Marcellius Fierri [Book #1]

Chapter 5

Mia's POV
I don't know why I kissed him. I've been thinking about it since last night. So much so that I barely got any sleep. I just kept wondering what he must be thinking right now. I really hope it doesn't ruin our friendship.

The doorbell suddenly rings, causing me to flinch and mess up my mascara. Damn it. The brush had gone straight in my eye. My dad's been gone all day, so it's just been me in the house alone. And I wasn't expecting anyone. Grabbing a napkin from in the kitchen, I make my way towards the door. I wipe at the mascara, my eye watering and turning red.

Now I look like I have pink eye.

Ugh.

Groaning with frustration, I fling open the door. I'm surprised to see who's standing on the other side of the door. It was Marcellius' driver. "Hello Miss Davis. My boss had me bring over your car."

I glance over his shoulder and out the window to see my car parked on the curb. "Thank you so much Ramzi," I say looking back at him.

"You're so very welcome." He gives me a kind smile, the crows feet near his eyes more defined. "You aren't busy are you ma'am?" I shake my head, wiping the last of the mascara out of my eye. "Perfect. The boss has asked to be your personal driver for today." I glance over his shoulder once more to see the limo also parked on the curb.

"Uh for what?"

"Mainly for shopping, but also for anything else you might want." Ramzi pulls out a black and gold card with Marcellius' name printed on the front.

"What would I need to go shopping for?"

"The boss would like you to join him at the Fierri Nightclub tonight."

"Like a date?" My face slightly lights up at the idea of going on a date with Marcellius.

"He didn't say ma'am. Just requested that you be taken care of tonight." Ramzi holds out an outstretched arm, gesturing for me to go ahead. I normally sleep in, so Ramzi caught me at the perfect time.

I wasn't expecting anything like this from Marcellius. I'm always having to remind him that I don't need his money, because he often tries to pay my bills. I mean the offer is sweet, but I don't want him thinking I'm some gold digger. Besides, I'm an independent woman who doesn't need a man to provide for her every need. I've been handling things on my own just fine.

"I'm fine Ramzi. Tell Marcellius I said thank you for the offer."

Ramzi looks at me with pleading eyes. "He'll fire me if I don't take you shopping." Rolling my eyes, I follow Ramzi to the limo. Clever son of a bitch. He knew I wouldn't allow someone, especially Ramzi, to lose their job just because I take pride in myself. I hop in the backseat just as he opens and shuts the door. He heads up to the front and I buckle myself in. I had to admit I was excited. No one has ever done something this nice for me before.

Ramzi rolls down the window separating me and him. All I can see is the back of his gray-haired covered head and his blue eyes staring at me through the mirror. "We will be gone for a while, so the boss has provided you with your favorite snacks and drinks." He rolls up the window and starts driving. I lift up the arm rest beside me to find it filled to the brim with almost every kind of my favorite snack. Hot Cheetos, Fruit Snacks, Oreo's and more.

The mini fridge is also stocked. It has water bottles, champagne, and even salted caramel Gelato. I didn't even know where to start. There was just so much to choose from. I wanted to call him and thank him, but I knew that if he couldn't be here himself then he was probably handling some business.

By the time Ramzi has parked the limo, I think I have eaten and drank about one of everything. He opens the door and grabs my hand, helping me out of the vehicle. "Are you ready ma'am?"

I place a hand on Ramzi's shoulder, smiling. "No need for the formalities Ramzi. You can just call me Mia." I can tell he's hesitant, but eventually he nods with a smile. Marcellius is so traditional and formal all the damn time that he probably forbids Ramzi from addressing me by my first name.

Ramzi and I head inside the mall. We stop at the first store filled with all types of fancy gowns and tuxedos. A couple of dresses catch my eye immediately. A woman with blonde hair dressed in a hot pink dress makes her way over to us. "Hi, how can I help you?"

"I'm looking to try on and possibly buy a dress."

The woman stares me up and down, a judgmental look on her face. She barely tries hiding it. "Um are you sure this is the place for you?"

"And what is that supposed to mean...Karen?" I ask, looking at her name tag.

Her face turns red and she forces out a fake smile. "No offense, but these dresses are just a little out of your price range for someone like you." She says this while rudely looking me up and down. She was very lucky I wasn't raised in the South where the family on my mother's side live. Because her teeth would have been on the floor right about now.

Ramzi is about to step in and say something, but I hold up my hand to stop him. "I got this." He just looks at me with a nervous smile on his face. I turn my attention back to the racist woman before me. I'm about to put this "Karen" in her place.

Giving her my best smile I simply point to the three dresses I have my eye on and say, "I would like to try on those dresses please." I wasn't about to let her stereotype me. Confused, she walks away and grabs the three dresses off the rack.

I followed her over to the fitting room. She pulls out a key and unlocks the door before hanging the dresses up. Ramzi stands outside the room, still unsure what my plan is. He sits down on the bench and waits for me to try on each dress.

Shutting the door, I quickly remove my clothes and grab the first dress on top. It's a beautiful black sequin covered cocktail dress. The short strapless dress hugs my curves perfectly as I stare in the mirror admiring myself. I open the door and step outside. "What do you think of Ramzi?"

"You look beautiful Miss Dav-I mean Mia," he says catching himself.

Chuckling, I go back inside and try on the next dress. This dress is a nude halter top just a little bit shorter in length than the dress before. Staring at my reflection in the mirror, I find myself loving this dress as well. Opening the door, I decide to see what Ramzi thinks.

He ends up also liking this dress. So I go and try on the last dress. When I slip the dress on, I know right away that this is the one I want to wear tonight. It's elegant yet sexy at the same time. It's a maroon satin off-the-shoulder bodycon dress. This dress also hugs my curves perfectly. But that isn't what sells me. It's the cut out that starts from my thigh and stops just under my boobs. Stepping out of the fitting room, I give Ramzi a full three-sixty.

"Wow." Is all that comes out of his mouth. The "Karen" is watching from afar with her arms crossed behind the check-out counter. I return back into the fitting room and quickly slip out of the dress and into my clothes.

Ramzi hands me the card and grabs the three dresses. I head over to the counter with the card in hand. He follows behind me, placing the dresses down on the counter. I make sure the lady can see the card as I hand it to her. "I'll be taking all three." She looks between the two of us as she lifts the card up in the air to check if it's legit. Rolling my eyes, I look over at Ramzi then back at the lady. "Is there a problem ma'am?"

She's staring down at the card wide-eyed. Her face is extremely red and that's when I know she's seen the name on the card. I hold back a smile as she shakes her head and swipes the card. After putting each dress in its own bag, Ramzi grabs them and heads outside to the limo. I patiently wait for her to hand me back the card. When she does, I can't hide the smug smile on my face any longer.

"I-I just wanted to apolo-"

"Save it," I say, interrupting her. She looks like she's about to cry. But I don't care. She shouldn't have treated me the way she did. It was very unprofessional of her, and I was being nice by not getting her racist ass fired. "You have a nice day now!" I say, snatching the card back and leaving the building.

Bitch.