“Understood.”
He nods, and I stand and shake with him before he heads out, leaving the door open at my request.
I page Jordan to my study and he appears a moment later. “Can you block me out some time for Ily this afternoon? Call her office and request—make sure you emphasize it’s a request andnotan order—if she has any free time to stop by for a chat.”
Jordan smirks. “Subtext received.”
“Thanks.”
That’s how, an hour later, Ilyana Bardales is locked in my study with me, Jordan, and Leo.
She eyes the other two men. “Pulling out the big guns, are we?” she asks before sitting.
I make it a point to wait to sit until after she does. “No, ma’am.” That’s deliberate on my part, too. “I can ask them to leave, if you want. I thought you might want to talk to them, too.”
She tips her chin up a smidge, reappraising me and this conversation. “Off the record and speaking frankly?”
I nod. “Speaking as Ily, Elliot, Jordan, and Leo.”
“Okay, then.” She eyes each of us in turn. “My husband wants to be POTUS. I want that for him. But we have two children. This would not be a concern of mine if not for them, but I don’t want them forever tied to an asterisk of a scandal. You can’t give me guarantees that won’t happen, so don’t even try. My question is, do you have a clear action plan in place in case it does?”
Before Leo or I can answer, Jordan takes over. “I do.”
From the way Leo scowls I can tell this is news to him and I don’t know if that’s good or not.
Ily takes her time again, smirking as she studies all three of us. “Maybe Jordan and I should be talking in private.”
“That’s up to you,” Leo says. “In this way, Jordan is completely in charge. I am hands-off with him and Elliot when it comes to work.”
“I don’t want my husband’s political career tanking because you all get sloppy,” she says. “You know as well as I do that if anything breaks within two months before the election it could torpedo his chances. And if a VP loses his election bid, historically there’s not much chance of him winning an election later on. Except for Nixon, I believe, and we all know howthatish turned out.”
“I can’t control what happens in the world,” Jordan says.
“You know what I mean.” She waves her finger at me and Leo. “I know you can’t control the world.” She wryly smiles. “You’re good, but notthatgood. It’s not the world I’m concerned about, but rather the three penises in this room.”
“I have contingency plans place,” he says. “We’re thirteen years in and nothing’s leaked yet.”
“Yet.” She studies us for a moment. “If I say yes to this,Iam the one in charge. You understand that, correct? I don’t mean in the Oval. I mean for the election campaign and all of that. You don’t push me around and sweep me out of the way. You workwithme and make requests and suggestions. I won’t be sidelined. I believe my husband will be a great president, every bit as good as yourself or ShaeLynn Samuels.
“But if anything of a personal nature is exposed before the election, especially if itcostsCiro the election? Don’t expect a pardon from him if you’re forced to resign before the end of your term and he takes over.Santísima Madre María, I will yeet youcabronesinto the sun without a second thought, so help me I will.”
I am certain of two things in this moment: I don’t think I’ve ever been more terrified than I am right now…
And Ily is going to be one fucking awesome First Lady.
I stand and offer her my hand. “Yes, ma’am.”
She smiles and shakes with me before standing. In public, she’s a stickler for protocols.
But I know exactly why, in this moment, she exerted what control she could, and why neither Leo nor Jordan corrected her for it.
Because we’re acknowledging her position in the only way we can.
She nods. “I have one more requirement.”
“Name it.”
She focuses on Jordan. “I want you and Kevin Markos advising his campaign. I mean, I get it, there are restrictions. Unofficial advisers, if necessary. Get Kevin Markos. And Casey-Marie, if possible.”
