Miss Callahan Ch. 05-06
I asked the question even though I know the answer. Of course this is some kind of set-up to fire us from the business. I've never heard of a client doing something like this when they already have an agency of record.
This is about Lauren. And maybe she was right about Olivia. Because this is a pretty clever way of finding a rock star new agency, while making the optics of firing your old, loyal agency much less unethical.
"Altitude is the largest agency in the country and one of the global leaders. There are no other agencies at our level in the Southwest. Ellison can't just fire us because of a personal issue," Lauren adds a bit defensively.
"But they can create a fake contest and fire us because of that?" Jackie shoots back, finally staring Lauren down on camera.
Jackie's never been one to back down to anyone based on title and stature in the company and it seems even Lauren Callahan doesn't scare her.
"It's not a contest and it's not fake. It's a pitch, just like any other," Lauren says with steel in her voice. "We may not have known that we wouldn't automatically get the new business, but we did know they had been working towards something big. If we create the best pitch, the best strategic thinking, we can still win this. Olivia and Richard won't be the only deciding factors."
"So, what now?" I ask, trying to relieve some of the tension between Jackie and Lauren.
I have no logical reason to need them to like each other, but since Guy and Michelle seem to be at a loss as to how to handle this meeting, I feel like I need to move us along.
"Now you sign your life away," Guy says smiling at us as he slides over NDAs. Normally I would appreciate his attempt at levity, but right now my mind is a mess of questions and dread about what we're getting ourselves into.
"And then?" I ask.
"And then we have a kick-off as a team. You won't be alone. We'll assign two members of the development strategy team to help with research and things like that. They'll sign an NDA as well. Once we have the details, you'll be mainly working out of Anchor to keep things confidential and away from the rest of the office," Guy says.
Anchor is the largest conference room in the office. Each Altitude office names their conference rooms based on features of that city. Most of the Seattle rooms have some aquatic or mountain theme. Luckily the room we'll be in has a gorgeous view of the water.
"There's not much more we can do until we get the actual proposal from them and know more about the process. Historically Ellison has two rounds of in-person pitches, so we expect numerous trips to Austin for that," Guy says as he begins to shuffle his papers together.
"I'll leave Michelle to witness your signing of the NDAs and she'll send them on to Ellison today. Lauren, we'll see you next week!" he adds excitedly, as if she's not coming because she's basically being run out of her own city.
I find myself looking up at the screen one last time. Lauren is looking directly at me and says, "I look forward to seeing you."
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Jackie has another meeting, so she leaves as soon as we finish up with Guy and Michelle. No doubt she'll be barging into my office once she's done to discuss what just happened.
I keep my Friday calendar fairly clear, so my day is light with meetings. It gives me a chance to catch up on all the work I missed while I was in meetings all week or focusing solely on a pitch.
As I sit down at my computer, I can feel my stomach clench at the prospect of what I now need to do. Guy and Michelle will figure out a way to take most ongoing projects off my plate, but there's still a lot of administrative things I need to figure out since I was due to be in a handful of pitches over the next few months.
Before I can get deep into anything, I hear the phone on my desk ringing. I look down and can see, "L. Callahan," flashing across the screen. I consider not answering it for a moment— she doesn't know if I came back to my office after all, but the fact is, we do need to talk.
I don't even bother saying hello.
"I can't believe you put me in this position."
"I love your pantsuit," she says as if I had greeted her in a friendly manner.
"Lauren."
"I'm not sure I know what position you mean. The one where you have the opportunity to win Altitude one of the biggest pieces of business the Seattle office has ever seen?"
"Cut the crap, Lauren. There are plenty of development leads that could pitch this. Why did you put me on this?"
There was silence on the line for a moment and I'm pretty sure I can hear her sigh slightly. I'm not sure if she was expecting some big thank you from me, but this entire situation feels like one big mess that could have been avoided if I had just gone home that night instead of to my office with this infuriating woman.
"No, Emma. You're wrong. You are the only person who I think has the chops to handle this. Whatever you may think about me, I've seen you from start to finish on a pitch and you're the only one who can get this done."
