Taming a Brat Pt. 18

*Kane's POV*

I woke up to the sleeping beauty beside me snoring loudly per usual. I kissed her softly until her eyes fluttered open, followed by a genuine smile as she focused her sleepy eyes on my face.

"Good morning," Alias said, voice cracking as she stretched.

"Good Morning. We should get going, baby," I spoke softly to her, knowing she was already in desperate need of caffeine. She groaned loudly in response causing me to chuckle at her. "I'll get you coffee in the airport," I tried to entice her.

"Fine, I'm awake," She huffed in frustration as she sat up.

"Sleep well?" I asked genuinely.

"Could have slept better," She shot me a look. I only smirked in response, knowing exactly what she meant.

"Come on, sunshine. You need to get dressed," I encouraged her as I threw on a pair of joggers and a hoodie.

"Damn, look at casual Kane. You look sexy in sweats," Alias smirked as she watched me. Fuck, she knew how to make me feel good. She got up, throwing on a sweatsuit herself while I called Damion to meet us out front.

"What are we doing all day?" Alias asked as we headed to the lobby.

"I'm sorry, I have some errands to run, but I'll be back by the afternoon," I explained to her, but she immediately pouted, "Hang out with Sarah, it won't take me too long. I promise," I kissed the top of her head gently as we stood out front waiting on Damion to bring the car. On cue, he was pulling around.

"I wanted to hang out with Sarah anyway," she glared at me jokingly. I chuckled at her as I opened the car door for her. Damion was all but racing to the airport, eager to hang out with Sarah himself, I'm sure.

____________________________________

The plane ride went smoothly and was over quickly. Alias and Damion dropped me off at my building to go out with Sarah for the day. I grabbed a taxi, headed to begin my errands for the day. I shot Zack a text letting him know I'd be at the club within about 15 minutes.

Right on time, the cab driver pulled to a halt in front of the doors. Tara was waiting outside and let me in, instructing me that Zack was over at the bar. Making my way in, I realized how long it had been since I was here in the daylight.

"Kane Rhodes! Welcome back," Zack greeted me from across the bar.

"Zack, thanks for meeting me," I smiled at him.

"I was surprised to hear from you. I can't remember the last time you were in here outside of hours," Zack chuckled.

"Different time, different person," I shook my head, knowing what he was referring too.

"So, what brings you to need my expertise?" Zack raised an eyebrow at me.

"It's Alias, I'm planning our first scene," I groaned lightly. Zack raised a bottle of bourbon, I nodded signaling him to pour us a glass.

"Why do you sound so frustrated?" Zack asked.

"It's her first ever, I'm not frustrated. I'm nervous," I admitted.

"You'd be crazy not to be. You never know how someone will react the first time in scene," Zack said nonchalantly.

"Thanks for the reassurance, man," I glared at him as he handed me my glass.

"Seriously. You've done a million scenes, you know how to plan one. Surely by now you've figured out some of her interests?" Zack asked.

"Yes, but that's not why I'm nervous," I explained, taking a sip of my drink.

"Then, what is it?" Zack seemed confused.

"She's a brat, Zack," I shot him a look.

"Oh, hell, Kane! You act like she's a serial killer. What's wrong with her being a brat? You've played with plenty," Zack joked.

"I've never had feelings for one, though," I admitted the real problem, "I mean, Claire-..."

"Claire is a psychotic bitch, Kane," Zack corrected me, "Alias doesn't seem anything like that."

"True. She still brats me though. She wants to provoke me," I explained.

"If I remember correctly, you always were good at coming up with punishments," Zack joked.

"Zack, my dilemma here is I want total submission, and she wants to brat, whether she means too or not. Not only that, but I have feelings for her and she doesn't fit my idea of a submissive," I sighed in frustration.

"Damn, Rhodes. I hate to say it, but you already know what has to happen if your kinks don't align, Kane," Zack said seriously.

"Not only would that probably crush her, it would kill me to hand her off," I shook my head.

"So, try it out. That's all you can do. You haven't even done your first scene. She could eventually get out of bratting when you show her how to submit," Zack explained.

"I guess you're right," I finished my drink, nodding at him.

"You seem pretty into her, Kane. Remember, Tara never wanted to be a slave until she tried it. Same thing could apply with you and Alias, you know?" Zack gave me more advice.

"Thanks, Zack. I needed that," I smiled genuinely at him.

