her face, and then she said, “Did you hear the good news about my dad?”
“It means our contract is back on. You’re tied to me irrevocably.”
She didn’t smile. “Did they send you after me because of the access I have to the BODI?”
“What?” I peered down at her. “It’s true? You actually went to Salvatore’s house? What were you thinking?” She started to buckle her seatbelt. “No, don’t get comfortable. You’re not flying off to God knows where so I can’t find you.”
“Is there a choice?”
“Yes, there’s a fucking choice.” I moved closer. “Dad told me what you did for him. That somehow you prevented Real Nation from airing some ridiculous lies about him.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“That’s good. That’s discreet.” Looking around me, I made sure we had privacy. “Was I on the list?”
“Yes.” She looked at me wide-eyed. “You certainly were.”
Shit.
That meant my future was compromised. Though somehow knowing Pandora was the only one who had access to the files was vaguely reassuring. It also meant she’d been exposed to what Galante had on me.
“In what capacity?” I asked, trying to bluff.
“Really want to know?”
“Who doesn’t have an orgy on their bucket list?” It had sounded funnier in my head.
She rolled her eyes at me. “Seriously?”
“You’re referring to the one at Vanguard?” I said softly. “I only watched.”
“Of course, you did.”
“That’s what my BODI entry indicated, right?”
“And you took me to Vanguard, remember?”
“You begged me.” I cringed as the memories flooded in of the debauchery we’d enjoyed.
“I deleted all evidence pertaining to you.”
“Thank Christ.”
She looked amused. “Unless you intend to make some new memories, you’re all good.”
“I think I’m done there.”
“Well, you never know.” She brightened. “Tell Madeline I deleted all the evidence Galante had on her, too. She’s a kinky bitch. Though not half as kinky as you, apparently.”
I grinned. “I had to come after you.”
“To get me to hand over the BODI?”
“I don’t give a crap about that.” I exhaled sharply. “I promise I’ll never bring up that database. It will keep you safe, I imagine. That’s more than I could ask—for you to be okay, more than okay. For you to thrive and be happy.”
She rewarded me with a beautiful smile. “I’m sure your father’s going to win.”
Right, there was still that monumental event occurring in two days that had haunted my nights for years. Yet here I was, trying to win my girl back as though this was all that mattered.
But that’s truly how it felt.
I took a deep breath. “It was you, wasn’t it? You put the Fairfield Project back on track.”
“Helen and I had a lovely chat.”
“Galante had something on her? You saw her name in the BODI?”
Her lips quirked. “She’s a wild one.”
“Helen?” I had trouble imagining it.
“Luckily, I was able to persuade her to see how the project would benefit all of those needy families.”
Her words made me wonder if I’d ever know what Pandora had on Helen King.
“What’s to stop Galante from releasing the names anyway?” Then I realized the truth. “You have something on him?”
“He had an interesting way of relaxing on Fridays.”
Pure disgust showed on my face; she laughed at my reaction.
“Thank you for being here, Damien. It means everything to me that you wanted to say goodbye.”
“Look, Pandora, if you want to leave Washington, I won’t stop you. But I love you. “I’ve never met anyone who’s as annoying as you—”
“Thank you, I think.”
“No, listen. You’re my first love, Bardot. I’ve never come close to feeling this way about anyone else.” I pressed a hand to my chest to show my sincerity. “I love the fact that you’ve surprised everyone, that you showed the world how incredible you are, and proved you’re a remarkable woman.” I paused to take a breath. “Marry me, Pandora. Have my babies. Hell, let’s do it all…let’s aim to live in the White House one day, with you as my First Lady.”
“That’s a lot to take in,” she whispered.
“I get that. Only with you I feel anything is possible. I know that all this time you’ve been imagining your life without me.”
“Maybe at the beginning. When you were a prime asshole.”
“I can accept that.”
I tried to read her expression, afraid that maybe I had come on too strong, been too high-handed and heavy when she was clearly vulnerable. What kind of man insisted his own happiness was more important than someone else’s?
Maybe letting go and giving her the freedom she had asked for was how I could prove