HE GAVE HIS MISTRESS MY PADDLE. HE FORGOT THE AUCTION HOUSE BELONGED TO ME

beneath the painted ceiling of the Halcyon Club’s private dining room. Old banking families. Museum trustees. Hedge-fund founders. Two European princes who had inherited more titles than liquidity. Every woman wore diamonds bright enough to cut the darkness. Every man spoke in the low, confident tones of people accustomed to being obeyed.

At the center continue reading …