Free Flirtinis with Flappers by Marianne Mancusi

decided my best bet was to head to the club where I'd first made my appearance the night before. Not a hard decision, seeing as: one, it was the only place in this foreign time period that The Rat agreed to give me directions to (he'd been worried I'd spend the whole day shopping if he pointed me downtown), and two, I had no wheels, and the club happened to be down the street.
    I also figured it was about time to meet my infamous mobster boyfriend Jack "Machine Gun" McGurn. My heart rate sped up just at the thought. Would I be able to play a convincing Louise in front of him? Would he be able to tell something was off? I mean, how close were they, really? Evidently not too close, maybe, if she was having an affair with Sam. But still, you'd think most boyfriends would be able to tell if their girlfriends had been body snatched. (Uh, except if it happened during football season—then it might take a few months for the realization to kick in.)
    I squared my shoulders and exited the tenement house. Oh well, I'd just have to do my best. Jack "Machine Gun" McGurn was the one behind the St. Valentine's Day Massacre. Therefore, it only made sense that Nick would be hanging around him in some way. Who knew? Maybe Nick had body snatched McGurn himself. Then I'd be, in a weird Twilight Zone sense, actually dating him again. Ugh. I hoped that wasn't the case. Way too messed up.
    I walked down the street till I came to the speakeasy. I studied the building with a critical eye. It sure looked different during the day. A grungy warehouse from the outside with no sign. In fact, I probably would have passed right by it if it wasn't for someone I recognized hanging out by the door.
    "Sam!" I cried, actually somewhat happy to see a familiar face. Well, sort of familiar, anyway. Handsome at the very least—somehow managing to be rugged and smooth at the same time. "How are you?"
    He smiled widely, flashing straight white teeth. Why did he have to be so sexy? Why did Louise have to be going out with Machine Gun instead of him? Was the girl blind? Could she not see the potential in the man right in front of her? I mean, I understood that all women had different tastes in men. Some liked Ryan Reynolds, some preferred Ryan Gosling. But then there were some men like Brad Pitt who had universal appeal.
    "Hiya, Louise," Sam drawled, leaning casually against the wall. "Up before noon. I'm impressed."
    I felt my face instantly heat into a blush, not quite knowing why. "Yeah, yeah," I said, forcing myself to sound nonchalant. 
    "You here to see Jack?" he asked, his multicolored eyes twinkling. "Or maybe someone…else?" He raised his eyebrows suggestively, and I couldn't help but giggle.
    "You think I got out of bed before noon to see you?" I teased, unable to resist a little flirtation. "As if."
    "Maybe someday you won't have to get out of bed at all." He smirked. "If you're lucky."
    I laughed, despite myself. He certainly had that arrogant swagger about him. "Don't you mean if you're lucky?"
    "I'm not lucky, baby. I'm worthy." He took off his hat and bowed mockingly in my direction. "I'm the only one worthy of a girl like you."
    "I heard you stopped by my place last night. Thought you didn't know where I lived."
    He grinned. "I asked around. I make it my business to map out all the pretty girls."
    "Oh and here I thought I was special."
    "Oh, you're special all right. 'Specially for me."
    I rolled my eyes.
    He laughed, effectively breaking the spell. His eyes lightened, telling me it had all been in jest. "Anyway…go in and see your boyfriend, kiddo," he said. "It was nice seeing you again."
    I nodded, noting an odd sense of disappointment rolling through my stomach. What had I wanted—him to beg me not to go see Machine Gun? To head to some sleazy hotel with him instead, maybe? Well, that was never going to happen. And besides, I needed to concentrate on my mission. I wasn't on vacation, as Ratty would say. Still, Sam's presence was doing bad