Chapter 11 He's Your Friend?

[Ella]
"Can you say that again?"
It must have been because the room was so big, and I was too far from Mr. Clapton to hear him. I reassure myself of this, with a bit of hope for a second confirmation.
"You're going to pretend to be my girlfriend in front of the researchers, but you can't touch me." Mr. Clapton repeats again.
Well! I haven't misheard. He wants me to pretend to be his girlfriend, but I'm not allowed to have any physical contact with him at the same time. So, it's a damn job task.
"Why? It's just a simple health check, isn't it?"
"The breeding lab has strict buy conditions and post-sale evaluation for buyers of Ashera cat. One of the conditions is that the buyer cannot be single. If the buyer's situation and breeding environment are not satisfactory, they will take back the cat and notify the media. This could affect my business reputation."
"It's impossible for me to make up with Camilla. So, if you wanna keep this job and this cat, you must pretend to be my girlfriend." After that, he takes a sip of his coffee.
This breeding lab is very responsible, and I like it. Part of my questions gets answered. But I don't understand his add-on condition - I can't touch him because I smell like Ethan. Ethan is an exceptionally clean cat, and he doesn't have any bad smells on him.
Maybe Mr. Clapton has a keen sense of smell and can pick up faint odors that ordinary shifters can't.
"Any questions?" Mr. Clapton asks.
"Yes! Mr. Clapton, can you teach me how to make others believe two shifters who aren't mates and don't have any physical contact are a couple?" I say and put Ethan on the table. He's sniffing the flowers in the vase.
"Have you ever heard an old saying? The eyes are the windows to the soul. Please be flexible with your eyes and your expressions. By the way, have you never been in love?" He looks at me with a teasing smile, making me want to hit him.
"Of course, I did have relationships, although I don't have as many as you do." I roll my eyes.
Who does he think I am? An actress with superb acting skills? If I can let strangers know I'm Mr. Clapton's girlfriend just by my eyes and expressions, then the next Oscar for Best Actress can be reserved for me.
"Then this task is easy for you." The smile disappears from his face, and I wonder which of my words displease him. He continues, "Ansel will inform me of an emergency meeting after the researchers arrive. So, I will only stay with you for a few minutes." With that, Mr. Clapton stands up and walks toward me.
My nerves immediately loosen. I cross my arms and ask him, "Why don't you just say you only need me to hold on for a few minutes? Does it amuse you to see me tense up?"
"Maybe!" Mr. Clapton pauses and suddenly smiles again. It seems his mood always puzzles me.
"You are so upset with my request. Is it because I don't allow you to touch me? So, you actually want to have physical contact with me. Such as a hug, a kiss... " His low and sexy voice gets closer and closer to me.
"Don't flatter..." I turn my head, and my eyes meet his. 'Yourself' sticks in my tightening throat, preventing me from uttering the full sentence.
Mr. Clapton rests three steps away from me with a charming smile on his sexy lips. "Go on, my love."
My love? My cheeks grow hotter visibly. His eyes are full of teasing, and his voice appears to be filled with magic, tempting me to want to go closer to him.
The air smells like buttered bread, which I love. Mr. Clapton steps closer, raises his eyebrows, and calls my name in his magnetic voice, "Ella, are you all right?"
The aroma of buttered bread gets stronger, which lowers the concentration of oxygen in the air. My heart starts to beat faster, and my breathing becomes rapid. Why am I acting up? I shouldn't be like this. He is Mia's mate.
"Meow~" Ethan jumps off the table and wraps his two front paws around my legs. This is how he behaves when he wants a meal.
My Ethan is my savior. I immediately kneel down to pick up Ethan and apologize to Mr. Clapton, "Sorry, Mr. Clapton. He's hungry. No worry, I had prepared lunch for him before I left home."
"Honey, you should call my nickname or something affectionate instead." He calls me honey with ease, the corners of his lips picking upward again.
"See you later, Eth." I change it as he wishes. He nods and leaves the dining room in a good mood.
After he leaves, the aroma of buttered bread in the room fades a lot. Recalling the strange feeling I had when I faced him just now, I sigh to Ethan, who is eating lunch, and murmur, "Ethan, I may have a crush on your master."
***
As Jasper follows the middle-aged female researcher who introduces herself as Sarah Crawley into the villa, I realize this health checkup may take an unusually long time.
I became the other she-wolf laughed at by all students when Jasper, my boyfriend at the time, kissed Celina, the prom queen, in front of the whole school the week before the high school prom.
But what the students didn't know was Jasper told me he had broken up with Celina when he asked me out on a date. I explained to Nina and Doris, two friends I cared about, that I was not the wrecker, and Jasper lied to me. But our four-year friendship became fragile amidst all those boo-boos from the students.
In the end, there was no once-in-a-lifetime prom for me. I deleted the contact information of all my high school friends and classmates and blocked their social accounts. Since then, I have never contacted any of them again.
Now, it has been four years. I never expect to see Jasper again at Mr. Clapton's house. He looks taller, now close to 6 feet. He had curly brown hair in high school, but now he has colored it blond. However, his dark chocolate-colored eyes have not changed much.
To be honest, I don't feel anything for Jasper anymore. It doesn't even make me feel disappointed or angry; after all, we haven't seen each other or had any contact in four years. He' s just a schoolmate to me.
"Ella?" Jasper recognizes me at first sight when entering the house.
"Hi, Jasper, long time no see." I greet him with a smile. If I hadn't held Ethan, I might have considered waving at him.
"My moon god. I can't believe it. Oh, wait, wait," Jasper puts down two suitcases. After noticing Ethan in my arms, his eyes widened. "That cat. Are you Mr. Clapton's girlfriend?"
"No way! You lucky girl! That's incredible!"
Yeah, that's indeed incredible. I say nothing; Mr. Clapton is not here, and you can tell I'm Mr. Clapton's girlfriend.
Jasper steps toward me with a great smile and pats my shoulder, "How are you doing? I've thought about you a lot since graduation."
I don't even remember him being such a passionate guy.
"Meow!" Ethan doesn't like strangers near me. He extends his claws hidden under the fur at Jasper, though they aren't sharp because I trimmed them this morning.
"You two are acquainted?" Mrs. Crawley asks and pushes her glasses upward. Ansel, meanwhile, throws me a wondering look.
"We're..."
"Who is he?" Mr. Clapton's voice comes from the back right, interrupting my answer.
I turn around and see Mr. Clapton walking down from the second floor. His look is not friendly, just like Ethan's when he woke up early.
"Mr. Clapton!" Jasper's lips are trembling. When Mr. Clapton gets to the first floor, Jasper is already excitedly trotting towards Mr. Clapton and then extending his hand. "It's a great honor to meet you, Mr. Clapton. I'm..."
Mr. Clapton doesn't stop for Jasper, not even leaving a glance. He stops two steps away from me and then changes his eyes and expression. In his sexy bass voice, he asks me, "He's your friend?"