Smile

     The moon smiled over the mountains like a disappearing Cheshire cat in the deepening night sky. Trees along the horizon were swaying in the heavy wind. Headphones on and coat closed, Deanna soldiered on through the weather.
     Soft granola rock was calming her nerves and slowing her pulse, while she stepped briskly back to her apartment across town. A cigarette was determinedly hanging onto her sticky red lips and a soft, thin scarf was doubled up and wrapped around her neck. Both hands were firmly stuffed in her pockets with stiff arms pressing them deeper until the fabric started to protest. The outer jacket was a loose and long leather coat that repelled the gusts, while the under jacket was more like a knitted hoody or sweater.
    The nights take had been low. New bouncer, new cocktail waitress and a new crowd had made for tentative tipping. Not even her low-cut lace shirt, push-up bra and thick cosmetics had not helped today. Some nights were like that, though. Things would pick up, eventually, but for now she had other things to worry about. The wind was slowly dying away and the ash on her cigarette was getting dangerously long.
     Stopping in the crook of a building downtown, she pried the cigarette out of its sticky trap and tapped the ash on the curb. The movement was small, but it was enough to notice that someone was behind her. He was tall with a similar coat to hers. He was also smoking. She waited there for a moment, just out of view of the street light until he came up closer. Luke stopped in front of her and took a long drag of his clove cigarette.
     He knew how much she loved that smell. What he probably didn't know was how the smell of cloves actually affected her. Luke had a distinctive smell to him to begin with, but the combination of Luke's natural smell, his cologne and the cloves was almost enough to send her right over the edge of reason.
     Deanna didn't know the effect that she had on Luke either. In the half-light of the building's edge, her red lips and deep eyes shined with otherworldly delights. Her lips were parted in a half-grin that was full of promise.