Rub Me the Right Way(69)

Even though Leslie knew that Evan was not happy, it didn’t stop him from ogling her otherwise prominent assets. She never claimed to be pure, as the driven snow. There were guys that found her to be quite attractive, but there were also times that she felt like they were looking at her with distaste. Her curves were her best feature, but it was her attitude that made most men think that she wasn’t worth the effort. Outside the office, she was a little different, but still standoffish when it came to men and their advances.

The posting would be on the board in a few minutes and she could almost hear the gasp of disapproval from those men that were still living in the Stone Age. The girls would most likely think that she was doing them a favor, but there would be others that would believe that she was only doing it to get underneath the skin of the men.

Being an only child, Leslie had never had what she considered to be a normal upbringing. Her parents were scientists and they believed that anything that was worth doing was worth doing right. She felt like they were helicopter parents. Anything that she did, she felt like she could do better. It was their accusing eyes and disappointment that made her strive for excellence. She did not settle for second best in her life or personal life. It was the reason why her relationships never lasted more than a couple of months. She always found some kind of fault that would lead to the man in her life to walk out that door and never look back.

It almost was like music to her ears, as the posting was made. The collective gasp and the murmurs in the crowd were not unexpected. She got some dirty looks from the guys and some thumbs up from the girls. There were a couple of guys that started to laugh at her expense and she knew exactly how to exact some sort of revenge. Somebody was going to have to work weekends and overtime and apparently Steven and Joseph had just volunteered.

It was nice to be in a position of power. It was the one aspect of her life that she believed that she had control over, even though her personal life was dismal at best. She could never get over how men constantly stared at her like a piece of meat or tried these lame come ons that sounded too ridiculous to even mention in public. There were those cheesy ones that made her shake her head and there were those that were creative, but still just as sleazy. They would’ve gotten more flies with honey. Asking her out for a drink or going to dinner or a movie would’ve been a good first step.

She was tall at 5’9, 180 pounds and there was no substitute for her flaming red hair. What most people didn’t realize was that the carpet didn’t match the drapes. Nobody really knew much about her and the fact that she really didn’t like sports had never come up in conversation.

She got this little giddy thrill out of knowing that she was making people uncomfortable. The guys in particular were not exactly happy and showed their displeasure by turning a blind eye to her. It was only after she called them on the carpet that they would have to abide by her wishes or hit the highway.

Leslie took her love of the fifties and turned her drab clothing into a fashion forward. She especially loved wearing pants suits. It made her feel like she was literally wearing the pants in the company. She did like to flaunt what god gave her and didn’t mind showing off the boulders on her chest. She kind of found it to be a wicked release of endorphins to make the men stumble all over themselves in her presence. At first, she blushed at their awkward attempts to see down her blouse. After a while, she started to make a game out of how to make them squirm in their seats.

“You really don’t have any boundaries, Leslie. I applaud you for throwing your name into the hat, but these guys are not exactly happy with you. It has always been one of them that wins every year and now you have the possibility of taking what they think is theirs. I think it’s a damn shame that they still don’t understand that women can do what men can and maybe better. Every time that you do something like this, I have to bow down. You’re paving the way for the rest of us. You’re breaking those glass ceilings, not unlike those women that found a way to vote.” Tammy Marx had seen a real shift in attitude around here. It all came from Leslie stepping on some toes and making herself the one that everybody feared.

“I’m doing this for all of womankind. There has to be a time and place where we can stand and say that we’ve had enough. Do you think that I got where I am by giggling at some owners joke. I live on my talent and I let my credentials speak for themselves. I’m not saying that I don’t like the attention. Every woman dresses to impress and we would be lying to ourselves if we said that we didn’t want them to look.” Leslie had never wanted to be in a position of power, but her parents had taught her that life was about making statements.





