Vixen Investigations: The Mayoral Affairs

by Ashley Papa

  She walked over to the windows as if contemplating her life and every decision she has made to date.

  “It’s not all men. Steve’s a narcissist and you will never get what you want from a person like him and you won’t ever change him. It’s good you’re getting out now. I’m proud of you.”

  Molly had ignored the red flags from the beginning, and now she was in too deep. I explained to her how I had even fallen victim to a narcissist. When she heard how Danny was just as secretive as Steve, and I ignored it, it helped bring her a little peace of mind.

  “Don’t you get lonely? Don’t you ever wish you had a husband or even a boyfriend, or just someone to share this amazing apartment with? Do you want kids?” Molly asked.

  “Of course. If it happens, it happens. But I refuse to sit around waiting, hoping and praying for it, like some people,” I replied.

  Since getting into the crimes-of-the-heart business, I’ve observed in myself how differently I handle relationships. I used to dismiss a man’s flighty behavior and now won’t tolerate anything less than one phone call every day. If a guy wasn’t into talking on the phone, I made him like it.

  Molly left with her head a little higher than when she arrived. For Vixen Investigations, it isn’t just about solving crimes of infidelity; it’s about making my lovelorn clients feel that self-worth again. I wanted Molly to know that many men and women make bad relationship choices based off the fear of being alone. But, being with a philanderer, like Steve, is not better than being alone.

  Later that evening, I made my way back into the city to meet up with my older and somewhat wiser girlfriend, Theresa. Even though she shares the same name as my favorite Saint, Theresa is no saint. With 10 years more life experience than me, I saw her more like a big sister than a friend. When drunk, I call her Snow White because of her long, dark hair and porcelain white skin. But, Theresa didn’t act like a sweet princess. The only thing she had in common with the real Snow White was that she knew how to get what she wanted from men. She had a love of vodka, cursing, and making a raucous scene wherever she went. She always gave me thoughtful life advice, almost like Confucius. She once told me, “An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth makes the whole world blind and ugly.”

  I could feel my eyes tearing up as the winter wind blew its numbing coldness into my face. With my furry Helly Hansen hood pulled up over my head and nearly covering my eyes, I made my way to the Viceroy Hotel. My cell phone said that it was only 17 degrees, but the wind chill made it feel like zero.

  It took my muscles and face a few minutes to thaw; Theresa was already waiting for me in the covered rooftop bar with her $4,000 Hermès tote and a fox fur-trimmed coat. She was halfway through her Martini and it looked like she already had a glass of red wine waiting for me. The pumps I changed into in the elevator clacked on the marble tile.

  “Hey, gorgeous,” she said as I approached.

  Theresa stood and gave me a big hug and kiss on the cheek. She seemed more pleasant and brighter than usual.

  “Where the hell have you been?” I asked as I climbed myself up onto the slightly cold leather barstool. “You’re like an elusive unicorn these days. I’ve been missing you!”

  “Well…you’re not going to believe this,” she began.

  I always hated the tease followed by a short pause introduction. I cleared my throat and took a sip of the warm Malbec to brace myself for what she was about to say.

  “The reason you haven’t seen me around recently…is because I am getting married.” She proceeded to pull off her leather gloves to flash me a ruby with diamond halo ring.

  For a brief moment, I thought maybe I was imaging she had just said what she did. I didn’t even know she had a boyfriend!

  “What? Married? To who?”

  Seriously, I have never even seen you with a man. I thought you hated them all.

  “Remember that happy hour about eight months ago? We were at Oceana and that actor and his manager were flirting with us, and we didn’t believe he was really an actor?” she recalled.

  I thought back for a minute.

  “Wait. George? That 30-year-old guy who played the cop in that new crime movie with Chris Hemsworth and Jake Gyllenhaal?” I asked with surprise. Theresa nodded in confirmation. “You mean the actor who wouldn’t stop texting you? The guy who looked like he was fresh out of college and kept name-dropping the whole night?”

  “Yes,” she replied excitedly and took another sip of her drink.

