A Demon Does It Better Excerpt

How do we know a demon does it better? The following will explain. Enjoy!

Cleo sneezed as Lili stepped inside the Shop of Scents.
“My allergies,” she complained.
“Then don’t breathe.” The witch had no sympathy as she examined the many-colored bottles, some labeled, others a mystery.
“You wish something special?” The silver-haired woman at the counter greeted her with a broad smile. “Fragrance to tempt your lover? Something to give you luck perhaps?” Her pale eyes peered at her closely. “Ah, you are the healer. Something soothing, then?”
Lili picked up a bottle and pulled the stopper out. She smelled spring flowers and fresh greenery. Another bottle yielded a winter of sharp ice while the third had her thinking of an ancient bazaar of spices and heat.
“You have not been here in many years,” the crone named Sameka said. “You chose a scent that was light and carefree.” She gestured toward a delicate pink glass bottle. “No longer is it you. You require a fragrance that holds a hint of darkness and mystery.” She held up a finger. “Wait here.” She moved with the ease of someone much younger—Lili gauged her years to be past nine hundred. She parted the amethyst silk curtains and disappeared into the back of the shop. She returned a moment later carrying a gilt-trimmed bottle that looked as if it had been owned by royalty. She set it on the counter and carefully eased the stopper out.
Lili didn’t need to lift the bottle to inhale the contents. They lifted their way to her. Images of silk, moans in a dark night, and a sensuality that warmed her bones were only parts of what she sensed in the perfume oil. She feared to ask the price. She only had to look at the shopkeeper to know it was very old and very rare.
“This is truly what you are now, and even more so as each day passes,” the old woman told her with a knowing smile.
“Huh. She must see something we don’t,” Cleo muttered.
“Quiet, you.” She wanted to try it on her skin. There were no worries it wouldn’t smell right with her personal chemistry. Sameka never forgot a customer or what suited them.
“Try it.” The male voice near her ear was as intoxicating as the perfume.
She looked up to see her mystery man standing next to her. Dark hair, eyes that rivaled a cobalt ring she had, and so good-looking her senses immediately kicked into overdrive.
He picked up the bottle and carefully tipped it against his fingertip. Turning toward her, he gently traced a path down her throat, then repeated the touch on each wrist. The oil turned to liquid heat, creating thoughts of wearing the perfume and nothing else.
Lili couldn’t keep her eyes off his hands. Strong, capable, yet gentle. She was positive they would feel the same everywhere else on her.
Get your mind back where it belongs!
Easier said than done.
He lifted her hand, palm up, and bent down to sniff her wrist. His breath drifted over the surface. When he lifted his head, his eyes blazed a vivid blue.
“She’s right,” he murmured. “This is meant for you.”
“Oh my,” Cleo said in a hushed whisper.
Lili silently repeated the words, not even realizing that little stunned the jaded cat. For a moment she forgot they had an avid audience.
“I shall wrap it up.” The crone swept the bottle away and soon had it nestled in a velvet covered box.
The witch didn’t wince at the high price.
“Who are you?” she asked the man.
“Someone who knows what scent a woman should wear,” the crone cackled.
He lifted Lili’s hand and pressed a light kiss in the center of her palm. She felt the burn of his lips all the way to her core.