Page 86 of On the Rocks

Jesus Christ. I turned away and seized on the chance to talk to some of the execs from Golden Oak Distilleries who came over to congratulate me. I’d already shaken more hands tonight than I would for the next year, and I didn’t exactlyenjoyrubbing elbows with our competitors, but at least I could hold a conversation with them without missing every third reference they made. Man, these influencers made me feel old.

By all accounts, the launch was a success, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was walking a tightrope, waiting for an errant wind to sweep by and trip me up. I needed to keep everyone happy. I had to keep the drinks flowing. I needed to make sure the influencers were sufficiently entertained but not running wild. Mostly, I needed to convince the press that I was a happy, suave, put-together CEO who was riding the high of a successful launch for the photographers because I needed good media buzz about Elixir Free. Any one of these things could tip the balance of the scales I was holding so perfectly, and it was all starting to wear down my nerves.

“So, I’ve made the rounds,” Artie said, as the street artist rejoined the group. I turned my head, half listening to their conversation.

“What did you learn?” Cassie asked, clearly desperate for drama. “Did you see Bethany Lyons? Is she here?”

“Haven’t seen her. But I did hear that the Masked Mixer is being wooed by competing companies,” he stated with a look my way.

“Which company?” Elio asked.

“Ironwood Distilleries.”

I swallowed my whiskey too quickly. It burned on the way down.

“Huh, that could be interesting,” Cassie said. “If she’s smart, she could turn this into a bidding war. Is Elixir going to fight to keep her?” she asked, giving me a sly look.

Fight to keep her.The words were unsettling, because they mirrored exactly where my mind went. Exactly where Ididn’twant it to go.

“We highly value her contributions to Elixir,” I said woodenly. “But if she wishes to explore other options, we’ll wish her all the best.”

She looked disappointed at the lack of drama she could mine from my answer. I was just lucky she couldn’t see how much turmoil I was experiencing inside.

I hated the thought of Cora leaving to work for the competition, but didn’t I need some distance from her? Wasn’t that what I wanted?

I’d tried to take a step back lately, to look for that elusive balance where I could be with her without losing control of myself, butI hadn’t found it yet. All she had to do was bat her eyes at me or touch me, and all thoughts of self-control crumbled. I was clearly in over my head when it came to Cora, but I couldn’t bear the thought of giving her up. And the last thing I wanted was to wrestle my way through my feelings with this pack of sharks—er, pack of influencers—standing around watching. I needed someone else to babysit them for a while.

I looked across the room, trying to signal to Dominic that he needed to step in and distract them, but Dominic leaned against one of the bars, a series of empty shot glasses beside him. The bartender passed him another shot, and Dominic threw that back, too.

That wasn’t good. I thought back to the other times I’d seen him overindulging lately. It was becoming enough of a trend to have me worried—and start me wondering whether I should talk to the other guys about giving Dominic some sort of intervention. I didn’t think his drinking had gottenquitethat bad yet, but how certain could I be? I was only aware of the drinking he was willing to do in public. Who the hell knew what he might do in private, on the nights he didn’t have Hailey to worry about? I ran my hand down my face.Damnit, Dom.

I studied the crowd, wondering if Trent or Paul might be able to keep tabs on him. Vincent and Piper were still on their honeymoon, so my options were limited. The guys had wandered off. I pulled my phone out, about to text them, when my eyes landed on Cora. She stood out in the crowd, just as she always had to me. But her arms were crossed as she stared up at the man towering over her.

It was goddamn Levi! How’d that guy get himself on the guest list?

My last fucking nerve frayed to pieces as I stormed across the floor, grabbing Levi by the arm and escorting him out of the event. I dragged him from the room, grinding my teeth as he sputtered in confused surprise.

Cora dashed along behind us, hissing my name, but all I could focus on was Levi trying to wrench himself out of my grip.Not a chance in hell, buddy.

I ducked down a back hallway, out of sight of the main event space, and shoved Levi up against the wall, my forearm rammed up against his windpipe. “How the hell did you get in here?”

“Aiden!” Cora said, clearly alarmed. “Let him go!”

“What the fu—” Levi started as I removed my forearm, his words cutting off as I grabbed him by the shirt collar instead, giving him a hard shake.

“What’s it gonna take for you to get the message, huh?”

“Get your damn attack dog off me,” Levi spat at Cora, shoving at my chest.

“Don’t look at her!” I snapped, seeing nothing but red. “Just leave Corathe hell alone.”

“Is this how the guy treats you too?” Levi asked, still talking to Cora.

“No,” she said, sounding hurt and confused. I wished she were anywhere but here right now. “Aiden, that’s enough.Please. Just…both of you, stop this. What is happening right now?”

“You can’t call off a rabid animal,” Levi said. “That’s what’s happening. I’m guessing this freak never told you he practically attacked me at your apartment building the other week?”

“What?” Her voice hitched in genuine surprise. “What are you talking about?” She caught my eye. “Aiden, is that true?”

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