"You know we're set-up to lose this," I say back angrily.
"Not necessarily. Ellison Tech is a global conglomerate. Olivia and her father hold a lot of power, but not all of it. They have stakeholders. A board. Investors. People who won't let Olivia burn down the castle because she's mad. Altitude has proven their worth to Ellison. She's just doing what she can to get the upper hand."
"And now I'm a pawn in your divorce. Wouldn't this be easier with someone you don't have a history with? Considering who we're pitching?"
"I wasn't flirting this week when I told you that you won us the Interplay business. You are exceptional. Better than I am. If there's going to be someone to pitch this business, it needs to be you. You won't have any contact with either Ellison until the pitch. And that's just a show, like any other pitch, Emma."
"Jackie knows," I say.
This time I can definitely hear her sigh. "I gathered that based on her attitude during the meeting. I chose her because of her work on Interplay. But I can find another creative lead if you think it will be a problem."
"It won't. Jackie is a professional. And she is the best. If I have any shot in hell of getting this done, I need her."
"And me? Will you need me Emma?"
Her voice sounds sultry, almost arrogant and my body betrays me by letting out a shudder. The anger I felt yesterday isn't as potent, but It wouldn't take much to push me over the edge again.
It doesn't matter that Lauren left her wife. I was still a complete rebound that didn't know she was a rebound. And now my new boss is my ex-lover.
"Considering your close ties to the account, I'm sure your advice will be invaluable, Lauren. Thank you for this opportunity of a lifetime," I say back with more snark then I meant to infuse into my tone.
"Emma."
"Look, we have to work together. Not just on this, but ongoing. Let's just keep this professional. I need to focus on how we're going to convince your ex-wife not to give away the millions of dollars that come to this agency. And I need your help to do that."
"And you really think we can just be professional?"
Lauren's voice is low, but it doesn't sound like she's trying to be quiet. It has the same husk I've heard before and I can't do anything but clench my legs together.
"Putting aside everything else, you're my boss now," I say as I lower my voice even more.
The door may be closed, but I still feel like I need to be careful talking like this while people are working on either side of my office walls. I don't have the luxury of Lauren's most-likely massive EVP office.
"No. I'm Michelle's new boss. Michelle is still your boss. It would be inappropriate for an EVP to manage a VP," she says dismissively.
"Oh, that's what's inappropriate Lauren?"
"I hate when you say my name like that."
"Like I'm your co-worker?"
"Like you hate me."
I pause at that. Part of me wants to just confirm her suspicion. This whole thing would be easier if I could just hate her. For lying to me. For putting me in this stupid situation. But I don't hate her. I hate how she's made me feel.
"I don't hate you," I say quietly. "I'm just. I'm just so mad at you. You've really put me into a shitty situation here."
"You can do this. I promise you. I know how Olivia's business works. She has so many more people to answer to than just herself. And yes, she will do what she can to sabotage us. But I have my own connections with her board and some ideas I don't think she would ever see coming. Just, trust me, please."
I want to believe her. That she has some recipe up her sleeve to fix this and help me win. But I also know better. This is a no win for me. I'm being set-up to fail and my impending promotion feels like it's slipping further and further away.
"I don't know if I can do that."
"This is just another Interplay. Forget about who's going to be behind the table. This is what you and I do best. We win pitches. Let's just figure out how to win this one."
"This is so much different than Interplay!" I say and I have to take a breath because I can feel my anger rising again.
It wouldn't be so bad if she wasn't acting so blasé about the whole thing. She's acting like I was handed a golden egg on a silver platter and not what it is in reality— a disaster pitch waiting to happen.
"It can be, Ems. We played well together once, we can do it again," she says, and I can hear the faintest bit of husk in her voice.
"This isn't Interplay. Things are different."
"They don't have to be," she says and now I can hear a definite husk in her voice. I hate how much my body responds to it.
"Lauren," is all I can say back.
I can't do this with her in general, but especially not right now while I'm at the office trying to shift around my entire workload.
"Now that is how my name should be said," she says back.
"Stop it. Now." I catch myself before I say 'please' to her. I can't give her the satisfaction I know that word will elicit.
