"We're just about ready Mrs Nelson. Corrie will be out for you in a moment. Would you like a coffee?"
"I'm fine, thanks."
She would have loved a coffee just to distract from her rising nervousness. But she didn't want coffee on her scrubbed teeth or her meticulously applied lipstick. She didn't want to have to pee.
There was a mirror in the reception area and she reviewed herself briefly: jacket straight, hair pulled back, but not up, everything in place.
She checked one more time to ensure that nothing could be seen under her lace top, turned and checked her backside. Looking over her shoulder, no panty lines showing in her snug black pants.
"We're ready for you now, I'm Corrie."
Corrie was younger, late twenties, pretty in her pink scrubs and blonde hair.
Annette didn't like the idea of her doing the interview.
In the office there were two other people around the desk, a middle aged man, looking distracted as she came in, going over notes with a pen in his hand, and an older woman, about Annette's age, in a cream linen pants suit.
"Hello, is it Annette? "
"Yes, hello."
"Thank you for coming in today, I'm Marie, you've met Corrie, and this is Gordon. Gordon is the division manager and I'm the unit head."
"Nice to meet both of you."
They went over her resume, her education, her experience, while she readied herself for the harder questions she had prepared two weeks for. The questions were mostly what she had expected. Marie asked most of them, Corrie a couple, Gordon rarely looked up from his notes, and grumbled out a handful of clarifications.
"Annette, you must be warm, why don't you take your jacket off?"
"No, I'm perfect, thanks." In fact she was warm, but was worried there might be sweat appearing under her arms. Plus her top was sleeveless, and she was self-conscious, especially in front of these two, about her upper arms.
"Please Annette, your jacket. It's fine."
""Oh really, I'm good."
"The jacket, please, Mrs Nelson," said Gordon, impatiently, looking up over his glasses.
"Alright," she complied, confused by their insistence, unnerved by Gordon's tone. She folded the jacket neatly in her lap.
They conferred a moment, quietly, glancing towards her a few times.
"Mrs Nelson," Gordon again, "Do you want this position?"
"Yes, of course, very much." She looked back and forth at them, scared that something had gone wrong in the interview already.
"I will be frank with you Annette, you are perfectly qualified, and your references and experience all make you a perfect fit for whom we are looking for," said Marie, pleasantly.
"Thank you..."
"Mrs Nelson, " interrupted Gordon, "The challenge we have is that you are not even remotely the only qualified candidate. I have three women in this pile with more experience, I have two in this pile with better educational credentials..."
She felt something sinking.
"All with their strengths and shortcomings," Marie put in, countering Gordon's gruffness. "What we are looking for is something to distinguish one very good applicant from several other very good applicants."
She launched precipitously, "I see, well what I can tell you is what I think I can bring to this opportunity..."
Gordon looked at his watch, put down his pen, "Take off your top, Mrs Nelson."
Silence.
"Pardon, I don't..."
"Your top, Mrs Nelson. Remove it. We have 30 minutes left in your interview time and I will not be repeating myself throughout."
"I don't see, I am not sure if I...."
"Annette, my apologies for Gordon's gruffness, he's mostly harmless. But you see, what we are looking for in addition to all your admirable traits and qualifications are certain...tangibles and intangibles...."
"I don't understand..." she clasped her hands together in her lap tighter, feeling them start to shake, thinking this a bad dream.
"By intangibles she means the ability to understand and follow explicit instructions. This is not a place where you can make mistakes. Peoples' health depends on it." Gordon was leaning over the desk now, glowering.
"Of course...."
"And by tangibles," Marie's voice was like a welcome wash of cool water after Gordon, comforting, "well, those are under your clothes."
There was a silence that seemed to go on forever, and she did not know how to break it.
Corrie smiled pleasantly the whole time, as if this were a normal day at the office.
"Mrs Nelson," Gordon continued, a little softer, "Here is one thing I can tell you at this point. All three of us are sufficiently convinced by what we have heard and seen to this point that you are one of our leading candidates. It is up to you now. 28 minutes from now, you could have this job. It is that simple, but it is 100 percent up to you. I cannot make it any clearer. Your fate is in your hands. You have one minute to weigh your options. "
She was 45 years old, beyond the age she thought anyone would take this kind of advantage. It seemed so cold, so matter-of-fact. She had worked in HR, years ago, and knew she had avenues for recourse.
But at the end, did it matter? She had worked so hard for this job. 27 minutes.
"Mrs Nelson?"
"It's alright honey," Marie smiled reassuringly, the support she needed at that moment.
Annette looked at them, eyes watering just slightly, and reached down. She took a deep trembling breath as her top came over her head.
She sat there now, self consciously, flushing. She adjusted her hair, incongruously, when she really wondered whether her bra was positioned correctly, and wondered whether a black bra, chosen for its inconspicuousness under the top, was a poor choice. She thought about the little plump roll that pushed softly over her waistband,
"Very good, Annette. Thank you. Can you stand up now, please. And put your jacket and your top on the rack behind you?"
She did.
"Very nice, " said Marie, professionally. "hands at your sides, please. Turn around. No, stop please, facing the door. "
She waited, interminably, her bare back towards them, her palms sweating. She thought she felt a trickle of sweat down the middle of her lower back. She waited over a minute, forever, hearing them mumble behind her.
"And turn again."
"What do you think, Corrie?"
"Yes, I think yes."
"You have a lovely figure, Annette. Truly."