Page 13 of Romancing the Rumrunner
“How do you feel about Prohibition, Miss Harlan?”
Jessie’s eyes widened. Was this why he was here? To find out information on her? Well, she could play along for a bit, see what he was fishing for.
“To be honest, I’m not a fan of it.”
He cocked an eyebrow and Jessie added, “But it is the law so…”
Implying that she followed the law wasn’t the same as lying about it, right?
Tony did another quick glance around and leaned in a little farther. “Have you ever been to a speakeasy, Miss Harlan?”
Now Jessie’s eyes widened. What was he getting at? “Have you, Mr. Solomon?”
“Call me Tony.”
“Call me Jessie.”
“Fine. Jessie. And to answer your question, though you don’t seem willing to answer mine—Yes, I have.”
Jessie smiled a little at his chiding tone. “Since you answered first, then yes, I have, as well.”
“And would you consider working in a speakeasy? Singing. Because if you would, I have just the one in mind.”
Realization dawned on her and Jessie sucked in a slow breath. He wanted her to work for him? “Do you own a speakeasy, Mr…Tony?”
The bell tinkled and Tony straightened up, moving down the counter a ways and pretended to peruse the meat selections under the glass. He glanced at her every now and then, but after a few minutes of a steady stream of customers, he put his hat on and headed for the door.
Jessie nearly called him back but stopped herself. Turned out not to be necessary. Tony tipped his hat and said, “Think about it. I’ll be back tomorrow,” before he walked out the door.
The woman she was waiting on gave her a knowing smile, waggling her eyebrows. “My, he certainly is handsome, isn’t he?”
Jessie muttered something noncommittal and turned back to her meat.
How would the woman feel if she knew that Tony had just asked to her sing in his speakeasy?
More importantly, how did Jessie feel?
After a restless night thinking about it, she still wasn’t sure. When he walked back into her shop the next morning, Jessie’s traitorous heart leaped at the sight of his handsome face and the charming smile he bestowed on her sent a tingling warmth down to her toes. She pushed the feelings away the second they surfaced. Yes, he was handsome. But she knew nothing else about him except that he somehow knew Jameson. And that was not a mark in his favor.
The thoughts spinning around in her head were giving her a headache and she closed her eyes, flinching against the pain throbbing in her temples. The man was a mystery, plain and simple. One she’d like to get to the bottom of, for her own peace of mind, if nothing else.
She gave him a polite smile in return, trying her best to keep the rest of her roiling emotions from spilling over.
“Well. Mr. Solomon. Back so soon?”
“I thought I asked you to call me Tony,” he said, his smile softening into something much more suitable for the bedroom.
Jessie bit her lip and turned her back, pretending to fiddle with some butcher paper until she was sure her face was composed.
“And yes, I just couldn’t stay away. Have you made a decision?”
Jessie wiped her hands on a towel, taking a moment to word her response carefully. Tony seemed harmless, nice even. But the owner of a speakeasy large enough to need entertainment meant he wasn’t running some little mom-and-pop operation. Which meant she’d need to watch her back around him.
“Not quite yet.”
Tony rubbed his finger over his lips. “And what would it take to convince you?”
Jessie leaned against the counter, doing a little perusing of her own. “I don’t know anything about you or what kind of joint you might be running.”
