Cheryl Cosenza
Profession: Decoy
Claim to fame: Can expose any man who is secretly on the prowl
Suspect your man of two-timing? Sure, you could try to catch him in the act. Or you could leave it to the professionals and hire the services of a decoy, like Cheryl Cosenza, a lead investigator for Brosnan Risk Consultants who's been nabbing cheaters for the past five years. She's a model and an actress with a law degree (and an MBA). And according to Cosenza, when a woman suspects her partner of being unfaithful, she's right 95 percent of the time.
NN: You don't meet your clients. Why?
CC: It makes the situation easier by keeping it simply a business arrangement. I have a heart like everyone else and by not meeting the client, I can keep the emotion out of it.
What exactly do your clients hire you to do?
Some only want Level One: proving that he's willing to cheat. It could involve the man asking for my phone number or buying me a drink. At Level Two, they usually want to see how far the guy is willing to take the encounter.
Do you ever get physical with a client's partner?
Some people feel cheating isn't cheating until there's been sex. I never push a situation, but if a client wants the encounter to go a level beyond dinner, it will be discussed and I would stay on the case for her.
Do you wear disguises?
The job requires you to be a chameleon. If a client's partner likes bimbos, I'll wear, say, a blond wig. If she wants me to be "brilliant and sophisticated," I can do that. If I'm playing the part of a real-estate agent from New York, I'll need to know what the hot areas are.
Do you ever fail to attract the guy?
The few times when I've been unsuccessful, the subject turned out to be gay or he was actually being faithful.
Do you ever feel like you're manipulating or trapping the man?
No, I allow the situation to unfold naturally. I will be somewhere I'm told he goes at a certain time and I may be dressed the way I'm told he likes. But if he's not interested in cheating, he won't start a dialogue or make advances. The suspect "traps" himself.
How do you distance yourself from a case once it's over?
Each case is an assignment and I approach each one as anyone would handle an individual office project. I don't become attached to any job. Once it's over, I move on to the next one and don't dwell on details or maintain connections with anyone involved.
What makes you good at your job?
You have to be able to think on your feet. You also need to do your homework. And you have to have an open mind; you can't be judgmental. You have to feed into what people are like and take each exchange to wherever the person involved wants it to go.
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