✧ paris ✧ discussion

Ah, our oldest couple together, we just can't get enough~

The streets of the city were always busy, Jack hated to admit that he liked the busy lifestyle. The milling of people, business being done at all hours of the day, money never sleeps. Jack McCloud had just finished up with a business meeting of his own. His first hotel wss doing excellently in Dublin, so he bought a rundown, historic building in Manhattan, that he planned on renovating and turning around to be an even grander hotel. Full of dirty secrets, dirty money, and lots of profit. Or maybe it would be clean money, but he doubted it, he was in New York after all.
Jack was walking towards his favorite cafe when he pulled his phone out and began texting Celeste,

Hey lass, would you like a cup of coffee? Im done with my meeting.
It went well, btw, should have reno going this week.. 

Jack pushed his phone back into his jacket pocket before crossing a busy street. Only one taxi honked at him, Jack paid him no mind, since he knew New Yorkers could be assholes.

Celeste stood, wrapping her arms around he boy shed just shared a cup of coffee with. His name was Arnold, and he had a very sweet demeanor. He'd bumped into her on campus and asked her on this date, and since Celeste never really tied herself down to one man, she thought, why not? He was too sweet to try and kiss her, but they hugged for a moment before Arnold waved a goodbye and went off to his next class, something about film, he'd said. She wasn't sure. But either way, it had been a nice time. Celeste had no intention of going anywhere, though, she just ordered another coffee and pulled out her laptop to work on some assignments. She actually had the night free of any commitments, so she wasn't sure what she'd end up doing, but this was a good start.

Just when she'd opened her laptop, her phone lit up with a text. She peeked over and saw jacks name, a grin spreading across her face. Jack was another boy she'd been dating for a couple weeks, just dinner and a little dancing, coffee dates, very casual. But he wanted a cup of coffee? Wasn't that convenient.

I just ordered a refill if you want to join me ;) I'm at the cafe on tenth <3

Jack McCloud. Well maybe that's what'd she'd do with her evening, paint the town red with a dashing Irishman. It didn't sound half bad to her.

The chill of Autumn was in the air, Jack was already thinking of all the shopping he needed to do for his Fall wardrobe. Maybe Celeste would want to go with him, she seemed to have some of the same interests as him, which is more than some of the girls he'd been with could say. Celeste was... different, so much different than any other girl he had dated. She didn't swoon at his every move, she actually argued with him, who would have thought? His type was usually submissive and easy, but this girl had a hold on him that he couldn't shake. His phone buzzed just then, speak of the devil. Jack quickly replied with,

Sure, be there in five. 

He hit send, before picking up his pace and hurrying on. He was only a block and a half away, so it didn't take him long to get to the café. He was soon enough pushing past people and entering the café, the grinding of coffee could be heard dimly beneath the blur of voices. He reached her in no time, he sat down at her table.
"Hullo luv," Jacks smile reached his eyes as he gazed at the beautiful across from him.

It could be pretty tiring, dating multiple men at the same time. None of them were her boyfriend, between her classes, bex, and all her other commitments, she really didn't have time for a boyfriend. She was just friends with a lot of boys. Boys who liked to kiss her and take her out in dates. That's all. But Jack was a bit more of a contender than the others. He was smart and cunning, he challenged her. Arnold and the couple other boys she was seeing, they were all very easy. They smiled and laughed at her jokes, and made small jokes themselves. But jack, she could see herself dropping them all for Jack. That is, if he ever stopped being such a god damn womanizer.

In her long sleeved grey tee and ripped up jeans, her hair curled to perfection, celeste looked like she could be right out of a modeling campaign. But then again, she always looked like that. She was sipping her vanilla chai casually when a boy slid into the seat across from her. One look at Jack and a grin spread across her face "Hi Jack, how'd the meeting go?" She asked him, closing the screen on her laptop in order to give him her full attention. Those dark eyes, that smirk, she really could fall for him.

