Page 192 of Manhattan Bossholes

“When?”

“I might have had a little chat with the DJ before dinner.” A chat and a little bribe tended to go a long way. “I really enjoyed our dance on the football field, but I thought you’d like to have the full dance floor experience.”

Cora pressed up on her toes and kissed me. It was anything but chaste—long and lingering and searing—and it definitely had no business being on the dance floor in front of hundreds of wedding guests. But I could tell she didn’t care who was looking. Frankly, neither did I.

“How long did you intend to stay tonight?” Cora asked, her voice low, sultry.

“Why?” I smirked. “Do you have other plans in mind?”

Cora’s arms tightened around my waist. “Yes. Very naked plans.”

I liked the sound of that, and the way she looked at me—hungry for much more than wedding cake—had me tugging her off the dance floor without giving a damn about making excuses.

“When do you think you’ll be back?” I asked Cora as she darted around my bedroom, getting dressed. It was the morning after the wedding, and my head was fuzzy from all the drinks last night, but Cora was unfazed. All those long nights she spent bartending must have given her hangover immunity. I slumped back against my pillow because watching her was making me dizzy.

“I’m not sure,” she said. “The show’s a few hours, and then Jennifer’s got this new restaurant she wants to try. Says the menu looks interesting, and she’s hardly ever excited about food lately. So I really want to make an effort.”

I would have much preferred for Cora to come back to bed, but she’d made plans to catch the Saturday matinee of a Broadway show she didn’t want to break. I was certain I could have gotten her tickets for another day, but Cora was excited, and I planned to lounge around in a heap for most of the day anyway.

Cora leaned over and pecked me on the lips. “I’ll see you later?”

“Text me and let me know your plans. Maybe I can meet you somewhere.” If I could manage to drag myself out of bed.

“Sounds good.”

I rolled over as I heard the front door close, intending to go back to sleep for another hour, but my phone started buzzing. I groaned, wondering if Cora had forgotten something, but when I glanced at the caller ID, the number was unfamiliar.

I answered. “Hello?”

“Hey Boss,” a voice said. It took me a second, but then recognition kicked in. It was Carlos. The doorman from Cora’s building.

“Carlos.” I sat up, instantly on high alert. “What’s up?”

“You said you wanted to know if Levi showed up or sent any more unwanted gifts. Well, he’s here right now with a giant teddy bear and banner that says, ‘Let’s Start Over.’”

“You’re kidding me.” I massaged the hangover ache from my eyes.

“Wish I was, Boss. It’s the tackiest thing I’ve ever seen in my life.”

A teddy bear? That was so not Cora’s taste. The guy was with her for fifteen years, and a cheesy bear was the best he could do? If he really wanted to get her attention, he should have bought her tickets to The Great Gatsby musical now that it was on Broadway. It was based on her favorite book by her favorite author. The same one she’d read religiously in high school, which Levi should have known.

“Anyway, he’s insisting I let him into the apartment so he can set it up for her. I told him I’d have to get permission from the apartment resident before I could let him in. He thinks I’m calling Jennifer right now.”

“Okay,” I said, climbing out of bed and looking for my pants. “That’s good. Tell him you’re on hold with the restaurant, waiting for her to finish up in the kitchen. Just do whatever you have to do to stall him for a little while longer. I’ll be right there.”

“You got it.”

I hung up, got dressed, and peeled out of the parking garage in no time. When I arrived at Cora’s building, I spotted Levi sitting in one of the lobby chairs, clutching that idiotic teddy and that pathetic sign. “Didn’t I tell you to leave Cora the hell alone?”

Levi jumped to his feet, his eyes widening at the sight of me. “How did you⁠—”

“What right do you have to be here?” I snapped.

He shoved the bear and the sign onto the chair behind him. “I, uh…I⁠—”

“Please tell me you’re going to do more than stammer.”

Levi’s mouth snapped closed.