Taming My Boss

"TAXI!"

I took a giant step back to avoid the accompanying wave of sludge water as the cab sped by me, then surged toward the pavement with the rest of the crowd to catch the next one.

Life in New York City was a series of such compromises-little gives and takes. Your apartment floods, you get moved to the Hilton where you can comfortably sue for water damage. An early winter blizzard blankets the ground; you get to pull out your brand new Bloomingdales trench coat to combat the cold in style. You miss this cab; you get the next one. And fortunately, I had a bit more in my arsenal than the stockbroker standing next to me to deal with that last one.

With a seductive smile, I extended one bare leg onto the street, peeking out from beneath my skin tight pencil skirt and ending in the point of my stiletto. The guy standing next to me gawked appreciatively, but his eyes narrowed as they met mine-he knew my game. Under the guise of scanning further up the street, I leaned over, letting my conservative blouse pop open an extra button or two. There was a screech of tires, followed by a gruff, "Where to, miss?"

Sneaking a winning glance back at the stockbroker, I climbed into the cab. "Financial District. The corner of Pearl and Pine."

And just like that, with little more than a smile, I sped off to my first day of work.

I leaned back against the cool leather and re-buttoned my blouse as I recited my resume under my breath. "Graduated with honors, Princeton University. Masters in Business from Harvard. Two years president of the Women's Student Association. Junior Editor, Harvard Business Review. Eighteen-month internship with Goldman Sachs."

But instead of accepting Sachs'lucrative job offer when my internment came to an end, I'd set my sights even higher. There was one financial investment firm with a reputation even more pristine than that of Goldman Sachs. A firm ranked top of their game in every field by every standard.

Blackwood.

Not 'The Blackwood Company.'Not 'The Blackwood Investment Firm.'

Just Blackwood. Like Madonna or Cher. The company didn't need further explanation. When it came to the financial community of Manhattan's upper elite-they were king. No questions asked.

So I left Goldman Sachs. Left the two hundred thousand starting salary on the table. Left to make my name with something bigger, better. Even if it did mean starting out as a low-level assistant without recognition or the chance of dental.

I was ready for this. I was overqualified. It was in the bag.

"Excuse me, sir?" I called up to the driver. "Could you pull over for just a second?"

As the cab veered close to the sidewalk, I leaned out the open door and threw up on the curb. The cabbie watched me with shrewd eyes as I patted my mouth discreetly with a tissue and sat back against the leather.

"That's all," I said weakly. "Thank you."

The eyes in the rear view softened. "You auditioning for an internship downtown?" he asked sympathetically.

"An assistant's position, actually," I corrected automatically. But my heart fell in spite of myself as I studied him right back. "Why do you ask?"

He chuckled. "I've made that last minute swerve many times now. There sure are a lot of you."

I pondered this for a moment before the competitor rose up in me and I considered the possible implications. "Wait-many of us, like, many of us today? Have you already dropped people off downtown?!"

I had left a full thirty minutes early just so I could be the first one in the door, but maybe I'd undershot it by an hour or so.

Without giving him a chance to reply, I pointed authoritatively to the right. "Avoid Lexington at all costs! Take FDR Drive-it'll shave fifteen minutes off our trip."

Precisely ten minutes later, we pulled up in front of the endless chrome skyscraper I was hoping to make my home. Despite my frantic rush, I paused inside the cab for a second, staring up toward the clouds. Suddenly, my prestigious education and impressive resume didn't mean a thing. This was Blackwood. I'd be lucky if they let me work in the mail room...

"You going in?"

I passed my credit card across the divide and straightened my blouse with trembling hands. It would be fine. They'd hire me. They had to hire me.

He handed back my card and gave me a comedic thumbs up. "Go get'em, tiger."

"Thanks."

This time, keeping my legs carefully concealed beneath my long coat, I climbed out onto the curb. There was a crispness to the air. An electric sort of energy that had nothing to do with the storm clouds piling overhead. It was the people. The collective buzzing vibrations of a group of people just like me-chomping on the bit to get inside and climb all the way to the top of those stairs. A nervous little smile crept up the side of my face, but I was quick to hide it. Only thoughtful scowls and busy frowns over here.

