Page 164 of Pandora's Pleasure
“Who are you calling?” asked Theo.
“Trust me.” I gave him a thin smile. “I’m making this go away.”
Theo shook his head. “Pandora, if you say one wrong thing…”
After a few rings, a woman’s tired voice answered the line.
“Mrs. Galante,” I said, “this is Pandora Bardot. I’m sorry to wake you at this hour, but this is an emergency. Your husband asked me to call him. Can you hand the phone to him, please? This is regarding his imminent news story. He’s going to want to hear this.”
Theo and the Senator swapped angry looks. I clutched my phone, afraid one of them might snatch it away at any second.
I tapped the speaker setting on my phone so they could hear what was about to transpire.
Galante’s gruff voice came on the line. “What do you want?”
Swallowing hard, I said, “Mr. Galante, I need you to check the BODI. I believe you’ll find it’s not there. I have it. Your access has been removed. Your name has been added to the list of men who have ‘damaging indiscretions.’”
Galante went quiet—perhaps he was trying to verify what I’d told him.
Theo looked horrified.
Covering the phone, I mouthed. “Not that kind of BODI.”
“What the hell is going on?” Galante’s voice came back on the line.
“Did you look?” I asked.
“Young lady—”
“Pull the story on Senator Godman.” My eyes were fixed on the TV. “And don’t run the story now, or ever, on my father, Brenan Bardot. Or I’ll release the intel I have on you. I have proof of how you like to spend your Friday nights.”
“You and I need to have a talk,” said Galante, his voice strained.
“No…no, there’ll be no negotiating,” I said. “Pull the story. Both of them.”
The phone went dead.
A sharp, burning pain like indigestion hurt my chest. I rubbed my solar plexus with a shaky hand to soothe the ache, nausea welling up with the thought I’d just dared to threaten the most powerful man in the news industry.
“What just happened?” Theo’s focus was on the TV.
All three of us watched the screen.
Within minutes, the newscaster was pressing his finger to his ear as though listening to instructions coming from off-camera—the producers, probably. His back straightened in his chair as he addressed the camera, stating that the upcoming story due later today about the Presidential candidate was being pulled until sources could be verified.
Godman rubbed his face as though trying to release pent-up tension. Then his blue eyes refocused on me. “The BODI?”
“You knew about it, right?” I asked, unable to keep my surprise from showing.
The Senator threw a wary glare at Theo.
“I had time to review the names in the file.” I shoved my phone back into my purse.
“Are we talking about that mythical collection of scandals?” asked Theo.
The Senator gave a reluctant nod.
Theo shot me an astonished look. “Don’t mention anything else. I don’t want the Senator involved on any level.”
