Cigarette Smoke ☏✂ Oliver Thredson

La Rose Fanée

Doris turned the dial, old and metallic, releasing thousands of lukewarm drops, darkening her hair before trickling down her back. Her eyes fell closed over and over, each time showing her the memory of Michael's dead body. The water poured down, it dripped at Doris's side as her mind faded into drear and everything turned into a foggy illusion. The sensation of the steamy water colliding with her bare skin calmed her cinched nerves; almost distracting her from the fact that Kenton's death was still unsolved. All the things that honestly drove her insane. It's the water, she told herself. Her mind was practically swimming in it, and it was almost like standing under an everlasting waterfall. The scalding steam temperature and lavender scented soap mixed together in a heavenly way. She breathed it all in for a moment, held her breath and slowly let her troubles blow away with her exhale. 

After about fifteen minutes, Doris shut the water off again before reaching out and grabbing her towel off the bathroom rack. She wrapped herself within it's lush, fuzzy softness and stepped out onto the cool, moist tile flooring. She looked in the mirror, and for the first time in a long time, she saw Doris Bonneville. No makeup, no styled hair, no professional gaze dawned upon her face; just herself. She smiled and brushed her smooth finger tips across her damp face. Without another word, she opened the bathroom door and strode out, steam leaking out into her bedroom as she rushed around and threw together a decent yet proper outfit.

A black long sleeved silk button up shirt with a folded collar and cuffs held in place by two shiny golden pins. The shirt was buttoned all the way to the very top and tucked into the ankle length black skirt that had a set of two chains hanging from just below her abdomen; connected to the right and left side with golden hooks. She pulled on a tall pair of lace up heel boots and brushed her hair into the usual pin up job before reapplying her makeup and spraying a few shots of perfume onto her pressure points. 

Doris admired herself in the mirror for a minute or two. Pristine, beautiful, and headstrong, she thought with a funny smirk before grabbing her red handbag and marching out the door to her car.

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Doris stood alone at the La Rose Fanée's front doors with a nervous heartbeat. Music and laughter pouring from the minuscule crevices in its sparkly silver hinges as she perpetually tapped her heel against the floor.

"It's just a formal business dinner Doris" She scowled to herself as she peered through the glass to see the hostess cheerfully speaking with multiple guests. "Business meeting, that's all this is. You don't need a man. You don't want a man. You've got Harlow and she's all you need" The woman firmly nodded before reaching out and pulling the front door open. Once striding in, an array of amusing sounds and friendly scents welcomed Doris like an old friend. The hostess at the desk looked up and smiled before greeting her in French. 

"Bonjour, bienvenue à La Rose Fanée! "She called as Bonneville approached her with a smile just as friendly. 

"Merci beaucoup Mademoiselle" Doris replied before setting her finely manicured nails upon the surface of the desk. "I'm here with a friend of mine"

"Of course, name of party?" The hostess responded as she pulled out a massive notebook.

"Th-Thredson?" 

The hostess went quiet for a minute as she dragged her nail across the surface of the paper for a long while as she read each name scribbled down in the notebook. Her hand eventually stopped sliding and she smiled with a tap of her finger to the paper. 

"Yes, we have you here on the list. Table for 2." The woman went on as she stuffed the book away before waving a following hand. "This way please"

Both her and Doris walked into one of the larger dining areas, dozens of people and couples at a table sharing pleasant conversation and laughter as they passed. "Right over there" The hostess suddenly spoke before gesturing to the table near the farther back of the restaurant where more of the quiet first dates and couples sat. There sitting at the table alone was Oliver Thredson dressed in a fine tuxedo with his hair combed back in a charming way. He was without his glasses, but it made his usually drear eyes sparkle against the flickering candle in front of him.

Doris inhaled and thanked the hostess before ever so slowly approaching the table that Oliver was busy reading at. Each step felt as heavy as pulling stone. She was nervous she had to admit, but it was only a formal business meeting between to collegues, right? 

Once she was close enough, the man seemed to sense her presence so he looked up and smiled, his brilliant chocolate brown eyes dazzling. 

"H-Hello Mr. Threds-son" Doris smiled back as she watched him shut the book before slowly rising up from his seat.

"Dr. Bonneville" He madly grinned. "You look lovely"

"Thank you" The woman faintly blushed before pulling out her own seat and sitting down across from him. "I do have g-good―er, well―more of tr-troubling and both fascinating news"

"You do?" He replied back with a curious gaze when a waitress had suddenly stopped by there table and handed the two a set of long and narrow menu's. 

"Bonjour" She greeted in a very poor french accent that obviously showed she didn't care very much for the language (Maybe even her job). "I'm Kimmy, your waitress tonight" She dryly spoke before looking over at Oliver with a seducing smirk. "Would you like a few minutes to decide?"

"Yes please" Doris quickly replied, before looking up and noticing that the girl was not in fact asking her. Kimmy the waitresses eyes were practically tied to Oliver in chains―Bonneville swearing that if the girl's mouth hadn't been shut, she'd be drooling by now. She cringed in annoyance.

"Yes, that would be nice thank you" Oliver vaguely sighed, giving sign that he took note of the waitresses irritable behavior, as he did not care to even send her a glance.

"Sure this handsome, I'll be back in a few" The girl smirked again before walking off in a leisure stroll―both Oliver and Doris looking up after her with furrowed brows.

"Well some-someone needs to,to be fired" Dr. Bonneville snickered as Oliver went up in a humorous wheezing fit of silent laughter. "Ya think sh-she just picked up,up the job to hit on attractive rich boys?"

"I wouldn't doubt it" He smiled before watching the woman look back down at her menu without another word. It was then that Oliver realized that Doris was in fact calling HIM an attractive boy-er man actually. He felt his cheeks begin to burn with a blush before quickly  turning to look down at his own slender menu with a crazy smile stretched across his face. He was flattered.

'What a motherly like behavior' He thought to himself before taking a glance at her exposed wrist with a burning, inhuman desire. All he wanted in the whole wide universe was to touch her skin. To feel it against his fiery finger tips. To lavish the texture of her gentle, lush flesh. Oliver gripped the edge of his menu till it bent and began to read it as he cast the woman a glance or two―her own dark mysterious eyes twinkling in the candlelight's dance.