  “Wow…Theresa. That’s great! Why didn’t you tell me you were dating him…or anybody?”

  “I wanted to, but it’s been a whirlwind. I was skeptical at first but after he bought a freaking apartment in New York, just so he could be with me more, I knew he was serious.” Theresa took a deep breath as if she were about to say something even more shocking. “I’m also moving to Los Angeles,” she said with a note of hesitation.

  I nearly spit the wine back into the glass. The bartender with the cute face but receding hairline looked at me as if I were choking or had hated his wine selection.

  “Are you okay?” Theresa questioned with genuine concern.

  “Oh, God, yes! I’m so happy for you! I just wish you had said something earlier. I would’ve thrown you a party or gotten you a wedding gift. I feel like a bad friend now.”

  I gave her a big hug and ordered us another round of drinks in celebration. Out of all the women I knew, Theresa was the one I thought would never get married. She gave all men, including the ones I expressed interest in for myself, a hard time.

  The bartender continued to top off our drinks as if the glasses had automatic refill switches. When 9 p.m. finally hit and the bar was packed to the walls with tourists and locals, I was ready to leave. Theresa had held off in telling me that she and George were leaving for Los Angeles tomorrow morning until we were about to leave. I guess she didn’t want our last night together to be too somber. Since they were going to be doing the bicoastal living of spending time in both Los Angeles and New York City, I figured I’d still be seeing her. And knowing her, and the fact that she was a born and bred New Yorker who hated lateness and laziness, I knew she would be back here often.

  As the cold winter wind swirled around, I walked myself back to 33rd Street and to the PATH train. I went through the new e-mails displayed on my phone while waiting for the train. One particular message caught my eye. In between the pitch for “Little Cockatoo: Sexy Wake Up Panty” and my credit card statement was an email from the city’s first lady, Victoria Wilcox. There was something about this email that didn’t leave me feeling warm and nostalgic inside. All she had written was: “Let’s catch up. I want to hear about your business.”

  MONDAY

  I spent all of Sunday recovering from the night before with Theresa and contemplating why Mrs. Wilcox was reaching out to me about my business. This morning, however, I was back on the Steve beat, although I wasn’t too thrilled by an email received from Molly when I woke.

  From: Molly Carlson

  Subject: Happy Monday!!

  Hi Paige!

  How are you? I know that I said I would come with you today on the ride along, but I’ve had a change of heart. Steve and I had a really good weekend together. He took me out for a romantic dinner and we made love all night long. Maybe things are on the up and up?

  XOXO-Molly

  Steve must have gotten to her somehow. Please don’t tell me that everything I just did for her was a waste.

  Dear Molly-

  You saw the proof that he was with another woman. There is the likelihood that Caitlin was just out of town this weekend. I will still pursue him tonight. Let me know if you change your mind.

  -PT

  The email came as a surprise, but not a shock.

  Steve gives her one day of loving and she is back to thinking things are okay? Not in my book.

/>   Whether it was the adrenaline rush it gave me or knowing Steve was a two-timing bastard, now I was determined to expose him and his filthy ways.

  “I thought he was done working at five, where do you think he is?” Adam asked as the clock ticked to 5:48 p.m.

  He was holding the magnum zoom binoculars I had custom ordered for him. We had been staked out in Battery Park for an hour, so far. I knew he was still inside because I had Molly call his office to check for me. We’d just have to wait, no matter how long he took.

  “I still can’t believe you were in a band,” I commented to Adam. I was learning more and more about my often shy and humble assistant as we waited. “Why didn’t you tell me? I would’ve come watch you. I love rock music.”

  “I thought the band would be my future, but then I finally woke up when my parents said they’d stop paying my tuition if I didn’t start focusing on school more. I’ll still rock out on the drums whenever I get a chance,” he revealed.

  I could tell in his face and the tone of his voice that he missed playing. Adam brought the binoculars back up to his eyes.

  “I didn’t want you to think that I was some fame-chasing musician who wasn’t committed to Vixen Investigations. I guess that’s why I didn’t say anything.”

