“I know it’s your last time here.” Cutting it short felt unfair, but still.
“I have you now. You’re as good as it gets.”
I nudged his shoulder playfully. “We don’t need this place to get kinky.”
“We certainly don’t.”
With a brave face, I walked beside him out to a garden with a sparkling pool. Guests were scattered about enjoying the evening air, as well as the steady flow of free drinks being served by the masked staff—a few of which were scantily-clad.
It was too soon to tell Damien what I knew. His involvement would put him and his family at greater risk.
Handling this myself was the only way.
I sat in Damien’s BMW watching the café door.
It was overwhelming to think the election might hinge on the actions of the two of us. Senator Gregor Godman was an arrogant man, but he was also capable of doing so much good. He had the ability to help so many people in so many ways. People are complicated and Damien’s father was a testament to that fact.
If Phoebe realized I was a Bardot, she’d be able to bribe me. I’d kept my mask on the entire time at Vanguard and I felt certain she hadn’t guessed my true identity. Meeting with her now was reckless—even though I was wearing my Charleston flapper, bobbed wig disguise.
Damien had once accused me of being self-centered and having no influence on the world. Here, now, I had my chance to prove him wrong.
My phone buzzed with a text. I cringed at his timing.
Damien: Where are you?
I hoped he wasn’t at the apartment. I started to type a reply, but paused for a moment when I saw Phoebe scurry inside the café with big sunglasses on and a baseball cap pulled low.
I quickly replied to Damien’s text: I’ll call soon.
Outside the car, I put on my sunglasses and approached the café, my bobbed wig camouflaging my blonde hair. The sports clothes I had on gave me a dressed-down look—not the kind of outfit I usually chose to wear when going out.
Inside, I purchased two coffees and joined a nervous-looking Phoebe in the corner booth. She had every reason to be scared. Should she return to Vanguard after her secret was revealed, they would rip her to shreds. If she didn’t turn up at Galante’s home as scheduled, he’d probably destroy her life. She was caught between two powerful entities—essentially trapped.
“Glad you made it,” I said.
Her eyes went wide as she studied my face. “I knew I’d seen you somewhere before.”
“Our little secret, right?”
“Of course.” She set her sunglasses on the table.
I gestured to her purse. “Turn off your phone.”
While waiting for her to comply, I looked around at the other few customers in the café, making sure no one would overhear our conversation.
She shoved her phone back into her purse. “Aren’t you meant to be marrying the President’s son?”
“He’s not President yet.”
She eyed me suspiciously. “Did they send you?”
“No. And they’ll never find out. Right?”
“I won’t tell them.” She blinked nervously. “Who were you with at Vanguard?”
“I wasn’t there,” I said boldly.
She nodded. “Me neither.”
“Right.”
And after all, we both knew I hadn’t handed her over to the men at Vanguard who would have done God knows what to punish her for being in Galante’s pocket.
Her eyes watered. “You think you can help me. You can’t.”
“What if I told you that all the evidence Galante has on you is accessible, which means it can be destroyed.”
“You don’t think people have tried that?”
“Maybe they tackled it from the wrong angle.”
Perspiration spotted Phoebe’s upper lip. “What are you going to do to me?”
“That’s up to you.” I rested back against the plastic seat.
She reached for her coffee and pulled off the lid, blowing on the drink to cool it.
“I can’t go back to Vanguard,” she said.
“You’re done there,” I agreed.
“I loved that place. I could just be me, you know?”
“I’m sorry.”
I understood her regret, since I’d probably never go back either. Even though I’d only visited Vanguard once, I already felt the pull of addiction caused by those mysterious rooms; the atmosphere of the place gave everyone permission to explore.
“What will I tell Galante?”
“Nothing.”
Her trepidation seemed to morph into hope. “What do I have to do?”
“How often do you meet him?”
“Usually every Friday.”
“Tonight?” I felt a surge of apprehension. We’d have to move fast, but as the story on my father was being released tomorrow, the timing was perfect. Could I really be the one to save him—and save a Presidential election?
As long as my plan didn’t go off the rails, that is.
“His wife arranges for him to get a massage,” she said, her voice low. “I’m one of the masseuses.”
“And you do more than that, I imagine?”
Phoebe’s lip curled in discomfort.
“Does his wife know?” I asked.
“She pretends she doesn’t. But she’s over having to suck his dick herself.”
“That could be your way out, Phoebe,” I told her. “We can use his manipulation. Maybe get him to admit to it.”
She shook her head. “We can’t prove it.”
“What else can you tell me about him?”
She shifted uncomfortably in her seat. “Like I told you already, he’s rumored to keep records on some of the most powerful men and women in Washington. He uses that to bribe them.”
“How did Galante find you?”
“I was an exotic dancer. He waited for me to come out of Archibald’s.”
“Is that a gentleman’s club?”
“I stripped there sometimes. Anyway, he was waiting for me outside. I was told to get in the back of his car. I assumed he wanted a blowie.”
“Then he blackmailed you to work at Vanguard?”
“Yes.”
