Leaves alone in a provocative manner (9)
I believe the answer is:
teasingly
'in a provocative manner' is the definition.
I can't judge whether this definition defines the answer.
'leaves alone' is the wordplay.
'leaves' becomes 'tea' (as in tea leaves).
'alone' becomes 'singly' (I've seen this in another clue).
'tea'+'singly'='TEASINGLY'
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for teasingly that I've seen before include "how some jokers behave" , "in playful fashion" , "not to be taken seriously!" .)