The Business Trip, Chapters 1-10
Author’s Note: Commissioned by Nicegent42. Thank you for your pledge, and for all the ideas that are making this story possible!
Chapter One
Elizabeth Harris had a plan.
Though she got the well paying manager job at the tech company thanks to her family’s connections, all of her successes since then had been due to her own talents. Mostly by being a hard ass, and sometimes deceptively exploitative depending on the situation. Leading with a stern demeanor and harsh criticisms for the smallest mistakes was how she believed she needed to act in order to get respect.
Due to her youthful visage, Elizabeth had struggled to be taken seriously for most of her life. Her mother was quite conservative from a fiscal standpoint, and would often make little ‘Beth’ pretend to be younger in order to get cheaper movie tickets, meals, and any other discount offered for those twelve and under. Once in high school, she had been walking past her old middle school on the way home; she was flagged down and pulled inside for skipping school–due to bus rotations, the middle school students were released an hour or two later in the day than the high schoolers were–and had to deal with nearly half an hour of them chastising her and trying to figure out which class to return her to before finally listening to her and looking her up in a different section of their system.
Obviously, she started taking the long way home. More importantly, that was when she put her foot down. It was one thing for someone to mistake her as younger; it was something else entirely for it to cause such a frustrating and humiliating ordeal. Ever since then, she started spending an extra half hour in the morning carefully constructing a more mature image of herself. Better make-up work than the simple applications she used to do, push-up bras with a hint of padding, and at least two inch lifts or heels to boost her height. Her bitterness over the middle school office treating her like a lying tween caused her to act a little more jaded and bitchy the next day, which only snowballed from there.
Fast forward to the present.
Elizabeth’s size hadn’t changed in the slightest, although her clothes and her personality had escalated plenty. The 23 year old wore professional business attire, and was not afraid to chew out anyone who looked at her wrong. She was also quite thirsty for money, and was more than happy to spend it as well. Especially since she had a company card and very little oversight, meaning she could treat herself on their dime and then treat herself with the personal funds she saved by using that card.
She was poised to get a fat bonus as well. All she needed to do was fire June at the opportune moment.
Due to some restructuring after a couple of promotions, the company had gone with Elizabeth’s suggestion to bring in June as a combined assistant/admin role. It was quite cost effective, as the 24 year old hire could just do all the admin work whenever she wasn’t tending to whatever Elizabeth needed. Poor June had tried so hard to negotiate a salary that was comparable with her old job, but Elizabeth had known she had been laid off from her former place of employment due to budget cuts. It had been easy enough to lie and say the lower figure was the best they could offer at the time. Between the young woman’s desperation for the job, as well as the vague hope of a future raise that had been dangled in front of her, June had accepted.
The problem was, June was annoyingly good at her job. No matter how much busy work Elizabeth offloaded on her, she always managed to get all of her admin responsibilities completed in a timely manner as well. And then some. June really was making the best of her situation, and it wasn’t long before she lucked into being included on a large project that was going to be presented to an investor in the coming weeks. Instead of keeping her mouth shut and handing out coffees like a good assistant, June made some offhand suggestion that someone higher up the food chain than Elizabeth ended up liking.
It was such bullshit. June was clearly busting her ass to come up with ideas for both the project itself and the impending investor meeting, and her assistant role gave her an unexpected edge as well. Since she was the one making the copies and putting the documents together, there was a degree of visible credit whenever she handed out packets and binders as things became more and more finalized. When all was said and done, it had been decided that June and Elizabeth were going to fly out for a week to try and pitch the idea.
Elizabeth was still going to be heading up the meeting, while June would merely be present to communicate any of the finer details. Her fucking assistant, being sent on a business trip instead of one of the actual higher ups in the company. It was ridiculous. So, Elizabeth quickly concluded that the best course of action would be to fire June. At minimum, it would get rid of the girl who was dangerously close to being promoted from the subservient role she had been hired to fill. If Elizabeth played her cards right, maybe she could do the deed before the investment was fully processed and, ideally, do some creative accounting and take June’s project bonus for herself. On top of Elizabeth’s own bonus, of course.
What she didn’t plan on, however, was June catching wind of her scheme. Firing someone without cause would open the company to a potential lawsuit, so Elizabeth had started laying the groundwork here and there. She never thought June would actually find out before being called into Elizabeth’s office for the bomb to be dropped.
The last thing Elizabeth expected was for June to go down swinging.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
June was hit with so many emotions when she learned that Elizabeth was setting the stage to fire her, probably the moment they returned from their trip.
Shock, considering how she had learned how to anticipate Elizabeth’s every need as an assistant, all while basically doing a second job by being the admin for their branch of the company. Despair, in that she could barely afford the ever increasing bills; living in the city was expensive, and inflation certainly didn’t help. And frustration, because her boss was clearly doing this out of jealousy or something adjacent. ‘June, the assistant’ was being noticed by someone who had the power to give her a higher paying and more fulfilling position in the company. Rather than letting June climb the ranks, however, Elizabeth was going to block her in the worst way possible.
At first, she considered trying to somehow save her job. Without any real clout in the office outside being an up and coming player, however, there wasn’t anyone she could turn to that might defend her against Elizabeth. So June decided to take matters into her own hands. If she was going to be fired and potentially lose the promised bonus she was expecting, then she really didn’t care if the deal with the investor went through or not. Rather than putting her energy into further preparations for the meeting, June started brainstorming ways to humiliate her boss throughout their travels. It wouldn’t be the same satisfaction as a huge bonus check, but she figured that she might as well get what she could under the circumstances. The beauty of being an assistant was that it was just as easy to make things go wrong as it was to ensure that they went right.
June started by convincing Elizabeth to stay at her place the night before the two of them were supposed to fly out. She lived much closer to the airport than Elizabeth did, and it made more sense for the company to pay for a single car to be parked over the long weekend. Playing up the role of generous host and submissive assistant, June went so far as to prepare her own bedroom for Elizabeth. June could suffer through an evening on the sofa if it meant Elizabeth continued feeling like she had all the power. She also made sure to pick up a brand of wine she knew that her boss loved. But just for fun, she drank the expensive wine herself over the week leading up to their trip and proceeded to fill the bottle with a much cheaper alternative. Sure enough, June’s stuck up boss couldn’t tell them apart.
Smirking to herself as she prepared dinner for Elizabeth, June made sure to constantly refill her boss’s glass like a good waitress throughout the night. By the time it was getting late, little Elizabeth had polished off the entire bottle. June could have easily handled that much alcohol, as she was taller than Elizabeth, which statistically made her tolerance higher. She wasn’t just relying on probability, either. June kept a careful eye on Elizabeth throughout the night, and could clearly see when her cheeks were flushed and her words had a faint slur to them.
To Elizabeth’s credit, she kept up her overly proper posture and judgmental attitude despite how tipsy she became. At some point, she must have realized the wine was catching up to her. Announcing that she was turning in for the evening, Elizabeth got up from where she had been lounging in the living room after her meal and headed for the bedroom.
June guessed that her boss wouldn’t be amenable to being seen after stripping out of her business attire, so she made her move before Elizabeth reached the hall. “Miss, wait,” June said. Though they were no longer at the office, she was still in full assistant mode for the sake of her amusing scheme. Not that it was an official scheme by any stretch of the imagination. June had only planned things out through the following morning; from there, she’d have to play things by ear. She did plan on tanking the investor meeting, naturally, but there was a lot of time between then and now. For now, it was still ‘Ms. Harris,’ or ‘Miss’ for short.
“What . . . ?” Elizabeth asked. She paused, but barely glanced over her shoulder.
“Do you want something to stave off a hangover? Just in case?” June asked. Tacking on the follow-up to avoid fully implying that Elizabeth couldn’t handle her wine, she partially answered the question herself by heading to the left-most kitchen cabinet. “I want your flight tomorrow to be as comfortable as possible, Ms. Harris.”
It worked. Of course it did, since June had been handing her things for the last six months. In fact, she had been sent on a couple pharmacy runs, as Elizabeth didn’t want to waste her own time after work running such an errand. June had proven time and time again that she was a perfect assistant. Since this was the first time she had ever considered sabotaging her selfish boss, there was no reason for Elizabeth to distrust her. Besides, June was technically telling the truth. One of the pills would combat the hangover. The other, however, was a sleeping pill that was safe to take with alcohol. In June’s opinion, a full bottle of wine wasn’t enough to knock Elizabeth out. She wanted to be sure that her boss didn’t wake up until June wanted her to wake up.
Elizabeth downed both pills with zero hesitation, then proceeded to turn in for the night like she had been trying to do before June interrupted her.
The second the bedroom door clicked shut, June grinned. So far, everything was going according to plan.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
“Miss Harris . . . Miss . . . ELIZABETH.”
Elizabeth was jostled from her slumber by someone using her shoulders to shake her. Even something that forceful wasn’t enough for her to snap awake right away. “Mmm . . . ” she half hummed, half groaned. Her eyes felt glued shut, and it took an extraordinary amount of effort for her to will them open. The guest bedroom was dark save for a dim lamp by the door that had been switched on. As she came to, and blinked her blurry vision away, she saw that June was standing over her with a worried expression.
Her assistant was wearing a blouse and a pencil skirt, and had clearly already showered and groomed herself for the day. “Elizabeth, you slept through your alarm!” June said, “We need to go. Like, NOW. We can’t miss our flight.” Rather than waiting for Elizabeth to realize the gravity of the situation, June yanked the covers off the still fully horizontal girl. “Come on, get up!” In case the sudden wave of cold wasn’t enough, June grabbed one of the young woman’s wrists and yanked her upwards and towards the edge of the bed.
It wasn’t until Elizabeth’s feet hit the floor that everything caught up with her. “Hey!” she snapped. “Back off, June.” Amidst the rough way she was being handled, she hadn’t caught the fact that June had addressed her normally a couple times.
For the first time since she started her subservient role at the company, June didn’t hesitate to talk back. “No,” she flatly said, “Making sure this weekend goes smoothly is my job. That means getting to the airport on time. Now go pee and brush your teeth, Elizabeth. I’ll throw our stuff in the car.”
“But-”
“Elizabeth. NOW. And hurry! We’re already running behind.”
It was way too much to handle at once. She was still barely awake at this point. Freezing, too, with bare feet and with the abrupt loss of the comforter. Elizabeth was also several inches shorter than she was in public, including her time in June’s apartment yesterday, and wearing nothing but her silk pajamas. They were classy enough, but didn’t remotely compare to the professional ensemble of her assistant. Plus June was wearing heels, making her tower over Elizabeth as she bossed her around.
Elizabeth reluctantly did as she was told. She headed into the bathroom and closed the door behind her, letting out an annoyed sigh. How had she overslept?! And how dare June talk to her in such a way? Elizabeth made a note to reprimand her later, but she had to admit that the slightly older girl was right. Missing their flight would look really bad to her superiors.
There was really no rebelling against June’s directives when they were exactly what Elizabeth would do first thing in the morning. She relieved herself and brushed her teeth more quickly and erratically than she would do under normal circumstances. There definitely wasn’t time for her usual extensive make-up routine, though she could at least spare a minute for some foundation and concealer where necessary.
About halfway through the process, June opened the door without knocking in the slightest. “Almost ready, Elizabeth?”
“Miss Elizabeth,” she replied, finally catching the too-casual way she was being addressed.
“Right. Sorry, Miss. Just a little frazzled right now.” She stepped into the bathroom, once again not waiting for any sort of permission. “Here, let me do your hair real quick. It’s a total mess.”
“I can do it myself,” Elizabeth said. She had already seen her reflection, and was well aware that the pillow hadn’t done her long locks many favors overnight.
June sighed. “I know you can. But you’re doing your make-up right now, and we’re way behind schedule.” She positioned herself behind Elizabeth and ran her fingers through her hair to work out a couple of the tangles she could see.
“Wait, what are you-”
“Hold still, Miss Elizabeth. This will just take a minute.”
Not taking ‘no’ for an answer, June proceeded to separate Elizabeth’s hair out into three strands for a basic braid. Innocent on the surface, as it was an easy way to tame messy hair, but she was also well aware that Elizabeth preferred more mature and complicated styles. Her boss had never once worn braided hair to work.
Elizabeth’s abridged beauty routine was done about the same time June was tying off the tightly braided strands, and then she was being rushed out the door. First, June told her to leave the make-up bag and her toiletries. Every second counted, and there was no time to pack up the bathroom. Plus airport security would be easier if there were absolutely no liquids in Elizabeth’s suitcase. June explained that they could buy the essentials once they got there, and Elizabeth could borrow anything else from June’s stash.
It wasn’t until they were standing by the door to June’s apartment that Elizabeth brought up another issue. “Wait!” she exclaimed, “I need to change.” Not only was she still wearing her PJs, but it was also just dawning on her that she was currently bra-less.
“Change into what?” June asked. “Your suitcase is in the car. Come on, Elizabeth. Put your shoes on.”
Elizabeth bit her tongue about the lack of a title. Now wasn’t the time to chew out her assistant. That could wait until they were in the car.
She felt absolutely ridiculous as she stepped through the threshold and out into the public hallway. Wearing heels with pajamas was awkward enough, but her designer purse was also meant to go with the outfit combinations she had packed for the trip. It didn’t pair nearly as well with her sleepwear.
Thankfully, no one was around to see her. It was quite early in the morning, so she and June were able to make their way down to the underground lot without running into anyone. Temporarily back in submissive assistant mode to balance out everything from the last ten or fifteen minutes, June opened the back door of the car for her. “After you, Miss,” she said.
Elizabeth got in and buckled up. She let out an exaggerated huff when June closed the door. This was definitely not the way she had envisioned the business trip starting.
Meanwhile, June was circling the car and resisting the urge to smirk at how unprofessional her boss looked compared to normal. So far, so good.
If June played her cards right, Elizabeth would be stuck as she was until at least the end of the flight.
Chapter Two
The second they were parked at the curb, June popped the trunk and hopped out of the car. She hoisted both of the suitcases out and promptly wheeled them over to the outside check-in counter. Per the arrangements she had already made, she also handed her keys to the valet. June normally would have parked at a nearby place and taken a shuttle to the airport, but she didn’t particularly care about saving the company money when she was about to be laid off anyway. Might as well treat herself to the executive travel experience. It also worked out in her favor once she settled on her plan to have a later start to the morning.
Meanwhile, Elizabeth was more delayed in her exit of the vehicle. After finishing up an email she had been drafting, then hesitating at the thought of being seen in PJs and braided hair, she eventually mustered the energy to open the door and step out onto the curb. It’s not like a couple of low-paid airport workers were going to care about how she looked when they probably saw hundreds of people every morning.
By the time she saw what June was doing, it was too late. Both suitcases were already on the conveyor belt; short of leaping over the counter with lightning speed and likely getting security called on her for doing so, there was nothing Elizabeth could do but watch helplessly as the bags disappeared from sight. “June!” she snapped, “What the fuck?!”
