“And?” he asked, attempting to keep the conversation going, although it was pretty one sided.
Kayla shook her head, trying to reboot her mind.
“And what?” she asked with a sigh, so over this conversation. She had no time for this; she needed to be at Mills Security in five minutes. Turning her attention to the two elevators, it disappointed Kayla to see that the closest one was on the tenth floor. Great, at least it was moving down. Hopefully, this guy wouldn’t go to the same floor as her.
“And do you like what you see?” he clarified, interrupting her thoughts.
“Why? I’d think you wouldn’t need any confirmation. Your head is big enough as it is.”
Booming laughter followed her statement. It irritated Kayla that he had the nerve to laugh. The rise of her right brow and a stern look were all she needed to shut him up.
After what had happened over a month ago, she was glad she still had it in her and didn’t come across as a pushover. Meeting a man was the last thing on her to-do list.
She needed to be on her A game today and not flirting with some playboy who thought he could have her falling for his, by the look of it, signature panty-dropping smirk.
Kayla had always enjoyed flirting, but she needed no distraction from a tall, muscular, and beautifully rugged man. Yes, she could tell by his stance and attitude, he was definitely a man who was used to getting his way.
He oozed cockiness, a confidence that would normally attract her. But not now, not when her life was upside down and she needed to stay focused.
One of the two elevators passed the sixth floor on its way down to the ground floor, and Kayla intentionally kept her gaze on the doors instead of Mr. Boxer. The name suited him with his crooked nose, scarred right eyebrow, and robust physique.
“Well, I’m wondering if I’ve lost my touch, as you refuse to even look my way.” His tone had lost its playfulness, and Kayla glanced over her shoulder to see if his expression matched his words.
His smirk was gone. Well, at least that was something. And to give him the final blow, Kayla turned back to the elevator doors and continued to ignore him.
The elevator dinged and its doors slid open. After pushing the button with the floor number she needed, she strolled to the back of the elevator and rested her backside at the bar across the fully mirrored elevator. Mr. Boxer prowled across the compact space to stand beside her, his eyes on her the entire time.
The other people in the elevator hastily made room for him. Why was she still standing there instead of moving when he stood so close to her? Her reaction perplexed her as her skin heated under his gaze and his forwardness when his leg softly touched her thigh as he leaned in to her.
The old Kayla would have given him a chilly stare or a warning threat, which would’ve sent him running scared out of this elevator, but she couldn’t seem to do that just now. Was it because Mr. Boxer intrigued her, or had her recent experiences numbed her?
It disappointed her in herself either way. Hadn’t she learned by now that she needed to distance herself from men who looked at her as if they wanted to eat her alive?
“What are you doing?” she said in a loud whisper that had two women in business suits in the elevator looking up from their phones to watch them.
“I’m sorry, but there’s not much room in here,” he said.
She took a step to her other side, bumping into a bald-headed guy who made a show out of his annoyance by clucking his tongue. Mr. Boxer leaned over Kayla and said, “We got a problem?”
The bald guy swallowed a few times before shaking his head. He didn’t answer Mr. Boxer, but by moving himself over to the two women in business suits, he made sure there was no problem.
Kayla dared to look up at Mr. Boxer and he took it as a sign of encouragement as he said, “Let’s meet up for drinks tonight.”
“No, thank you. I’m not interested.” She batted her eyelashes at him before he could sniff out her blatant lie. If she didn’t have all this baggage holding her back, she would be very interested to take him up on his offer.
The ding of the elevator interrupted her thoughts. Two office workers entered the elevator, and she looked up to find what floor they were on. She focused on the numbers changing on the display and moved toward the doors.
When Kayla walked out of the elevator, she noticed Mr. Boxer following her in the elevator mirror. It shouldn’t surprise her, and it definitely shouldn’t give her an extra sway in her step knowing he was walking behind her.
Her four-inch heels clicked on the tiles as she strolled up to the reception desk of Mills Security. A voluptuous brunette in a tight, fitted red dress was typing away at her computer.
The receptionist’s chocolate hair was pinned in a knot, but some loose curls bounced next to her hazel eyes. Her red lips pursed into a straight line as she looked up from her computer but didn’t give the slightest other acknowledgement of Kayla standing in front of her desk.
“Good morning. My name is Kayla Walsh, and I have a meeting with Donovan Mills.”
The brunette’s face transformed as she tried for a fake smile. “Good morning, Duncan. How are you? Is Donovan expecting you?”
Kayla looked over her shoulder, and sure enough, Mr. Boxer was standing there smiling at the brunette. What is he smiling at her for? Normally, Kayla would call out the snooty woman for flat-out ignoring her. But she decided against it because she really needed this job.