There's a beat of silence on the phone before she speaks. When she does, her voice sounds much more like her professional self than before.
"It wasn't just the Interplay pitch that caught my eye. Remember this week when I told you that I'd heard a lot of good things about you?"
Of course I remember that moment. It was right before she asked me if I was a bottom and fucked me in this very chair. I can't help but squirm a little as I sit there, remembering all the moments of that night.
"I figured you were just trying to get laid," I say back in a neutral tone, trying not to betray the fact that I'm squeezing my legs together even tighter.
"Well I wasn't," she says firmly. "I've been working with the leads on the west coast for months now, preparing for this move. I've seen the numbers and the busines we've won over the past two years. There's one name at the top of each of those proposals. Your name. I knew more about you than you can imagine before I got here. I was already a fan girl, Emma."
All I can do is let out an audible sigh into the phone. I want to believe her words so much. And part of me is flattered. Despite everything that has happened, and the fact that we'll probably lose the Ellison retainer because of her, Lauren is still the most impressive person I've met at Altitude. Her validation of my professional talent means something.
And I desperately wish that this was just another pitch for me. But it's not. This is a Hail Mary to save an account that is doomed and was the second Lauren decided to leave her wife.
Thinking about that causes something Lauren said in our meeting earlier to pop into my head.
"You said during the meeting that Ellison must have been working towards this product for a while. When did they decide not to automatically hire Altitude?"
"I honestly don't know. But the timing seems suspect. She wouldn't have been able to come up with this plan in the two days since she's been served. From what we've gathered, some of the agencies involved have known for a while. We were the last to be told."
When I don't say anything, she continues. "Look, there's so much I want to explain. But not like this. Please see me. I'll be there on Wednesday. Michelle will be setting up an official kick-off for the new team. I can't be in that because of the NDA, but I'll be there to advise how I can."
"Wednesday?"
Last night she said she'd be here in a week, and even then, I figured it was for a quick trip before going back to Austin. Usually office moves across the country take a few months. But it seems nothing is normal in this situation.
"Ellison's move has shifted my timeline. I have no reason to stay in Austin and it's better for Altitude if I don't. Guy's unplanned announcement yesterday didn't help. Word got back to Austin pretty fast."
"You mean Olivia's move. Word got back to Olivia."
I internally cringe at my words the moment they leave my mouth. Not only do I sound petulant, but I'm the one trying to keep this as professional as I can. Olivia and Lauren's relationship shouldn't matter to me. I need to focus on the account itself. Somehow, I need to find a way to make Altitude indispensable to Ellison.
"Let me take you to dinner," Lauren says brushing over my comment without even acknowledging it.
This woman is infuriating.
"As co-workers?" I ask knowing very well what her answer will be.
"No," she says back.
"Then, no."
"And if I agree to keep it to just a friendly co-worker dinner?"
I look at the clock on my computer and see that it's not even 10am. I can already feel a familiar pressure forming behind my eyes. Something that always happens when I feel stressed and overwhelmed.
"Let's just see how things go after the kick-off," I say. "I need to go, I have a meeting."
I usually hate lying, even little ones, but I need to get off this call before I agree to something that I shouldn't.
"Emma?"
"Yes," I say back in almost a whisper. Every time she says my name like that, I'm scared of what will come next.
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en able to stop thinking about you. Have dinner with me."
I don't say anything, and she just waits. I can feel my heart racing after hearing her words. After everything, I can't deny that I still want her. I can't go there again, especially now we're in this mess at work, but it doesn't stop the blood from rushing to my head in want.
"I'll see you Wednesday, Lauren."
I force my hand to hang up the phone before she has a chance to wear me down with another declaration or invitation.
There are very few things I have clarity on this morning, but one thing is absolutely clear— my body still aches for Lauren. Her eyes, her voice, everything about her presence makes me shudder with want.
And that's why dinner is absolutely out of the question. I know exactly where dinner will lead. My disloyal, traitor of a body would see to that.
The weeks ahead of me are going to be a grueling test of agency survival as it is. I need to focus on the impossible task of helping Altitude retain one of our biggest accounts and win Ellison's new business in the process.
