Chapter 2

The air in the speakeasy was thick, a heavy, intoxicating blend of gin, tobacco smoke, and the low, smoky hum of the jazz band tuning their instruments. I stood near the entrance of the VIP alcove, the velvet drapes drawn just enough to offer privacy but not enough to hide us entirely from the main floor’s chaotic energy. The noise was a physical weight against my skin, a rhythmic pounding that matched the frantic beating of my heart. I had spent the last twenty minutes in the adjacent dressing room, changing out of the crisp, professional blouse and pencil skirt I’d worn during our day job into something that felt dangerously like a surrender. I slipped into the silk slip dress, the fabric cool and slippery against my skin, hugging my curves in a way that felt almost illicit. The heels I chose were taller, sharper, clicking against the wooden floor with a deliberate authority that made my legs feel long and exposed. When I stepped back out into the dim, amber-lit corner, I caught his eye immediately. He was sitting in the deep red velvet booth, a tumbler of whiskey resting on the table beside him, ice melting slowly.