Page 57 of The Dicktionary Club

Philip:Which buzzer?

My heart dropped to my arse. Fuck. There was no way I was telling him which flat it was.

Ella:No need to come up. On my way down.

I picked up my bag and locked the door behind me, then checked it again, just in case. I took a deep breath in the hallway, straightened my shoulders and headed down the stairs. I could see a black shirt through the entrance glass; it must be Philip, standing with his back to me. I closed my eyes briefly, taking one last breath of courage – but when I opened them again, he was staring back at me through the glass, watching me walk down the stairs. I felt my cheeks redden, and finally pulled open the door when I reached the landing. Instantly, I could smell his musky, deep scent, which was becoming familiar now.

‘Hi,’ I said, meeting his gaze.

‘Good evening. Wait – are you nervous?’

I pulled a face of confusion. ‘Why would I be nervous? It’s just dinner.’ I watched him smile at my confident reply. ‘Are you?’

He shrugged casually. ‘A little.’

‘Hmm .?.?.’ was all I could say, probably because I didn’t believe him. I couldn’t imagine this man getting nervous over anything.Did he think I’d find that cute? Oh, the renowned millionaire is soooo into me that he’s nervous about taking me to dinner?Well,I didn’t fucking buy it.

I followed him down the stone steps to a black Audi parked up against the kerb.How many cars did this guy own?As he approached it, he pressed the fob key, and opened the door for me.

‘After you,’ he said, leaning on the door and watching me bend to sit down. He closed the door, and my heart pounded in my ears.Why did he make me feel like this?I wondered.Why was I so nervous and we’d barely even said hello?I decided it must be a red flag, my body’s own nervous system’s way of telling me this cunt was terrible news.

I pulled it together by the time Philip opened his door and sat down, slipping on his seat belt.

‘So, how did your boss take the news of the gallery?’ he asked as he pulled smoothly away from the kerb and into the flow of traffic.

I smiled, thinking of Andrea’s stunned face earlier that day. ‘She was surprised and happy. Not that she’d ever say well done or anything. But yeah, the entire office is buzzing about it.’

‘I’m glad.’ Philip glanced across at me, and I felt my eyes drop to my knees, too awkward to hold eye contact. ‘Now, let’s celebrate, eh?’

As we drove through the city, I kept my eyes mostly out of the window, occasionally glancing over and observing Philip. He was well groomed, with biceps that bulged through the outline of his tailored shirt. But the most compelling thing about him was his eyes. I had never seen more mysteriously dark eyes. They made him incredibly difficult to read, and I hated that. He oozed confidence and charm. I could see why this man would make vulnerable girls like Katy out there fall so hard, so easily for him.

‘So, what’s next on the gallery project?’ Philip asked.

‘Well, I have to make sure enough people come. I sent out press invites today, as soon as we secured the venue. Everyone from the office will be there, of course.’

‘The thirty-first you agreed, wasn’t it?’

I nodded.

‘I thought so. I’ve realised I’ll be in Berlin, unfortunately,’ Philip replied, sounding disappointed.

‘I’ll forward you the photos. I could even make you a sponsor on the press release?’ I replied, still feeling distracted by my workload. ‘I need to start creating some social media hype around it, too.’

‘There is no need for including me as a sponsor, it’s a favour. But yes, it’s all about socials these days,’ he agreed.

‘I do have a good influencer network, but I’ll have to see which brand Alexander would fit best with. Maybe some of the home accounts,’ I said, thinking out loud.

‘Like Mrs Hinch?’

I tilted my head and laughed. ‘Yeah, exactly like Mrs Hinch!’

‘Why are you giggling at that?’ he asked, showing his perfectly white straight teeth.

‘I don’t know. I suppose I didn’t think you’d know who Mrs Hinch was. I didn’t think you’d be following those types of socials,’ I admitted.

‘Not at all! She introduced me to the Minky Cloth. Well .?.?.’ He paused. ‘She introduced my cleaner, and I bought a job lot of them for her to use at my place.’ Philip laughed at himself, and I joined in, shaking my head. ‘Plus, Mrs Hinch is extremely attractive!’

He was right, of course, so I agreed, still smiling at the thought of this man and a box of Minky Cloths.

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