The Creative Kitty: AMBW romance (The Kitty Chronicles)

by Siren Allen

  Kang nodded. “Tyler’s team was the team behind the winter campaign, correct?”

  “Yes. And they did a wonderful job. Our sales were very good due to that campaign.”

  “Our sales were good. But not great. And that campaign was no different than this one. In fact, the last two campaigns were no different than this one. Do we only sell lip gloss at Royal Cosmetics?”

  The smile on Olivia’s face faltered. “No. But lip gloss is...”

  “Then why is that the only campaign you all seem to be able to come up with?”

  Willow’s thoughts exactly. She was glad she was an outside of the box type of thinker. Even thought Kang hated her, there was no way he would hate her idea for the summer campaign.

  Willow was glad he was siting in on this meeting. Maybe her team would actually get a chance to show their skills now that Olivia wasn’t the one choosing the team to lead the campaign.

  Olivia look flustered as she spoke. “Understood, Mr. Kang. Maybe the next team has a better idea. Stephanie, you and your team can go to the front and present your campaign proposals.”

  Stephanie also looked flustered. “I’m sorry, Ms. Olivia, but my team’s campaign is also centered around lip glosses.”

  Willow looked to Kang to find him massaging his forehead. Yes! They would have no choice but to go with Willow’s proposal. It was also good that Willow’s proposal was actually a great one.

  “Oh...” Olivia seemed at a loss for words. She picked up the black folder in front of her and flipped through it, verifying that Stephanie’s team campaign was indeed centered around lip glosses.

  Frowning, Olivia closed the black folder and picked up the pink one, Willow and her team’s folder.

  “It seems Willow’s team is the only team who doesn’t have a proposal that features lip gloss.” Olivia cut her eyes in Willow’s direction. “Willow, Dezzah and Kizzy, you three may go to the front of the room and present your campaign idea.”

  It was their time to shine. Smiling, Willow followed her roommates to the front of the room. With her two besties standing on either side of her, she introduced herself and her team to those present.

  Avoiding eye contact with Kang, she instructed the others to open their pink folders to the first page. As they did her bidding, she grabbed the clicker off the table and moved to the side so those present could see the board behind her.

  Dez was up first. Willow used the clicker to navigate through the presentation as Dez talked to them about their target demographics. Dez let the room know that the name of their campaign was Summer Lovin.

  They were targeting young adults between the ages of 17-25. Not only females. That’s were past campaigns had failed. They were targeting males also. Willow clicked to the next screen to show the items they were campaigning: his and hers body spray.

  Willow smiled as she stared at a picture of the sample bottles on the screen. They were so cute. Now that Dez had talked, it was Willow’s turn.

  “Kizzy is passing out samples of the body spray for you all to take with you,” Willow told the group. “The black bottle is the male body spray. The gold is the female. We won’t spray it in the room. On the back label of each bottle is a scratch and sniff panel for you to smell the fragrance. Since these are body sprays and not cologne, they are light fragrances that are not overbearing and shouldn’t irritate those who have allergies.”

  She watched Mr. Lee sniff the back of his bottle. He smiled. Willow’s hope soared. Until she looked at Kang, who hadn’t touched the bottle Kizzy placed in front of him. The look on his face burst her happiness bubble. Clearing her throat, she looked away from Kang and clicked to the next screen.

  “Body spray isn’t our only idea for the summer campaign. During the summer, new couples form as older couples grow closer. That’s why Kizzy is going to tell you all about the Forever bracelets we’d like to include in each box of body spray.”

  Willow stepped back as Kizzy stepped forward and began telling the room about the Forever bracelets. Each box of body spray, be it male of female, would come with a gold bracelet.

  And each box would have a To and From label on the front of the box. That way whoever purchased the box could write who they were giving it to on the box. It was a cute summer giftset.

  It was also something no other RC store had ever done. That meant it was sure to stand out. When Willow and her team were done, they faced their audience, smiled and awaited the feedback.

