Conflict of Interest (A Mustang Prairie Romance)

by Jackson, N. D.

The fire in Alexis’ eyes was unmistakable but Noel didn’t understand why it was a big deal that Amelia had come to visit him. “Amelia?”

  Alexis nodded, her arms crossed again over her chest and daggers shooting from her now coal black eyes.

  Noel’s shoulders relaxed a little and a small smile spread across his face. “What’s the big deal? Amelia works for me.”

  “So that makes it ok?”

  He nodded. “Yeah I think it’s ok if you work together.”

  Alexis stood up and stomped over to Noel, placing her index finger squarely in the middle of his chest. “Well maybe in New York,” she punctuated each word with a sharp poke to his chest, “that kind of behavior is ok, but not here in Mustang Prairie.”

  Noel rubbed his chest as he stood up, towering over Alexis. “So I’m not allowed to talk to my assistant after hours without Shellie ripping my head off?”

  “You can talk to her all you want,” she looked up at him. “My guess is she’s pissed about the part where you had sex with her,” she poked him again. “’Right after you were slobbering all over her lady bits, I might add.”

  “You don’t know what you’re talking about,” his tone grew frustrated.

  “I know exactly what I’m talking about Noel, I was there.”

  “What you think you saw, though --,”

  “Enough!” Alexis exploded at him, no longer willing to allow him to justify his strange big city morals. “Just get out of here, now!”

  “Let me explain, Alexis.”

  “Out. Now.” She was calm now and prepared to hurt him if necessary.

  Noel, always one to know when there is no point in fighting a losing battle turned towards the door and slammed it behind him.

  “Women!”

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  Shellie sat shielded from light and the world by the darkness of her office. With a bottle of Moscato and half a dozen carrot mini cakes at her disposal she had every intention in wallowing, at least temporarily, in her almost but not quite heartbroken state.

  After a quick call from Alexis shortly after her face to face with Noel, she packed up her bags deciding that any work she had to do this weekend would be done from the convenience if not comfort of her own home. There were exactly two stops she needed to make before walking the two blocks where her car was parked. The first was the Wine Depot where she figured a sweet wine like Moscato would wipe away the bitterness she felt towards life at the moment. The next stop was the cupcakerie where an unhealthy dose of sugar would at least give her something else to focus her wrath on for awhile. With a wine crate in one hand, cupcakes, work bag and keys in the other, Shellie somehow made her way into her forest green compact car, put the keys in the ignition and entered the light flow of traffic.

  With no street lights between Fourth Street and home, Shellie was pushing her key inside the door in just under five minutes. Thankful there were no more unwanted but deeply missed gifts at her doorstep, she kicked the door closed behind her not bothering to turn on the solitary light in the foyer, tossed off her shoes and made a beeline for the kitchen. The place where, she thought, she apparently would have to re-learn an already hard learned lesson. Placing five bottles on the top shelf of her fridge, Shellie left one on the counter and reached for a glass along with a corkscrew, tossing an evil stare at the expensive corkscrew still sitting on the kitchen table. She placed the wine, corkscrew, glass and six cupcakes on a serving platter and tiptoed off to the one place in her home that was now safe from Noel and his deadly scent and stupid sexy smile.

  Today Shellie abandoned her favorite spot perched in the crook of the large bay window in favor of her plush office chair. She took a long, leisurely sip from her glass and sat it down, catching her reflection in the screen of her laptop monitor. The woman staring back at her had red puffy eyes, a defeated look and if she was being honest, well past due for a haircut and facial. Damn you for letting your libido get in your way, she chided herself, pounding her fist and making the cupcakes dance across the dark wood. She couldn’t believe that not only was Noel sleeping with his assistant but he was also the soulless corporate pig trying to bring about the extinction of her beloved Mustang Prairie. How could I have been so stupid. It all makes sense now. First Noel comes into town and shortly after you get news of a KitchenMart opening. She couldn’t believe she hadn’t considered him her prime suspect from the beginning. Then again she was too busy considering what he would look like naked on top of her with lust in his eyes as he prepared to love her until her body went limp from satisfaction. It’s really your own stupid fault you’re in this predicament, she thought, you knew he was too good to be true and just because you were sick of lonely nights with your many electronic orgasm inducers, you ignored every internal warning.

