Taming a Brat

*Kane's POV*

"Whatever, I'm going to lunch before this meeting. I'll see all of you there." I stated as I walked out of my office. Being a CEO had its own perks without a doubt, but I get so tired of everyone always needing me. Sometimes, I just have to step away from the chaos and breathe.

I just launched my new project funding stater companies, and I'm about to have a pivotal meeting in getting the project off the ground. Star Marketing is the highest rated marketing company in Manhattan, and the owner is supposedly extremely picky on who she gives her time to, so this is a huge opportunity for us.

I hopped in the backseat of my car and told my driver, Damion, to head across town towards Star Marketing, so I could be close to the building after grabbing a bite to eat.

"Are there any restaurants nearby?" I asked Damion. He knew everything there was to know about the city, and he had been my driver for nearly 10 years.

"Yes sir, there's a restaurant called Joe's right across the street. I hear they have amazing chicken wraps, but I've never been myself," he replied back to me.

"Chicken wraps, you say? I love them. We'll go there," I replied as he drove us down the busy streets of Manhattan.

I loved the city. I watched the beautiful, gleaming city lights light up the street and people walking by on the sidewalks as we drove passed.

"That's it over there," He said as he pointed to the small restaurant, surrounded by skyscrapers. It's a wonder a place like this has survived the renovations of the city, it must be fairly popular.

"Why don't you let me out here and I'll grab a table for us while you park the car?" I asked Damion as we halted in traffic.

"See you in there, Kane!" He replied as I scooted out of the backseat into the street.

I glanced back at the large office building behind me that read "Star Marketing" in golden letters over the doorway. It was a pretty building, I must admit. As I turned back around, I collided into a woman in a white pant suit with a Louis Vuitton bag on one shoulder, bag of food hanging from her opposite wrist, and her eyes glued to her phone while crossing the street. Her phone hit the asphalt street with a loud clang! I heard her let out a surprisingly deep groan for such a small lady. She didn't even notice I had caught her from falling face first onto the ground.

She snatched her arms away from me, grabbed her phone, and called over her shoulder as she walked away, "Watch where you're going!" with a scowl on her face. Her auburn hair was perfectly curled and it blew in the wind as she walked away from me. Damn, she's beautiful, but a fucking brat. I thought to myself. A bad attitude was such a turn off for me.

"You should watch where you're going," I yelled back to her with a smug smirk on my face. She didn't say anything, but I saw her shake her head, and I could feel her eyes rolling as she walked away into the entrance of Star Marketing.

Hopefully the owner wasn't as bratty as her employees, I thought to myself.

Damion met me in the street, confused on why I had barely moved from where I had exited the car. "I ran into some girl. She broke her phone," I told him. He raised an eyebrow and motioned his head towards the restaurant. The grumbling in my stomach reminded me just how hungry I was, so we headed inside.

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"Damn, those chicken wraps are good!" Damion announced loud enough for the whole restaurant to hear. I chuckled as I paid the bill and nodded in agreement.

"Ready for your meeting, Kane?" He asked me curiously.

"Honestly, I'm a bit nervous. The owner is supposedly pretty selective on who she will work with and who she won't. I need to know this is the right fit for my project, but I hope my rules don't scare her away." I responded.

"If she's scared away, she's not the one, Kane." He joked back to me.

"Yeah, yeah, the right one will take me for me as you always say," I rolled my eyes as I replied.

"Well, you better get going. I think that's everyone headed inside now!" He pointed across the street to my board members entering the building. I jumped up and waved goodbye to Damion and ran across the street, just to catch them in time to get on the elevator.

We made it to the floor of the conference room, and a small brunette appeared with a friendly smile on her face.

"Ms. Star will see you all right this way," She beamed as she motioned for us to follow her. She carried us down the hallway to the conference room and knocked on the closed door.

"Come in!"

I heard a woman's voice from the other side of the door. I was behind everyone, so I couldn't see her quite yet. Once I made it through the door and laid eyes on her, I couldn't hold my smirk back.

The brat herself.

Her smile dropped as her eyes landed on me, but she quickly corrected herself and came to shake my hand. I shook firmly as a tease, hoping she would wince at my grip.

She didn't even flinch.

"Hello everyone, my name is Alias Star, and I am the founder and Marketing Manager of Star Marketing. I'm pleased to meet you all and would like to thank you for the time to hear out my ideas for our partnership," she spoke confidently in front of everyone.

Everyone went around the room introducing themselves, and when I said my name, I noticed Alias's demeanor change. Had she just only realized that I was Kane Rhodes, CEO of Rhodes Incorporated?

