Page 102 of The Dicktionary Club

I inhaled a deep breath, incredibly grateful for the compliment. ‘Thank you, Andrea.’

‘Let’s ensure it runs asregallyas it looks, OK?’ she added.

I nodded. ‘Oh, it will!’

Half an hour later, the guests began arriving in the most stunning outfits. Some of them were in gowns fit for the Oscars. The servers handed them champagne flutes as they entered, and the lofty galleries echoed with the sound of their chatter as they mingled in the gorgeous venue. The all-female group of violinists had begun playing pop songs, beautifully evoking the contrasting classical and modern-day fairytale theme I’d imagined. I stood at the door, welcoming everyone and reminding them to post as many photos as they could throughout the evening with the hashtag AlexanderArtGlasgow. I beamed as the attendees streamed in, from people in the media to cool art-school students and vloggers, all equally thrilled to spend a beautiful evening in a glamorous setting, admiring stunning contemporary artwork.

Suddenly, a glossy white Hummer limo pulled up outside, blasting the Spice Girls of all things. I walked down a few stairs, wondering who the fuck was ruining my classy vibe, when Zola and Katy bounced out, waving their hands in the air. I burst out laughing, shushing them to be quiet, but they giggled like drunken teenagers arriving for a prom. Then, a group of tipsy, dressed-to-kill women followed them out. I grinned instantly, recognising them from the gym: our Dicktionary Club recruits.

‘I thought these girls deserved a night of celebration after all the work they’ve put in for the past few weeks!’ Zola yelled as she approached me on the red carpet. ‘Andweneed to celebrate! Our website goes live tomorrow!’

‘Ssh!’ I chuckled, noticing the camera crew capturing Glasgow’s finest women. I approached the gym girls, who looked gorgeous in their huge over-the-top gowns. ‘I’m so glad you girls came. Thank you for everything! Without you guys, this website would never have gotten off the ground.’

They gushed their pleasure at being there, hugging me all at once.

‘We loved your reviews, too, Ella! Zo gave us secret advance access today, and we have been in hysterics at some of your quotes.’

I blushed, thinking of how angry I had been at Sir Spunksalott and actually wanting to forget half of the things I’d written.

I spotted Natasha and hugged her. ‘And how are you feeling now?’

She blushed, looking a little embarrassed from her gym breakdown that day. ‘I’m good. Well, getting there. I have good days and bad days,’ she said with a sniff. ‘But I’m sure ready to guzzle some of that champagne tonight!’ She pointed to the top of the stair where a server was handing out the glasses.

‘Well, let’s head in, and we can get stuck in together!’ I laughed.

‘Let’s celebrate!’ one of them called out loudly, followed by woo-hoos and cheers.

The girls giggled and chattered up the steps towards the exhibition, while Zola, Katy and I followed behind.

‘You look unreal tonight, babe.’ Zola pursed out her lips.

‘Eh, so the fuck do you two! Like what?’ I squeezed both of their hands.

Zola was wearing a golden halterneck maxidress, which showed off her incredible hourglass figure, while Katy had opted for a white sequined puffball minidress. Both of them looked insane.

Andrea flagged me down as we entered the exhibition, and I excused myself from my friends and headed over.

‘Alexander is upstairs. He wants you to make a speech to introduce him before he appears,’ she said, raising her brow as if in judgement at his dramatics.

‘I can do that, sure. I’ll message him to see if he’s ready.’

I took my phone out of my bag while Andrea sipped her champagne. ‘It’s jam-packed. I didn’t anticipate this turnout,’ she mused. ‘Especially for some garish paintings!’

I laughed, sending a message to Alexander.

Let me know when you are ready to enter, and I’ll make an introduction. The crowd is huge! Ella x

‘And not to mention the camera crew – this really is exceptional PR for the company,’ Andrea added.

I smiled back. I didn’t know if it was the expensive bubbles or the event itself, but this was the most conversation I’d had out of her since I joined Smart Reputations.

‘Yeah, it’s turned out better than even I expected,’ I said, gazing around at it all.

‘Better than anyone expected, trust me!’ she scoffed. ‘And to think, I had spoken to HR about a fast-track route to terminate your contract! Huh.’

My face fell as I turned to her, but she was wholly distracted by the crowds of people and hum of activity as she slurped her glass of bubbles.

‘Oh, Lenny, darling! Wonderful to see you!’ she suddenly gushed and darted away to schmooze over some high-up politician.

---