The Business Trip, Chapter Seven
Chapter Seven
It felt absolutely absurd to hold June’s hand. Elizabeth knew that it was just for the sake of getting into character ahead of time, but still. She was more than capable of walking down a hotel hallway by herself. Of course, this was just the warm-up. The elevator ride down to the lobby made her fidget in discomfort, as they were about to actually put her transformation to the test.
When the doors opened, Elizabeth flushed at the thought of literally anyone looking her way. She still really doubted that anyone would buy that she was an actual teenager, rather than a young adult playing dress-up. Honestly, she wasn’t sure which was worse. If June’s plan worked, that meant that Elizabeth was capable of passing as a tween. Not the best for the petite girl’s already fragile self esteem when it came to her size.
“This way, Lizzie,” June said. Rather than heading towards the conference area, she walked Elizabeth towards the nearest concierge. “Excuse me?” she said, getting the woman’s attention, “Do you have a Lost & Found here? My niece left one of her dolls down here last night. I told her if she asked you nicely, you might be willing to check for her. Even though it was rather irresponsible of her to not hold onto her things. Isn’t that right, Lizzie?”
Elizabeth’s cheeks had already been slightly rosy, but she actually blushed in response to being spoken down to in such a way. “Umm . . . ” she muttered, not sure what to say.
Taking the parting question as a rhetorical one, the concierge nodded, “Of course. What’s the magic word, young lady?”
There was no doubt about it. The disguise worked, especially when paired with the demeaning way June had kicked off the conversation. Still in both disbelief and denial, yet also put on the spot, all Elizabeth could say was an awkward, “Please?”
After looking towards June for affirmation that the single word was sufficient, the concierge went off to look for the doll that hadn’t actually been lost by Elizabeth. The moment the woman was out of earshot, June smiled. “Well, that settles that. You should be fine at our pitch. Besides, I scheduled this pitch, and already mentioned my niece to Ruth last night. She hasn’t seen you or heard your voice. Trust me, you don’t look like an adult at all.”
That’s- June was saying that as if it was a good thing. Which it was, considering their plan, though Elizabeth still felt somewhat insulted by the assurance.
There was no doll to be found in the mall’s collection of recently lost items. No surprise there, considering June had made the whole thing up. Thankfully, there wasn’t something that some other girl lost, as then Elizabeth would both be taking someone else’s toy, and would have to look ridiculous carrying it around afterwards.
Regardless of Elizabeth’s thoughts and feelings, they were in too deep at this point. Her hair was dyed, she still didn’t have anything mature to wear, and it was nearly time for their meeting. Back when she was first looking ahead to this trip, she made sure June scheduled their pitch first thing in the morning. Better to talk with a client early in the day, before they got tired of meetings and considering potential services and business partners. At the time, it had made total sense. Now, it would have been preferable for a later slot so Elizabeth could go shopping and fix this whole childish wardrobe situation. There was still the matter of using June’s company card, but explaining the mix-up back at the office had to be better than this unorthodox idea they had somehow landed on.
“This way, Lizzie,” June said. Of the two of them, she was the only one who was familiar with the hotel at this point. The previous evening had taken place exclusively in the ballroom that had been reserved for the various businesses to network over cocktails and appetizers. Today would be a split between various meeting rooms, while the larger space would be used for a presentation or two along the way. “And remember, you need to behave. This is an important pitch. I need you to sit quietly while I work, okay?”
Elizabeth frowned. She considered pulling her hand free from June’s grip, but decided to let it be for the time being. “You better not blow this,” she muttered.
June just scoffed. “Who was the one who put this whole presentation together? Oh, right. I did. Now, be a good little girl while I do your job. Like I pretty much always do.” Timing it perfectly, she turned the corner and led Elizabeth into the meeting room in order to shut her up. Boss or not, the youthful redhead wouldn’t dare whine or argue when faced with their most important prospective client of the weekend.
Sure enough, Elizabeth clammed up as soon as she saw the small group of professionals waiting for them. She would absolutely be having words with her assistant after this. For now, however, she was going to have to suffer through the trial by fire of being viewed as a much younger girl than she actually was.
“Good morning, Ruth,” June said, “It’s nice to see you again.”
“Likewise,” Ruth nodded. She introduced her two associates, then gestured towards Elizabeth, “This is your niece, I take it?”
June gave Elizabeth’s hand a squeeze. “Yes, she is. Thank you again for letting me bring her along. Her parents wanted me to pass along their appreciation as well. ”
“Of course,” she said, “Maybe she’ll learn something about business today. It’s never too early to get a head start.”
“Exactly,” June replied, before turning to the girl, “Don’t be rude, dear. Aren’t you going to introduce yourself?”
