Page 103 of The Dicktionary Club

I felt my phone vibrate in my hand and glanced down.

Philip:Red is certainly your colour! Xxxxx

I glanced around the crowds of people. How did he know? Washe here? No, surely not. He was in Berlin. Maybe he’d seen a post on social media. Everyone did have their cameras out, and I could have easily been snapped in the background.

‘And you smell just as wonderful as you look,’ a deep voice whispered from behind me.

I span around in shock.

‘You’re .?.?. here!’ I gasped.

‘You didn’t really think I’d miss your big night, did you?’ he replied, leaning in for a kiss on the cheek. He was pristine in a black suit with a white shirt, smelling as masculine as ever.

‘I’m sorry .?.?. I don’t know what to say.’ I tried not to simper. ‘What happened to Berlin?’

His dark eyes lingered over my body. ‘I cut it short.’ He leaned in, kissing me again. I blushed. ‘This place is looking sensational! Do you do freelance work by chance?’ He grinned, buttering me up.

‘I’m so happy you’re here!’ And the funny thing was, I felt so ecstatic to see him that I suddenly didn’t care what Andrea said or did, I was just glad to be near this man.

My phone buzzed again in my hand:

Alexander:I’m ready.

‘OK, I have to go and introduce Alexander. Zola and Katy are around somewhere, but I need to get going.’ I beamed at him, leaning forward to kiss his lips. I couldn’t believe this man had jumped back on a plane to be here for me.

‘Yes, go! I’m quite content where I am.’ He squeezed both my arms and leaned in for another kiss, then I stepped through the crowd and made my way to the stage.

As I gazed out over the crowd, the bright lights from the documentary crew caused me to squint. My eyes needed to adjust a little. I picked up the microphone just as the musicians were playing the final notes of their song.

I cleared my throat, my vision almost restored. ‘Ladies and gentlemen, kings,’ I darted my eyes to my two best friends who stepped closer to the stage to hear me speak, ‘and queens!’ Katy let out a smallwoo!‘It is an honour to have you all here tonight to celebrate the work of one of this generation’s most exceptional artistic talents, Mr Alexander Cambi.’ The room filled with warm applause. ‘When I first pitched for this exhibition, I dreamed of showcasing Alexander’s art to Scotland. And here we are, Alexander’s first Scottish exhibition.’ The room filled with appreciative faces. ‘And with your help tonight, through sharing this unique experience on your social media platforms, I believe that together we can share the beauty of this extraordinary artist’s work with the rest of the world. I’m sure you can all agree how mesmerising these paintings are.’ There was a ripple of agreement from the crowd. ‘Alexander, your art is exceptional, and we’re all truly blessed to be witnessing your first of many, I hope, Scottish exhibitions. So, without further ado, please put your hands together for Mr Alexander Cambi.’

The entire hall turned into one immense boom of applause, and a neat, bearded man waltzed down the stairs of Kelvingrove Art Gallery like a true king himself, taking it all in. He edged through a space made by the crowd and joined me onstage, taking hold of the microphone.

‘Thank you, Ella!’ He nodded gratefully and turned to his guests. ‘It is a pleasure being here with you tonight. I have always been a great fan of Scotland and the picturesque beauty surrounding your wonderful country,’ he began in his delicate accent.

As Alexander continued his speech, telling the room about his passion for art, my eyes squinted, searching for Philip in the darkness. I found it difficult to distinguish between the men with their similar tuxedos. Eventually, my eyes fell on him, standing with his arms crossed against his chest as a slim blonde girlrested her arm on his shoulder, whispering into his ear. My eyes were straining against the bright lights.Who was this bitch, and why was she all over my man?!As though reading my thoughts, Philip removed her hand rather abruptly and pointed towards the stage, dismissing her. She shook her head before storming away. Shit. I couldn’t see her face.Who the hell was she?

I glanced over to Zola and Katy, who seemed to have missed the entire interaction.

‘Please have a wonderful evening, and please do enjoy the exhibition!’ Alexander finished, and loud applause once again roared around us.

I tapped him on the shoulder. ‘It has been a real pleasure to work on this project for you, Mr Cambi.’

Alexander kissed my hand. ‘No, the pleasure is mine. This is by far the grandest part of the tour to date. I’d love to work with you again.’

‘Anytime.’ I smiled, genuinely glad of his appreciation and delight.I’d actually nailed it.

The violinists began playing their own rendition of Olivia Rodrigo’s ‘Traitor’, while I edged towards the stage steps, following Alexander down. As we stepped back into the crowd, Alexander was quickly surrounded by press photographers keen to get a shot of him. I smiled and stepped out of the way, allowing him to enjoy his well-deserved moment of glory.

‘Testing, testing!’ a voice called out over the crowd.

I turned my back to see that a very drunk Natasha had climbed onto the stage and stolen the mic.

Oh shit! What the fuck was she doing?

I turned around for Zola or Katy to help intercept, but the group of photographers blocked my path, and I felt like I was getting swept further and further from the stage.

‘I would like to thank Ella for inviting us here tonight and organising this whole thing. Isn’t this wonderful?’ Natashascreeched.

---