Chapter 12
Zoey
“Oh Lord, not another one,” Gail, the only woman on my team, muttered. “I thought you vetted this guy.”
“I did, but that’s not Bucky,” John said.
“What the hell do you mean that’s not Bucky?”
“It’s okay,” I tried to tell them. Despite our earlier unease, I was actually glad to see Monte here. I was really nervous about this and he kept me calm.
“No, it’s not. You aren’t working without an NDA. And look at this idiot. He’s in a complete starstruck stupor. This isn’t going to work.”
“Hey, I did not drive up through that mess today to be waylaid. We’re shooting this,” Wayne complained.
“Is Bucky on his way?” Gail asked.
Monte seemed to snap out of what Gail called his “starstruck stupor.” “Bucky isn’t able to make it due to the weather. I agreed to step in.”
I smiled. “So I’m you’re one o’clock?”
“Seems like it. Outside would be better, but the lodge won’t allow it because it makes you an insurance risk.”
“You mean rock climbing outside makes for an insurance risk? It’s not just me.”
“No, mainly you. You’re high profile and a first-timer.”
“So you’d go climbing in this?”
He smirked. “Any day. But you get to start in here.”
I looked up at the wall that went all the way to the ceiling. It wasn’t just a regular ceiling height either. It had to be at least two stories, maybe three, and there were various levels plus some pillars of various shapes all throughout the room.
“What is happening here?” Gail asked. “We made a deal with Bucky. No exceptions. John, please tell me you made that very clear.”
“Of course I did.”
“Then why the hell isn’t he here? I don’t have time to run a background check on this guy and get filming done today. This is a nightmare.”
“It’s fine,” I said.
“Excuse me,” Gail started, but one look from me silenced her.
I raised my chin a little higher. “It’s fine. Monte can teach me what I need to learn. I am not concerned with the NDA.”
“Who the hell is Monte?” Gail asked.
“I am,” he said.
She ignored him and turned to me.
“Baby girl, you hired me for legal advice designed to keep you safe. You’ve always listened, and we have never had an issue.
Do not ease up on that now. And how the hell did you know his name is Monte?
Did they contact you directly about this change?
Because they were supposed to go through John only. ”
“It’s okay. He’s my, uh, boyfriend.”
They stared at me in surprise.
“What? Since when do you have a boyfriend?” John asked.
“Yeah, we’re definitely going to need that NDA. What’s the little gold digger doing here?”
I heard a soft growl explode from Monte. Fortunately, none of the humans in the room seemed to have noticed.
“Since recently.”
“And you didn’t tell me?”
“Not everything is about work, Gail.”
“Gold digging assholes are real, Zoey. We’ve talked about this. It’s the biggest way to ruin everything we’ve put in place to protect you.”
“This is different, Gail,” I argued, though I couldn’t explain to her how I knew this would be okay.
Monte could never hurt me without hurting himself. We were linked via a bond stronger than any human relationship. She wouldn’t even understand if I tried to tell her.
“Get the contract. I’ll sign it.”
“Things like this take time,” she argued.
“How hard it is to print out the same contract you gave Bucky?”
“Bucky is in breech for not showing up, Gail,” John said.
“Bucky worked for the lodge. Do you?”
“I’m more freelance, but I pitch in often. Bucky wouldn’t have entrusted me to this if he didn’t know I was capable of handling it,” Monte told her.
“And the money? He wasn’t allowed to take a penny more than normal rates provided through the lodge. What are you asking for?”
“Nothing. I’m not taking a dime from the lodge or you. And I’m not a gold digger.”
“It’s okay to take your fee,” I told him.
His eyes looked as if a fire lit behind them as he glared at me. “I’m not taking your money, Zoey.”
“But you’ll still teach me?”
He nodded.
“Then let’s stop wasting time and do this.” I turned to Gail. “If it makes you feel better, he’ll sign the contract, but I’m not wasting any more time on this. Finish setting up please.”
My men snapped to it and got to work even though Gail was still fuming.
I loved her and I loved that she went out of her way to protect me on all things legal. She was an excellent entertainment lawyer, and I was lucky to have her on my team. But on this, she was just going to have to trust me.
While she was busy on her laptop, no doubt updating the contract and paperwork, the others set up cameras around the room for various angles. Bryan was the director who handled the team and ensured we captured everything needed for the series of videos that would come from this.
“This is a lot,” Monte said.
I shrugged. “You get used to it after a while.”
“I’m not sure I ever would.”
The air grew heavy between us. Was he trying to say this was too much for him to handle?
This was my life and my livelihood. As my mate, he was going to have to get used to it because I wasn’t going to shut down my business just because he was uncomfortable with it.
Did he even have any idea how many people I employed, how hard I worked, or the time and effort that went into something like this?
My body was growing tense as I thought about it. Monte seemed to notice immediately.
“Zoey, look at me.”
I didn’t want to. I feared he’d see how vulnerable he made me. I didn’t want him to know how unworthy I felt to be his mate or how devastated I would be if he shunned me now.