The reality of all of this was much harder to handle than the concept itself. Elizabeth was supposed to be the one leading this pitch, and was already nervous about Ruth recognizing her later despite how June had insisted that her current appearance was a far cry from how Elizabeth normally presented herself. “I’m- Lizzie . . . ” she muttered. Hearing the nickname in her own voice was even worse than having June call her that.
“It’s very nice to meet you, Lizzie,” Ruth said, “You can take one of those chairs off to the side if you’d like, and watch your aunt work. Is it just you today, June? Or will Ms. Harris be joining us as well?”
“Just me,” June replied, “Elizabeth decided to take a last minute vacation. Bad timing, I know. I handle most of her accounts anyway, and will likely end up as your point person should you decide to give us your business. Which you should, of course!” she jokingly suggested, “But I’ll let you be the judge of that. I just need a moment with the projector, and then I can get started. I know you have a busy day ahead of you, so I’ll start with the highlights and we can proceed from there.” Working efficiently, June continued her opening spiel while walking over to the projector and setting up her laptop. “And absolutely feel free to stop me along the way with any questions you have, or save them for the end. Whatever works best for you.”
Meanwhile, Elizabeth had more or less stopped listening after the first few sentences. A vacation?! She would never do that! Not when this weekend was so crucial for both her and the company itself. And June wasn’t going to be their point person, either. Elizabeth handled all the accounts. Her assistant only worked on all the clerical elements for each client; she didn’t have face to face time with anyone. It was just now dawning on Elizabeth that the two of them actually hadn’t discussed the ‘why’ of what they would say when someone like Ruth asked about her absence. The plan was simply to get an inside track with the company by playing the family card, and then connecting their CEO with Elizabeth after the fact to make them feel important. As far as Elizabeth was concerned, that was still what they were going to do, but now Ruth was going to view her as someone who impulsively took a trip despite having this on the calendar already.
Not giving Elizabeth so much as a glance, June launched into her presentation. Professionally and efficiently as she had promised, she laid out what kinds of services their solutions company offered, as well as specific examples that would make them a good fit with Ruth’s company. June had been the one to do most of the research and legwork when it came to putting together what she was now pitching, plus she had done plenty of preparation before their flight. Without looking at the slides behind her even once, she thoroughly demonstrated her knowledge of both companies without overselling anything at the same time.
Turns out, Elizabeth was right. It only took one person to give this kind of presentation. June was just as capable when it came to the questions thrown her way, most of which had been saved for the end of the slideshow. She did catch a glimpse of her physically regressed boss a few times along the way, and always had to make a conscious effort to maintain a straight face. It was honestly less about the twintails and the flat chest; the more amusing part was the fact that Elizabeth’s patented annoyed expression wasn’t intimidating in the slightest. Instead, it was more as if the girl was impatient and pouty about having to sit through a boring meeting.
By the end of the pitch, June was confident that they’d be getting Ruth’s business. There was no official agreement, verbal or otherwise, but the handshakes and parting words were positive enough that it felt like a follow-up call on Monday morning would be enough to secure a deal. Or, if the two young women ran into each other again during the coming evening’s networking time, maybe they could work something out then. June wouldn’t push it, of course. Regardless, her little scheme had ensured that Elizabeth wouldn’t be getting any of the credit.
As if Elizabeth wasn’t irritated enough, June once again took her hand after thanking the professional trio for their time and consideration. She was tactful enough to avoid saying anything right outside the meeting room, instead waiting until they were a few doors down before complaining. “What was that, June?!” she snapped, “You said-”
“Lizzie!” June harshly cut her off, “For the last time, it’s Aunt June. And watch your tone, young lady. Your parents put me in charge of you for the weekend, and I will not have you acting out on my watch.”
Elizabeth just groaned. “I’m being serious, June. A last minute vacation? That’s not-”
“AUNT June.” She stopped in her tracks, letting go of Elizabeth’s hand and turning to fully face her, with a stern expression. “I’m being serious, too. If you can’t address me properly, and with the respect I deserve, we are going to have a problem. Now, Lizzie. What are you supposed to call me?”
But- they didn’t have to stay in character at all times! No one was here, and they needed to talk before the next meeting to iron out some of the details that were missed last night. The first presentation carried the most weight, but they had a few other potential clients that served to impress in quantity now that they had succeeded in quality. Well, June had succeeded. Elizabeth had mostly been a prop.
Similar to a few previous instances of June flipping that switch, however, Elizabeth hadn’t yet learned how to handle her assistant acting so differently than she usually did. Between that and the height difference, it was difficult to push back. Cringing at how ridiculous it was to keep up the false relationship, Elizabeth muttered, “Aunt. June. You can’t tell people I went on vacation! Do you know how irresponsible that makes me look?”
