SOLVED. Adult Mystery Short Story where the protagonist discovers he can make his wife's crush disappear in orange smoke by saying "pooof, you're gone". [s]

[Novel]

No, it's not some fetish book.

I think I read it in one of those two anthology books "Rogues" and "Dangerous Women", but I have scoured those books and cannot find the story. Given the story itself, I would say it fits more into Rogues cause the protagonist is a guy. I definitely read it around the time I read those books, which I read right after their publishing because I wanted to read the ASoIaF material by GRRM.

The protagonist is of the opinion that when your wife is so out of your league, you gotta understand when she has her crush over and entertains him - which I think is described as an invitation to dinner and some ongoing flirting until the guy leaves. I think the guy that she has a crush on is like a celebrity (maybe minor) and his time is limited and these invitations occur like once every few months.

Anyway, while the flirting is ongoing in the kitchen (I have an image in my mind where they wife is doing the dishes and the crush is by her side flirting - but at the very least, dinner is over and they are picking things up - while the hubby is still at the table) and the hubby is simultaneously rationalizing the evening as well as being jealous, he wishes he could just make the guy disappear by saying poof, you're gone. And he says it out loud, and the guy vanishes in a puff of orange (I think) smoke.

He tries it on a couple of people I think, but the end result is that the wife is now impressed and thinks that it's nice that he has this power. I don't remember what happens in the end.

I have tried finding this story on and off for a few years but I can't seem to strike water. Maybe you guys have come across it sometime.

[Becca]

A Google Books search for "poof you're gone" + "orange smoke" brings up 100 Malicious Little Mysteries:
https://www.google.co.uk/books/editio...

The story is "A Puff of Orange Smoke" by Lael J. Littke. I'm not sure if that's the anthology you read it in, but hopefully knowing the story is enough!

Edit: It also appears in The Best American Short Stories 1973

[Novel]

That is indeed the story. Thanks. I think I have that paperback back at home, 100 mysteries or so. I have been looking so long for it lol, but I never thought I had read it on paper and not on a screen

[Banjomike]

Novel wrote: "That is indeed the story. Thanks. I think I have that paperback back at home, 100 mysteries or so. I have been looking so long for it lol, but I never thought I had read it on paper and not on a screen."

A neat little story. There are two other tales by the same author in that book, A Feline Felony and Mrs. Twiller Takes a Trip.