Smoke And Mirrors, Part 11

This fictional story contains adult themes and descriptions. If such offends
you, read no further.  All persons and situations depicted are fictional, any
similarities to real persons or events is purely coincidental. All rights
reserved. This story cannot be reproduced without the written prior approval
of the author. You can notify the author at del999@yahoo.com.

Smoke & Mirrors
Part 11: Suzanne Makes Her Choice:

Suzanne showered and felt quite refreshed. She decided to make some more
coffee. As she settled in to her books, she glanced down to see the package,
lighter and ashtray on her study table. She smiled and said to herself. I
don't see any reason why I shouldn't have a cigarette while studying. It had
seemed to increase her concentration when she had done it the night before.
She double pumped her first light up, recognizing that it was a great way to
start off her cigarette. She was now getting used to these light cigarettes.

An hour passed, and she glanced down at the package of cigarettes sitting
there near her elbow. I think I'll have another one she said, unconsciously
wanting to renew the nicotine her blood stream. As the day continued, she
kept returning to the package, lighting up almost automatically. Unknowingly,
the intervals between cigarettes slowly began to decrease, as her body wanted
to maintain the nicotine level in her blood stream. It continued to remind
her whenever it fell below the level it required, and she was quick to
satisfy its need. She was slowly building up her tolerance to the frequent
cigarettes without any feeling of dizziness or nausea. She thought to herself
- these ultra light cigarettes weren't that bad.

She recognized that every time she smoked, she felt her heart beat quicken,
and a relaxed but alert feeling come over her, as the magical drug did its
work. Scientists around the world had never been able to quite explain how a
drug could relax you, yet at the same time, perk you up.

By lunchtime, she had smoked an additional five cigarettes in just two hours.
Along with the one she had sneaked from Jill's pack, and the two that she had
smoked before she had showered, she had now smoked nearly half a pack and it
wasn't even one o'clock yet. She remembered what Jill had said about
ashtrays, as she carefully emptied the contents into the garbage can in the
kitchen. She counted the five cigarettes lying on top of the vegetable
peelings, with just a slight twinge of guilt. Then she caught herself. Stop
that, she said to herself, just enjoy yourself. She had enjoyed each and
every one of them, she affirmed to herself.

She didn't feel too hungry but thought she had better eat something anyway.
She indifferently wolfed down a sandwich and got a coke from the fridge.
Hmmm, she thought. How about another cigarette she thought. Don't mind if I
do. She double pumped expertly, feeling the warm smoke bathing her lungs. She
was surprised to notice that the coke and the cigarette mixed rather well.
Not as well as the coffee, but better than she expected.

The afternoon progressed, and she continued her unfettered smoking. By four
thirty she shook her pack, and was surprised to see that she had only three
cigarettes left. Where had they all gone?

She smiled to herself as she looked at the oversized crystal ashtray. It was
the ashtray that Jill had bought, saying that they would probably need a
bigger ashtray, now that Suzanne was smoking. She looked at the ten spent
cigarettes neatly crushed out and arranged in a perfect circle. It was
amazing what a lack of guilt could accomplish, she joked to herself. She then
came upon a realization. The worst fear that every real smoker dreads.
Running out of cigarettes. The smile she once had, had now shifted to a
concerned look. She felt strangely worried. She got up to look around the
apartment to see if Jill had left any cigarettes around the house. There were
none.

She knew that Jill would be back, by 6:00 P.M. Then she thought again. One of
the main reasons that Jill had given her the pack was so that she would have
her own supply so that she wouldn't have to bum them from her when they went
out. She would also want to show Phil that she had really started smoking by
having her own pack. Now she was sure to run out before the date. She had no
other choice but to go out and buy some. She felt slightly desperate. Where
could she buy cigarettes? She didn't have a car. What would she do? She
thought carefully. She them remembered that there was a convenience store,
only six blocks away. Despite the fact that it was a cold rainy day, it was
easily within walking distance. Most of her reading was finished, so she knew
she had time.

