Ok so recently I had to go to a conference at a fancy hotel for work and I just couldn't get away from the idea of Emma&Killian being stuck in one for a weekend. So here you have my take on a competing bartenders AU. I have no idea how long this will be, but I hope you enjoy! xoxoHannah
Emma approached the concierge desk, rolling her suitcase behind her.
"How can I help you?" The woman behind the desk asked.
"My name is Emma Swan," she started, "and I'm here for the Top Shelf Awards."
The woman took a moment to search her directory, and then turned to Emma with a smile.
"Yes of course, Ms. Swan. It says here you're a VIP guest, so you'll be staying in one of the master suites this weekend. The first event isn't until this evening, but you're welcome to get settled in your room and explore the hotel. We have a great restaurant and bar-though I'm sure it's not as good as yours…"
Emma smiled back. "Thank you, really. That sounds great."
The woman handed her the hotel room key and the information packet for the weekend, and Emma set out to find her room.
It had been a surprise when she'd received notice of her bar's nomination for the Top Shelf Awards. It was an annual conference to celebrate up and coming bars in the area and give bar owners a chance to mingle and learn from each other through workshops and competitions (all in good fun).
She had to admit, it was a welcome distraction. She'd needed a break for so long. Things at the bar were going alright, but she'd just lost a couple employees who were caught stealing money (and in the shape they were in, they most certainly could NOT afford crap like that). They had loyal customers but she'd been racking her brain to think of ways to draw in some new faces-and she was hoping to get some ideas this weekend. To make up for the two people she'd lost, she'd been working double shifts and trying to think of ways to not kill the employees that were also left to pick up the pieces. She had a couple of good ones, though. August and Elsa were her lead bartenders, and they'd been with her since the beginning. When Neal had convinced her to start a bar with him, both August and Elsa had willingly signed on to help them get it started. And now three years later they were still by her side. All but one, at least (maybe it was for the best).
Down the hall from her suite, she could hear what sounded like a party-shouting, loud music, the works.
"Looks like someone's celebrating a little early," she mumbled to herself. Moments later, the door to the room opened, and to her surprise, Killian Jones tumbled out.
She'd heard of him. He was the owner of another, very popular bar called Lusca. In fact, his bar had won the Top Shelf Award two years in a row. She'd heard tales of him-this Killian Jones. Mostly that his bar was a local favorite, but also that he was cocky and flirted with every woman that walked into it.
His laugh echoed down the hall as a hand pushed him out of the room, shutting the door behind him. Their eyes immediately locked, seeing as they were the only two people in the hallway, and Emma turned back to her door to figure out how to work the damn room key.
As he gets closer, she can tell that he's still watching her. Somewhere behind her, she can hear the rumble of an ice machine roaring to life. A moment later, he was walking towards her.
"Hello," she heard him say.
(Of course he's got an accent, too. Of COURSE).
"Uh, hi," she said, turning to face him.
(Turns out the rumor that he was incredibly hot also turned out to be very, very true).
"Name's Killian. Killian Jones." He stretched out his hand for her to shake, and she timidly took it in her own.
"I know who you are, Killian."
His eyes lit up with a sly smile. "Ah, so you've heard of me then?"
"You could say that," she answered, leaning back against her door.
He took a step closer to her, his hair falling dangerously over his eyes. "And what exactly have you heard, darling?"
She pauses a moment before answering.
"Enough."
He laughs a little at that, small dimples appearing on the ends of his smile.
(She tried to ignore the way her stomach flipped at the sight of them).
"Listen," he starts, "I don't what you've heard, but I promise I'm as honorable as they come. I noticed you're here all alone and just to let you know-we're having a party a few doors down. Just a little celebration-there's food and drinks."
"And now ice," Emma said with a smile, looking down at the bowl he'd just filled.
He smiled, lifting a hand to scratch behind his ear. "Right."
His blue eyes shined in contrast to his black v-neck, and she had to kick herself to say no. He was the competition, plus, the last thing she needed was a guy to use her and lose her again.
"Um thanks, but I'm really tired," she said. (Unconvincingly so).
"Sure," he said, looking defeated. "Well if you change your mind-uh, what was your name, love? I don't think I caught it before."
