Chapter 14
Zoey
I was such an idiot.
Bryan knew better than to post a video, even a teaser, before I approved it. What had he been thinking? I was furious. But now it was out there and at least half a million people had already seen it.
Still, I let them know how upset I was over it and reminded each of them that I have final say in all videos released.
I knew they didn’t understand why I was so upset about it, but that shouldn’t matter.
In our contract it even states this. I was very clear on that from the start.
I supposed I could see why they would be attracted to that clip and overly excited about it, but for all those reasons I never would have agreed to it.
The first thing I did after finishing up filming was reach for my phone and pull it up once more.
My eyes nearly bugged out of my head. Views were over a million already and there were more interactions than I’d ever received on any other video before.
I groaned. This was bad.
“Oh, stop pouting. I know we were all overly eager, but it’s not the end of the world for your followers to see you in a different light,” Gail insisted.
“It’s not on brand,” I growled. “And I’m still here. Anyone could recognize this place.”
“I’m sorry. There’s not much else I can say about it. I know how you feel about your privacy. The odds of anyone swarming this place are slim.”
But it had happened before. That was why I always held “look what I’m up to today” type teasers for at least three days before posting. It gave me time to get away from the area before the media circus. And with this much attraction, I was certain there was going to be a media circus.
Still, Gail was right. There really wasn’t anything I could do about it now. I just needed to move fast and hope it would be enough.
The second I said goodbye to everyone, I grabbed Monte by the arm and ran for the elevator.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
“There’s enough background in that teaser to identify this place and it’s getting a lot of attraction. I mean like once in a lifetime kind of viral.”
“Don’t all your videos go viral?”
“Not like this.” I needed him to understand that more than anything. None of this was normal.
Monte left me by the elevator and motioned Karla over. They spoke for a minute before he ran back just as the doors opened.
He pushed me inside and hit the button to our floor before holding the close-door button.
“What is it?”
“There’s already been a few people asking about you.”
My heart nearly stopped. It was my worst nightmare coming to fruition and being trapped in the elevator was not helping.
Without realizing what I was doing, I grabbed hold of Monte’s hand to steady myself.
He looked down and smiled, then gave it a squeeze before pulling me in closer and wrapping his arms around me.
My whole body relaxed, and I didn’t want to admit to myself that it was because of him, that I needed him, that I wanted him, and that it wasn’t just the bond.
When the doors opened to our floor, he kept his arm around me and guided me to our suite. It made me feel protected, cherished, but most importantly, safe.
Even once we were in our room with the door shut and locked behind us, I was still a little unsettled, but that could have been from the realization that I wasn’t so scared with him there by my side.
Ever since my first video went viral I’ve dreamed about this moment, when the fame of it all caught up to me. But I’d always imagined myself alone through it all.
I shivered.
Thinking I was cold, Monte embraced me once more, and this time I wrapped my arms around his waist and allowed him to comfort me.
I breathed in his scent, felt his warmth, and realized that I wasn’t scared anymore, and I wasn’t alone in this moment or in life. He was here, and I could feel our budding bond growing between us.
It could always be this way, I thought.
Loving him would be so easy. But allowing myself to be loved by him, well, that was a personal battle I’d have to address later.
“Are you okay?”
“Yeah. I’m good.”
“Liar.”
“You don’t have to call me out on it,” I mumbled, trying to pull away from him, but he just held me tighter.
“Is this why you were so angry about the video?”
“Partially.”
“But also because I was in it, huh?”
“Yes,” I told him honestly.
I could feel his disappointment radiating clearly.
“It’s not what you think,” I protested. “I’m not mad about it.
I don’t mind sharing the spotlight. I do not have to be the center of attention.
I don’t even like always being the center of attention.
But when I record, there’s a disconnect.
I often think of Zoey Unboxed as a separate entity in much the same way we think of our wolves.
She’s a part of me, but not fully me. Few people ever get to see the real me, Monte.
But when I look at this teaser, that’s all I see. ”
I dared to look up at him when he didn’t respond at all.
He stared down at me in amazement and smiled.
“I get it. You weren’t wearing the mask. It made you feel vulnerable.”
I nodded.
“I prefer you without the mask,” he confessed, and then he leaned down and kissed me.
It was sweet at first but then demanding and nearly possessive as my mind swam in all the emotions of the day. I was breathless and holding onto him for dear life. It felt much like a dam had burst and we were being swept away.
His hands didn’t move from my waist nor mine from his shoulders as we clung to each other in that kiss.
I wasn’t sure it was possible to climax from a kiss, but Monte might have proved that theory wrong had the suite phone not rang, causing us both to jump as if we’d been caught doing something we shouldn’t have been doing.
