It was intolerable working in the Office these days. Margaret had worked hard to get here and yet she was thinking about quitting. It hadn't been bad at first- she'd signed on with a respectable firm for a respectable salary. She'd worked hard in college and law school and come away with a 4.0, letters of recommendation, glowing reviews during her internships, so when the firm of Goldman, Goldman and Salt offered her a job with a fast track to partnership she said yes. That was three years ago now and the atmosphere had definitely changed. For starters, the kindly (and matronly) receptionist had been replaced with an airheaded blonde who didn't even know how to transfer a call. It was shocking to Margaret the kinds of tube tops the bimbo would squeeze herself into for "work." It was positively indecent! That wasn't the half of it, though. While the firm had always been a bit of a boy's club the men had remained respectful. Maybe it was fear of lawsuits, after all it's unwise to sexually harass a lawyer, but Margaret was treated as an equal in the early days. Now it was different. It wasn't that anyone said anything inappropriate but rather the way they stared at every woman who walked in. Their tongues might as well have been hanging out of their mouths. Margaret had always been attractive. A redhead, she was 5 ft. 5 inches with a tiny waist, plump rear end and a perky pair of double D's, but she had never in her life felt like a gazelle being stared at by lions until about a year ago when the sexual tension in the office really began to sharpen. She couldn't understand it. At first she thought it was her imagination, then she thought maybe she was giving off the wrong signals, but finally it became impossible to ignore. Conversations would cease when she walked into the room.
Other things were happening, too. Often the receptionists would be in the supply closets for extended periods, and often other lawyers or even interns in the company would emerge looking flustered and red in the face. Margaret had been disgusted. She started looking for another place to work. True, she could probably have sued, but really she wasn't interested in a protracted legal battle against some of the sharpest legal minds in the country. Better to get out clean with a good recommendation and go to work somewhere more comfortable. It's true some of her co-workers had asked her out, and she'd declined politely, saying it was her policy never to date anyone she knew professionally. The truth was Margaret had managed to be so successful because she avoided relationships- they distracted from the success she was trying to attain. She didn't want the emotional drain of a man relying on her for anything, and she certainly didn't want to play pregnancy roulette. She had a no-nonsense reputation and that's how she liked it. Her uptown condo and her desk stacked high with work, the couch and a glass of wine after a long day and that was it. That was her life. Until...
Margaret had been offered a position at another prominent law firm in the area and was coming in to the office to tender her resignation. The senior partner's name was Martin Goldman and she made her way to his office, waited the obligatory fifteen minutes for an audience, and was waved in by an almost-comically busty brunette in the suggestion of a short skirt. This place was absolutely going to the dogs. Martin Goldman sat behind a large mahogany desk and smiled at her as she walked in. He was a good looking man in his early fifties, trim, toned, and, she felt, somewhat more tan than he had a right to be.
"Miss Dayton, good morning. Please have a seat and tell me what's on your mind." His words and tone were polite but his eyes roved over her like locusts over a corn field.
"Good morning, sir. I'm coming in to let you know I'll be leaving at the end of the month. I wanted to give you notice," she said in a calm tone as she sat.
His movie star smile flagged.
"I see," he said, "May I ask why?"
"I've been offered a position at another firm that's a bit closer to my home. The commute is not convenient, and I am interested in getting experience with a more varied case load," she said.
"Ah. Of course," he said, "Well, I know we'd love to keep you. You've been quite successful here and we were considering offering you a partnership. In fact, I was talking to Jerry and Dean about it last night."
"I see. Well, that's very kind. I appreciate that," she said.
"Well, if you're not interested I suppose I have no choice but to accept your resignation," he said, "but I'm afraid I need to conduct an exit interview. It's just a formality but HR will not be pleased if I overlook it."
"All right," she said, pleased with the ease with which he had accepted her dismissal. It wasn't as unpleasant as she thought it would be. She was engaged in these thoughts when Martin buzzed his secretary and asked her to send in a member of HR for an exit interview.
"They'll send someone down in a few minutes," said Martin, "Meanwhile, I try to make it a tradition to have a little drink with a colleague before they leave. Will you join me?"
"It's not even mid-day yet, sir," she said more reproachfully than she meant to.
"Ah, rules," he said, "who needs them?" He rose and poured himself a tumbler of Scotch at the discrete wet bar on the far side of his office. "Sure I can't tempt you?"
"No, thank you."
The door opened and a woman walked in wearing a fashionable pinstripe skirt, mother of pearl silk blouse and six inch heels. Unlike the other bimbos that had been sprouting around the office, this woman exuded intelligence, sophistication, and despite her extremely bountiful bosom and voluptuous curves she seemed to demand respect. Her long dark hair was pulled back and she wore rather stylish dark-rimmed glasses.
"Ah, Elaine," said Martin, "Thanks for joining us. Miss Dayton here is going to be leaving us. I wanted to get the exit interview out of the way."
"Of course," said Elaine. The minute Margaret locked eyes with the woman she felt something strange happen. Elaine's green eyes were like laser beams pointed directly into Margaret's brain. She felt strange. Disoriented for a moment, then strangely calm.