Jack reached out and stopped a barista that was passing by, he gave her his order of a pumpkin latte, a wink included, before turning his attention back to Celeste. He took in all of her glorious beauty, he liked that she knew how to match, and didn't look like she'd just rolled out of bed. Why did people dress that way? All rumpled and trashy, he couldn't stand it.
"It went well," he answered, a lopsided grin covering his mouth, "The investors didn't even question me before signing the contract, i officially own the building, and we begin renovations in three days. Which means i have three days to get all of the permits in order, and a reliable contruction crew on site. Do you know of any interior designers here in New York? I'll need one of those as well ... so how come you were here already? Studying?" He motioned his chin toward her laptop.

Celeste grinned at Jack "Oh that's perfect! It'll be up and running in no time I'm sure," she said, eyes tilted up at him beneath her lashes. Interior designers? "Of course I do, but they'll all cost you a pretty penny." She winked at jack. All her friends were generally socialites with hobbies. The girl she knew of as a designer was just living off of her trust fund and finding something to do with her time. "It does need a lot of work though, you might want to start getting bids with construction companies as soon as tomorrow. You know the entire New York construction scene wants in on that building, Jack, it's a huge project and great publicity." She reminded him. All those men would probably try to get him to pay too much, but Jack was smart.

Celeste felt bad when jack asked why she'd already been in the cafe, but then she saw jack throw a wink to that barista, and she didn't feel bad anymore. That was why she didn't worry about dating more than jack. That damn wink. "Actually, I was here on a date..." she said, trying not to brag as she took a long sip of coffee and examined jacks face "Some marketing or web designing boy from campus, a blonde." She added, smirking just slightly.

Money wasn't a problem for Jack McCloud, though he was a trust fund kid, that didn't take the trust fund, he was making amazing profit off of his hotel in Dublin. It was one of the most sought after hotels in Ireland. It was upscale, and cost quite a bit to stay in. Jack could have had an easier, more cushy life, if he'd taken his father's money. Mr. McCloud and Jack had a straining relationship though, and rarely talked, let alone had money exchanging hands. Jack would have thought of it as a hand out, and that was something he never wanted from his dad. Jack cleared his throat, adjusting the collar of his button up, he was wearing a button up shirt, grey slacks, leather loafers, and his hair was slicked back, just the right way. Jack shrugged one shoulder, very nonchalant like, "Money is never an issue love. Name a price, and I'll meet it," Jack's suave attitude was part of his charm. "It does need work, would you be willing to look over some of the bids with me this week? You have such an eye for underlying problems..." This was Jack's way of taking up more of Celeste's time, he enjoyed every moment he could get with her, even if it was business.

She brought up a date, and Jack about choked on the drink he'd just been delivered. "A date?" He tried to not look upset by the news, "Interesting," He murmured, Jack played with the lid of his drink, not wanting to seem to read too much into her extra curricular activities. He wasn't about to mention that he had been with a girl just the night before, that was rude, but apparently Celeste didn't mind bringing up her floozies. "Nice bloke I take it?" Jack could see her being a dynamic duo with some blonde, then they could make little blonde babies, and have the perfect family. Whereas Jack was contrasting next to her, it hit his ego, just a little. "I'd like to have you over for dinner tonight," He mentioned before thinking twice about it, Now that he knew he had competition, well he would have to beat the other guys to taking up her time.

Celeste shrugged when jack mentioned her helping with the bids "Yeah I can try to help, we'd just have to do t around some of my classes. I have a test coming up in history this week on Wednesday, but after that we can give it a shot." She grinned, jack wanted her in the planning of his hotel? That was very nice of him...or maybe he had some other motive. With jack McCloud, she was sure there was something in it for him. When he spoke about price, she laughed lightly "Perfect, ILL have some of my friends get ahold of you. Bex might even want to help, but she'd probably kick your ass." She promised, eyes crinkling around the edges.

It was hysterical to see jack chocking on this coffee, he hadn't expected her to talk about her other dates. But she found t better to be upfront about her romantics situation. Nether of them wanted to settle for one person, so why lie about it? "Yes he was, had a nice smile and told me I was prettier than any model he'd ever seen." She mused, talking like he was the best thing since sliced bread. But then jack said something she didn't expect, he said he wanted her over for dinner. "Oh? Well how do you know I don't already have plans?" She chirped, smirking at Jack.