He reluctantly answered it while I desperately tried to calm myself.
What the hell was that?
Was this even something I wanted?
Yes! a voice in my head said loud and clear. I was pretty certain it was not my libido talking.
Calm down, I tried ordering my body.
“That was Karla. Words out that you were filming here earlier today. She’s given orders for everyone to say you have already left the resort, but some are not being dissuaded. I’ll admit, I can’t believe how fast that happened.”
“More may come still. What are we going to do?”
“Two options. One, we can make a run for it. They’ve seen my face as an instructor here, so while I may be interrogated some, I don’t really have anything of interest to tell them. It could distract them enough for you to get away and I’ll follow later when I can.”
I scrunched up my nose. The thought of the two of us separating did not sit well with me.
“Or two, we ride it out here until they get bored enough to leave.”
“That could take days or even longer if they suspect we’re still here.”
“My professors are going easy on us heading into midterms and should be flexible enough not to be a problem. You?”
My face fell. “Professor Briggs could be a problem. I’m taking a creative writing class with her this semester because I thought it would be fun, but she’s really tough, and I don’t think she likes me very much.”
“Briggs? Are you kidding?”
“I’m not kidding.”
“Professor Elizabeth Briggs from the English department?”
“Yeah, why?”
“She adores me. What did you do to piss her off?”
I shrugged. “Exist?”
He chuckled. “Can I handle it?”
“Uh, how exactly? I don’t want to make things worse with her than already are.”
“I’ll just talk to her and explain the situation. It’ll be fine. If you want to stay that is.”
I nodded. Of course I’d rather stay and wait it out than risk being followed back to the ARC. “I can’t just go back to the ARC. No good would come from someone following me back there. I put up a lot of guards to keep people far away from there. It’s just too big of a risk.”
He gave me a perplexing look. “I guess you’re right about that.”
“That’s why I have a rule of never posting pics or videos the same day they’re taken. Never. Bryan really screwed that up today. A three-day buffer is usually enough to keep my privacy and my secrets.”
He hugged me once more. “It’s going to be okay. I mean, your bad choice in being stuck with me for the next few days aside. I don’t exactly deal well with being cooped up like this, but otherwise it’ll all work out.”
We both got to work on making the necessary arrangements for that to happen, but I also couldn’t stop looking at him.
That kiss had changed something within me. I’d never felt like this about anyone before. And while I didn’t make it a habit of sleeping around, I wasn’t exactly innocent either. Sex had never felt as intimate as that kiss had.
I touched my still swollen lips as I let myself remember.
This man was going to consume me. How the hell would I survive days, as in plural, locked away from the world with just him?
I finished off the last email to Professor Briggs and hit send before I could chicken out.
“Done.”
“You sent an email to Briggs?”
“Yup. My hands are still shaking from it.”
He scowled, then moved on to call someone.
“Hi Professor, it’s Monte.”
I couldn’t make out what was being said on the other end, but I could definitely hear some female giggling. This did not make me or my wolf happy.
“Zoey Rey just sent you an email explaining our predicament. Oh, you saw that did you? Yeah, that’s why I’m calling.
She’s really worried about missing your creative writing class, but that video went out prematurely and the media swarmed the lodge before we could leave.
I’m afraid it may be several days before we can get out of here. ”
Again, I could hear her talking but couldn’t make out the words, and it was driving me crazy.
“I know. I know. But we can’t just have them following us back to Archibald Reynolds, can we?”
The phone went silent and then she said something else before he said goodbye.
“You’re good. She’s going to send you the lessons for this week just in case it lasts longer than we expect.”
“That’s it?”
“Yeah. If you need any help, just let me know.”
“You’ve taken this class before? Creative writing?”
“Yup. And I taught it for half a semester when she was battling health issues.”
“I didn’t know.”
“Not really public knowledge. Trust me when I say she’s one of the best. But she also despises social media, even though she’s secretly addicted for fear of missing out and not understanding what everyone’s talking about. Secretly she’s probably a big fan which just pisses her off more.”
I groaned.
He laughed.
“Karla is ordering groceries to be sent up so if there’s anything you want, just let me know, or call the front desk and ask for her yourself. She advised we go ahead and order dinner early because the lodge is booking up for the night . . . with reporters and eager fans.”
“This is a nightmare,” I whined.
He took my hand and led me to the couch.
Anticipation bubbled up within me. I was more than ready to pick up where we’d been interrupted. My body was still humming from that kiss. I felt like an addict awaiting my next hit.
“It’s all going to be okay. How about a movie?”
And then he turned on an action film and sat there watching it while I stewed in frustration.