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  “I don’t think you’ve actually read your own resume, Alice. You have all of the credentials needed to be a market analyst for Barnett itself. We don’t put it directly in the application as a means to encourage everybody to come and apply. You still want this job, don’t you?”

  “Yes. Yes, of course.”

  “I’ll be honest with you, Alice.”

  Estelle stood up from her desk and began pacing back and forth. I was more nervous than I’d ever been before. I felt like an idiot for not realizing what job exactly I was applying for. I didn’t think Barnett Industries would even bother replying to me, let alone give me an interview.

  “We’re looking for some new blood,” she began. “The board of directors is becoming somewhat stagnant. Business has been successful as usual but we’re looking to expand. Everything can be improved upon. That’s why we’re looking at college graduates to see if we can change things. We’re trying to inject some new life into our business. The road to the future is going to be paved by young people, Alice. People like you. This is straight from Rafael Barnett himself.”

  I listened attentively to everything Estelle was telling me. I wasn’t sure what point she was trying to make to me specifically. I was beginning to wonder if I had done enough to stand out from everybody else.

  “The job is for a potential spot on the board of directors,” she said. “You’d start out as an intern. Paid, of course. You’d learn right underneath all of them and learn the ins and outs of how things worked. Once everybody felt you were ready, you would be there to help make the decisions. The decisions you know they have to make. This is no small task, Alice. You’ll be working with the board directly. You’ll even have Mr. Barnett’s ear. Are you ready for this, Alice?”

  “Yes. Yes, I am.”

  She looked at me skeptically. I suppose I couldn’t blame her. It was ridiculous to think that I was capable of working with Rafael Barnett and his board of directors straight out of college. I almost wanted to question their line of thinking for even bothering to interview fresh college graduates. I knew that this was what I wanted though. If I could start out on top, there was no point in wasting time at the bottom.

  “Did you see all of the other candidates, Alice?”

  “What?”

  “Did you notice all of the other people waiting to be interviewed?”

  “Yes, I did.”

  “And what did you notice about them?”

  “I… I don’t know,” I shook my head in confusion. “They all look like they’re college grad—”

  “Most of them are men, Alice.”

  When I thought longer about it, I realized she was right. I wasn’t exactly sure what she was getting at. Even if I did, Estelle was intent on making it clear to me what I was getting into.

  “You’re dealing with a board of directors whose average age is 63,” she said. “They’re all stubborn old men. Mr. Barnett himself is young but he’s still a man. If you get this job, you’re jumping into a shark tank. The expectations of you aren’t just to do your job. You’re going to deal with old men who aren’t just going to judge you for your competence. They’re already going to be skeptical of you because you’re a woman. I know. It sounds silly, doesn’t it? It’s old-fashioned. And those men are indeed old. There’s going to be a lot of pressure on you. I need that to be perfectly clear to you. This is absolutely not something you should be taking lightly. I know what your answer will be, so I’m just going to give you some time to yourself.”

  I nodded to her and she took a seat back at her desk. I wasn’t sure what else to say. All of the pressure I was feeling from the interview seemed to be magnified. I knew that they were expecting the most out of me but I didn’t think it would be in this manner. As I thought about everything Estelle just said to me, I suddenly realized that I wanted this opportunity even more. She was right. There was nothing she could say to me to make me refuse. But now my eyes were open and my desire to work even harder for this chance was greater.

  “Estelle, can I ask you something?”

  “Of course.”

  “I know that you’re skeptical. I know that a lot of people are. But why even bother? Why would you even waste the time to interview me if you don’t think I can do this?”

  “Mr. Barnett himself said—”

  “Yes, I remember. He’s looking to change things. I can’t predict the future. I can’t tell you that things are going to get better because of me. I can’t tell you that I know anything and everything this company needs to do to see what’s beyond the horizon waiting for it. I’m not going to lie to you and give you nothing but empty rhetoric. But Mr. Barnett said that things need to change here. All I’m asking for is a chance. Give me an opportunity for this paid internship and I’ll do everything in my power to show you that I was a good hire. I’ve worked too hard for this… I’ve… I’ve worked my entire life for this… All I want is a chance to prove myself.”

  When I stopped speaking, I noticed that I was leaning forward in my chair. I sank back into my seat and sighed, suddenly needing to catch my breath. Estelle stared back at me and I had trouble looking her in the eye. But I held my ground to let her know that I was serious about every single word I said to her. I saw a smile slowly beginning to form on her face. She looked down at the papers in front of her then scratched several notes upon it with her pen.

  “All right, Alice,” she said. “That’s all I need from you for now. We’ll contact you as soon as tomorrow to let you know whether or not we’re interested. I should remind you that there are only a few positions available and that you shouldn’t get your hopes up. Do you have any questions, Alice?”

  “…No,” I shook my head.

  “Then thank you very much for your time, Alice.”

  She smiled at me then directed me out of her office. I walked through the doorway and when I stepped back onto the main floor, I saw several more candidates waiting for the chance to be interviewed. I finally noticed how many men there were. There was a single woman sitting there among dozens of men. I wasn’t sure if anything I said was enough to get me this job. But I did know that I had spoken to Estelle from the heart and told her nothing but the truth. A follow-up couldn’t come soon enough.

