Page 16 of Forty, Flirty & Fired

"Maybe I'm here because you offered me a job when you should have called security." She moves toward the door, pause. "Or maybe I'm here because sometimes the best way to change things is from the inside."

"Is that what you believe?"

"I believe," she says, hand on the doorknob, "that you didn't get where you are by asking questions you don't want answered."

She leaves before I can respond. Smart woman.

My phone buzzes - another notification from @MizzByteMyAlgos:

"BREAKING: When tech bros talk about 'adapting,' check your stock options. Change is coming to Silicon Valley North, and not everyone's gonna survive the disruption. #TechTakeover #WatchThisSpace"

I close the notification, thinking about Ms. Gallo's untouched coffee, about the way she'd tensed at Gerald's mention of the blogger.

The snow falls harder outside my window, coating Seattle in white. Perfect weather for secrets.

I pick up my phone, dialing my assistant Emma. "Bring me Ms. Gallo's employee file. The complete one, not the sanitized version HR keeps."

"Sir?" Emma's hesitation carries through the line. "That file is... extensive."

"Good." I watch another flurry of snow blur the Seattle skyline. “I’d like to know exactly who I hired."

6

NUMBERS DON'T LIE (BUT PEOPLE DO)

MACKENZIE

Here's something they don't teach you in corporate sensitivity training: how to handle discovering that your new employer's paying women thirty percent less than men in the same roles. Especially when you're supposed to be fixing their culture, not exposing it.

"These numbers can't be right." I rub my eyes, staring at my laptop screen. It's nearly midnight, and I've been combing through Drake Enterprises' salary data for hours. The rows of numbers blur together, but the pattern is clear. And infuriating.

"Still here?"

I jump, slamming my laptop shut with a resoundingthwackthat echoes off the walls.

That thwack was earned. Because when Alexander Drake is standing in your doorway, jacket off, sleeves rolled up, looking decidedly scrumptious, it might not be a good idea to advertise that he’s about to feature prominently in your next blog takedown.

"Just…” I reach into the nearest corners of my mind. “You know, getting to know my new workplace," I slide the salary spreadsheet under a stack of papers. "What's your excuse?"

"My office is next door, remember?" He steps in, loosening his tie. "I could ask why you're analyzing confidential payroll data at midnight."

My heart does a quick dance. "How did you?—"

"The reflection in your glass wall." He gestures to the fishbowl I call an office. "Salary information has a very distinct format."

"Ah." I lean back, mind racing. "Well, as your new Corporate Culture Consultant, I need to understand all aspects of the company. Including compensation."

"Including the gender pay gap?"

Now my heart really does the salsa. "I don't know what you're?—"

"Please." He drops into the chair across from my desk. "You've been muttering about percentage discrepancies for the past hour. These walls aren't as soundproof as HR claims."

"Maybe I just really like math."

"Maybe." His green eyes fix on mine. "Or maybe you're wondering why a company that claims to value fairness is still paying women significantly less than men in similar positions."

Well. This conversation just got interesting.

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