Page 101 of The Dicktionary Club

I sent my cheesy reply and sat my phone down on the desk. ‘Yes, luckily. I don’t want Andrea seeing me with him, and thinking I was sleeping with him for the venue or something. Plus, I’d have to work, you know what these things are like – I wouldn’t get a minute to chat with him.’

Katy screwed her face up. ‘Very true, Andrea would definitely get her tuppence in.’

‘He’s invited me to the hospitality awards with him next week though, so it will be our first proper outing as a couple, and I’ll have to look amazing!’

‘That I’ll be hosting!’ Katy flexed proudly; she’d managed to land Blaze Boost as their sponsors.

‘Yep, and you better get us the best seats in the house,’ I warned my friend.

‘Noted!’ Katy grinned.

‘So, when are you seeing him again?’ Zola asked.

‘Tonight.’ I was so excited at the thought of seeing his face again, knowing he’d only left me an hour before. ‘We’re going for a walk in the park after work, then we’ll head to the gym. And on Wednesday we’re going out for dinner, before he goes to Berlin on Thursday.’

‘So cute.’ Zola tutted, shaking her head. ‘I never thought I’d see the day!’

‘Trust me, you and me both!’ I smiled. ‘It’s a big weekend, girls. Alexander’s night, and the Dicktionary Club finally goes live.’

Zola nodded. ‘Fuck, yeah, we’ve actually done it!’

‘Oh, yes! We’ve pulled it off!’ Katy laughed evilly, then held her hands to us both for a high-five, but Zola and I squirmed away.

‘Hands, Katy. The scratching!’ Zola bellowed. ‘Get to the chemist right now, girl.’

We all burst out laughing, and I returned to my desktop, emailing Andrea the new camera crew additions for the exhibition and finalising the weekend’s plans. I felt excited and motivated for what lay ahead. For the first time in years, I had a whole new lease of life.

Chapter Thirty-Four

Ella: The Exhibition

It was the evening of the exhibition, and I had nipped back home from the venue after giving the temps and assistants detailed instructions on exactly how the evening should be set up. My red silk floor-length dress hung in my wardrobe, and after a quick bath, makeup and teasing my hair into an updo, I slipped it on. The material felt cool and luxurious against my hot skin, as I examined myself in the mirror. There was a split up the left side of the dress, which showed off my gold stiletto heels. I felt amazing and took a few selfies, not knowing if it would be too much too soon to send one to Philip.Would he think I was fishing for compliments?I wondered. I decided not to send anything right now, but saved them in my camera roll just in case I had a champagne confidence later on.

I quickly took an Uber to the museum, keen to arrive first and ensure everything was going according to plan and the setup was precisely as I envisioned. As the driver pulled up to the venue, I felt goosebumps travel down my arm. The classically beautiful, old-style landmark was lit up in various colours from the outside, a red carpet was draped down the stone staircase, and an elegant sign outside read:

Alexander Cambi’s Royal Exhibit.

Perfect.

I headed inside and watched the decorators finish clearing the rooms. A neat, circular stage had been built in the centre of the grand hall, with chairs to the left for the violinists to play. Alexander’s paintings were hung all around the room, allowing plenty of space for guests to walk around and admire his work. We’d added a selfie wall with Alexander’s signature spraypainted on it for the influencers to maximise their socials. A fun photo booth decorated with inflatable crowns and picture frames was also set up in the corner of the room, ensuring we hit every market, from influencers to art enthusiasts, who wanted to capture the moment. A rush of sheer pride engulfed my body; it was everything I could have wished for and more. I took out my phone and snapped a few photos capturing the setup for Philip, knowing that absolutely none of it would have been possible without him.

‘Ella!’ I heard a brisk voice call out. I turned to see Andrea standing with a BBC production team behind her.

I approached them with a smile and held out my hand. ‘Hi, I’m Ella! Great to meet you all.’

‘Glad to be here, love,’ a small Cockney man replied, taking me up on the handshake. ‘I’m Bill, the director for tonight’s documentary. I love what you’ve done with the venue. It’s, yeah .?.?.’ He glanced around. ‘Very regal!’

I grinned at his genuine appreciation. ‘Yes, it’s looking amazing. Thanks.’

Andrea nodded slowly, taking everything in. ‘Hmmm .?.?. I must say, it is very nice.’

‘So, we’re good to set up then?’ Bill asked. ‘We want a few shots of the guests arriving.’

‘Yes, of course. If you need anything, just ask one of us, and we’ll do whatever we can to help.’

‘Great, thanks, love.’ He nodded, then summoned the cameramen and lighting technicians to follow him in gettingready to film.

‘Well, well, well, you seem to have pulled this one off, Ella,’ Andrea murmured once we were alone.

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