Sweet Obsession (Men of Whiskey Row Book 1)

by D. A. Young

  Suddenly Sidra pointed the crab leg she was trying to crack open dangerously close to Noelle’s face, making her jerk back. “Uh-uh. See that right there? Humph. That’s the kind of shit that lets us know you’re holding out. Avery knows we don’t give two shits about her “stick up his ass, name droppin’, social climbing-"

  Avery interrupted her before she really got started.

  “WOW. Really??? That’s how you guys really feel about the first guy that’s not trying to get in my pants?” Avery was pissed. “Pierce is a really sweet guy who happens to be a complete gentleman. I like the fact that when we’re together, it doesn’t feel like I’m wrestling an octopus all damn night!” she hissed to Sidra, who just rolled her eyes in response.

  Noelle attempted to soothe her ruffled feathers. “Calm down, Avery. We didn’t say that we disliked him.” Although if she were honest with herself; she did find Pierce Wesley to be very shallow. He seemed to be more interested in the fact that Avery’s family name could be traced back to the Mayflower than Avery herself.

  Sidra snorted rudely and turned in the booth to give Avery a hard stare. “Well, I’m saying it. I don’t like him, and I think you can do way better. Since I’m already going there, you need to get over this obsession with your body and eat some damn food! Look at your plate! You have three shrimp and a child-size serving of corn and potatoes. Last I checked, this place didn’t serve kids meals; and you sure ain’t a damn kid! You are a fine, full-figured, bodacious woman that needs to accept it; move on from Pierce; and find a real man that will work you over so good in bed that you won’t need to worry about dieting. Or, you can just take your big apple bottom to the gym with me and Noelle.”

  Noelle held her breath as she watched Avery’s hands clench and her left eyebrow twitch. Sidra was the type to bust your balls and call it a day. Noelle just went with the flow until she could no longer. But Avery, although well-mannered and ladylike, had a terrible temper. Slowly, she turned to face the expectant Sidra and took a deep breath.

  “Why don’t you save the ball-busting for the men who are interested in you? You know, the ones you go all ‘Solange in an elevator’ with if you feel like there’s a chance you might like them? Why don’t you give someone a chance to know your beautiful, kind heart? It’s because deep down inside you know you’re scared of being rejected.” Avery countered sharply. “Please don’t act like I’m the only person in this booth with scars.”

  Sidra looked like she was going to stab Avery with the crab claw she was gripping so tightly in her hand. Avery raised an eyebrow as if to say ‘I wish you would’ The restaurant grew quiet, and the manager nervously had her hand on her phone ready to dial 9-1-1. Noelle knew they didn’t know that Sidra and Avery loved each other fiercely and would turn on them in a heartbeat if they tried to jump in and assist. But the topics being discussed were too close to their hearts for hurt feelings not to be involved; so she did the only thing she could do to distract them.

  “Guess what? I slept with Jack Sullivan and we’re getting married. Surprise!” Noelle said brightly, taking in their shocked open-mouthed expressions as they turned to her. Well at least they weren’t arguing anymore…

  Chapter Ten

  Jack stood looking out the window of his office, not seeing the perfect, cloudless blue sky. Normally he could appreciate the view of the Manhattan skyline, but not today. Today he couldn’t function because victory was within his grasp. He’d had a taste of Noelle; and the reality was so much better than his fantasies, changing everything he thought he knew about sex.

  He wasn’t a prude but Jack didn’t partake in pussy-eating with every female he slept with either. But with Noelle, he couldn’t get enough of her taste and wanted to stay buried between those silky thighs forever, lapping up her cream. He’d almost come just from her exploding in his mouth. Then the feel of those pillow soft lips inhaling him, and her silken tightness clenching around his cock…Jesus. All he could think about was her touch, taste, and the way she looked when he fucked her. So yes, the reality was better than the fantasy; but it was also worse because he couldn’t think of anything but her. Nothing was getting accomplished today; that was for sure.