“Language, Miss,” June replied, “And please step away from the car. The valet needs to take it, and we need to get moving.”
The contrast of being called out for cursing while being addressed like the superior she was made it difficult for Elizabeth to figure out how to get on her assistant’s case in regards to the correction. Instead, she chose to ignore that bit and get to the more important matter. “I need to change,” she reminded June, sharply gesturing to the awkward PJs/heels combo, “How am I supposed to do that without my suitcase?”
June calmly replied, “And you will change. When we land. But right now, we’re late, remember? We need to prioritize making our flight, Miss. If we have extra time at the gate, maybe you can find something from one of the shops to tide you over.” She didn’t mind offering up the partial solution, mostly since Elizabeth likely would have come up with it herself upon walking past one of those places. It wasn’t going to happen, regardless. June had timed out this whole sequence ahead of time. To the best of her ability, of course, as airports were always unpredictable to some degree. They were flying first class, which meant they were boarding earlier than most of the other passengers. Maybe her boss would have a couple minutes to grab an overpriced coffee, but not even the cushion June had baked into the morning would be enough for Elizabeth to go shopping for clothes.
While it was a solution, it didn’t change the fact that Elizabeth’s appearance was a far cry from her usual look. “Why didn’t you just wake me up earlier?” she scowled. Her silk pajamas were thick enough that her nipples probably wouldn’t show through, but kept an arm firmly crossed over her chest anyway. June couldn’t have at least grabbed a bra from the suitcase before handing it over? “The whole point of staying at your place-”
“Elizabeth, what did I just say? Come on, we need to get moving.” After cutting her off, June grabbed her hand and gave a forceful tug towards the nearest set of sliding doors.
Slightly stumbling forward, as she hadn’t been prepared for the sudden momentum shift in her heels, Elizabeth quickened her pace to match June’s while yanking her hand free at the same time. Amidst everything else, she once again failed to register the direct use of her name. She was too busy being appalled at the invasion of her personal space via the patronizing gesture, yet ultimately bit her tongue about the whole thing. At some level, June was right. They needed to hurry if there was a risk of missing their flight, and reaming her assistant out in the middle of the airport was hardly a productive use of her time. Elizabeth just had to file away a number of thoughts for later; she also couldn’t make a scene on the plane, but she’d be more than happy to yell at June once they arrived at their hotel.
The PreCheck line was annoyingly long, no doubt due to how so many people had wisened up to making the investment of time/money to travel more efficiently. Elizabeth and June still got through everything decently quickly, only to be faced with their gate being almost completely at the end of their terminal. There was no time for coffee or shopping. When they finally made it, the gate agent was in the middle of announcing that they would begin boarding shortly. From June’s point of view, they were right on schedule. Had security taken longer, they would simply have gotten in line with one of the coach groups halfway through the boarding process. One way or another, they certainly wouldn’t be straying from the area now.
If Elizabeth was thinking more clearly, she might have realized that there was a way to do some speed shopping. Their bags were already checked, so it would simply be a matter of getting on the plane last and taking her first class seat without any worries about not having enough space for her things. Except she was a young woman who was used to certain privileges, and a concept like that didn’t remotely cross her mind when she was accustomed to being at the front of the line and settling into her spacious seat right away. Already accepting her fate as she and June took their places behind the first few groups that out-tiered first class, Elizabeth also started feeling more self conscious about her attire now that she was standing still and not rushing through the airport.
In an ideal world, Elizabeth would be enjoying the perks at the front of the plane while June was crammed in the back with all the other coach passengers. Unfortunately, a trip like this called for their time on the plane to be spent reviewing everything for the upcoming conference. Though Elizabeth was determined to take all the credit for herself, she would still need to fall back on June for some of the finer details of their presentation. There was just too much information for one person to memorize. Or, perhaps, too much for Elizabeth herself to keep organized in her head on top of everything else she had to deal with at the company.
Of course, there was only so much preparation Elizabeth could handle. Thirty minutes into the flight, she was done going over talking points. Between an early morning, a slight hangover, and the perpetual embarrassment of traveling in her pajamas, she felt a lot more interested in a power nap to rest up for the coming day than to hear another minute of June’s endless stream of presentation notes.
June was just as prepared to anticipate her boss’s needs as she was for their big pitch later. “Something to relax?” she asked, pulling out a small bottle of pills. They were more for the sake of relaxation than sleep, but June assumed that Elizabeth was tired enough that it would more or less have the same effect.
“Whatever,” Elizabeth muttered. She held out her hand. At this point, she was well accustomed to June being a diligent assistant. Noting the brand on the bottle, and not thinking anything about the offer beyond the general purpose of the tablets, she popped back two of them and resumed browsing the morning’s emails on her phone.
It didn’t take long for her to drift off.
June remained quiet and still for a few minutes after seeing Elizabeth close her eyes. Once her petite boss’s breathing settled, June murmured her name and gave her shoulder a gentle nudge to ensure that she would be out for a little while. With a faint smirk, June picked up Elizabeth’s phone from the tray table and placed it in an outside pocket of her own bag. Next, she slowly and carefully reached down and retrieved Elizabeth’s purse. Though she was tempted to pilfer through it, there was always the risk that a passenger or flight attendant would notice what she was doing. June was clearly traveling with Elizabeth, but a poorly timed comment could easily mess up her latest idea. So instead, June merely opened her larger bag and stuffed Elizabeth’s purse inside.
Without her more personal possessions, it would be difficult to do anything without June’s help. ‘You can’t go on a shopping spree without your credit cards,’ June thought to herself in amusement. And without a phone, there would be no online rush orders sent to their hotel out of desperation. Elizabeth could try to compel June to do this or that in order to rectify the situation, but June had plenty of excuses locked and loaded. She was just a lowly assistant, after all. Elizabeth was the one trusted with the company credit card, and June’s personal card was reserved for emergencies. No, this didn’t qualify as an actual emergency. It would be so easy to play dumb while still doing her best to ‘help.’
She let Elizabeth sleep for the remainder of the flight. At this point, it didn’t matter if her boss was well rested or not. The necessary pieces were in place for Elizabeth to have a terrible business trip, and June was quite looking forward to seeing her attempt to make a professional presentation in the most ridiculous outfit. If June played her cards right, maybe the braid could even stay in.
The rumble of the plane landing was enough to make Elizabeth stir. Right away, June lied and said there would be a minor delay on the way to the gate, and Elizabeth could keep resting if she wanted to. It didn’t take much convincing. Elizabeth was still groggy from her extended nap, and ended up closing her eyes and dozing off again until it was actually time to deplane.
Then, it was only a matter of rushing Elizabeth out of there. “We have to hurry, Miss. I already ordered us a ride; there’s barely enough time to grab our luggage.”
If Elizabeth were more awake, she would mention how it didn’t make sense to get a ride while they were literally still on the plane. When being rushed by her pushy assistant, however, all she could do was get up and leave the aircraft. As soon as they reached the new terminal, Elizabeth realized that she now just had her PJs. Her purse was still under the seat, and her phone? She couldn’t remember if it was in the pouch of the seat in front of her or if she had put it in her purse before falling asleep. “Wait!” she exclaimed. Stopping in place and nearly causing a collision with the person who was briskly walking behind her, she blushed and stepped to the side before telling June, “My purse.”
June cocked her head to the side, feigning confusion for a moment. Then, glancing down at Elizabeth’s midsection, she said, “Oh! You forgot it on the plane?”
“Because you practically shoved me out of my seat!” Elizabeth snapped, “I need to-”
“Elizabeth, wait.” Grabbing the shorter girl’s arm to stop her from fully turning back towards the jet bridge, June said, “You can’t just go through the gate again. Security won’t allow that.”
“But-”
“It’s fine. Do you at least have your phone?”
“No!” Elizabeth exclaimed. Gesturing to her silk-clad body in a similar manner to before, she said, “I don’t have anything, June.”
June sighed. “There’s no reason to freak out, Elizabeth. Why don’t you go sit down for a minute? I’ll ask the gate agent what she can do.”
“It’s ‘Miss Elizabeth.’”
“Uh huh. You’re not exactly dressed for a title like that, Elizabeth. We can worry about the professional stuff once we’re settled at the hotel and not on a time crunch, yeah?”
It might have been the first time her assistant had ever ignored her. Rather than apologizing or submitting, June fucking dismissed the blunt correction. And reasoning the reply by referencing the pajamas? That was hardly Elizabeth’s fault. And it didn’t matter. This was a business trip, and she was still June’s superior.
Unfortunately, Elizabeth didn’t have a chance to express any of that. June was already walking towards the counter to speak with the agent behind the desk. Awkwardly tagging along to listen in wasn’t an option, though Elizabeth also didn’t want to helplessly sit down. Splitting the difference, she merely stood a few meters away with her arms crossed, impatiently waiting for the situation to resolve itself.
After a minute or two, June returned to where Elizabeth was standing. “No one saw anything like your purse left behind during the initial cleaning sweep of the plane,” she said, “The gate agent is going to double check with the crew, but every minute we spend here interferes with our itinerary. I have all the necessary contacts in my cell, and I think the hotel charges the company directly? It may be best to keep moving for now. When they find your possessions, I’m sure one of their shuttle drivers would be able to deliver them to where we’re staying.”
“And trust some random person with my stuff?”
“At this point, some ‘random person’ is going to be handling your purse no matter what. That’s what you get for leaving it on the plane, Elizabeth.”
Scowling in frustration, Elizabeth said, “I told you-”
“That it’s my fault? You had plenty of time to collect your things after we landed, and you really should have noticed your purse down by your feet. Honestly, it’s a bit immature to blame everyone but yourself for something like this. Now, let’s go. By the time we get to Baggage Claim, our suitcases should be ready to pick up. Or, if you really want, we can wait around and you can explain to the higher ups why you missed the first meeting of the trip?”
Elizabeth didn’t know what to say. Obviously they couldn’t miss that meeting, but they also weren’t on that tight of a schedule. At the same time, their itinerary hadn’t accounted for her current appearance. She definitely needed to shower at the hotel the moment they got there, as she hadn’t gotten the chance earlier, and the lack of a watch or cell phone was going to make it difficult to keep tabs on the time.
When Elizabeth didn’t respond right away, June decided for them. “Come on. I already gave the agent my business card. She’ll call me the second they find your purse. You, of all people, should know that I always answer my phone in a timely manner.” It was a subtle way to reference her assistant status to contrast the recent way she had been speaking to her boss.
There wasn’t any more arguing or complaining to be done. June was already walking towards the nearest sign pointing towards Baggage Claim, and her parting words had made it sound like things had already been decided. Even though Elizabeth was supposed to be in charge. By the time she decided to follow, she was lagging behind. Being separated from her phone was the biggest blow; not only was it a really personal device, but it’s also where she did most of her work from when traveling. And, on top of that, she wouldn’t be able to communicate with June or anyone else if they were separated. Elizabeth didn’t have anyone’s numbers memorized, which left her completely reliant on her assistant at the moment.
As for their luggage, June was right. By the time they reached the carousel, the area had mostly cleared out save for the few that took their sweet time getting through the airport. Their ride had been waiting for quite some time, and June nonchalantly chastised Elizabeth for the late fees that had stacked up. Again, who orders transportation while still on the plane? At that point, Elizabeth was too annoyed to comment on the blame. She just threw her suitcase in the trunk and got in the car.
Thankfully, both the hotel and the conference were rather close to the airport. Their drive was quick and painless, as was the check-in. While June would have been taking care of that under normal circumstances, it felt way less like a boss/assistant dynamic when Elizabeth had to awkwardly wait around behind her in PJs just like with the gate agent. Once their reservations were found and they were given the set of card keys, Elizabeth made a beeline for the elevators before anyone else staying there for the conference saw her.
She was beyond ready to actually get ready for the day, and to look like the professional young woman she was supposed to be. The good news was, she and June were sharing a suite, rather than a simple hotel room. Separate bedrooms, as Elizabeth wasn’t about to sleep in the same room as her subordinate. Of course, she didn’t mind splurging on such things when this whole trip was on the company’s dime.
A quick skim of the space showed that the bedrooms were nearly identical. Seeing as it didn’t really matter, she picked one at random and tossed her suitcase on the bed and unzipped it in order to find something suitable for the first evening of the conference. When she flipped open the top, however, her eyes widened in shock.
Elizabeth didn’t recognize a single piece of clothing.
Chapter Three
“JUNE.”
At work, Elizabeth would expect her assistant to appear within seconds when calling her in such a harsh and pissed off manner. Usually such a shrill tone was reserved for when something went wrong with a client’s order, regardless of how major the issue or whose fault it was, or if there was any kind of complication that messed with the status quo Elizabeth had come to expect. Since June was such a diligent worker and quick study, it hadn’t taken long for her boss to get accustomed to having an underling who was not only at her beck and call, but who provided a rather personalized service in terms of being able to anticipate Elizabeth’s needs and solve just about anything in a timely manner.
This time around, however, Elizabeth couldn’t even wait the twenty seconds or however long it would take the girl to come running. She stormed out of her room, only to find an empty suite. Right. Because June was getting settled in her own room. Elizabeth immediately crossed the shared common area and burst into June’s bedroom, not bothering to knock or call through the door first.
June was standing there in the same skirt she had worn on the plane, but only had a bra on above the waist. It was rather simple and plain, yet still showed off plenty of natural cleavage. Far more than Elizabeth had, even in her best push-up bra. “Elizabeth!” June exclaimed. She didn’t cover up, as it wasn’t that big of a deal for another female to see half undressed, but she absolutely got on the petite woman’s case about walking in on her, “Boundaries. Next time, knock. Well? Are you going to apologize?”
Already somewhat flustered from the fact that her suitcase was full of a young girl’s clothes, probably belonging to a tween or possibly younger, Elizabeth was not exactly in the best headspace to deal with such confrontation. Especially from the girl that was normally so polite and submissive. “You can’t-”
“I told you to apologize, Miss,” June cut her off. Placing a hand on her hip as she intentionally included the smallest dose of ‘respect’ along with her demand, she said, “This is my bedroom, and I didn’t give you permission to come in. Now, do the mature thing and apologize.”
“But-”
“Right now, Miss.”
The slightly older girl’s tactics were confusingly effective. She was technically addressing Elizabeth properly with the abbreviated title. At the same time, she was also speaking in a way that was uniquely stern compared to what Elizabeth was used to. Between that and the impressive bra-clad chest that put hers to shame, this was not a situation Elizabeth was prepared to handle. So she averted her gaze and muttered, “Sorry.”
“That’s better,” June said, “Now, is this a work emergency?”
At that, Elizabeth flushed. In her haste to bitch June out for the latest complication that was starting to become a pattern due to the ripples from what was a simple alarm issue–at least, that was the impression Elizabeth was still under–she hadn’t considered how a more calm approach might have been more appropriate. Of course, Elizabeth’s default was rarely ‘calm.’ Still, June’s clarifying question was enough to make her hesitate. “No. Well, yes,” she replied. It wasn’t a professional fire they had to put out, but Elizabeth did need her nice clothes for the conference. That made it an emergency of sorts, considering how they had to head downstairs relatively soon. “It’s-”
“Sounds like it can wait a minute or two,” June said, cutting her off again, “And probably wasn’t worth barging into my room like that. Why don’t you go wait in your room for me, Elizabeth? Or the common room, whatever. I’ll join you once I’m dressed.”