Then, without a backward glance, I straightened my blouse again, squared my shoulders, and filed inside with the rest of them.

After navigating my way through a tricky lobby, I signed in and took the elevator to the thirtieth floor. It seemed my cabbie had filled me with a false sense of dread. There wasn't a single person in the waiting room. I exhaled with quiet relief and made my way to the counter. Flashing an uncharacteristically warm smile at the receptionist, I signed her list as well.

"Hi, I'm Elenna Harks. I have an appointment to meet with Patti Macer at nine."

The receptionist eyed me up and down but gave me a returning smile before glancing at the clock. "You're sure early, aren't you?"

I nodded curtly. "Yes ma'am." Best to indulge her a little. It was often times no exaggeration when people said that the keys to the castle lay behind the front desk.

"Good," her eyes sparkled over her glasses, "that's how we do things here. Well, take a seat." She nodded at a few suede chairs hidden below copies of Forbes and Time. "Ms. Macer got called into an emergency meeting upstairs, so she's going to be at least twenty minutes."

"That's fine," I glanced at the chairs, before glancing at the clock. "Actually, could you point me toward the restroom?"

"Down the hall, fourth door on your right."

"Thank you."

The office was everything I'd dreamed it would be and more. Everything my friends at business school and I used to speculate about during all-nighters at the library. Behind heavily frosted glass, I could see the makings of an empire. The financial foundations-grunt work, and coffee runs-that held up the weighty structure above. This was where I would have to pay my dues. It was on these ground floors-the floors below fifty-where I'd have to claw my way up the ladder. I'd done it at Goldman and Sachs, and I'd do it here as well. The trick was to do it in the shortest possible amount of time.

I'd gotten into the game early. No gap years. Straight into my internship. Last week, I'd celebrated my twenty-fifth birthday. I was young. I was hungry. I was here.

I pushed open the door to the bathroom, pleased to see that I was the only one. After a few meditative breaths, eyeing down my reflection like some kind of 'tough love hawk,'I pulled out my new professional-colored lipstick and began to carefully apply. I'd just finished a cursory sweep when a heard a muffled sob from inside one of the stalls. My hand froze in front of my face as my eyes swept the closed doors. I was about to make a discreet exit when the door pushed open, and a woefully disheveled looking girl stumbled up to the mirror.

She was too obvious to ignore. Too distressed not to warrant some sort of action. While averting my eyes in what I took to be a sympathetic gesture, I pulled a tissue out of my bag and offered it silently her way.

"Th-thanks," she choked, taking it and wiping her smeared mascara. We accidently locked eyes in the mirror and she gave me a wry smile. "I must really look like a mess, huh?"

I dropped my gaze quickly to the counter, gathering up my purse. "No, you're fine."

"I didn't used to be like this," she continued hastily as if needing to prove herself, "I was top of my class-Stanford Law."

She glanced my way again, and I offered her a weak smile. "Harvard. Business."

She nodded approvingly, sniffing as silent tears continued to pour down her face. "I was groomed for this job, out in California. Just moved here last week. The CEO put in a request for outside help with this new merger, and I was their top pick."

I had to admit, I looked at her a little differently now. Was this weeping little waif actually my new boss? Should I have offered a second tissue?

"But I can't do it," she whispered. "I can't be here."

"Why not?" I asked before I could stop myself. I couldn't help it-I was curious. I would have done anything to be in this girl's shoes. You didn't get transferred in at the request of the CEO without having a background even more daunting than mine. And now to be falling apart in the thirtieth story bathroom? It didn't add up...

She flashed me another watery smile. "My fiancé left me."

I blinked. Not the answer I was expecting. Not an answer I remotely respected.

Her eyes cooled as she read the subtle changes in my face. "I wouldn't expect you to understand. Not a young girl like you, fresh off your internship. This must seem like the stupidest thing in the world to you."