“How much does he pay you?” I asked.
She hesitated.
“You have to be transparent.” I reached for her hand to reassure her. “If we’re going to set you free from all of this.”
She let out a sigh. “It depends on what I bring him. What kind of gossip I overhear. The members talk at Vanguard. They assume we aren’t listening.”
There could be a record of payment between them, at least.
I was scared to think of what she may have already relayed back to Galante—and the damage it may have caused. She’d been blackmailed into taking part in his terrible scheming.
Phoebe’s lips trembled. “Can you still help me?”
“After all the evidence on you is destroyed,” I said, “I’ll give you enough money to set up a life anywhere you like.”
“How do I know you’re telling the truth?”
Reaching into my handbag, I pulled out an envelope and slid it toward her. “Ten thousand dollars.” I rested a fingertip on it. “Get me into Galante’s house tonight and I’ll give you a lot more.”
“You’re insane.”
“That’s all I’m asking of you.”
Phoebe went for the cash.
“Does he keep the dirt on everyone in a vault or a safe?”
“I think he did once. Someone tried to destroy it. He had a fire at his office about a year ago.”
“I need his home address, and a sketch of the layout. Everything you can remember.”
Phoebe looked at me with doubt.
“Have you seen how he accesses his computer?”
“I saw him on his iPad in the car.” Phoebe chewed her lip thoughtfully. “He just swiped the side of his wrist across the screen instead of typing in a code. It was kind of weird.”
Did Ga
lante use a biometric encryption key?
“You don’t want to be on Salvatore’s shit list,” she said. “One feature on his political talk show can wreck a reputation.”
“I’m well aware.”
“Does he have something on your fiancé?”
“Not that I know of.”
“You’re here for his dad, then?”
“Actually, it’s someone else that’s motivated me to be here. He has something on someone I care about.”
“Do they know you’re here speaking with me?”
“No, and they never will.”
“I want to help.”
“From what you’re telling me, the key to the BODI is not in his watch. It’s embedded in his wrist.” Raising a finger, I added. “Probably.”
Phoebe realized what I was suggesting. “What the fuck…”
“I believe what you saw was him using a biometric encryption key.”
“Like a microchip implant?”
“That transmits a signal. Exactly.”
“I’ve heard of employees getting bonuses by having an implant that clocks them in, tracks their workday, follows their movements.”
“They can store medical records on them, too.”
“There’s no way in hell I’d let them put one of those in me.”
I laughed. “I feel the same way.”
“Why would he do that?”
“He’s using it as a security measure. No one else can access the intelligence he’s gathered.”
“How the fuck do you know all this shit?”
“What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you think of Swiss private schooling?”
“I don’t know…tennis.”
“You were thinking short skirts and gossiping girls, weren’t you?”
She looked apologetic.
“Truth is, they’re turning out potential world leaders from my old school. Switzerland is one of the most innovative countries in the world. Our education reflects that. I wasn’t just taught how to bake a nice soufflé.”
“That’s where you learnt about…”
“Bio tech, yes. Amongst other things.” I rummaged around for my phone to check my messages. “You can only imagine my surprise when I returned to the U.S. and was told ‘your job is to look pretty.’”
“And I thought I had it bad.”
“I’m privileged, I get that. But it’s like being bred as a racehorse and not being allowed to run.”
That made her laugh.
I looked down at the slew of texts from Damien.
“Is your phone on?” she asked, panicked.
“Yes, it’s totally fine.” I threw her a smile. “I’m the one that needs to trust you, remember?”
“Jesus, are we doing this? Are you really going to try to get inside his house?”
I pushed to my feet. “What time is your appointment?”
“Seven.”
“Meet me a few houses down at six-thirty. I want to see you before you go in.”
“I can do that.” She picked up her coffee and handbag and pushed to her feet.
“Go home. Pack a suitcase. Once we’re done tonight, you need to go straight to a hotel. Can you do that?”
“Leave my shitty studio apartment?” she asked in mock horror. “I can try.”
“I have a friend we can trust. He’ll set you up somewhere really nice.”
She cast a suspicious glance around the café. “What if after I help you, I’m of no more use to you?”
“I’m interested in stopping Galante,” I reassured her. “Protecting his victims. And you’re one of them.”
And if we were caught, it would be the end of the Godman campaign. I’d be sent abroad never to return. Hell, they’d probably try to send me to Siberia.
My temples began to throb just thinking about it.
“We need each other, Phoebe.” I stepped closer and embraced her. She smelled of lilies…like a wild, untouched garden. “We have no choice but to trust each other.” I pulled away to meet her worried expression. “I know what it’s like to be controlled by powerful men. This is how we take our power back.”
I waited for Phoebe to leave the café before I made my way back to the car.
A sense of dread came over me as I climbed into the BMW. Phoebe was scared and alone and it was up to me to help her. I’d taken a huge risk involving her in all of this, but she was my only viable option to get into Galante’s home.
I called up my Google map and searched out a shopping mall that was close. I needed an alibi for when I returned home and faced Damien’s wrath.