The dedication that Celeste had for school , always impressed Jack. He knew that he would never have such dedication for college, now to business, yes, to school, never. He hadn't graduated with honors or anything from high school, he'd barely gotten out of that hell forsaken place, but he had a mind for business, and that was what mattered in his world. His da still wanted him to get a degree, but he was putting it off.
"Yeah, we can do that, maybe Thursday, or Friday? I'll treat you to Chinese, and we can eat out of cardboard boxes over the bids and some blueprints I wanted to show you." He rose both brows at the mention of Bex, which was Celeste's best, French, friend. She could be quiet, but he'd seen her loud and demanding, and she could almost be as intimidating as Celeste. "Send her my way, we'll work it out, and if she starts yelling, then I'll call you." He smirked, slightly, before sipping more of his coffee.

Her mentioning the boy again, that irked Jack, but he had to hide it, well. Because letting her see how much it bothered him would only win points for her, and he wasn't about to do that. Jack could have mentioned his past dates, but for some reason, he didn't feel the need to. He figured that Celeste knew that they were not exclusive, and if they would ever be, well that remained to be seen.
"Do you have plans with that blondie? Because I can treat you to a better dinner than he can, any day. I was going to tell you that I was having that new Chef cook for us, from that new French Bistro that just opened up in Manhattan? Do you know the one? The seats are booked till December, but I coerced him into cooking at my place, and he was happy to do so for a McCloud. I hope you'll change whatever plans you might have, and join me. Bring Bex if you're scared to be alone with me at night," There was an amused glint to Jack's eye, and he couldn't help the roguish grin that graced his face.

Celestes desire to excellence at parsons was purely due to the fact that she wanted a good internship, and she wanted it without having to ask for her fathers help. Of course her family had convections, but if she could be top of her fashion class at parsons school, then she could easily get in with a top designer or a top magazine, whatever she wanted. Celeste had taste, that much was obvious, but every blonde bimbo in manhattan thought they could edit vogue, and Celeste knew that that wasn't the case. You have to have dedication and a love for what you do, not just liking fashion but not knowing enough to design. Celeste really did breathe, sleep, and eat the New York fashion scene though. Someday she would run off to Paris and work there, but for now, New York was her start, and she had to do it right or not at all. "Friday would be perfect, I don't have any classes on Saturday so I can actually be paying attention. Sounds like a good night." She threw a wink jacks way, excited at the thought of spending more time with him.

His next response was much more intense than she'd expected. She thought he'd maybe have a snappy comeback, but no, he was being full on serious, telling her how superior of a night she'd have with him, how luxurious it would be. The look in his eyes honestly made her melt, and she bit down on her bottom lip when he teased her about being afraid of him. "Well when you say t like that... I suppose I'll be there at 7." she grinned, meeting his dark eyes "I'm not afraid of you, jack McCloud. If anything, you excite me." She drawled, thinking about having time alone, in jacks flat, with jack. They'd made out before, but she had s feeling things between them would get very steamy, very fast, if there was no one to get in the way. She wasn't about to bring bex over and stop her from having that kind of fun.

Did she plan on them pulling an all nighter Friday? It certainly sounded like it, Jack couldn't help the butterflies that went through his stomach, his eyes brightened at the thought. Jack leaned forward in his seat, and covered one of her hands with his own,
"I wonder if you'll be able to keep up with me lass. Should be interesting to see who can stay up the latest." If anything, Jack loved a good challenge, and he especially enjoyed challenging Celeste. Jack released his hold on her hand, leaned back in his chair, his body relaxed, he looked like he belonged there.

"Not afraid?" A brow rose on the aristocratic boys face, "I don't believe it. You'll have to show me," Jack grinned wolfishly, he enjoyed teasing the girl across from him, he especially liked to see that fire in her eyes. She obviously was headstrong, brave, intelligent, and intuitive. Despite knowing all of that, he still couldn't quite figure her out. She always left him wanting for more, to learn more about her, to spend more time with her, to want to make her his. Though he wasn't sure if that would ever even be a possibility. "Perhaps you should be scared to be with me, I can be intimidating, when I want to be," Jack tried giving her one of his more daring looks, the kind that he only used for clients that were trying to hound him out of something.

