Keeping it Professional

Chapter 13

As soon as Emma was out of sight from the company building, she dug her phone out of her purse and called Milah. She pulled up to a red light and stopped. It wasn't long before Milah picked up.

"Hey, Ms. Still. It's Emma."

"Emma, I'm glad you called. Please, call me Milah. Did you get away from Killian okay?"

"Yeah, but why are you so concerned?"

"That really isn't a conversation that we should be having over the phone. I'd prefer if we had it face to face. There is a Starbucks on 5th Avenue. How about you meet me there in twenty minutes and I'll explain everything?"

Emma only hesitated for a few seconds. "Okay." She agreed. "I'll see you in a bit." She hung up and tossed the phone to the passenger's seat. "What am I doing?" She asked herself with a sigh. Meeting her boss's ex girlfriend to talk about the man in question? That was just idiotic! But, what else was one to do when wanting to get answers from a guarded man?

The light turned green and she headed towards 5th Avenue. It was only a few blocks away, so it wouldn't take long to arrive. Five minutes later, she pulled into the parking lot and went inside the building. As she stepped in, the scent of fresh coffee hit her nose. The sounds of the ice blending and coffee brewing was heard. Emma ordered a hot chocolate and sprinkled cinnamon on it once she got it. She sat down next to the window and peered out of it, waiting for Milah to arrive. Once the brunette walked into the coffee shop, Emma moved to a quieter corner and waited for her to return. When she did, Milah came back with a cup of coffee in her hands. She sat at the table across from Emma.

"Killian isn't as perfect as he seems, Emma." Milah began. "He may seem like a real charmer now, but I swear, he isn't like that at all."

"What do you mean?"

"What I mean, is that he is possessive. I've experienced it first hand, and I don't want any other girl to go through what I did."

"I really don't understand."

"Emma, he is dangerous. He starts out by giving gifts of all kinds. Trying to win you over. And once he does, he'll be a really nice boyfriend at first, but once you don't do as he says, your world will turn upside down. If you think things are going well now, don't get into a relationship with him. That will ruin it all."

"He told me that because you are one of his ex-girlfriends, you would talk bad about him. How do I know that what you are saying isn't a lie?"

"Trust me."

Emma leaned back in her seat and twisted her coffee cup in her hands. Normally, she was like a human lie detector test. She could just tell if someone was lying or not. But, when she looked at Milah, she knew that she wasn't. "What did he do to you that was so bad?"

Milah sighed and looked down to her cup. "I had an affair with him. I cheated on my husband. I was going to leave him for Killian, but then, he showed me what kind of monster he truly was. For your sake, Emma, don't fall into the same trap as I did. I was only lucky that I didn't get fired after we broke up. But, I'm not saying that the same will happen to you." She stood up and walked out of the coffee shop. Emma watched as Milah went to her car and drove away.

Shortly after, Emma threw the rest of her drink away and walked out of the building. She knew that driving home wasn't her best option. Killian did know where she lived after all. So, she went out for dinner. She picked something up at a fast food restaurant and ate as she drove home. Once she pulled into the parking lot, she hurried inside. She flicked on the lights and changed out of her clothes and into her pajamas. She settled onto the couch and watched a movie. Half way through it, there was a knock at the door. She paused the movie and got up. When she opened the door, no one was there, but on the floor, was another basket. No one was in the hallway when she looked around, so she grabbed the basket and quickly shut the door.

When Emma opened it, she saw candles. All kinds of candles that smelled like lots of things. The upcoming season was autumn, so there were fall scented candles. Along with those, there was flower scented ones and even a few linen scented candles. Attached to the handle of the basket was a card. On the card was who it was from, along with a note.

To: Emma
From: Killian

Emma, I apologize for my behavior today. It wasn't just uncalled for but also unnecessary. I've made this basket for you in hopes of stressing my apology.

She groaned. 'How can someone so sweet have such a bad reputation?'

She grabbed her phone and made a new email draft, ready to send to Killian. Emma put a lot of thought into the message. She didn't want to get across to him something that was offensive, but she didn't want to make it seem like she was too easy or hard to get. Getting into a relationship with a coworker is hard enough, but getting into a relationship with your boss would be even worse. It wasn't a smart decision, and she could tell that it would end badly, in more ways than one.