“You should have told me to say something else, then,” June shrugged, “I was a little more concerned with giving a good presentation than coming up with excuses for you.”
“We could just say an emergency came up at the office or something,” Elizabeth said, “Even missing my flight would have been better than intentionally taking time off on the worst weekend possible.”
June just shook her head. “Well, it’s too late. We can’t give people conflicting information, so we’re going to have to go with the vacation thing at the next few meetings. Okay?”
“No! Not okay!” she exclaimed, “It’s not like Ruth is going to talk about me to some other manager or something. Let’s just-”
“Lizzie. Inside voice.” June paused long enough to let the patronizing phrase sink in, before going on, “And you don’t know that for sure. People were talking about all sorts of things over drinks last night. If somebody mentions our pitch in passing to another potential client, I’m going to look like a liar and they might not trust us with their business. Do you want to explain to our boss how we almost had a deal and then lost it? Or multiple deals.”
There was only one answer to that, though it wasn’t quite as black and white as it sounded. “I could be traveling for business,” Elizabeth mumbled.
“When you were supposed to be traveling here for business?” June countered, “And again, I already said ‘vacation.’ It’s done. You really should have thought of this last night. I’m already responsible for both our jobs right now, Lizzie. And it’s immature to make excuses and point fingers. Now, are you going to continue being a whiny brat, or a well behaved little girl?”
Despite the perpetual, frustration roleplay June had committed to since up in their suite, Elizabeth hadn’t expected to be hit with a question like that. Her lips parted in shock for a moment, trying to both process and figure out what she was supposed to say. Of course, the latter was what June was fishing for, but that didn’t mean Elizabeth wanted to echo something so demeaning. “I’m your boss, J- Aunt June. You can’t talk to me like that.”
June was so close to breaking character. The way Elizabeth corrected herself with June’s current title completely undermined the point she had been trying to make. Naturally, June was more than happy to run with it. “I may talk to you however I wish when you’re acting like a brat. You are my niece, remember? It’s my job to watch you today, and that includes discipline. Do you understand?”
“But-”
“Lizzie! Do. You. Understand?”
Elizabeth faltered.
Just what June needed. “I’m not going to ask again, young lady.”
Flushing at this point, and feeling more pressured to answer when a nearby door opened and people from another meeting filed out, she begrudgingly said, “I understand.” And, after being nudged to answer ‘properly,’ fully answered, “I understand, Aunt June.”
“Good,” she said, “And the other question. You’re not getting out of that, Lizzie. Are you going to be a whiny brat, or a well behaved little girl?”
At this point, the other meetings were all wrapping up. June had set herself apart by following through on her commitment to Ruth and the others to keep things informative yet not long-winded. Most of the other rooms were clearly using every minute they had with their partners, clients, etc. Now they were all letting out at the same time, meaning it was time for Elizabeth and June to make their way to their next engagement. But first, they had to get through this. “I’ll behave,” Elizabeth begrudgingly said. She had already been pressed to say that upstairs, and it was easier to stomach than repeating the awful phrase.
Thankfully for Elizabeth, June didn’t push her to say the whole thing. Instead, June merely took her hand and said, “I hope so. The next time you fail to call me ‘Aunt June,’ I might just have to spank you. From now on, try to get it right.” As if she didn’t just suggest the craziest concept, June started walking, with Elizabeth in tow.
Rather than heading towards one of the nearby rooms, like Elizabeth expected, they were making their way back to the lobby. She didn’t question it, as her main focus this weekend had been on the presentation June just did solo, rather than the full itinerary. Though they did want to get the business of the coming clients, the stakes weren’t nearly as high as they just were.
As they walked, Elizabeth briefly considered just going back to her room. She had only committed to this youthful transformation due to how Ruth’s company was family oriented. Now that June had demonstrated compatibility by bringing along her ‘niece’ and implying a work/life balance that their own business didn’t actually make that much of an effort for when it came to their own employees, there was no reason for Elizabeth to continue the charade.
At the same time, avoiding the coming meetings would mean losing the opportunity to observe details that might be important moving forward. Since Elizabeth would actually be their main point of contact, and June was going to be fired soon, it would be good to learn whatever she could about each company’s needs. Though they had done plenty of research in advance, sometimes something as simple as a question could offer insight into what kinds of services a future client was considering.
Before Elizabeth could land on a decision, or how she was going to bring up the issue with June without it turning into another conversation where her assistant kept up the ‘Aunt June’ act, she noticed that the director of their department was standing off to the side of the hotel lobby. And they were walking right towards him.
“Better behave, Lizzie,” June said, “Or you’re going to have a lot of explaining to do.”