  The room was deathly silent. Willow chanced a glance at Kang. Damn it. What was he glaring for now? She looked to the team he’d brought with him from Korea. All three males were smiling.

  Apparently, they thought the presentation was smile worthy. So, what the hell was wrong with Mr. Grinch? Willow glanced at Olivia. She was wearing a sneaky smirk. Bitch.

  “Well...” Olivia inhaled deeply. “That was... different. Um, unique.” Olivia faced Kang. “Mr. GM, would you like to critique this team’s proposal?”

  Kang nodded. Still wearing that dumb ass smirk, Olivia leaned back in her seat. Kang picked up the folder Willow had put together and begin flipping through her proposal. Heart racing, Willow waited for Kang to say something. His words hurt her more than they should’ve.

  “Whoever came up with this idea doesn’t know anything about marketing.”

  It felt like all the air was knocked from her lungs. Even Stephanie, who was seated at the table, gasped.

  “You three may sit down,” Kang said.

  Willow just stood there, staring at him, seething with rage. Who the hell did he think he was? She didn’t budge until Dez grabbed her and pulled her to her seat. As soon as she sat down, Kang rose and walked to the front of the room.

  Hands in his pockets, he shook his head as he stared out over the room. “Honestly, I didn’t expect much when I decided to sit in on this presentation.”

  Fucking bastard.

  “However, this is worse than I thought it would be. Two of your ideas lacked originality. The third made no sense at all.”

  No sense at all? Lies. It made perfect sense.

  “Summer Lovin? Do you think couples go around purchasing summer gifts for one another? In February or December, this idea would make better sense. But not in the summer. And this campaign is set for July 1st. Do you really believe we’d have enough gold bracelets designed and ready by July 1st? Also...”

  Willow could feel her anger rising higher and higher with each word he uttered. She knew if she didn’t leave the room soon, she would explode. The people at work had never seen her attitude. She prayed for strength and the ability to keep her crazy in check.

  “Also,” Kang continued his verbal smackdown. “This summer campaign is meant to be fun and inexpensive to our consumers. Our target audience is young adults. This proposal would appeal to an older demographic.”

  Willow rolled her eyes. Tired of biting her tongue, she raised her hand.

  “Yes, Ms. Thompson,” Kang said, not bothering to look her way.

  That’s was fine. He didn’t have to see her. She would make damn sure he heard her though.

  “Mr. Kang, I hear what you’re saying. However, the marketing director you brought with you, seemed okay with our proposal. Since he knows more about marketing than either of us, why don’t we ask him about his thoughts.”

  Willow smiled and waited. There was that tick in his jaw. He was mad. Good. The bastard.

  “Yeah,” Kizzy chimed in. “Let’s ask the marketing director.”

  Willow, her three friends and everyone else in the room faced Lee. Willow had no idea men could blush. Lee was definitely doing so.

  “Mr. Lee,” Kizzy said, in that sweet voice she used when she wanted someone to agree to her wishes. “What do you think of our proposal? Not just us, but all of them.”

  And... another one bites the dust. With the blink of her eyes, Kizzy had Lee wrapped around her finger.

  “I think your proposal was outstanding. I love the idea of Summer Lovin. I think it
will appeal to our female customers. And if the females are excited about it, their boyfriends and husbands will be eager to purchase it to make them happy.”

  Willow beamed. “Thank you, Mr. Lee.”

  “Yes,” Kizzy said. “Thank you, Mr. Lee. Very much.”

  Lee nodded at them then shrugged at Kang. Willow swiveled in her seat to face Kang. He looked furious. Her smile faltered but didn’t disappear. This was a small victory for her. She wanted to savor it. She wondered what he had to say for himself now. At least he was glaring at Lee and not her.

  “I respect Mr. Lee’s opinion. My question is, do we have time to design the gold bracelets needed for the campaign?”

  Mr. Lee massaged his chin then faced the man called Shao. “With Shao’s help, we could try. If we went with silver bracelets instead of gold, we would have a better turnaround time.” Mr. Lee looked to her. “Would silver be okay with you, Willow?”

