Zach’s curls had been covering his ears, but now she’d popped them out, I could see what she meant.
‘Hands off the Spocks, Gizmo,’ Zach said, putting his hands on hers. ‘We can’t not mention your nickname, now can we? You always were a nightmare after a drink.’
Heidi rolled her eyes. ‘I don’t remember you complaining before. Who wants another?’
‘Not me,’ I said, waving my champers.
Zach gulped half his lager down and stood up. ‘Go on then. I’ll come with and check out the cocktails. An espresso martini might be in order.’
I took another look at my ‘dance partner’, who was back to glowing blue and Voguing in sync with Brooke. Leo had made them head mics out of straws and his gaze was on her completely. The same old off-the-shelf razzle-dazzle he’d given me. He obviouslywasn’tmy dance partner, or Brooke’s for that matter. Not really. He was a schmooze-fest for hire and would likely dance with anyone given half a chance and a chunk of their business.
I put my headphones back on as Arlo walked past and I grabbed his hand. Everyone had someone to dance with except me, and the champers had removed any sense of self-respect or shame that might otherwise have stopped me.
‘Is everything OK?’ he mouthed widely, his moustache on the run as I vigorously YMCA-d at him. ‘Sorry, I haven’t got…’ He pointed to his naked ears with an apologetic shrug and tried to walk past, but I put my headphones on him to share the joy of the Village People. He looked very confused and possibly slightly… scared.
‘Fancy a dance?’ I said, taking his hands and giving him a jiggle. I side-eyed Leo and Brooke who were armin arm with their backs to me. This was ridiculous. How was I meant to win at the silent disco if they weren’t even watching?
Arlo played along while I launched into the letters. Y-M-C-A. Y-M-C-A. Performing enthusiastically to no one in particular.
Arlo looked pained to interrupt. ‘I can’t be up here. Chef sent me to get some clotted cream.’ I took my headset back and released him into the wild with a thumbs up.
‘NO WORRIES! CHEERS!’ I shouted, re-immersing myself in the seventies as he gave me a hurried smile and ran off. He must really hate dancing, or guests, or the Village People. There were a couple of other greens nearby, so I wandered over and joined in. The blending of solitude and togetherness made dancing with strangers less weird as we were all in the same green gang.
Minnie Riperton’s ‘Lovin’ You’ started playing and we joined arms and swayed together, mouthing the words to each other. I was between two tall men, all three of us bobbing to a slightly different beat, until it struck me that I should be over there dancing with Brooke as well! Maybe this was all part of the Amplify plan: to ply me and Heidi with alcohol then use Zach as a distraction while Leo cosied up to Brooke. I switched my music channel to blue, painted on a smile and skipped over.
‘…which is why I think it’s about venturing into the unknown – but in safety,’ Leo said as I joined them, stopping abruptly when he saw me.
‘Talking shop at the disco? Surely not?’
‘I know, right?! He’s such a bore.’ Brooke giggled, nudging him.
Leo held his hands up. ‘Guilty as charged – I was just floating some ideas.’
I rolled my eyes. ‘Is that a boat joke?’
‘It wasn’t, but I’ll take it.’
His grin was infectious, full of cheekiness and confidence, and I felt myself being drawn in – even knowing I was being played. Did he turn that same smile on with everyone to get what he wanted? Did it matter? He was clearly doing it here: turning on the charm offensive as part of his pitch strategy. I needed to stay focused on the task in hand. Now was not the time to get distracted.
‘I’m happy to step back if you want to chat some ideas through as well?’ he said. ‘In the interests of a fair process.’
‘How incredibly gallant,’ I said, with an edge.
‘Jesus, Leo, no! I don’t wanna hear any more ideas tonight, from either of you. Or while we’re on this trip, even. What’re you tryin’ to pull here? Save it for when we’re back in the office, where it’s calm and quiet. When we’re not drinkin’ and dancin’ and YELLIN’!’
‘That makes much more sense, Brooke, thank you.’ I nodded smugly. ‘And I promise there’ll be no sneaky idea-sharing from our side before that. You don’t want to be bothered with every passing thought we have.’
Brooke looked horrified. ‘Absolutely not.’
‘AtAmplify, we like to involve clients in the ideation stage of the process as part of the team. It’s hands down the most efficient way to work.’ Leo sounded like he was reading off a ChatGPT script.
Brooke nodded enthusiastically, confusing us both. ‘Wonderful, Leo, thank you.’
‘Perhaps that comes under “ways of working”ifyou are appointed,’ I said, through gritted teeth. ‘Clients aren’t normally asked to think up the pitch ideas. They’ve got enough to do.’
Brooke glanced between the two of us.
‘It’s more about setting them up for success in the boardroom,’ Leo shot back, eyes flashing. ‘We like our clients to be a step ahead of their bosses when we present, so they have time to consider the work in advance.’