Sly bastard.
"That's because I didn't give it to you," she said. "Goodbye, Killian."
And with that, the little green light flashed, and she opened the door to her room, leaving him behind.
Killian watched as the blonde turned on her heels and went into her room, leaving him there like an idiot in the hallway. God, she was beautiful though. And sassy, too. That one was definitely going to be a challenge, but he'd be lying if he said he wasn't up for it.
He started to make his way back to his room, when David leaned out of the doorway.
"What's taking so long, Jones?"
"Sorry, Mate, just got hung up talking to the gorgeous blonde down the hall."
"Yeah, I saw. And that wasn't just some blonde, you idiot. That was Emma Swan."
Killian looked at him, dumbfounded. "Swan….Swan...is that the one who owns that new little bar? The one that's competing against ours?"
"It's called Savior. And yes. You're fraternizing with the enemy."
"I'd hardly call her the enemy, Dave."
"Either way," he said, "you don't want to mess with her."
"Why's that?"
"Just ask Neal Cassidy."
"The old owner of Yellow Bug? I thought he'd left town after it went out of business."
David smiled, patting Killian on the shoulder. "Exactly."
The room was large-far too big for one person (but she wasn't complaining). The person who should have been there to share it with her was long gone, anyway. The awards only rented rooms for bar owners, but Elsa and August would be joining her throughout the weekend for different events. She couldn't spare them both-weekends were their busiest time at Savior, and if she was going to be gone all weekend, they couldn't afford to lose both bartenders at her expense.
The room had a king size bed, a small living area with a couple chairs and a flat screen TV, and a large full bathroom. She threw her suitcase on the bed and started unpacking. She'd brought mostly business casual wear, with the exception of her dress for the awards ceremony at the end of the weekend. It was quite the little number-a skin tight red knockout, which she planned to wear because she looked amazing in it, and she wanted to look her best accepting the award on behalf of her bar.
Later in the afternoon, Emma got dressed for dinner and made her way back downstairs to explore the hotel before meeting Elsa for drinks.
It was a gorgeous venue for the awards, to be sure. She'd never be able to stay in a place like this on her own, but the organization hosting the weekend had paid for everything. The Chesterton, as it was called, was one of the nicest hotels in the area. The crowd was mostly swanky businessman and women, government officials, or wedding parties with far too much money for their own good. Just being there could make a person feel much more glamorous than they actually were. At least that was how Emma felt when she walked out into the main lobby. The main staircase, ribbed with lush red carpeting, led downstairs to a large foyer, complete with grand piano and chaise lounges, all surrounded by soaring white marble columns that reached upwards to the ceiling which was ornate in and of itself. Multicolored stained glass intricately played across the dome next to the stone and marble, making her feel small and other worldly. The room was circled by a second floor balcony, where other patrons stopped to glance down into the foyer or stop for a cup of coffee in the café.
She walked around for a little longer in an attempt to kill time. The place never seemed to end. She'd turn one corner and find another set of stairs leading to more ballrooms, lounges, gift shops, even a hair salon. This was a place she could get lost in easily (and drop a ton of cash if she actually had any to spend).
She decided to make her way back towards the bar to wait for Elsa. She was a bit early, but it was no matter. She could get a head start on drinks while she waited.
The bartender walked over as she sat down on a stool near the end of the bar.
"What can I get you?"
"Whiskey sour, please. On the rocks."
He nodded and left to make her drink, leaving her alone at the end of the bar. That was, until some idiot decided today was the day to hit on her.
She'd never seen the guy before, but he looked somewhat young, maybe late 20s. Clearly he came from money. He had the pretentious khakis and blazer get up that they all do, with a smug smile on his face like he was about to score. After the bartender handed her the drink, he walked over.
"Hey beautiful, can I buy your next drink?"
Emma bit her tongue. What she'd wanted to say was "Are you sure you're old enough to drink alcohol?" but instead, she just said, "No thanks."
"Oh come on," the guy said. "We could have some fun."
"Look, the answer's no. Please leave me alone."
"A beautiful woman like you doesn't just go to bars alone without some kind of agenda," the guy answered.
