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nexxy5 · 1 year

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#619 Merry Christmas

RL Shop ! Mesh Head : Lelutka – Raven (Limit! Free Group Gift)Skin Koonz- Lacey Skin Brownie (Free Group Gift)Body : Maitreya – Lara [Version 5.3] (NOT FREE)Shape : My Own ‘ Letl 2’ If you like it I’ll give it away free Inworld contact Destinyraul99 via notecard. Please bear in mind that these shapes are for MESH BODY PARTS, nonetheless if you don’t wear mesh parts I can still alter it for…

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#3d girl #Destinations in Second life #ebony chic #Free Group Gift #Free stuff in secondlife #Freebies in secondlife #lelutka #Mesh Head #Places in Second life #secondlife marketplace

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carleybenazzi-blog-blog · 4 months

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pink fluff by carley benazzi Via Flickr: Blog Instagram Majesty - Fluffy Headphones Merch - India hood fur Merch - Kiyanne plunge bra - TSA Event Majesty - Fluffy Sequin skirt Shi - Esther hair - Uber

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katoakenshield · 8 months

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Munich Loft-Style Family Room An illustration of a mid-sized, modern, loft-style family room with a concrete floor, a bar, and gray walls.

#kleiner schrank #mahagoni #zeitlos #klassisch #vintage furniture #ebony #chic

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alespov · 7 months

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Anti-hero -.L.Kennedy 18+

Tw : Ada flirts with muse, no hate to Ada, I love her banter with Leon in this one . Leon just gets a bit jealous. Loved her separate ways <3 mentions of bar, Luis is alive!

A/N : hope you enjoy, feedback is appreciated! 🫶🏻Requests are open (for Leon and Wesker) also last call for Halloween themed requests!

You, Luis, Ashley, and your boyfriend Leon decided to explore a trendy new bar in town. The entire ambiance of the venue was a nostalgic nod to the early 2000s. Although bars were not typically your preferred hangout, this occasion merited a little celebration. Leon had triumphantly accomplished his daunting mission: rescuing Ashley from peril and even managing to secure Luis's safety as well. (It’s canon, I said so)

During a brief intermission from the dj, Luis ventured off to fetch some drinks, leaving you and Ashley to engage in a lively conversation. She emanated an effervescent demeanor, clearly elated to be back home, giving off the impression that she never met a stranger. Unwavering in his resolve, Leon sought to alter that perception; dedicating his weekends to coaching her in the art of self-defense. Which wasn’t going as smoothly as he thought it would.

Each of you had dressed impeccably to suit the special event, apart from Leon. He opted for a minimalist attire, as he occasionally did. You knew he was tired and wanted to relax, but you wanted to get him out of the house. So going out, to dinner was the originally plan. Until Luis and Ashley came trotting up your driveway, wanting to try out a new bar they found. You knew Leon wouldn’t be in the mood, but you pleaded and he finally agreed.

Moreover, he struggled to recover from his recent challenging mission. Therefore, you endeavored to support him in any way possible, a gesture he greatly cherished. You knew this mission had affected him differently. He ran into someone he used to know and it set in a terrible mood, you tried to pry. Hoping to ease his mind, but Leon wasn’t telling you anything yet.

“Hey sweetheart, I need to step into the bathroom for a moment," he expressed softly, planting a tender kiss upon your cheek. "Also, Ash, refrain from talking with strangers, please," Leon advised her firmly. She responded with a disapproving glare but ultimately acquiesced with a nod. She let out a huff and you giggled

“Who does he think he is?” She scoffed, then took a sip of her drink.

“The man who saved your life.” You butted in and she rolled her eyes.

“I guess he did, but still. I’m responsible.” She pouted and you nudged her arm.

“It’s alright ash, it happens to the best of us.” The both of you shared a look and saw Luis returning with drinks.

Luis triumphantly returned, carrying your beverages in hand. "Cheers ladies!" He bellowed, as the three of you raised your glasses for shots. Gently placing your glass back down, you couldn't help but release a light-hearted giggle. Engrossed in lively conversation with one another, you suddenly sensed an unrelenting gaze fixed upon you.

Your gaze swept across the colorful lit bar, landing on a captivating woman adorned with a chic ebony pixie cut, ensconced in a ravishing scarlet dress. As she caught your eye, she sent an enticing wave in your direction, to which you responded with a warm, reassuring grin. Anxiously, you yearned for Leon's swift return. You had a gut feeling, but tried to downplay your nerves, you were probably overthinking it.

Captivating your attention, Ashley humorously recounted a funny story. As your gaze returned to the mysterious woman, she had vanished without a trace. Confusion washed over you, yet you brushed aside the perplexing thoughts. That is, until her hand unexpectedly came to rest upon your shoulder.

As you shifted your gaze towards her, she beamed with the same radiant smile. Glancing subtly from the corner of your eye, you observed Luis wearing an expression of disdain on his visage. Even Ashley appeared less than enthusiastic.

“Hey sorry guys, there was a line at the bathr-“

Leon strode towards the table, briefly pausing before continuing. Relief washed over you upon his arrival; yet, his unenthusiastic demeanor dampened the mood.

“Why are you here? And get your hands off of her.” You could tell Leon was angry, you met the woman’s eye and they sparkled with mischief. “Oh leon calm down, I just wanted to get the pretty girls number.” She mocked him while faking a giggle.

"With a hint of pride, Leon shouted , "Well, that's MY GIRLFRIEND," as Luis gently placed a reassuring hand on Leon's shoulder to calm his rising temper. The provocative woman responded playfully, "Oh, really?Lucky boy.”With a flirtatious wink in your direction, she sensuously slid her phone number to you, adding enticingly, "In case you're ever in the mood to unwind for a bit." With that, she shifted her stance gracefully and sauntered toward the exit with an air of mystery lingering behind her.

Leon's fury had reached its peak. You swiftly slid off your stool and grasped his hand, gently pulling him along with you.

"Apologies, everyone, but it seems we must take our leave for the night."

Luis and Ashley had understood and you and Leon left. You walked to his motorcycle and were ready to hop on when he stopped.

“Listen… i made an ass of myself. Ada.. she’s know to do that. He began. “ I just wanted to tell you that I love and trust you.” You felt the blush rise and you caressed his cheek. “ I know hun. I love you too. Besides she’s not my type.” You replied with a playful wink. “

Leon smirked “well then who is your type?”

You thought for a moment before sliding your arms around his neck. “

You silly.”

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balkanparamo · 1 year

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Ebony Chic

#art #nudity #melanin #black woman #photography #ebony

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lilacmingi · 2 months

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ALICE IN WONDERLAND AU: YOONGI’S ENDING

My works are 14+ ONLY. If you’re under 14 DO NOT interact with me or any of my works

Pairing: Cheshire Cat!Yoongi x fem reader

Word count: 1,300

Note: There’s no taglist for the separate endings. If you haven’t read the series yet, you can find the intro here or find it on my masterlist which is linked at the end of the imagine

Every single one of them were amazing and beyond perfect, but your heart seemed to be pulled towards one of them in particular.

The answer was simple and you weren't going to sugarcoat it or draw the moment out any longer than it needed to be.

"I choose Yoongi." You decided.

A proud and prideful smirk spread across the cat hybrid's face as he stepped forward.

"It's about time, sweetheart."

He grabbed you swiftly by the waist and pulled you into his side, giving you a quick kiss on the lips as if to show off.

"See you losers around." Yoongi began pulling you away from the group.

"We have to say goodbye." You stopped him.

"Make it quick, sweetie."