  “Silver?” Willow thought it over. “We’d have to change the color scheme for the product. Instead of gold and black we could do black and silver. Yeah, silver would work.”

  Lee looked to Shao. “You could come up with a simple yet elegant design for us. How long would it take you and your team to produce enough for the campaign?”

  “It depends on how many you’d need.”

  Hopeful, Willow said, “What if we just did a limited time campaign with a limited quantity?”

  “Whoa,” Olivia spoke up. “Even though this is a summer campaign, we still want the product on our shelves year-round. We can’t change that just because your proposal won’t have a sufficient quantity in time.”

  Willow fought the urge to roll her eyes.

  “I agree,” Kang stated, taking Olivia’s side.

  “How about we talk it over,” Mr. Lee spoke up for Willow’s side, quickly becoming her favorite person. “The idea is sound and creative. Before we cross it off the list, let’s brainstorm. I would love to meet with Willow and her team to discuss other possibilities for the proposal.”

  Willow couldn’t stop herself from smiling. Even Dez and Kizzy wore huge grins on their faces. Kang looked like he could punch a hole through a brick right now. That only made Willow’s smile brighter.

  His gaze turned in her direction. She flashed her pearly whites at him. For a second, a brief second, his glare softened and she almost recognized him as the best friend she used to know.

  That look only lasted a nano-second. Yet, it left Willow feeling breathless. She grabbed a folder from the table and flipped through the pages, trying to stare anywhere but at him as his deep voice filled the room.

  “My team and I will talk over the proposals. We’ll let Olivia know something by tomorrow afternoon. In the meantime, I want you all to come up with more ideas, just in case this one falls through.”

  It better not fall through.

  “That’s all for today. You can return to your areas.”

  Willow rushed to her feet.

  “Ms. Thompson.”

  Willow paused mid-step. Why did he have to call her name? Why?

  “He’s calling you,” Dez whispered as she walked past her.

  “No shit, Sherlock,” Willow whispered.

  Kizzy gave Willow a sad look, but neither of them stayed behind with her. Willow took a deep breath then faced Kang. Damn. When had he crossed the room to stand right behind her? He was too close.

  “Yes, sir?” Why did she have to sound breathless when she said sir? It almost sounded sexy. Like a purr.

  His mouth opened slightly, but no words emerged. The look on his face puzzled her.

  She couldn’t resist saying, “Sir, close your mouth before something flies in it.”

  He snapped his jaw shut.

  One point for Willow. Yes!

  Kang cleared his throat then said, “I’d like to see you in my office, Ms. Thompson. Now.”

  Damn. Her small victory didn’t taste so sweet now. Nodding, Willow took a step back. The smell of his cologne was sort of intoxicating. And even though she despised him, standing this close to him made her mind wander into territory that was forbidden.

  Mouth suddenly feeling dry, Willow licked her lips. Kang’s gaze dropped to her mouth. His fingers clenched into fists seconds before he shoved his hands into his pockets. That tick in his jaw return.

  But this time he didn’t look mad. He looked.... She didn’t want to think about how he looked. Not thinking about it didn’t stop arousal from unfurling in her belly. Stop it, Willow. Don’t think naughty thoughts about the enemy.

  “Kang, we’ll leave you two alone.”

  The sound of Shao’s voice pulled her out of her haze. She stared right, to the three men eying her and Kang. Willow gazed around the room. Damn it, everyone else had already left. She hadn’t even noticed. Smiling, Kang’s team left the two of them alone.

  Willow took another step back, putting more distance between her and Kang. “I’m going to uh, run to the bathroom really quick and then I’ll meet you in your office.”

  Not waiting on him to agree, Willow fled the scene. In the bathroom, she grabbed a paper towel and blotted her face dry. She was sweating like a hooker in Sunday School? Her reflection looked nervous.

  “Stop looking like that,” Willow whispered to her reflection. Willow tapped her cheeks. “Come on Willow, pull it together. You’re a professional. You never get flustered in the work place. You always keep your cool.”

