style="font-size:15px;"> “Please, call me Derek.”
“Yes, sir…yes, Derek.”
Derek crossed his legs and leaned back in his chair. “A Bruin, huh?”
“Proudly,” Callie said and smiled at his reference to her alma mater, UCLA.
“It almost cost you,” he said. “But you did your penance at Georgetown. Professor Watkins told me you are his pride and joy.”
Callie was a bit uncomfortable by the compliment, but remained confident, “I did okay.”
“Top of your class?” Derek asked. “I’d say you did a bit better than okay.”
She toyed with the sapphire ring on her middle finger. “I enjoyed my time there. But as you can see, I’m ready to move on.”
Callie had been destined for big things from an early age. Born in Kingston, Pennsylvania in 1982, she competed as a three-sport athlete at Wyoming Valley West High School in the late nineties and landed on the honor roll every semester. Voted first team all-state in both basketball and softball, Callie captained her teams to two State Championships in each sport. During her sophomore year, she won the Pennsylvania Junior Miss Pageant and spent most of her free time fulfilling her duties across the state, then vowed never to do it again.
After graduation, Callie chose to attend UCLA on a full athletic scholarship, forgoing an Ivy League education for a chance to compete on softball’s highest level and live somewhere warm. She pitched and played shortstop on three National Championship teams for the Bruins then capped off her athletic career with an Olympic gold medal as a member of the United States Women’s Softball team at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens. Having decided to leave college after only three years, Callie attended Georgetown Law School where she graduated first in her class. It was because of that success and hard work that she was sitting in Derek’s office and interviewing for the job of her dreams.
“Human resources was very impressed with your previous interviews and that’s why you are one of the two candidates we’re still considering for this position. However, Barry and I feel you’re the best one for the job.”
Barry bobbed his head and smiled at Callie. He said nothing. She wondered for a moment what exactly Barry did at the firm. His expensive suit and Bruno Mali shoes did little to cover up his thinning black hair and uncomfortable smile. It was evident from the outset that he did not possess the same confidence that Derek did. She assumed that Barry was the managing partner while Derek excelled at the hand-grabbing and schmoozing that’s required on the Hill.
“By the time most applicants get to us, they’re all questioned out. The good news is, we only ask one.” Derek smiled at her again. “Why do you want to work at our firm?”
Callie slipped her hair behind her left ear, exposing a silver bamboo hoop earring, which drew the attention of both men. She clasped her hands together and rested them on top of her knee, before giving her answer.
“I want to help people, nothing more, nothing less. Far too many citizens in this country are disenfranchised and feel they have no say in our political process. I want to be their voice. I want to make a difference in the lives of people who don’t have access to the decision-makers.”
As Callie answered his question, Derek stared at the stunning young woman who sat across from him. He was distracted by her heart-shaped face and the light brown hair that fell slightly below her shoulders. He did his best to remain professional, but her long legs kept drawing his eyes back to them.
“Callie, we think you are exactly what we’re looking for,” Derek said, finally lifting his eyes to meet hers.
Barry Miller all but confirmed Callie’s original assessment of the partnership. “Ms. Wheeler, we’ve had quite a number of accomplished lawyers apply for this position, but no one has impressed our committee more than you have. We would like to offer you a job here at Miller & Gladstone. You’ll start at $140,000.00 with full benefits.”
“All we need to know from you is, would you like to work here?” asked Derek.
Callie had waited weeks to hear those words and took no time at all in giving her response. “When can I start?”
Derek handed her a contract. Callie spent a few minutes reading the fine print, much to the approval of the two men sitting across from her. “If you have any questions, Callie, please do not hesitate to ask,” Derek said.
“We know how daunting something like this can be,” Barry said, playing his part in the double team approach.
Callie signed the contract and handed it back to Barry who placed it on the coffee table in front of her. Derek stood up and held out his hand. “We shall see you in the morning, Ms. Wheeler.”
Callie was barely able to contain her excitement, having landed the job she had wanted since her sophomore year in college. She gracefully stood up from the couch and met Derek’s hand. “Thank you for the opportunity.”
“It is great to have you aboard.”
A few moments later, Callie confidently strolled out of Derek’s office. Her smile extended from ear to ear. Standing in the lobby, it struck her that she would be working a few short blocks away from the most powerful legislative body in the world. Not bad for a small town girl, she thought.
“How cool is this?” Callie said to no one as she stepped inside the empty elevator.
Following Callie’s departure, Barry began to pace the room. Derek took a seat behind his desk. “I mean is she not perfect? Do you have any idea what she will do for this firm?” Barry said. “She will own the Capitol.”
Derek smiled as he thought about the possibilities. “Smart,” he said. “Ambitious, focused and not to mention she’s breathtaking. She’s about to cause some ridiculous damage, Barry.”
Derek removed a pen and a small notebook from his jacket pocket and began to jot something down then stopped and shook his head. “What do you think Bannon’s gonna say when he gets a load of her?” he asked. He laughed proudly thinking of the former president’s penchant for women like Callie.
It had been almost two years since M&G was the toast of K Street and no matter what they had tried, the firm could not attain the success they once enjoyed. They watched helplessly as others moved in on what used to be their exclusive territory. The time had come to change the game and Derek could not wait to unleash Callie on the public.
• • •
Six years later, Callie did own the Capital as Barry had predicted, but that meant nothing to Whitaker Jordan.
“I agree, Barry, our clients should be our top priority on this and I vote to move forward on the entire agenda you put on the board.”
“Are we all in agreement on this?” Barry asked. He surveyed the room and noticed the large number of hands that assented with the motion Jordan put forward. Across the table, Callie was visibly agitated. “Why waste the political capital on legislation that has already passed through Congress?” she asked. “Am I the only one who sees that?”
Barry wasted no time in responding. “No, you’re not, but we are running a business...”
“And
