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.Inez, her receptionist-secretary looked guilty and quickly got off the phone.More child careproblems.How could women ever get ahead when the burden of child care always fell onthem? Portia took in the calm elegance of the open office area with its cool green walls andlow, Asian-inspired black couches.Her three assistants were at their desks, which were setapart with stylish parchment screens set in black lacquer frames.Ranging in age from twenty-two to twenty-nine, her assistants scouted the city's trendiest clubs and handled all the initialinterviews.Portia had hired them for their connections, brains, and looks.They were requiredto wear black on the job: simple, elegant dresses; slacks with classic tops; and well-fittingjackets.She had more latitude, and today she'd chosen pearl gray Ralph Lauren: a summer-weight cardigan, tailored blouse, pencil skirt, and pearls, all set off with lavender stilettos thathad a girly bow across the vamp.There were no clients in the office, so she made the dreaded announcement."It's that day ofthe week, everybody.Chop, chop.Let's get the agony over with."SuSu Kaplan groaned."I'm getting my period.""You were getting your period last week," Portia replied."No excuses." Only her controllerfile:///C|/Downloads/Susan%20Elizabeth%20Phillips%20-%20Match%20Me%20If%20You%20Can%20(v1.0).html (44 of 329)10/12/2005 17:39:41SEp Match me if you canand the computer guru who ran the Power Matches Web site were exempt from this weeklyritual, since they didn't deal directly with clients.Besides, they were men, and didn't that justsay it all?Portia walked toward her private office."You, too, Inez.""I'm the receptionist," Inez protested."I don't have to be in the clubs at night."Portia ignored her.They all wanted the prestige of working for Power Matches, but nobodywanted the hard work and the discipline that went along with it.Discipline turns the dreaminto reality.How many times had she said those words to the women she mentored at theCommunity Small Business Initiative? And how many times had they chosen to ignore her?Kiki Ono had a chipper smile on her face, and Briana didn't seem too worried, but if SuSuKaplan kept frowning that way she'd need Botox before she hit thirty.Inside Portia's office,half a dozen curry-colored ceramic pieces provided the only decorative accessories in a spacedominated by glass, straight lines, and hard surfaces.Her personal preferences ran towardsofter, more feminine interiors, but she believed a woman's office should project authority.Men could surround themselves with all the bowling trophies and family photos they wanted,but female executives didn't have that luxury.As she made her way into her private bathroom, she heard the rustle of shoes and jackets beingremoved, the chink of discarded belts and bracelets.She slid the glass-and-chrome precisionscale from beneath the pedestal sink with the pointed toe of her lavender Christian Louboutins,then picked it up and carried it out to the black marble office floor.By the time she extractedthe chart she needed from her desk, SuSu had stripped down to a navy bra and panty set."Who's brave enough to go first?""I will." Briana Olsen, a willowy Scandinavian beauty, mounted the scale."One hundred and twenty." Portia noted the weight on her chart."You've picked up a poundsince last month, but with your height, that's not a problem.Your manicure, though& " Shegestured toward the chipped mocha polish on Briana's index finger."Honestly, Briana, howmany times do I have to tell you? Appearances are everything.Get it fixed.Inez, you're next."Inez's extra pounds were a foregone conclusion, but she had fabulous skin, a marvelous touchwith makeup, and a way of putting clients at ease.Besides, the reception desk was highenough to cover the worst of her chub."If you ever want to get another husband& "file:///C|/Downloads/Susan%20Elizabeth%20Phillips%20-%20Match%20Me%20If%20You%20Can%20(v1.0).html (45 of 329)10/12/2005 17:39:41SEp Match me if you can"I know, I know," Inez said."One of these days I'll get serious."Kiki, always a team player, took the heat off her."My turn," she chirped.Flipping her silkyblack hair over one shoulder, she stepped on the scale."One hundred and two pounds," Portia noted."Excellent.""It's a lot easier when you're Asian," SuSu said sullenly."Asian women are small-boned.I'mJewish."As she reminded them at every weigh-in.But SuSu had a degree from Brown and connectionsto some of the wealthiest families on the North Shore.With her great hair incredible caramelhighlights and her infallible eye for fashion, she radiated a Jennifer Aniston kind of sexappeal.Unfortunately, she didn't have Aniston's body.Portia gestured toward the scale."Let'sput you out of your misery."SuSu balked."I want to go on record.I find this demeaning and insulting.""Possibly.But it's also for your own good, so up you go."She reluctantly climbed on.Portia noted the number with a sigh."One hundred and twenty-seven pounds." Unlike Inez, SuSu had no desk to hide behind.She was out in the clubsrepresenting Power Matches."Everybody else, back to work.SuSu, we have to talk."SuSu hooked a lock of that gleaming hair behind her ear and looked sullen.Kiki shot her asympathetic glance then filed out with the others.SuSu picked up her black Banana Republicsheath and held it in front of her."This is discriminatory and illegal.""My lawyer disagrees, and the employment contract you signed is clear.We talked about thisbefore I hired you, remember? Personal appearance is paramount in this business, and I put mymoney where my standards are.No one offers the bonuses and benefits that I do.In my mindthat means I deserve to be a little demanding.""But I'm the best associate you have.I want to be judged by my work, not by how much Iweigh.""Then grow a penis." SuSu still didn't understand that Portia had their best interests at heart."Did you even try?""Yes, but ""How tall are you?" Portia knew the answer, but she wanted SuSu to come to terms with thisfile:///C|/Downloads/Susan%20Elizabeth%20Phillips%20-%20Match%20Me%20If%20You%20Can%20(v1.0).html (46 of 329)10/12/2005 17:39:41SEp Match me if you canherself."Five feet four.""Five feet four and one hundred twenty-seven pounds." She leaned against the hard glass ridgeof her desktop."I'm four inches taller.Let's see how much I weigh." Ignoring the resentmentin SuSu's eyes, she slipped off her shoes and sweater, dropped the pearls on her desk, andstepped on the scale."One hundred and twenty-two.I'm up a bit.Oh, well.No carbs for metonight." She stepped back into her shoes."Do you see how easy it is? If I don't like what I seeon the scale, I cut back."SuSu collapsed on the couch, her eyes filling with tears."I'm not you [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]