will be carried wide—every major daily in the state, and radio, too. I want you to discredit Kyle.”
“Or?”
“Or I will out you in spectacular fashion to your bosses, your peers, every news outlet worldwide. I’ll get you so much ink you won’t be able to find a job taking out the trash. Oh, and your lovely girlfriend? I’m sure all of the attention will sit well with her father the ultraconservative congressman.”
“You prick.”
“I love it when you talk dirty.”
“What kind of story are you looking for?”
“It has to be something that will end her fledgling career as a PIO.”
“It will take me time to put something like that together.”
“You have seventy-two hours. Good-bye, Wendy. I’ll be in touch.”
“Wait!”
“Yes?”
“What’s in it for you, Breathwaite?”
“That’s of no concern to you, Ms. Ashton. Just take care of business.”
The dial tone turned to a faint hiss.
“My, isn’t he just the charmer.” Kate forced a smile. “Why are you sharing this with me?”
“Because you’ve always dealt fairly with me. Because I know what you went through, and I would be the last one on Earth to put you through yet another undeserved professional hardship. Because I like you. But most of all because it pisses me off to be blackmailed, especially by a twerp like Breathwaite.”
“Fair enough. What are you going to do?”
“I haven’t figured out a game plan yet. But I’m going to take him down if it’s the last thing I do.”
“I can’t say I’d shed a tear if that happened, but I’m not sure that’s the best course of action for the immediate future.”
“What? Kate, I like what I do. If I don’t take him down, I either have to go along with him, which puts you in jeopardy, or I get outed and lose my job.”
The Cost of Commitment
“Wendy, if you take him down now, he’ll out you anyway. While exposing him might make you feel better in the short term, it won’t solve your problem.”
“You’re awfully cool for someone whose neck is on the line.”
Kate laughed humorlessly. “He can’t take away from me the things that really matter. He can ruin my career.” She looked pointedly at the reporter. “Don’t get me wrong, that would pain me greatly. I’ve worked very hard to get where I am in life, and I like to think I do a damn good job. But my professional life pales in comparison to what I have personally, and he can’t touch that.”
“Okay, I can understand that. So what do you suggest?”
“You’ve got another two days to work with, right?”
“Yes. Tick tock.”
“Give me until tomorrow night to come up with something, okay?”
“I guess.” The reporter began to turn away.
“Wendy?”
“Yeah?”
“Thanks for coming to me with this. You’re a good person.”
“Don’t tell my mother that. She thinks I’m the demon spawn from hell.”
“By the way, did Breathwaite know you were taping him?”
“Probably not.”
“Oh.” Kate was disappointed, knowing that such evidence might never be admissible in a court, if it ever came to that.
“But Kate?”
“Yeah?”
“I don’t ever pick up the phone until the caller hears my taped voice informing him that the conversation may be taped, and that by staying on the line, he is consenting to being taped.”
“Wendy, I love you!”
The reporter smiled for the first time that evening. “Does your girlfriend know?”
“Very funny. Hey, can I borrow the tape? I promise to give it back to you.”
“You know a good reporter never gives up a tape.”
Kate blew out a breath. “I understand.”
Wendy touched her on the arm to force eye contact.
“But I did make you a copy.” She winked. “I’ll call you at home tomorrow night.”
“Better yet, let’s meet at the Falcon at 10:00.”
“Oh, very wicked, Ms. Kyle. The asshole would never think to look for us in a gay bar.”
Lynn Ames
Later that night Kate and Peter sat at his kitchen table, Fred at their feet
“Or?”
“Or I will out you in spectacular fashion to your bosses, your peers, every news outlet worldwide. I’ll get you so much ink you won’t be able to find a job taking out the trash. Oh, and your lovely girlfriend? I’m sure all of the attention will sit well with her father the ultraconservative congressman.”
“You prick.”
“I love it when you talk dirty.”
“What kind of story are you looking for?”
“It has to be something that will end her fledgling career as a PIO.”
“It will take me time to put something like that together.”
“You have seventy-two hours. Good-bye, Wendy. I’ll be in touch.”
“Wait!”
“Yes?”
“What’s in it for you, Breathwaite?”
“That’s of no concern to you, Ms. Ashton. Just take care of business.”
The dial tone turned to a faint hiss.
“My, isn’t he just the charmer.” Kate forced a smile. “Why are you sharing this with me?”
“Because you’ve always dealt fairly with me. Because I know what you went through, and I would be the last one on Earth to put you through yet another undeserved professional hardship. Because I like you. But most of all because it pisses me off to be blackmailed, especially by a twerp like Breathwaite.”
“Fair enough. What are you going to do?”
“I haven’t figured out a game plan yet. But I’m going to take him down if it’s the last thing I do.”
“I can’t say I’d shed a tear if that happened, but I’m not sure that’s the best course of action for the immediate future.”
“What? Kate, I like what I do. If I don’t take him down, I either have to go along with him, which puts you in jeopardy, or I get outed and lose my job.”
The Cost of Commitment
“Wendy, if you take him down now, he’ll out you anyway. While exposing him might make you feel better in the short term, it won’t solve your problem.”
“You’re awfully cool for someone whose neck is on the line.”
Kate laughed humorlessly. “He can’t take away from me the things that really matter. He can ruin my career.” She looked pointedly at the reporter. “Don’t get me wrong, that would pain me greatly. I’ve worked very hard to get where I am in life, and I like to think I do a damn good job. But my professional life pales in comparison to what I have personally, and he can’t touch that.”
“Okay, I can understand that. So what do you suggest?”
“You’ve got another two days to work with, right?”
“Yes. Tick tock.”
“Give me until tomorrow night to come up with something, okay?”
“I guess.” The reporter began to turn away.
“Wendy?”
“Yeah?”
“Thanks for coming to me with this. You’re a good person.”
“Don’t tell my mother that. She thinks I’m the demon spawn from hell.”
“By the way, did Breathwaite know you were taping him?”
“Probably not.”
“Oh.” Kate was disappointed, knowing that such evidence might never be admissible in a court, if it ever came to that.
“But Kate?”
“Yeah?”
“I don’t ever pick up the phone until the caller hears my taped voice informing him that the conversation may be taped, and that by staying on the line, he is consenting to being taped.”
“Wendy, I love you!”
The reporter smiled for the first time that evening. “Does your girlfriend know?”
“Very funny. Hey, can I borrow the tape? I promise to give it back to you.”
“You know a good reporter never gives up a tape.”
Kate blew out a breath. “I understand.”
Wendy touched her on the arm to force eye contact.
“But I did make you a copy.” She winked. “I’ll call you at home tomorrow night.”
“Better yet, let’s meet at the Falcon at 10:00.”
“Oh, very wicked, Ms. Kyle. The asshole would never think to look for us in a gay bar.”
Lynn Ames
Later that night Kate and Peter sat at his kitchen table, Fred at their feet
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