I looked at my watch for the third time in ten minutes. I couldn't believe that she was late. Eileen Radfield was the most influential member of the board of directors and she wanted to have lunch with me. What I actually couldn't believe was that she even knew me at all. When Erica stopped by my desk this morning to tell me about this appointment, I had to ask her "Who is Eileen Radfield?"
Erica patted me on the head and replied "Let's just say that she is someone from within the company who can do a lot for your career, good and bad, so keep that in mind."
Erica was not a particularly good boss because she loved to play head games with me just to let me know who was in charge. I couldn't help it that I was good at what I did. Someone had to keep track of all of our shipping and since it was me I was going to put all of my energy and passion into the job. I may not yet have the education of the other junior staff but I made up for it by working my ass off. Twelve hours in the office and four hours of night school every day was my roadmap to the top. The fact that it made Erica feel threatened was supposed to be a good thing for everyone, or at least that's what the business self-help books said. I hoped they were right.
At twelve fifteen Eileen walked into the office. We have an open office environment so I saw her come off of the elevator from across the room. It had to be her since I had never seen this woman here in my 9 months on the job. She was wearing a tight fitted red dress that came to her knees and she had platinum hair worn loose on her shoulders. I am not a very good judge of age but I would guess that she was somewhere around 60.
She seemed to know her way around the office and headed straight for Erica's office. As the office manager, Erica was one of the few employees that had a private office, although the entire front wall of the office was glass so that she had an unobstructed view of the rest of the floor. Eileen sat in the black leather chair in front of Erica's desk and reached into her purse and came out with a cigarette.
Erica fumbled in her desk drawer and apparently found a lighter as she walked around to the front of the desk and lit the cigarette for her. This was a no smoking building.
I saw Eileen let out a long breath of smoke and noticed with horror that they both turned and they were staring at me as they talked. I quickly looked down at the report that was sitting on my desk. I knew that my cheeks were turning red. I heard Erica's office door open and I quickly picked up the report and turned a few pages, trying to look as normal as possible. I head the quick tapping of high heeled shoes walking across the coated concrete floor and suddenly Eileen was standing beside my desk.
She took a slow draw on the cigarette as she looked down at me. Then she reached out and took the report out of my hand."
"It might be a little easier to read if you hold it right side up." She said with a wry smile on her face. She handed the report back to me and then pinched the cigarette out between two fingers that were tipped with the brightest red fingernails I had ever seen, and dropped the butt into her Prada purse. "Can't leave any evidence, right?"
I didn't know whether to answer her or not. In fact I had no idea what to say at all so I just stared.
"Are you going to offer me a seat?" she said, looking around the empty office. Everyone had left for lunch.
I jumped up quickly and ran over to Ted's desk next to mine and dragged his chair over to my desk. When I got back Eileen was already sitting in my chair.
"Hope you don't mind." She said.
"Not at all." I answered, finally finding my voice.
"Do you know who I am?" she asked. She looked like she already knew what I would answer.
"Yes, you are Eileen Radfield. You are the chairman of the board of Pro-Test, Incorporated and have been for the past three years." I didn't add that I read that she had inherited the company from her late third husband.
She looked surprised. Something that I was sure did not happen very often.