Approaching the boys one by one, you gave each of them a hug, saying a brief goodbye.

"Don't let him keep you away from us." Taehyung told you.

"I won't. We'll come visit. I promise." You glanced back, seeing an impatient Yoongi waiting on you. "Well, I'll come visit."

Giving a final wave goodbye, you paired back up with Yoongi who was already pulling you out the door.

"Let's go, pretty." He ushered you down the stone path that led away from Jin's towering castle.

The journey to Yoongi's house was a quiet one. Most of the walk was spent taking in your surroundings and accepting the fact that you would be living in this wondrous place.

It's funny, you were so quick to abandon your old life and weren't worried in the slightest about the fact that you didn't have any belongings with you. In a way, you were starting over completely—and you loved that.

The roof of a house could be seen in the distance, which let you know you would be arriving at your destination in a few short moments.

Yoongi's house was nothing like you had imagined. The exterior was comprised of gray tones and had a chic, minimalistic structure that still managed to fit in with the various mushrooms and quirky flowers of Wonderland.

Truthfully, up until you found out each of the boys had their own places, you assumed Yoongi stayed up in the trees where you first met him.

"Welcome to your new home." Yoongi announced, opening the door so the both of you could walk in.

The interior was decorated in dark hues much like the exterior. Yoongi had a black leather couch and chair along with tables made from ebony wood. The arrangement of furniture was simplistic and appealing to the eyes.

"What do you think?" Yoongi's thumb gently caressed your side while you took in all the details of the living room.

"I love it."

"Good."

As soon as the word left his mouth, his lips slammed against yours, his impatience and longing both evident in the way he kissed you with such eagerness.

You closed your eyes and melted into him, reciprocating his heated actions with just as much fervor as him. The softness of his lips contrasted greatly with the pace of the kiss, which was rough and feverish, turning your mind to mush. His hands that were still planted on your hips massaged them as he backed you against the nearest wall, caging you in while he devoured your lips, nipping softly at them.

When he parted ways, he gazed at you, his turquoise eyes glowing passionately.

"I love you so much." He panted before he began kissing down your neck, the sensation of his lips on the sensitive skin sending a trail of goosebumps down your spine.

Your eyes closed once more as your head instinctively leaned back.

"I love you too, Yoongi." You sighed out, reaching up to run your fingers through his long hair.

You didn't stay in one spot for very long before Yoongi started tugging you down the hallway to his room, which you didn't get a chance to look at as he gently pushed you down onto the bed, hovering over you with a gleam in his feline-like eyes.

"I can't believe you picked me." He confessed, brushing your hair back. "I'm really happy."

You smiled up at him, enjoying the brief moment of vulnerability from him.

"Though I should have seen it coming. I mean, I did assume you liked me, after all."

You smacked his arm playfully only for him to grab your wrists and pin them to the mattress.

"You have to admit I was right. Wasn't I?" He leaned close to your face.

The only thing you managed to utter was a meek, "Yeah."

He smirked down at you, briskly closing the gap between your faces. "That means you're mine." He murmured lowly against your lips.

Your entire face was set ablaze.

He pulled away and gazed down at you.

"How do you feel about that, babe?"

"Um... I—“

"What's wrong? Cat got your tongue?" He smirked before kissing you again.

Two weeks later

A sliver of sunlight peeked through Yoongi's dark curtains, the narrow beam shining across the floor. Turning your head, you saw the man that captured your heart, snuggled up against you with his head resting on your chest.

Yoongi was unbearably cute when he slept. He looked so soft and pure, the sight making your heart melt. One of your hands reached up to slowly run your fingers through his hair. His eyes opened a little and he tilted his head to look up at you, a soft smile playing at his lips.

"Good morning." He rasped, his morning voice setting a flurry of butterflies loose in your stomach.

"Good morning."

"Keep doing that. It feels good." He mumbled before closing his eyes, relishing in the feeling of your loving touch.

You obliged, continuing to play with his hair, twirling a strand around your index finger before letting it go and watching as it partially untwisted itself before combing your fingers through it.

One of his cat ears twitched a little, which made your heart flip. You secretly wanted to touch his ears for some time now, but never said anything because you didn't want to make him uncomfortable. To be fair, it was a weird request.

You looked down at him finding that he was almost asleep again, if not already. Ever so slowly, you brought your hand up and stroked one of his ears. They were really soft-softer than you had imagined and oh-so-adorable. The giddy giggles that threatened to escape you were held back as you gently touched them once more.

After a while, you heard a low purring sound emitting from Yoongi's chest. Your breath caught in your throat at the sound.

"Mmm." He hummed lowly as he tightened his grip around your waist, his fingers almost kneading your flesh. "Keep going, pretty."

The heat in your cheeks raised exponentially at his comment, but you continued to pet his ears nonetheless.

The purring became louder and Yoongi was starting to grab onto the material of your shirt, small sighs mixing with the constant purring.

It was then that you started to ease up on the petting, not wanting to get him fired up so early in the morning.

"You're adorable." You whispered.

His eyes practically snapped opened and he looked up at you.

"I'm not."

"Oh, come on." You chuckled. "Yes you are. Your purring is so cute."

"Don't you dare tell anyone about this."

"About what?" You feigned confusion.

"Good girl." He grinned, the praise sending another rush of butterflies to your stomach.

"Don't you wanna get up and eat?" You asked in an attempt to distract yourself.

"No. I wanna stay here and cuddle with my girlfriend." He raised his head long enough to give you a peck on the lips.

You smiled contently, settling into your pillow.

"That's fine with me."

Masterlist ᝰ

DO NOT steal, plagiarize, copy, repost, alter, or translate my works in any way

#yoongi x reader #yoongi x you #yoongi x y/n #min yoongi x reader #min yoongi x you #min yoongi x y/n #bts alice in wonderland au #bts imagines #bts au fic #bts au fanfic #bts scenarios #kpop scenarios #kpop imagines

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safarigirlsp · 1 year

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Satan Wears Burberry

Modern Jacques Le Gris x Reader

Word Count: 8.1k

Warnings: NSFW. Smut. Humor. Romance. Enemies to Lovers. Fur.

AO3 Link

Author’s Note: For a Valentine's Day special, and as a gift for the lovely and wonderfully talented @kyloremus , here is a fun bitchy Fashion AU inspired by Cruella DeVille and The Devil Wears Prada! This is only the intro, if it is well received, I'll do more with it. There’s not even any murder or mayhem! What’s wrong with me?

Fashion is a viciously cutthroat industry where appearance and manipulation often win over sincerity and benevolence. Weapons of choice are razored nails, deadly heels, and backstabbing smiles. Everyone who is anyone and all the someones aspiring to be something in the fashion industry know there is no event more seminal than Paris Fashion Week. Statuesque models strutting runways, aggressive designers gauging their competition, and hawkish agents scouting new talent can all be found amid the crowds and press.

As the Editor in Chief of Annees Folles Magazine, your front row seat at every event was reserved. This season, Annees Folles had even surpassed Vogue in sales and influence. Before anything became fashion, it had to receive your stamp of approval and be featured in the pages of your magazine. Brands rose and fell pursuant to your approval or condemnation just like a gladiator’s life dependent upon the tilt of an emperor’s thumb. Among the other more illustrious attendees, were the heads of the most preeminent fashion lines in the world, the CEOs and moguls whose names had forged the foundation of modern fashion.

