Lily sat nervously outside of the conference room, fidgeting slightly as she adjusted her cardigan. She glanced over to the woman sitting across from her, her colleague, Sara, who was hired around the same time as her. Both of them were entry level media consultants, hired to help develop the Sabres' web and social media presence. But there were rumors circulating throughout the office that only one of them would be kept on after 12 months; after 9 months of the job, Lily was now fighting to keep the job that she'd worked her entire adult life to have.
She tried not to be catty, but something about Sara rubbed her the wrong way. She was only 23, 5 years younger than Lily, but she carried herself with a confidence and demeanor that bordered on arrogance. Lily knew that she was probably just projecting her own insecurities at the poor girl. Nevertheless, the combination of her carriage and her dress sent the wrong signals to Lily. Maybe she was old-fashioned, but she couldn't help thinking that Sara was unafraid to use her body to secure the job. Lily's eyes scanned up Sara's body, 2 inch black pumps, bare toned calfs, her legs crossed under a skirt that fell a few inches above the knee - about an inch shorter than seemed necessary - a white button-down blouse, open just enough to allow what was undoubtedly a push-up bra to create some nice cleavage.
It's not that Lily didn't dress well, but she tried to keep it more professional. Her tight black slacks stuck to her toned and firm calves and thighs, accentuating her butt - well-shaped from years of swimming and running. She wore a silk sleeveless top with a decent neckline, and a blue cardigan to keep her from feeling too self-conscious. She knew that lots of the men in the office stared at her ass as she walked down the hallway, and followed her tits with their eyes whenever she leaned over, hoping to catch a glimpse of her c-cup breasts. But she tried not to come off as too slutty. She really loved this job, and didn't want to get fired for "distracting the boys." It was Sara's care-free attitude that annoyed her. Lily worked her ass off for years to get this job, and Sara was hired almost right out of school.
It was tempting to blame her husband, whose medical school time and expenses meant putting Lily's career on hold while she worked a thankless but well-paying office job to support them during his studies. But now that he had finished and was employed at a hospital downtown, it was time for her career to finally get going. She couldn't blame him; he had been thankful of her sacrifice and was supporting her career move now, even though it meant less pay. She just couldn't help thinking that if she had gotten in when she was as young as Sara that she wouldn't be vying for her career against a younger woman who would twirl her hair and giggle at every lewd joke a co-worker made.
Their boss finally called them into the conference room and gestured towards the chair to sit down. Sara sat down first, and Lily watched Stan's eyes follow the hemline of her skirt up to her thigh. She caught herself from shaking her head as she sat down and took out her tablet. Sara looked up and met Stan's eyes and smiled, before pulling out her own tablet, crossing her legs, and adjusting her skirt.
"I know you two have probably heard the rumors," Stan began, meeting both women's eyes, "and yes, they are true. I don't have much control over it, but we've been mandating to cut costs in this department. While both of you have done excellent work, we can only afford to extend one of your contracts. The decision will be made by a committee, made up of myself, my supervisor, and an outside HR consultant."
"When will the decision be made?" Sara blurted out.
"In August. We'll review your work, evaluate your future potential, and meet with both of you prior to making the decision." Stan turned to Lily, "Do you have any questions, Lily?"
"Just one," she said, trying to make her voice larger than she felt. "Can you be more specific on the criteria for selection?"
"Like I said, we want to hire the best for the job, which is why we're bringing in an outside consultant who will be developing some indicators that we can measure performance objectively," he replied, slowing down and emphasizing the word 'objectively.' "If there's nothing else," he continued, "I suggest you two get back to work. You've both done a wonderful job, and I will be happy to write strong references for whoever doesn't make the cut. In a perfect world we would keep both of you, but this field has gotten just as competitive as every other, and we have to keep costs down."
Stan stood up and shook Sara's hand, who nervously thanked him and quickly exited the room back to her cubicle. Lily stood and received his handshake, which seemed slightly longer than it should have, but Lily dismissed the thoughts. As she gathered her tablet and pen, she looked up at Stan whose eyes hadn't left her chest.