  Chapter 7

  There was nothing on my mind except doing everything I could to land that job. There were several other opportunities on the table. I had interviews scheduled over the next few days. But I knew that it would be a huge loss if I didn’t get this opportunity. There was nothing else I could say about Barnett Industries. This was a job unlike anything else. I didn’t want to imagine what it would be like if I didn’t get the job.

  I sat around in my apartment unable to get my mind off of the interview. There were still several other companies I had to send my resume out to but I couldn’t work up the strength to bother with it. My mind was made up. This was where I was going to start my career.

  As I sat there on my couch, my phone rang. I looked at the number but didn’t recognize it.

  “Hello?”

  “Alice Pratt?”

  “Yes? Who is this?”

  “Hi, Alice. This is Estelle. I just spoke to you in the office.”

  “Of course. Is something wrong?”

  “No, nothing is wrong. The complete opposite actually. I know that I said we would contact you tomorrow but is there any chance you could come in today? I know it’s an inconvenience to call you back so soon but—”

  “No! No, it’s no trouble at all. I can be there in just a few minutes.”

  “Great. Just stop by my office. There are a few more questions that we need to ask you.”

  “I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

  I couldn’t believe this was happening. I tried my best not to get ahead of myself but couldn’t. I was too excited. As I headed back to the building, this positive feeling of anticipation washed over me. It was like my prayers were being answered.

  I couldn’t get back into Estelle’s office fa
st enough. It had been a few hours but there were still several candidates lined-up and waiting outside. I walked up to the receptionist.

  “Hi. I’m Alice Pratt. Estelle wanted to speak to me about something—”

  “Just let yourself in,” she said plainly to me. “She’s been waiting for you.”

  “Right.”

  I nodded to her then anxiously made my way back into the office. I didn’t know what this was about but I was excited about getting an answer so quickly. The door to Estelle’s office was open and when I stepped inside, she was sitting at her desk going over some papers that looked similar to the ones she was examining earlier.

  “Alice!” she looked up at me. “I’m so glad you could come back so soon. I’m sorry about such short notice.”

  “No,” I shook my head. “It’s not a problem. It’s not a problem at all.”

  “Yeah, I didn’t think it would be.”

  “What is it you wanted to speak to me about?”

  “It wasn’t me actually. It’s someone else. All of our interviews are being sent to the board. They’re all reading them and going over them. They all have the final say. Someone upstairs took particular interest in your interview.”

  “My interview? What was it? What did I say? Did I make a mistake—”

  “Alice, I don’t know what they’re thinking. Either way, something you said must have caught their eye. You can ask them for yourself. Follow me.”

  Estelle stood up from her seat and I followed her out of her office and back into the elevator. She pressed the button for the 90th floor. As the elevator began to ascend, I felt nervous standing just behind her. I wasn’t sure what to think. I tried to prepare myself and have the right answers ready for whatever questions they might have of me but I was growing more and more nervous as the elevator gained speed.

  The doors opened and I followed Estelle onto the floor. The room was more spacious than I imagined. I looked to the side and out through the large window walls. I felt like I was high above the city. On the 90th floor, I practically was. Across from us, there was a lone reception desk where a petite blonde woman sat. She was wearing a headset and seemed occupied with several different things at once.

  “Hello, Tina,” Estelle said to her. “This is Alice Pratt. Someone from the board read her interview and wanted to speak to her.”

  The blond receptionist looked like she wasn’t paying attention. She scanned one of her computer monitors then finally turned back to Estelle.

  “Alice Pratt? Are you sure one of the board members wanted to speak to her?”

  “Yes,” Estelle assured her. “I received the message just an hour ago.”

  “Let me see… Oh, there it is. It’s not one of the board members. It’s Mr. Barnett himself.”

  “Oh. All right. Is he ready to see her now?”

  “One moment,” Tina said as she pressed down on her earpiece. “Mr. Barnett, Alice Pratt is here to see you… Right away, sir. Mr. Barnett will see you now.”

  Tina smiled at me and directed me toward the door next to her. Estelle held her hand out and made way for me.

  “Wait,” I said to Estelle. “You’re not going in with me?”

  “I’ve asked all the questions I needed to,” she said. “Mr. Barnett has the absolute final say over everything. I don’t think there’s any need for me to be there.”

  “Oh… Of course…”

  Estelle smiled politely at me then made her way back to the elevator. I stood there anxiously, hesitating to walk into the next room. Tina was too busy to notice how reluctant I was. I had worked so hard for this moment and all of a sudden I found myself unable to move forward.

  Just relax, Alice. You’ve earned this. Just go in there and be you.

  An interview was one thing. Hell, even one of the board members would be more than enough to give me a panic attack. But knowing that it was Rafael Barnett himself waiting for me behind that door was enough to make me almost forget everything I was doing.

  I opened the door and stepped inside of the spacious office. The large window walls were glistening. The view was perfect. I could see nothing but blue skies and the tops of the other buildings. Even the other skyscrapers seemed tiny from all the way up here. Across the room, there was a lone desk. The chair was turned away from me so I couldn’t even tell if there was someone sitting in it.