Truth is, I want to be her Dom, honestly despite whatever obstacles come up. What I don't want though, is to turn her into the submissive I want her to be. I want to help her find her own kinks. I'm fighting an internal battle trying to decide if I'm the right Dom for her, but trying to keep my feelings for her out of it at the same time.

"You know, maybe it's you who ends up changing," Zack said, raising an eyebrow at me as he cleaned a glass.

"I think after being the same Dom for almost a decade speaks for itself," I rolled my eyes.

"Yeah, but you're in uncharted territory," Zack explained, "Maybe she brings out another side of you."

"Maybe. I guess we'll just have to see," I replied.

"You need a playroom tonight?" He asked.

"No, I'm going to use mine," I explained.

"Holy shit, you probably need to dust in there," Zack joked, causing us to both laugh, "When is the last time you actually used your own playroom?"

"Since Claire left," I said, a little bitterly.

"Sorry, man, it was more of a rhetorical question," Zack replied nervously.

"It's all good. Speaking of the wicked witch, has she still been coming here?" I asked curiously. Not that I cared to run into her, but I had hoped it was a one off and she was in another state by now.

"Every night, honestly," Zack rolled her eyes. He probably hated her as much as I did.

"What's her endgame you think?" I asked.

"I'm pretty sure she's back for you, Rhodes," Zack replied seriously.

"That ship sailed," I rolled my eyes, "I'm doing my best to avoid her, but Alias enjoys coming here. I want to be able to bring her, you know?"

"Alias seems like she could handle Claire," he replied.

"I don't have a doubt in my mind, but I'd rather not risk losing her because Claire likes to play games," I explained.

"You know it's inevitable they will run into each other. You should prepare Alias so she isn't blindsided. How much does she know about your past?" Zack questioned.

"Very little," I shook my head, "We've barely gotten to know each other."

"You don't have to listen to me, but it's probably best you tell her first, you know?" Zack said carefully.

"Yeah, I know. I will, eventually," I replied with a light smile. We continued chatting for a while before I decided to head out and finish up my errands. Zack gave me some advice on first timers and how to handle certain scenarios. I felt much more confident in myself after spending some time chatting with him.

I had a taxi drop me off in town so I could swing by the store to get some ingredients for dinner tonight. Alias, Damion, and Sarah would pick me up afterwards. I wanted Alias and I to have a nice meal before we start the scene so she has a chance to discuss any hesitations she may have. As I was walking down the street, I heard a man yelling behind me. I turned my head slightly to see what the commotion was about, and a familiar face was running towards me.

"Hey, man! Wait!" He yelled, catching up to me. I stopped in my tracks, gritting my teeth as I turned toward him.

"Can I help you?" I narrowed my eyes at him.

"I just wanted to talk to you," He said.

"Ashton, right?" I asked, recognizing Alias's ex from the bar.

"That's me," He smiled cheekily, "Are you still with Alias?"

"I should answer that because...?" I asked sarcastically.

"Look, I'm just trying to warn you before you end up like me," Ashton put his hands up in defense.

"Like you? Oh, please enlighten me," I said bitterly as he played the victim.

"Alias is power hungry. Every decision she makes, every person she involves herself with is only a power move. She doesn't care about you," Ashton said. Fuck, he was almost as bad as Claire.

"Right, I'm sure," I said as I started to turn away, "Have a good one."

"Wait!" He called after me, "Has she told you how she ran out on me the night before our wedding?"

I stopped dead in my tracks. Wedding? I turned to look at him with utter confusion and shock.

"By your reaction, I'll take that as a no," He smirked.

"You cheated on her. No wonder she ran out on you," I narrowed my eyes at him, clenching my jaw.

"She cheated first," Ashton replied nonchalantly, "You don't even know her, man," He chuckled as he finished his statement.

"Do us both a favor, and fuck off," I stated sternly, turning on my heels and walking off.

I guess I made my point because he didn't bother trying to talk to me any further. My heart was pounding. She failed to mention the most significant parts of the story. Anger erupted through me. I honestly felt like a hypocrite because she didn't know the significant details of my past either, but how the fuck could she not tell me she was a day from being a married woman?

