Not Very Well

Quinn found the door to Susan's office open. The woman was at her desk, typing away at her computer. Barely glancing up at him, she waved for him to come in before returning to whatever task demanded her attention. Quinn did as he was bid, closing the door and sitting down in the chair opposite her desk. Whilst waiting, he could not help but appreciate the view.

Susan Foster was undeniably a bombshell. Even in her late thirties, she would grab the attention of any room she entered. She had the facial features of a model, with high cheekbones, full lips, and stunning blue eyes. Her blonde hair showed no signs of greying, still as bright as when she was eighteen. And, of course, there was her body. Quinn had spent quite some time trying to guess her cup size, and had landed on E cups. The gorgeous globes were barely contained by her professional white button-down, and always necessitated a second look. While hidden right now by her desk, Quinn also knew for a fact that she had an ass to match. Her rear was not fat by any stretch of the means, but plump and juicy (no doubt, the result of years of targeted exercises).

"Good Morning, Mr. Renaud," she greeted, snapping him out of his daydream. "I trust everything is going well with your project?"

"Oh, very much so!" Quinn replied, swelling with a bit of pride. "All the issues I found running the regression tests should be fixed by the end of the day!"

"Very good, very good indeed." Her voice did not sound very impressed, but alas she continued. "Well, as you may know, it is customary here to review an employee's performance after one month. I reviewed your file myself and found everything to be... satisfactory!"

Satisfactory? Just satisfactory? He was at the top of his team, and he was the intern! However, he managed a smile and replied "Thank you, I'm glad you think so."

"Indeed..." She gave the younger man an unreadable look before returning her gaze to her computer screen. "Well, that will be all!"

Quinn knew Susan had a reputation for being to the point but this was ridiculous! This had barely been a meeting! He hadn't even been able to get a word in about future employment. At first, he considered just leaving and talking to her later. However, he knew that his one-on-one opportunities with the CEO were few and far between. This was probably his best chance!

"Actually, Ms. Foster, there was something I wanted to talk with you about, if you don't mind?"

The powerful woman glanced up, looking more than a little annoyed. "And that is?"

Quinn took a deep breath. "Well, I think I've done quite well in my time working here, as you've just said. I absolutely love my coworkers, the projects I've been on, and the mission of this company. I know there is an open software developer position and I... I would like to be considered for the role."

Susan let the request sit for a few moments, and once again Quinn could not read her face. Pushing a strand of hair out of her face, she finally said "I'm sorry, Mr. Renaud, but I do not see a future for you at this company. You will complete the rest of your internship and that will be all." With that, she returned to her computer, leaving the intern flabbergasted.

"May I ask why?" Quinn responded, more than a little insulted by the quick rejection. "I think my resume qualifies me for the position and I already understand the product. Why am I not even worth a consideration?"

Susan sighed, closing her laptop and giving him her full attention. "I'm going to be honest with you, Quinn. It's for one reason and one reason only. You are a man."

Taken aback, he asked, "Excuse me?"

"A man, Mr. Renaud. I have worked in this male-dominated industry for over 10 years. And with that experience, I have come to the conclusion that most of the issues in tech can be traced to a single source: men. Their decision-making skills, long-term thinking, and... self-control... consistently fall short of what is needed in this business. Take a look at my company. I have hired almost exclusively women, save for a few roles given to the sons of shareholders. We are at the top of the pile, outperforming giants we have no business being in the same league with. It is unfair, Mr. Renaud, and I apologize. But my strategy has worked so far and I have no intention of changing it."

Quinn was speechless. THAT was why he was losing the job of his dreams?!?! Incredulous, he followed up with "So, why was I even hired in the first place?"

Susan just shrugged. "A minor error on my part. I usually attend to the interview process personally, but the release this spring drew my attention away. Prisha gave you her stamp of approval and I only just glanced at your resume before signing off on it." She chuckled softly to herself. "I believe I made the assumption that Quinn was a woman's name." Opening her laptop, she gestured to the door. "You are lucky I am allowing you to complete your internship. With us on your resume, you'll surely get a job elsewhere. Now, please see yourself out, I have more pressing matters."

Quinn had one or two choice words for the CEO, but he held his tongue. He did need a recommendation from this company if his career wanted to get off the ground, and insulting the founder would not help on that front. Nodding his head, he stood up and left her office in silent frustration.