Speak Easy (Speak Easy 1)

“Do what?” I opened a dresser drawer and began pulling out my undergarments.

“You know what. I would.”

I glanced at her over my shoulder. “So you do it.”

She sighed. “I would do it with him in a heartbeat if I thought he was interested. But he’s only got eyes for you.”

“You’re mistaken.” I lifted my black stockings from the drawer. “We can hardly stand each other. And besides, I’ve got eyes for someone else right now.” I held up my step-in and gave it a little shake. “Someone who knows what I wear underneath that blue dress.”

Evelyn gasped. “Tell!”

“I will, and I’ll even introduce you to him tonight, if he’s there.” I tossed everything onto the bed. “But the situation is a little strange.”

“Why?”

“Well, he’s got a girl, for one. And he’s sort of got my father too—he’s Angel DiFiore’s son.”

Evelyn’s jaw dropped open. “Tiny, are you crazy? Don’t you think it’s a little dangerous to be fooling around with him?”

“More than a little,” I said, unbuttoning my blouse. “But you’ll understand when you see him. And you’ll know why I’m not interested in Joey.”

Because I wasn’t. Not at all.

I just had to keep saying that.

#

At Evelyn’s house, I helped her choose an outfit—a pale pink sleeveless dress with a dropped waist and white satin-ribbon sash. The hem fell nearly to her ankles, but the color was good for her and she wore a beautiful strand of pearls with it. She raided Rosie’s vanity for a gold headband, which set off her fair hair, but I didn’t want to borrow one without asking. Instead Evelyn plucked a gardenia from her mother’s garden and I pinned it above my ear.

Once we arrived at the club, we stood near the bar and I ordered champagne cocktails for both of us. Sipping the bubbly concoction from a stemmed glass, I tried to appear casual as I scoured the crowd for Enzo. Inside my evening bag was the six hundred dollars from Joey.

“Do you think we’ll be asked to dance?” Evelyn was looking over the crowd too.

“Maybe. If you see someone you like, meet his eye,” I encouraged. “You have to let him know you’re interested.”

“I’ll try. But you’re always so much better at this than I am.”

“Better at what? Just look at him. You don’t even have to say anything.”

She giggled. “OK. Hey, that one’s cute over there, don’t you think?”

“Where?” I followed her eye to where a heavyset young man with sandy hair stood talking to friends. He didn’t look like a gangster, so I relaxed a bit. “Yes, he is. And he’s looking this way, so smile.”

She did, and I could tell he noticed her. But as he took a step in our direction, I felt a hand on my shoulder.

“Couldn’t stay away?”

I turned, going breathless at Enzo’s body so near mine. “I came to pay you back.”

“Already? I’m impressed.”

I lowered my voice so Evelyn couldn’t hear. “Shall we do it here?”

He raised his eyebrows. “Oh—you mean the money.” Looking to our left, his eyes lingered on the crowd down front. Gina gawked at us as she stood at their table, hands on her hips.

“You’re being watched.”

He sighed and I could smell the whisky on his breath, even stronger than usual. “Her father’s here tonight. It’s a complete drag. If he didn’t own a distillery in Kentucky, I’d take you back into the stairwell so I could finish what you started.”