Chapter 15 The Employee Discount

[Ella]
"Are you sure it fits me?" I look at myself in the mirror in my red strapless gown and turn to Catherine, the shop assistant.
I never have red clothes in my closet because I always think they get attention easily. And I'm not a girl who likes to get too much attention.
"Of course. Miss, you are so perfect for this gown. And it would be even better with a nice hairdo. Trust me, Mr. Clapton will be smitten with you." Catherine says and drapes me in the pashmina that is long enough to touch the floor.
Will he? I carefully step out of the fitting room with my doubts.
Mr. Clapton is on the phone with his back to me. But as if he has eyes in the back of his head, he turns to look at me when I emerge.
"My goodness, you look gorgeous." The lady who is the store manager covers her wide open mouth and praises me with a very exaggerated tone.
"Hi," I greet Mr. Clapton stiffly, my heart beating like a drum, and I don't know where to put my hands.
In just a blink of an eye, I catch the surprise in his eyes, which makes me feel happier than ever.
"I'll call you later, Mom." He finishes, walking toward me.
"You look good. But you can get better." Mr. Clapton smiles, then his eyes move to my feet. I am still wearing my canvas.
"Mr. Clapton, I'm so sorry. I'll pick out a proper pair of shoes for the lady at once." Catherine apologizes to Mr. Clapton in a panic.
"No need." Mr. Clapton stops Catherine, goes to the shoe rack not far from us and selects a pair of black high heels. The heel is about 5cm, and the vamp is studded with shiny, tiny crystals. He hands the heels to me, "Try these on?"
Catherine shows a shocked expression and immediately brings me to the fitting room to exchange shoes.
"Oh, my moon god! I, no, you should go buy a lottery today. This is the first time I've seen Mr. Clapton select shoes for his date. How long have you been dating?" Catherine lowers her volume, but I can feel the excitement in her trembling voice.
"I..." I shake my head. I want to say I'm not his girlfriend, but the rest of my words are stuck in my throat because I greedily hope she's telling the truth. However, I am not qualified to go out with Mr. Clapton because his mate is Mia.
Speaking of Mia, I suddenly remember she's back from Chicago today. We arranged to go to Jenny's Kitchen for dinner at 8pm last night. I check my phone and notice she has sent me a few messages.
[I'm back! Haven't you and Ethan finished your health check yet? 16:25]
[I desperately want to talk to you because I met an annoying guy. 16:26]
[Too tired. I'll take a nap. 16:50]
[Ethan is sent back by Ansel. Let me guess, you get to stay overnight with another Ethan. 18:31]
The last smirk sticker was sent two minutes ago.
I quickly reply to her that I'm shopping for my gown for tomorrow. We meet at Jenny's Kitchen at 8:00 as planned and ask Mia to help me put Ethan's dinner in his bowl.
After confirming the heels match, I take off my evening gown and change back into my jeans and the white t-shirt.
After walking out of the fitting room, Mr. Clapton frowns at me, sitting on the leather couch. I immediately explain, "I have a date with Mia for dinner. The shoes fit perfectly. I'll take both the evening gown and the shoes." I take out my purse, hoping I have enough on my credit card to pay for the pricey-looking gown and heels.
Mr. Clapton puts down the coffee in his hand, stands up, and says, "Where's your dinner spot? I'll drive you there."
Before I ask the store manager where I can pay, she already puts the packed evening gown and shoes into Catherine's hands and smiles, "Thank you for coming, please take care."
"Mr..." I realize Mr. Clapton has already paid, which makes me uneasy. But before I call out his name, he interrupts me, " Wanna stay here for dinner?"
Seeing Catherine places the clothes and shoes in the back seat, I have to get in the passenger seat. After the car starts, I tell Mr. Clapton the name and address of the restaurant.
Mr. Clapton sets the destination, and I immediately ask him, "How much did the dress and shoes cost? You can deduct it from my salary and bonus this month."
"Ella, you know the ladies out shopping with me never spend a dime. Next time you go shopping with me, don't take your purse out. As an Alpha, I never expect a lady to pay the bills."
In disbelief, I turn to my boss, "You're super-rich, so you have to pay all the bills when you go out with others? That's just not fair. You're not an ATM."
"Interesting point." He gives this comment after a quick smile.
"I'm serious. I bought the gown and heels for the party tomorrow. It's nothing to do with you."
"That gown store belongs to my brother. If you insist on paying, I will inform Ansel to deduct your bonus for this month."
Mr. Clapton has a brother? I am a little curious if his brother is as cocky as he is, but I am more concerned that he takes me to his brother's store. This means he reclaims all my bonuses in a different way.
"Mr. Clapton, can I ask a question?" I ask.
"Sure."
"As a full-time employee of Blue Moon Group, can I get an employee discount at your brother's store?"
Seriously, it is the first time I hear Mr. Clapton laugh so loudly, just because of my question.
And, inexplicably, my mood gets better with the sound of his laughter. The aroma of buttered bread floats into my nostrils, wondering which bakery we've passed. The smell makes my stomach wiggle and causes me to feel like I could swallow a cow.
"Yes, you can get the employee discount." Mr. Clapton answers with a cheerful smile, though he doesn't say how much of a discount I'll get.
We have arrived at Jenny's Kitchen with starlight, moonlight, and Mr. Clapton's good mood.
"Mr. Clapton, why don't you join us? It's my treat today." I suggest. Mr. Clapton is my boss and Mia's mate, so Mia probably won't mind if I invite him to join us.
"This restaurant is not owned by our group. Can you accept no employee discount?" Mr. Clapton jokes.
"Whatever. But just so you know, it's Mia dining with me today." I roll my eyes and feel like a fool.
"Your hot and beautiful roommate? Please be sure to invite me to join your girls' night." Mr. Clapton looks at me with a smirk that makes me lose my appetite.
"No problem." I unbuckle my seat belt and get out of the car to find Mia's red MINI Cooper parked in front of the restaurant. A man in shorts and an orange plaid shirt stands next to Mia's car door and opens it for her.
I am sure the girl in the sexy V-neck white dress getting out of the car is my BFF. But I don't remember any of our mutual friends having curly brown hair and being close to 6.5 feet tall.
I approach them, the man's high figure blocking Mia's vision, and she doesn't see me. I overhear Mia talking to the guy with an impatient tone. "If you want a date, I can introduce you to some nice girls, but please don't keep wasting your time on me."
"The best girl in the world is already standing in front of me. I don't want anyone else." The man's face is not visible to me as his back is turned. But from his loud and powerful voice like a tenor, I can infer he may be a very cheerful man.
However, he seems to be pestering Mia.
Hold on, is this guy the one Mia mentioned in the messages?
If so, I'm going to help her get rid of this guy.
"Mia!"
"Hey, Ella," Mia says, her eyes lighting up when she spots me. She enthusiastically takes my arm and pulls me over to the man. "Lucas, let me introduce Ella, much cuter and more charming than me and look at her beautiful eyes. No one can fail to be impressed by them."
The man's olive-green eyes are full of surprise. And his high nose and lips look familiar.
"Lucas?" Mr. Clapton's voice appears behind me.