  I felt guilty for feeling flattered about his commitment to me. I also didn’t want him thinking that he had to keep secrets from me out of fear of how I would react.

  The clock ticked to 6:02 p.m. Still no sign of Steve. I went through my emails again to make sure I didn’t miss Victoria’s response after I asked her to let me know her availability. Nothing.

  “There he is!” Adam stated.

  Steve walked out with two other men and they quickly climbed into their company-owned Escalade. I revved up the Wrangler and slowly started trailing behind them as they made their way onto the FDR. I was hungry to see what he was up to now. Adam sat up straighter; his eagerness was just as obvious. I loved his enthusiasm. The Escalade veered off to the left, right near the United Nations, and then turned towards Midtown. The car finally came to a stop in front of the Hyatt Hotel, which was home to the highest sky bar in the city, Bar 47. I stopped the Jeep several feet down and watched the dapper men hop out of the vehicle.

  As soon as the Escalade pulled away, I drove up to the valet, handed the young man a twenty dollar bill and told him to keep the Jeep close to the exit. I ordered Adam to stay in the lobby and wait for me because I wanted to appear single. My plastic-bottomed heels prevented me from moving fast on the slick, marble floor of the hotel.

  “Hold the elevator!” I shouted.

  My voice echoed over the chatter of foreign tourists and the BPM music playing overhead. I saw a hand extend out of the elevator to stop the doors from closing as I scurried over.

  “Thank you so much. I just hate waiting for these elevators,” I said with a slight pant.

  It wasn’t until the doors were closed and we started to climb floors that I realized I was in the same elevator with Steve and his two friends.

  “Of course. Why wouldn’t we hold the elevator for a beautiful woman,” the taller and blonder of the three said.

  It was just the four of us in the elevator yet I felt claustrophobic. I hated enclosed spaces and always opted for the stairs or escalator when had the choice. My ears began to pop as I watched the numbers climb to 16, then 17, and so forth. The men were whispering something behind me, but I couldn’t make out what they were saying. Now that I was close up to Steve for the first time, I noticed that he wasn’t as attractive as I originally thought he would be. He had lots of scarring likely from bad acne as a teenager and his skin was somewhat leathery, like he’s spent too much time out in the sun. His blond friend kept looking down at my breasts while Steve and the other man talked softly.

  “Are you all staying at the hotel?” I asked.

  “No. We just came here for the view. And so far, it’s pretty great,” said the blond.

  “Oh? The view of the elevator buttons?” I joked and forced a giggle to play up the cuteness. “My name is Paige…Paige Turner,” I continued while extending my freshly manicured hand out to Steve.

  He shook it with an unattractive limp grip of the hand.

  “Your name is Paige Turner? Like, turning a page?” the shorter and rounder of the three remarked just before letting out a loud “Ha.”

  I could feel my rosacea flaring up on my cheeks and neck; there was no hiding my irritability. Thankfully, we had reached the 50th floor fast. The elevator opened to a stunning rooftop that glistened under the city lights. We were so high up that looking out the window towards the Swarovski New Year’s Ball made me feel a bit wobbly in my shoes. I led the three men over to a corner lounge area after agreeing to have a cocktail with them. Steve’s cohorts, named Charles and Will, also worked with him at the hedge fund. Steve didn’t look as interested in my company as the other two. In fact, he looked somewhat distracted.

  Scoping out the scene more, I noticed heavy flirting going on between the men and the women in the establishment. I have the knack to tell if it’s an actual couple or an affair-in-the-making. In one corner, I watched a Don Draper clone with a wedding ring tan line engage in a lusty chat with a girl who looked like a college coed.

  Just twenty minutes in, and Steve, Will, and Charles were heavily debating last night’s basketball game.

  “So, do you guys have girlfriends?” I asked in an effort to change from talking about the Knicks to learning a little more about their current dating lives.

  “No, thanks. The only one here that is somewhat taken is Steve. He’s always taken,” Charles boasted as if being single was better than being in a relationship. “I, on the other hand, am completely single.” He continued with a lick of his lower lip.