Jack was mouthing off, as usual. He didn't do much besides that, really. But he knew how to play his audience, because Celeste loved to mouth off right back. She was trying to keep her cards close to her chest though, and simply shrugged at jacks challenge, paying more attention to her coffee than to him for a moment, which she knew would generally get him highly flustered. Maybe she shouldn't have started shit by talking about her earlier date, but did she really care? Life was for living, and she enjoyed being candid with Jack.

Soon enough though Celeste was rolling her eyes and chuckling. "Oh but really jack, what is there to be afraid of? A boy in a well tailored suit?" She picked, eyebrow arching as she verbally slapped him. "I hope you know I reserve dinner dates for the important people in my life, Jack." She told him in all seriousness. She just didn't want him to mess this up. This would be their first big date. "And what should I expect as far as dress code?" She teased, nibbling on her bottom lip.

Celeste's flippant attitude got to Jack, he couldn't help but feel slightly hurt by not being the center of attention. When being with others, Jack was used to being the one in the lead, the one that others looked to and hung on his every word. Celeste wasn't like that, which bothered him to no end. It also made him want to learn how to get her to be that way, though it might have seemed an impossible task. Jack scratched his chin as he though, then he blinked, she'd just called him a boy, a boy for goodness sake! He was a man, a young one maybe, but a man nonetheless. He tried not to let his reaction show too much on his face, but it was hard to hold it in.

"There is s a lot more here than just a man in a tailored suit, you'd be mindful to remember that," Jack shook his head, annoyed with the chit across from him. She had a big mouth, and one that begged for his attention, as she took her bottom lip between her teeth, damn her. Jack almost growled with frustration, instead he gripped his chair, to keep from gathering her up in his arms and kissing that damn lip. "Lets keep it simple, dinner casual? Would that suit you?" Jack dared her to argue with him, dinner casual was being nice, he'd rather her show up in nothing but a robe, but he couldn't exactly say that to her. Or he could, but then she'd be less likely to show up.

Celeste could tell she was getting to him as he gripped the chair a little tighter than before, so she knew it was almost her time to go. She'd wound him up, and had no plans to help him relax again until much later, and that was still a maybe. Celeste just nodded to Jack about his dress code, she didn't plan on following it, but there was no harm in making Jack think she'd show up in an appropriate skirt and blouse. Jack could think whatever he wanted, she was destined to be the woman that shook up his world, anyway. "Well that sounds perfect, Jack. I suppose I'll see you at 7, in that case." She said, standing up and slipping her laptop into her purse. Jack, ever the gentleman, stood with her, so she gave him a very light, very teasing, kiss on his cheek. "Buh-bye jack..." she sang over her shoulder, swinging her hips as she left the shop.

The penthouse was the best room in the entire hotel, and of course Jack McCloud was living in it, because who else would? He was housed in the top hotel in New York, and with his connections, he had the best room. Some thought it was strange that he lived in a hotel, but for Jack it was natural. His da had always housed them in hotels, anything else might have felt foreign, and he wasn't ready for foreign, at least not yet. He needed some comforts in life, true ones, not the ones he pretended were comforts. Like the furniture, and the nice gadgets, or the girls that he paraded around his mates. Jack had just gotten out of the shower, he was standing with a towel slung around his waist at his sink, a razor in hand as he shaved his face. He had to look perfect for Celeste, she was arriving within the hour, so he had very little time. A meeting had run later than expected, and he was being rushed, which wasn't something he liked.

Jack went to his closet and picked out a suit, he laid it on the bed, then went to a drawer, where he perused a variety of watches, picking one that matched the blue in his tie. He took his time picking a belt, socks, and his shoes as well. He was just putting on boxers when the doorbell rang. He couldn't fathom who would be there at 6:40 at night, it couldn't be Celeste, could it? Because that would mean she was early, and what woman arrived early? Jack slid into a silk robe and went to answer the door, his hair was still mussed from the shower, but he was clean shaven, and smelled like all man. He opened the door, to find himself face to face with.....(I thought maybe she could arrive early, and give him some hell?)