Elizabeth frowned. “It’s ‘Miss Elizabeth,’” she reminded her. How many times had she been called ‘Elizabeth’ since the last time she brought that up? Her mind had been preoccupied with the silk pajamas everyone at the airport had seen her in, the lost personal items, and the latest mix-up with her suitcase.
June repeated her response from the gate area. “I told you, we’ll worry about all that once we’re settled in for the conference. You’re not even dressed, Elizabeth.”
“That’s because-”
“Enough, Miss. Please get out of my room. I’ll be with you in a few minutes.”
If they were at the office, Elizabeth would have reamed her assistant out for speaking with her in such a curt way. At the moment, however, there were just too many variables working against her. It would also be much easier to speak with June when June was actually dressed, as that’s the only way Elizabeth was used to interacting with the girl.
Elizabeth begrudgingly turned and left the room. She wasn’t used to the one being dismissed, so she failed to think of anything to say on the way out. Waiting around in the common area felt stupid when the problem lay with her suitcase, so she returned to her room instead. Leaving the door wide open, so June could come right in, Elizabeth sat down on the edge of the bed and huffed in annoyance. Not only was the renewed sight of the open suitcase a pain, but she also didn’t have her phone. Normally she could busy herself with personal apps or professional busywork that could be done on mobile. Elizabeth hadn’t brought a laptop, either, as most of the weekend’s business was going to be face to face. Per Elizabeth’s instructions, June had packed up all their presentation resources, which meant literally everything useful was in the other girl’s room. At the time, it had made sense, as Elizabeth had wanted to travel light for the sake of personal convenience. Now that her purse was missing, however, she felt a lot more helpless in terms of dealing with this latest problem. If she had her phone and credit card on hand, she’d probably be halfway out the door and rushing to the closest designer store. All Elizabeth really needed was one outfit for the evening; she could figure the rest out tomorrow.
Then again, she probably wouldn’t be leaving the hotel in her PJs for such a mission. Maybe there was something tolerable in the suitcase? That is, if the clothes even fit. Her mental plan still worked with June’s company card, but just about anything was better than walking around in her current ensemble. Elizabeth scooted over a couple feet and hesitantly started looking through the folded clothes.
There was a painful amount of pinks and purples in terms of both shorts and shirts, as well as a few unattractive oranges. The few white tees looked good at first glance, until Elizabeth unfolded one of them and saw the pink letters spelling BARBIE on the front. Maybe her pajamas were better. She’d draw a few looks, sure, though at least she wouldn’t be dressed like a little girl.
“Elizabeth.” June’s voice cut through the quiet room as she stepped through the doorway. The young woman was wearing the same skirt as before, with a fresh blouse that looked more sharp and form-fitting than the usual conservative tops she wore at the office. “You’re still not dressed. You do know we need to be in the ballroom in thirty minutes, yes? We should also review the itinerary before heading out.”
“You packed the wrong suitcase!!” Elizabeth snapped. Her assistant was acting like everything was normal. Mostly. June was providing the kinds of reminders she gave on a daily basis, albeit with a subtle amount of judgment and impatience in her voice compared to normal. It irritated the hell out of Elizabeth, as she would have been dressed forever ago if June had just put the correct luggage in the car. “How could you screw that up?! Mine was literally in your guest room.” She gestured to the immature clothes to her left, “These aren’t mine.”
“Huh. Those are my niece’s clothes,” June said. She sounded far more calm by contrast, “She accidentally left her suitcase when my sister visited. I guess it does look kind of like yours. Where did you put yours before bed, again?”
Elizabeth hesitated. “I, umm . . . ” After all the wine she had consumed the previous night, her bedtime ritual had been a little hazy. Obviously she remembered brushing her teeth and getting into bed, but her suitcase? That wasn’t something she normally thought about at night, which meant it wasn’t something she could recall as clearly. Especially when June was cleverly sowing the seeds of doubt.
“Well, we should probably focus on the matter at hand,” June said, “You need to wear something, don’t you? I don’t mean any offense by this, but you and Maggie are around the same size. I mean, her clothes might be a little snug on you . . . Still, it’s better than nothing for the time being, right?”
Was June being serious? Granted, Elizabeth’s idea had been vaguely similar when she started looking through the options. Except she had mostly settled on the conclusion that her pajamas were better in the short term. “I’m fine how I am,” Elizabeth asserted, “We just need to find the nearest store, and-”
“Elizabeth, there’s no time for that,” June said.
“Then we can make time!” Elizabeth insisted. Tonight wasn’t that important compared to the rest of the conference, and it surely wouldn’t be the end of the world if they arrived fashionably late to network. Better than being punctual but dressed noticeably worse than everyone else present. It would be a terrible first impression, considering that Elizabeth was scheduled to pitch to any number of the people that she would be meeting tonight. How was she supposed to be taken seriously in either situation when she wasn’t in her usual business woman battle armor?
June just sighed. “Are you at least willing to try, Elizabeth? Here, I’ll give you a minute. Put on the best option you can find in Maggie’s suitcase, and come out when you’re dressed.”
“What? Why?” Elizabeth asked. That was quite literally time they could be spending on a walk to the elevators and beyond.
“Now, Miss. It’s important. We only have one company card, since you lost yours, and mine has a lower limit.” June went on to explain that because it was now officially the weekend due to it being late afternoon on a Friday, they wouldn’t be able to call the office and adjust anything where June’s credit card was involved. And until the airline found Elizabeth’s missing purse, they couldn’t risk maxing things out when June would be solely responsible for paying for business lunches and dinners, drinks, travel expenses for their return trip, and anything else that came up.
Elizabeth tried to counter with the point that June could always just use a personal card if it came to that, but her assistant waved that idea off right away. For starters, their company preferred using its own card unless absolutely necessary, as it was both simpler in terms of red tape and avoided people abusing the system for the sake of getting some extra points for themselves. And if June did end up using her own credit card, there was a good chance she and Elizabeth would have to explain why that was the case when there should have been more than enough on Elizabeth’s alone for the whole weekend.
If Elizabeth was in a better headspace, maybe she would have realized that ‘I lost my card’ or ‘I left my card at home’ was a simple and reasonable explanation. The latter would have been perfectly acceptable, and wouldn’t look that bad in the grand scheme of things. However, she ended up falling victim to the embarrassing images that flashed through her head thanks to the way June framed things. The higher ups learning about how she spent all day in her PJs, left her phone and wallet on the plane, brought the wrong suitcase along, etc. etc.
And, though speaking rather sternly and directly, June still made it sound like she was on Elizabeth’s side as she countered each of her boss’s points. “Maybe I can manage to find you some clothes that won’t disrupt our budget. But in the meantime, we need to work with what we have. So are you going to keep complaining about it and wasting time, or are you going to try on some of my niece’s clothes?”
June didn’t stand around waiting for an answer; she simply turned and left the bedroom, closing the door behind her. Elizabeth was left feeling a bit flustered, and failed to recognize the trick that was being used on her. It sounded like she just had two options, one of which would only make her look bad. Plus she and June could agree on one thing–time was a limiting factor. If Elizabeth kept arguing, the clock was going to be ticking all the while. Without her phone, she wasn’t exactly sure when they were supposed to be downstairs, though she knew from her previous conversation with June that it was less than thirty minutes if they wanted to arrive at the proper start time.
Going through the suitcase a lot less meticulously than before, Elizabeth eventually found a plain white tank top that would serve as a cami if she wore it underneath a nice outfit. And, for the time being, was a preferable top compared to the more childish and girly colors that she had perused. June had been wrong about the clothes not fitting perfectly; upon trying on the tank top, Elizabeth blushed as she realized that it was exactly the right size. She knew she was small, of course. Still, being able to effortlessly wear something that was clearly meant for a child was a lot to handle.
Thanks to how rushed she had been in the morning, Elizabeth wasn’t wearing a bra, and all of her personal undergarments were apparently back at June’s apartment. The good news was, her assistant’s niece was old enough to need bras, as evidenced by the small collection of underwear packed in the suitcase before her. The bad news was, the bras and panties were painfully cheap and plain compared to the expensive ones Elizabeth normally wore.
A white tank top meant she didn’t really have a choice. It was either underwear she’d never be caught dead wearing, or a shirt that was outwardly immature. At least the former would be hidden.
Unfortunately, the borrowed bra didn’t fit nearly as well as the tank top. Elizabeth frowned in discomfort at the tightness on her chest, as well as how her already small mounds were flattened to almost nothing. She was about to abandon the undergarment when June knocked on the door. “Elizabeth? Almost done?”
“Just a minute!” Elizabeth snapped. Begrudgingly putting the white top back on, and rounding the outfit out with a pair of jean shorts that were easily the most mature option she could see, she gave herself a once-over in the mirror. It was not a good look. From the neck down, she looked more like a tween than an adult. And with the way her hair was still braided, along with the simple make-up job she had sped through that morning, her appearance was not nearly as mature as she normally went out of her way to achieve.
It was too late to try on something else, plus Elizabeth was almost certain what she was wearing was the best combination that she could have managed under the circumstances. Besides, it wasn’t about looking good; it was about showing June that this was completely unacceptable for a business trip. So, although she really didn’t want to, Elizabeth strutted over to the door and swung it open. “See? This isn’t going to work.”
June gave her a quick once-over, then agreed. “Hmm, probably not. You are supposed to be the face of the company this weekend. But now we know that you have something to wear whenever we’re not busy with the conference.”
“When are we not busy with the conference??”
“Whenever we’re back in the suite, or shopping, or traveling. I told you, Elizabeth. We don’t have enough credit to replace everything you need. From here on out, you can wear Maggie’s clothes when it’s just the two of us. No underwear shopping, either. You’ll be fine in hers for a couple days.”
Elizabeth had so much she wanted to say. That June needed to use the proper title when addressing her. That underwear shopping was indeed necessary, as a push-up bra that accentuated her not so impressive curves was far preferable to the borrowed one that did the exact opposite. However, a shopping trip, no matter how quick, was already going to make them a little late. Elizabeth needed to focus on the big picture so they didn’t get bogged down in a conversation that would only stall them more. “I can’t wear this tonight,” Elizabeth said. She could suck it up and wear it down the street, as she had to admit it was less out of place than a young woman walking down the sidewalk in pajamas, but she would never in a million years step into the hotel’s ballroom looking like a middle schooler on summer vacation.
“About that . . . ” June trailed off.
Elizabeth scowled. She placed a hand on her hip, and glanced up at her assistant. “What? Spit it out.”
“I’ve been thinking,” June said, “Maybe it makes more sense for you to just stay up here tonight. Hear me out. We can say your flight was delayed, and that you’ll get in later this evening. I can network and lay the groundwork for our big pitch, and you can seal the deal tomorrow.”
“And what am I supposed to do up here?” Elizabeth scoffed.
“Order room service?” June suggested. She knew her boss well enough to nudge her in the right direction. “Instead of wasting your time brown-nosing potential clients, you can have the whole night to prepare for our meetings. Trust me, Elizabeth. It will be better if we divide and conquer.”
Chapter Four
June didn’t really have a plan.
Ever since Elizabeth had been invited to spend the night at her apartment, June had only been motivated by doing whatever it took to inconvenience and embarrass her boss. So far, things had gone well. Better than June had initially expected, as she was now in control of Elizabeth’s wallet and cell phone. And with only a suitcase full of juvenile clothes, Elizabeth probably wouldn’t be showing her face outside their hotel suite.
It wasn’t until June stepped out of the elevator onto the main floor that she realized the possibilities now that she was the only one from their company present for the first evening of the conference. For the next few hours, she could quite literally make herself the face of their department. Initially, this had been all about screwing with Elizabeth’s career. But, what if . . .
Instead of going with her original idea to apologize for her boss’s absence, and letting slip that Elizabeth had missed her flight due to oversleeping, June could quite literally pretend that she was the one who had been sent for the various pitches that Elizabeth was supposed to be in charge of. Long term, that was so much better than simply dropping comments that made Elizabeth look irresponsible, untrustworthy, etc.
If she played her cards right, June might actually be able to save her career. Elizabeth wouldn’t be capable of firing her if everyone saw how much business June had personally succeeded in bringing to the company. Or, best of both worlds, they would also see that Elizabeth wasn’t nearly as hardworking as she pretended to be. ‘One step at a time,’ June told herself. That was how everything had worked out well up until this point. Rather than some long term scheme, she would continue focusing on the present and adapting along the way.
Still, June had to think quickly. She couldn’t tell any outright lies that would later be contradicted. The thing about Elizabeth’s flight was fine because June knew she’d be able to sell that as an excuse to her boss later. Of course, she would have left out the oversleeping part of it, leaving Elizabeth to apologize for her delayed arrival while their potential client would know why she missed the flight. Now that she was speaking for herself, however, June had to be careful. She couldn’t just make up some job title for herself, as the people she’d be talking to tonight would eventually be meeting her higher ups. Plus keeping track of lies was such a chore. She’d be better off weaving clever half-truths and letting her expertise speak for herself. After all, June knew the presentation material better than Elizabeth did.
It turned out that pulling that off was a lot easier than expected. All June really had to do was talk about her experience at the company. How she originally started in more of an admin capacity, but was currently in the process of transitioning to more of a business associate role. It might have been a slight stretch, as no one had officially offered her such a position, but she could always claim that someone must have misheard her if someone back at the office ever called her out on it. Because for the most part, it was true. She started more as an admin/assistant, had recently been looped into a number of important conversations, and was now quite literally being flown halfway across the country to assist with securing a major client. For all intents and purposes, she had a promotion coming, as long as Elizabeth was out of the way.
Being burdened with most of Elizabeth’s paperwork also ended up giving June an enormous edge as she continued networking throughout the evening. One of their current clients asked about her, and June was quick to clarify what actually was the truth. “Oh, Ms. Harris mostly handles communication. I’m the one responsible for managing most of her accounts. Didn’t I just work on a project that streamlined the way your company does inventory the other month?” June made a point to downplay the memory, while also casually giving herself all the credit. Meanwhile, she aimed to make Elizabeth sound like one of those middle managers who only delegated without actually doing any work herself. That was more or less what Elizabeth was like, anyway. Though Elizabeth contributed at some capacity, June was more than happy to take all the credit for a job that Elizabeth had only done maybe 15% of compared to June’s 85%.
There was also no need for June to abandon her first idea. Whenever she had the chance, she innocently mentioned that Elizabeth overslept and missed her flight. Since tomorrow was a completely different battle, June decided to cover her bases. Ideal world, Elizabeth would be trapped in the hotel suite all weekend. However, June really doubted that her boss would take that lying down. Somehow, someway, she would need to figure out if it was possible to solo the weekend.
