Page 43 of Falling for the CEO

"Dude, I know. It’s one of the ground rules in boxing."

"Relax. I was just making fun of you. So, I’d ask what the breakthrough is about, but my brain shuts off every time you go into detail about it. I can't wrap my mind around all of that."

"We finally got a working formula for the immune booster we’d been working on. I can’t wait until it’s on the market."

"It'll reflect well on the family name too,” I said.

Colton nodded. "I agree."

Whitley Industries was a force to be reckoned with. People paid attention to us. Competitors feared us. But fear wasn’t the same thing as respect. It had been held in high regard back when Grandfather was in charge. When Dad nearly ran several divisions into the ground, people were just waiting for it to collapse like a house of cards. But my brothers and I had worked hard to restore the financial success and reputation. I knew my grandparents would be pleased with Colton's news—especially Grandfather. I sometimes thought Grandmother wasn't aware of the Whitley reputation... at least not to the extent Grandfather was.

Colton made the first move. I wasn't prepared and took a hit right to my ribs. "Fuck, dude!"

"Come on!" Colton said.

I nodded. "That's it. Now I'm ready."

We punched back and forth, circling each other. My brother always hit with determination. Every time I was with him in the ring, I completely understood why he used this to release tension. There was something deeply gratifying about the sport. We blocked each other expertly. I was completely exhausted twenty minutes later.

"How is this taking more out of me than running for five miles and then swimming?" That was my routine at the gym. Not that I’d been doing it too often lately.

"It needs a lot of focus," Colton replied. "Okay, let's call it a day. Turns out I didn't need as much blowing off steam as I thought. We can go to the bar and grab drinks before the rest of the guys join us."

"Finally, you're talking sense," I exclaimed, removing the gloves and returning them to the reception desk. "Where are we going?"

"Gabe said we can go to the distillery. The bar is ready. It’s not open yet, but it can be a test run of sorts.”

“I’m on board with that.”

We showered, changed, and drove separately to the bar. Traffic was light, so we made good time.

Gabe's distillery was on Cedric Street, not too far from the ring. I was surprised, however, that our other brothers were already there when we arrived.

"This is a great place," Colton said, looking at the surroundings.

I hadn't realized Gabe was putting the bar in front of the distillery, but that was smart. It immediately drew attention to itself. It was mostly glass, so you could see from a mile away what was happening inside. The name, Whitley Distillery & Bar, was simple but fitting.

"When did he add another wing to the distillery?" Colton asked.

I shook my head. "Dude, you haven't pulled your head out of your ass for years. It's like you’re the one who had a baby."

Cade and Jake were already sitting at the bar, and Gabe was behind the counter.

"Congratulations, Colton," Gabe exclaimed. "I propose a toast to hopefully seeing more of you from now on."

Colton tilted his head as if considering this. "We have other products on the line to be developed, so it's a perpetual—"

"You know what, don't finish the sentence," I said. "Just let us have this moment."

"Exactly," Jake agreed.

"You want to talk about it?" Gabe asked.

"Explain to us what it is, but you know, use small words. None of us are scientists," Cade added.

Colton laughed, climbing on one of the bar chairs. I took the one next to him.

"No! All I've done these past years is talk about the immune booster to my team and anyone who would listen. Now I want to talk about anything else but that." He focused on Gabe. "What are you preparing?" Colton asked.

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