The Con

Part 3/9

Rule #3: Never reveal anything personal about yourself. Stay in character.

"Someone's here to see you," Belle said from the doorway of Emma's office.

Emma glanced down at her watch. "I thought I didn't have any appointments until 1."

"He doesn't have an appointment."

"Who is it?" Emma asked, as her brow arched in curiosity.

Belle smiled. "The man who put that dreamy smile on your face."

"Killian?" Emma said, as she felt her cheeks redden.

"In the flesh," he said, poking his head in the door.

Belle disappeared and he entered Emma's office, sitting across from her.

"What are you doing here?" she asked.

Killian pulled a check out of his pocket and held it up to her. "I'm here to settle my bill."

Emma hid her smile as she raised an eyebrow. "In person?"

He shrugged. "Figured I'd save myself a stamp."

"Oh," Emma said, disappointed.

"And properly ask you out," he said, as he leaned forward on her desk.

Emma couldn't hide her smile. "You could've called."

"I'm much harder to say no to in person," Killian said, gesturing to himself. "This is a hard face to refuse."

Emma laughed. "So you thought I might say no?"

"I was pretty confident you'd say yes, but better safe than sorry," he said. He paused. "So is that a yes?"

Emma nodded. "Yes."

Killian grinned. "Great. I'll pick you up at 7. Would you like me to meet you here?"

Emma shook her head. "No, come to my apartment."

She scribbled her address down on a piece of paper and handed it to him. He placed it in his pocket and handed her the check.

Emma's brow furrowed as she looked at it. "Is this the total Belle gave you? It seems rather...low."

Killian shrugged. "Well, Belle forgot to factor in the discounts."

Emma smiled. "Ah, the discounts."

"$50 off for the grilled cheese and onion rings."

"Yup."

"And $250 off for my assistance on the stakeout."

"That seems a bit steep."

"I did do half the work."

Emma pointed at the check. "Not to quibble, but it's still off by $3.50."

He offered her a tiny smile. "That was for the Cheetos."

Emma laughed. "Are you going to make me pay for your dry cleaning bill caused by the Cheeto dust too?"

Killian shook his head. "That's on the house."

"How generous."

He nodded as he headed toward the door. "I thought so." He paused before exiting. "See you tonight."

"I can hardly wait," Emma found herself muttering to his retreating figure, a smile on her lips long after he'd disappeared.

...

Emma stood in front of the full length mirror in her bedroom, as she gnawed on her lower lip. She was currently on her 5th outfit. She stared at the little black dress. It was the perfect date dress. It showed off her legs and the neckline left just enough to the imagination. She slipped into black heels, just as she heard a knock on the door.