Chapter 20

Kylie POV

For one fleeting second, I forgot about the fact that I was now drenched in scalding hot coffee and let myself be lost in the eyes of the mysterious man, who put me in this predicament.
Blond curls fell gently on his forehead in a very flattering way. His hair looked dishevelled but immaculate at the same time, if that was possible. And his face resembled that of an ancient mythological god, a Greek one perhaps. From his straight nose, his high cheek bones to his sharp jawline.
His eyes were the colour of the precious stone jade, with almost unnoticeable streaks of blue. For some odd reason, they seemed to make everything still and I found myself drowning in them.
"What a first impression I've made. Are you alright, miss?" he asked cautiously, worry and concern swimming in his entrancing orbs.
And then the scorching intensity of the hot beverage set in, and I shrieked out. I sat upright, scanning my arms and torso. My outfit was completely ruined.
"Dammit, look at this mess. Do you not watch where you're going!" I half screamed, much to the stranger's surprise.
He chuckled lowly.
"I should be asking you that since you are the one who bumped into me." And dare I say it, he was actually right.
I wasn't watching where I was going because I was too busy being angry at that asshole of a boss. So to some extent, this was his fault.
He offered his hand to me.
"Nonetheless, let me help you up."
I eyed his hand wearily, and took it. In one swift movement, he hoisted me off the ground and into his hard chest.
My breath hitched when we came into contact. He was way too close for my liking, invading my personal space. I knew that behind the fancy suit, he was rippling with nothing but muscle. Our faces were inches apart and his spicy cologne assaulted my nostrils. He stood a whole head taller than me. I was too scared to look into his eyes again because I knew they were studying me this very moment.
I pushed away from him, and straightened my crinkled slacks. An awkward silence suddenly fell around us, further adding to my unease.
I cleared my throat.
"Umm, I'm sorry for bumping into you. My head wasn't in the right place." I said, looking down at my feet.
"It's alright. I should apologising to you for the coffee. I bet it was blazing." He chuckled again, and so did I.
"It was."
His eyebrows scrunched up a bit.
"I've never seen you around here. Are you new?"
"Yeah, I am the CEO's new personal assistant."
His brows shot up in surprise.
"Oh really." and then he mumbled something under his breath, so he finally got rid of that floosy Cicilia.
"I'm Kylie Carter." I replied, shooting him a slight smile. This is probably one of the best worst moments I've had in ages.
"Anyway, let me introduce myself. The name's Kelvin Hunt." he pronounced in that cute British accent of his, offering me a warm boyish grin.
"I see that you have neglected your duty to engage in some small talk, Miss Carter." roared a voice, his voice, which could be indentified anyway, the way it was full of ice and reproach.
I cursed in my mind and slowly turned to face him. Sure enough, he didn't look too pleased but it wasn't just discontent that was flashing in his steel eyes. Was that a hint of jealousy?
"S-sorry, I-" and then someone cut me off.
"Calm down, Mark. We bumped into each other and she spilled the coffee all over herself. I was just making sure she was alright." Kelvin decided to intercede, trying to pacify Mark's fury.
Bryce scoffed.
"Yeah, sure. That's exactly what it looked like." he spat, rather too harshly and he was shooting silent daggers at Mark.
"It's true. Can you not see that I'm wet?" I said calmly. Seriously, how insensitive could he get?
"Get cleaned up and get me my coffee. You seem to have forgotten about it." Mark ordered. Heck, what crawled up his ass?
I was about to interject, when Kelvin turned to me.
"Kylie, dear, this is half my fault. I'm pretty sure you don't have anything to freshen up with so take my jacket." he voiced, shrugging off his jacket and putting it around me. It smelled just like him.
I couldn't help but smile at his humane act. Mark could learn a thing or two from him.
"Thanks Kelvin. I'll make sure to give it back to you," I hesitated for a moment, "that's if I ever see you again. Will I?"
Then he shot me a charming smile.
"I hope so. But in case you don't, keep it safe for me. Go now, before I get you fired."
With that said, I turned to leave towards the elevator at the end of the hall, but not before stealing a glance at Mark. His face was plastered with an unreadable expression. As I walked off to the said elevator, I could feel their eyes following my every step and one of the pair gave me the chills.
The problem was that I couldn't really tell whose they were particularly.
........
When Kylie walked into the elevator, the two men's gazes fell from her glorious behind and to each other. The tension was thick and could be cut by a knife.
"What are you doing here, Kelvin?" spat Mark, rather rudely.
Kelvin and Mark were not particularly friends. In fact, their relationship could be described as a rocky one.
Kelvin smirked.
"Good to see you too, old friend. Why don't you invite me into your office and we can talk."
Mark could already feel his blood pressure steadily rising. Whenever this man showed up in his life, it usually meant trouble.
Without a word, Mark turned and stalked back into his office with Kelvin in tow. As he took his seat behind his desk, Kelvin shut the door and also took a seat.
"So, tell me again what you are doing here?" Mark voiced in a deadpan tone.
A few months ago, Kelvin had come up with the absurd notion that he could weasel his way into Cheng Xiao SEO by buying a few shares. Kelvin was from a wealthy family and had just inherited his father's empire which had its hands in practically every aspect of business, be it construction, shipping, telecommunications etc. The Hunt Cooperation also had a bad reputation for buying shares in large companies and then later on usurping them from the original owners.
Kelvin sighed.
"Don't worry, Johnson. I mean no harm actually. So, have you rethought my offer?"
Mark was more than just reluctant to sell shares to Kelvin. He had worked too damn hard to get his construction company where it was and he wasn't about to let some spoilt rich kid take that away from him.
Mark directed his attention to his laptop on his desk.
"You know what, I actually have. And do you know what my answer is?" he said, in fake amazement.
Kelvin's smirk grew wider.
"You accept? Great, I knew-"
"Hell no," he cut him off.
"Fuck you and your insane offer. Now get the hell out of my office before I call security on your pompous ass."
A red tint, both of anger and embarrasment, slowly crawled up Kelvin's face. He was beyond livid. Mark was just far too stubborn. He was surely one of the biggest assholes he had ever met.
"I see I just wasted my time coming here." Kelvin stood up abruptly and turned to leave.
"Although, I'm glad I got to see that sexy P.A of yours. She's got a fine arse, If I do say so myself."
That comment hit a nerve. Mark's gaze went from his laptop to Kelvin within a nanosecond.
"What did you say?" he barked, unceremoniously.
"Where have you been hiding her, Johnsons? She must be really special of you if you fired that cicilia's chick for her. But I understand, Kylie is a bombshell. I mean did you see her a-"
Kelvin didn't get to finish his sentence because not a moment later, Mark was in front of him, holding him roughly by the collar.
"Don't you dare say another word, Hunt, or I swear I will-,"
Kelvin practically laughed in his face.
"Or you will what? Beat me? Kick me out? Go on ahead, but too bad I've already see that piece of eye candy and now I just decided I want her between my sheets." he smiled mockingly.
Mark was about to take a swing at him when the door burst open and in strolled Kylie, freshened up and with two steaming hot mugs of coffee. She did, however, almost drop them when her eyes landed on the spectacle before her.
"Am I interrupting something?" she asked, genuinely concerned.
Both men looked at her, both speechless at the moment.