Page 85 of The Dicktionary Club

‘Of course, it does,’ I reassured him, glancing out the window. ‘The Cocktail Castle,’ I said, reading the sign that lit up the bar in gold shiny letters. ‘Nice!’

The street was lined with people hoping for a spot at the newest bar in town, and I couldn’t blame them; from the outside the place was the picture of sophistication, situated in the heart of the Royal Mile with spectacular views of Edinburgh Castle.

I gulped down the last of my champagne and peeked up at him. He was still glaring out of the window, taking it all in.

‘Hey,’ I said, snapping him from his trance.

‘Yes, sorry?’

‘Will we head in?’ I asked.

He was biting his lip, clearly anxious about his newest venture.

‘It’s going to be a great night. Look how rocking it is already!’ I said, placing my hand on his shoulder. He immediately rested his hand back on mine.

‘Thank you.’

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Ella

Philip held my door open, and as I slipped out, I admired the views of the castle. It seemed to light up the entire capital, sitting proudly atop the centre, packed full of history and culture. I couldn’t help but feel overwhelmed taking it in. Photographers from the local press hailed my date as he entered: ‘Can we get a photo, Phil? You and your good lady?’ I immediately averted my eyes to the ground.Shit, I did not want an photo getting printed or for me to be splashed on some gossipy newspaper column. Then I felt Philip gently tug on my arm. ‘Not tonight, lads,’ he replied, leading me inside the bar.

‘This looks amazing,’ I called out to him between the chatter and trendy house music playing in the background.

He grinned, pleased now. ‘The team has done a wonderful job. I have a table waiting for us.’ He gently touched my lower back as he guided me through the room, leading us to a small booth in the corner where another bottle of champagne was sitting on ice, awaiting our arrival.

‘Nice!’ I said, darting my gaze to the bottle.

‘You can have cocktails if you prefer – I’d recommend it, to be honest, as it’s the speciality we’re going for. The drinks are all themed around Scotland, and the spirits are sourced from Scottish-owned distilleries. But feel free to have whateveryou like!’ A bright smile took over his face, and I watched his shoulders finally relax as he sat down opposite me.

Now that we were seated, I glanced around the bar. Everything gleamed gold and metallic, even the huge chandeliers overhead. Cream leather booths and glass tables gave it a pristine look, while the brick walls gave it something of an urban twist. His team had managed to strike a balance of sophistication, classy, yet cool.

‘We managed to get a fantastic singer up from London, too. Her name is Ronniee, and she’s unreal! She starts her set around nine thirty. You’ll absolutely love her. I think she sings mainly pop songs, if you’re into that?’

‘Yeah, that sounds great.’ I instinctively wondered how close he and Ronniee were for him to be raving so highly about her music. ‘How did you meet her?’ I asked, trying to gain intel as casually as I could.

‘I haven’t met her really. I only heard her set when I was down south working and got my people to reach out. She’s going to be the next big thing, mark my words!’

I nodded back. ‘Amazing! And is she only coming up for the opening night?’

He nodded. ‘Yes, she’s recording most of the year, but we’ll have live singers on every evening, just not Ronniee, of course.’

‘Well, you have thought of everything. Genuinely, I’m impressed!’ I called over the noise and the bustle.

‘Not me, my team,’ he replied modestly. ‘So, when was the last time you were out like this?’

‘Like this?’ I questioned, not recalling ever getting brought to an opening of a fancy bar by the owner himself.

‘Well, the last time you had a date?’

I glanced up from the menu I had just picked up from the table, thrown by the abrupt change of subject. ‘Me? Erm .?.?. A few weeks ago, why?’

Philip raised a shoulder. ‘I was curious. Where did he take you?’

I thought back to the serial spunker from the other week.

‘It was a date my friend arranged, and it lasted all of twenty minutes.’ I sighed, not willing to explain in detail what had gone wrong.

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