I smirked as I saw how my presence affected her composure. She was good at maintaining though, I had to give her that.

She made a flawless presentation that quite honestly impressed me beyond words. It was rare I saw something good enough I didn't want to turn it down immediately. Still, I had to be sure she was the right candidate for the task at hand.

"What makes you think the starter companies can afford your prices, Ms. Star? They are quite literally, starter companies." I questioned her.

"That's why I would be creating individual plans based on the starter company's budget. We would come up with the most cost efficient form of marketing until the company is on its feet enough to renegotiate a bigger marketing department." she replied confidently.

"Social media markets itself nowadays, don't you think? And it's free." I retorted.

"If social media was working, you wouldn't be here today, Mr. Rhodes." she glared back at me from across the table.

I debated her words for a moment before smiling slightly and nodding in agreement. "Alright, Ms. Star, you've convinced me. We'll give it a try, but I'll need to have a one on one meeting with you to discuss the policies and rules of working with Rhodes Incorporated."

"Of course," she replied, clearly not thrilled by the idea of meeting one on one with me.

We signed the paperwork and adjourned the meeting. As everyone was making their way out, I slouched back in my chair and waited for the room to empty. She looked at me questioningly as if she had forgotten what I just told her.

"Shall we have our meeting now?" I asked smugly.

"I suppose I could pencil it in, Mr. Rhodes. Let's meet in my office, I need to set up my new phone." she smirked a little as she walked towards the door. I quickly jumped up from my seat and followed her as we made our way down the corridor. She said thank you to the brunette from earlier, who I now know as "Sarah." Her assistant, I'm assuming.

"Take a seat." She motioned toward the chairs across from her desk.

She pulled out a bubblegum pink notebook and silver, sparkly pen from her desk as we sat down. How cute. I observed her closely, she had everything in her office neatly placed, the paperwork on her desk organized in nice piles. There were no pictures of family or a boyfriend on her walls, only abstract art and an occasion inspirational quote. She was waiting for me to speak when my eyes landed back on her, pen in hand ready to write down my rules.

"So, first and foremost you will report to me directly. I will approve any and every project before you implement it. You must run everything by me first." I watched for her reaction.

She scoffed, loudly, not hiding how she felt about that. "Mr. Rhodes, surely you have more things to do than hear about every little decision I make."

"Call me Kane. And I have a ton of things to do, but you'll run everything by me nonetheless."

She looked shocked for a moment, but I couldn't be more serious. "Kane, then. So you don't trust your partners?" She questioned me intently.

"Not many of them." I replied, trying to seem nonchalant, but trust is a trigger for me undoubtedly.

"Fine." She pursed her lips as she scribbled down the rule. Maybe she had never worked with crooked partners, but I had my fair share. Trust is a hard thing to earn with me.

"Rule number two, you must attend events for Rhodes Incorporated and represent the Marketing Department at every event I deem necessary," I stated.

She looked miserable at the thought of attending events. Why?

The events actually weren't required, but I liked the idea of her accompanying me to represent something we were both passionate about. Plus, she would be an amazing plus one, men in business are always suckers for a beautiful, independent woman.

"I suppose that's non-negotiable?" She asked me, seeming hopeful.

"None of my rules are negotiable." I replied back firmly. I waited for a response, but she only looked at me.

"Finally. you must meet with me once a week to discuss what's going on in your department and I must have your personal cell phone number in case I need you for any reason," I stated.

I didn't really need her personal cell phone number. Email works just as quickly, but I was curious to see her reaction. Plus, I wouldn't mind having it if I'm being honest. She looked taken aback by my demands, but she seemed to be convincing herself to agree.

"Any questions?" I asked her to break the silence.

"No, I look forward to working with you, Kane." She stood up to shake my hand. I could tell she was biting back a smart remark of some kind.

"I'm looking forward to it as well, Ms. Star." I smirked and shook her hand, gently this time, slowly pulling my hand back from her grip without breaking eye contact.

"Alias." She told me.

"Alias." I said softly with a smile as I turned to walk out of her office.

Her cheeks turned a slight shade of pink as she smiled, and I could feel her eyes on me as I walked away. I knew the affect I had on women, but she didn't seem to swoon for me the way all the others have in the past.

"Until next time, Alias." I called over my shoulder from the doorway as I walked out. I nodded farewell to Sarah and hopped in the elevator, content with the meeting overall.

Alias Star. Undoubtedly a brat. She will definitely be breaking my rules, I can already tell.