La Maison Gris, a relatively new brand from an old and noble French family, had made a meteoric rise to the very summit of the industry. Helmed by its formidable and charismatic CEO, Jacques Le Gris, La Maison Gris had firmly secured a position high among the most distinguished names in fashion. Le Gris had fast become synonymous with Chanel, Versace, Lagerfeld, Gucci, Valentino, Tom Ford, Dior, Dolce and Gabbana. Aided in his ascension by his calculating mind, his almost irresistible charm, his devilish good looks and imposing size, Jacques had steamrolled his competition like a tank over protestors.

Jacques Le Gris always dressed to the nines and was dashingly groomed and coiffed, his image immaculately maintained. From a finely tailored bespoke suit that flattered his impressive and athletic 6’4” physique, enhancing the breadth of his great shoulders and the taper of his fit waist, to a simple signet ring bearing his century’s old family crest that drew attention to his enormous hands, he used fashion to emphasize his towering size and noble bearing. He wore a neatly trimmed van dyke, and his thick black hair down to his shoulders. An intentional streak of silver shot through his glossy ebony mane like the milky way shimmering across the night sky, giving him the regal air of a melanistic lion. He was dressed now in pieces from his own line, a charcoal suit with a chic glen plaid pattern, black shirt, unbuttoned down two buttons from his throat, and a black overcoat with a subtle flair of silver Persian lamb around the collar.

Notably broader without exception than everyone in attendance and standing a head taller than most, save for the willowy models, some of whom hoovered near his airspace when in heels, Jacques cut an impressive and unmistakable figure where he stood next to the runway in the dimly lit audience. The room was filled to capacity with the crème de la crème of fashion, interspersed with the journalists and photographers who would relay their chosen highlights to the public. While he waited for the show to begin and the first model to strut down the runway, Jacques discussed his line with anyone who would listen, showcasing his renowned affability. He was cordial where others were aloof, a trait that had helped spur his rise to the top.

Jacques was confident that his spring line that was to be revealed at this show would impress all those in attendance, but still, it never hurt to grease the wheels with a few dashing smiles. He could charm almost anyone into submission, a talent that cut across many different lines of social interaction. Only one major player had remained staunchly immune from his allure, and she unfortunately wielded one of the most important opinions. In fact, it was as though the Editor in Chief of Annees Folles Magazine took pride, a morbid relish even, in eviscerating the designs of La Maison Gris. With each scathing article, La Maison Gris and its profits took a hit and took months to reclimb the ladder from several rungs below. To say Jacques was ruffled by it was an understatement, he was mad as hell. He had yet to meet the woman in person, which he assured himself was the reason he had so far been unable to exert the full magnitude of his charm and magnetism.

The lights dimmed and the music picked up tempo, indicating the show would soon be starting. Jacques was focused on the runway, and didn’t see you approach and squeeze in beside him for a place at the head of the runway. The room was packed as tightly as a nightclub, but filled with an exponentially more beautiful crowd. Jacques recognized you with a visible start, his affable manner momentarily dampened with worry, fear even, at being in the presence of the one woman with the power to unseat him from his high horse. The pen was indeed mightier than the sword when it was you who wielded it, writing the destinies of every hopeful designer in the pages of your magazine.

You were dressed in a Dolce & Gabbana dress of ebony lace that hugged and flattered your shapely curves to perfection paired with a charcoal gray double-breasted Burberry Prorsum coat with military-style epaulets and cuffs. You wore five-inch Burberry heels that, although pointed-toe stilettos, they were fitted with Burberry’s signature lug sole, adding to your combative appearance and reputation. Although it was dark in the room, you wore a pair of aviator sunglasses by Maybach, also in gradients of carbon, that concealed your infamously ferocious eyes. Your hair was elegantly styled and your bearing was as proud as any model on a runway, but your presence was of a military general standing on a battlefield.

The sight of you took Jacques’s breath away. He had never been so taken aback by a woman, so instantly devastated by beauty.

With a deep steadying breath and a visible effort, Jacques composed himself. It was absurd, he reasoned, to be so unnerved by a woman. He was a master at seduction, and what was business but a different kind of seduction? Both involved a degree of manipulation and power plays. Even if Jacques didn’t know how to deal with you as a cutthroat editor who struck fear into the hearts of men, he knew how to deal with a red-blooded woman.

“I think you’ll find the florals are luscious,” he whispered with a smokey depth to his voice. He moved closer beside you until your shoulders brushed, perfectly acceptable in the crowded room.

“Florals? For Spring?” you scoffed. “Groundbreaking.”

“Well… Florals are classics for a reason,” he stumbled at the sharp rebuff. “Spring lines always have florals. It’s what you do with them that matters, is it not?”

“Have you sustained a head injury?” you derided haughtily, turning to look at him briefly over the rims of your sunglasses. “Yes, follow like the little lemmings toward the cliff of the cliché and the mediocre. The market – that is, sellers who have already made you rich -- want to get their winter fashions off the racks. Something inventive, something charming and clean, for example, would sell regardless of the season. Are you marketing to the likes of Kohl’s or Target?” You dismissively returned your attention to the runaway. “Dolce & Gabbana is the only designer who has any business at all dabbling in seasonal florals. Perhaps, an honorable mention to Dior.” Jacques tried to retort, but you steamrolled over him. “But not La Maison Gris, I assure you, and my assurance is the only one that will ever matter.”

This silenced him as he looked away, a strange and foreign mixture of rejection and embarrassment mingling inside him with an all-too familiar anger. He then looked back at you tentatively, feeling hesitant to challenge you.

“Just last spring Vogue raged over my florals,” he stated with a confidence that for once he didn’t feel, his deep voice undercut by an undertone of fear. Because of his size and physicality, deep voice, and wealth, he often unwittingly intimidated people. He was unused to being on the other side of that scale, and he couldn’t recall being so as a grown man. It was a challenge, he realized, and he savored challenges.

“Then, they were novel. Now, they are tired and uninspired,” you sighed as if bored by his simpleness. “Consistency is the last refuge of the unimaginative -- that’s Oscar Wilde, mind you – and I do believe he had a sense of fashion. He even went to prison for his fashion genius, among other proclivities.”

Jacques’s handsome features broadcast he was ready to retort but thought better of it, chewing his lip instead to bite back the argument that wanted to leap from his tongue. As the first model made her appearance on the runway, the audience applauded, approving of her floral dress with fox trim. He puffed his chest and looked at you as if to say he told you so. The next model wore a lynx shawl over a dress of gold floral brocade.

“Mixing fur and floral, are we? I always thought fur looked best on its original owner.” You studied each ensemble carefully with the eye of a critic. “Models should be comfortable in their own skin, not someone else’s, don’t you think?”

“This line is novel, sleek and vivacious. If you wish to stand out and feel good about yourself, my line is for you,” he huffed and retorted as another model stalked toward you wearing a beautiful lavender dress trimmed with tasteful sable fur in a complimentary dusky hue. The crowd roared in approval. “Nature has evolved to flatter animals of every shape and size. Do you argue that natural evolution shouldn’t be used when one is designing clothes to flatter women?”

You paused at the audience’s enchantment with Jacques’s line. He, too, saw it was a hit and raised one eyebrow at you. The next model wore a sleek aviator jacket with a collar of sheared beaver dyed in a subtle chevron pattern. The crowd actually clapped at that one.

No matter, people often didn’t know what they really liked until you told them.

You gestured for him to lean closer and whispered conspiratorially, “Like I said, the unimaginative masses are easily impressed. They can’t do what I can do: convince the biggest retailers in the world to market your line, and the populace to buy it.”

Jacques took a deep breath, gathered his courage, smiled mischievously, and said with a seductive tenor, “Well, there is more than one way to skin a cat.”

