Page 112 of The Dicktionary Club
Katy shrugged. ‘Well, then you know you’ve tried. But be honest with him, Zo: things were falling apart before Alvaro. You shouldn’t have done what you did, but there is more than a drunken finger blast to discuss.’
Zola managed a smirk. ‘Yeah, you’re right. Thanks, babe.’
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Ella
It was quarter to seven, and I was in the back of a taxi dressed in a brown floor-length, halterneck dress and applying yet another layer of gloss to my lips. I’d hoped to catch Philip before he took his seat at the awards show, but Katy insisted on adding false eyelashes to my look, which also added an extra twenty minutes to the getting-ready process. My entire body shook with nerves.What was I going to say to him?What if he told me to fuck off? Or got me thrown out?I thought back to all the horrible things Natasha had read out from my review, and felt my stomach twinge with mortification.Jesus, what the fuck was I doing?
The taxi pulled up outside the Hilton and I strolled into the hotel on trembling legs. The lobby was bustling with guests who all seemed to know one another, and trays of fizz were being passed around in every direction. I guzzled a glass quickly for confidence.
‘Could all remaining guests please make their way to their seats?’ a man called out, and everyone began steering through the massive doors into the theatre-sized hall.
I paused at the entrance, examining the sheer number of people.How the fuck was I supposed to find him in among this?
‘Do you have a ticket, miss? I can escort you to your seat?’ a gentlemanly voice asked me, and I jumped, completely taken bysurprise.
‘Er.?.?. No, sorry, I don’t.’
He approached me, reaching for my arm. ‘Well, I’m afraid I will have to ask you to leave. This is a closed function and—’
‘Oh God. No, I’m sorry. I don’t have a ticket because I’m actually .?.?.’ My voice shook, and I cleared my throat, taking a second to lie confidently. ‘I’m the spokesperson for Blaze Boost tonight. We’re sponsoring the event.’ I dived into my handbag and pulled out my ID badge from Smart Reputations. ‘Look.’
His bearded face instantly morphed into a friendly expression. ‘Ah, excellent! Well, of course you are.’ His eyes squinted at my badge. ‘If you’d like to follow me, please, Ella.’
I toddled behind the gentleman as he stopped and waved at every server we passed. I could feel my chest tighten as my breathing quickened. I wondered if it was because of nerves about my lie or the anxiety of seeing Philip again – what if he’d brought a date? I was panicking.
The man led me through the back and down a corridor. Everything was dark, and I could hear growing chatter from the main space outside.Where the fuck was he taking me?I started to feel twitchy in case he led me to a secret sponsorship room where Andrea would ambush me.
‘Ah, here’s the microphone, miss. We usually look for a quick thirty-second intro on the sponsorship product, then the main hosts will begin,’ the man told me, handing me a mic and pushing me towards a black curtain.
I glanced down at the mic and then back at him. ‘Oh, no! I’m sorry. I didn’t prepare a speech. I just came to watch.’ I passed the mic back.
‘Not at all,’ he said graciously, passing the mic to me again. ‘We couldn’t put on a function like this without the backing of a great sponsor! Let the people here know about your client’s product.’
I screwed up my eyes in disbelief.Why did I have to meet the most decent man alive tonight when I was planning on sneaking in off the fucking radar?‘You will be fine, hen. Go on, deep breaths. Off the cuff is completely acceptable!’ He winked encouragingly and gave me a slight push towards the curtain’s opening.
I gulped down and nodded.
The curtains opened widely, and I stood on stage facing at least five hundred people, all of whom were dressed to the nines. The lights shone brightly in my face, and the chatter of the hall suddenly died down.
Jesus, what was I doing?I couldn’t do this. I had to get the fuck out of here.
I turned back and saw the kindly man give me a thumbs-up.
OK, you just have to wing it, I thought. I knew the product well enough to pull this off. Then I could figure out where Philip was sitting and approach him at the end of the ceremony.
‘Good evening,’ I said, startling a little as my voice filled the room. I gazed through the lights, out to the rows upon rows of guests. ‘My name is Ella Banks, and I am here on behalf of tonight’s sponsor, Blaze Boost, the organic energy drink which fuels your workouts.’ I punched the air in an attempt to look sporty and noticed a few awkward faces and sniggers. ‘Yes. Erm .?.?. Blaze Boost was founded in 2012.’ I stepped to the edge of the stage, trying my best to locate Philip.Front row, Katy hadsaid, front row. ‘And it quickly became the number one go-to gym product in America because of its natural minerals and .?.?.’
Suddenly, someone stood up and began moving fast, excusing himself along the front. He held his head low, squeezing past guests as he headed to the aisle, trying to exit the event. I gasped as I caught sight of the side of his face: it was Philip.
Shit, shit, shit.
‘Philip!’ I called out in a panic, forgetting how loud my voice had become now that it was mic’d up. ‘Please don’t leave!’
Philip stopped mid-step. It felt like a hundred years passed as he slowly turned around to face me.
The crowd seemed confused, and a nervous chatter started up as they speculated about what was happening.