Then a crazy idea presented itself to her in the form of the very same potential client she and Elizabeth had been sent there to land. There were a few other meetings with current clients they would be responsible for, but all of those paled in comparison to the business they were charged with bringing in. After purposely avoiding the female CEO for a good hour or so, as she didn’t want to come across as too desperate or eager, June finally found a window to introduce herself when the two of them were ordering a new round of drinks. In reality, it was June’s first actual cocktail, as she had been drinking tonic water thus far in order to stay on her game while appearing as if she was socializing over drinks like everyone else.
All the other conversations had been with people she had either met before or already heard the names of. That’s why it had been so easy to nonchalantly talk herself up while simultaneously putting Elizabeth down. This was different. Taking a completely different approach, June opted to simply be genuine and not play any games. That was where June was nothing at all like Elizabeth. Though June was more than capable of playing the professional role, she was also more down to earth and direct than most people in her department. It was probably why she got noticed, as she simply got to the point with her good ideas, rather than circling for five minutes in corporate speak like she witnessed all the time in various meetings.
She and Ruth only talked for a few minutes, during which June got the chance to hear about Ruth’s company. It was a good way to both break the ice and to glean a bit of information that might help with their pitch the following day.
Apparently Ruth’s company was rather family oriented, and put a major focus on work/life balance. It could have been bullshit, considering how countless companies claim such things on the surface while actually taking advantage of their employees left and right. The more Ruth talked, the less that seemed to be the case. To her, after rising through the ranks while also being constantly stressed about juggling family commitments, it only seemed fair to not burden anyone else with such challenges. As long as everyone got their work done in a timely manner, Ruth didn’t mind people leaving halfway through the day to pick up a sick child from school, or working remotely when they had responsibilities at home to tackle as well. In fact, there were often times where individuals would come to work with their kid, provided their presence wasn’t disruptive to everyone else.
The more June heard, the more the gears in her head started turning. She definitely didn’t want to blindside Ruth at the pitch tomorrow, but also wanted to test the waters in case she could get Elizabeth on board. “That sounds like a really healthy work culture,” June said, “I’m responsible for my niece here and there this weekend, and scheduling has been a nightmare with all the meetings I’m going to be involved with.”
That’s all it took. “You’re more than welcome to bring her tomorrow if it makes things easier for you,” Ruth shrugged, “As long as she’s not a distraction, of course.”
“Thank you for the offer. I’ll keep it in mind,” June said, “And I really appreciate it. Her parents still have to get back to me about a couple details, but I can call ahead and let your office know in advance if I end up deciding to do that. It’ll certainly be easier than dropping her off somewhere, or commuting back and forth across the city all day.”
Ruth went on to explain how that’s exactly why she makes a constant effort to avoid such complications. Instead of wasting time and money on this or that, she’d rather everyone do what’s simplest and easiest whenever possible.
By the time she shook Ruth’s hand and expressed how she was looking forward to their meeting tomorrow, June was just barely able to focus on the woman before her. Her thoughts were solely on whether or not she would be able to convince Elizabeth to go along with something like that. June was too young to pass a girl Elizabeth’s size as her daughter, but maybe the ‘niece’ concept would work out. The clothes already did wonders to make Elizabeth look younger, especially with the messy braid. If June had thirty minutes to really put in the effort, Elizabeth might actually be able to pass as a tween girl. A more immature outfit than the one Elizabeth had chosen, a clever combo of hair/make-up, rounded off with how dramatic the contrast would be when June towered over her in business attire? It definitely wasn’t the half of a drink that made it sound like a good idea. June was still completely sober, yet pretty convinced she could pull it off.
There was just the matter of getting Elizabeth on board . . .
Meanwhile, Elizabeth’s time upstairs hadn’t been nearly as productive as June’s.
For nearly thirty minutes, she just sulked. Instead of networking and putting her face to all the projects she had taken full credit for, she was sequestered to her hotel room. Now that June was gone and there was no time pressure, Elizabeth more thoroughly perused the suitcase her assistant had incorrectly grabbed. By the time every single outfit piece was sitting on the bed, Elizabeth was confident that she was wearing the only decent combination available. Most of the tees and tank tops were brighter and girlier than the colors she wore on a daily basis in both her personal and professional life. Huffing in annoyance, she stuffed everything back into the suitcase without any rhyme or reason. She didn’t plan on wearing anything but what she had reluctantly tried on to shut June up. First thing tomorrow, they were going to skip breakfast and go shopping instead.
As for the ‘divide and conquer’ strategy June mentioned, Elizabeth found that it didn’t actually make any sense. All their materials were in June’s room. Since Elizabeth had already memorized all of her presentations, there was really nothing else to prepare. She had already gone over the information again and again throughout the last week or so. It took all of ten minutes of pacing back and forth and speed talking through the first few meetings for her to verify that she still knew everything backwards and forwards.
Without a phone or laptop, Elizabeth was bored within the hour. Taking June’s suggestion, as she was quite used to her assistant anticipating her needs at this point, Elizabeth picked up the phone and ordered herself a small feast via room service. She would have spent the funds at the bar this evening anyway, plus she was used to treating herself on the company’s dime. On top of that, June had been the one to make the reservations, which meant it would be June’s company card that was charged for whatever Elizabeth ordered. Showing that her assistant was being irresponsible with her credit card was yet another thing Elizabeth could add to the list in terms of getting the girl fired.
Elizabeth was a little bit worried about ordering herself wine. Thanks to her size, she was carded quite often, even when dressed more nicely than any college student could afford. If that happened at upscale bars in expensive clothes, she could only imagine what would happen in her current get-up. She was still tempted to change back into her PJs, if only because that’s what her more adult self would wear. However, she decided to stay in the jean shorts and white top on the off chance that June returned early enough that they could head to a nearby store. Things were open later in the city, though Elizabeth’s current lack of technology meant she couldn’t check out the surrounding area.
As for drinking, that would be fine, since they reserved the room as young adults. Just to be safe, Elizabeth even requested they leave the tray outside the door. She would often do that anyway, as retrieving her food was preferable to dealing with tedious small talk.
Without any other way to entertain herself, Elizabeth found a decent movie to watch. The overpriced food and wine was helpful in taking the edge off after a frustrating day. Still, it was difficult to relax when she was stuck relying on her assistant even more than usual. Even if the airport had sorted things out with Elizabeth’s purse, June would be the one they called. And at this point, there was a chance June wasn’t paying attention to her phone if she was busy laying the groundwork for their meetings tomorrow.
June was away until almost 10 PM. She let herself back into their suite and found herself face to face with Elizabeth almost immediately. The more casually dressed girl was lounging on the sofa and was more than halfway done with the nearby bottle of red. “Finally,” Elizabeth huffed, “What took you so long?”
“There were a lot of people to talk to,” June said. Getting right to it, she stepped farther into the living room, “Listen, Elizabeth. We need to talk. I have an idea that will give us an edge against the competition tomorrow, but it’s a little bit unorthodox.”
“I’m listening,” Elizabeth replied. Sitting up slightly, she added on, “And it’s Ms. Harris.”
“We already went over this.” Though she had no intentions of falling back to the more submissive language when they were in a private setting and her boss did not look like a professional woman at all, June split the difference by topping off Elizabeth’s glass. “Let’s worry about titles later. Besides, it won’t make any sense for me to call you that if we decide to commit to what I have in mind.”
“And what do you have in mind, June?”
That was part of why June had been later to return. After one or two more conversations by the bar, she had spent a good hour or so in a more secluded area drafting up an outline for how she might approach this concept that was going to be insulting no matter how she spun it. The goal was simple–to make Elizabeth see that the benefits would outweigh the blow to her pride.
Of course, a little wine couldn’t hurt the equation. She also predicted that leaving Elizabeth alone for longer would ensure that she’d be at least a little tipsy. That was only partially the case, as clearly the petite young woman had been working through the bottle a lot more slowly than the previous evening. So, using the same strategy as she had done back at the apartment, June took it upon herself to refill the glass in a way that ensured Elizabeth would keep drinking. Maybe it was wrong to intentionally lower her inhibitions, but June had been pushed to the point where she would do whatever it took to both protect herself and get a bit of justice/vengeance for Elizabeth’s selfishness and laziness.
Intentionally stalling, June started by talking about Ruth’s company. Acting like she was debriefing Elizabeth on the information she had gleaned downstairs, while really setting the stage for what was to come. All while letting Elizabeth sip more wine along the way.
Most importantly, June emphasized how family was something their soon to be client valued. She was certainly stretching the truth, as it sounded like Ruth’s real goal was keeping her people happy from a mental health and work/life balance standpoint, but Elizabeth didn’t need to know that. Children had been mentioned enough times in the earlier conversation, as that had been Ruth’s personal struggle as both a mother and a business woman. The nuances didn’t matter quite as much when it was just June and Elizabeth, as long as the end result could be achieved.
“Anyway,” June said, “I would have cleared it with you first, but you lost your phone. Basically, I floated the idea that I might be stuck with my niece for part of the day tomorrow, and the CEO encouraged me to bring her to the meeting if that simplified my schedule.”
“Your niece?” Elizabeth asked, “This is a business trip. Why the fuck would you have to watch your niece at all? That’s not what you’re here for.”
June took a breath, as if she was hesitant to continue.
Taking the bait without realizing it, Elizabeth scoffed. “What? Spit it out, June.”
Pausing for another second to really sell it, June explained, “I think we should say that you’re my niece. Let me give the presentation, and show Ruth that they’ll be working with people that share their family values.”
“Umm, what? That’s ridiculous.” It was one thing to be mistaken as underage at the liquor store. This was something else entirely.
“It’s not ridiculous,” June simply said, “Here, give it a try. Call me ‘Aunt June.’”
Chapter Five
It took a good thirty minutes to get Elizabeth on board.
June just had to gradually explain that this plan made the most sense. Between the suitcase mix-up and the fact that Elizabeth had ‘lost’ her purse on the plane, they didn’t have many options. There was no time to go shopping for new clothes, and June threw in the point that using the company card for such expenses would then need to be explained back at the office. The only way to keep this between the two of them was for Elizabeth to deal with the youthful clothes she was stuck with.
Once again using Elizabeth’s love of wine against her, June topped off the glass as she explained for a second time how family was a core value of the company they’d be presenting to. She didn’t plan on getting the petite girl drunk; however, a healthy level of inebriation wouldn’t hurt the cause. June had already come down from her single cocktail, and had been playing the social game for hours. She was in prime form to debate compared to her opponent who had done nothing but lounge in their suite all evening.
Finally, she played into Elizabeth’s ego and desire for credit. How it was Elizabeth who came up with the unique business tactic of playing into a potential client’s company values. Their own company was far more profit driven, both at the expense of their employees and in terms of what they would say or imply to secure a client. This would basically turn a weakness into a strength, as if Elizabeth planned this from the beginning. Have June do the presentation, sucker the soon to be clients into a false connection, and then Elizabeth can run the account after all is said and done. “That will make them feel important,” June said, “Closed by someone at my level, but showing them that they’re a priority by letting them work with someone like you.”
Elizabeth was slowly coming around. Except for a few details she couldn’t ignore. “They’ll recognize me,” she pointed out. Even if things would be mostly remote, there would definitely be video conferences. Seeing that their point person was the ‘niece’ who was at the presentation wouldn’t go unnoticed. “Later, I mean.”
“Hmm, you might be right,” June conceded. Sitting back and crossing her legs, she took a moment to feign like she was thinking. She was still a lowly assistant. Anticipating her bratty boss’s needs was one thing, but this would be better if she didn’t have all the answers right away. And, ideally, would somewhat feel like they landed on the plan together despite how June was the one who brought it up and was still selling it for the most part. “Oh! We could dye your hair. Temporarily, I mean.”
“What? No,” Elizabeth said, “That’s too much.”
June just raised an eyebrow. “Is it? They haven’t met you before. And I just mean with something I can buy down the road. It’ll wash right out, Elizabeth. The client definitely won’t recognize you with different hair and professional clothes.”
“Yeah, but-”
“Elizabeth. I’m trying to come up with a solution here. But you’re the boss; it’s your call. Do you want to give the presentation yourself dressed in my niece’s clothes? Or do you want to tell your assistant to handle it for you?”
Elizabeth hesitated. Obviously the former option wasn’t actually an option. It would be one thing to stand in front of a room of professionals with a coffee stain on her blouse, as something like that would be relatable enough that she could play it off. But she couldn’t even begin to imagine trying to explain this series of unfortunate complications. No one would take her seriously, especially when aiming to get them to trust her. If she brought the wrong suitcase, what kinds of mistakes might she make with their account?
When given the either/or, especially after an exhausting day and a few drinks, Elizabeth was not at all in the proper headspace to consider that there might be an alternative that hadn’t been said out loud. “And I get all the credit,” she asserted. It helped that June framed it in the familiar way, where it was an assistant’s job to do as she was told.
“And you get all the credit,” June echoed, “But we don’t have a lot of time. If this is the direction you want to go, we need to do your hair tonight. We’re all booked up tomorrow morning.”
“My hair?” Elizabeth had already forgotten that element. “But-”
“We don’t have to. If you don’t think they’ll remember you later, then there’s no need to dye it. Want to risk it, Elizabeth?”
“I- I don’t know.”
It took a lot of self control for June to avoid smirking. Her boss was usually so arrogant and blunt, at least when it came to underlings. Now Elizabeth was dressed down and faltering to the point where it would only take another nudge or two for June’s most recent idea to become a reality. This niece scheme was so much more enticing than simply making Elizabeth sit in the hotel room all weekend due to a lack of proper attire.
Managing to keep it cool, June simply said, “I can’t choose for you. So, what’s it going to be? Be my niece with your natural hair color, or . . . ”
Elizabeth was too caught up in the decision about her hair to realize how she was being pushed to the side of the fence that June wanted her on. The conversation had subtly been shifted to make it sound like the niece thing had been all but decided, and now they just had to figure out the rest. And since there were already so many ways she could be embarrassed this weekend by leaving their suite in tween clothes, it was natural for her to be just as worried about something similar happening after they closed the deal. “We can dye it,” she mumbled, belatedly clarifying, “It’ll wash right out?”
“Mm hmm,” June hummed, “But seriously, Elizabeth. You need to start addressing me properly. That’s the only way for this to be believable. Aunt. June. Try it, okay? Otherwise, we might as well forget this whole thing and have you lead the presentation in Maggie’s clothes.”
“No, wait!” Elizabeth exclaimed. She couldn’t do that. That would almost certainly get her in trouble back at the office, especially if they lost the sale because of it. If she could spin the negative situation as a positive, however, maybe this could all work out. It wouldn’t be the first time she took one of her assistant’s ideas for herself. “Aunt June. See?”
June nodded. “Okay. So it’s settled, then. You’ll be my niece tomorrow. I’ll handle the presentation, and you can observe. Don’t worry, I know all the information, and I can brush up on the finer points tomorrow morning. And what will you call me all day?”