((Absolutely she would))

She hadn't seen jack mccloud in a good four or five hours, and against her better judgement, she didn't like that. She'd called her best friend and roommate, bex, as soon as she'd left the coffee shop, and they went on a little shopping spree together. Barneys, Gucci, Kate spade, and pastries; their perfect day. Celeste has even had a professional do her hair for her at her favorite blowdry bar, with some loose curls and raids framing her made up face. Jack said casual, but that sure as hell was not how Celeste was dressed. She wore a slip dress, actually, one made of satin with lace trimming, all in a dark shade of blue, of course, to bring out her sparkling eyes. Celeste was practically dripping in jewelry, unique vintage pieces she'd borrowed from her bestie. She'd decided to arrive early at jacks penthouse, because why not? She'd brought a fine bottle of champagne as a host gift, one that probably cost more than the jimmy choo stilettos she wore on her feet. The doorman let her in with wide eyes at her fairly revealing dress, and she smirked as she sauntered up to jacks floor and rang the doorbell.

When he answered, she almost laughed aloud. Her eyes had a spark, though, at seeing jack so obviously unready to see her. "Wow jack, I guess you really did go for casual..." she chirped, winking up at him. "Sorry in a little early, but I did bring you this for your collection.." she trailed off with the champagne extended out to him, her eyes roaming over jack, all disheveled in a silk robe. He smelled delicious, and Celeste could already tell the two would probably end up misbehaving.

The young woman floored him, Celeste was more than just a girl he knew, she was everything he could want, and he could almost find himself settling for just her, if he thought about it long enough, but that was a scary thought. Jack's jaw dropped open slightly at the sight of her, the blue dress hugged every perfect inch, and she was dazzling to the eyes. Jack felt frozen for a moment as she spoke, handing over a bottle of something, he took it, just barely, and tried to get a hold on himself. So she was early, that didn't mean he had to lose all sense of decorum, right?
"Welcome to my humble abode," He muttered, closing the door after her. There was a chef in his kitchen, one of the best, cooking for them, and she was early, and he was not ready.
"You caught me... er.. unaware, just let me finish getting ready..." Jack wasn't usually caught so offguard, but that seemed to be Celeste's specialty.

Jack led her to the living area, and wet bar. "Can I get you something to drink, before I return to getting ready?" Jack's voice was suave, he was slowly getting back into his groove, even if the shock of her was taking a while to wear off. Jack slid behind the wet bar, producing several different types of drink, and he could make her a mixed drink if she liked. He had taken a few classes from a pretty bartender once, when he was 15, who said that older women couldn't be useful?

The look of shock on jacks face was absolutely priceless. Celeste wasn't exactly new at causing such a reaction in men, but from a man like jack, you really had to earn it. Not just any little black dress on some curves made jack stop and stare. But Celeste, she felt that if she really wanted to, she could make jack do whatever she wanted. She smiled brightly at him and walked farther into his home; it was sleek, modern and masculine, absolutely what she was expecting from jack mccloud. A chef was busy in the kitchen, a fire swirling in the glass fireplace... it was beautiful. Celeste turned back to jack as he hurried over to the bar, slowly become the man she knew once again. "Oh don't worry about me jack, I know my way around a bar." She promised, shooing him away and eyeing all the bottles, all the options that laid before her. She made eye contact with jack, looking up beneath her lashes at him "Why don't you go finish getting pretty." She teased.

The chef's food was smelling particularly delicious, and he knew that he wouldn't regret hiring the expensive chef. He watched as Celeste made herself at home, she sidled up beside him, and began making her own drink.
"If you insist," He muttered, leaving her to her own devices as he went back to his room to get ready. He let the robe slide to the floor, once in his room. He pulled on his shirt, his pants, slid the belt between the loops, buckled the watch, then worked on his tie and clipped on his suspenders. He pulled on his overcoat, and then went to the bathroom to fix his hair. His hair took the longest, making it stay just right, then he made his way back out of his room, to find Celeste, he didn't see her at first, but then his eyes found her, drink in hand. Jack admired her for a moment, without her noticing him at first, it was nice just to be able to appreciate the view. Jack made himself a drink, and joined her, the chef was just done making their food and was laying it out on the table.

