Female trainees at Merrill Lynch’s flagship Manhattan office were given copies of “Seducing the Boys Club: Uncensored Tactics From a Woman at the Top” by their boss — who also ordered them to attend a talk with the author, three former employees claim in a bias lawsuit. The author encourages women “to stroke men’s egos with flattery and manipulation in order to succeed in a male-dominated environment such as Merrill Lynch,” the suit states…The three female plaintiffs…claim they were terminated in January 2009 after a brief, seven-month stint at Merrill because the financial firm favored men in the “old boys’ network.”…A similar suit against Merrill Lynch in federal court was tossed in January. But attorneys for the women said they’ve refiled the claims in state court…A Merrill spokesman said, “Diversity and inclusivity are part of our culture and core values.”