“Aunt June,” she muttered. The question felt so patronizing, especially coming from a subordinate.
Apparently June caught the annoyed tone, and was quick to address it. “You should call me that from now on. There’s not a lot of time to form the habit, and we’ll both look bad if you mess up halfway through. Right?”
“Right,” Elizabeth blushed. She could only imagine how awkward and humiliating it would be for someone to figure out that she wasn’t actually June’s niece after pretending to be for an extended period of time. Although pretending in general was plenty embarrassing in its own way. Rather than doing everything in her power to offset her youthful features, she was going to have to lean into them and look even younger than the older teenager people assumed her to be when she wasn’t dressed up. It was so counter to her usual need to be seen as a professional young woman, yet it felt as if that’s the plan they had landed on.
“Right, Aunt June?” June suggested.
“Umm, sure,” she said, “Right, Aunt June.” The girl was just one year older than her, and her assistant. This new dynamic was going to be difficult to get used to, even if it was all for show. Unfortunately, Elizabeth couldn’t argue with June’s logic. If they waited until it was time for the meeting, there was a good chance that Elizabeth would slip up and act more like the boss that she actually was.
“There you go.” June nodded again, and stood up. “Keep working on that. I’m going to go down and ask the concierge if there’s a walkable place for me to get what I need to dye your hair. Why don’t you find a cute outfit for tomorrow? Whatever best ages you down. Actually, come up with a few options. I’ll help you pick the best one when I get back. Oh, have you tried on Maggie’s shoes yet?”
“No?” Elizabeth tilted her head in confusion. Why would she have done that? She still had her heels, and they were simple enough that they could be worn with casual ensembles. Since her daily image was so important, of course she had footwear that could work for both formal and informal settings.
June gestured towards the bedroom. “Go see if they fit. That suitcase is full of summer clothes; no teenager would wear heels with any of those things.” Maybe that was a bit of a stretch. “Also, it will be better if you’re on the shorter side, I think.” She knew that Elizabeth was self conscious about her height, so she avoided focusing on that more than she needed to. And sticking with the word ‘teenager’ felt best; that would give the clever assistant some wiggle room to decide on her boss’s age after the physical transformation was complete.
Now that they had landed on the aunt/niece idea, there were really only so many battles Elizabeth could pick. Everything June was suggesting was relevant to the false image Elizabeth would be committing to tomorrow, and they had to have most of this figured out tonight due to the time constraints.
Ignorant to the fact that a number of the items in the suitcase had been specifically packed for Elizabeth, like how the shoes were her exact size, she grimaced at the only pair sitting underneath the stack of clothes to the right. White sneakers with light pink soles, along with a few other splashes of pink on the shoes themselves. It was the definition of girly, and not even her teenage self would be caught dead in footwear like that. Knowing that June wouldn’t let her off the hook if she didn’t at least try, Elizabeth reluctantly stepped into one of the shoes. Of course, her petite self ended up fitting Maggie’s shoes perfectly. It briefly occurred to her that she could head back out without the sneakers on and tell June they were too small, except her tipsy self couldn’t shake the concern that she would just be made to prove it and have to go through the whole process again.
June had already seen her barefoot, both back at the girl’s apartment and in their suite. It wasn’t like this would do much to affect her current height; Elizabeth was more embarrassed by the color and style.
Of course, June felt the exact opposite. “Oh, they’re perfect!” she exclaimed, “Okay, good. New shoes would have been a bit out of our budget. Alright, I’m heading out. Anything else you need, Elizabeth?”
Just some peace and quiet to reconcile the fact that she was going to be spending half a day walking around as if she were 5-10 years younger than she actually was. As Elizabeth had already learned, the majority of the clothes in the suitcase were the opposite of the colors she tended to wear in both her personal and professional life. How was she supposed to come up with a few options when she was already wearing the only tolerable combination? Deciding to stick with the jean shorts she had on for all the potential outfits, Elizabeth simply picked out three t-shirts that were the most plain in design, all of which would go with her current bottoms. There. Good enough.
Then she had to wait. Feeling somewhat sleepy after an early morning and a long day of traveling and a myriad of frustrations, Elizabeth roamed back into the common room and poured herself the last of the wine. Though the drink was no doubt contributing to her tired state, she knew that not having more was a surefire way for her eyes to start drooping. Pacing the room for a few minutes, already sick of the limited space she had been stuck in for hours at this point, Elizabeth soon knocked back the rest of the glass and flopped down onto the sofa. This would normally be when she started scrolling social media, seeing if there were any work emails to reply to in order to seem like a dedicated team member who was working after hours, or just killing time with any number of meaningless apps.
She ended up just flipping through channels on the TV until June returned. The last thing Elizabeth needed was to be caught passed out on the sofa when it had been established that they had more to do tonight.
June had decided on red hair dye. According to her, it made sense; Maggie was a redhead, so it would be the most natural if Elizabeth was the same when acting as June’s niece. Normally, the upcoming process would be best if Elizabeth was undressed, or wearing something she didn’t care about getting some color on. However, June knew that she was already pushing some limits with all of this. Besides, the white tank top would be cheap to replace, and staining it would also remove it as a future option. The more colorful tops in the other room would be much more appropriate for a brat like Elizabeth.
As for doing the job herself, June was easily able to convince Elizabeth that she needed help, even when her boss tried to whine about how June was following her into the bathroom. Between asking the soon to be redhead if she had ever dyed her hair before, and pointing out that this is probably something a dedicated assistant would help out with, there wasn’t much wind left in Elizabeth’s sails as they stood together in the somewhat cramped bathroom. After a successful evening of networking, June didn’t mind playing the assistant card; she knew her talents were better served as an admin and a soon to be manager, but she was more than happy to lean into her current role in order to make that happen.
“And how would a polite young lady ask her aunt for this?” June asked. Now that Elizabeth was seated on the edge of the tub, it felt a lot more natural to talk down to her. “Remember, we need to practice for tomorrow.”
Elizabeth frowned in annoyance. She had been this close to snapping something in response to the first half, until June got ahead of it. Sounding more petulant than she realized with an exaggerated huff, she muttered, “Please dye my hair, Aunt June?”
“Of course,” June said, internally smiling while keeping a poker face on the outside, “Now, you are going to sit still and do as you’re told, yes?”
“Umm,” Elizabeth hesitated.
“That’s when you say ‘Yes, Aunt June.’ Remember, Elizabeth. You can’t act like my boss tomorrow. You’re my niece, yes?” With the same leading word as before, all while towering over the seated girl, Jue expectantly raised an eyebrow.
Lightly blushing, Elizabeth conceded, “Yes, Aunt June.”
“Good. Starting right now, you are no longer my boss. You are my well behaved niece named Elizabeth. Actually, no. I think you should go by ‘Lizzie’ tomorrow. What if our future client recognizes your name when she next sees you?”
“What? No! I’m-”
“Lizzie!,” June snapped, “You agreed to this idea, didn’t you? We literally just talked about how we need practice, which means it’s best if you don’t act like you’re anyone’s boss. As long as you’re my niece, I’m the one in charge. Now, are you going to be a big girl and behave properly, or are you going to be a whiny little brat?”
Elizabeth had never felt so small. It was surprising, seeing this side of her assistant. And the last time Elizabeth had been told off in such a way was when she was younger; college professors tended to speak to their students more like adults on average, and Elizabeth had never been reamed out at work due to how she was so clever about deflecting blame and making sure she was only ever praised for the work she may or may not have done all the work for.
Neither option was good. Obviously being a ‘big girl’ was better than the insulting alternative, though she wasn’t actually June’s niece. Except apparently the young woman standing in front of her had decided that they needed more practice than Elizabeth merely calling her by the appropriate name. And she was really too vulnerable and caught off guard to protest.
“I’ll behave,” she mumbled, glancing away with a bit of a blush.
June just sighed. “Was that so difficult? Okay, let’s try this again. You are going to sit still and do as you’re told, yes?”
“Yes, Aunt June,” Elizabeth said.
And that was that. June had Elizabeth turn around, and unpacked the small box of supplies she would need to make her boss nearly unrecognizable. Between the hair, the clothes, and this new dynamic, it was starting to feel like this might actually work. June would be the one to close the big client. ‘Lizzie’ would be twiddling her thumbs and finally experience what it was like to be talked down to all day.
Chapter Six
Once Elizabeth’s hair was dyed, things only got easier for June.
After all, they were officially in too deep to back out from her plan. Elizabeth looked so youthful with red hair, especially when her locks were damp and her face was devoid of make-up. And, since June had only bought the one color, it wasn’t as if they could switch back if the girl got cold feet.
Elizabeth hadn’t thought to grab a spare outfit before hopping in the shower, and her previous top was stained red here and there. She ended up reluctantly stepping out into the small suite in just her towel, which made her natural height and petite size more obvious than when she had been wearing the borrowed clothes. Apparently June was taking this ‘aunt’ thing seriously, as she had already laid out a set of pink pajamas on the bed. Technically, she was being helpful as an assistant as well, though it hardly felt that way when she was being more patronizing than professional.
“It’s past your bedtime, young lady,” June said. She gestured to the PJs that were waiting for the small redhead. Elizabeth would have preferred wearing a simple shorts/tee combo, rather than something that was clearly designed for a child. However, the suitcase was nowhere to be seen. When Elizabeth asked, June simply explained, “I think it makes more sense for me to pick out your clothes from now on. Maggie dresses differently than you, yes?
There was no point arguing. Elizabeth tried, of course, only to be reminded that all of this was practice for tomorrow. The privacy of their hotel suite was the perfect place to adapt to this new dynamic, so no one would be suspicious of the aunt/niece thing tomorrow. According to June, all this hesitation was exactly the problem. ‘Lizzie’ needed to get all this difficult energy out now, because it wasn’t long before they’d be doing it for real.
At least Elizabeth was given some privacy to change. As if the pink PJs weren’t bad enough, June had also set out a pair of plain pink panties. The cheap cotton was nowhere near the quality of the underwear Elizabeth was used to wearing, though complaining about it would just prove her assistant’s point. It really wasn’t fair; there was no winning, and she could already feel her control slipping away now that she had been talked into this absurd idea.
A minute or two later, June did the thing where she knocked while also opening the door before being given permission. “Ready for bed, Lizzie?” she asked.
Elizabeth’s lips tightened in annoyance. They had so recently talked about the attitude thing and, since June had knocked, there wasn’t a good way to chastise her without it sounding immature. Between the wine and the non-stop frustrations of a long day, Elizabeth wasn’t exactly in an ideal headspace to argue much more anyway. “Yes,” she muttered. The truth was, Elizabeth was exhausted, to the point where not even ‘Lizzie’ got much of a reaction beyond the annoyed look on her face.
“Yes, what?” June asked.
Right. The newly red haired girl had forgotten about that little detail throughout the course of her shower and this latest round of being casually demeaned. “Yes, Aunt June,” she said, with a small huff.
“Better, Lizzie,” she nodded, “Now, lie down so I can tuck you in.”
Elizabeth wasn’t that much of a pushover. “June, no,” she flatly said. It was just now dawning on her that she and June hadn’t discussed the exact age that Elizabeth was supposed to be, or how old June’s real niece was. “I’m not a little girl.”
“Yes. You are.” Crossing her arms, June gave the pink clad girl a stern look. “You’re my niece, and I’m in charge of you this weekend, Lizzie. We already agreed to all of this, and you promised that you would behave. Didn’t you . . . ?”
“I- umm,” Elizabeth hesitated. Their conversation earlier had taken so many turns that she had completely lost track of what either party had actually said along the way, or the order in which they had discussed things. This had been mostly June’s idea, but Elizabeth had ultimately gotten on board due to her limited wardrobe options. Except she was pretty sure they hadn’t talked about anything beyond the day of the presentation. Right? While ‘practicing’ did make logical sense, there was only so much of that she could stomach.
Before Elizabeth could stammer out much more, June said far more calmly and clearly, “A well behaved girl would go to bed at an appropriate hour. Now, I’m going to count to three. One . . . Two . . . ”
At that, Elizabeth’s eyes widened. This kind of parental tactic had been used on her like a kid, much like it had at some point or another throughout the average person’s childhood. She never expected to be treated in such a way as an adult, yet it still ended up having the same psychological effect. “June, wait! That’s not-” Her protests fell on deaf ears, as the assistant kept counting.
Despite knowing that June didn’t actually have any authority over her, Elizabeth ended up caving. After ‘two,’ she obediently sat down on the bed and awkwardly swung her legs onto the mattress. She was still sitting up, less in defiance and more to keep some semblance of maturity. Not that it helped very much in that regard.
Giving a nod of approval, and pressing her advantage right away, June said, “All the way, Lizzie. Lie down, under the covers.”
By contrast, Elizabeth was more at a disadvantage. She had already partially committed, which didn’t leave her much room to push back. It felt so wrong letting her assistant belittle her like this. Especially since Elizabeth would have gone to bed of her own volition within the next half hour if she had just been left alone. Being told to do something she was already going to do was the worst. However, all she could say was, “Yes, Aunt June.” Now that the ball was rolling with this niece idea, Elizabeth felt like there wasn’t much she could do except ride it out. Maybe some rest would give her the level headedness she needed to clarify what was and wasn’t appropriate before they left for the meeting tomorrow morning.
Once her boss was fully horizontal, June stepped forward and helped her get the covers into place. And, just to add casual insult to injury, she leaned down and gave the girl’s forehead a peck. “Good night, Lizzie. Get some rest, okay? We have a big day tomorrow.”
Just like the day before, Elizabeth was in for a rude awakening. Quite literally.
“Lizzie. LIZZIE.” June’s voice was piercing, and she proceeded to grab Elizabeth’s shoulders in order to roughly jostle her from her slumber. Though it was a repeat of the previous morning in a few ways, there was far less respect coming from the girl who was supposed to be her subservient assistant. “Wake up, brat! You need to get up, now!”
As if her body being shaken wasn’t bad enough, the overhead light was on as well. Elizabeth squinted and groaned as she was woken up in the least sensitive way possible. “W-what . . . ?” she mumbled. Sitting up and blinking a few times, her vision finally settled and she saw that June was standing above her. The young woman was wearing a business suit and looked fully put together; the ensemble was rounded out with a judgmental scowl on her face.
June yanked the covers away, creating a wave of cold that more thoroughly woke the girl up. “You didn’t set an alarm, did you?! Lizzie, we need to leave in five minutes. I can’t believe you’re still in bed!”
“But- my phone . . . I mean, I couldn’t?” Elizabeth sputtered out. Blushing from the sight of her body in the PJs she had forgotten about until the sudden lack of sheets reminded her of what she had put on before bed, she crossed her arms over her chest due to how her shivering was also slightly hardening her nipples. Without a bra, that would easily be seen through the thin top.
“There’s a clock right there,” June pointed out, gesturing to the one on the bedside table that was provided by the hotel, “Guess that’s what happens when you rely on an assistant for literally everything. You don’t know how to do anything for yourself.”