  She placed her palm against her chest. Her heart was still racing? Trying to get her heart rate in check, she took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. She didn’t need this type of stress in her life.

  Having Kang here was tilting her world off its axis. She didn’t like that all. And she damn sure hadn’t liked the way he’d stared at her just now. It had been a weird look. It made her feel weird.

  He almost looked as if he wanted her, in a way that a man wants a woman. Willow shook her head. She was thinking nonsense. No way had that been the kind of look Kang was giving her.

  Maybe in the past he’d felt that way about her. But not now. Now, he hated her. That look must’ve have been a figment of her imagination. Maybe she’d been projecting her own naughty thoughts onto him.

  She needed to pull herself together before she did or said something to embarrass herself. Her phone dinged. She pulled it from her pocket. There was a text message from Dez.

  DEZ: Um.... The new GM said that if you’re not in his office in five minutes, he’s going to come looking for you.... Again. Don’t shoot the messenger. #Sorry.

  “Ugh... fuck my life.”

  Her stomach chose that moment to growl, reminding her that she’d only had a cup of coffee for breakfast. Willow groaned and stared down at her watch. Shit. She stormed from the bathroom.

  As she stomped down the hall, heading to the elevator so she could go talk to Kang, her stomach growled again. Willow stopped in the middle of the hallway. Why was she rushing to his office simply because he said so?

  Fuck that! Yeah, he was the interim GM. But he couldn’t really fire her. His mother wouldn’t allow it. Willow stared down at her watch again. Mr. Kang would just have to wait. She was hungry and those blueberry Danish in the vending machine were calling her name.

  Willow walked over to the vending machine. Would she be pushing her luck if she grabbed a Danish, a cup of coffee and sat down in the breakroom to eat? She smiled. Yes, she would.

  So, what? Kang thought he had all the power because he was her boss. Since they’d stopped being friends, she’d tiptoed around him, afraid of angering him. Why? To soothe his wounded pride?

  Fuck his pride. She had pride too. And he stepped on it every chance he got. Not once had he ever said he was sorry. It was time for her to do a little pride-stepping. And she was wearing heels, so it would hurt more.

  Smiling, Willow put some change into the vending machine. Too grab a coffee and eat in the break room or not to grab a coffee and eat in the break room? That was the question. Hmm.... She would eat it o
n the way to his off. Yeah, she was feeling braver.

  Just not brave enough to be any later than she already was.

  Chapter Four

  Kang stared at his watch.

  In one minute and fifteen seconds, he was going to go look for her. Seated in his chair, he stared at his office door. Any minute now, Willow would be rushing in and giving him some excuse on why it had taken her so long to come to his office.

  Kang stared down at his watch again. Only twenty seconds had passed. Shit. He stood up and walked around his desk. Now seated on the edge of his desk, he resumed glaring at his office door.

  Any minute now. He refused to look at his watch again. She’d come. She had no choice. He was her boss. She had to do what he said. The roles were reversed now. He was no longer at her beck and call.

  Now, she was at his. He should be thrilled. Instead, he felt anxious. She’d only been gone for a few minutes and already he was yearning for another glimpse of her. It was her smile that did him in.

  He’d told himself he wouldn’t let her affect him. He’d told himself he’d steel his heart against her, that he’d ice her out. Yet, the moment she smiled today, after Lee took her side in their subtle argument, all thought of icing her out had evaporated.

  The ice box he called a heart had begun to thaw. And that was pissing him the fuck off. It should’ve been easy to hit the freeze button on his emotions again. But, she’d struck him with another blow.

  Earlier, when she’d said ‘yes sir’ to him, it did something to him. It made him feel some type of way. Kang wiped his hand over his face. Was it his imagination fucking with him or had she sounded sexy on purpose?

  She damn sure hadn’t sounded angry or nervous. Which was how she usually sounded when she talked to him. The doorknob twisted. Kang stood up. He straightened his tie quickly then shoved his hands into his pockets.

  Be cool, Kang. You’re the boss.