I could barely get through grocery shopping as my mind raced. Part of me wanted to believe Ashton is full of shit, but the other part of me wanted to confront Alias. I could understand not telling me, but despite me trying to calm myself down, I was angry. I had started to develop feelings for Alias, and quite frankly, wouldn't mind trying out a relationship with her. Ashton's words put major doubt in my mind. Was he telling the truth? Was I really just a stepping stone to what she actually wants?

Damion texted letting me know they were waiting in the parking lot, but honestly, I stalled as long as I could. I knew she'd be happy to see me, and I didn't want to bring up any of this in the car with everyone else. I hate putting on a facade though.

I could see her smiling at me from the backseat as I approached the car. I mustered out the best fake smile I could manage at the time as Damion popped the trunk. I took my time putting the groceries inside, trying to find my composure. I slid into the backseat and greeted everyone with a hello. Alias slid over to the middle seat, placing her hand on my lap for me to hold. I stared briefly, unsure how to feel, but decided to hold her hand anyway. She smiled at me, studying me. Undoubtedly, she knew something was wrong.

Everyone chatted throughout the ride back to my penthouse, everyone except me. Alias kept shooting me concerned glances between conversations, but I kept my eyes on the buildings flashing by until we finally came to a stop. I held the door for her, thanked Damion, and bid Sarah and him goodbye. As I turned back to Alias, she stood with her arms crossed, eyebrows furrowed. I sighed, knowing this would either be one hell of an argument or a simple conversation.

"Are you going to tell me what's wrong?" She asked, slightly irritated, mostly worried.

"Yes, when we make it upstairs," I said with a huff.

She wasted no time at all. As soon as the elevator doors opened to the penthouse, she sat down on the sofa, looking at me expectantly. Honestly, I was still trying to find the right words. During the car ride, I realized we both had secrets from the past. My anger had faded into a gloomy sadness as I realized we either had to be open with each other, or let each other go.

"Kane," She spoke softly. I sat down beside her, trying to figure out what to say.

"Alias, I think we should be honest with each other," I began.

"I thought we were?" She asked hesitantly.

"About our pasts," I finished. Her face fell.

"What brought this up?" She asked carefully.

"It doesn't matter. What if we wait to talk about everything? What if there's something in our past that completely changes everything?" I asked, hoping I was making sense.

"Kane, as far as I'm concerned, I can only truly have an opinion about the present version of you that I know. The past is the past," She replied with a light smile.

"It matters though," I huffed, ready to open up to her, "Alias, I used to have at least half a dozen subs at once. Most nights, I played with as many as I felt like it. I did demonstrations almost every night. That's why I'm so well known at the club. I was the most requested Dom at one point. I had no feelings for any of them, but you should know. You should know how I used to be," I explained, watching for her reaction.

She was silent for a minute, processing my words no doubt. She didn't seem upset, mostly just surprised and a little confused. She grabbed my hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze, and despite everything, I felt the tension release from my body as I stared into her eyes.

"I'm okay with that," She smiled nervously.

"Yeah? What if I told you I used to hate beginners? Refused to play with them. Wouldn't be caught in a playroom with a sub that wasn't extremely experienced," I continued. Her smile started to fade.

"It's okay, Kane-.."

"All that's just okay with you? How about the fact I used to have submissives crying at my feet for me to spank them? Or that I have left welps and bruises across many-..."

"Kane, what the fuck is this?" She cut me off abruptly, "Are you trying to make me hate you? Because I don't really give a shit about your past, like I already said. If you're trying to tell me you want to go back to that, then.."

"I'm not trying to make you hate me. And that's not what I want. I told you, I want only one sub now. A sub that's only mine," I said with a little sadness and a little anger.

"Maybe I can be that for you eventually?" She asked softly.

"Maybe," I felt the anger creep back in, "Or maybe you could just tell me the real story about you and Ashton."

"What? That's what this is about?" She looked offended, "I told you, Kane."

"I don't remember the part where you were engaged, and it was the night before the wedding when you left," I spat angrily. Her jaw dropped in realization.

"Or the part where you cheated first?" I followed.

"Who told you?" She said, anger lingering in her voice.

"I ran into Ashton, Alias. Not that it matters," I narrowed my eyes at her.

"Kane, that's not the whole story," She rolled her eyes.

"Clearly, neither one of you are capable of telling the whole story," I glared at her.

"I didn't cheat on him, Kane. I went on a business trip and..." She started. She seemed angry at first, but gloom filled her face.

"Do the details really fucking matter?" I cut her off.