The thought of buying her first own package excited her. Oh heck, she
thought, I'm nineteen, it's not against the law. She put on her red
windbreaker, and headed out the door. The wind was cold on her face and it
blew directly against her. It took her about fifteen minutes to make the
walk. As the wind whipped around her ears, she wondered what brand she would
buy. As she trudged along she started to recite all the brand names that she
knew. She could get Salem Lights, she knew she liked those, and of course
Phil's B&H Menthols. He would like it if she smoked his brand. Then of course
there was the VS 100's menthol, full flavor or lights. One thing was for
certain; she would buy Jill a couple packs of her VS 100's Menthol to repay
her for all the packs that she had shared with her. She smiled. Yes it had
been actually packs. She did a quick calculation. She had smoked 3 packs, in
the last week. But today, she had nearly consumed a whole pack in just one
morning and an afternoon. She reaffirmed her decision; she needed cigarettes.
But what kind? What kind?

She finally arrived at the convenience store. As the door closed behind her
she was relieved to not have the cold wind to contend with. To her relief,
the store was empty, probably as a result of the weather. She looked around
feeling a bit nervous. She was again relieved that the cigarettes for sale
were on display on a large shelving unit between the aisles. She had never
previously given any cigarette display any attention. There were so many
kinds, it was overwhelming.

She smiled, as she scanned the assortment of short, medium and tall,
cigarettes. She grinned as she saw the Camels. Why would anyone smoke those?
That camel is so ugly. She read the package, Turkish blend. They seemed
totally unappealing and very short and stubby. She continued to scan from
left to right. She finally found the VS Menthols 100's, full strength. She
nervously removed two packs from the rack. She again couldn't believe that
even within one brand there were so many options: Menthol, non- menthol,
ultra light, full flavor, hard pack and soft pack. One thing for sure, she
would stick with menthol. She liked the minty taste, and the cool feeling
that they left in her mouth. And one other thing she reaffirmed to herself.
She would never ever smoke an ultra-light again.

It was at that moment that "they" caught her eye. There "they" were. "They
were a little longer then the rest, as she slowly read the words, Virginia
Slims Luxury Lights 120's. Would she dare? Then she thought about the red
head from the restaurant. She had looked so sexy, and she had already seen
how Phil had admired the blonde in the bar. She knew that he had been
attracted by that girl's smoking style. Otherwise, why would he have selected
her? She was pleased to notice that at least these were lights, not ultra
lights. "After all, it's a woman thing", she giggled to herself, remembering
the ads she had seen in the women's magazines.

This could become her brand. She remembered how sexy she had looked smoking
when she watched herself in the mirror. She then blushed remembering how
naughty she had been. Well, she would play it safe, buying one pack of the VS
120's menthol, and one pack of the VS 100 menthols. One day, she thought, she
would try non-menthol, but right now she was enjoying the cool taste. She
would ask Jill what she thought of her brand selection. Jill would know. She
could easily smoke the long ones at home in the privacy of the apartment and
the others out in public.

Feeling satisfied that she had made the right decision; she nervously carried
the 4 packs of cigarettes to the check out stand. Out of the corner of her
eye she saw the rack filled with cartons of cigarettes. She wasn't ready to
buy a carton just yet, but she knew that one day she just might. Once she had
decided on a brand, it would be obviously cheaper that way. She wasn't sure
how much this would all cost, so she decided to put a twenty down hoping that
that would be enough. There was a young teenage boy working behind the check
out counter. He didn't even look up as he scanned each of her purchases. The
scanner beeped rather loudly as she watched her purchases being rung up.
"That will be $16.75," he said, now smiling from ear to ear noticing how
pretty his customer was.

Then he frowned. "I'm a little embarrassed," he said, "but the law says you
have to look like your twenty seven to buy cigarettes. I'm sure you're
probably twenty-one or something like that, but I have to see some ID."