Though she tried to pretend she wasn't, Celeste was paying a good deal of attention to jack walking away. He just looked so strong, she liked the sight of it. Once he was in his room though, Celeste downed two shots of vodka before actually making herself a decent drink. She wandered for a bit, peeking into jacks storage of old records. She grinned at finding Sinatra in the mix, of course jack would be a fan of him. Celeste very much enjoyed the old style of music, so she slipped one into the record player and let the needle down just as jack was coming out of his room; looking very much the man she knew him to be.

"I hope you don't mind," she chirped, toying with her hair as she sat down at the small table, "but I found your records and I just adore Sinatra..." she told him, letting him push in her chair for her. She took a long sip of water and gazed at jack with her bright blue eyes, face cradled in her palm "How did the rest of your meetings go today?" She asked, trying to start polite conversation with him.

With a drink in hand, Jack sat down at the table, he noticed the music, just as Celeste mentioned putting a record on. He lifted his glass in acknowledgement that she made a good choice, before drinking some from the thick, glass, tumbler. His mood changed slightly when she brought up work, the smoldering eyes were gone, and his expression became stony,
"Not so great. One of the bids I was hoping for didn't come in, and then I got slapped with some silly city ordinances on the hotel. I've got to do this whole list of rubbish before I can begin doing any renovations. Someone doesn't want me to work in this city, and when I figure out who it is...." Jack pulled a long drink from his glass, he cleared his throat. "It doesn't matter, we're here for enjoyment, not my work. Tell me about the rest of your day, anything exciting happen that I should know about?" Jack and Celeste both had plates set before them, Jack wasn't sure what the food was on the plate, but it smelled delicious, so he picked up a fork and knife and began to cut away at the meat.

Celeste watched is Jack's expression turn stony at her mention of work, he obviously didn't want to discuss it, but what he was saying was definitely piquing her interest. Someone didn't want him working in the city, huh? "Sounds like a case for a very intelligent brunette that I know, if you ever need any assistance tracking them down." She offered, taking the first bite of her food and lightly closing her eyes "Damn Jack, this is delicious." She told him once she was done chewing. It was ridiculous how tender the veal was, and how flavorful. Celeste had always been a fan of fancy chefs, but this was some of the best food she'd ever had "Where did you find this chef?? I need him in my life." She said with wide eyes, a smile on her face. It was nice, to be so close to jack across the table, in his home. It wasn't the intimidating space she'd been nervous it would be, but instead was warm and inviting. What happened to jack in his own home that made him so lovely? So...not a jack ass? When he mentioned the rest of her day, she grinned. Well my roommate and I, Bex, I think you've met her before, we went for an absolute girls day. We had a little lunch and went shopping for this fine dress you see on me," she mentioned, since jack definitely hadn't mentioned how lovely she looked enough, "among other things, and then we hit up a lovely pastry shop, and after all that, well I didn't have time for anything besides getting ready to meet with you, Jackie Dearest." Celeste was beaming by the end of her story, adoring being the center of jacks attention.

There were vegetables on Jack's plate, normally he would force them down, but just wasn't in the mood, so he pushed them around instead, and ate just the meat. He listened to Celeste, giving her his sole attention. He'd left his phone in his bedroom, purposely, so nothing would distract him from the beautiful woman before him.
"He's from that new restaurant, I'll have to get us seats, though it may take a while.... unless I can pull some strings," Jack threw a look the chef's way, he just shrugged, and began cleaning up, quietly, melting into the background. Jack rose a brow at the mention of Celeste having a girls day, she seemed to have a fine time with Bex, yes he'd met her a few times, she was a lively thing around Jack. "You look gorgeous," Jack commented, he wanted to make sure she heard that before the night was over. He leaned in some, his charm back on, "Thank you for joining me tonight, I'm glad you came, " He knew that there had been the chance that she wouldn't show up at all. Celeste was certainly the definition of 'independent' woman. She didn't need a man to make it in the world, or to have a good time. She did things on her own terms, it would seem, and he admired that about her, but it also scared the hell out of him. It meant that she didn't seem to need him, which meant that he dispensable, and that wasn't something he was used to.
Jack took the last bite of his meat, and wiped his mouth with a cloth napkin. "Tell me, do you have any new designs that you want to show me?"

