Keeping it Professional

Chapter 19

When Emma went into work that morning, she went to her office to find a bottle of red wine. It was a kind that she had never seen before in the stores. Which, led her to believe that it was a fancy kind that was way too expensive. She picked up the bottle and looked at the card that was tied around the neck of the bottle. She smiled as she saw a doodle of a swan on the card.

'I apologize for not being able to make lunch with you today. Hope this makes up for it.'

Emma smiled as she read the note. He was adorable. She put the bottle into a drawer in her desk and immediately started on her paperwork. She had more than she thought she would have, but it had to be done. She was halfway through the stack when the door suddenly burst open. A man standing in a navy blue suit stood in front of her. He had cold blue eyes that could be seen from a mile away, and brown curly hair.

"You're Miss Emma Swan, correct?" He asked in an accent similar to Killian's, and she had to hide the shock that threatened to appear on her face.

"Yes. I don't believe we've met. And you are?" She asked in a kind tone as she stood up.

"Liam Jones."

She held her hand up for him to shake, but he just ignored it. "I've come to speak to you. I don't have much time for I am a busy man." He sat down and she did the same. "My brother, and your boss, is not a man to fool around with. I don't know what you plan on getting out of him, but I will not watch as he gets into this trap."

"Excuse me?"

"Killian is a busy man. The last thing he needs is some blonde bimbo distracting him." Emma's jaw dropped. "You will break up with him. He has a good life right where he is. We went through so much to get where we are, to make a name for ourselves, and his reputation is on the line. If I were you, I'd separate yourself from him before you fuck everything up. He needs a woman that has a name, and is just as successful as he is." He stood up and straightened out his jacket, then left the office without another word.

She leaned back in her desk chair and brought her hand up to her face, running her hand down it. What did Liam have against her anyway? She didn't understand. She wondered if Killian knew about his brother's visit to her office. It certainly would explain why he said that he didn't have a lot of time. But, it wasn't Liam's decision if they were to break up. He didn't have a say in their relationship. And, after all the trouble Killian went through to get together with her, she was pretty sure that he wouldn't throw all his hard work down the drain. And after seeing what he was like, Emma knew she was going to stay with him.

Being as busy as she was, Emma had to work through lunch in order to catch up on all the paperwork she had. And sure enough, at 5:00 sharp, she was knocking on Killian's office door with a file of paperwork for him to file, just like she was asked to do. There was a faint "come in," and she opened the door. She gasped when she saw Killian casually sitting in his desk chair with his tie loosened, but hanging around his neck. Liam sat in the chair in front of the desk. Both men looked at her. Liam's gaze turned into a glare while a wide smile formed on Killian's face. He stood up and made his way over to her, wrapping an arm around her waist and planting a wet kiss to her cheek. She could smell alcohol on his breath as he breathed.

"Hi, Swan. I missed you today." He breathed as he pulled away.

"That's nice, Killian." She held the file of papers up for him. "Here are the reports you asked for yesterday." He took them from her hand and stared at them with confusion.

"I pushed the deadline back because of you and I taking the day off."

She cringed, not wanting Liam to know about that. "I still wanted to get them in to you. I'll see you later." She turned and left the office without another word. She quickly packed her laptop case and made her way out to the parking lot.

As Emma was getting into her car, she risked a glance up to the window of his office to find Killian staring at her. He blew her a kiss, but it took everything in her to ignore him, pretending she didn't even see him. She got in and drove away from the building.

As Killian watched her leave the office, he turned to his brother. "That was strange."

"About that, brother, are you sure she's the right one for you?" Liam asked.

"Yes, Liam. I'm sure. How many times do I have to tell you that?"

"I mean, I just think you would be more happy and satisfied with another woman. Someone that can relate to you in the business world. I'm with Ariel and I'm happy. She is the owner of her own seafood industry, and we are raising a family together. You could be happy with a woman of your own who owns her own business too."

"Bloody hell, brother! Just because you found love with another business woman, doesn't mean it will be the same with me! I'm happy with Emma! Besides, we just started dating."

"But this is giving you time to find an out now. You don't want another incident like you had with Milah."

Killian slammed his hands down on the desk in frustration. "Emma is not Milah. I thought you could be happy with me about this! It's my life!"

"I care about you. That's why I'm butting into this." He stood up and grabbed his suit jacket from the back of the chair and draped it over his arm. "I guess I should go."

Killian turned to the window and watched as Emma walked out to her car. "Maybe you should." He blew a kiss to her just as Liam left, but she didn't even notice him, making him believe she hadn't seen him. His heart broke as he watched her drive away.