  There was nothing else in the office. As I walked forward, my heels clicked against the marble and echoed through the small room. I could hear the sound of the spit shifting in my throat as I gulped. My heart was pounding so hard I swore that my shirt was bouncing off of my chest. I finally made the long journey from the door to the desk and stood there.

  “Please, have a seat, Alice Pratt.”

  I quickly did as I was told. The voice almost sounded familiar but I quickly shook the thought out of my head. I had to focus on impressing whomever it was sitting in that chair. I sat there patiently with my hands resting in my lap. As the chair slowly spun around, I looked forward at the man in his suit. My eyes worked their way up his tie and toward his face.

  Our eyes met. We stared at one another in silence. I squinted my eyes the tiniest bit I could. I wasn’t sure I was seeing things correctly.

  It was him. There was no mistaking it. The same man I had an encounter with twice this past week. I couldn’t forget a face like his. His hair was combed a little differently. There was less stubble on his chin. But it was him. I couldn’t forget his light brown eyes and how they were once filled with passion. And as I stared at him at this moment, I could see that he was feeling just as much disbelief as I was.

  “Alice Pratt…”

  “Rafael Barnett…”

  What were the chances of this happening?

  I didn’t know what else to say. I wasn’t sure if I should bring it up. I decided that I wouldn’t say anything if he didn’t. Regardless of whether or not he was a man I’d had sex with, that didn’t change anything. I was still here for a job. I was still here to start my career with the most prominent company in the city. Rafael made no indication that he was interested in talking about what happened between us earlier.

  “I’ve been going over your resume,” he said. “It’s very impressive.”

  “Thank you, sir.”

  “Please call me… Rafael.”

  He almost smiled as he said it but caught himself. He placed the papers back down upon his desk then leaned back in his chair.

  “You took a Psychology degree to go with your Business major. That’s a real good idea, Alice. That’s very smart. Most people don’t understand that you deal with people just as often as you deal with numbers. You probably should have put more of an emphasis on Psychology.”

  “Knowing people is one thing,” I said. “But that’s no excuse to ignore the numbers.”

  “Of course,” he smirked. “There are numbers involved. And when it comes to this company, there are a lot of numbers.”

  He stood up from his chair. He straightened his tie and suit jacket then turned his back to me. I watched him as he looked out of the window and down into the city.

  “Do you know how much this company is worth?”

  “No, I don’t.”

  “The estimates aren’t exact. But most people have put us at 47 billion dollars.”

  I wasn’t sure why he was telling me this. The colossal number was more than enough to get me to understand the magnitude of this moment here with him but I’d already known it prior.

  “And I’m the one in charge of all of it,” he said as he turned back around and looked at me. “I hold the fate of so many people in the palm of my hand. People I haven’t even met before. Do you know what my real goal is?”

  “What’s that?”

  “To make sure that everybody succeeds along with this business. This company has had a lot of success. I want to push us to even greater heights. And it’s going to start with people like you.”

  He took a seat back in his chair. He scanned over
the papers on his desk then looked at his computer monitor.

  “I looked at everything you said to Estelle. I wasn’t there to hear it but I liked what she told me. You’re exactly what I’m looking for. I need people who are capable of giving me a different perspective on things. I need someone who’s fresh out of college with new ideas. I need someone who’s young. I need… Well, even just being a female is a refreshing change of pace.

  “I know that Estelle told you exactly what you were getting into. Well, I’m here to tell you that she’s wrong. It’s even worse. These aren’t people you’re dealing with. They’re animals. They’re machines. These men you’re going to talk business with are robots capable of seeing things in their own way. You’ll be hard-pressed to try and sway their opinions. But I’m eager to see you try. It’s going to take all of your effort and a lot of hard work. This is not something you should take lightly. I’m talking about late nights at the office and taking your work home with you. There might even be times when you’ll have to work weekends, so you won’t have time to… indulge yourself.”

  He stared hard at me. I swallowed then clenched my teeth. I didn’t know what to say. There was a seriousness in his face I hadn’t seen before. He may have been the same man I had sex with just a couple of nights ago but he didn’t look like it at this moment. The tension between us was different.

  “Are you sure you want to work here, Alice?”

  “Yes, I’m sure. I’ve waited my entire life for this opportunity. I’m willing to do whatever it takes.”

  “Yes,” he sighed. “That’s what I expected you to say. Very well…”

  He wrote down some notes on his paper.

  “Come in tomorrow morning,” he said. “The first meeting is scheduled at seven sharp. You won’t have to do much. Just get a feel for things and see how everything works. You’ll get your first assignment and all of the details e-mailed to you. All of your contact information is correct?”

  “Yes, it is.”

  “Good. I’ll have someone get an office ready for you. Somewhere on the 89th floor with the other board members. The boardroom is also there. Feel free to look around if you have nothing else to do. It’s empty at the moment. If you have any other questions, speak to Estelle. Her office is on the 88th floor. The room she was using earlier was just for interviews. Do you have any other questions about your job, Alice?”