Page 51 of The Dicktionary Club

Philip wandered over to me, still taking in the space. ‘Well?’ he asked.

I shook my head. ‘I don’t know what to say,’ I admitted, awestruck.

‘This is usually the part where you say thanks,’ he repeated, and I smiled.

‘Thanks,’ I mustered, feeling my cheeks flush, amazed at my good fortune but still hating the fact I was so indebted to this man. ‘But I do have to ask, why are you doing this? I’m sorry – and I don’t want to sound ungrateful – but you don’t know me. I don’t understand why.’

Philip gazed up at the impressive ceiling and its massive gold and white lights and then back at me. ‘I don’t know, I guess. You intrigue me. And I can.’

‘I intrigue you?’ I repeated, unimpressed.

‘Yes, you aren’t like most women I meet, put it that way, Ella. Andyes, it’s a compliment.’

I arched my brow suspiciously. ‘What are most women you meet like?’

‘Well, they seem to fall madly in love with me after only a few minutes of conversation.’

‘In love?’ I giggled at that. ‘With you or your wallet?’

‘Ouch!’ He laughed, holding his heart jokingly.

I began to walk around the museum, taking in stunning new visons of what the event could look like. I imagined anoutrageously grand event, champagne on arrival, a red carpet. I could set up a stage for Alexander to speak at the centre and position his paintings all around him.

‘So, what are you thinking?’ Philip asked.

I could feel his eyes on me as I wandered.

‘Right now?’ I paused briefly. ‘Honestly: how do I fill this place with so many people who have never heard of the artist? My usual demographic is young women, from like twenty to thirty-five.’

Philip sighed. ‘Same!’

I shook my head and shoved his shoulder a little. ‘Yes, but I normally PR beauty products to influencers, not hound them like you do!’

He turned to me. ‘Believe it or not, I don’t normally hound women. I usually have a much better reception to my charm. Plus, let’s not forget you practically messaged me on eBay to get me into your office.’

I shot him a stare, not keen on where the conversation was leading, and instead continued my walk through the different rooms of the gallery, admiring the Egyptian relics and vivid old paintings of fashionable ladies and imposing men in kilts.

‘So,’ Philip said as he caught up to me. ‘I’m curious. Why did you take on an art exhibition if your target market is influencers?’

I paused, having repeated the same question in my head over the past few weeks. ‘To be taken more seriously, I guess. I’m usually the one for the Instagram market, or the go-to TikTok campaign girl. I guess I wanted to push myself and show I could be more than that, but trust me, I won’t be bidding for any more lucrative art projects anytime soon again.’

He laughed. ‘Are you into art?’

I shook my head. ‘No, but I appreciate it. When I saw Alexander’s paintings, I was completely taken aback. They areso captivating. The expressions on the faces, the bright colours, everything is just wow. And I’m not trying to pitch him here, but you never see paintings like his. It’s as if he was born to paint modern-day royalty or something.’

Philip tilted his head and looked into my eyes. ‘Well, fuck.’

‘What?’ I dropped my shoulders, waiting for a sarcastic comment to follow.

‘Nothing. But, for what it’s worth, it sounds like Alexander picked the right woman for his exhibition.’

I felt my cheeks turn warm at the compliment. ‘Yeah, well, I hope so.’ I gulped down, feeling suddenly crushed by the timescale I had to put this together. ‘Are you into art?’ I asked to distract myself.

‘Well, yes and no. I have some pieces around my home. I can show you if you’d like.’ Philip’s tone was teasing and I shot him a withering stare. ‘I was joking, unless .?.?. you did want to come to my home of course .?.?. I would be more than happy to oblige.’

‘I don’t,’ I confirmed.

‘Well then, I am very much like you, art wise. If something catches my eye, I appreciate it. I actually enjoy reading about art history. I was watching a documentary series on Michaelangelo the other evening, in fact.’

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