“I suppose you would know,” you quipped as another lynx trimmed ensemble walked past. “Regardless, the details of your incompetence do not interest me.”

“My incompetence?” Jacques huffed. No one else in the world would dare to call him incompetent. But arguing the point with you would get him nowhere. He decided to try a different tactic. “Let us continue this tete-a-tete somewhere more private, and I’ll try to find something about myself that does interest you.”

“Bold of you to assume a ridiculous man like you could please me in any venue. Be assured, I am demanding in my personal life as well as my professional one.” You let your appraising gaze rake over his body. “I want the best. I deserve the best. And I demand the best. In all things and in all ways.”

“My fashion lines may bore you, belle comandante.” Jacques grinned and asserted boldly, “Trust me, as a man, I would make you purr.”

“I have no commitments and I find myself rather bored by Paris, but I’m sure you have a parade of floral harlots vying to charm you into letting them walk your next runway. Who would I be to deprive them of the valuable life lesson in regret they would learn from a night with you?” You eyed another fur-trimmed model skeptically. “Dear God, you’re not into furries are you?”

He said nothing more until the show was over, but a sly lupine smile played on his plush lips. When all the models had walked the runway and the din of conversation filled the room, he made you a darkly illicit offer. “I’ll make a bet with you. If I can make you purr for me, then you will write a splendid review of tonight’s show.”

Removing your sunglasses, you eyed him with unveiled skepticism. “And if I find you are not up to the task of pleasing me?”

“You won’t.” He winked at you.

“Graduating from fashion to prostitution, are you?” You raised a judgmental eyebrow. “I can’t deny it’s a better fit for you.”

“Not publicly.” He grinned at you, flashing a predatory glint of white teeth. “But for you, I will make a one-night-only exception. I’m a gambling man, and what higher stakes could I play with? If I can wring a good review out of you between the sheets, you will write a nice review for my fashion line on the pages of Annees Folles. We’ll enjoy ourselves in the process, that I promise you, cherie.”

“It is an interesting thought.” You smiled. “To wonder what I will find worthy of review. The before or the after?”

“Yes, I agree,” he boomed loud enough for everyone to hear. You had heard he was a showman and viciously sarcastic. “You know why failed designers become harping editors of fashion magazines? It’s a petty facet of human nature that we feel the need to tear apart others who have talents one does not.”

“Is that what you think?” you laughed at the absurdity, meeting his challenge and projecting your voice. “Designers are many. On the other hand, people who dictate the tides of fashion and control the very destinies of men like you are few. The truth is, no one can do what I can do.”

“It must be lonely at the top for a maneater like you,” Jacques teased, his voice low again. “Who keeps you warm at night?”

“Renew your offer at the end of the evening,” you replied coyly. “And I’ll decide who’s keeping me warm tonight.”

*******************************************************************************************

Nearly as important as the fashion show itself was the afterparty. This was where most of the schmoozing and deal-making were conducted, where connections were made and alliances were formed. Swanky upscale clubs were privately rented for these glamorous soirees. The afterparty for La Maison Gris was celebrated at L’Arc, the highly exclusive nightclub at the top of the Champs Elysees. Jacques had rented the club for the night, open only to those on his well-pruned guest list. The neon strobes of the club ordinarily played across a beautiful crowd but during Fashion Week, its lights never fell on someone who wasn’t either rich, famous, beautiful, or otherwise extraordinary.

Jacques was the man of the hour and had to make himself seen at his own party. You, of course, were on every guest list of every afterparty, but only an elite few were deserving of your attendance. After making your rounds at parties hosted by Dolce & Gabbana, Burberry, Dior, and Tom Ford, you decided to make an appearance at the La Maison Gris party and see if Jacques’s bet still intrigued you. Your arrival was just late enough to be aptly fashionable.

A redwood of a doorman recognized you and ushered you in ahead of a winding line of at least one-hundred hopeful partygoers, much to their displeasure. The floor of the club writhed and undulated with women in chic dresses and men in suits dancing in time with heavy driving bass. You would have been hard-pressed to squeeze up to the bar that was so tightly packed that even the attempts of waifish models were foiled by the mass of humanity.

The freshly bleached smiles of several of the biggest names in Hollywood caught your eye from various corners of the room. One perfect smile belonged to the actor who had just landed his big break in being cast in the newest reboot of the Superman franchise. Clark Kent du jour had the build of a linebacker, a square jaw to match, cerulean blue eyes, and jet back hair, complete with a Superman curl he had cultivated since landing the part. He had also been pursuing you since you had toured the set for a piece on the costumes, most of which had been crafted by Zegna. He wore a suit by La Maison Gris, complete with a dyed sable pocket square instead of the usual silk. Tragically, he had both buttons done on his jacket, a glaring faux pas that required all of your limited reserve to overlook. You could take the man off the farm, but you couldn’t dress the farm out of the man.

Aspiring models stalked through the crowd on mile-high legs like otherworldly creatures, eager to impress designers for a chance to walk down their runways. And there was Jacques Le Gris, standing in the middle of an entire harem of them. A flock of scantily and colorfully dressed models surrounded him like birds at a feeder, some batting their eyelashes, others stroking his body, others still giggling vapidly, all desperate for any crumb of attention he deigned to toss their way. Though you couldn’t hear what he was saying, he was gesturing magnanimously, smiling and laughing at his own infectious humor, and very much enjoying the attention.

The spectacle of the fawning models was enough to make you return Clark Kent’s smile just long enough to encourage him to make an approach. Your timing was perfect; like all the best predators, you had the gift of precision. Jacques noticed you just as the handsome actor made a beeline for you and procured a flute of champagne from the tray of an obliging waitress who flitted by on his way. The actor was only the first to approach you. Within moments, you too were encircled by a mass of noisome people, even larger than the group that surrounded Jacques. Everyone wanted your attention, your approval.

At the sight of Clark Kent sidling up to you, a dark veil passed over Jacques’s dashing features, turning them murderous for the breadth of a second. It went unnoticed by most if not all, but you saw it and you smirked. Clenching his jaw, Jacques pushed through the throng of humanity and shooed away the plumage of women, heading not toward you but to the bar.

You smiled as the actor handed you the champagne, trying not to dwell on the state of his tackily buttoned jacket. But you drew the line at champagne, telling him with your usual stridence, “Oh, you can keep that for yourself. I don’t drink champagne, but I’m sure a large country boy like you can handle mine and yours and many more after.”

The poor pretty idiot didn’t know if you were serious or teasing, but since he had no basis in experience dealing with such a direct and assertive woman, he took your harshness for humor and laughed. He would be so easy to rip to shreds, which could be a fun passing amusement. He was exceedingly lucky you were in a good mood tonight. Adding to your relative levity was the towering figure of the CEO of La Maison Gris striding purposefully toward you and fighting to keep his composure and grin through his jealous anger. He held a drink in each hand, filled with amber and ice.

“This is my party,” he said by way of greeting you, making his voice notably deeper than the actor’s. Jacques was taller, but only just, which added to your amusement when he tried to look down his charmingly hooked nose at his more classically handsome opponent. “How is it that you just waltz in here and everybody gravitates toward you like you are the sun.”

“I’ve found that Nietzsche’s herd concept applies in a variety of ways.” You smiled icily back. “The human herd often has a collective sense of who’s the most important person in the room.”

Still looking at the actor, Jacques wordlessly handed you one of the two drinks he carried. You accepted it with a raised eyebrow and lifted it to inhale its aroma. Then, you gifted him with a genuine smile. “You’ve done your homework.”