She could feel the heat of anger rising up in her cheeks, because who did this pretentious little prick think he was to tell her what she could and couldn't do alone?
But before she could berate him for his shitty behavior, she felt a presence behind her, and a hand lightly touch her back.
"That's right," an accented voice said. She recognized it immediately.
"Her only agenda tonight was to meet me, her boyfriend, for drinks. Do you have a problem with that, lad?"
The kid looked back and forth between Killian and Emma, before turning away in a huff. Once he was gone, Killian removed his hand from her back and turned to face her.
"Hope that was okay," he said. "I could tell the kid was bothering you."
"He was, but I can take care of myself."
"Oh, I know, love. I just didn't want the kid to be leaving here on a stretcher."
She couldn't help but laugh at that.
Killian scratched behind his ear again, rather adorably, before asking,
"Is this seat taken?"
David had fallen asleep after their earlier party, and he was bored out of his mind. There wasn't a whole lot to do other than wander the hotel until the big dinner started, so he set off to see what he could get into. (And if by some miraculous chance he could run into the blonde again-Emma-that would be fine by him).
He sat in the café upstairs for a while, drinking strong coffee, poring over the itinerary for the weekend, and checking his emails. Which was fine for about an hour, but then the afternoon crowd started to trickle in, and he needed some air.
He was going to go check the book selection in the gift shop, maybe even sit on the outdoor patio for a bit, until he saw her.
Across the foyer at the bar, she sat facing away from him. He knew it was her-he'd recognize that beautiful blonde hair anywhere. He wanted to go and try to reintroduce himself-see if he could see what her deal was, and he was only a few feet away when some little punk swooped in before he could.
He watched the lad make a pathetic attempt to woo the blonde, and had to bite the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing at the face she made at his incessant talking.
He had to do something, and fast, before she knocked the poor kid out.
Instinctively, he stepped forward and lightly laid a hand on her back (and tried to ignore the way it felt being able to touch her).
"Is this seat taken?"
She didn't want to say no. She really didn't.
"Uh, no. Not for now, anyway. You can sit."
He smiled and took his seat next to her. This was strange, finally sitting next to this Killian Jones. She really didn't know why he seemed to be so drawn to her, but she took the opportunity to get a good look at him. His eyes were still strikingly blue, contrasted by his dark hair and stubble gracing his jaw and chin.
In a word, he was gorgeous.
"So, Ms. Swan," he started, "are you having a lovely time so far?"
Emma looked at him. "How do you know my name? What are you, like stalking me or something?"
He laughed and looked down at his hands, twisting a silver ring around his right middle finger.
"No, not at all. This hotel is only so big, love. We were bound to run into each other again at some point. Plus, I know people."
"What kind of people?"
"Well," he said, "more like - I know people who knew who you were, when they saw us talking in the hallway earlier."
"Ah," Emma said, taking another sip of her drink. "I get it. So if you know who I am, why are you still talking to me?"
"What's wrong with who you are? Am I not allowed to talk to women I find intriguing?"
(Damn, he was really good at this whole flirting thing).
"Killian, I'm your competition. You should be wanting to sabotage me, not ask me out."
"No one said anything about asking out, love."
At his comment, she could feel the heat rising in her cheeks again, but this time it was from embarrassment.
"Oh god," she said, "I'm sorry, I didn't think-"
His hand waving stopped her. "No, Emma, it's fine. That was my intention entirely. I was just messing with you."
She smiled in relief. "Okay….wait, what?"
Before she could inquire after his intentions further, she saw Elsa walk into the bar.
"Emma!" Elsa called, waving at her friend with a smile stretching across her face.
"My friend is here," she said to Killian.
"I'll leave you to it, then, Ms. Swan. I'm sure we'll see each other again soon."
He stood up from his bar stool and stretched his hand out again for her to shake. "Until next time, Emma."
And she took it, but to her surprise, he curled her fingers around his own, bringing her knuckles up to his lips and placing a soft kiss on them.
At this point, she couldn't tell if the butterflies in her stomach were from the whiskey or from him.
He walked away, and Elsa took his place.
"Who was that?!" she asked.
Emma smiled to herself, amused at all of it.
"I hardly know…but I'm going to find out."