"No, no," I mumbled half-heartedly, "not at-"

"The thing is...I don't even like finance. I like the lifestyle. I like the competition. But I don't care about the numbers." She dabbed again at her eyes. "And now, by moving here, I've lost the only thing I've ever really cared about. Jeff."

Note to self-stay away from men named Jeff. They made you crazy.

"So I'm leaving, going back. My high school sweetheart is picking me up at the airport when I fly in." She stared with fierce determination in the mirror, daring her own reflection to disagree. "I can fly back to California this afternoon and everything will go back to the way it was before. But this..." Her eyes flickered up to the ceiling, and I knew that like me, she imagined the towering skyscraper overhead. "I can't do this anymore. I hate this city with a passion. I've got to get out while I can."

With a suddenly brisk gesture, she tossed the tissue into the trash and headed toward the door. I don't know what exactly made me do it-probably just blatant disbelief at the golden opportunity she was throwing away-but I rushed after her.

"Wait," I called. She turned back around, and I struggled to find the words. "I mean...are you at least going to tell them what's going on? I've heard this new merger has everyone on their toes-they'll need to know you won't be-"

She held up a hand, and I fell silent. "I'm sure they'll muddle along without me." For the first time, her eyes sparkled as she glanced around. "What's one missing cog, right? Consider my defection payback for those years wasted at grad school. Besides, I'm pregnant. Guess that's why I'm so emotional. Good luck, honey." She winked. "Knock'em dead." Then she was gone.

Only years later would I understand the significance of that moment. The moment that Katie McGill (I eventually discovered her name) walked out of the lobby and jumped in a cab for the airport. It was the moment when my entire life suddenly altered course. The single catalyst that sparked off a chain of events that would change things forever.

All I thought at the time was, wow-what an idiot! I headed back to the waiting room still shaking my head. To give up the dream...it was unthinkable! And then to give it up for a man? I actually rolled my eyes as I settled down into a suede chair.

"So, you got your resume all memorized?" the receptionist asked me, looking up from her meticulously potted plants with a bored stare.

I tapped my forehead with a grin. "Practiced it again in the cab." I wondered how many of us rookie automatons she saw on a weekly basis. Twenty? Forty? Deciding to look it up later, I started going over my list of accomplishments

again in my head when the door suddenly slammed open, and a harried looking woman stormed inside.

"...off the phone with the Chinese liaison and they don't know what happened any more than we do. Not to mention my Cantonese is rustier than I'd like. I don't know if they were trying to set up a conference call at four o'clock on Friday, or if they were trying to order four more copies of the prints that Jamie sent over on Saturday. The translator is out sick. Like anyone gets bronchitis anymore?! Not to mention, they've sent over the mockups a full week early, and my backup girl from California has yet to make an appearance. Who's this?"

The diatribe stopped suddenly, and I realized that all eyes were on me. I stood quickly and offered out a respectful hand. "I'm Elena arL. We had an appointment to-"

The receptionist cut me off. "Ms. Macer, this is the-"

"Wait-are you her?" Patti Macer, my hopeful soon-to-be supervisor, looked at me with wide eyes, magnified even wider under her glasses. The receptionist turned my way in slow motion behind her, and for a split second, I paused.

Let me preface this next part with: this is NOT my thing. I set my sights high, but I knew that in order to get there, I'd have to spend a few years slaving in the mines. I understood the importance of hard work-I placed a premium on integrity (even if saying those two things made me sound like I was running for head of the local school board). In other words, it was not in my nature to risk it all by going out on a limb.

That being said, I was a wildly overqualified candidate applying for a two-year minimum entry level grunt job just to get my foot in the door. In the door of a company full of rabid employees who would pounce on this opportunity if given it themselves. My mind flashed back to the girl, crying in the bathroom. She hadn't told anyone she was going to leave. I hadn't told anyone where I was headed.

A strange confidence brewed inside me and I shook Macer's hand vigorously.

"Yes, I'm your girl."