Jack was willing to pull strings for her, and that was nice to hear. Jack mccloud was the kind of man that didn't put effort into anyone that didn't matter, so the fact that he was, and was willing to continue, trying to make things special for her really meant something. She nodded in response to his offer "I think I'd like that, a night on the town with jack mccloud." She said, grinning like a girl at him. He was being so sweet, and as Celeste popped a green bean into her mouth, he started to bring back the charm. Calling her beautiful, leaning in close, it felt like it was all part of his game, and it probably was. But he'd invited her to his home, and not just for extracurricular activities, so to Celeste, that meant something. Her eyes sparkled as he thanked her for coming, and she leaned across the table too, brushing a light kiss across his lips "Thank you for inviting me, jack." She said quietly, not wanting to get too gooey before she returned her attention to her steak. It was a glorious pink inside, and she swore Bex would've died of jealousy if she'd seen the piece of meat Celeste got to enjoy. Then Jack was asking about new designs, and Celeste smirked "I'm actually doing a tree piece collection at the end of the semester that I've already started on. Evening gowns, since they're my favorite. I'm still only sketching and buying fabric though, nothing concrete yet." She told him with a smile.

A night on the town with Jack McCloud would usually entail a lot of alcohol and half dressed girls. Since Celeste would be with him, well that would all have to be thrown out the window. It would almost be a first for Jack, showing a girl a good time, without boos and slicy entertainment. He tried to imagine what it would be like, then decided that he would have to get advice from his mate James on the whole idea. He would have a better plan than Jack, that was much was sure. Jack sipped some wine, and watched as the chef exchanged his plate for a dessert plate, the cake looked to die for. There were exquisite decorations on it as well.
"Trees? That's interesting," Jack wondered what she oculd do with trees and evening gowns, it sounded more like a jumbled mess. But he wasn't about to tell her that, no that would end up with him getting dishes thrown at him or something. "What inspired you? For this new project?" Jack took a bite of the cake, it was delicious, and delicate. The chef was worth every penny that Jack had put into him.

It all felt very unreal, sitting in jacks home, hating dinner and lovely conversation. Not unreal, just, it felt miraculously like a nice date. And she honestly hadn't thought jack capable of doing something that really truly wouldn't bring him any gain. She looked shocked by the cake set before her "Pardon my French jack, but holy shit. It's kind of too beautiful to eat.." she said, biting her lip and looking up at him. She soon burst into giggles though, and started shaking her head "Oh God no, not trees. I misspoke. It's going to be a THREE piece collection." She said, her laughter dying and her grin staying on her face. When he asked what had inspired her, she was actually quite surprised. A follow up question, that had to do with learning the contents of her mind, and how she thought? Insane. "Well, I stay in Paris for the summers, and this summer I really paid attention to the architecture of Paris. It's wild jack it really is, many of the lines are harsh and very striking, but when it all comes together, it's this feminine, romantic place that's not to be overlooked. My gowns are going to be very much the same way; a perfect mixture of hard and soft, a fusion of romance and power." She explained, taking a bite of her cake. She was absolutely over the moon about the collection, ready to start sewing any day now.

The thought of girls standing in dresses that looked like trees, that was a bit ridiculous in Jack's mind, but he wasn't one to say anything when a lady was present. Especially one that he liked so much, so when she admitted to misspeaking, he blew out a breath of relief. So she was doing something much different than what he'd been imagining.
"Three, that makes much more sense," He chuckled as well, a smile lingering on his lips as she went on about Paris and how romantic it was. He wondered what about the city had called out to her so much. She seemed to be in love with the city itself, much like he was in love with Dublin. Jack rubbed a hand over his well shaven chin, thinking about a trip to Paris, with Celeste, a candle lit dinner, with the Eiffel tower in the background. It would certainly take some research, money, and effort on his part. But it was something to think about.
"Do your parents have a home in Paris? Or do you rent over the summer? When will you start on your projects? I'm wondering because, I know how busy you will be once you start. I'll be lucky to get lunch with you, I'm sure." Jack took another bite of the cake, chasing it down with wine. It was a wonderful night, with no fighting thus far, which surprised Jack himself.