Elizabeth was taken aback by that, especially since she was still shaking off some of the grogginess that was lingering despite how she had been snapped out of her sleep. It was one thing for June to be patronizing due to the aunt/niece dynamic; it was something else entirely for this to turn into a commentary about their actual lives.
Still clutching her smaller breasts, she took a breath and tried to lay down the law like she was used to doing back at the office. “June. Don’t-”
“Get up, Lizzie! Your clothes are on the dresser. You’ve got sixty seconds, and then I’m coming back in to help with whatever you can’t manage on your own.” June swiveled on her heel and left the room, pointedly closing the door behind her after a stern reminder, “Oh, and it’s Aunt June.”
It took Elizabeth a few seconds to process the parting words. She didn’t need help getting dressed! Except it was clear this had a lot more to do with speed than actual capabilities. Getting out of bed was a lot easier without the warmth of the comforter tempting her to stay, plus she was very much awake after all of that. Scrambling to take off the girly pajamas, without looking at what was waiting for her on the other side of the room, she scurried over to the clothes her assistant had mentioned.
The shorts were dark pink. Not great, as Elizabeth really didn’t enjoy that color on herself in general, though at least more forgiving than a lighter hue. There was no time to hesitate. Better to have on a younger girl’s clothes than be caught in the plain underwear that was also borrowed. Elizabeth hastily pulled on the shorts, and only realized afterwards that there wasn’t a bra anywhere to be seen. Just a nude cami, as well as a white t-shirt.
Once again, she realized there was no time. Being late to their pitch was unacceptable, and June had already proven to be overly ‘helpful’ the previous morning in terms of making sure they were punctual. Maybe Elizabeth could grab a bra on the way out, and change in the car? Her stuff couldn’t have gotten far; it still bothered her that her assistant had taken the suitcase away. June had a perfectly reasonable excuse, however, since the clothes belonged to her niece. For the time being, Elizabeth had to focus on getting dressed. She put on the loose undergarment, as it was better than nothing, then grabbed the tee and began pulling it on.
“Ready, Lizzie?” True to her word, June let herself back in. A minute hadn’t been quite enough for Elizabeth to get changed. Sixty seconds to get up, strip down, and put on a whole new outfit? Not possible for a girl who was still reeling from being treated so differently than she was used to. “I guess not,” she sighed. June quickly crossed the room and placed her hands on the shirt, jerking it around as Elizabeth tried her best to get her limbs through the arm holes.
It was so much more difficult when four arms were involved, rather than two. “June! Stop; I can do it myself!” she whined, “Just- give me a minute.”
“I did give you a minute,” June pointed out, “And for the last time, it’s ‘Aunt June.’ Mess it up again, and you’re staying here.”
As appealing as that was on some level, Elizabeth would absolutely not accept hiding away in their suite again. She had literally dyed her hair for this, and had suffered through so many patronizing moments. And it would not look good to their boss if June was the one who did the entire presentation herself. The whole point of this plan was to get credit for going above and beyond with this little disguise. Also, Elizabeth had been so fucking bored last night, as she had no technology around to entertain herself.
When Elizabeth didn’t argue, June continued assisting until the tee was fully on, then made a point to fuss over it for a few seconds afterwards as well. “There. Now, what would a polite little girl say?”
Flushing a bit, still thoroughly flustered from both the t-shirt and everything between that and when she was woken up, Elizabeth muttered, “Thank you . . . Aunt June.”
“Good,” June nodded, “You sound just like a moody tween. Now, we still have to brush your teeth and fix that bed head of yours. Let’s go, Lizzie.”
It was all too much, meaning Elizabeth was too overwhelmed to focus on a single part of it. She wasn’t trying to act like a younger girl, yet apparently that’s how it came across? It was a little embarrassing that June perceived it as getting into character, when that wasn’t actually the case. Elizabeth also hadn’t missed the ‘we’ part of the impending morning routine, nor the childish nickname.
Honestly, the most frustrating thing was mostly the fact that June thought it was okay to play the role of ‘bossy aunt’ when it was just the two of them. Yes, it had been explained that practicing made more sense than diving in cold upon arrival, but still. Before Elizabeth could express her grievances or, more accurately, sort out which of them made sense to complain about, June placed her hand on the small of Elizabeth’s back and walked her towards the door that led out of the bedroom.
The bathroom was their destination. As Elizabeth was nudged inside, she saw an unfamiliar purple toothbrush waiting for her, along with a small tube of kids’ bubblegum toothpaste. It belatedly dawned on her that she hadn’t brushed her teeth last night, as all her toiletries were back in the suitcase at June’s place. Not the end of the world to miss a single evening’s brush, yet also not ideal.
Answering the question that hadn’t fully formed in Elizabeth’s mind yet, June said, “The hotel keeps stuff like this on hand for those that need it. You’re not the first kid to forget to pack her toothbrush.”
Elizabeth blushed again. “I’m not a kid.” She immediately regretted saying it out loud. Obviously they both knew her real age, which only made the assertion sound immature. “Can’t I use your toothpaste?”
“Mine’s in my room, Lizzie,” June said, “And every second counts. If we’re late because of you, and don’t land this client, I’ll make sure your boss knows who’s to blame.”
First, oversleeping and accidentally leaving her clothes at June’s apartment. Then having a similar problem this morning. Elizabeth knew this wasn’t actually her fault, as a lot of it had to do with other variables. And again, she wanted to snap at her assistant for the audacity of threatening her. Except June had just reminded her of the time crunch, plus it was difficult to get in a word edgewise when ‘Aunt June’ was in charge.
There was also the girl in the mirror. Elizabeth did a double take as she saw someone she barely recognized looking back at her. Unkempt red locks, no make-up, and an embarrassingly flat chest; the white tee also had a light pink butterfly on one side of the chest that she hadn’t noticed before.
Elizabeth reluctantly started brushing her teeth with the flavored paste after recovering from the shock of just how youthful and different she looked, which is when June started brushing her hair. “Mmm!” she exclaimed, trying and failing to say that she could do it herself with a mouth full of pink foam.
“Hush, Lizzie.” Punctuating the words by harshly pulling the brush through a knot, June said, “It’ll be faster if I do it, anyway.” Rather than a simple braid, like June had done yesterday morning, she separated Elizabeth’s hair out and pulled half of it up into what was clearly going to be one of two twintails.
With wide eyes, Elizabeth let out another muffled whine, along with a small shake of her head. She couldn’t risk more than that when her hair was being handled.
June just sighed. “For fuck’s sake, Lizzie. Yes, I’m putting your hair in an immature style. Because you are supposed to be my NIECE. The less you look like yourself, the better. You don’t want anyone remembering you after this, right?”
Right. It was just Elizabeth’s instinct to avoid anything that made her look younger. After years of being so careful with her image, she definitely needed constant reminders of why this was necessary. At least she wasn’t going to suffer through pigtails; that would definitely be worse than the simple yet childish style she was about to be dealing with.
Letting out a sigh of her own through her nose, Elizabeth continued brushing her teeth while June tied half her red locks up. The other side was done just as quickly and, after Elizabeth spit into the sink, she was met with an even less mature reflection.
“Okay,” June said, “Your shoes are by the door. Go put them on while I grab my purse.”
Elizabeth abandoned her idea of asking for a bra. Loathe as she was to admit it, a nearly flat chest lent itself well to the disguise they were going for. The good news was, she didn’t have to worry about a hard reset in terms of her dynamic with June. Since the admin girl would be fired within the next two weeks, Elizabeth could start fresh with a new assistant.
June appeared just as Elizabeth was tying her second shoe, easily looking like the only professional adult between the two of them.
“Let’s go, Lizzie,” she said, “Oh, and hold my hand. I don’t want you running off and getting lost.”
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.”
Chapter Eight
Elizabeth hadn’t considered the possibility that they might end up running into their boss.
He was only there for some face time with a couple of their larger clients who were attending the conference. Since Elizabeth and June were solely responsible for bringing in new business over the weekend, they would have very little overlap with his own schedule. It’s why they had spent time with him the previous week, going over each pitch and affirming what they were allowed to offer in terms of giving potential clients a deal in order to sign them.
The whole ‘vacation’ excuse June had come up with had initially only been troublesome due to how the people they were meeting with would perceive their future point of contact. Since pretending to be June’s niece was supposed to be a clever concept that would impress the director, Elizabeth hadn’t stopped to think how it might look if he caught wind of the recent lie June had been throwing around. Or, worse, if he heard it directly from the source.
“June,” he said, “How was Elizabeth’s big pitch? And who is this?”
So he hadn’t heard that she was ‘absent’ for their meeting with Ruth. And apparently he didn’t recognize her. Elizabeth wasn’t sure how she felt about that. Was the man she frequently reported to seriously fooled by her disguise? It didn’t really matter. Now that they had landed the client, they could come clean about why she looked like this.
Or not.
“Good morning, Mr. Evans. This is my niece,” June said, “Lizzie, aren’t you going to introduce yourself?”
Why was she still committing to the fake roles? The important pitch with the family-focused company was over. Taken aback for a moment, glancing towards June in confusion, Elizabeth then turned towards their boss and took a breath. She definitely wasn’t prepared to explain why she and her assistant had taken this approach. It was important that he thought it was an intentional plan, rather than one that came about due to what looked like irresponsibility on her part.
“I’m not-” Okay, but it was dumb to state that she wasn’t ‘Lizzie,’ when technically that was a version of her name. Pivoting, she said, “I’m Elizabeth. As in-”
“Right, ‘Elizabeth,’” June cut her off, “She recently decided that she wants to go by her full name. But she’s going to have to accept that all of us have been calling her ‘Lizzie’ for her whole life, and some will continue to do so.”
He chuckled. “Yes, there’s no getting away from nicknames when it comes to family. Well, she and I just met. We can go with ‘Elizabeth’ if that’s her new preference. Though speaking of that name, what are you doing with this Elizabeth rather than your supervisor?”
Not even her actual name was enough for him to connect the dots? Elizabeth also somewhat felt like the child she was dressed as the other two talked about her right in front of her. Trying again to explain, she chimed in, only to immediately get interrupted, “I’m-”
“It’s kind of a long story,” June said, “There’s probably a better way to say this, but I used her as a prop for the pitch. I met Ruth last night when I was networking, and learned that their company puts an importance on family, work/life balance, and the like. So I called my sister and offered to spend some time with her niece today while I’m in town. I get some quality time with Lizzie, our soon to be client sees that we have ‘mutual values,’ and Lizzie gets a headstart on her future as a promising young businesswoman. I’d call that a win/win for everyone.”
It definitely wasn’t the first time their company had stretched the truth in order to connect with a potential client. Though this was more involved than their usual methods to find common ground, Mr. Evans didn’t so much as blink when June put a subtle emphasis on the values that their two companies didn’t actually share. “Elizabeth closed the deal, then?” he asked.
June chuckled. “Little Lizzie isn’t that experienced yet. But yes, I should be getting a call on Monday, and I’ll be drafting up a contract in the meantime so we can get things moving as quickly as possible with them. Not bad for my first solo pitch, right?”
If he had forgotten about his question from a minute ago, that certainly brought him back to it. “Solo pitch?” he repeated, “Where was Elizabeth?”
“She didn’t tell you?” June tilted her head in false confusion.
“Tell me what?” he asked.
Before Elizabeth could fully process that June was about to commit to the same lie as before, this time with their boss, her assistant said, “Elizabeth is on vacation. I thought you knew; aren’t you the one who approves those requests?” It was an innocent enough question, as there was a somewhat complicated web of authority at their company, and nearly everyone reported to at least two people due to the multiple facets of most positions. In terms of time off, June needed Elizabeth’s approval, but knew for a fact that he was the one that Elizabeth needed to go to for such things.
He didn’t say a word at first. Elizabeth wasn’t the only one who was having trouble processing, apparently, though she completely understood his stunned reaction. This conference was something that had been on the books for months, not to mention something a number of them had been preparing for over the last two weeks. If Elizabeth had actually requested time off, it probably would have been taken as a joke. The suggestion that she did so without asking for permission? Absolutely unreal.
Finally, he just bluntly asked, “Elizabeth isn’t here?”
That was it. Using it as an excuse was bad enough when it came to Ruth, and Elizabeth had braced herself for a repeat of that for the coming meetings. But she wasn’t about to put her career in jeopardy just for the sake of maintaining the false identity June had given her. Especially since they had established that Elizabeth would be the one taking credit for this idea. Now that the trick worked and the deal was more or less a sure thing, there was no reason to pretend any more. “I’m right here,” she said, “June and I-”
“Not you, Lizzie,” June cut her off, “He’s talking about a different Elizabeth. I told you about her earlier, remember?”
“No, June. This isn’t-”
“Lizzie! You’re being very rude. I’m talking with Mr. Evans right now. It’s not polite to interrupt an adult’s conversation, particularly a professional one. You did so well in that meeting, too. Just give us another minute, okay? Or, if you want, you can go wait over there. This shouldn’t take long, I promise.”
“But, I’m-”
“Actually, I’ll decide for you. Go sit over there.”
The fucking audacity! Elizabeth could barely get a couple words out before June was talking over her and treating her like a child. This is not what they agreed to! The sofas and armchairs off to the side of the lobby were the last things she wanted. If she did what June was demanding of her, Elizabeth wouldn’t be able to stand up for herself at all, or even hear what her coworkers were talking about. “No. Mr. Evans, I-”
“Lizzie.” June turned to fully face her and placed her hands on Elizabeth’s shoulders. Looking her dead in the eyes and firmly holding her in place, she said, “Enough. I’m going to count to three, and you better be on your way to a seat by the time I’m done.” She paused for a moment, then began counting. “One . . . ”
It was the second time Elizabeth had been hit with the patronizing count. She still wasn’t sure how to handle this side of June, when the girl had been nothing but subservient up until this weekend. This situation was beyond frustrating, too. Elizabeth wanted to scream. Her boss literally didn’t recognize her, not that she blamed him. With dyed hair and a youthful outfit, she had barely recognized herself in the mirror. Her instinct was to chew her assistant out like usual, which directly conflicted with the professional way she carried herself whenever Mr. Evans was around.
Trying one more time, she insisted, “June, tell him-”
“Two . . . ” Unfazed by Elizabeth’s frustrations, June simply kept counting.
“June, that’s not FAIR.” Elizabeth stomped her foot. She didn’t mean to. There were just so many emotions racing through her at the moment, and the immature gesture was a way to get them out without totally blowing up at the girl who wasn’t listening to her at all. It was the complete opposite of their normal dynamic, which is why it wasn’t fair.
“And now you’re throwing a tantrum. Real mature, Lizzie,” June said. Rather than going with the classic ‘two and a half,’ she leapt on the opportunity given to her. “For the last time, it’s ‘Aunt June.’ Go sit down. Right now. The next words out of your mouth better be ‘Yes, Aunt June,’ or you will be in serious trouble, young lady. Do you understand?”