  The ring of his cell phone shook Jack out of his reverie. He pulled it out of his pocket and glanced down to see it was his middle brother Darby returning his call. Earlier he’d called and had to leave a message on his new sarcastic voicemail.

  “You’ve reached Jackson Sullivan’s Pussy Delivering Service. If you are a damsel currently associated with my big brother and in distress, please leave your name, phone number, and address so that I may drop whatever the hell it is that I’m doing to come assist you and take you wherever you need to go. That’s right folks; damn how important my shit is I am here for YOU. Y’all have a nice day now.”

  He pressed the accept button with a smile. “Still got your panties in a bunch, lil bro?”

  There was a slight pause before Darby gave a low chuckle. “I don’t, but pretty, little Ms. Inez does. She was lookin’ to blow off a little steam from the pageant scandal and was pissed that yours truly wouldn’t oblige due to your “No Involvement with Clients” policy; which to me totally contradicts the “Keep Them Happy” policy. It’s a fine line to walk, ya know? I mean, I’d hate to be the one to put your firm’s spotless reputation at risk because of a dissatisfied client….”

  Jack clenched the phone but remained silent, refusing to take the bait. Growing up, Darby loved to push people’s limits and was pretty good at it; but Jack refused to be pushed. All he had to do was remain silent and Darby would eventually tip his hand. The silence stretched, two minutes passing. Jack picked up the framed picture on his desk of him, Darby, and Casey; taken the last time he was home. Just looking at it made him smile. He and his brothers were as close as could be and would die for each other; if shit went down, they would always have each other’s backs.

  Jack also knew that on the other end of the phone, Darby would be wearing that maddening grin while he waited for him to respond. Casey and Darby were like oil and water; and it took very little for Case to fly off the handle with him. But not Jack. By the time he was four, he’d perfected the waiting game; hiding quietly for hours when Patrick Sullivan was on one of his drunken rants. Three more minutes passed; and after seeing he wouldn’t be getting the rise out of his older brother that he was looking for, Darby gave a sigh. “Well lucky for you I found a solution where your firm and its client came to a… ahem…mutual satisfaction solution.”

  “And what pray tell was that?” Jack’s extremely polite tone was the only indication that he was not as calm as he would have his brother think. Darby chuckled again, and this time it had a little evil twist to it.

  “Nothing, Jackie.” Darby said using his childhood nickname. “We had a nice drive down to Baymoor, Maryland. That town is really pretty, almost putting ours to shame. It was pretty quiet though; so I had to find ways to keep myself busy until Eli got there.” That last part was said almost too innocently. “Anyhow, enough about me. What’s goin’ on?”

  Still suspicious of Darby’s seemingly innocent remarks, Jack decided to give Inez a call later and do some backup damage control because he knew his brother too damn well. A childhood image popped into his head.

  “Darby Liam Sullivan! I know ya ate the brownies for the church picnic. You’ve still got the chocolate smeared around yer mouth!” Moira Sullivan scolded furiously as she hurriedly wiped his face clean.

  “It wasn’t me, Ma! I swear it!” Darby insisted dramatically, which earned him a plucking from his mother. “Ow! What was that for?” he asked rubbing his ear as Jack and Casey struggled to hold in their laughter.

  “Oh ya swear do ye? Fer shame, looking me in the eye and lying right to m’ face! Yer never going to get to Heaven’s pearly gates being full of blarney, Darby Liam Sullivan! Jackie, help yer brother to get cleaned up. I see Father Vincenzo talking to yer Da. Oh Lord…be quick about it!”

  Jack blinked away th
e memory. “I called because I need you and Casey to come to New York. I’m getting married, and I’d like for you guys to stand up with me,” he said nonchalantly. His statement was met with silence. For once, his smart ass brother was speechless. “Darby? You still there, bro?”

  “Hold up just a damn minute!! Did I just hear you say married?!” Darby shouted incredulously.

