“I’ll do whatever it takes,” she replied.
“I want to work with men and women that will follow me into battle, that will fight by my side. Because this business is very, very serious, and sometimes even dangerous.”
“Dangerous?”
He nodded. “I’ve had death threats. Once, a few years back in Abu Dhabi, I was nearly kidnapped.”
She wasn’t sure if she believed him. “You never said that in any of the interviews I read.”
He shrugged. “Some things aren’t meant for public consumption, Nicole.”
She nodded slowly.
“You don’t believe me?” he said.
She thought about it for a moment. “No,” she said. “I don’t.”
He stared at her a long time, so long that the spit in her mouth dried up. She knew in that instant, she’d blown it.
Suddenly he grinned again. “Good girl. You’re right, Nicole. I was lying about the kidnapping in Abu Dhabi. In actuality, I’ve had nothing but wonderful times there. The hotels are incredible, some of the best in the world.”
“I’m confused. So you weren’t kidnapped then?”
“It was a near kidnapping. And no, it never happened.” He stared at her.
She was aware again of her legs as he looked down at her. The skirt was really short, too short. Her legs were bare and smooth and soft.
Imagine if he put his hands on your bare legs right now. Pushed your skirt up…
“..do you?” he said.
“Excuse me?” she asked, flustered. Somehow she’d gone into a fantasy in the middle of the most important interview of her life.
Red scratched his chin. “It wasn’t important.”
“No, please.” She took a deep breath. “Please ask me again.”
“It’s not important. Really.” He locked his dark eyes on her once more.
She looked back at him, trying to hold his gaze. “Am I blowing this interview?” she asked, surprised that she’d just said it out loud.
“Blowing your interview?” He took a moment to consider it. “No, I don’t think you’ve done any such thing, Nicole. In fact, I’m very, very pleased to make your acquaintance.”
“Me too. It’s been nice meeting you, I mean.”
His eyes moved up and down her body as if evaluating a painting, and he rocked back against his desk, shook his head and laughed wildly. “I’m sorry, Nicole, but I really…I really can’t continue this.” He laughed again.
“Did I offend you?” she asked.
“Look,” he said. “I really need to go. I have a call to attend to. It was very nice meeting you.” He couldn’t even look at her now.
“But…but…I don’t understand…”
He sat down behind his desk, picked up the phone. A few seconds later he said, “Mary Anne, please come and meet Ms. Masters in my office. We’re done here.”
***
She sobbed on the train ride home. She didn’t care that people were watching her, thinking she was crazy.
She kept thinking about the look on his face as he’d ended the interview. He’d shown her to the door and that bitchy receptionist had been there, and next thing Nicole knew she was out on the street. Not a word about her being hired for the internship position.
It was clear she’d lost the job because Red didn’t like her.
She didn’t stop sobbing even when she got home and fell onto her bed, tears still pouring down her face.
Nicole replayed the interview with Red Jameson over and over in her mind, dissected every verbal exchange and tried to make sense of it. What had changed his mind so quickly? Was it her saying she didn’t believe his story about the kidnapping? Or was it when he looked her over and found her wanting?
She stripped off her expensive Prada clothing, angrily tossing it all on the floor of her room.
Luckily, Danielle wasn’t home yet, so she didn’t have to deal with the questions that would surely come from her nosey roommate.
Nicole stood in her bra and panties, mascara running down her cheeks, hair a mess. She looked at herself in the mirror. No wonder he doesn’t want me, she thought. I’m disgusting. My body isn’t like that blonde receptionist’s body. I don’t have the face of a Vogue model.
She’d been rejected by the most charismatic, powerful man she’d ever met. A man who she considered to be an idol, a celebrity. And what made it worse was the feeling that she’d been so close. Everyone there had liked her. She’d made it through the thousands of resumes, and then the phone interview, and even the three department members she’d met with.
They’d all approved of her, until him. Until Red Jameson himself had shot her down. As if he could smell her shame and failure and unimportance. He’d laughed her out of the office, if you wanted to get right down to it.