All’s Fair in Love and War

Stuart and I had always been competitive with each other at the bank we worked for. Having started on almost the same day, we became friends, and we had worked our way through various departments of the bank, often getting promoted over the other, but within a few months whoever had been left behind would always find themselves in a similar position. It was a friendly rivalry that left many people at the bank gossiping about whether or not we were having an affair!

A few years after we had started, a position came up that would accelerate whoever got the job into the upper ranks of senior administration within the bank. I was desperate to get that job, and devastated when I discovered that Stuart, who had previously had no interest in following this particular career path, was suddenly keen to go for it as well. I became convinced that he was only doing it to outdo me, and our small and friendly rivalry became my obsession. I was going to get that job, no matter what it took!

As it happened, Stuart had his interview with the Director of Accounts and Loans first. He came out, full of confidence, and there was much handshaking and backslapping from other men in the office. For the first time in our careers, I became worried that Stuart might actually get the job over me because he was part of “the boys’ club”. I’d never even given my being a woman a moment’s thought, but suddenly, it concerned me a great deal that I might somehow be thought of as less qualified. I knew I was going to have to take drastic action.

In retrospect, what I did was probably exactly what I should not have done, considering I was trying to be taken seriously as a woman in management. But I couldn’t think straight; every waking thought became about getting that job over Stuart. We were the only two employees in contention, and I had to have the position. I went into my interview wearing the lowest cut top I could find, with a brand new bra that amplified my cleavage. I pulled out my tightest short skirt, highest heels, and wore bright red lipstick to work for the first time. I still looked professional, but I also looked like a seductress – and that was exactly what I planned to do in my interview: seduce the boss!