  “Aaahhhhhhhhhhhh,” Shellie screamed into the darkness like a mad woman, more furious at herself for refusing to acknowledge what she knew to be true from the moment they almost kissed his first night in Mustang Prairie. She was so angry she wanted to throw something, anything to crash into the door of her office to relieve the anger and pain she felt. Refusing to waste good wine or cupcakes she reached for the metal cup filled with pens and pencils that she never used and sent it flying across her office and crashing into the door before sliding down the wall. “Well that didn’t help at all,” she said as she scanned the office looking for something more substantial yet not valuable to sacrifice next. Finding nothing that could possibly relieve the feelings building up inside of her, Shellie filled her glass thinking about the last time she sat alone in this dark office seeking consolation in multiple bottles of wine and a dozen cupcakes.

  Years before she knew Charlie existed, before a string of far too good looking men had broken her heart, Shellie was a naïve girl completely in awe of her newest client Joshua Mack. Joshua was the President and CEO of Reimaginings Incorporated, a company that made a variety of products from recycled paper. Of course the product appealed to her sense of environmental conservatism but the young CEO appealed to her more.

  He walked into her office one day—without an appointment—and paid her handsomely for a two hour consultation. He had chosen her, he said, because she grew up in Mustang Prairie and knew the surrounding area and he felt that only she could help him grow his business. She stared into his dark brown almost black eyes and listened intently as he told her that he wanted to do more than supply recycled computer and notebook paper to the local businesses. Her heart caught as Joshua graced her with his perfect smile and alluring dimples that punctuated his smile on each side, while he told her he was looking for some out of the box thinking to make his business the success he knew it could be.

  Shellie assured him that she was the woman for the job. Smiling proudly, even if she was showing too much teeth, she promised that she would email him some ideas within a few days. Joshua took her small hand in his large masculine hand and thanked her for her time. She remembered, even in her wine-fueled haze, watching his long legs increase the gap between them thinking about the well-built legs carrying that large frame. When she could no longer see him, she turned and went inside to research how other paper companies made their money and thought about the next time she would get to see Joshua.

  After an hour of making notes for her handsome prospective client, Shellie’s thoughts were interrupted by a deep voice that made her whole body shiver. Looking over her computer screen she gasped when she realized the object of her desire had come back. Probably changed his mind, she thought as he stood staring at her stoically.

  Shellie’s shoulders fell as she realized the look in his eyes. “You’ve changed your mind?”

  Joshua sighed, shoving his hands deep into the pockets on his navy blue slacks. “Sort of.”

  She threw the papers she had been working on at him, “Here’s what I came up with so far. Use the idea or throw them out, consider it getting your money’s worth.” With her teeth clenched she stared into her computer screen willing him to go away.

>   “I’m sorry, there must be a mistake,” Joshua began.

  “No mistake,” she glared at him. “You paid me for my time and I just wanted you to get the most out of it.”

  He stood there, staring with his mouth open.

  “Look Joshua its fine. There’s no need to feel guilty, it’s just business and I thank you for the opportunity.”

  “Hell woman, do you ever stop?”

  She looked up at him looking hurt, but incredulous. “Excuse me?”

  Joshua took in one large breath and attempted to get it all out before he expelled it. “I wanted to ask you out earlier but I thought it wouldn’t be a good idea if we were going to work together. I changed my mind about that,” he said placing a heavy emphasis on the last word.

  “Oh,” was all she could muster. It couldn’t be possible that a successful, gorgeous and environmentally friendly man like Joshua could be interested in her, she remembered thinking. Yet a year later they were living together in the home her grandmother had left her two years earlier. She helped him create a line of recycled paper greeting cards and all the companies in Mustang Prairie and Shelby Township used his paper, and more importantly she was in love for the very first time.

