The Bet

Chapter 4

Emma was still fumbling with her hands, once I'd paid the check. She was evidently nervous again, but I wasn't sure why. "So, what now?" she asked and tensed her shoulders. That was probably why. She didn't know how to end a date.

"Would you like to hang out at my place for a bit?" I asked. I knew we were already hitting it off, but the more time we spent together, the more I'd get through to her and the more she'd be thinking of me instead of Killian tomorrow. It was all tactics.

"I guess," she replied as we got out of the booth. On our way to the exit, I hugged Granny once and promised her to catch up soon, but once we were outside, all my attention went to Emma again.

"Let me tell you one thing, don't say "I guess", when someone invites you over on a first date." I spoke with a stern voice and it probably came across too harsh, so I quickly continued talking. "What I mean is, don't be doubtful. Just say yes or no. Make your boundaries clear from the beginning, because in case you end up with someone who likes crossing people's boundaries and they think you're not firm with yours, they'll use you. Plus, it's not harmful to tell someone you've had enough. You can just tell me you don't want to hang out, but don't make it vague."

Maybe that was the reason no one liked me. I was very direct, but I appreciated it if people were direct with me, too. All that beating around the bush got you nowhere.

"Thank you," Emma said. "And yes, I'd like to hang out with you." I grabbed her hand to make her stop fumbling and our fingers intertwined as we walked towards my apartment. "Tomorrow, if I were to say yes to Killian, does that mean we're going to have sex? I always feel like that's expected."

I frowned and shrugged. "Not necessarily. That's why I said you need to make your boundaries clear. If he expects you to have sex with him, but you don't want to, he needs to know that."

Emma nodded and I looked at her side profile. She was biting her lower lip and had her eyes focused on the street. I liked feeling her hand in mine. It was another sign that I was going to win this bet. It wasn't even about the clock anymore, I just wanted to prove to the whole world that I was lovable, if I tried.

We walked inside the apartment building and upstairs to my flat. As I grabbed my keys from my purse, Emma cleared her throat. "If I would like to sleep with Killian tomorrow, how do I make that clear?" she asked. "I know it's odd that I don't know all these things, but I'm very socially awkward when it comes to anything relating romance and intimacy."

"Don't worry about it," I said. "Put your hand on my hip."

"What?"

"I'm going to show you my technique. It always works to turn people on."

Emma carefully placed her hand on my hip. "Not like that. Firmer. Like this." I moved her hand and applied pressure. She looked confused, so I handed her my keys. "Hold on, I'll do it first. Take my place."

She obeyed without further questions and pretended to be unlocking the door. I waited for a moment, until I grabbed her hip and, like I expected, she turned around in confusion. Everyone always does. It caused my hand to glide over her buttocks, to her other hip and I moved closer.

With my free hand, I tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and let my hand rest on her cheek, before I slowly slid it down her neck, letting my thumb touch her lips gently. Meanwhile, I kept my eyes locked on her lips and licked my own seductively.

My hand travelled down her neckline and brushed against her cleavage, which caused a soft gasp to escape from her lips. I moved down to her other hip and was now holding them both. Usually, by now the other woman had kissed me already, but Emma and I were friends, so I expected her to hold back.