Where is this even coming from? I asked myself.
Everything was happening so quickly that it was making my head spin. This time yesterday I didn’t even know Monte existed and now it felt like he was quickly consuming me in every aspect of my life. It was terrifying, but I also felt a sort of comfort I could barely comprehend.
I should be questioning these feelings, but I wasn’t. I was ready to accept this fate I was handed. He was mine and that sense of possession when it came to him was overwhelming me.
Slowly, I forced myself to look at him.
He smiled and nodded. “It’s going to be okay. Trust me.”
That was the thing, I did trust him.
Unable to put any of this into words with company surrounding us, I just nodded. He made me vulnerable, but it didn’t take much to put back on my usual mask, the one reserved for Zoey Unboxed.
Few people ever got the opportunity to meet the real Zoey Rey, but I was struggling to be anything else when Monte was around. Because of that, I was bracing for a long, hard day ahead of me.
“What do I need to do?”
“That’s my girl,” he whispered, grinning. Then louder he said, “Let’s get started. Do you want to use the gear you’re trialing or one of the training sets?”
I shrugged. “What do you recommend?”
“Normally I would say to start with the training kit, but since I know you’re trying to review a specific harness we can just cut to the chase and use it.”
“Okay.”
I was so nervous. Wolves don’t climb. I was terrified of heights. My paws rarely left the ground unless you count the two inches while running fast. And in my human form, I avoided it at all costs.
Not able to explain to him while everyone was watching and listening, I walked over to the box I had brought with me and opened it to take out the harness I’d been sent. I had tried to put the thing on, but I honestly couldn’t figure it out.
This was going to be humiliating.
“Zoey, put it back in the box and take it out again. I didn’t realize we were shooting already,” Bryan said. “Everyone, prepare to go live. Remember, it’s just raw footage of her lesson. No retakes for this one. Instructor, please do your best to ignore the cameras.”
Monte muttered something under his breath, but even I couldn’t quite make it out.
“In three—two—one,” Bryan said also signaling with his hand for me to proceed.
I did another countdown from three in my head, took a deep breath, smiled, and opened the box once more to pull out the harness.
“Rock Steady was kind enough to send me this new harness to review. But I’ll be honest, I’ve never been rock climbing before. This is all new to me.”
“There’s nothing to be worried about, Zoey,” Monte said.
“I know I’m in good hands.” For just a moment my eyes locked with his and the rest of the room faded away. I couldn’t help but smile. But then he turned to look straight into the camera with a grin that would have all my followers swooning.
“I’m Monte. Rock climbing is a hobby and a bit of a passion for me.
And I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a bit jealous of this newest harness from Rock Steady.
It promises safety and comfort, engineered for climbers who refuse to compromise.
Built with premium, weight-distributing padding and a secure, no-slip fit, this harness keeps you comfortable on long climbs and steady when it matters most. Whether you’re scaling your first wall or tackling advanced routes, Rock Steady delivers the safety, support, and freedom of movement you need to focus on the climb and not worry about your gear. ”
I couldn’t help it. I burst out laughing. “Sorry. You sound like an infomercial for this thing.”
He scowled at me and then grinned. “Too much? Can’t help it. I really have been looking forward to getting my hands on this one.”
Without a word I held it up and passed it over to him.
“Honestly, I can’t even figure out how to put it on. Maybe you should do the review on this one.”
“Happy to, but they sent it to you, not me. So, ladies first.”
Next, he went through some basic safety instructions and verbally walked me through what I was going to be doing.
Then he helped me put it on. As he ran his hand up my thigh to ensure it was properly worn, I blushed furiously.
And the way the team was sniggering I knew my face gave away everything.
Gail’s eyes were nearly bugging out of their sockets, and she started to fan herself when he knelt down before me and repositioned things until he was confident everything was set right.
My jaw dropped when he smacked my ass with a mischievous smirk.
“Oh, my word,” Gail said. “Wait, edit that out.”
The guys burst out laughing.
“No retakes, only raw footage,” Bryan reminded us.
“Uh . . .”
“Zoey?” Monte said while checking the harness one last time. “Are you okay?”
It dawned on me that his wolf was a bit on edge. I didn’t really need to steady myself, but I reached out to grab his arm anyway, hoping that it would calm him some.
Who the hell was I kidding?
I needed it to ground myself and calm my own wolf who felt a little too excited about him touching us.
Smile. You’re on video, I reminded myself.
Outwardly I knew I looked like the picture of perfection. But inside, I was struggling to stay focused, especially with his hands on my body.
“What’s next?” I asked in a strained voice.
Monte shot me a concerned look.
“Take a deep breath and let it out slowly. There’s nothing to worry about.
We’re just going to go through the basics and let you get comfortable in the harness right now.
And then we’ll start with some basic belaying skills.
I’ll try and expedite things as fast as possible, but you have to trust me.
Give me a few sessions with you, and we’ll have you climbing places that make other people say ‘nope.’ But you? You’re going to crush it.”