Amanda had the most infectious smile I’d seen on a girl.
Her smile thrust dimples into each cheek and tweaked the tip of her nose to one side.
Her teeth seemed to be smiling, too, as the delightful curve of her bite pulled into view, one side teasing out slightly ahead of the other.
When Amanda smiled, the sides of her chin drew up towards her ears. Now, in itself, that’s not unusual, but it had a magical effect because Amanda tucked her black, straight locks behind those little ears. Her smile made them dance, so it looked as though the very hair on her head was smiling.
And all of that, as you may have noticed, is before I’ve begun to describe her eyes.
Amanda’s smiling cheeks curved like two little moons, pushing on her lower eyelids to throw light back into her eyes so they’d flash with a lustre.
As she smiled, the corners of her long eyelashes pranced upwards, inviting highlights to dance across the rich, deep-green pools of her irises as they tangoed with the darkness of her pupils.
Amanda’s sleek eyebrows looked entirely natural, yet were perfectly defined. They rose in pleasing symmetry, then broke, falling a little at the sides towards her ears. When Amanda smiled, the soft peaks of her eyebrows would jink up in a quick bound of joy that would make you feel, suddenly, light as a bubble.
Now, individually, any of those things are lovely to picture in your mind. But imagine each element working together in a perfectly choreographed little ballet of pure, joyous mischief.
That was Amanda’s smile.
I knew to call her Amanda because of her name badge. I assumed it wasn’t some pseudonym she was using to create a false familiarity and sell more souvenirs to the tourists that flocked past her tiny glass-fronted shop. That didn’t seem to be her way, somehow.
Having her name was helpful since I needed some power. Not power over her, you’ll understand; I was after electrical power to run photographic lights. Since the only power in that little shopping arcade was inside the tiny shops, I would have to charm my way into getting some.
Even if I’d not needed her power, Amanda’s smile would have pulled the charm out of me like iron filings rushing towards a magnet. Being charming to Amanda wasn’t simply effortless; you’d have to fight all of your impulses NOT to be charming to her.
‘Hi, Amanda?’ I phrased that as a question to avoid sounding too presumptuous, not that I waited for an answer. ‘I’m wondering if I might steal something from you?’ Then I gave a comedy flick of my eyebrows, conspiratorially, that made Amanda giggle just a little.
‘If you steal from me, I might just have to lock you in my dungeon.’ Amanda gave a comedy point to an imaginary dark basement below her.
‘Well, since you put it like that, Amanda, I am going to HAVE to steal from you!’ I leaned towards her, holding up the plug of my extension lead. ‘I want to steal your power!’
Amanda smelled of sweet summer strawberries.
She leaned a little closer to me, suddenly looking comedy serious. ‘If you want to steal power from me, you will have to do it while I’m not looking!’ And with that, Amanda put on a large pair of comedy sunglasses from her display, then pretended to look the other way, just a little.
I crept to the side of the shop counter like I was a comedy cat burglar making high steps to lighten my footprints. Then I reached behind the counter to plug my extension lead into a socket I could see there. I turned and made my comedy escape, rubbing my hands together in comedy glee. Amanda laughed, and I gave her a comedy ‘shush’ with a finger to my lips.
I doubled back, leaning in to steal more of Amanda’s sweet strawberry scent and proffering a hand. ‘I’m Sam, by the way.’
‘Well, Sam, you ought to be a little more street savvy. This criminal career of yours won’t last long if you carelessly leave your name at crime scenes.’ Amanda shook my hand with a soft squeeze and gave me another of her electrifying smiles, raising her eyebrows in comedy disapproval at my criminal ineptitude. And with that, I set about my work with a smile of my own.
I worked away all day, exchanging the odd teasing smile with Amanda as I passed her unit. But I was mainly busy elsewhere, and she had a steady stream of customers to satisfy.
As the arcade closed and the shops began to lock up, I packed away the lights, pulled up the gaffer tape, and rolled up the extension lead back towards Amanda’s shop. As Amanda came into view, I did another little comedy turn, reeling in the extension lead like I was fighting to reel in a giant fish.
‘Now!’ I announced boldly, as Amanda threw me a quizzical comedy glance, ‘I’m going to try to steal from you again, Amanda. I don’t suppose I can steal you away for a drink?’
Amanda threw me a fierce comedy frown. ‘No way! No man can steal me away from my end-of-month stock take!’
I gave Amanda a comedy sad face, hoping it disguised my dejection.
‘Cheer up, Al Capone, as punishment for your heinous crimes, you are sentenced to helping me do that stock take. And some hard wine drinking while you’re at it.’ Amanda gave a comedy strike of her judge’s gavel.
‘Well, a guilty man must serve his time.’ I shrugged, with a comedy holding out of my hands, waiting to be cuffed and taken down.
Amanda grabbed my shirt collar in a comedy police officer kind of fashion and led me through a tiny door at the back of her tiny shop.
There was a tiny high counter in the tiny stock room with a tiny inset sink and a tiny fridge beneath. Amanda pulled out a bottle of wine and poured two glasses. Well, she poured two disposable plastic cups. Then she raised a comedy toast: ‘To the condemned man!’
‘I’m innocent. I’ve bin stitched up guv, ‘n no mistake!’ I protested in a poor attempt at a comedy East-London accent.
Amanda pinched my chin and gave my head a comedy shake from side to side. ‘That’s what they all say.’ Then she stood on her toes and planted a kiss smack on my lips.
‘See!’ I appealed, in comedy disgust, ‘she planted it on me!’
I licked my lips to taste the lip gloss I’d stolen from hers. ‘Mmm… I’ve stolen some of your strawberries. Delicious!’
‘I can’t take my eyes off you for a moment!’ Amanda was giving me a comedy look of disapproval once more.
The tiny stock take of the tiny stock room didn’t last long. However, it took a tiny bit longer than it ought to have done. In such a tiny stock room, we kept rubbing into one another. Amanda’s prominent breasts and peachy bottom made that inevitable. And my raging erection didn’t help.
‘You seem to have stolen a truncheon, you good-for-nothing wastrel!’ Amanda scolded with a comedy wag of her finger. ‘Every time I feel that brushing against me through your trousers, I’ll sentence you to one minute’s hard kissing.’