*Kane's POV*
When I woke up, Alias was already gone. I was a bit disappointed. I thought we could grab breakfast on our way to the office, but I understood why she was upset with me. Truthfully, Keith Hanson is an old fashioned man. He didn't respect women high in business, and I refused to take Alias somewhere I knew she'd be belittled and not taken seriously. I could handle her being mad at me, but I know myself enough to know that I would cross a line trying to defend her. She couldn't see it how I do, but I knew she'd forgive me in short time. I made the decision with careful consideration, and it had nothing to do with our personal involvement.
Alias's abilities were not a question to me. I watched her be exceptional on a daily basis. I just hope I can make this up to her because the last thing I want is for her to feel like I'm taking opportunities away. I decided an "I'm sorry" dinner would suffice once I made it back into town and began making the plans in my head as I got ready for work. I threw on a comfy black suit and made my way downstairs. Damion was waiting for me, per usual. He seemed extra chipper this morning, to a suspicious degree.
"What's got you so happy?" I smirked at him.
"Sarah, man," He beamed ear to ear, "She is incredible."
"Oh, do tell," I encouraged him and he began to fill me in on last nights festivities.
"She's a natural submissive, I'll leave it at that," He winked in the rearview and I chuckled at his swooning.
"Congratulations, you definitely deserve it," I smiled at him proudly.
"So, how's things with Alias?" He raised an eyebrow questioningly.
"Well," I sighed, "I think I piss her off as much as I make her happy," I shook my head lightly.
"Well, how do you feel about her?" He asked compassionately.
"I-.." I started, "I'm not sure, Damion. I never intended to like her as much as I do."
"Why is that a bad thing?" He questioned me.
"She has had a lot of bad. I don't want to add to that list," I explained as the car pulled to a stop in front of the office.
"Then don't," He smirked. Easier said than done, Damion. I waved goodbye as I headed into the office.
I wanted to make things as blissful as possible for her, but she was a challenge in herself without adding both of our personal bullshit into it. I hoped she wouldn't be mad at me as I made the announcement about the pitch in our meeting today, but I can feel her glare already. When she cools off, I would like to try to explain to her better where I'm coming from, but for now, I'd just have to accept that she can only see her point of view right now.
I was lost in my thoughts as I rode the elevator up to my office. To my surprise, the doors opened revealing Alias sitting in the waiting chairs. Apart of me remembered how much I enjoyed seeing her waiting for me here every time she broke a rule. Seeing her now sparked that same joy. She looked eager and excited, instantly changing my mood for the better as I became excited for whatever it was she had to tell me.
"Ms. Star, please come in," I smiled at her as I opened the door for her. She walked in with a confident stride, paperwork in hand, and her head held high. My excitement began to fade as I realized exactly what this was about.
"Keith Hanson, CEO of Hanson & Sons Corporation," She laid down the paperwork on my desk, clearly not needing the reference documents. "H&S, for short, is a company that sells motorized bicycles, scooters, and chairs that are strictly electronically powered and designed to be the least harmful to the environment of any competitor brands. Their target market currently is-..."
"Alias, please," I cut her off. I knew her presentation would be phenomenal, but that isn't the reason I didn't choose her.
"Kane Rhodes, you are discriminating against my gender, and it will be the biggest mistake you've ever made," She glared at me, fuming.
"Alias, please understand this is for your own good," I tried to soften the blow.
"And how exactly is keeping me from doing my job- a job I'm damn good at, might I add, for my own good?" She spat. I hated she was so angry with me.
"Alias, I won't allow you to pitch a sale in a room full of businessmen that won't respect you," I explained.
"You think I've been respected my entire career?" She scoffed, "You think I've never been in a room full of men who doubted my abilities because I was a woman? You think I can't handle that?"
"I know you can, but I don't want to be the one to put you in that situation when I know better. Please try to understand," I tried to reason with her.
"Let me make myself clear, Kane," She leaned over my desk, "You don't get to decide when I need protecting and when I don't. I'm fully capable of handling myself, " She grabbed up her papers and headed for the door.
