Author's note: It might be worthwhile to go back and start with my story entitled Charlie gets a little to learn a bit about Heidi. In the meantime this gives you some of Heidi's backstory.
*****
Heidi Bergmann was young (22 at the time), just out of college (Princeton with a bachelors in Business Administration) and looking forward to beginning her professional life.
When we join her, she had just interviewed for an entry-level job with a medium-sized insurance company, which shall remain nameless.
As she left the HR Director's office, she passed through an area of cubicles on her way out, when suddenly a man came up behind her and squeezed her ass. She turned and said, indignantly, "Hey, what's the idea!"
At which point he grabbed one of her boobs and said, "Hey yourself, honey, what's your hurry?" She smelled a heavy odor of liquor on his breath. It was not yet noon.
"Keep your hands to yourself", she said in a loud voice. Several heads popped up from cubicles.
"Oh, come on, you know you like it, honey," he said moving toward her.
"Don't you dare touch me", she said, pulling back. By now they had drawn the attention of just about everyone in the office and several curious people had come out of their work areas to see what was going on.
As he lurched toward her, she hiked up her skirt, kicked him as hard as she could and scored a direct hit in the groin. He folded like a lawn chair and fell to his knees, but he still made a move to grab at her leg. This time she kicked him in the solar plexus and he gasped for breath.
"If I have anything to say about it, you are out of a job. I'm going to see the office manager."
"No... don't... I... need... this... job." He gasped.
"Too late, asshole. You should have thought of that earlier." Several people applauded and shouted encouragement as she strode out of the room.
At the door one man, nearby said, "Down the hall, third door on the left, his name is Ed Martin."
"Thanks."
She opened the door to the office marked 'Office Manager' and was confronted by a woman who said, "Yes, miss, how can I help you?"
"I want to see Mr. Martin, right now!"
"I sorry, Mr. Martin is in a very important meeting with the Chairman of the Board. If you would like to have seat I'll see..."
"Oh bull shit, I need to see him now!" She stormed past the receptionist's desk and yanked open the door marked 'Edward C. Martin'.
Two men, one a balding, middle-aged man, the other a distinguished looking, older gentleman were huddled over a desk with papers and spreadsheets in front of them. They both looked up, startled by the interruption.
"I tried to stop her Mr. Martin." The receptionist said.
"Mr. Martin, I've just been mauled and groped by one of your employees and I demand some satisfaction."
"Look young lady," the balding man said. "This is not the time nor the place to... "
"Just a minute, Ed. I think we had better hear her out. "Now what exactly happened?"
"But Mr. Fowler, what about the budget?"
The budget can wait; I think we'd better find out what upset this young lady."
After Harold W. Fowler had introduced himself to Heidi, they walked back to the area where the attack had occurred and interviewed witnesses to the incident.
The witnesses confirmed Heidi's account and they learned that her attacker's name was Jim Bradley and that he had left the office as soon as Heidi had headed for Mr. Martin's office. Everyone also agreed that the attacker had appeared to be quite drunk.
Later, back in Mr. Martin's office, Harold Fowler took charge of the proceeding and asked Heidi: "Miss Bergmann we want to make this up to you. How about the job you were applying for and a cash settlement of, let's say ten thousand dollars?"
"Well, that sounds very low to me, and I'd rather be hired based on my qualifications, not as part of a bribe."
"All right, how about a cash settlement of twenty thousand dollars?"
"That sounds very, very low to me. I suffered great trauma and public humiliation at the hands of one of your employees, who should probably have been dismissed long ago. I'm a young woman and this incident could affect me for the rest of my life. My guess is that a good lawyer could convince a jury that a settlement of fifty or sixty million would not be out of the question."
Ed Martin gulped, but Mr. Fowler never blinked an eye. "I see, and is that what you're proposing?"
"No, if we could avoid a trial and I didn't have to pay a lawyer, I'm sure we could reduce that figure to something more like ten million. I'm sure you and your company would rather avoid the publicity associated with a trial, as well."
"Are you trying to blackmail me young lady."
"Absolutely not, I'm just pointing out some of the advantages of settling out of court."
"I'd have to think about that."
"All right. What say we meet right after lunch?"
"Oh, I'd have to talk it over with my board before I make any recommendation."
"No deal! We come up with a figure for you to bring to your board right now, or I find the nastiest, most tenacious, greediest lawyer I can find and I call a press conference to announce the lawsuit. There you can consider that a threat."
His eyes narrowed, but it was obvious that she knew the right buttons to push.
"Two million." He said.
"Ten."
"Five."
"Agreed, let's close the deal tomorrow morning."
"My board won't meet for another two weeks."
"You can poll them with a conference call or by email, Skype, smoke signal or any way you like, but I am not going to let you drag this out. Five million tomorrow or we try your company in the court of public opinion."
"Tomorrow morning, nine o'clock, right here?" he said.
"Sounds good to me.", she replied.
*****
The next morning they met in Ed Martin's office.
"All right Miss Bergmann, the board has agreed to five million dollars, but we have a few stipulations."
"Which are?"
"That this is the final agreement and that you will make no further claims in this case."
"Agreed."
"That you will make no public statements about this incident and will never mention this company's name in regard to it."
"Agreed."
"When and how would you like us to make payment?"
"Right now, by wire transfer. Two and a half million is to go in this numbered account in Zurich and two and a half million to this account in this local bank." She handed him a paper with the account numbers neatly and clearly written on it.
"You have a Swiss bank account?"
"I will as soon as you wire the money."
Even Harold Fowler looked stunned at this point. "Well, I guess that does it. If you'll just sign this release, I'll see to it that the money gets to your accounts immediately."
"Thank you." She said. "I think you made a wise business decision."
"I hope so," he said. They shook hands and Heidi left the office a very wealthy young woman, with a secure future. She couldn't help but whistle a little tune.
When she had left, Harold Fowler turned to the office manager and said, "Well Ed, we had best get back to that budget, I think we're going to have to make some small adjustments."
"Yeah, I guess so. I have a feeling we should have hired her, regardless." They both laughed at themselves and the drama of the last 24 hours.
After leaving Mr. Martin's office Heidi's first stop had been to a financial advisor she knew, where she sheltered some of her new-found wealth from excessive taxes and made sure she had plenty of monthly income with the rest. She was also more than happy to pay the IRS their share.
*****
Heidi was hoping she might hear from E. Paul Mueller, the architect she had met a week earlier at the get-together she had attended with Charlie. They had exchanged phone numbers, but here it was Thursday afternoon and still no call. She was determined not to call him, but she was beginning to think she might have to.
She was also wondering why it was she was attracted to guys who were so hesitant to take the initiative. Probably because they tended to be more considerate and gentler than the self-assured, cocky assholes who took the initiative and then felt that the world revolved around them and their needs.
In any case, she was delighted when the phone rang and the caller ID came up: 'Mueller and Mueller', the architectural firm that was E. Paul's. She waited for the fourth ring and picked up just before the answering machine did.
"Hello."
"Hi, is this Heidi?"