  Jack smiled, pleased to finally get a rise out of him. “Yes, I’m getting married to Noelle Kramer on Monday so-”

  Darby interrupted him “Wait a minute. Isn’t that Ian’s goddaughter?” he asked sharply. Before Jack could answer, Darby continued on. “Does he know about that? She’s that fine ass filly with the pretty gray eyes and banging body?” He gave a long wolf whistle. “I ain’t mad atcha, brother. Seen a pic last time I was in Ian’s office and thought about taking it along on one of my breaks to the bath-” This time he was interrupted.

  “Careful, Darby. That’s my soon-to-be wife that you’re talking about,” Jack said in a tone that promised deadly repercussions for his brother if he didn’t shut his mouth.

  “So it’s like that huh? Well let me hurry up and catch the next flight out. I can’t wait to greet my sister-in-law all nice and proper like,” Darby said lasciviously.

  “Piece by piece I’m going to take you apart, Darby,” Jack vowed solemnly, and his brother hooted with laughter before hanging up. He called Casey and left him a message regarding weekend plans, before replaying the voicemail Noelle had left for him earlier.

  “Hey, it’s Noelle. Soooo… remember that thing about keeping this private for our friends? Well I kind of let it slip to Sidra and Avery; and to make a long story short, they want us to celebrate with them tomorrow. I just don’t think I’m going to be able to keep them away from City Hall either. So I figured tomorrow is as good a start as any for us to be seen in public right? We’re doing the charity fundraiser at the Blue River Country Club, and I would love it if you could make it. Sorry about the short notice. Starts at seven p.m. so don’t leave a girl hanging, ok? Bye.”

  Just the sound of her low, melodic voice got him hard. Of course he would make it. Nothing and no one was going to keep him away from her.

  ***

  He wasn’t going to show, Noelle thought despondently. It was now seven forty-five in the evening, and the event was in full swing. It was a fundraiser to raise awareness for hungry children in America. According to the chairwoman of the foundation, On a Whim had done a fabulous job with the Take Me to Thailand theme, and she couldn’t thank them enough. As soon as she walked away, Noelle and Avery did a discreet fist bump which was their ladylike way of jumping up and down for joy.

  They’d transformed the club into a lush, tropical paradise filled with various types of floral arrangements that included orchids, hibiscus, lilies, bougainvillea, and the country’s national flower, Ratchaphruek. Candles were placed in the middle of huge lily pads that floated in the enormous pool. Two large golden Buddha statues were placed at each end of the pool; a perfect complement to the sleek, white modern furniture. The servers were dressed in authentic Chut Thai, the formal national Thai costume; and the soft background music was a mixture of Bong Lang, the traditional northeastern music of Thailand and Luktung, Thai country music. As a thank you gift, guests in attendance would receive lanterns to write messages or sentiments on and release into the air at the end of the night.

  “Stop with the sad face,” Sidra ordered crisply from behind her. “You are looking way too good to be sitting on the sidelines. That man should be horsewhipped for standing you up.”

  Noelle winced and rolled her eyes before turning to smile at her friend who was on point in a tropical print fuchsia Diane Von Furstenberg wrap dress. Her hair was flat-ironed into a sleek bob, and the silver strappy stilettos on her feet were a sexy contrast to her chocolate skin. “Nobody’s sad, doll. Just maybe a…little disappointed. Besides, it was a last minute invitation anyway.” Sidra rolled her eyes at Noelle’s lame excuse.

  “Noelle, you can’t fool me,” she said bluntly. “Besides, I’m still mad at you for dropping that little bomb yesterday. Are you sure about this? I mean you can’t even rely on him to be here for this event,” Sidra shook her head. “Don’t get me wrong, I like Jack. He’s cool and a great boss; but you’re my girl, and I hate the fact that you’re here looking like a million bucks, but feeling like someone just died!”

  Noelle flushed. It was true; she had dressed with Jack in mind. The navy blue satin crop top she wore was sleeveless, with a plunging neckline that showed a tasteful, yet teasing amount of cleavage that just came in under ladylike. Her full, knee-length skirt was white with an intricate pattern of fuchsia, navy, and light blue feathers splashed throughout. White heels completed the look. She wore diamond studs in her ears; a delicate silver chain that lay against her collar bone; and a silver and diamond cuff on one wrist. Her hair was a heavy curtain of black waves flowing around her shoulders.

