Chapter five - Roseanne
I had a sense of anticipation. My clothes felt a little constricting and I would’ve been far more comfortable in the buff. He made me feel naked and exposed to his eager and hungry eyes. That one moment where we locked eyes hung in the air with the threat and promise of more to come.
Mrs. Wilson was perturbed and kept glancing at her watch impatiently. The other girls were of the same mindset. Some had decided to leave, thinning the herd of available candidates. I had a feeling those sticking around were more than qualified to fill the position.
One in particular was wearing expensive perfume and designer threads. Her portfolio was inside a leather portfolio. She was the only one outside of me who wasn’t looking to impress with her looks and sexual air of desperation.
“I know what you’re thinking,” she said. I didn’t realize I was staring.
“There’s no possible way you could be a mind reader. You might be able to presume, but there’s no way you could have concrete proof of anything.” I was being a bit defensive, but something about her made me feel she was my competition to beat.
“You’re thinking why is a woman like me stuck within the same category as all the rest of you. I’m obviously more experienced. I have several degrees. I made continuing my education my profession for years. I knew eventually I was going to have to bite the bullet and get a real job.” She was opinionated and self-assured about her skills.
“I can tell you have the intellect to go a long way. May I give you some unbiased advice?” She seemed curious to know more and moved so she was the only one to hear what I was going to say.
“I have a pair of shoes older than you. What makes you think anything you say is going to influence my decision one way or the other?” She wanted to hear what I had to say, but she needed a reason to listen.
“This place isn’t for you. This job will get tiresome for someone who gets easily bored. You need something to challenge you. Mr. Snowdon will take what you have to offer and use you for his own purposes.” I felt like I should be taking my own advice.
“I have had many second thoughts about coming here. His reputation and his misogynist attitude are well documented. I’m really not interested in being chased around the office like some ditzy blonde with no brain in her head.” Her sense of style was hard to ignore. She was at least five foot eight and a hundred fifty pounds strategically located all over her body. She wore her confidence like an Amazon princess. The straight black hair was mesmerizing, not to mention the beguiling smile to lure unsuspecting men into her lair of depravity.
“I see the potential in you to break the glass ceiling.” I said as a door slammed, and I looked up half expecting to see him walking in my direction.
“I appreciate the advice. I can see you’re not like all the rest. You obviously have your reasons for being here. I suspect it has more to do with the money than the actual position. No judgment. I wish you luck. You’re definitely going to need it.” She stood up and casually exited stage left using the elevator at the end of the hall.
The sound of high heels moving quickly to intervene was too late. The doors closed and there was a resounding smack of Mrs. Wilson’s hand in exasperation. She turned and glared with daggers in her eyes. If looks could kill, I would’ve been lying on the floor with a chalk outline around my body.
“I know your game,” she hissed. I looked around, shrugging my shoulders and feigning innocence of any kind of accusation.
“Games have never been my style. I tell it like it is without any kind of filter to censor myself.”
She lowered her glasses and stood defiantly with her hands on her hips. “She was at the top of my list. What could you have possibly said to make her leave without at least trying for the job? She had all the qualities and the credentials behind her name. I want to know how you sleep at night.” Her voice had risen in register and her tone was causing me some concern.
“I told her in no uncertain terms this place wasn’t for her. She was too good to waste her talents sitting behind a desk answering phones. I’m usually a pretty good judge of character.” I wasn’t backing down. Her anger had ignited my fierce conviction.
“I don’t know where you get off telling her anything. It would be best for you to leave right behind her. I can assure you that I have gone over your résumé and I wasn’t the least bit impressed.”
I suspected her reason for me to leave was more of a knee-jerk reaction. “I didn’t want her to waste her potential with someone pretentious and in need of always having the last word. We both know this position is beneath her. These girls will fawn all over him and tell him exactly what he wants to hear. I won’t be so transparent.”
There were murmurs of dissent from my comment. Some of them had taken what I said personally and they should have. There was a parade of those who gave some deep thought to what I said.
“Where are you going?” Mrs. Wilson yelled down the hall. “If you leave, there will not be another opportunity. I will make sure your names never cross his desk again.”
“I think they have other ideas of how their future is going to unfold. If I can protect one of them from this man’s advances, then I will leave here with a happy smile on my face. It doesn’t matter if I get the job, even though my passion for cars should be foremost on his mind.”