Suzanne blushed as she pulled out her driver's license. "Oh, you're
nineteen-" he said, smiling while admiring the attractive image he saw on the
license. "You look much older," he smiled.  "Looks like you're going to have
a smoky night," he said, as he put the four packs in the plastic bag.

"Yeah, I'm going out to a club tonight." Suzanne said proudly. She smiled as
she picked up the bag and proceeded out the door. She casually caught the
young boys continuing gaze. Smugly she thought, sorry young man, you're just
a little too young for me. But his admiring stare did make her feel quite
good. She realized that even just buying cigarettes made her feel sexy.

With the wind at her back, the walk home was a bit easier and not as cold. It
was now approaching 5:30 P.M., as she opened the door. Jill had not yet
arrived. Hmm, she thought, I have enough time for one more cigarette. She
popped a cup of the cold coffee in the microwave, and proceeded to light up
one of her ultra lights. The smoke warmed her lungs, as the room began to
heat the chill from her body. She took a long sip of her coffee, and took
another long extended drag. She looked forward to finishing this pack so that
she could delve into her purchases from the Mini Mart. This cigarette tasted
just as good as the previous ones that she had so eagerly smoked all through
the day. She couldn't wait till Jill got home. She wanted to show off her
purchases and get her opinion. And of course she wanted to repay Jill for her
kindness. Suzanne was just crushing out her cigarette, when she heard Jill's
key turning in the lock.

"Hi, Jill. How was your day?" Suzanne said in a welcoming voice.

"Well the stores were a little busy, but I did manage to find a few things
that I liked. I just love going out to new places. It gives me an excuse to
buy a new outfit. What do you think?" as she pulled out a black leather mini
skirt and a rather low cut silk yellow blouse. "Oh, those are very nice"
Suzanne said, realizing that Jill's parents must be rich to afford such
expensive clothes. "What are you going to wear?" Jill said as she continued
to admire her purchases.

Gazing at the Jill's sexy new outfit, Suzanne realizing how outdated her
clothes were. I don't think I really have anything appropriate. "I do have a
rather plain dress, but it's a bit frumpy," she said meekly.

"Hmmm-" Jill said, "What size are you?"

"Size 10"

"Why do you ask?" Suzanne replied.

"Oh, I was just wondering. This club we're going to is a bit trendy, if you
know what I mean. I'm about a Size 10 too. Except your boobs are bigger," she
said sarcastically. Suzanne laughed out loud at this admission. "Do you want
me to see if you if we can find something in my closet for you? Phil will
never know," she said, smiling.

"That would be just great." Suzanne said enthusiastically.

Suzanne had never been allowed to wear any short skirts or revealing clothes.
Between her strict mother and the rules they had at Catholic school, she had
grown accustomed to wearing rather conservative clothes. Suzanne tried on a
rather short red suede miniskirt that Jill had picked out for her. It fit
perfectly. Like it was made for her. "Hmm-now a blouse-. let me see" Jill
went on. "There was an all white one, no, too pure!" she said giggling --Then
she pulled out a silk black blouse. "That's the ticket. Try that on," she
said with a degree of authority. It was a little tight in all the right
places, but the combination of the red and the black looked good on Suzanne.
Suzanne looked at herself in the full-length mirror in Jill's bedroom. She
looked at least five years older in this rather seductive outfit. "An earring
or two, some high heels and a touch of mascara, and "Voila" Jill joked,
alluding to Suzanne's previous French expression. Suzanne really liked the
way she looked. She had never dressed up like this. She went over to Jill,
and gave her a big hug. "What would I do without you," she said. "You're like
a big sister to me." Jill blushed with embarrassment over the complement.

"I'm not that big, sweetie. You're the one that was blessed with the boobs,"
she said, laughing.

