Book 1 - Active Trust Read online

  “Well, I am being looked at for the partnership at Briggs & Trice and I need some help becoming less of a nicer person. They said I’m too nice and it’s hindering my progress here.”

  “So you called me?”

  “Yes, can you help?”

  “I’d be honored to turn you into a cold, heartless monster.”

  “I need to be able to go in for the kill and murder any opportunity Victoria Strauss has at becoming partner.”

  Michelle breathed in her perceived victory and hit “end” on her cell phone. She’d agreed to pick up Sandra from her house and spend the weekend together. Sandra said that she would straighten her out and that Briggs & Trice wouldn’t know what hit them.

  In her own office, Victoria plotted away at bettering her own interpersonal skills. She opened one of the books, but was instantly bored and decided it best to hire a professional. She searched Google for a local customer service workshop that would help her learn basic skills to reach out to more customers in order to retain repeat business.

  She called Life Coach Enterprises and said to the receptionist, “Hi, my name is Victoria and some have called me a bitch in the workplace. Can you help me not be a bitch so I can get a promotion?”

  “Certainly, Victoria, can I get you scheduled in for an appointment?”

  “Yes, like yesterday, please.”

  “How about tomorrow morning at 9am sharp?”

  “Sounds great, thank you, I’ll be there.”

  She hung up the phone and had her assistant add “CS Workshop” to her schedule for the morning. Victoria knew that she had to grab the bull by the horns in order to succeed. If being abrasive was holding her back, then she would do what she had to in order to get ahead.

  The next day, Victoria promptly showed up to Life Coach Enterprises, wearing a black scarf over her face and checked in with the receptionist. She removed her scarf and jacket and kicked her leg one over the other and looked in protest to be there.

  She waited, but was losing her patience quickly. She looked down at her Cartier watch and saw that the time was 9:22am. She looked to the receptionist for an explanation and was greeted with a smile. The receptionist buzzed and a woman in her mid-thirties emerged from her office.

  “Victoria, I can see you now.”

  “Yes,” she said as she scooped up her handbag, scarf and jacket and followed the older woman.

  “Is this what you do? You have your receptionist schedule me in for ‘9am sharp’ and then keep me waiting?”

  “You’re the one who’s being called a bitch in the workplace? Gee, I can’t imagine where that came from. Here, you will learn to shed that nickname in favor of someone who is merely assertive, but also gets things done. Is that what you want?”

  “Yes, but I don’t see how keeping me waiting is going to help achieve that goal.

  “You see, most people who are considered abrasive are angry at being made to wait. You fall into that category. Learning to be a nicer, less abrasive person means that you need to first learn patience before anything else. I am sure you are nice in certain situations, but we need to channel that. Making abrasive people wait usually ends up in them leaving within the first fifteen minutes.”

  “Okay, but I still don’t get it.”

  “Having you wait that much longer, just means that this is important to you. You set aside your clock watching in lieu of something bigger. This is your ambition. You have that or you wouldn’t be here. What is it that you aspire to do with your life, Victoria?”

  “I work as a lawyer and I’m being mentored by a partner. But, in order to make partner, I need to work on my perceived abrasiveness.”

  “We can do that. In answer to your statement about making you wait, I did that so that you learn your first lesson in the only way you will understand – by doing.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  “You’ve just learned that you are not the center of the universe.”

  “Ahhh, I gotcha.”

  “This is going to work out well, Victoria. Much progress will be made at whatever pace you are comfortable with.”

  “Sign me up.”

  “Already done.”

  Weeks passed and Victoria and Michelle were both working on their flaws that were pointed out by their mentors. Victoria would always love her catty, no-nonsense attitude, but she quickly sanded down her rough edges. Michelle learned to be aggressive in her approach with things needed it and was on her way to becoming partner material.

