Chapter 13: Clig HeelsOne bck pump and then the swung free from the taxi and found pavement. The young woman lifted from the car, finding her bah fidence despite the pencil-thi-timetre heels. She tugged her pencil skirt into pce, the fabric hugging slender legs sheathed in dark and sleek in nylon, just above the khe automated car silently drove away as the girl turned her eyes upwards.
Office towers formed an imposing cage of glittering gss and cold crete looming against a grey sky. Larger-than-life ss fshed with the day’s news: puter-rendered images of a virus o graphic plotting iion numbers with a jagged, ever-rising line; images of the intensifying flict out East; the arrest of a major celebrity after the revetion of her real gehe bulk of a ship, a slowly-spinning silhouette against an inky carpet of glittering stars, crossing the long dark betweeh and Mars. Market figures scrolled along the periphery, oblivious to the stories of human tragedy and triumph at their tre.
Meanwhile, a strong June wind blew, warm and hinting at rain. It pulled at her clothes. She nervously smoothed down invisible wrinkles in her skirt, tugged at her blouse and passed a quick hand through her hair—a futile a as the wiurned and pulled it nearly horizontal, a wheat-blonde wave that swirled about her head.
Eight in the m and people already throhe pza, briefly clumping together at small kiosks selling coffee and food before breaking off and streaming into the buildings. They walked purposefully past as she stood momentarily bemused. She gave her head a little shake before joining the flow. Her stride was kept short by her slim skirt. She kept her purse close to her side. A forced smile at her carefully painted lips failed to hide the fact she visibly struggled to trol the nervousness of a young woman’s first day at a new job. The click of her shoes against the whitewashed cobblesto unheard among the many other women headed in the same dire.
Taking a deep breath, she stepped into the building.
Her shoulder banged painfully against the heavy gss door. It failed to budge from her ush. She cursed something distinctly undylike under her breath and struggled briefly with the door but found little purchase in heels.
“Need a little help?”
She swallowed her frustration and looked up past the arm that reached across her. “Um . . . yes,” she murmured, smiliantly at the taller man who easily pushed the door open for her. “Thank you,” she added, her gaze dropping demurely away as she stepped into the building.
“Hey, no problem,” the man said, followihrough, hesitating briefly and then moving away towards the elevators. She gnced back. So did he. He was young and well-dressed. Clear blue eyes danced away from her ass and the man grinned apologetically at being caught out. A small smile and a farewell flutter of her hand, and she strode purposefully towards the reception desk. Her steps sounded lainst the marbled fl but again, so did all the clig heels of the women crossing the lobby.
“Yes?” The portly man behind the rge desk, after a brief study of her breasts, turned his full attention to the girl. “ I help you?”
“Hi,” she said and smiled. “My name is dy . . . dy Belmy. I’m here for the interview?”