"Alias-..." I called after her, but the door slammed behind her in response.
I buried my head in my hands and sighed deeply. I tried to regain my composure as I grabbed my materials for the meeting in a few minutes. I don't know if I can make it through this meeting knowing she's going to be sitting there upset the entire time. If it were any other company, I'd take her in a heartbeat, but I know Keith personally. I know what he thinks of women, especially women in business. He'd assume she was my assistant in a heartbeat and disregard her every word after. I simply refused to do that to her. I reassured myself I made the right choice as I made my way to the conference hall.
For once, I was late to my own meeting. Surprised faces spanned the room as I made my way to the podium. Alias sat in her usual spot, in my direct vision. She maintained her emotions well, but I could tell there was anger written all over her face. I peeled my eyes from her and cleared my throat as I began discussing each point until I finally arrived to the final announcement, the one I dreaded most.
"Tomorrow, I will be flying out with one of the Senior Marketers to New Jersey for a huge opportunity for us," I glanced at her, her face turning more sour by the second, "And I'm proud to announce that will be..." I trailed off as I spotted her anger turn to sadness, "Sam Thompson," I barely choked out the words as her face fell.
Applause erupted, people patted him on the back. It was a rare opportunity for me to take a senior marketer on a pitch like this, so it was something to be celebrated for sure. Though, Alias nor myself were up for much celebrating. I fought through my feelings, putting up a cheerful front as I shook hands with Sam and greeted the other employees. I wanted to speak to Alias, but I realized she had slipped out amongst the commotion. I knew I made the wrong choice by the way I was feeling. I knew she deserved to go, but I was torn between what I knew and my chivalry. I'd talk to her later and hopefully come to some sort of happy medium.
____________________________________
I didn't see Alias the rest of the day. I have to admit, I looked for her a few times. Even though I know I made this decision to protect her, she was damn good at making me feel like I made the wrong choice.
Damion picked me up per the usual and took me back to my place. He caught me up on his latest conversations with Sarah, but my mind was stuck on trying to figure out how to make Alias understand where I'm coming from. I bid him goodbye as I made my way upstairs. Alias was sitting with her legs crossed on the sofa, scrolling through her phone intently. She smiled lightly at me to greet me before going back to whatever she was doing.
I pulled off my tie and unbuttoned my dress shirt before plopping down beside her. I wasn't trying to look at her phone, but my eyes landed on the apartments she was scrolling through. Panic spread through me, and I realized I hadn't considered the fact that she wasn't going to live here with me.
"You know you're welcome to stay here, Alias?" I asked softly.
"Do you think that's the best idea, Kane?" Her tone was harsh.
"I don't see why not. The penthouse is big enough for you to live here and barely see me," I tried to joke with her.
"You think I should just move in? We barely know each other," She said coldly. Ouch, I thought we were working on fixing that.
"Alias, what's really wrong?" I decided to cut to the chase, knowing my announcement was the root of the issue.
"I just never would have taken you for a guy who can't respect my work because you've seen me naked. Made me realize maybe I don't know you as well as I had considered," She shrugged her shoulders, trying to hide the pain in her voice.
"Alias Star, you should take that bullshit back right now," I began, "You know damn well I respect the hell out of you and your work, and quite frankly what we do outside of the office has nothing to do with any of that."
She opened her mouth, but I cut her off, "Another thing, I'm not whatever the insecure mess of men you've dated previously are. I find your entrepreneurialism to be sexy as hell, not to mention how damn good you are at every single project you involve yourself in. I didn't choose you because you're a woman, yes. That wasn't because it was my preference. It was because the CEO of the other company would have said something to you, and I would have cost us the entire deal for telling the son of a bitch off when he did. Please, Alias, please understand where I'm coming from."
"Okay," She said in exasperation, "I understand. Please promise me-.."
"Alias, I promise you our personal life will never affect my perception of your professional life," I looked genuinely into her eyes. They softened as she realized I hadn't done anything to purposely upset her.