  Victoria kept digging through information on Fassett & Lews as provided by her client at Janus Incorporated, but when it came down to it, the court battle had just begun. Mason Janus wanted the millions of which he invested into F&L to be returned to him and Victoria and the team at Briggs & Trice were hot on the money trail. In court was the only time that she allowed herself to unleash her inner bitch and take people down with extreme prejudice. She felt like a force to be reckoned with in her Prada pants suit, black stilettos and pearl necklace. She was invincible and the opposing counsel, while stern, also knew that Ms. Strauss was no one with whom to be trifled.

  While Victoria waged war in the courtroom as well as the media frenzy, Michelle was learning more and more about Governor McBride’s evening activities. Through the help of Chase Freeman, Michelle learned that the pregnant woman was in fact a prostitute hired by a local woman who was rumored to be a madam to the elite of the city.

  She found that the pregnant woman is 24-years-old, has bright blonde hair and hazel green eyes. She was a former cocktail waitress before she began turning tricks with the influential city leaders. The name she uses when out on the town is Reese Nichols, but Chase’s associate was hot on the trail of the madam and the woman’s true identity.

  Chase’s assistant Alyssa was just the right fit for the brothel, but she needed to find a way in. She went to the same place that the Reese was tending bar and put in an application. The owners of the establishment gave her a once-over, and she was hired on the spot.

  “You have a great body,” said one obvious creton in charge of the place called Vixen. Neon pink lights ran rampant in the bar and it wasn’t the type of place where you would take your significant other. Men came here to see naked women and get drunk – and if they were lucky, a little more than that.

  One grey-haired, greasy looking overweight man approached Alyssa and said, “Here, take this, it’s your uniform.”

  Alyssa looked around to find that the other women in the club were wearing what appeared to be a skinny neon string bikini and not much else.

  “Go in the back and see the redhead; she will find you some shoes,” he commanded.

  Alyssa looked disgusted, but managed a simple, quiet, “Thanks.”

  She’d picked up a few moves after tossing back two drinks and the tips began to flow like an open faucet. Later that night, the girls accumulated in the back room for some special meeting to which she wasn’t privileged enough to receive the invitation yet.

  ‘Ugh, I’ve got to keep doing this?’ She thought to herself as she switched back to her civilian clothes before leaving the nightclub.

  On her way out, an older woman wearing a fur coat and dark red lipstick eyed Alyssa up and down.

  “You must be new,” she said meandering on past and entering the inside of the building.

  Alyssa sent a text message to Chase with an update: “Almost in with the girls. I deserve a raise for this. –A.”

  Chase dialed her up on his cell and told her, “If there is a bonus for wrapping this case up with a nice little bow, you will be the first to know. Find anything out?”

  Alyssa settled into her car before speaking.

  “The women in this place are so seriously pathetic. Granted, some of them probably haven’t graduated high school, but this place is littered with drug users and prostitutes.”

  “Keep at it if you’re comfortable and I will check back with you soon.”

  They hung up and Chase sent a text message
to Michelle with the update on the situation. Alyssa put the key in the ignition and turned it, but her mood was interrupted by a woman who ran up to her car and placed her hands and body on the driver’s side window.

  ‘What the ---‘ She thought as she jumped nearly out of her skin.

  She pushed the button to roll down the window and looked to her left. The girl at her window was young with messy, curly blonde hair and tear-stained mascara running down her face.

  “Hey, do you got any coke?”

  “Coke? You mean drugs. Um, no I don’t.”

  “You suck,” and just then the girl removed herself from view and allowed Alyssa’s exit from the darkness of the parking lot.

  Alyssa texted Chase: “Just got propositioned for Coke. You owe me.”

  She locked her doors tight and sped off.

  Another few weeks passed before Alyssa was able to blend in enough to be trusted by the woman in charge. She wore a nasty bright pink skirt with a torn dirty white t-shirt and her hair was a total mess. She had gathered that she was going about this thing the wrong way.

  Upon the close of her shift, she was greeted by one woman who was missing several front teeth and was complaining about the lack of Johns this time of the year.

