"Here." Ares holds out the box of pizza towards me in the lobby. He keeps himself from entering the elevator, something that I appreciate. 

"Thanks." I take it pressing the edge against my stomach with my hands holding the other side. We stands awkwardly together, neither knowing what to do. 

I go to open my mouth, but another shrill voice stops me, "Mr. Gray! Is this your date for the evening?" My head turns to see cameras lined in the lobby, the media snapping photo after photo of my tear streaked face, and his less than normal clean look.

"Oh shit." I can't have my photo taken.

"Darling?" Ares looks down towards me, I swivel on my feet booking it towards the elevator trying to evade any more photos, but one girl jumps in front of me blocking the opened doors. I turn my head back to see Ares with a blank expression, a far off view in his eyes. So much for helping. 

"Ma'am! Are you and Mr. Gray dating? The most eligible bachelor has finally settled down!" She squeals holding up a mic to my face while another man records me. 

"Uh... Please excuse me." I go to side step her, the pizza acting as a blockade, but other woman steps next to her blocking me once again. 

"Have you two slept together? What's your status? Are you the daughter of anyone we know?" The other reporter rolls out her questions, my anxiety building within me. This camera on me only increases my fear, he going to find me.

"Please, I need to go home." I try again, but the women step forward pressing into me to get closer. I feel the touch of Ares on my waist as he guides me back into him. The ladies almost scream in joy when I let my back press against his front needing any form of comfort. 

"I recommend leaving." Ares's tone is deadly, the ladies pausing their assault of questions to watch him. 

"But Mr. Gray-" One bold woman steps forward, I shrivel back turning my face into him. The pizza is long forgotten when I drop it to the floor trying to cover myself as much as I can. Not that it's any use, all my hard work is for nothing. 

"Leave." His body shakes against me, a heat building under his skin. I take my fingers, and subconsciously start rubbing circles on his shirt. His shakes start to decrease, but his warmth doesn't, "Or I won't have trouble getting you blacklisted till you hit your grave." 

The guard from before, the one who works with Ares and Josh, comes into my bird eye view, arms crossing in front of him, "And I wouldn't mind making that sooner." 

"Are you threatening the media? I can have you arrested!" One girl screams out to the guard and Ares, I mix my hands into his shirt holding tight against him.

"And what? That's it?" The guard daunts, "I assure you that getting arrested is the least of my worries when it comes to my Luna's comfort." 

Ares's breath stops, hand coming up to the back of my head. The reporter takes his words and runs with them, "Her name's Luna? Like daughter of Eclipse Properties?" 

"Get them out of my sight, and get their bosses on speed dial. I want them fired and ruined by midnight." Ares calls out to his employee, the man laughing before grabbing at the women escorting from the building. They yell and fight digging their heels in but none are strong enough to win, all of them getting thrown to the mud before he returns for the next.

"I can walk." I hear one of them curse at the guard, her heels clicking as she leaves. 

Soon, the lobby is quiet once more, and I let go of Ares to gather my wits. His palm lays against my face turning me to him, "Are you alright?" 

Jessica's voice comes from behind me, "Josh told me what happened, I came to get you." Her voice is kind and soft, she's one of the few people that know what happened and my avoidance of photos. I don't even have social media in fear that one day he would find me. 

"Thanks, Jess." Ares drops his hand from me and I turn to Jessica grabbing the pizza box from the floor. Josh leaves the elevator as well, a new hickey on his lower neck. So I wasn't the only one making bad decisions. The men nod to each other, moving to stand next to one another. 

"Will we see you both tomorrow? We could meet for breakfast before we go into the office. Then you ladies can take yourself shopping with the guards." Josh proposes, Jessica shakes her head towards him. 

"Tomorrow we want to be left alone. Just us. Please." She looks to me in confirmation, I nod. Both the men set their jaws before slowly nodding. 

"Fine. But call us if you need anything. We will be here in a moments notice." 

"Of course." Jessica grabs me leading me to the elevator and we ride up to our room. The doors open into the living space, the beautiful city view overlooking the city taking my breath away once more. I go to set the pizza on the island, but Jessica grabs the box tossing it to the side forcing me to face her, "We need to leave. Tonight." 

"Wait what?" 

"Your photo is everywhere, look." She holds up her phone, the media live streaming everything the whole time we were down. My photos plastered all over the internet standing in the arms of Ares Gray, one of the most desirable men alive as the media calls him. Article after article critique every part about me, ripping me to shreds, but none can confirm who I am and now people are determined to figure me out. 

"Fuck. What if?" I pinch the bridge of my nose trying to put two and two together, but my thoughts are jumbled mess, "How in the hell do we get out of this? Those men have guards on us twenty four seven that just stand outside our apartment. And something is off about them. How did they know to come down? Ares never pulled out his cell." 

"I agree somethings up, Josh just knew something was wrong. Told me to go down and get you. He never lifted his phone after we um..." 

"Don't worry, we slept together too. I know what you're feeling." I grab her pulling her into a tight hug. Our bodies smash together, neither needing to say the underlying feelings we are having. 

"So what's the plan? How do we handle this?" She whisper guiding me to the farthest room of the apartment. 

"Somehow we have to get the guard to lay off for a moment, but these bitches are pretty stubborn. And we have to avoid anything with that weird wolf logo, I swear these people act like a pack of wolves." 

Jessica covers her mouth in surprise, "You've notice that too? I can't believe I am saying this, but sometimes Josh has more animal ways of doing things than human, and he's misnamed himself before, calling himself Asher?" 

"I haven't had that happen..." I mumble off thinking through my short memories of Ares. 

"Well the only thing I can think of is telling the guard we need something random and running while he goes to get it, stupid, but simple." She rambles on but I lean back against the wall looking over the lights of the surround buildings. 

"And are we ready to break the contract this early? You know what happens if we get caught, and I know for a fact that neither you or I would win in that fist fight." 

"Then we have to do it right the first time. I can't stay and let myself catch feelings for someone so controlling. This just isn't for me, but there's this tug that I have and I can't shake it." She shivers thinking about it and I send her a smile. 

"You feel it too? It's like this electric touch that just..." 

"Makes you feel safe?" She whispers looking down at her palms. She hasn't had it easy either, her ex beating her senseless until she was able to leave. Now she takes pride in breaking mens hearts since they broke her so many times. 

"Yeah." I take a breath, "It's overwhelming." 

"And all he wants to do is take care of me. He said anything I wanted was mine..." Her voice is broken, defeated in a way that I hadn't reached yet, "I was tempted to take it tonight." 

"You aren't the only one." 

We sit in silence for a moment, letting the truth settle deep in our skins. Maybe we aren't crazy after all, "Still want to run for it?" 

I bit my lips running my thumb back and forth over my arm, "I have to. If he finds me..." I check my phone to see the updates on James, a reporter caught him hoping a flight for an 'emergency business trip' in New York, "He is going to kill me. And he is one of the few that can cover it up." 

"Shit babe." She grabs the phone from my hand looking over the story, "You never told me it was Volga." 

"I didn't think I would ever have to." 

She sighs handing me back over my phone. I lock the screen to stop staring at it forcing myself to calm down, "You deserve peace, Veronica." 

"And you do too. You don't have to come with me. I know you have some feeling for this crazy male. If you want to stay, I will support you one hundred percent." Our hands lock between us, her smile returning. 

"Nah, men ain't shit right? And I have you. I can't leave you when things are about to get hard, you need someone that has your back like I know you have mine." 

"I fucking love you." 

She laughs, rolling her eyes, "I know."