Page 201 of Manhattan Bossholes

My jaw clenched so hard my teeth ached. I’d been so rage-blind I hadn’t even realized Elio was there. Damn it, I should have known better—especially after something similar happened to Vincent not that long ago. I’d felt so horrible for him at the time, but even while it all played out, it never crossed my mind that the same thing could ever happen to me. For one thing, I didn’t have a vengeful shrew of an ex like Maya, the supermodel who had set Vincent up to look bad. But for another, I wasn’t the guy who lost his head. I was supposed to have a better handle on myself than that.

I usually did have a better handle on myself than that.

But Cora…Cora always broke all my rules.

Paul and Trent stood at the end of the hall, staring at me with mingled looks of concern. They’d obviously realized what was going on and rallied Dominic from his drunken stupor at the bar. Thank God, he’d still been with it enough to know what to do. If they hadn’t stepped in, this could have turned into a massive scandal.

Trent arched his eyebrow, silently asking if I was okay. I gave him a brief nod in return. He disappeared back into the party with Paul, leaving me in the hallway with Cora and Levi. It was thunderously silent.

“I need to talk to Levi,” Cora said without looking at me. Her voice was quiet. I couldn’t tell what she was thinking. “I’ll be back in a minute.”

Levi shot me a triumphant, cocky smirk as he and Cora walked off down the hall where they could speak privately. I didn’t know what to do. I just stood there, breathing hard, feeling like an idiot.

“Oh hey, didn’t think I’d run into you out here.” An unfamiliar voice came from behind me, and I turned to see a guy walking toward me. He wasn’t anyone I knew…or was he? The closer he got, the more I realized he did look familiar in a vague way, as if maybe we’d crossed paths a while back. I stood there squinting at him, trying to put the pieces together, while he got close enough to hold out a hand.

“Jack Marren,” he said. “I’m covering the launch for the City Beat blog.”

I shook his hand on autopilot, still trying to put him into context. Had he been in the press pool for any of our other events? It was the likeliest explanation for where I’d seen him before, but somehow, it didn’t feel right. When I looked at him, I kept picturing him in a club somewhere, strobing lights flashing on his sneering face.

“Thanks for coming,” I said, polite but neutral. “Hope you’re having a good time.”

“Yeah, it’s been great,” he agreed. “Quite a change from the last time we crossed paths, right?” He smiled like it was an inside joke—but I had no clue what he was talking about.

Damn it. I was just going to have to come out and say it.

“Sorry, I can’t quite place⁠—”

He laughed. “No, that’s fair. No need to apologize. It’s been ten years, and we only met that once, at that club in Ithaca. I’m not even sure you got my name before we started⁠—”

“Fighting,” I said, the memory coming back to me in a rush. “Holy shit, that’s it, isn’t it? You’re one of the guys I got into that brawl with over Steph.” That night had been the end of my relationship with my girlfriend—and the start of Elixir.

“That’s me,” Jack said, his grin widening. “No hard feelings, right? I mean, it all worked out in the end, didn’t it? Look at what you’ve done since then.” He gestured back toward the event space. “Quite an empire you’ve built. Good thing my buddies and I decided not to press charges against you. We’d have been screwing ourselves out of some damn good drinks.” He laughed at his joke before stepping back. “I should get back in there. Great party, man, really. And it looks like Elixir Free is going to be another winner. Congrats.”

“Thanks,” I said woodenly, forcing a smile until he turned away.

Once he was gone, I slumped a little against the wall, my mind racing. I kept replaying that fight from ten years ago with Jack. After a couple of replays, my memory stretched back further, all the way to high school and that football game when everything went wrong. And then, I thought about what had happened tonight—with my arm up against Levi’s throat.

Three times when I’d lost control. Three times when my protective rage took over—and nearly ruined everything for me. Back in high school, I could have torpedoed my chance at a college scholarship. Ten years ago with Jack—as he said himself—I could have faced assault charges that would have made everything I’ve achieved over the past decade impossible. And tonight? If Elio had managed to post that video, my reputation would have been ruined. But more than that, the whole brand would have taken a massive hit. Every single person who got a paycheck from Elixir would have suffered from it, and it would have been all my fault.

I didn’t want to be the kind of person who acted without thinking, who lashed out and made irrational decisions. But that was who I became when I got too wrapped up in a relationship. Instinct took over, and rationality went out the window. It was a pattern I couldn’t ignore. Whenever my feelings got overwhelming, I lost control. I lost myself, and I did things that could have serious consequences.

If I wanted to protect my business, my employees, and myself, I needed to make a change. I needed to take back control. Starting tonight.

25

CORA

“How else can I show you I love you? Just tell me what you need me to do, and I’ll do it, Cora. I swear I will.”

“Levi,” I said, fighting to keep my voice even. I was still shaken by Aiden’s confrontation with Levi, not to mention the fact Levi had shown up here in the first place. It was all too much—the look of rage on Aiden’s face, the way he’d grabbed Levi, Levi’s ceaseless pleas. “I need you to understand what I’m saying to you.”

Levi grasped my hands, his thumbs running over my knuckles. “I still love you, Cora. I need you to understand that.”

I shook my head, no more convinced by his words now than I had been at the reunion. I didn’t know what was going on with me and Aiden, but I knew right down to my bones that I was never getting back together with Levi. Our time had come and gone.

He just needed to get that through his head.

“I was a fool⁠—”