  “Hey, I’m Lorraine. You’ve probably seen me around.”

  Alyssa tried hard to look out of it.

  “Yeah, I’ve seen you. What’s it to ya?”

  “Don’t get all defensive. Listen, I’m here to help.”

  “Go on.”

  “Well, the broad in charge, let’s call her Andrea, she said that you looked like you could use some extra cash. So, Andrea sent me over to you to see if you’ve got a boyfriend.”

  “No. No boyfriend.”

  “Okay, so do you want to make some money or what?”

  “It depends, what do I gotta do?”

  “You get a boyfriend for the night.”

  “I can do that.”

  “Follow me and keep your mouth shut unless you are spoken to.”

  Alyssa climbed in Lorraine’s beat up 2001 Ford Taurus. She breathed in the funk of an unwashed person, cigarette smoke and noticed stains everywhere. She thought back to a time when she was in college and never thought she would find herself among prostitutes and drug addicts.

  After driving for a short while, Lorraine announced that they’d arrived at their destination. It was an upscale hotel of which she’d seen in her younger years.

  She thought to herself, ‘This is more like it.’

  “Andrea stays here. Come on.”

  Lorraine didn’t bother locking the car as it was already missing its radio. Alyssa followed closely behind her so that no one at the ritzy hotel would recognize her. Lorraine led Alyssa through to the elevator, up to the eleventh floor and to a corner room. She knocked on the door and was let in by a burly man with bad breath.

  Lorraine said, “This is Andrea,” while throwing up her fingers in quote-like marks to accentuate the use of a fake name.

  “Andrea, this is Alyssa. She’s been working at Vixen for a while now. You two chat, I’ve got to get going. Business.”

  “So you want to make some money, do you?”

  “Ummm, sure.”

  “Stand up, lemme take a look at you.”

  Alyssa stood and turned in a circle with the woman’s indication.

  “Come closer, darling.”

  Alyssa approached the woman who was seated and she arose to meet Alyssa eye-to-eye.

  “Your breasts look perky, the fellas will love them. Do you mind if I give them a squeeze?”

  ‘Ugh, could this be any worse?’ she thought as the woman acted like her question was rhetorical. She grabbed her breasts from behind as she hugged Alyssa’s small frame.

  “Oh yes, you will do quite nicely.”

  She let go of her grip from Alyssa’s body and then she offered up the details.

  “The pay for you is five hundred a night and if you try to skip out on me, Alex over there will find you. He finds everyone.”

  Alyssa nodded in agreement and tried to act like five hundred was a large sum.

  “You do good work and you’ll be earning six hundred a night before too long. Have you done this before?”

  Alyssa looked to the floor and nodded a slight “no” as her host gave off a chuckle.

  “I only knew someone who did.”

  “Oh yeah, who’s that?”

  “My girlfriend Reese.”

  “Oh you know Reese, do you?”

  “Yeah, from way back.”

  “She did what no one in our line of work should ever do.”

  “Yeah, I know.”

  Alyssa hadn’t wanted to give away too much of her inside information on Reese’s situation.

  “Reese got pregnant by her client who just happened to be a whale. While it would seem like a fairytale romance, it’s not.”

  “I know,” Alyssa mumbled trying not to sound too anxious.

  She continued, “It’s because you can’t go around getting knocked up by The Governor, who’s married.”

  “Exactly.”

  “Okay, so when do I start?”

  “I will have Lorraine give you your first assignment next week.”

  The burly man approached Alyssa and showed her the door. To her right, she saw Lorraine standing around waiting.

  “How did it go?”

  “She said I’ll get my first assignment next week – from you.”

  “You’re gonna do great, I know it.”

  They trod off to Lorraine’s Taurus and Alyssa endured the ride with a new purpose. She wouldn’t have to go back to Vixen ever again. She wouldn’t have to see Lorraine and the woman called “Andrea.”