In all the excitement, Suzanne had forgotten to tell Jill about her own
shopping spree. "Oh, I did a little shopping, too" she said. She went to the
living room to get her purchases. She brought the bag into the bedroom, where
Jill was still organizing the clothes. She reached into the bag and handed
Jill the two packs. "I just thought that I might at least replace all the
cigarettes that you have given me."

"You really didn't have to, it's no big deal, but thanks, these won't go to
waste." Jill said. Then Jill noticed that there was still something else in
the bag. "What else, did you buy Suzanne?" Jill asked.

Suzanne began to blush. "Well, I don't know what came over me today, but
being all by myself, I sort of smoked most of the pack of cigarettes you gave
me last night." she said with an embarrassed tone to her voice.

Jill tried to hide her excitement. "Oh, don't worry about it, I sometimes
have days like that when I just can't get enough." she smiled. This eased
Suzanne's concern. Jill quickly changed the subject, not wanting to dwell too
long on her friend's smoking indulgence.

"Well, show me what you bought." Jill insisted curiously.

Jill's eyes widened as Suzanne pulled out the two packs.

"So you like the long ones, eh?" Jill said laughing.

"I saw a girl smoking them the other night in the restaurant, and I thought
they sort of looked sexy." Suzanne said as she blushed.

Jill went on, "My dear Suzanne, they're divine. That will be the perfect
accessory for your outfit tonight. You *are* going to smoke tonight? Aren't
you?"

"Well yes, I think so." Suzanne said as she realized that she there was no
turning back now.

"You'll have all the guys drooling over you, every time you light up one of
those long babies. I used to smoke them on special occasions. They are very
smooth. "

"Why don't you try one now and we'll see what you think."

Again, Suzanne blushed, but was caught up in the moment. "Sure, okay." She
excitedly went to her room to get her lighter.

"Come on in here into the bedroom," Jill said. "I want you to get a good look
at the total image. Image is everything. Don't you agree?"

"Oh, Okay, I'll be right there." Suzanne said excitedly.

As Suzanne walked into the bedroom, she paused and remembered how Jill had
packed her cigarettes this morning. She took the pack of extra long
cigarettes, and firmly tapped them on the back of her hand.

Jill said with a sincere voice, "Suzanne, you're the best. You never forget a
thing."

Suzanne beamed with pride as she easily removed the cellophane from the
package. Removing the turquoise foil, she unveiled the package of 20
perfectly formed long slender cigarettes. She noticed that there were three
green rings near the end of each filter.

Jill finally piped up saying, "Are you going to just admire your cigarette,
or are we going to have a cigarette?"

Suzanne said laughingly. "Oh- sorry," she said as she flicked the pack
upwards releasing a couple of the cigarettes from their elegant box. Jill
calmly reached for one, accentuating their long smooth length, as she slowly
drew the cigarette out of the pack.

Suzanne placed the long cigarette in her mouth as she glanced in the mirror
at her own image. She lit Jill's cigarette first, then with a bit of
difficulty and her hand shaking ever so slightly, she lit the end of the long
120 cigarette. She sucked very hard, wanting to see what the taste would be
like. The creamy smoke filled her mouth. She inhaled deeply and paused to get
the full effect. She smiled as she slowly exhaled a thick plume of smoke.

Oh-these are soooo good. They have a real full flavored taste, and they are
so smooth and creamy. Soooo much better than the Ultra Lights.

"Okay, strike the pose. Let's see how you look." Jill said, breaking
Suzanne's dreamlike state. Suzanne immediately took another long drag wanting
to again taste the delicious flavor of "her" new cigarettes. She smiled to
herself, as she positioned herself in front of the mirror. She looked at her
image with the long cigarette being held so seductively in her crooked arm.
She knew she looked good in her new outfit, and the cigarette looked simply
like an extension of her new image. Jill said smiling. "By god, I think she's
got it. You look absolutely marvelous." Jill said with enthusiasm.

Suzanne beamed with pride. She did look good, she thought. At that moment,
she knew that she had made the right choice. The outside world was about to
meet Suzanne, the new smoking goddess.

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