“Am I being insensitive?” I asked Theo. “We are days away from E Day.”
“Maybe she went home?”
“She knows that’s risky.” I was struggling with my bowtie in front of the bathroom mirror. “Where do we keep the cigarettes?”
Theo leaned against the doorframe, watching me. “You told me to throw them out.”
I glared at him. “I noticed how you forgot to throw out the condoms!”
He cringed. “She found them?”
“She thought they were mine.”
“You haven’t had a woman here in a year.”
“Try telling her that.” I raised my hands. “How do I look?”
“Fine.”
“Just fine?”
“Like a stud.”
I slapped his back. “Not so bad yourself.”
My frustration with Pandora was rising. She had merely sent a couple of texts in answer to my half dozen—the last one saying she’d be back soon. I understood that my girlfriend probably wanted to be with her family, what with Real Nation One TV about to drop her father’s scandal onto the airwaves tomorrow.
But not answering her phone?
I’d move Pandora to a better place. This apartment wasn’t good enough for her.
Maybe that’s why she wasn’t here. She was used to luxury, not this minimalist style. She was used to staff and having company. Maybe she was lonely. I should have thought about that.
Damn it, this is as far from a home as you can get.
Like me, Theo was wearing a black-tie suit and looking suave. But unlike me, he was behaving as though everything was business as usual. I felt like my life was deteriorating with each passing second.
“Ready to call off your engagement?” he asked. “Your dad mentioned leaking it to the press tonight.”
“Don’t let them send it out. I’m going to talk with Dad. I’m fucking done letting him dictate who I can have in my life.” I realized the truth in that statement. “Pandora’s annoying at times, but I love her.”
“She gets you. I can see that.”
“We’ve both been used and we’re over it.”
Until I told my father I’d ended it with Pandora, the Fairfield Project would remain stalled. The damage between us now felt irreparable. What was that saying? To win in Washington you have to be able to kill your darlings? Well, bravo, Dad. I’m dead inside if that’s what you were going for.
I’d chosen to get ready here so I could at least see Pandora before heading out for the cocktail party at the Fairmont in Georgetown. Going without her was hell. I wanted to be able to walk into the hotel with my arm around her. I was proud to be seen with her, and not just because she was a Bardot.
I wanted her by my side permanently.
I’d turned up the air-conditioning thinking that was the reason my chest felt tight. But no, it was her not being here that made me feel like I couldn’t get enough oxygen.
Pandora had eventually texted to say she was on her way, but until I saw her I would be filled with trepidation.
That little minx had ditched her security and gone off on a jaunt in my BMW. I knew driving around town without an escort was her way of rebelling against the system that had held her captive all her life. Still, even as my lover she’d have to stay within the confines of my security detail.
I will marry her one day. I’ll find a way.
I follow
ed Theo back into the sitting room. “Did you fire everyone yet?”
“Can we wait, please? Hear what Pandora has to say?”
Unable to draw in a deep breath, I loosened the bowtie I’d been wrestling with in the bathroom. “I’ll fire everyone myself then.”
I heard the sound of a key turning in the lock.
We both turned to watch Pandora walk through front door, both of us letting out a collective sigh of relief.
She strolled in as though her being out in the world alone was normal, carrying high-end shopping bags and looking unfazed from breaking the rules.
What the fuck were you thinking?
Days ago, she’d gone to see Salvatore Galante. Anything was possible with this girl. Keeping an eye on her was essential. I may love her, but Pandora going rogue again wasn’t an option.
I made sure my expression did not show the anxiety she’d caused me. Of course, I was glad to see her, but I had the urge to smother her in a revenge hug.
She looked different in an unexplainable way. I saw an internal conflict reflected in her eyes, as though she’d been touched by an inexplicable experience.
Or maybe it was just me.
Maybe I was seeing her as just a girl who’d been wronged all her life; being privileged but having gone unloved for all these years—a kind of hell camouflaged in luxury.
She needed someone to show her the purity of love. And I wanted to be that someone.
She threw the shopping bags onto the couch. “You both look nice.”
My back straightened. “Where have you been?”
“Just in case you changed your mind about tonight, I needed something to wear.”
I stepped closer, a look of apology on my face.
“I’ll wait in the car,” said Theo, moving by her. “Please don’t evade our security detail.”
“You mean Damien’s security detail,” she said abruptly.
“Damien’s, then.” He forced a smile. “If they fail to protect you, they’ll lose their jobs. Let’s not forget that.”
“As of right now,” she replied, “I’m a free agent. Let’s not forget that.”
Theo looked affronted.
“Theo, I’ve been stashed away in a fuck pad across town while the adults decide my future—advised not to return home because my parents want to ship me off to God only knows where…again.” She looked defiant. “And so, I wait to see what’s decided on my behalf. What will it be? Will I be a whore stashed away in a nice chateau as a plaything? Or will I disappear in the quiet of the night to a place where even you can’t find me.” She brightened. “Or I can take my power back.”
Pandora's Pleasure: An Enemies-to-Lovers Romance Page 26