defensively and sat back.

  “Of course they do, but most companies that fail don’t end up making a shitload of money in the process. Do they?”

  He shook his head, avoiding her gaze. “No they don’t. Usually. But,” he stood up and walked around to where she stood near the huge stack, “if you insure the property and equipment you can recoup some of the expenses in the event your venture isn’t successful.”

  She crossed her arms over her chest at his cool demeanor and a chill settled over the kitchen. “That’s great Noel. Give me,” she patted her chest angrily, “me your corporate doublespeak!” She moved to her plate and began piling food on it. “You know I only came to you because of us! Silly me, ever the fool to think that you’d actually give a damn that what you’re doing is just one big scam.” She looked over to him, her eyes pleading with his to acknowledge the truth.

  He stared back blankly. There was nothing he could say now to make the situation better. She knew the truth but he had to be sure before he said anything. Didn’t he?

  “Right,” she scoffed grabbing the carafe of apple juice in her free hand. “Silly me. Again.” She said, pushing the door with her hip and escaping to her bedroom.