  Her life was perfect.

  Well it was perfect until she had the bright idea to surprise Joshua at his Corporate Friends of the Environment conference in Chicago. She packed a sexy negligee or three, a pair of strappy black stilettos that were not made for walking and an array of massage oils and scented lotions to give him best birthday gift ever. The surprise as it turns out was on Shellie.

  The concierge at the hotel let her know that no one by the name of Joshua Mack was staying there, was not booked to stay there and as far as he could tell had never stayed there. With nothing on underneath her long black coat but a soft pink contraption that consisted mostly of lace and strings, she went to the local library to make use of their free Wi-Fi and let her fingers do most of the work.

  Two hours later she had the address and telephone number of a townhouse in Oak Park for a Joshua Mack that matched her Joshua’s description. After paying the cabbie and tipping him to bring her bags up, she trotted up the few short steps and used her thumb to depress the doorbell.

  A tall blond with the bluest eyes Shellie had ever seen answered the door, a quizzical look on her beautiful face. “Can I help you?”

  Shellie could still remember that sinking feeling in her stomach but she thought it was a simple mistake and maybe this woman could clear it up. “Gosh I’m sorry, I was looking for Joshua Mack. Guess I have the wrong one.”

  “Josh Mack lives here. Who are you?”

  Shellie’s face reddened. “My name is Shellie and --,”

  A flash of recognition crossed the woman’s face. “Oh you’re the consultant! Josh said you’ve really helped him make the company all he wished it could be. I’m Jennifer Mack,” she held out her hand.

  “Jennifer Mack?” She hadn’t intended to squeak, but it sneaked out anyway.

  The woman flashed a big beautiful smile, “Yes I’m Josh’s wife.”

  Tears began to well up in Shellie’s eyes but she couldn’t allow her emotions to take over this way. The woman, this beautiful unsuspecting woman did not deserve the hurt that her tears would reveal. So she did what any self-respecting woman in her situation would do. She lied. “I couldn’t reach Joshua at the conference so I thought maybe I could reach him here.”

  The woman smiled with understanding and called out, “Josh!”

  “Oh no that won’t be necessary Jennifer, I’ll just email the--,” Before she could finish her words Joshua appeared at the door, rewarding his wife, wife, with an intimate kiss on her neck.

  “What is it honey,” he smiled lovingly in her eyes and turned with shock and horror on his face when he saw Shellie standing on his doorstep with tears in her eyes.

  Unable to contain her emotions any longer Shellie grabbed her tiny suitcase and walked a few houses down to hail a cab. She didn’t stop when he yelled after her, she just walked faster even though he could catch up to her in just a few strides if he wanted to.

  Reliving this painful year and a half brought an unending stream of tears to Shellie’s face. She didn’t cry however, the tears leapt down her check at the memories, escaping the deep sadness within her. A sob did escape however when Shellie remembered the conversation they finally had—over the telephone—after she shipped his belongings to the home he shared with his wife.

  Shellie I’m not like you, he said, I don’t care about the environment per se, I just thought it was a growth industry where I could really make a killing. Besides, he continued, I thought you free love activists didn’t believe in monogamy anyway. As though that in any way explained the wife he had hidden away in a quaint little suburb.

  I do not believe in ‘free love’ Joshua, I just want to preserve the environment, she yelled at him.

  Well Shellie I’m sorry you had to find out like this, but hey, we had a great time together didn’t we? Let’s just remember that, ok?

  She didn’t say another word, just softly placed the phone on its cradle and retreated to her office. She found out that Joshua had been married for five years to Jennifer. In fact they had a small home in Upton when he sought her out. A month before his ‘conference’ Jennifer moved their home up north in preparation for his entire company to relocate in time for Reimaginings to go public. Of course she found this all out weeks after he’d broken her heart, forcing her to reexamine how easily she granted her trust to people.