“I have. Your drink of choice is an old fashioned made with Midleton Single Pot Irish Whiskey and garnished with an orange peel.” He took a sip of his own drink, the same as yours, closing his eyes briefly to savor the taste. “But I think you’ll like this better. I prefer Redbreast twenty-seven year old Irish Whiskey.”

You took a skeptical drink, your eyes not leaving Jacques’s. The old fashioned was remarkably flavorful. “It’s tolerable, I suppose.”

“I better get a nicer review than that from you after I’ve given you a taste of something else that’s full-bodied and old fashioned.” Jacques winked at you as he took another drink.

“I’ve already been here fifteen minutes, and already this is growing dull.” You pointedly looked at the Breitling watch strapped to Jacques’s thick wrist. “When are you going to make it worth my while to have come at all?”

“Finish your drink,” he challenged and downed the better part of his own. He gave the actor a dangerous glare, but the other man was too focused on you to notice, still standing beside you, hopeful and oblivious.

“Oh, I’m sorry,” you said to Clark Kent with unveiled sarcasm, the man was utterly clueless. “I forgot you were there. You may go now.”

“I may actually grow to like you.” Jacques grinned and took your elbow, his large hand squeezing you for emphasis.

“I would expect so,” you replied haughtily. “It is a sentiment I acquire often but return sparingly.”

“Carpe nocturne, ma jolie fille,” he growled as he pulled you through the crowd and out of L’Arc to his waiting car.

*******************************************************************************************

Enroute to a more comfortable and conducive location, you and Jacques each downed two more old fashioneds as his driver maneuvered through the labyrinthian Parisian streets, overfull with tourists for Fashion Week. With his drinks, Jacques smoked a thick cigar on the drive, billowing smoke from his nose like a regal dragon through a cracked window. It came as no surprise you were both staying at the Ritz Paris, after all, it was the finest luxury hotel in Paris and some say in the world. You discovered it had been Jacques who had sniped the Suite Imperiale, the finest suite in the opulent hotel, out from under you, leaving you to book the only slightly less decadent Suite Windsor for yourself.

Jacques strode with you proudly through the lavish hotel, past numerous celebrities and icons. His hand rested possessively on the small of your back, leaving no doubt as to the nature of your evening.

“People are staring,” you said without a trace of shyness, relishing the attention.

“Let’s make it worth their while.” Jacques took your hand and twirled you like he was dancing with you and then dipped you for a passionate kiss in full view of the bustling lobby.

People indeed stared, their captivated gazes following as he then led you to the bank of elevators. Inside the elevator, he pushed you against the wall and propped his hands on either side of your head, caging you inside his arms as he loomed over you.

“Want me to say goodnight, jolie fille?” he asked, his voice dripping with husky desire.

Biting your lip as you paused to consider his words, you looked up at him. “Not for a few more hours.”

A broad toothy smile broke across Jacques’s features as the elevator chimed and you stepped out of his arms, enroute to his suite.

Jacques walked so closely behind you as you approached the door to the Suite Imperiale that you could feel the heat radiating off his massive body. Hot breath huffed on the back of your neck, raising goosebumps and sending electric currents down your spine. At his door, he handed you his room key and let you fumble with the lock while he trailed his hands down over your hips and then back up your thighs. Hooking his fingers in the hem of your dress, he pulled it up over your ass, the cool air on your skin a stark contrast to his hot hands. His broad chest pressed into your back and his head fell to your neck. His lips teased at you tantalizingly as he dug his thick fingers into your soft hips, pulling your ass back into the massive bulge in his pants.

“I knew you had a luscious ass,” he growled into your neck. He teased you with the scratch of his beard near your ear and smiled against your skin when he dipped his hand between your thighs and felt the moist heat of your arousal. “It would be a shame to ruin your lovely clothes. We need to get you out of them before they get too wet.”

You laughed breathily as you opened the door and stumbled inside with Jacques still pressed to your back. He kicked the door shut and spun you to face him, crashing his lips to yours as you each clawed at each other’s clothing. His jacket and shirt were the first to be discarded. You wanted to see his body before revealing yours, and you were not disappointed when he peeled his shirt away. His chest was larger and more impressive than you had guessed and his arms more thickly muscled. He had the finely sculpted look of a performance horse, massive, sleek, and powerful all at once.

Backing away from him sultrily, you slowly unzipped your dress as you angled toward the bedroom. Inspired by the Chateau de Versailles, the living room of the Suite Imperiale was done in burgundy and cream, with vaulted ceilings and enormous airy windows. The burgundy and gold drapes were open, letting the lights of Paris glimmer into the otherwise darkened room.

Before you could step out of your dress that had fallen to your feet, Jacques lifted you up into his arms, all but yanking you off the ground in his fervor. He was so powerful and solid that he made you feel weightless in his arms, a feeling that heightened your anticipation as much as his expert touch.

Jacques twirled once inside the suite’s bedroom with you still in his arms, taking every advantage to show off. This room was decorated in cream and mint with a green and mint brocade canopy enshrouding the lavish bed. Jacques laid you gently down onto the plush bedding and traced hot kisses down your throat and chest as he rose back to brusquely discard the rest of his clothing. You eyed his body shamelessly, very pleased by every magnificent part of him. His aurous eyes were even hungrier than yours as they devoured the sight of you.

“I’ve never seen true beauty before tonight,” he said reverently in a voice that was all smoke and darkness.

Jacques crawled over you, a predator over his prey, caging you beneath him with his impressive arms on either side of your body. When you put your hands on him, you could feel his heavy muscles tense and flex as he moved. The feel of him alone was a potent aphrodisiac. He could read all the signs of your body, the way you moved and sighed and responded to his touch. He knew you wanted him, and wanted him now. But Jacques wanted to savor you, to spend as long as he could possibly stand it, to sear every moment of this night into his memory like a firebrand.

Agonizingly slow, he returned his lips to your skin, kissing and teasing every part of your flesh he could cover. He knew he would have you several times tonight, and he decided he wanted to make you moan with his tongue before he made you scream with his cock. It was quick work for him once he settled between your legs and hooked your thighs over his shoulders. He had barely traced his name into you a handful of times when he felt the shuddering rush of your ecstasy.

Positioning himself above you, he captured your lips as he thrust into you, fast and fluid but gentle too. Slow at first, he followed the pace you set as your pleasure deepened. He was a consummate lover, and he shifted his hips until he knew his angle was perfect, like a marksman hitting the bullseye. He saw your features rendered beautifully distraught by pleasure, and he thought that he had never seen anything so lovely in the world of fashion and art as the sight of you beneath him.

Your arousal mounted as vigorously as he pistoned into you. Everything faded from your world until there was only the handsome man above you and the pleasure that flooded you until you were bursting with it. Jacques crested with you when a powerful orgasm throbbed through you and he carried you through every delicious shudder until you were both delirious with exhausted bliss. He kissed you with a slow lingering passion and when he pulled back, it was to look at you with adoration. His gaze was brief, but the emotion was unmistakable.

In the sultry minutes between your first session together and the next of the evening, you lay across Jacques’s chest, listening to his steadying heartbeat and the resonant timbre of his voice that sounded much like a contented purr beneath your ear. His hair was tangled and wild, and his chest glistened with a light sheen of sweat. His arms were strong around you and his hands huge and comforting on your skin. The man was an absolute fever dream.

“This is only the beginning, ma belle amour,” Jacques whispered much later that night, careful not to wake you. Even in sleep, he dreamed of you and of the bright and glamorous future you would forge together.