“I’m going to repeat myself one more time so there is no miscommunication. I don’t want you anywhere near him. I have a good mind to call for security and have you escorted out of the building.”
“You do whatever you think you have to.” I never blinked and I wanted her to know losing this job wasn’t going to break me like a fragile doll. “Life is about choices, but you should always be prepared for the consequences of your actions. Each action has an equal and opposite reaction.” She was fuming mad and I was waiting for her to wrap her hands around my throat in an effort to shut me up.
“I have a better idea. There’s no possible way he’s going to hire you over the other more qualified candidates. I’m going to give you enough rope to hang yourself.” Her voice had lowered and she was kneeling like she was giving me an encouraging word.
“I don’t have to sit here and take this verbal abuse from one of his lackeys. It makes you look small.”
She was grinding her teeth and trying to stare me down in an obvious tactic of intimidation. “You really do have more to say than you should. I have influence over the hiring process. I will make sure to guide him away from hiring you. Mr. Snowdon is considered a visionary. You’re not even fit to tie his shoes.” She was rapidly crossing a line in the sand.
“Mrs. Wilson doesn’t speak for me. I am more than capable of speaking for myself. I apologize for her unprofessional attitude toward you.” He very casually persuaded her to leave me alone.
I watched with a keen interest as they were having a spirited debate. I gave her credit for not screaming or making a scene. She did have the misfortune of pressing her finger into his chiseled chest. He did not take kindly to anybody invading his personal space.
There were only four other girls left. Two of them would have had their head floating above their bodies had it not been attached to their shoulders. The other two had the smell of desperation surrounding them. Their perfume was sickeningly slathered on like they had bathed in the stuff.
I was burning up with a fever for more than casual conversation. It was quite an aphrodisiac to see him wield his power like a god on Mount Olympus. The truth was very easy to see. Mrs. Wilson was his conscience.
She prevented him from making the mistake of hiring those who could easily survive a capsized vessel using the flotation devices on their chest. She was never going to get her way, not when he was holding all the cards.
She walked toward me and I was worried she was going to strike me. Thomas Snowdon spun her around to face him, not more than a couple of feet from where I was sitting.
“I don’t know why this is so hard for you to understand. I want to see her first before seeing anyone else. Don’t worry, I won’t be alone with her. I know you will be constantly breathing down my neck. The possibility of human resources getting involved is the reason I hired you.” I wasn’t sure how I felt about his interest in me.
I could only imagine what position he really wanted me to fill. It most likely had something to do with being on my back on top of his desk. The idea should have made me cringe, but instead, I was thinking about the possibility of more than a working relationship.
“I want to go on the record to say this is a bad idea. I always thought you valued my opinion. My hiring process is quite extensive. I make sure the best person gets the job each and every time.” He wasn’t making any kind of rebuttal. His expression more than said what was on his mind.
“There’s no reason to get your panties in a bunch over something as inconsequential as this.” He was smiling, but underneath I could feel the anger welling up inside him. I could almost swear his eyes had changed color. It must’ve been an optical allusion. The fluorescent light was playing tricks with my eyes.
I shook my head to clear the cobwebs and everything went back to normal. I still couldn’t get the blazing yellow from his eyes out of my mind. It was permanently imprinted like some phantom image grabbing me by the throat.
It wouldn’t let go. The chill down my spine was unforgiving.
“How dare you talk to me in that tone of voice. I’ve been here from the beginning, pulling your fat out of the fire. I don’t ever want to hear those words coming out of your mouth again. I told you when you hired me, I was only going to give you one warning. The next time you say something sexist, it’s going to be the last time you see me.” Mrs. Wilson wasn’t afraid of losing her job and was standing on principle alone.
I grudgingly found respect for her stance on equality in the workplace.
“I didn’t mean that. Things can be said in the heat of the moment. I apologize for saying anything offensive. You might be right about her. There’s really only one way to find out.” There was a perceptible nod, even though I’m sure she was dying inside by having to give me a chance.
He motioned over his shoulder for me to join them in his office. I could only hope I proved myself despite any of her misgivings.
I got up and had to hold onto the chair for support. My knees were wobbling and a flash of heat almost knocked me off of my feet. I straightened my skirt. I didn’t want there to be any hint of impropriety. I took a breath to settle my nerves.
I walked with long strides, which of course accentuated my legs. He was standing at the threshold leering at my form and most likely thinking about the obscene things he wanted to do with my body. I knew I was thinking about him in a less than platonic way.