Crown Chaser

♫ Ready for my close up.

things I’ve been told in class (via aueful)

there are few people who have the confidence ( or is it stupidity? ) to walk, uninvited, into a restaurant and take a seat across from a model more famous than deen could ever hope to be. but then again, deen ramzi didn’t get this far because of his modesty. no —— he’s gotten to where he is due to his ability to push, possibly farther than necessary, and because he loves his goddamn career. and if he sees an opportunity to save that from inevitably crumbling beneath him? well, he’s gonna take it. there’s a part of him that’s genuinely shocked when she recognizes him ( well, mostly, but he’ll take it as a victory ) and he can’t help the small smirk that surfaces on his own face in response, clearly pleased with his ability to make an impact with everyone in the industry. still, there’s a larger, more dominant part of him that refuses to settle on her seemingly blasé attitude towards knowing his full name, so he clears his throat after a moment before offering a quick, “ ramzi. i reckon you’ll want to remember this one, love. ” he doesn’t speak again until after he’s brought his own glass and filled it, taking his time with his movements to create anticipation in the other ( how dramatic ) as the devilish grin remains on his face. “ the food isn’t why i’m here, ” he begins, taking a sip of the bubbly liquid before placing the glass neatly on the table. “ and i hope you don’t mind making this a business lunch, because there are some things i’d like to discuss that i think will benefit us both. ” he’s prepared a pitch for her —— wanted to do this right, professional, unlike nearly everything else in his career —— but he wants to make sure that she’s at least open to hearing what he has to say before wasting his breath. his time, of course, is very valuable.

Ordinarily she’d already have signaled the maitre d’ to escort him away from her. He’s caught her at a good time though; she’s moderately bored and more willing to put up with interruptions if there was even a slight chance that they could break the monotony of her day. She figures it wouldn’t hurt to hear what he might have to say. She can admire his confidence though, at the very least she can admit that he’s got a bit more character than she’s seen from a lot of the models she’s met since she came back. He has spunk; she can appreciate that. She isn’t quite sure what her place in the current hierarchy at Primary is right now and if the rumours she’s heard whispered around the office building are anything to go by, Deen finds himself in a pretty similar position. “I’ll decide whether or not I’ll hold onto that information when I’ve heard whatever it is you’ve got to say...and please, for the love of god, make it interesting, I spent 3 long hours this morning being bored to tears in the PR department and I’ve got to be honest, I really don’t think I can take much more.” She rolls her eyes at his slight dramatics, feigning complete disinterest as she looks over the menu in between small sips from her glass. “Pretty much every lunch I’ve been to since I was 15 has been a business lunch. Mutually beneficial is my kind of game though so whatever it is run it by me...and keep smiling by the way, angle your face so your best side’s catching the light and facing the window. The paps are still taking sneaky shots, you might as well let them get a flattering angle.” She signals for the waiter again as she closes the menu gracefully, sliding it across to him so he could pick something for himself. “If I’m going to discuss business with you, I’m going to have to make sure you make good choices quickly. Think quickly, he’s already on his way over.” She turns with a sweet smile ready on her face as she casts her eyes up to the waiter. “I’ll be having the beef carpaccio salad to start - that’s always lovely here - and for the entree, I’ll go with the Gnocchi in brown butter sauce.” She turned back to face the model across from her with raised eyebrows and a slight daring edge to her smile. “Your turn.”

PAOLO SEBASTIAN Couture Spring/Summer 2016