  Especially exceedingly good looking male, people.

  ##

  Shellie awoke late Saturday morning sprawled on top of her yellow cotton comforter still in her work clothes from the previous day. On her nightstand stood the only reminder of a long, depressing night in the form of a near empty bottle of Moscato. “Oh sweet wine,” she moaned as her voice croaked. “Water,” whispered as she dragged herself from the comfort of her bed and dark bedroom to soothe her throat.

  In the hallway she saw remnants of the night she only vaguely remembered. Broken pencils scattered the hall floor along with a few ripped daisy shaped pillows. Rubbing her face as she made her way to the living room, which seemed as in tact as it had when she arrived home yesterday, she took a glance at her reflection in the mirror. “No wonder,” she mumbled and she peeled dried frosting from her cheek. Shaking her head and pushing open the swinging door that lead to her kitchen, Shellie gasped when she saw three empty bottles on her island counter. “That explains the dry throat,” she laughed bitterly.

  Inside the fridge Shellie pulled out a carafe of cucumber water and did something she never did, she drank straight from the carafe. “It’s time to stop pretending there will ever be someone here to stop me from doing this,” she sighed as she raised the carafe in toast.

  The events of the night became crystal clear when Shellie eyed a handwritten list on her fridge under her grandmother’s old Tunica, Mississippi magnet. The note was simple but conveyed so many things about what went through her mind last night that could have possibly possessed her to drink almost four bottles of wine. The note read:

  1. Destroy Noel

  2. Wear less color

  3. NO MORE MEN!!!

  “At least I have a plan,” she laughed to herself, “and I get to go shopping,” she squealed as she finished off her cucumber water.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  Two weeks had passed since Noel set eyes on Shellie and knew she was making an effort not to see him. After that conversation with Alexis in which everything seemed to go wrong he figured it was best if he just forgot about her. After all, he gave her six months’ rent so theoretically he might not see her for another four and a half months so it should be easy. And it would be easy if he could get his stupid brain to cooperate. His life would be much simpler in fact if he could lie down in his bed without seeing the way her body arched into him as he kissed it, or if he could just forget how sweet she tasted. In fact,
things would be just perfect if every time he heard something funny he didn’t want to run and share it with her.

  But that short, feisty woman had gotten under his skin. He didn’t want her to, and he certainly wasn’t planning on breaking his own no dating policy but after that night in the kitchen all he wanted was to make her laugh and writhe in ecstasy. Since she wouldn’t answer her door, her cell phone or her land line it didn’t look like he’d get the chance to do any of that. He considered going down to her office again but the last time didn’t go so well and honestly he figured he was on safer ground in the privacy of the house.

  So Noel spent these weeks getting the new operations up and running. Amelia had done a spectacular job of setting up the Marketing department and hiring over qualified candidates to oversee the other departments. If things worked out well, the entire company would be operating and making a profit by years end. At least one thing in my life is going right, the most important thing. Noel made this proclamation to himself daily and even he didn’t believe it yet. He should be thrilled that he was so far, ahead of schedule yet it didn’t bring him the joy it normally would. Or should.

  Since Amelia was busier than usual, Noel thought he’d go out and grab her lunch for a change. He needed some fresh air to clear his mind of Shellie and this might be just the way to do it. He hopped in his silver sports car, pressed the button to start the engine and hit the accelerator as hard as he could. With the windows down and the first hints of a summer breeze rushing over him, Noel forgot about Shellie for a brief moment.

  He pulled into a parking spot a few blocks from Fourth Street since it was always busy this time of day, turned off the engine and unfolded himself out of the low riding vehicle. He walked around the u-shaped center of Mustang Prairie where the local court house stood smack in the middle, distracted by thoughts of his old life in New York. On the corner he was overpowered by the smell of freshly ground coffee beans and took a moment to inhale the mixture of coffee and wildflowers that hung thick in the air. When he opened his eyes, Noel knew that his time in Mustang Prairie would never be as simple as his problems with Shellie.