Lauren’s fifty-two, maybe fifty-three, but most people are surprised when they learn that, assuming she’s a decade younger. She certainly has the energy of a much younger woman, and the fact that her skin, hair, eyes, and smile all shine also contributes to the idea that she’s not even approaching middle age.

Richard remains seated, but adds, “You came just in time. We were in the midst of a spirited debate: is it a bottle-of-wine kind of night or individual cocktails? Spoiler alert: my position is both.”

Lauren is circumspect about her private life. That can be an occupational hazard for prosecutors, who seek to keep work and home as separate as possible. Among the few things I know about Richard, beyond what’s been in the media for public consumption, is that Lauren thinks he drinks too much.

“I’d prefer wine,” I say.

Lauren nods, as if to thank me for taking her side.

“I’m Gabriel Velasquez,” Gabriel says, extending his hand to Richard.

“Oh, I’m sorry,” I say, realizing my faux pas. “Gabriel, this is Richard Trofino.”

As the men shake hands across the table, I say to Lauren, “I’d introduce him to you too, but I know you’ve worked together before.”

“Indeed we have,” Lauren says, “but this is our first social engagement. So very pleased to see you in this setting as well, Gabriel.”

“Are you a lawyer too?” Richard asks Gabriel.

I’m surprised Lauren hasn’t shared this minimal bit of intelligence with her husband.

“No . . . I’m a cop, actually. The order side of the law-and-order equation.”

“Good man,” Richard says. “I hate when I’m surrounded by lawyers. Being married to one is quite enough.”

Gabriel smiles awkwardly, the way you do when a comment isn’t really directed at you.

Gabriel doesn’t inquire about Richard’s occupation. Like everyone else in New York City, he knows that Richard Trofino owns one of New York’s largest construction companies. That point was driven home during our short walk from the subway to the restaurant, when we must have passed three buildings with Trofino Construction emblazoned on the scaffolding. He also knows Richard’s reputation as a man who often is on the wrong side of the law, but who is also so good at blurring that line that he’s never been charged with a crime. And if the world of construction weren’t rough-and-tumble enough, Richard added political kingmaker to his résumé by personally bankrolling the mayor’s long-shot victory in the last election.

When I first told Gabriel that Lauren was married to that Richard Trofino, he voiced the same type of surprise I’d heard from others. Lauren herself has said more than once that they make an unlikely pair. Privately, she’s told me that, despite Richard’s take-no-prisoners business reputation, he is a different person with her.