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Rosalinda Thomas and Abigail Rose had founded the company. Ros was CEO, and there were no chinks in her armor. She had a sharp, New York City native expression, her multi-faceted blue eyes holding a vast pool of business savvy and intuitive judgment. When Skye spoke to Ros, or any of the other women, she was paying attention. Close attention.
Rosalinda was attractive, not beautiful, the physical appeal integrated with an intense charisma that conveyed confidence. If she told a client it would happen, the client would have no reason to doubt it.
She also had some humanizing tells. She liked to flip and tap a pen end to end on the table as she talked or processed. She was in close nonverbal communication with the other women, a lot of eye contact, slight shifts of the body or minute facial expressions. The other two women had faith in their CEO’sleadership. And, important to Skye’s assessment of working for TRA, they respected her.
When Ros rose during the meeting to replenish her coffee, her four-inch stilettos drew Skye’s attention. The upper was a deep blue that matched the blouse under her tailored short black jacket. The shoes were tipped in silver at the toe. From the back, that embellishment spread out into a serpentine scroll along the sides. Her fitted skirt displayed excellent legs and a toned body. The unexpected shoe choice said Ros was vain in an indulgent, harmless way. She enjoyed being who she was, with no apologies.
Abigail was astonishingly beautiful. Sunrise gold-red hair and cat-shaped hazel eyes, coupled with a figure and complexion that celebrities would sell their soul to get. She inspired a heart-tightening poignancy Skye couldn’t quite interpret, as if something about her was fragile. However, her quiet competence and command of numbers made it clear why she was TRA’s CFO and co-founder of the successful boutique firm. When she engaged with Skye, she had the same natural listening skills that Ros did.
Abby’s southern roots softened Ros’s edges in a New Orleans setting. She moved in seamlessly on certain points that Ros would have stated more brusquely, but in the way of all good partnerships, they complemented one another’s strengths. As Ros passed behind Abby’s chair, Skye noted she dropped her hand on the back of it. The incidental brush of Abby’s shoulder spoke of the connection they had. Family, even if not by blood.
Vera had an openness to her that could easily disarm, making a person reveal far more than they’d intended about themselves. Not a bad trait for the HR and legal arm of the business. Intelligence gleamed in translucent gray eyes. Her long black hair had been pulled back and held with combs, revealing the shaved sides beneath and the rings along the shells of her ears.Her wet, burgundy lips pursed with interest at Skye’s responses, one dark brow often arching before she’d punctuate the curiosity with a pleased smile at Skye’s answer.
The scoop neck of her gray silk shirt revealed a silver pentagram. The shirt was belted over cream-colored slacks. The less common religious icon said TRA respected the individuality of their staff. If she had any doubt of that, Bastion, their office manager, completely eradicated it.
The office admin had the physique of an NFL quarterback and a runway model’s fashion sense. His dark locs went to his waist and were tied back with a braided cord. The twists of silver and purple picked up the colors of his short-sleeved dress shirt and black slacks. The buckle on his belt was a Chinese dragon’s head, its serpentine body winding through the first belt loop on one side.
She’d seen that when he rose to refill his tea. He gestured to Vera, apparently a fellow tea drinker, and she nodded, passing her mug to him via Abby. The mug was gray, with the purple, silver and black TRA rose and fleur-de-lis logo. When Bastion returned it to her with her preferred blend, Vera gave him a thumbs up and a sign of shivery bliss when she took a sip.
All those details formed potential stories and positive impressions in Skye’s mind. Ros and Abby had samples of her marketing, graphic design, web and social platform capabilities, but it was clear the call was about establishing rapport.
They treated her with respect, as if she was already worthy of being accepted in their circle. They asked all the right questions, open to learning what they didn’t know, willing to respect her skills and integrate them into their business goals.
When Ros exchanged a significant glance with the others, receiving slight nods, Skye assumed the call was being brought to an end. Instead, Ros showed her that the decision had been made on their side.
“Look, the salary we can offer is good, but you can earn more doing what you’re doing. Probably already are. But since you agreed to this interview, I’m guessing there are other things you value that we can provide.”
The shrewd blue eyes gazed into the camera. “I’m currently looking at a senior account manager I feel will be a good fit with us. If she comes on board, that and the person in the position I’m offering you will be the five-spoke wheel that will take TRA where Abby and I see it going. This executive team won’t be about making sure you’re at work on time or counting your sick days. We’ll be working damn hard to take this company to the next level. As long as you’re contributing to that, we’d see you as a partner.”
Those feelings inside her increased. She was good on her own, strong on her own, and yes, making more than the sizeable salary Ros was putting on the table. But she liked these people. Their drive, their professionalism, and the way they bounced off each other, the bonds they displayed. She felt an inexplicable kinship with them, and they hadn’t even met face to face.
She wasn’t a coward. But Skye took one more second to enjoy the possibilities, then steeled herself. “I’d like a couple of days to consider the offer,” she typed, the voice projecting the appropriate level of interest. “But I’d like to give you time to do the same. I haven’t disclosed one issue you might feel isn’t the best fit for your business.”
She hated the term, but it worked.
Ros’s brow rose. True to the qualities Skye already appreciated about her, the CEO didn’t rush to assure her without knowing what “it” was. “All right. Lay it on us.”
She ripped off the band-aid in a calm voice. “I’m speaking to you with a voice app. I routinely use it to communicate with clients. I’m mute. I’m not deaf, but I can’t speak, due to a childhood accident.”
Ros blinked once, then glanced at Vera, Abby and Bastion. Skye quelled the childish urge to disconnect the call. She steeled herself for the rejection, already prepping herself to contain pointless anger and frustration. Keeping the software on the “pleasant” setting was useful for that. An additional advantage to electronic voices; she could cover the stronger ones she might be feeling.
Though not so much if she typed “Fuck off.” She wouldn’t do that here. Instead, she composed agonizingly polite responses in her head during the handful of seconds before Ros spoke again.
When she did, Skye found herself, well…speechless.
“I knew that before our first contact, Ms. Sumner. We didn’t consider it a factor in our decision.”
Not “we were so amazed by your ability to ‘overcome,’” the inspiration porn and praise that made her cringe. Nor the careful retreat she’d feared. Simply, “we didn’t consider it a factor.”
Her fingers trembled over her keyboard. Though she told herself she was getting overly emotional, making her prone to exaggeration, she felt like a door had been unlocked and she’d been invited in. Welcomed.
“I’m looking for a specific fit with this team and company,” Ros continued. “So when I saw the work you’d done for several other firms, I did my research. I thought it odd no company tried to grab you up right after college. Or even during. So I had Bastion follow up with a couple of the firms that turned you down.”
Bastion raised his cup of tea toward the camera. “The best spy network there is—admin and executive assistants.”
Skye wasn’t sure how to respond, until Ros bared her teeth in a feral smile. “If you honor us by joining the team, I’ll send those companies a fruit basket, thanking them for their short-sightedness.”
Abby took over, her expression sobering. “We won’t put you on the spot, but if that was your reason for being audio-only, would you like to go to video now?”
