Hello, Gorgeous!

[Celeste Burke]

Celeste was not in the best of moods after losing the game terribly today. To make matters worse, it had been raining. so she was caked in a thick layer of mud. She had come straight back to the hotel to take a nice, long hot shower to wash away the grime from the game. She really didn't like to lose, and her team had been doing too much of that lately. If it continued, Celeste thought she would have to find a team with the capacity for winning. The former Slytherin had every intention of going down to the lounge to have a few drinks and forget about the disappointment of the game. She also had every intention of finding someone with whom to amuse herself. Celeste was a beautiful woman, and she was well aware of the fact and often used it to her advantage. Tonight would be no exception as she was dressed to kill. She ran a hand through her auburn hair as she studied herself in the mirror. Finding no fault with her appearance, Celeste grabbed her purse and left her hotel room.

The lounge was a lovely place, especially for a hotel, but then again, this particular hotel had class. The lighting was low, and there was man playing the piano in the room. An entire wall of the lounge was solid glass that looked out at the ocean. The sun had already set for the evening. Celeste smiled as she shown an empty table near the wall of windows by a hostess. The quidditch player took her seat there and immediately ordered a cocktail. It came only moments later, and she murmured a polite thank you. Celeste took a sip, not paying much attention to her surroundings. Instead, she looked out the glass towards a lonely lighthouse.

 

[Severo Burke]

Severo Cardosi had the perfect day ahead of him. If he could seal the deal on this merge, then he would be ranked one of the top employees at his brother's company. Severo had no reason to try to find work elsewhere because he was paid excellent money right here where he was at. He loved his job, and he loved scoring huge bonuses, which was what he was promised when he took up the offer. He shook the hand of his business associate, while Severo smirked, "Welcome aboard then. Cardosi Incorporated looks forward to seeing you in Italy next week." The former Slytherin moved his hand through his head as he noticed that the man was leaving. Quickly removing the pleasant mask he normally wore for his work, he decided that he needed some entertainment, and a few drinks. Severo walked toward the lounge, while still wearing his dress robes. It was only courtesy when it came down to meetings that he needed to look the best. And they were feeling like they weighed a hundred pounds upon his form. Maybe he should talk to his brother about removing the dress robe attire completely.

At least this place had class. Severo could notice that much. He was then shown to a table that was near a window, close to a table where a beautiful woman sat. However, Severo had his mind on other things right now. He needed to figure out a way to take over the company that decided to merge with his brother's. That was his true job. The waitress came by, and he attempted to order in Italian, before he caught himself, "Damn, get me a tall glass of your strongest drink. Now." The waitress immediately lest his table, when he looked at the paperwork he needed to complete. This would take hours. Severo shook his head, before debating on flipping the table out of sheer frustration.​

 

[Celeste Burke]

Celeste took notice when a handsome man was shown to a table near her. She only caught a flicker of his appearance in the glass as she did not turn to look at him. Instead, she took another sip of her drink, finishing it off. She was thinking about her day tomorrow. She would need to leave at a decent time in order to stop by her flat before practice. They had another game in three days' time, and they would need to work on some new plays to win the game. Celeste was a competitive girl, and losing didn't sit well with her. Today, they had lost badly. Merlin, she needed another drink. She signaled to the waitress. "Another drink, please. Make it a strong one." Celeste told the woman.

It was several moments before the woman brought it to her, and in that time she allowed herself to look over at the man at the table beside hers. Celeste had caught something familiar in the reflection, and it annoyed her that she couldn't immediately place the face. The auburn-haired beauty glanced at the man. He was handsome and so familiar to her. Where had she seen his face? She knew that somehow she had once known this man. Then, the former Slytherin remember. He had been two years older than she, but they had been in the same house. She had been a Prefect when he had been Head Boy. Celeste remembered him though he had grown older, and more attractive. She had had a crush on him during her fifth year, but several girls in Slytherin had as well. They had spoken on occasion but never been close. Severo sat across from her with a bunch of paperwork that looked so boring. She could see the frustration on his face, and Celeste smirked. "Something wrong, Cardosi?" she asked, still smirking.

 

[Severo Burke]

As he started to fill out the paperwork, the waitress came by without slowing down to give Severo his drink. He sipped it, as the strong amount of alcohol burned his throat. He hoped that he would be able to drown out his sorrows for the time being. Well, frustration was the correct term. At least he did not have to worry about a deadline. It was not going to be tonight, or even tomorrow. It was by the end of the week. Perhaps he should not be in a hurry to get it ended. Maybe he should be taking his time with it. However, as he continued to file through some of the paperwork, and sipping his drink, he heard someone speak to him. Asking him if something was wrong. Even using his surname. "No, absolutely not," answered Severo as he gulped down his latest sip. His eyes finally looked up to see who was talking to him, and it was not someone he immediately recognized. Who was this woman? She was gorgeous, to say the least. But he could recognize her to some degree. Yes, he knew this girl, or of this girl. Somehow. And it was driving him insane. It was not from her career since he no longer followed Quidditch.

"You," Severo finally remembered, "I know you. Burke, isn't it? Your first name isn't coming to me though." That was right. She was a prefect back in the day. A prefect when he was the Head Boy. He never talked to her much during his time in school. He was too busy in his studies to really care about girls at the time, but he did look at several. But they were only those within his year at the time. "Why not have a seat and distract my from my work. If you can, that is." Severo was almost challenging her to join him, and wondered if she would accept his challenge.​

 

[Celeste Burke]

Celeste hadn't expected the man to remember her, and she wasn't wrong. He was older than she, and it had been many years since she last saw him. She smirked as he searched her face as if he was trying to figure out a puzzle. The auburn haired beauty took another sip of her drink. Eventually, he uttered her surname, just as she had done with him, though he confessed to not knowing her first name. "Celeste." she reminded him with a coy smile on her lips. She looked him over as he challenged her to distract him from the work in front of him. The years had certainly been kind to him. He was extremely good looking, and her competitive side always loved a good challenge.

Celeste raised her eyebrows at him. "Trust me. I am the best distraction you will ever have." she said confidently as she sat down next to him. She placed her drink on the table as it was now an empty glass. She was very capable of holding her liquor and could drink a sailor under the table on her best nights. "Why not buy a pretty girl a drink? Seriously, Cardosi. Where are your manners?" she asked him with a grin on her face.

 

[Severo Burke]

That was right, her name was Celeste. Severo could not believe that he had somehow forgotten that. Then again, during school, he did not focus on the names. He only did what he had to in order to get to where he was now. Then again, it was right after graduation when his brother forced him into the Scitorari and the business. He was recruited to become a Quidditch player to one of the best teams out there, but instead, he could not. "My apologies for not remembering your first name." The years have been good to her. She really developed in certain places that he did not remember when she was only fifteen or sixteen. But now that she was older, he could look subtly, without her knowing that is. His green eyes lingered to her form before they went back to her eyes.

A small laugh escaped his lips when she said that she was the best distraction that he would ever have. He shrugged his shoulders, "I assure you, the best distraction I have ever had was when I was in a hotel with this one woman playing strip poker. I'm not sure if you can top that." That was a really fun night, since he managed to win, barely. But then things led to another. He waved down the waiter and ordered a round of shots, for the two of them. "Well, if I see a pretty girl, I'll buy her a drink then," Severo smirked, only telling that he was joking around. This was a relief considering how serious he had been just moments ago.​