Anything You Can Do(44)

She sat up, turned her pillow over, lay back on the fresh, cool side. She had to get control of her errant emotions. But Austin's image intruded again, exciting her even in his absence.

She flipped on the lamp and reached for a book, selecting a thriller, hoping that would divert her thoughts.

*~*~*

The next morning as she sat in a partners' meeting for the first time, Bailey tried to regain her former excitement over that achievement. Looking at the six men gathered around the conference room table, she reminded herself that she would be the first woman partner. That was something to be proud of.

But her victory felt oddly hollow. Surely, she told herself, this lack of enthusiasm couldn't be the result of her problems with Austin. Surely she had more control than that.

She stared at the few drops of sludge left in her cup.

Maybe a little more caffeine…

"Stafford," she said, "I'm going for more coffee before we get started here. Anyone want me to bring them some?"

Seated at the head of the table, Stafford waved his cigar at her. "Sit down. Paula's on her way with coffee and rolls."

Good, Bailey thought, settling back into the chair.

Surely caffeine and sugar would improve her mood, banish her distressing memories of the night before.

"What we're here to discuss," Stafford boomed, interrupting her thoughts, "is a merger offer from a larger firm."

That was one way to wake up, Bailey thought, accepting a copy of the offer. First you learn you're going to be a partner, then you're not sure with which firm or how far down the roll. She listened with a growing sense of horror as Stafford hit the high points, named names.

Austin Travers.

Somehow it didn't surprise her that her nemesis in one area of her life was intruding into another.

"Take a couple of minutes to skim over this. You can read it in detail later. Then tell me what you think," Stafford ordered.

A couple of quick knocks sounded on the door, and Paula squeezed in, balancing a large tray holding a pot of coffee and a huge plate of sweet rolls.

"You're a lifesaver," Bailey said as Paula set the tray in the middle of the table.

"Can I get you anything else?" she asked the room at large.

"Looks like we're set," Stafford answered, and Paula turned and left the room.

Secretaries always served coffee, but this time Bailey felt strange about it. Paula was her friend. Paula was a part of any group she was a part of. Paula didn't serve food like a waitress and then disappear.

"I think we ought to consider the offer," Hollis Montgomery, the only partner under the age of forty, announced. "That guy they sent over from St. Louis is doing some good things with that firm. They're on the move, streamlining their operation. It's a real chance for us to grow."

"I don't like it," Edmund Bradshaw, second in seniority to Stafford, droned. "We're doing all right by ourselves, been doing all right for a lot of years."

"What's wrong with doing better than all right?" Eugene Lawson queried.

"How much better do you want to do?" Milton Chandler asked. "Between our salaries, bonuses, perks, and side investments, everybody’s been worried about tax shelters, not about meeting the mortgage payments."

Bailey studied Stafford Morris' face as the debate continued. He looked uninvolved, almost bored.

He already knew what everyone would say, she realized. Six partners. That's why I was invited. To break the tie. But on which side was he counting her? She'd have to try to think about this objectively.

"What's your opinion, Stafford?" she asked, her first comment since the discussion had begun.

"I agree with everybody," he growled around his cigar, his eyes squinted against the spiraling smoke. "There's advantages and disadvantages, and which ones are important will be a personal call for all of us." Without raising his head, he blew a stream of smoke toward the ceiling. "How about you?"

She nodded slowly. "I need to think about all the ramifications."

That pretty much told her which side he was going to come down on. Stafford was comfortable where he was, big fish in a little pond, king of the mountain. Which meant he probably expected her to vote against the offer too. Another aspect of the situation she'd have to ignore in making her decision.

"Be back here Monday morning," Stafford said when Hollis Montgomery slammed his fist onto the table in response to Edmund Bradshaw's latest statement. "We'll fight some more and then take a vote."