  Gross. I wonder what he means by Steve “always being with someone.”

  Ignoring Charles’ suggestive comment, I turned to Steve.

  “So you’re seeing someone? What does she do?”

  “She works in fashion. She’s from New Jersey.” Steve’s response was rather smug.

  I knew he wasn’t talking about Molly or Caitlin because neither of them worked in fashion nor hailed from my home state.

  “Really? You strike me as the Southern belle type,” I hinted while Will let out an uncomfortable cough.

  I seductively uncrossed my legs…

  “What are you? Some sort of private investigator or something? What’s with all the questioning?” Charles snapped like an attorney would.

  “What have you heard?” I joked. “Speaking of work, I should probably get going. I have some crimes to solve,” I sarcastically said and stood to adjust my dress.

  Not one of the men offered to walk me to the elevator, just a casual “hope to run into you again.” I checked my face in my compact as my ears began popping again with the fast decline. My eyeliner still looked good, but the bags under my eyes were growing. When I finally got down to the lobby, Adam was nowhere to be found. I could feel the paranoia building inside of me like a mom who just lost her kid inside Macy’s.

  “Oh, your son picked up the Jeep a while ago,” the attendant said when I asked if he’d seen Adam.

  “What do you mean he picked it up? I have the stub!”

  I didn’t even care that I was just referred to as a 20-something-year-old’s mother; I was now without a ride and my assistant. Just as I started dialing an Uber, Adam and the Jeep came rolling up the street. He wasn’t even fully stopped when I opened the door and pulled myself inside.

  Without even an apology for his vanishing act, he delved right into how he saw Mayor Wilcox incognito come out of an elevator that was only allowed to go up to the 40th floor. He wanted to see what the mayor was up to, so Adam told the valet he was my son, and I ordered him to go home and take care of the dogs. He followed Walter’s town car to his home on the Upper East Side an
d that was it. I couldn’t help but question whether there was a link between what Adam just saw and Victoria’s email. Something was up. I had to wrap up the Carlson/Benson case fast.

  With the intrigue of Victoria’s email lingering in my mind the next morning, I was still committed to helping Molly reveal her fiancé’s dishonesty. It was my duty to protect and serve all the needs of the loveless and love-stressed. It was also my duty to take Taylor out for her birthday, which I missed. Lately it seemed I had no work-life balance. I was pretty much always on call and always had to keep my eyes open for any suspicious activity pertaining to my cases.

  I decided to give Adam the night off while I took Taylor out. We were meeting at the Gramercy Park Hotel, which I found had a great man-to-woman ratio. It was also a few blocks from Taylor’s apartment, which I thought would increase my chances of her showing up on time. I was correct in my prediction because when I arrived, Taylor was already waiting for me at the classy hotel. Her long, blonde, shiny locks were hard to miss, and her tight purple dress squeezed her cleavage about an inch below her chin. I called her “neck breaker” because of how quickly men snapped their necks to get a second glimpse of her.

  In passing, we could pass as Norwegian sisters, but Taylor was by far the more voluptuous one.

  Her head was buried in her phone as I crept up to her. If she just lifted her head up from her phone once in a while to see the world around her, maybe she’d catch eyes with the man of her dreams.

  “Paige! You said seven-fifteen!” She tapped on her vintage Rolex with its slightly tarnished gold band. She smelled like lavender and oranges. “It’s seven-thirty. You’re the one who’s late tonight.”

  “By fifteen minutes. Remember when you made me wait an hour last week at Del Frisco’s with all those old men? I had to prod them away like hungry cattle,” I retorted.

  The bar crowd was decent with its guests being predominantly of the male gender. In the corner, a young Asian girl was tickling the ivory on a gorgeous Steinway piano. The classical melody combined with the dim lighting and brass chandeliers put me back into another era. My wandering ear caught the conversation of three men standing to our right. In situations like these, I liked to test my eavesdropping abilities. They were talking about a business account and they were all in town from Chicago for a meeting.