And just like that, I was whisked away. Up past the nameless cubicles, past the

run-down coffee pots, the blood shot watering holes for grunts still pushing year one. All the way up to the seventieth floor. That's right, ladies and gentlemen, I'd jumped forty floors in ten minutes. Not bad for my first day on the job.

Patti Macer, my new supervisor, had been talking nonstop since my questionable introduction, and although I watched the ascending elevator floors with a fixed smirk, I was absorbing every word.

"So in short, we have about seven days to do close to two months of work. That's why we called the west coast for some backup. If we can pull this off, it'll be the third greatest merger in US history, falling short only to AOL/Time Warner and the Louisiana Purchase. Yes-we count that." She shot me a look as the doors opened and she gestured down a hall. "You and your team are going to be crunching the numbers, cold hard facts. You'll be writing the bulk of the merger yourself, literally finding a way to absorb the company without exceeding the hard limits set by the Chinese stockholders. But don't worry about the technicalities or the spin-that's why we have our PR and legal departments. Am I right?"

I nodded hastily. The higher up we'd gotten, the more papers she'd dumped into my hand. I was now a walking file cabinet, trying desperately to balance the small library she'd handed me while keeping pace and not tripping on my new heels. When she stopped suddenly, I almost had a coronary.

"This is going to be your office. Mine is right down the hall. The rest of the team is scattered around this floor. There's a staff meeting every morning at eight and the work day begins at eight-thirty-not a second later. You okay with that?"

I opened my mouth to answer, but I was still staring into the office-stunned. You don't really know what seventy floors up feels like until you're standing on the inside, looking out. It was like I was in my own piece of workplace heaven. Abright cherry wood desk lay directly across from two thick leather chairs. There was also a sofa pushed up against the walls for what I assumed would be many over-nighters. The obligatory potted plant sat neatly trimmed in the corner, and tasteful, forgetful art hung on the walls. But none of that was anything compared to the view. I dropped the papers on the desk-my desk-and wandered to the window. The entire city stretched out below, twinkling and beeping faintly in the distance. The noisy grit and rush reduced to a pleasant background hum.

"Harks?"

I jumped and turned around. Macer was staring at me impatiently.

"Something wrong with the office? It's probably not as fancy as what you're used to."

"No," I recovered myself quickly. "The office is fine-it's all fine. I'll get started familiarizing myself with this and see you tomorrow at the staff meeting."

She chuckled and took me by the arm, leading me back out into the hall. "Ideally, that's exactly what I'd like to have you do. Only now-we don't have the time. This thing came down the pipe a full seven days early, and it's all hands on deck. I'm afraid you'll have to get up to speed later-we have a meeting right now."

"Oh, okay." I stumbled along behind her, eyes scanning quickly around the office as I tried to get my bearings. "Who's the meeting with?"

A door opened in front of me and my stomach fell to the floor.

It was Abe Blackwood. The CEO himself.

An unnatural hush fell over the entire floor as he walked out into the hall. His white hair was impeccably styled over a stiff suit that I was sure cost more than my first and second apartments combined. Avintage Rolex poked out beneath his left sleeve, just below a pair of what I swear was Theodore Roosevelt's personal cufflinks.

"Hello, Patti," he barked as he passed her.

"Hello, Mr.Blackwood." He disappeared down the hall, and she turned back to me. "That's the meeting." Her voice was still hoarse as hushed as conversations began to pick back up around us. "Now I know you're kind of being thrown into the middle of this-but are you going to be okay?"

I read through to her real question as easily as if she'd said it aloud. You're not going to make me look stupid, are you? I smiled with that same mask of confidence and straightened to my full height. "I got this."

"Good," she mumbled as she pushed her way inside, "because we're in for a hell of a ride. But we know you're the best. It's why we sent for you."

I went to follow her when a sudden wave of nerves made me stop. It was the same feeling I had when I got out of the cab and stood on the curb, looking up at the building. Talk about high stakes, this was about as high as it got. What exactly had I gotten myself into?

A hand on my lower back made me start in surprise.

"You going in? Or are you just going to stand here looking?"