Elizabeth hesitated. Going on vacation without permission wasn’t a great look, but neither was being spoken to like a difficult little girl right in front of him. That, and she really wasn’t used to being berated, period. As badly as she wanted to keep pushing, she was unsure that Mr. Evans would even believe her at this point. “Yes, Aunt June,” she muttered, cheeks crimson at this point.
“That’s what I thought.” She pointed towards the side of the lobby. “Go. Sit. And you better behave yourself over there.”
The petite redhead looked between the two of them one last time, not sure what she was hoping for. Mr. Evans to finally recognize her? June to back off and actually tell the truth? Neither of those things happened. After a few seconds of awkward silence, Elizabeth begrudgingly walked away, feeling both confused and thoroughly humiliated.
Once it was just the two of them, June shook her head. “Sorry about that. She’s in that bratty tween phase, where testing authority feels mature when it’s actually the opposite.”
“It’s fine,” Mr. Evans said, “Elizabeth. She’s not here?”
“I think she’s at the beach,” June lied, “I only book her flights for professional trips; I’m not exactly sure where she went. She just told me that her phone would be off, and that she wouldn’t be checking emails until Monday.”
“And she sent you here alone to do all of her pitches?” he asked.
She shrugged, “I’m used to her making me do all her work. Plus I was the one who put together all of the presentation materials, so I already knew most of the information. I just had to prepare for the meeting itself. I’m sorry you’re only hearing about this now. If I had known she made this decision without any approval, I would have informed you myself.”
“It’s not the first time she’s made a unilateral decision,” he frowned, “I normally let such things slide, provided they benefit the company and don’t cause any problems. What other work does she pawn off on you, June? You know what? Never mind. I can’t be thinking about this right now; I have a client meeting to prepare for. Are you available this evening?”
“Of course,” June nodded, “Other than another round of networking, my schedule is open. I’ll be checking my messages regularly, so please let me know when works best for you and I’ll be there. Shall I reserve a table for us, or would you like to meet somewhere more private? I could check with the event coordinator and see if there’s a meeting room we could use.”
“Let me worry about that,” he replied, “You’re not an assistant this weekend, June, or an admin for that matter. For all intents and purposes, you’re a sales manager. Focus on the rest of your pitches today; I’ll take care of the rest.”
It took everything in June’s power not to smirk. “Thank you, Mr. Evans. I’ll see you tonight. Good luck at your meetings.”
“Likewise,” he said, offering his hand for her to shake.
June hadn’t planned that interaction, but it went a lot better than she expected. If Elizabeth had been more assertive, or blurted out any number of things before getting shut down, it would have been more difficult to navigate. By managing to send her visually (and somewhat emotionally) regressed boss away, June had the opportunity to thoroughly undermine her. The vacation looked bad enough, but June had also casually pointed out that she did most of Elizabeth’s work, that she was a natural at both preparing for and leading pitches, and that she was a loyal rule-follower.
It was unlikely that Mr. Evans had internalized all of that, or even latched onto everything June had subtly thrown at him, but hopefully the seeds had been planted. On top of the fact that Elizabeth had skipped the business trip without permission, their company had spent money on plane tickets for her, as well as the suite that she and June were staying in. Wasting money and shirking her responsibilities? Not a great look. Once their boss had cooled down from the shock of all that, June could start nudging him in the direction he already seemed to be leaning.
Elizabeth was sitting on an armchair in the corner, looking absolutely livid. Normally, such an expression would be bad news. That is, if she were wearing her business attire and sitting behind a desk. When wearing youthful clothes and with her hair up in twintails, however, it looked way more like ‘Lizzie’ was pouting. She opened her mouth to say something, no doubt to launch into a tirade about all the things she had been biting her tongue about recently, only for June to take the initiative.
“Ah, ah. Don’t speak.” She held up an index finger and walked right up to the seated girl. Their height difference had already been notable with June in heels and Elizabeth in sneakers. With June being the only one standing between the two of them, however, she towered over her boss. “You wanted to be my niece today. You promised to behave. So, why are you acting like an immature little girl? You’re twelve years old, Lizzie, not five.”
“I- I’m not! I mean, I didn’t-” Even without June actively cutting her off, Elizabeth ended up stammering out an awkward attempt at a reply. She was still focused on the bad information her assistant had just given the director of their department, and had been ready to demand that June tell the truth. That left her completely unprepared for a recap off the ‘niece’ nonsense they had gone over both last night and this morning, most of which was now blurry in Elizabeth’s mind when faced with the gaslighting being thrown at her.
“Use your words, Lizzie,” June said, “Like a big girl.”
Embarrassing as it was to hear that, more so because June sounded more authoritative and articulate when her response was such a contrast to what came before it, Elizabeth knew she was right. Failing to put her thoughts into words wasn’t going to get her anywhere. “I’m your boss, June,” she said, “And what you just did with Mr. Evans was bullshit. We need to-”
“Lizzie!” she exclaimed, “That is not appropriate language. And in public?! Come with me.” With that, she grabbed Elizabeth’s wrist and gave a sharp tug.
Elizabeth was barely able to stand up in time. If she had waited a moment longer, her arm might have been pulled out of its socket from how June was striding forward while maintaining a vice-like grip. Though June was wearing heels and a business suit, she was still easily capable of speed-walking forward while dragging the other girl behind her. “June! What are you- Wait!” Stumbling forward and nearly tripping over her own feet, Elizabeth quickened her pace in order to keep up. June’s legs were much longer; it took Elizabeth at least two steps for each one of her assistant’s.
Without turning around or slowing down, June said, “It’s Aunt June. I cannot believe you’re being so difficult, Lizzie.” Punctuating the point with a pointed yank, she walked Elizabeth all the way across the lobby and around the corner to the main hall.
At first, Elizabeth thought she was being taken to the elevators, back towards their small suite. Instead, June stormed towards the bathroom with the ‘tween’ redhead in tow. Once again trying to speak up for herself, Elizabeth exclaimed, “I’m not! This was just supposed to be for the meeting. You- OW.” As they walked through the swinging door and around the corner, Elizabeth’s arm was jerked in a way that uncomfortable pulled her shoulder forward. Not quite in a painful way, though it was enough to make her desperately follow for the sake of avoiding anything else like that.
“Inside voice, Lizzie!” June snapped. At this point, she was using the nickname as often as possible in an attempt to get Elizabeth used to it. After all, it had really only been a few hours, not counting the brief discussion about it last night. June walked her right up to the sink, where she used her other hand to dispense a small pile of foamy soap into her palm. “Open your mouth. This is what happens to bad girls who use bad words.”
No. That was not happening.
Elizabeth was both surprised and furious that her fucking assistant thought it was appropriate to wash her mouth out with soap. She wasn’t actually a little girl who needed to be disciplined!
She started to express that out loud. The problem was, talking required opening her mouth. And the second Elizabeth did that, June immediately shoved in the handful of soap.
Chapter Nine
The bitter taste hit Elizabeth immediately, and it only got worse as June clamped her hand over the squirming girl’s mouth. “Mm mmph! Jnhp ngh!!” The firm palm against her lips made it impossible to speak coherently, and she only succeeded in coming across as how any actual child would sound when dealing with this kind of punishment.
June was both bigger and stronger. She was an active young woman who regularly went to the gym and did more physical activities with her friends. Even in her business attire, she could easily manhandle her boss who led a far lazier lifestyle–both at work and in her free time. “Lizzie, hush!” she snapped. Though it was thrilling to be able to treat Elizabeth like this, June maintained the strict aunt act as if she was merely committing to their established roles. “Hold still, or I’m adding more soap.”
That was enough to get Elizabeth to calm down. Physically, at least. Her eyes widened slightly at the prospect of June doing such a thing, as it was quickly becoming clear that Elizabeth was at her mercy right now. If June could drag her across the lobby and into the bathroom, she could certainly keep Elizabeth in place now that they were at the humiliating destination. Elizabeth shook her head, which was pretty much all she could do to communicate with her assistant. ‘No. No more soap.’
Of course, it wasn’t the gesture that kept June from making things worse; it was the fact that Elizabeth had done as she was told. Even when the petite redhead was somewhat still, however, there wasn’t a trace of maturity to be found there. Elizabeth’s blush matched her twintails, and she looked far less womanly without her make-up, heels, or absurd bra padding. “There,” June said, “Was that so difficult? Now, I’m going to take my hand away. I want you to swirl that soap around in your mouth until I tell you to stop. Can you handle that, Lizzie, or are you even less mature than I thought?”
Elizabeth gave a reluctant nod. She was too flustered to realize that June’s question was a subtle trap. ‘Yes’ to being able to handle the demeaning task also implied that, ‘yes,’ she was less mature. And vice versa, if Elizabeth had shook her head.
However, June only framed things that way for her own personal amusement. At the moment, she was more interested in Elizabeth’s compliance than embarrassing the petite girl beyond what she was already going through. As bold as this punishment was, considering Elizabeth’s real age and status, June still felt as if she was walking a tightrope. If she slipped up and Elizabeth caught on to the fact that all of this was a lot more than a ‘solution’ to a plausible circumstance, June had no idea what would happen. Aside from the initial wardrobe mix-up, June was making things up as she went.
“Good,” June said. With one more stern look, she removed her hand from Elizabeth’s mouth, but kept a tight grip on her wrist.
Elizabeth wasn’t quite sure how to go about doing what was demanded of her. Swirl the soap around? It already felt as if the bitter foam was everywhere thanks to how her struggling and muffled attempts to speak had done some damage on that front. But with June staring her down, Elizabeth knew she had to do something. She awkwardly shifted her lips back and forth, then proceeded to do the same with her cheeks. After a small gag from the taste, the movements became more genuine. Elizabeth’s new goal was to keep herself from swallowing, which in turn led her to keeping her soapy saliva as forward as possible.
As the only one between the two of them who really had a voice, June took the opportunity to remind Elizabeth that this was the dynamic they had agreed on last night. While slightly twisting the facts, like usual. “You promised to be my niece today, Lizzie. If you misbehave, I will punish you. Next time, it’s going to be a spanking. Do you understand?”
No. Elizabeth did not understand. She wanted to explain how none of this made sense, and that the presentation to the family-oriented company was over. There was absolutely no reason for them to continue the aunt/niece dynamic, especially when it was just the two of them. She also needed to contact their boss and explain that she was, in fact, present at the hotel like she was supposed to be. But with a mouth full of soap and a bossy June towering over her, all Elizabeth could do was nod.
“That’s what I thought,” June said, “Remember, swearing is bad. Now rinse your mouth out. We have another presentation coming up, and I don’t want to be late.”
It wasn’t as if Elizabeth could do anything else but listen. At the moment, all she wanted to do was get rid of the awful taste she was dealing with. Unfortunately, there wasn’t a great way to get the job done, even when June let go of her wrist. The bathroom up in their suite had disposable cups for water, but that wasn’t the case on the main floor. She also didn’t want to get her hair wet, meaning one hand was responsible for holding her twintails back. Elizabeth had no choice but to bend over and drink from the tap.
At first, the water made things worse. The suds exploded in her mouth, causing her to gag and cough from a new wave of bitterness. Her eyes naturally watered from the experience, but she was determined not to let that turn into tears. At this point, the only way out was through. Elizabeth continued rinsing, spitting out as much soap as she could with each sip from the sink. Similar to hand washing a water bottle, it took an arduous amount of time for the last of the bubbles to disappear.
Her cheeks were still thoroughly flushed when she was done, and the red haired little girl hunched over the counter looking at her in the mirror was a stark contrast to the Elizabeth who normally stood tall in business suits, complete with heels.
There wasn’t much time to process this humiliating instance of the transformation. Like June said, they had another presentation coming up. The admin girl grabbed a paper towel and hastily rubbed it against Elizabeth’s lips. “There. Good as new.” June took her hand this time, rather than her wrist, and walked her back towards the hallway outside. “Let’s go, Lizzie. We have places to be.”
Maggie’s shoes were more comfortable than the heels Elizabeth had worn on their flight yesterday, yet she still struggled to keep up with June’s brisk pace thanks to the height difference. There was no awkward stumble this time around. Still, Elizabeth somewhat felt like the child she appeared to be as June dragged her through the lobby and to the conference room where the next meeting was.
The rest of the day’s pitches weren’t nearly as important as the one June had already done with Elizabeth as a prop. That was probably why June felt comfortable coasting and bringing along her ‘niece’ to the ones that didn’t require the angle she had used before. Of course, there was still an expectation to bring in new business beyond Ruth’s company. A collection of smaller clients was good for their company as well.
After June greeted the trio that had already begun settling into the room, complete with an apology about needing to bring her niece along and an assurance that she would behave, she walked Elizabeth over to a corner seat that was similar to where she had been placed during the meeting with Ruth.
While the others resumed their quiet discussion on the other side of the room, June focused on Elizabeth for a minute before getting into set-up mode. “I think you could use something to keep you occupied for the next twenty minutes,” she said. Pulling out a notebook and a pen from her bag, she flipped to an empty page. “Writing lines seems appropriate for a little girl who’s been misbehaving, yes?”
Elizabeth’s first instinct was to snap, ‘I’m not a little girl!’ That wasn’t actually an option. Putting aside the fact that she was nervous about June following through on the threat to spank her, it was also a bad idea to make a scene in front of potential clients. As satisfying as it would be to ruin the meeting for June, Elizabeth was ultimately the one who benefitted from the commission percentages and her salary itself that increased when she and her department did well.
Opting for what she felt was a more mature reply, considering her actual role in their company, she said, “I should observe. I’ll be the one handling their account, and-”
“Lizzie.” June’s voice was curt as she cut the petite girl off and simultaneously snapped her to attention with the immature nickname. “For the last time, you’re my niece. Nothing more. Do you understand?”
Not really. She just went through so much, yet still had no idea why June felt the need to commit to this so hard. But now was not the time to make another scene, as they couldn’t blow the deal with the potential clients in the room before the meeting even started. Also, she was seated, which meant June was currently towering over her. Elizabeth hadn’t stopped blushing since the mortifying experience in the bathroom; saying the demeaning reply certainly didn’t help. “Yes, Aunt June,” she reluctantly muttered.
“Good,” June nodded. She placed the notebook down and bent over for a moment to write in neat cursive, ‘My name is Lizzie. I am twelve years old. Aunt June is in charge.’ Then she slid the paper and pen in front of Elizabeth. “I think that summarizes all the important points. Let’s go with a hundred lines, Lizzie.”
Elizabeth took in the words on the page for a moment, then glanced up, “I don’t-”
June was quick to cut her off. “Lizzie. There’s only one thing you’re supposed to say when an adult like me tells you to do something. Did you already forget it?”
Of course not. She just said it. “No, but-”
“Then stop being a difficult little girl,” she insisted, “You are going to write a hundred lines for me, yes?”
“ . . . Yes, Aunt June,” she quietly echoed.
“Was that so difficult?” June asked, “I expect you to be done by the end of this meeting, or you’re going to have to write more.” Without waiting for a response or a reaction, she walked away and started setting up for her presentation.