  They arrived back at Vixen’s parking lot when Alyssa exited the stinky, rusted up car. She pulled her tips out of her pocket and handed them over to Lorraine.

  “What’s this? Did you hit the lottery or somethin’?”

  “No, but take it. Listen, I changed my mind. I can’t do this. I’m going back home to my rich daddy in Memphis, Tennessee. Sorry.”

  Lorraine smiled, looked at the wad of cash which had amounted to two hundred dollars and sped away.

  Alyssa walked to her car, thankful that she could close the chapter on the worst three weeks of her life. She sent a text message to Chase: “I’ve got the goods. Meet tomorrow at Frank’s – 11am.”

  “K,” he responded, knowing how much it miffed her to receive one letter replies.

  Night turned to day and Alyssa rolled up to Frank’s to meet with her boss. He was there waiting and looked her up and down and said, “You look like you could use a cheeseburger, three nights of sleep in succession and a dye job.”

  “And it’s good to see you, too.”

  “What do you have for me?”

  “The club was running a prostitution ring right inside the back room. That’s where they all meet, but that’s not the good part. I met up with this woman the girl called Andrea. She was skeevy looking and she was the madam. She felt me up and then told me I could make five to six hundred a night turning tricks. Aside from that, she confirmed that the girl who goes by Reese is the one who is pregnant by The Governor.”

  “Wait, she felt you up?”

  “Is that all you took from that entire conversation?”

  “Just kidding. Listen, it sounds like you have earned every penny of this.”

  He gave her a check in an envelope for six thousand dollars. Part of it was for what she had to go through in order to obtain the information while the other part was to keep it quiet.

  “It was a pleasure doing business with you, Chase.”

  “As always.”

  He turned to leave and she disappeared.

  Upon reaching his car, Chase sat down, got out his phone and messaged Michelle to meet him as soon as possible. She responded back quickly that she had a free moment and Chase was turning the key to his car with Mugs as his destination.

  He arrived there firs
t and sat down at a booth. As he turned over his cup for the waitress to fill with the delicious caffeinated beverage, Michelle walked in and sat opposite him.

  “Coffee, honey?”

  “Yes, please,” she said, turning over her coffee cup.

  Once the waitress disappeared from view, Chase began to spill his guts.

  “We now have confirmation from my assistant Alyssa that Reese is the mother and the target is the father.”

  “Wow, okay. We just need to find Reese now.”

  “With the party coming up soon, it shouldn’t be hard to spot her if she’s there.”

  “You’ve got a point. Victoria said she got us on the list.”

  “Great. Alyssa’s services have been paid out of my account, but my company flows that charge directly to you.”

  “Certainly, was it six thousand for her undercover work?”

  “Yes.”

  She pulled an expensive silver pen from her inside suit pocket and signed a personal check to Chase for the amount specified.

  “Just tell her that we’re going to need her services once again at the party on the 24th.”

  “Of course.”

  The newfound information weighed heavily on Michelle’s mind. She concerned herself mostly with how she was going to break the news to Mrs. McBride that after so many years with her husband he’d decided to get some prostitute pregnant. Even worse, was he continuing to give her money and treat her like a princess? All of these questions needed answering, but Michelle knew that the first step was taking care of Mrs. McBride.

  She pulled out her phone, dialed her client’s number and said, “Mrs. McBride. Hi, this is Michelle Mayor from Briggs and Trice. I’ve got an update on your case if you have time to come in.”

  Michelle looked down at her pocket calendar in case The Governor’s wife’s schedule was booked and she needed a different day or time.

  “Yes, Ms. Mayor. I have time tomorrow at noon if that works for you.”

  “Of course, ma’am.”

  Michelle hit “end” on her cell phone and marked down next to 11-16: “McBride @ 12pm”.

  Michelle decided that Mrs. McBride could use the information any way that she wanted to. She would support her client’s decision to sue for divorce if she wanted that and it appeared that the case was a lock for half of his wealth in addition to custody in Mrs. McBride’s favor.