Make an effort leading smart meeting (8)
I believe the answer is:
trysting
'meeting' is the definition.
(a tryst is a secret meeting between lovers)
'make an effort leading smart' is the wordplay.
'make an effort' becomes 'try' (to make an effort is to sincerely try).
'leading' means one lot of letters go next to another.
'smart' becomes 'sting' (both can mean to burn or hurt).
'try'+'sting'='TRYSTING'
(Other definitions for trysting that I've seen before include "Agreeing to meet" , "meeting" .)