Now alone in the corner, Elizabeth tried to ignore the others in the room, praying they wouldn’t recognize her later. With her proper hair color, in professional attire, on a video call? It should be fine. She was just finding it difficult to trust such logic when she felt so embarrassed about her current image and how easy it was for June to age her down in such a way.
For the time being, all she could do was focus on the task at hand. She picked up the pen and reread the three short sentences, each of which was humiliating in its own way. Elizabeth also knew before writing a single word that her iterations would look so much worse than June’s. She had always had atrocious handwriting. Growing up, it was rather common for teachers to say she was ‘worse than the boys.’ When taking tests and working on handouts, she had to make a conscious effort to slow down and write in a way that would be legible to others. Of course, she didn’t care when it came to taking notes, as she was perfectly capable of reading her own chicken scratch.
In her post-academic life, she wrote so little. The majority of her professional work was done on a computer or laptop, and she had a smart phone for personal notes and such. Being so out of practice wasn’t going to do her any favors.
Tentatively gripping the pen, she wrote the line herself.
My name is Lizzie. I am twelve years old. Aunt June is in charge.
She realized her mistake right away. By going slowly and falling back on her habits of writing more clearly when doing so for someone else, she had set a standard that was impossible to maintain. Elizabeth could write legibly, or she could write quickly; she couldn’t do both, and she only had so much time to write 99 more lines.
Sighing to herself and making the choice to go for speed, considering how even her ‘good’ handwriting wasn’t particularly good, she began writing as if this was only something that she would see.
My name is Lizzie. I am twelve years old. Aunt June is in charge.
My name is Lizzie. I am twelve years old. Aunt June is in charge.
My name is Lizzie. I am twelve years old. Aunt June is in charge.
It was difficult to say which of the three sentences was more painful to write again and again and again. She was very much an Elizabeth. NOT a Lizzie. The part about her being ‘twelve’ would sound absurd under normal circumstances, except she really did look the part thanks to the make-over June gave her. And, of course, Elizabeth was June’s boss! An assistant wasn’t supposed to be in charge of her superior.
My name is Lizzie. I am twelve years old. Aunt June is in charge.
My name is Lizzie. I am twelve years old. Aunt June is in charge.
My name is Lizzie. I am twelve years old. Aunt June is in charge.
As June launched into the pitch, Elizabeth belatedly thought about the math for the lines she was writing. On average, these meetings lasted twenty minutes. Sometimes more, sometimes less, depending on the Q&A section at the end, as well as any clarifying questions asked along the way. Which meant Elizabeth would have to write five lines a minute in order to get to a hundred. Short of scribbling to the point of the words no longer looking like words, there was no way she could get each line done in twelve seconds.
Taking a breath, she made herself write another line while assuring herself that she had started during June’s set-up process, and there would also be a little time afterwards in terms of padding. And, if Elizabeth couldn’t manage to get to a hundred, it wasn’t fair to be punished for that.
My name is Lizzie. I am twelve years old. Aunt June is in charge.
My name is Lizzie. I am twelve years old. Aunt June is in charge.
My name is Lizzie. I am twelve years old. Aunt June is in charge.
The other problem with this ‘assignment’ was that it was really difficult for Elizabeth to mentally multitask. At least during the previous meeting, she was listening the whole time in order to prepare for the soon to be major client. If June managed to get the business of this group, Elizabeth was going to have to play catch-up later, and would probably have to rely on June for important notes and other details.
Fifty lines in, Elizabeth’s hand was starting to cramp. She wasn’t acclimated to using pen/paper any more, and her hurried pace was also causing her to grip the writing utensil a bit too tightly as she pushed through the endeavor. On top of that, June was wrapping things up and would soon be taking questions. Unless the potential clients had a lot of things to ask, Elizabeth wasn’t going to make it.
As for the presentation itself, Elizabeth had given up on trying to pay attention. She was too overwhelmed with both the lines and the events of the last couple hours that kept replaying in her mind. For the moment, all she could worry about was the time pressure. Just forty or so lines to go. If she was quick, and June didn’t check on her right away at the end of the meeting, it was possible.
Unfortunately, June went in the opposite order. After thanking everyone for their time, and shaking their hands, she walked right over to Elizabeth as they collected their things and left the room to discuss amongst themselves. “Well, Lizzie?” she asked, “Did you do all one hundred?”
“Umm . . . ” Elizabeth trailed off. She had only been able to comfortably write fifteen lines on each page in the medium size notebook, and had barely made a dent on the fifth page. There was no point in lying, when there was a chance June would count herself to verify that she was telling the truth. “Sixty-three, I think?”
“That’s it?” June frowned. Sure enough, she took the book and flipped back to the beginning, “What is this, Lizzie?” she asked, placing the first page down in front of her, “I can’t read anything but the very first line. Were you even trying?”
“I was trying!” she exclaimed, “You said a hundred, and-”
June scoffed. “I should really make you redo all of this. But, since I didn’t specify that your lines should be legible, I guess that’s on me. How about this, Lizzie? We have one pitch to go. I want a hundred more, plus the thirty-seven you still owe me. This time, with good handwriting.” She ripped out the pages that had already been used, then pointed to the top of a fresh one, “Do your best this time, Lizzie.”
Doing it like that would take forever. And then there was the part that Elizabeth wasn’t thinking about–slowing down and being more intentional about the lines being readable despite her weak penmanship would subconsciously make her pay more attention to each word along the way.
As June began packing up, Elizabeth got to work right away, trying to get ahead while she could.
My. Name. Is. Lizzie.
Chapter Ten
By the end of the following meeting, Elizabeth wasn’t even halfway done with the 137 lines that June had assigned her. Her handwriting was a lot more legible on the fresh sheet, which would hopefully count for something, but Elizabeth was just shy of 50 when June wrapped up the presentation and came over to check on her.
“Well, you tried,” June said. She sounded more disappointed than judgmental as she looked over Elizabeth’s work. “You can keep working on this tonight, if there’s time. Read this out loud for me?”
Elizabeth flushed as her assistant pointed to the line she had most recently written. It wasn’t as if June needed to specify, since they were all the same. Since this was their last meeting, Elizabeth was assuming that things would go back to normal soon. Deciding not to rock the boat when June was still firmly committing to their roles, Elizabeth did as she was told. “My name is Lizzie. I am twelve years old. Aunt June is in charge.” Saying it was definitely worse than writing it.
“Very good,” June nodded, “See how reading is easier when you write clearly?” She picked up the notepad and packed it up with the rest of her materials.
It was so patronizing, and not particularly logical. If anything, taking the time to write more neatly would make it so other people could read the words. Plus she had been tasked with writing lines, and could easily recite each sentence without looking at this point. Once again, Elizabeth didn’t argue or complain. She just wanted to go back to their suite, establish herself as June’s boss, and figure out how they were going to undo the ‘vacation’ excuse that had been told to every potential client they had met with, as well as the director of their department.
As usual, June took Elizabeth’s hand as if she was a child. Speaking of things that didn’t make sense. What kind of twelve year old needed that kind of support?
When they reached the hotel lobby, Elizabeth was begrudgingly letting June lead her along. She didn’t realize until they were nearing the outside doors that they were going the wrong way; the elevators were off to their right. “Where are we going?” she asked. To a clothing store? That would be ideal. But June had already said that she didn’t want to use her company card for such purchases. Elizabeth had long forgotten the reason June had given for not wanting to use her personal card. It would be simple enough for Elizabeth to simply pay her back later.
“It’s a surprise,” June replied. She led Elizabeth to a blue sedan that was waiting for them on the curb, “Get in, Lizzie. Don’t forget to buckle up.”
When had June ordered them a ride? She must have done so on her phone at the end of the meeting. So, she was okay using her company card for something that definitely wasn’t on their itinerary? Then again, this could easily be her personal one; Elizabeth didn’t know where they were going, which meant there was no way to know for sure. Her mind was just focused on credit cards again now that they were leaving the hotel.
June circled around to the other side of the car, getting in the back seat as well. She greeted the driver and went through the usual minute or two of small talk as they pulled onto the road and began driving towards wherever they were going.
Without her phone, Elizabeth was both bored and uncertain. Was this going to be a business lunch or something? June still had her materials, though hauling around a laptop and a few folders wasn’t that big of a deal if they were headed somewhere else. Either way, Elizabeth would have preferred returning to their room first, or at least being told more than ‘it’s a surprise.’ She was still waiting for a chance to confront June again, once they weren’t dealing with the time pressure of looming meetings or the social pressure of other people being around.
Twenty minutes later, they were pulling into a suburban neighborhood a few miles outside the city. Not a meeting at a restaurant or a coffee shop, then. “Where are we going?” Elizabeth echoed. The address on the GPS didn’t help, as she wasn’t familiar with the area beyond the name of the hotel.
“I told you, Lizzie,” June rolled her eyes, “It’s a surprise. Should we work on your retention skills after we get your handwriting to a proper 6th grade level?”
Right. Being ‘twelve’ would make her a middle school girl. Elizabeth grimaced at the suggestion, especially since their driver no doubt believed that she was as young as she appeared. June also said it so casually.
Before Elizabeth could think of anything else to say, June turned her attention up front. “This one here, on the corner,” she said. A few seconds later, they stopped in front of the house.
After thanking the driver, June got out of the car and waited for Elizabeth to do the same. Ignoring the look of confusion on the petite girl’s face, June once again took her hand and walked her to the front door and rang the doorbell.
Thirty seconds or so later, a young woman around their age opened the door with a smile. “Hey, June! Glad you could make it. And you must be Lizzie?”
Elizabeth didn’t recognize her in the slightest. “Umm . . . ” she trailed off. It was ‘Elizabeth.’ But between the lines and the full day of dealing with the childish nickname, it was starting to feel like more trouble than it was worth to correct people. Especially when it was someone she didn’t even know.
“Hey, Amanda,” June said, “I love this house! Jealous you get a corner lot. And yeah, this is Lizzie; she’s a little shy. Lizzie, this is my friend, Amanda.”
Amanda chuckled, “Well, it’s a rental. I doubt I’ll be able to buy any time soon. Anyway, come in! I can give you the tour. Everyone else is in the back; I’m sure Lizzie will get along with the others.”
“Sounds good!” June replied, “Lead the way?”
Elizabeth was still clueless as to why they left the hotel and strayed so far from where she had expected to camp out for the entire weekend. Apparently June was visiting one of her friends who lived in the area? That’s what it sounded like, anyway. Probably not a relative, or the ‘niece’ concept wouldn’t hold up. Honestly, Elizabeth was mostly worried about the ‘others’ that Amanda referenced.
Fortunately for her, Elizabeth wasn’t kept in the dark for too long. Amanda went off to check on something for a second after requesting that they take off their shoes at the door. June gave Elizabeth the highlight reel–Amanda was a good friend of hers in college, and invited June to her barbeque when she heard that she was in town for the weekend. Between some of the nearby neighbors, as well as Amanda’s older sister, there were a few kids around ‘Lizzie’s age’ present as well.
There was NO reason for Elizabeth to be there. Her disguise made sense as an unorthodox presentation tactic, albeit one that backfired completely, but she had nothing to gain from attending a gathering like this. It would have made way more sense for her to stay back at the hotel. Solitude sounded a lot better than socializing with a bunch of strangers; doing that as an adult would have been enough of a chore, but everyone at Amanda’s place was going to assume that Elizabeth was a tween.
The frustrated look on Elizabeth’s face must have been clearly evident, as June said, “It’s fine, Lizzie. I still have networking to do tonight; Amanda and I just wanted to catch up, as we haven’t seen each other as much since graduation. You can behave yourself for a few hours, right?”
Elizabeth couldn’t exactly say ‘no’ to a question like that. She was too overwhelmed by this development to notice that June was no longer including her when mentioning things on their itinerary. “June-”
“Aunt June,” she said. As always, quick to correct it when Elizabeth forgot, “Answer the question, Lizzie. Can you behave for a few hours? Yes, or no?”
Huffing out a sigh, sounding a lot more like a teenager than an adult with such a reaction, Elizabeth mumbled, “Yes.”
“Good,” June said, “Besides, I bet you’ll have more fun than you think. Erica’s daughter is cool, and I’m sure you’ll make some other friends with the neighborhood kids. Just don’t have too much sugar, okay?”
Elizabeth wanted to scream. She was a fucking adult. June shouldn’t be talking to her like that! However, she bit her tongue, opting for a more calm and somewhat mature, “Fine.”
Right on cue, give or take a few seconds, Amanda turned the corner. “Okay, no hosting fires to put out. Ready for the tour? Lizzie, you can head out to the backyard. They’re about to start some game; I told them to wait for you!”
What else could she do? She had just told June that she would behave, and there wasn’t anywhere else to go but where Amanda had just directed her. Elizabeth hesitantly walked towards the kitchen when she was told she could use the door in there. While it didn’t sound like either of the young women were following her, she had to assume that June would linger to make sure she was going where she was supposed to.
Hiding out inside the unfamiliar house would be her preference, of course. Elizabeth wasn’t big into books, though she would certainly be happy to read in a secluded room instead of playing yard games. Stalling at the glass door for a moment to take in what was waiting for her on the other side, she saw a group of five younger looking teenagers circled up in the middle of the spacious yard, as well as nearly double that amount of adults strewn about. Some were talking around the grill, some were drinking on the other side of the deck; Elizabeth actually belonged on the deck as well, but both seeing her reflection earlier as well as the fact that her boss hadn’t even recognized her was all proof that her disguise successfully made her look like a tween rather than a professional young woman. At this point, it absolutely didn’t feel like a success.
Elizabeth stepped outside, wincing slightly at the sun, as well as how a couple people looked her way as the door slid open. A nearby brunette woman gave her a smile. “Hello there! Lizzie, right?”
Just like when Amanda greeted them, Elizabeth’s first instinct was to correct the nickname. She bit her tongue again, not wanting to deal with the hassle, especially when June would no doubt chastise her for straying from the role she was stuck in. “Uh huh,” she muttered.
“Nice to meet you. I’m Erica. My daughter is- Actually, one second.” She turned towards the yard and called out, “Kelly! Can I borrow you real quick?”
“Sure!” Similar to her mother, Kelly had brunette hair and a fair complexion. She looked to be about twelve or thirteen, though her simple sundress gave her a more mature look than the girly pink/white combo Elizabeth was wearing. Kelly turned to say something to the group she was with, then walked up to the deck. “Oh! Is this our sixth?”
Erica nodded. “If she wants to play. Lizzie, this is my daughter, Kelly. Kelly, Lizzie.”
“Nice to meet you, Lizzie!” Kelly exclaimed, “You should totally join us. We were thinking boys vs. girls, and you’ll even things out for that. Come on, it will be fun!” Deciding for Elizabeth, clearly deaf to the ‘if’ part of what her mother said, Kelly took the petite redhead’s wrist and guided her to the yard and to the four similarly aged teenagers.
Elizabeth reluctantly followed, wondering all the while if there was still some way out of this. The more this day dragged on, the less she felt like an adult.