  Noelle was about to deny Sidra’s claim; but a movement over her friend’s shoulder caught her eye, and any protest she was going to voice died in her throat. Jack had just entered the pool area and was busy scanning the area while nodding and shaking hands with people he knew. Noelle noticed the whole time he conversed with those around him, he never stopped looking around. For her, she realized with satisfaction. His eyes finally met hers, and Jack offered a private smile that made Noelle’s heart do triple somersaults as she smiled back.

  Sidra turned to look behind her. “Well, I guess I’ll just cross him off of my shit list. Damn, that man looks at you the way I look at bacon. How the hell did I ever miss that?” She turned to look at Noelle who was still staring at Jack with a goofy smile. “You are so far gone. Just keep in mind that you have to think of relationships in terms of shopping at Sephora. Is he the kind of man who’ll have you running to replace your lip gloss? Or is he a jerk that’ll have you replacing your mascara?”

  Noelle watched Jack’s confident swagger as he strolled towards her and people quickly got out of his way. She noticed plenty of women and even a few men were feeling him; but he only had eyes for her, Noelle Kramer. It was hard to do but, she pulled herself away from his hypnotic gaze to glance at Sidra. They smiled at each other before saying simultaneously: “Lip gloss.”

  Jack reached them, his eyes still focused on Noelle. He passed Sidra, acknowledging her presence with a murmured “Hey, Sid”; and pulled Noelle into his arms. His mouth slanted across hers assertively. The kiss was brief but sweet with a tease of tongue action, and Noelle clung to his jacket lapels, wanting to devour him. His eyes gleamed with promise as he pressed his forehead to hers.

  “Sorry I’m late. My brothers decided to fly in tonight, and they insisted on coming with me.” Jack brought his lips down to Noelle’s again; and she opened up, allowing him to explore her mouth as she pressed her body closer to his; needing to feel more of him. The hardness pressing into her midsection let her know he was just as affected as she was. He cleared his throat and stepped back but kept an arm around her waist possessively. “Forgive me?”

  “Of course. Where are they? I’m dying to meet them.” Noelle wanted to ask him how much they knew about their arrangement but knew now wasn’t the time.

  Beside them, Sidra interrupted sarcastically. “Ummm...hi, Jack. Nice to see you too. How am I doing? Why I’m doing just fine and you?” Jack gave her an apologetic grin and opened his mouth to apologize, but Sidra’s gaze sharpened, and she threw her hand up at him.

  “Wait a minute. Did you just say that your brothers were here? As in plural?” She asked suspiciously.

  Jack grinned and winked at her. “Yes, both of them are here. Please play nice with Casey. I think maybe you guys just got off on the wrong foot, and I’m sure he’d love the chance to smooth things over with you.”

  Noelle looked behind Sidra as she gave a groan to see two extremely handsome men were coming their way and drawing a great deal of attention. Both were equally good-looking but co
mplete opposites of each other. The broader and taller of the two had dark, wavy auburn hair. His strong jawline was covered in a neatly-trimmed beard. With dark green eyes, a straight nose, and sensually full lips, he looked like a bottle of sin served straight up. He stood at about six feet-eight inches, and Noelle could tell that underneath his well-cut suit, he was heavily muscled. Although the suit was supposed to make him look gentrified, she could feel his wildness itching to get out. No one had to tell her he was an untamable heartbreaker; the wink he gave her confirmed it.

  The other man was leaner and about six feet-four inches, and… well…beautiful. There really was no other way to describe him. His dirty blonde hair was short on the sides but longer on top. It was tousled as if some lucky woman had the pleasure of running her fingers through it. Thick, straight, dark brows framed his sleepy-looking hazel eyes with long dark lashes that curled at the ends. His runway-model looks boasted high cheekbones and square jaw faintly covered in stubble, and his mouth was full, soft looking and kissable. Where the other man was pure testosterone, this one was angelic.