*******************************************************************************************

Jacques prided himself on being part of the 5am Club, but this morning he felt that he had earned some extra rest after his robust performance the night before. You told him that he was incredible, and he couldn’t disagree with you. He was an exceptional lover – he made a point of excelling in all areas of importance to him – and he knew it. He had pulled out all the stops for you. He wanted you not only pleasured but impressed; hooked, and wanting more and more. He grinned sleepily at the realization that, perhaps for the first time in his life, he was just as hooked after this first time as you were sure to be.

An obnoxious beam of sunlight soldiered through a gap in the curtains to shine on Jacques’s face, forcing him to blink into consciousness. Groaning at the light, he rolled over to curl into you and pull you close to him, and maybe have you again for breakfast. But his hand fell on a vacant sheet, cool to the touch. That brought him into full alertness like a bucket of ice water dosed over his head. He propped himself up on an elbow and brushed the hair out his eyes as he looked around the room. All of your things had been collected and were gone, and no sound emanated from the open door of the adjoining bathroom.

Jacques was alone.

No woman had ever sneaked out on him before the dawn. Of course, he had done so countless times to countless women, the number of which he couldn’t have remembered or even closely estimated with a gun to his head. But no woman had ever given him the same treatment. It was unthinkable! Jacques had only ever slipped away from women he considered unimportant, disposable – which, admittedly, were most of them – but he would never have ducked out on you, not after the night the two of you had shared.

Last night was only the beginning, he told himself, knowing it must be true. Anything that felt that good, that right, had to be only the start of something great.

A bitter thought slithered into his mind, worse than the gravelly morning-after taste on his tongue. Surely, he wasn’t a disposable fling to you. He couldn’t be. He was more than a one night stand, when he wanted more, anyway. It was unfathomable to think a woman, any woman, wouldn’t want more with him. It was blasphemous, even.

No, that couldn’t be it. Jacques knew you were a busy woman, you must have had things to do and places to be. He too was in demand and could hardly begrudge you the same. Throwing the covers aside, he stood and proceeded to walk around the room naked, looking for anything you may have left behind. He was sure he would find a letter or just a brief note, but there was nothing. He even fogged the bathroom mirror in the chance you were prone to mystery and had left a message on the glass that only mist would reveal. He called your suite, received no answer, and had no better luck calling reception. When he checked his phone to see if there were any messages from you, he realized with a sinking feeling that you had not exchanged numbers.

The room was as though you had never been inside it at all. Only the smell of your perfume on his sheets and the scratches you had traced across his skin were proof that last night had not been only a fantasy.

*******************************************************************************************

Never before had Jacques felt so compelled to chase after a woman, but he restrained himself. The rules of a burgeoning relationship were new to Jacques -- not that he ever played by the rules at anything -- but he thought it only fair that since you had been the one to leave, that the burden was on you to make the first contact. He waited for days for a call or email or text, at first angry and then despondent when nothing came.

Jacques Le Gris, the CEO of La Maison Gris, would not chase after a woman. But for this woman, this one singular woman, he consented to casually saunter in her direction. And he was not pleased about having to do so.

It was Friday morning, nearly a week after your evening together, when Jacques relented. He stood restless in his luxurious office, surrounded by walnut paneling, rich colors, and oil paintings. His office had a regal ambience reminiscent of a Victorian study but with a decidedly masculine touch. Every appliance was ultra-modern and colored in sleek carbon, contrasting chicly with the otherwise vintage style. Floor to ceiling windows looked out over the city of Paris, offering an unobstructed view of the Champs Elysees.

Being at the tops in your respective industries made you each easy to track down, even if then making contact was exponentially more difficult. Jacques called the main branch of Annees Folles Magazine in Manhattan and was given the runaround for the better part of an hour. Christ, it was worse than dealing with an airline. He wondered if he would have to fax a copy of his ID just to speak to a living human who had any authority at all. He was near the limits of his temper, his notorious good humor completely expended, by the time he was put through to your office.

“Editor in Chief’s office.” A curt nasally male voice answered Jacques’s call with a note of disinterest. “Armitage Hux speaking.”

“I’m calling to speak to the Editor in Chief directly, please,” Jacques said in his most diplomatic tone. He added his name, which alone opened most doors for him. “This is Jacques Le Gris.”

“The Editor is not to be disturbed. Furthermore, she only takes calls from those listed on her approved call list.” Came the snide reply. “There’ s no Jack.”

“Jacques,” he enunciated more clearly, adding more force to his voice. “Jacques Le Gris.”

“There is no le Grease on the list either.” A withering sneer could almost be heard through the phone.

“Le Gris,” Jacques corrected, fighting to keep from losing his temper.

“My apologies,” Hux answered without the barest hint of contrition. “Regardless, you are not on the list, Mr. le Grease.”

A frustrated growl slipped out before Jacques could stop it. “For fuck’s sake, ask her about me!”

“There’s really no need for profanity. I’ve already told you, she is not to be disturbed,” Hux continued in a tone that was now verging on bored. “Certainly not by people who aren’t important enough to be on her approved call list, Mr. le Grease.”

“Important?” Jacques laughed at the absurdity. “Do you know who I am? I’m the CEO of La Maison Gris!”

“I’m legally required to say that my opinion does not in any way reflect the views of Annees Folles Magazine, but I have always preferred Gucci,” Hux lilted in his superior manner.

“If Le Grease doesn’t spur her memory, tell her I’m the man she spent last Saturday night with!” Now, Jacques was pissed. Comparing his distinguished line to that family of garish Italians was like slapping a glove across his cheek. “She knew my name then because she was fucking screaming it!”

“Ah, maybe you’re on that list.” Hux smiled deviously, which could be heard on his voice.

Jacques ground his teeth until he thought they would surely crack while he listened to the other man’s unhurried keystrokes as he pulled up that list. Jacques made a mental note to clear that fucking list out for you real fast.

“Barber… McHenry… — forgive me, I’m skimming here — Mills… Ren… Zimmerman…” Hux read through each name with relish. “I’m terribly sorry, but I’m afraid that this list is Grease-free as well.”

“Listen, you trumped up little shit.” Jacques finally lost control of his temper. “If I have to get on a fucking plane, walk right in there, and kick the door down to her office —“

“Hold please,” Hux intoned, utterly unconcerned. Music only slightly trendier than elevator music assaulted Jacques across the line.

Jacques punched the end button with as much force as he could muster with his finger on the button that was too small for his thick digit. He caught himself just before he threw his phone across the room, and instead turned and swung a savagely powerful punch into the wall, slamming his fist straight through the plaster.

*******************************************************************************************

Bright and early the following Monday a fresh copy of the American edition of Annees Folles Magazine was delivered by courier to Jacques’s office. There was no accompanying note, but the magazine smelled of the sultry exotic perfume he remembered so well. Jacques knew with absolute certainty who it was from. It was longer than he wanted to wait for an overture from you, but at least it was something.

One of the subheadings on the cover read, A Special Editorial and Behind the Scenes Look into the New Fashion Line of La Maison Gris. Jacques seated himself behind his imposing desk, leaned back in his tufted leather chair, and propped his long legs on his desk, crossing his feet at the ankles. He intended to savor your special editorial on him and his fashion line, expecting to fall even deeper and more hopelessly into the abyss of his feelings for you, into this new and uncharted territory.

Jacques rustled through the pages, eager to find your editorial. Splashed across the page was an extra treat – a startlingly high-quality photograph of his runway with a model in a floral dress with fur cuffs, and front in center silhouetted by the runway lights, the pair of you stood side-by-side in the crowd watching the show. He decided to have it framed for his office, a memento of the night your relationship began. He imagined your smile when he showed it off to you in person.