"Quite frankly, they do. I got really drunk one night. One of the guys on the trip took me back to his hotel room, rather than mine. Nothing happened between us, but he spread rumors across the office that we had sex. It got so bad, I had to leave my job, Kane," She dropped her face.

Suddenly, I felt a little shitty.

"Ashton became abusive right after that. No matter what I said, he was convinced I cheated. So, he punished me. He hurt me in every way he possibly could. We were already engaged then, the wedding had long since been set for a date," She shook her head, "He told me he was marrying me so I could never be a whore again, but that he would always truly love the woman he was seeing. That was one of the darkest parts of my life," She explained, tears pooled in her eyes. I could tell she was fighting them. I felt my face soften, my body relax.

"I said yes to the engagement long before I truly knew the type of person he was," She finished, a tear slipped from her eyes, rolling down her cheek.

I reached up and wiped it away gently with my thumb. I knew better than to get angry with her, but I did anyway. I knew she wasn't crying over me, but how badly it hurt to remember those things. My hostility probably only made it worse. I pulled her into my lap, and she buried her face into my shoulder. I felt hot tears stream down my neck as she whimpered quietly. I rubbed her hair and back gently, knowing there was nothing I could say to make this any better for her.

"I'm so sorry, Alias," I whispered to her remorsefully. She hugged me tighter in response, trying to stop the tears.

"Kane," She sat up, wiping her eyes gently, "There's a lot to my past. It's painful to remember, but please don't take it as if I'm hiding it from you," She said, pouting slightly.

"Lesson learned, my sweet girl. I should have approached things differently," I reached up, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

"It's okay, I should have told you," She tried to smile.

"No, no. You should tell me when you're ready," I replied, "I shouldn't have listened to him."

"Since we're talking, I need to ask you something," She said, sniffling lightly.

"Ask away," I smiled, a little nervous to what she might ask.

"Do you..." She sighed, dropping her eyes, "Do you have feelings for me?"

I lost every bit of words I knew. The longer I was silent, the sadder she looked. I had to say something.

"Alias," I lifted her chin slightly so she was looking at me, "I have a lot of feelings for you, ranging from frustration to infatuation."

She giggled lightly, "I think that's a good thing?" She asked rhetorically.

"And you? Do you have feelings for me?" I smiled, looking hopefully into her eyes.

"I-..." She froze. My heart sank. I knew it all along.

"Understood," I said coldly.

"No," She started.

"I said, understood, Alias," I narrowed my eyes, hurt by her honesty.

"Kane, damn it! Listen to me!" She yelled, catching me by surprise, "I have feelings for you!"

"Y-you do?" I stuttered in shock.

"I do," She smiled, "I just don't want to get hurt or to hurt you."

"So, don't," I pulled her into my chest, "I will never hurt you, Alias." I squeezed her tightly in my embrace, which she returned.

"Never is a long time, Kane. Let's start with... for now," She smiled lightly at me, hope gleaming in her eyes.

"Okay then. For now, Alias Star, you are mine and I will take care of you as long as you'll let me," I smiled back at her.

"For now, Kane Rhodes, you are mine and I will take care of you as long as you'll let me," She repeated my words back to me.

My heart skipped a beat honestly, it had been so long since someone besides Damion genuinely cared for me. I learned a hard lesson today, and I wouldn't be making the same mistake twice. I'm sure now that Ashton is just trying to worm his way back into her life, and if I can help it, he will never see her again. I owe her endless apologies, but hopefully a home cooked meal will suffice for tonight.

Wait.

The fucking groceries.

I groaned loudly in realization. Fuck, Damion and Sarah were headed out for dinner. I didn't want to interrupt them to bring back my things.

"Something wrong?" Alias asked with concern.

"I forgot the groceries," I sighed. She burst out laughing, which made my frustration fade significantly.

"Somebody was too busy being angry," She shot me a smirk, "We can just order takeout."

"I wanted to cook you a meal," I said, still a little grumpy.

"So cook me one tomorrow, or the next day, or the next," She said optimistically.

"I guess I could, considering I have you for now," I smirked at her.

She rolled her eyes jokingly, "Chinese okay?"

"Sounds wonderful to me," I smiled as she hopped of my lap and walked over to the window to order our food.

I reached in my pocket, pulling out my phone. I wanted to tell Zack his advice wasn't so bad after all, but instead I felt sick as I looked at the message on my phone.