Emberwood the art of barter

I'll go the route of artful fade, lol. Thanks for the thread (and twist)! :)

Luke didn't seem perturbed by her words. In fact, he began to flirt with her for real. The touch of his tongue against her cheek was surprisingly electric and Smash wondered if it had something to do with the color. Before she could ask, that same tongue began whispering promises about gentleness. Despite what she had said about not being easy, Smash felt a familiar flame flickering in the pit of her stomach. Ever since hitting twenty-two months, she had actually been quite the frisky critter. Luke would soon discover that her words to the contrary were just as insincere as the rest of her.

"Huh," she drawled, her orange eyes following him as he began to circle toward her backside. "Who said I want it gentle, Mr. Bluenose?" she queried, raising a brow at him and then smiling. Once more, she swirled her hindquarters out of reach, facing him again and flicking at his nose with a claw. "For the record, I like it rough. Because I'm a canine. Get it? Ruff?" Pause. "And I'm only putting out because you brought me food. And because you're so charming. And because of this adorable blueberry." She nipped his nose this time. "For real, though..." She paused, making heated eye contact with him. "Sploosh."

After giving him a playful lick, Smash tagged him with a paw and began to trot, keeping her pace leisurely to show him this wasn't really a chase. She just led him deeper into the trees, where they could have more privacy. Once she found the perfect spot, Smash teased Luke just a little bit longer before finally offering up the goods. This was a barter, after all. And in the end, a glowing and bowlegged Smash returned home feeling like she'd gotten the better end of the deal.