Below the photograph, the article was not what he expected. It was five-hundred words of honeyed vitriol.

La Maison Gris, with CEO Jacques Le Gris at its helm, has been the rising star in the fashion industry and with good reason. His designs mix ultra-modern chic with the classiest and the most decadent styles history has ever seen. From Victorian era draping and corsets to Regency-esque frocks and slippers to beading and sequins that would flatter the most exuberant 1920’s flapper, Le Gris’s inspiration is regal and refined and imbued with his own signature twist and flourish.

Ascensions, however, are precarious. Climbing to the top in fashion is just as perilous as climbing Mount Everest. One misstep can cost one his career.

Confident in his own grandeur, Le Gris opened his show at Paris Fashion Week with a new line featuring a daring use of fur on every piece. Icarus, too, was daring in his flight toward the blazing Sun. Just like Icarus, Le Gris has reached beyond his capacity and will soon find himself plummeting back to Earth to crash and burn with so many other has-beens whose names are not worth remembering.

Swept up in his penchant for melding modern with iconic, Le Gris does not consider the advances that we as a society have made. No longer do we need to resort to the barbarism of the fur trade to clothe ourselves. Nor do we, as Le Gris would have us believe, need to resort to fur to dress ourselves in the finest fashion and haute couture. Rest assured, dear readers, La Maison Gris is not in the upper echelon of fine fashion and haute couture.

In addition to the heinous and overdone use of fur, Le Gris has the tastelessness to cobble together a kaleidoscope of florals ranging from pastel to electric. His florid color palette can best be described as ‘A Murder of Unicorns,’ as painted by Monet. It reminds one of a cheerily painted playroom inside a children’s mental institution. A more cultured eye will gravitate to Dolce & Gabbana for florals, to Burberry for iconic; and if one is looking for fur, a vintage fox, mink, or sable from a boutique will always carry the day.

Le Gris’s approach to fashion seems to be that a lack of quality can be disguised by flair and concealed with fur. This mirrors the man’s approach to life. A boisterous grandstander, Le Gris tries to project a distinguished air. However, like a magician’s trick revealed, all his flash and charm are little more than smoke and mirrors with no real substance.

A little fur here and there can make a girl purr, but an overuse, such as the spring line of La Maison Gris, is barbarous at best and utterly gauche at worst.

One wonders if Le Gris has the capacity to bear a defeat with dignity, but the smart money will bet on the negative. Like a scavenging hound, Le Gris will likely refurbish his failed spring line for another runway this coming fall or winter. He will certainly gain no traction on any runway of repute. With his brash sensationalism and garish taste, perhaps he shall find his true calling outfitting cosplayers or larpers.

Jacques crumpled the offending magazine in his fist as if he could choke the life from its Editor in Chief through the abused pages. He viciously ripped it in half, throwing each segment across the room in different directions. He wanted to punch another hole in his wall, but his knuckles were still scabbed and bruised from his recent outburst. Not for the first time, he decided to hang a heavyweight punching bag in his office. He glared around his office, looking for something to break. Why the fuck was everything his decorators chose some one-of-a-kind antique?

Sparing his knuckles further damage, he let out a savage growl like a wounded lion. Jacques was breathing as hard as if he had run a mile, his huge chest straining the buttons on his tailored shirt. As he tried ineffectively to calm himself, his shrewd mind began to calculate and strategize. After a few moments of huffing, he decided on his course of action. If you wanted to play dirty, he could roll in the mud with the best of them. Retrieving his phone, he dialed a familiar number.

“Jacques!” Pierre D’Alencon, the Creative Director of La Maison Gris, answered with friendly ebullience. “I was just going to call you. Drinks this weekend? I happened upon a gorgeous set of twins -- redheads, no less -- and of course I’m willing to share with my closest friend.”

“Put the twins on ice for now,” Jacques grumbled gruffly. “This is business. Did you see the editorial in Annees Folles?”

“I did, indeed,” Pierre’s voice lost a hint of its buoyancy. “Hence my offer of drinks and women to lift your spirits.”

“I’ve made a decision, and it involves you. If that glorified tabloid wants to blast me for using fur in my line, I’m going to single-handedly revive the fur-in-fashion trend! We’ll see who holds more power in this little game.” Jacques grinned devilishly at his own newly formed plan of attack like a knight finding a chink in his opponent’s armor. “Which is where you come in. I want to see designs for an entire line with fur on every piece by the end of the month. Get on it, Pierre! Give me your best.”

“Do you not think it best to respond with more dignity and sweep all this unpleasantness under the rug?” Pierre asked with a heavy sigh. “This is why you have PR people.”

“Who was it that said any publicity is good publicity?” Jacques asked, unphased.

“That would be the American spectacle, P.T. Barnum,” Pierre replied with resignation.

“Smart man. I always admired his joie de vivre.” Jacques smirked as he paced across his vast office. “That’s exactly what I want. I want a spectacle. I want a public circus. I want a showdown. We’re going to revive the fur trend, you and I, and I’m going to rub it in that demoness’s face!”

“Ah, so this is all motivated by astute business acumen and professionalism, is it?” Pierre gave a laugh that was ignored.

“Use every kind of fur you can get your hands on. The crueler the fucking better! Lynx, fox, sable, Persian lamb – all the cutest and cuddliest animals. Are chinchillas still a thing? Those too. Can we still get leopard? If you can design a full-length coat made of puppies, do it! Dalmatian with a lynx collar, how about that?” Jacques ran a hand along the shimmering silver streak in his black hair, thinking. “And I don’t want faux anything in sight. I want it all real, all genuine fur.”

Pierre confirmed his understanding of his marching orders and signed off. For so long as their mission remained retaliation and war, anyway. He also decided on a side-quest of sorts, to put his second greatest talent to work while he created a runway line trimmed in fur. He would try his best at figuring out his friend and boss’s quarry, and aid him in hunting the most dangerous game of all, a powerful woman. Perhaps if Jacques could seduce her personally, there would be no need to batter her into submission professionally, and Pierre knew he was just the man for both jobs.

Jacques was still wound up after the call, but now he had a course of action, a focal point, a target at which to channel his anger and frustration. The embers of rage still alighted Jacques’s nerves and the sting of betrayal still burned in his chest. He still wanted to punch something, to find a release. It was a poor substitute, but he ranted and bellowed instead.

“That frigid bitch!” Jacques snarled, glaring out of his window over the streets of Paris. “That shrew. That succubus. Satan. That woman is fucking Satan!”

*******************************************************************************************

To be continued…

*******************************************************************************************

Tagging some fashionistas:

@in-silks-and-flesh-and-leather @babbushka @mrs-gucci @mrs-zimmerman @iamburdened @gabesprincess @reborn-rekall @maybe-your-left @rynwritesstuff @candycanes19 @caillea @cas-backwards-tie @queeniebee @mythrielofsolitude @ghoulian13 @icarusinthesea @darkhairedmenrule @reyloaddict55 @fizzywoohoo @heartlight-starlight @richbrittstein @clydesfavoritegirl @bensolodyad @thepalaceofmelanie @celiholland @durangoninetyfive @reveluving @vedavan @fax4life27 @lumberjack00fantasies @kyloremus

#my stuff!#my writing #best #fic #valentine #jacques le gris x reader #jacques le gris x you #jacques

173 notes · View notes

spanishskulduggery · 4 months

Note

Ohi there!