This morning when I woke up all I thought I had to do was move on from Lauren's insane allure and get my SVP title. The goal has changed a bit, but I still need to focus on that. And maybe Lauren is right. Maybe this can be done.
I mean how hard can it really be to convince my boss slash ex-bedmate's soon to be ex-wife to not fire us?
As the overly complicated question rolls through my head, I already know the answer and all I can do is slam my head down on my desk. Fuck.
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I'm on glass number two when I hear my apartment intercom buzz. I've spent the last twenty minutes looking for something on TV to numb my mind but can't seem to concentrate on anything. As I get up to let Jackie in, I can already feel the effects of the champagne go to my head.
I unlock the door after pressing the buzzer so Jackie can just come in once she's ridden the elevator up to my floor.
I go to the kitchen and grab a second glass. I don't have the ingredients to make her go-to Manhattan, but I know she doesn't really care what she drinks as long as it's not water. In fact, I don't think I've ever seen Jackie drink water.
Jackie comes in as I'm heading back into my living room and she throws her coat and shoes off, leaving them on the floor like she owns the place. I have to chide myself for thinking about Lauren's reaction to clothes so haphazardly thrown about.
"Oh thank god, I hope those are both for me," she says as she grabs one of the glasses out of my hand and takes a long sip with her eyes closed. "I needed that," she breaths out and hums.
"Apparently," I say as I move to the couch. "But I'm afraid to say, this glass is mine, you lush."
Jackie moves over to the couch and plops down, throwing her head dramatically backwards onto the back as she does.
"You're right. You need that drink more than I do. What the actual fuck just happened today?"
I take a sip before answering. I'm beyond tired, but I couldn't say no to Jackie when she asked to come over for a quick drink. It might be good to talk this out with someone other than Lauren.
"Our new boss left her wife, who's our client and that client now wants to fire us. You and I are the Wonder Woman and Super Girl of saving the account. Oh, and I fucked said boss. I think that covers it?"
Jackie sits up slightly. "Wait. Who am I? Wonder Woman or Super Girl?"
"Wonder Woman, obviously. I'm blonde."
She scoffs. "I don't think hair color should define what superhero we can be. You have Wonder Woman energy."
"Beyond the fact that you saw the movie in theaters a million times because of Gal Gadot, what do you actually know about Wonder Woman?"
"First of all, I saw it twice in theaters. Secondly, nothing. But Gal Gadot looks too much like me. I don't want to fuck myself. Unless it's my vibrator doing it," she adds.
"I'm pretty sure you just complimented yourself," I tease back.
"And you. I said I'd rather fuck you than myself too."
I've always appreciated Jackie's openness about sex. There are very few topics she shies away from. But there are also times she makes subtle comments about being attracted to me and I can't tell if it's a joke or real.
We haven't been romantic in more than two years and I hope she doesn't still feel anything because our friendship really does mean a lot to me. Working the job that I do, it's often hard to find friends who understand the hours I put in and the travel I have to do for pitches.
But I've also noticed that Jackie has been a bit more bristly than normal this week, and it's usually any time Lauren comes up.
"Refill?" I ask moving off the couch to get the bottle of champagne. For some reason Jackie's behavior is making me a little nervous and I'd rather not talk about sex.
"Please," she says.
She raises her voice slightly as I leave the room so I can still hear her talk. "I still don't get why Olivia Ellison doesn't just fire us. I mean, that's what I would do if I was a billionaire and my wife left me for some floozy."
"Am I the floozy here?" I ask as I come back to the living room and sit back down on the couch. I pour us each a healthy portion. "What even is a floozy?"
"I don't know," she says and takes a sip. "But you're definitely the floozy in this situation."
I move on from the floozy comment since I know Jackie and soon, we'll be on Google looking up the exact definition if I don't. And I already know I'm not a floozy. Whatever that is.
"Anyway. I can only guess that she can't fire us from our contract without some kind of legal ramifications. Not to mention it might look bad as the first move as new CEO to fire the best firm in the country because you got dumped," I say.