Paul cleared his throat after a few seconds and leaned his
elbows on the desk. 'Paige, Vivian's been working with
the marketing department to create some entry-level
positions. The idea is to get expansion going on, starting
from the ground up. They're looking to hire in-house,
from the ground up. They're looking to hire in-house,
people they feel wil be an asset to the department.'
'And you feel I'd be an asset to your department?' I
watched her face carefuly as she answered.
Her gaze flicked so briefly toward Paul and back to me I
was supposed to miss it. She might not even have known
she looked at him first, that's how fast it was. But I didn't
miss it.
'Oh, yes,' Vivian said. 'Absolutely. Paul's spoken so winningly of you.'
Seriously, what the fuck? Aside from the fact I was pretty
sure she hadn't used it correctly, who ever says
'winningly'? Except, of course, a woman who's trying to
find something flattering to say to a woman she doesn't
realy like.
And then I understood it.
Paul and Vivian were fucking. They were very good about
hiding it, more discreet than a lot of interoffice couples I'd
come across. But there it was, the truth slapped down on
the desk between al of us like a gauntlet. They were
lovers and her dislike for me had nothing to do with
lovers and her dislike for me had nothing to do with
anything as simple as my clothes or education. It was al
about my blond hair and blue eyes and the size of my tits
and ass. She thought I had her on the run.
'I haven't seen the jobs posted on the board,' I said
without bursting into sudden laughter.
Vivian looked at her gigantic mug but resisted drinking
from it. 'They're not going up for open applications until
after we've interviewed the people we have already
prescreened. We'd realy like you to consider an
interview.'
I didn't know much about how human resources works, or
the hoops anyone's required to jump through in the name
of being politicaly correct, but that didn't sound quite right
to me. At any rate, I nodded as though it made perfect
sense. Paul smiled and looked back and forth between us.
I couldn't look at him. Not because I'd figured out Vivian
thought he and I might be having a fling but because I was
convinced
moral compass toward judgment, either, but more about
the fact I didn't want to believe he had such bad taste.
'Can I ask you why you prescreened me? Aside from
Paul's recommendation.' I knew my smile for him had to
be a sliver in her skin, but I didn't care. 'I don't have any
background in marketing. I have a business-school degree