I made this u/n forever ago so ill probably keep it no matter the answer to this, but I've always wondered if it should be 'chic@ con pelo rosado'? Or maybe better 'de pelo rosa(do)'? It just feels... awkward to me, but I can't place my finger on it.

I know there are words for the 'hairèdness' of someone (e.g. moren@, rubi@, etc.), for lack of a better term, but since it's not a natural color (on hair or in general), I'm not sure how that would work. I've always wondered how accurate it was lmao

(Also side note, which article do you use for gender neutral lmao is it 'l@'?)

First, it could be either

chico con pelo rosa / rosado is "boy with pink hair"; and chico de pelo rosa / rosado is "the pink-haired boy"

Both are acceptable, but the de kind of makes you think of using a hyphen

Note: You may also see el cabello used for "hair" when it's specifically hair on the head

But you're right that there are certain words for hair colors:

rubio/a = blond

pelirrojo/a = red-head, "ginger"

moreno/a = dark-haired / brunette de/con cabello/pelo castaño = brown-haired

de/con pelo/cabello caoba = auburn-haired

cano/a = white-haired, gray-haired [as opposed to pelo cano or pelo blanco / gris]

de/con pelo/cabello negro = black-haired pelinegro = black-haired [less common still used sometimes]

This also applies to hair texture/length... corto/a "short", largo/a "long", liso/a "smooth/straight (hair)", rizado/a "curly/wavy", and calvo/a "bald"

Two options for gender neutral - the @ makes the most sense in writing when you're including everyone not specifically talking about a particular person like tod@s is "everyone (male and female)", or el/la chic@ maybe

The way a company might do it is to include both: un/una alumno/a "a student" for example, or se busca un/una empleado/a "looking for an employee"

The other way a company or someone official might do it is to include both options; damas y caballeros "ladies and gentlemen" or todos y todas "everyone"

Less official but still used especially by the younger generation and for times when you are really talking about one person in particular: the general idea for gender neutral is the use of -e

So it would be le chique "the young person" gender neutral

For non-binary groups, it would probably be les chiques or saying todes "everyone". I would tend to assume it works like feminine does that nosotras "we" is for only women in the group, nosotros is either a mixed group or all men... so nosotres would be like everyone NB, but in a mixed group I would expect to see nosotros

And so it would be rubie, pelirroje, morene, cane etc.

But be really careful because depending on where you're saying/using it, it might not be regarded as correct or you might be mistaken for using French or Italian

The "default" way to talk about someone non-binary or gender neutral is either to assume masculine until proven otherwise, or to use gender neutral language that's a bit impersonal... such as la persona que tiene (el) pelo/cabello negro "the person that has black hair", or alguien con (el) pelo/cabello azul "someone with blue hair"

Side Note just in case you were confused rosa can be used as "pink", rosado/a is more explicitly the adjective form "pink" or "rosy". They are both correct as adjectives, just that rosa doesn't change for gender so it could confuse some people

I know in my textbooks for colors they wrote anaranjado/a "orange" [lit. "orange-y"] instead of naranja "orange", and they wrote rosado/a "pink" instead of rosa

When using an actual noun as an adjective, they don't change gender; so la rosa is "rose", el rosa is "the color pink", rosa is just pink

You can also see this with caoba "mahogany" or "auburn", plata "silver" [as opposed to plateado/a], oro "gold" [instead of dorado/a "golden"], bronce "bronze" [instead of bronceado/a "bronzed / tanned"]

And some other words like márfil "ivory", ébano "ebony", castaño "brown/chestnut", café or color café "coffee colored" aka "brown", or something like lila "light purple" and turquesa "turquoise"

All colors are masculine when talking about them; all colors taken from nouns will not change as adjectives - la camisa turquesa "turquoise shirt" vs. el abrigo turquesa "turquoise coat" for example... And la turquesa means "turquoise" often the gemstone, and el turquesa means "the color turquoise"

#asks #long post #Spanish #language #languages #langblr

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streetstylis · 5 months

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How to Get the Clean Girl Aesthetic in 2024

1. Makeup Magic for a Healthy Glow

For me, achieving the clean girl aesthetic begins with makeup, specifically focusing on that coveted healthy glow.

A key aspect is maintaining a robust skin prep routine.

The essence is in cultivating dewy, radiant skin that looks natural. While some may perceive this glow as oily, I see it as a sign of vitality and health.

You can easily do this with a good primer or a very rich cream that you apply before makeup. And the secret here is a creamy, very rich formula, which can also be a little thicker in consistency. You want to apply as little makeup as possible afterward so that your face looks smooth and clean without it.

I like to use the e.l.f. Hydrating Face Primer* or the La Roche Posay Cicaplast Baume b5* cream (I use this mainly on dry areas, rub it in well, and the makeup doesn't crease at all, which makes my skin look like I'm not wearing any makeup).

Personally, I limit setting my makeup to under my eyes and the middle of my face, allowing the rest to exude a natural, dewy finish.

Overlining lips or having bold lashes might work for some, but I believe in sticking close to my natural attributes and avoiding anything that feels too heavy or artificial.

Finding the right combination of makeup products is super important and it took me some trial and error to discover the perfect products that seamlessly work together, providing long-lasting results. Patience is key in this journey, as finding the products that suit you might require experimentation.

2. Hair: Down, Slicked, and Always Clean

Clean, well-groomed hair is a cornerstone of the clean girl aesthetic.

Even if you're not washing your hair daily (I only do it once a week), it should always appear freshly washed.

Slicked-back hairstyles, in my opinion, suit almost everyone and all hair types. I've become a convert to this style, despite initial reservations, and now it's my go-to. Whether you slick it all back or leave a couple of strands at the front, the key is keeping it neat.

Personally, I occasionally indulge in a hair mask when slicking my hair back. It adds a touch of self-care and contributes to maintaining that clean and polished appearance.

Slicked-back hairstyles convey a chic, sophisticated look that aligns seamlessly with the clean girl aesthetic.

3. Signature Scents: The Unseen Accessory

Strangely enough, smelling nice has become a subtle yet significant aspect of the clean girl aesthetic.

Having a few signature scents adds a layer of sophistication. I've experimented with various perfumes, and currently, I love the Fashionably London and Ebony Wood scents from Zara. A consistent fragrance associates you with a fresh, clean vibe, earning unexpected yet delightful compliments.

Ariana Grande's Pink Cloud perfume* is another recent addition to my collection, offering a fresh and floral scent perfect for various occasions. The key is to find scents that resonate with you and create a memorable olfactory impression.

4. The Power of Wardrobe Basics

When it comes to fashion, adhering to a neutral color palette is often suggested.

However, I beg to differ.

While neutrals dominate my wardrobe, I believe any color can work if the outfit is well-coordinated. The key is looking put together, whether you opt for a matching ensemble or throw together seemingly disparate pieces that surprisingly complement each other.

Basics play a pivotal role in achieving this aesthetic. I swear by neutral-toned sets, which provide versatility and easy mixing and matching. Monochrome outfits, focusing on a single color or tone, contribute to that effortlessly polished look that defines the clean girl aesthetic.

Jewelry: The Finishing Touch

Jewelry may be a small detail, but it makes a significant difference in completing the clean girl aesthetic.

I strike a balance, opting for enough jewelry to enhance the look without becoming too busy. Stacking rings, like the Cartier dupe from Amazon* and the PDP Ella piece, add a touch of elegance.

For bracelets, I combine a Van Cleef dupe with an Amazon Cartier dupe, creating a balanced yet chic adornment. Gold and silver jewelry, when paired thoughtfully, complement each other seamlessly. Gold hoops, both statement and dainty, along