Chapter two

Two weeks went by with people walking around on eggshells. Those that dared to speak up in defiance for what she had done by entering into the pool was made an example out of. Leslie had no problems teaching that lesson with long hours and very little pay. It became a matter of a dare amongst the men to see who was going to say something. Those that were made an example certainly did make others take a step back and rethink their strategy.

After the first week, they started to realize that the chances of her winning were astronomical. She was one woman in a pool of 50 men. For her name to be chosen at random would’ve been tantamount to lightning striking some place twice. They decided that they would let the chips fall where they may. It was sound thinking. They were beginning to see that Leslie was not a woman to be messed with.

It was the big day and everyone was going to have the chance to have a VIP experience with the local NFL football team. To her credit, Leslie had begun to do her own research on the sport. It was kind of barbaric, but the very first time that she sat down to watch a game, she became mesmerized by the strategy of the sport. It didn’t hurt that those hot little bodies were encased in the tightest uniforms known to man. They definitely didn’t have a shy bone in their body and the uniform really was appealing to her eye.

At the end of the day, everybody crowded around to see who was going to have the honor this year. While they really didn’t believe that she would win, but the very fact that she was in the pool was a big step forward. Hopefully next year a few other women would follow suit and before you know it there would be a contingent of 50% men and 50% women. She had lofty goals of changing the world one stereotype at a time.

“As always to avoid any kind of suspicion the janitor from the next building over will be responsible for choosing a name at random.” The guys were begging the gods to step in on their behalf. They had their lucky rabbit’s foot and even deals with the devil, but in the end Leslie’s name was chosen. People were in shock and walked around in a daze like they couldn’t believe that this had really happened.

Leslie was congratulated on her big win, but it was mostly to save face. The girls were elated and they made a spectacle out of taking her to her office and getting her ready. A new dress, makeup and a hairstyle was exactly what was needed.

Giggles of enthusiasm were followed by Leslie walking from the office in her business attire. She made sure to shake what her mom gave her all the way down to the limo that was waiting at the front door. The driver was slightly taken back by the fact that there was a woman in the seat in behind him. She was beautiful. In his home country, she would’ve been a sought after commodity.

She had the dress beside her, but she didn’t want to feed into the egos of the players. To show up like some hooker from the street would be sending a bad message.

“In all the years that I’ve driven the winner to the stadium, I’ve never had anything like a beauty like you. I have to admit that you bring a certain class and style to all of this. You’re certainly not going to scratch yourself or belch and that itself is a step up in my opinion.” Carlos was hired by the stadium to bring the winner into the locker room personally. He bypassed security and went directly into the main parking lot “Don’t let those boys intimidate you, miss. We all put our pants on one leg at a time.” Being a gentleman, Carlos opened the door and escorted her through the security measures put in place to make sure that the players were safe from scrutiny.

“Oh no…there’s no way that I can allow you to go back there. It’s unheard of for a woman to see the men in their current state of undress.”

“I’m afraid that I have to insist. This is not any different than when a female reporter goes back to interview after a big game. They may not like it, but they do tend to play along for the sake of appearances. They’re just going to have to get used to the fact that I’m the one that they’re going to have to impress. If you don’t want a lawsuit, you will stand down and let me pass without any further interruptions.” Giving a sigh of resignation, the guard moved away from the entrance to the hallway.

Carlos gave her a round of applause that was met by her turning with a crimson expression on her face. She was embarrassed, but she was secretly happy that this man had found her to be charming. Leslie had already seen the wedding ring on his finger and knew that he was considered off the market.

“Brock, you should be more careful about what you say. We do have feelings and if you’re not careful, you might find yourself alone out there on the field. You may think that you are special, but to us you’re nothing. It would be good for you to remember that there is no I in team” Brock stood at his gigantic 6’5 statue and stared with a smirk on his face. The players hadn’t exactly welcoming him with a glad hand. He had just finished shaving his head and putting himself through the paces in the weight room to make his black body that much more appealing to those women groupies.