Emma just stared at Killian...dumbfounded. Being at a loss for words was something that never happened to her. In her line of work, if she wasn't quick on her feet then she would most likely already be dead.

"You're catching flies there Swan." Killian's voice broke through her daze and she snapped her mouth shut.

"You're serious?" Emma questioned sceptically. Too say she was surprised was an understatement...her run-ins with the CEO had definitely not prepared her for his offer.

It would be a good move for her to accept the position. David had told her to get as much information and evidence as she could. Working directly for their main suspect would be seen as a hero move on her part and give her the access that she was lacking now.

"I don't say things I don't mean." Killian told her seriously before moving out from behind his desk. Emma's eyes followed his movements and he stopped right in front of her, perching on the edge of the table.

Emma knew the workload would be exponentially harder than what she was currently dealing with. It did worry her but she was always eager for a challenge. It didn't help that David would have her head if she passed this up as it could lead to her closing the case months earlier than predicted!

"When do I start?"

She watched as pure arrogance seemed to ooze from Killian's pores. He had known that she wouldn't be able to resist a promotion.

Killian leant back and Emma tried to ignore the muscles that flexed underneath his shirt. He quickly grabbed a book off his desk and tossed it at her before hopping off his desk.

"My schedule." Killian tossed over his shoulder as he strode through his office door.

Emma was hot on his tail. He stopped in front of a desk filled with piles of paperwork.

"I need this all dealt with straight away." Killian narrowed his eyes and stared at Emma as if daring her to say something.

"Where's Candy?" Emma mocked as she dropped into the seat behind the desk. He smirked before going back into his office and shutting the door.

Glancing at the piles of paperwork made one thing clear...she was either going to sink or swim.

1 hour later

Her office space looked like a hurricane had ripped right through ruthlessly. Emma was sitting on the floor amidst piles of sorted paperwork. She hadn't really been sure how to sort it but figured having her own system was probably not a bad thing. Emma had been using post-it notes to keep everything colour co-ordinated and also to write herself notes. So far nothing seemed out of the ordinary but most of the paperwork pertained to the cruise line portion of the business.

"Oh my gosh...Emma!" Mary Margaret's voice was a welcoming reprieve. She had Emma's belongings in her arms and the look of sympathy on her face made Emma smile.

"I think I have everything under control." She tried to sound confident as she picked up several of the piles and stood up.

"How?" Mary Margaret asked, indicating to the desk and all of the work.

"Apparently I am disagreeable." Emma shrugged. It was at that moment that the intercom buzzed.

"Coffee." Killian Jones's voice echoed. Picking up the 'bible' as she had come to refer to it, Emma flicked through several pages before coming across how the boss liked his coffee. Mary Margaret could see how occupied Emma was and indicated that she was leaving.

"Lunch?" Emma questioned.

Mary Margaret nodded and with a small smile left Emma alone.

'Black.' Emma was grateful to read that Killian Jones had coffee the simple way.

Quickly preparing the coffee, Emma scooped up several mounds of correspondence and pushed open Killian's office door.

It was next to impossible to miss the striking figure sitting behind his desk. His eyes were glued to his computer screen and he raised one hand to wave Emma in. Killian's eyes were now glued to her and she watched as he brazenly appraised her. Emma felt an unwanted tightening in her stomach. His eyes wandered over her body before moving to her face and catching her eye. Emma maintained eye contact, not willing to be the first one to step down. She reached forward and placed his coffee on the desk before pushing it towards him.

Killian smirked and broke the eye contact. "I need today's mail."

Emma raised her eyebrows and dumped the pile she was holding onto the desk in front of him.

"I'm on top of everything,"

"I'm sure you are Swan," Killian responded cheekily before clearing his throat. "How is today looking?"

Emma was confused for a moment before realising he meant his schedule. She quickly reminded him of his appointments before asking about his phone calls.

"It's your discretion Swan. If it is important...put it through. Otherwise take a message,"

"I'm off to lunch, is there anything you need?" Emma asked him. Killian shook his head and started working again. Effectively dismissed she turned and left his office.

Lunch with Mary Margaret had been a welcome relief with neither believing how fortunate Emma was in becoming the CEO's new assistant. Emma still hadn't discovered anything relating to her case but she had learnt a lot more about the people she worked with including the big boss. Mary Margaret was quick to warn Emma about his nefarious ways with women but it was nothing that she hadn't already known.

Returning to the office Emma was glad she'd made this bond with someone at work; it would make her time here just that little bit easier. The phone began ringing as she sat at her desk, ignoring the still messy floor.

"Killian Jones' office. Emma speaking."

"Can I speak to Killian please," A feminine voice purred down the line.

"Can I ask who is calling?" Emma questioned the woman.

"Miranda Wilson."

"What is this regarding?"

"Put me through." Emma didn't like the woman's tone and decided to use her discretion and veto the call, "I'm sorry Miss Wilson, Mr Jones is unavailable at the moment."

"Is this about the elevator?" Miranda's voice screeched through the phone. Emma's brows furrowed in confusion but she suddenly had a visual picture of a brunette woman in a tight dress.

It was at that moment the man in question decided to exit his office.

"I assure you that he is busy and this has nothing to do with the incident in elevator." Emma informed Miranda in a tone a little harsher than she had intended. Killian had stopped in front of her desk and was watching her. His intense gaze was unnerving and Emma pushed down any reaction she may have felt. She listened for several more moments before deciding to end this conversation

"I will let him know you called." Emma finally told Miranda and promptly hung the phone up.

Killian raised an eyebrow questioningly. "Miranda Wilson. Call her back!"

"Thank you Swan. I can see how deftly you dealt with that."

"Is she the flavour of the month?" Emma blurted out, immediately regretting her comment. Her lack of filter had gotten her into trouble on many occasions. She wasn't sure what response she was going to get.

Killian let out a large laugh and shrugged, "I guess you could call her that. Next time put her call through." With that last parting shot Killian left.

Glancing at the 'bible', Emma could see that he had an appointment across town. This was her first opportunity to snoop and get some valuable information. Killian had organised a new security pass and the IT department had given her higher clearance on the mainframe.

An hour later and Emma was still pouring over financial data. She had started with tax records. Being the CEO's assistant had many benefits; the most important was that she could access nearly every secure file on the database. She had started with records dating back a year and had slowly been reading through. There was a lot of information to process. Anything she found remotely relevant she quickly printed and placed in a manila folder.

Emma hated to admit that Killian Jones was firmly on top of things, running an extremely tight ship. From what Emma could see all of the financial records adhered to regulatory standards. It was going to take her a while to work through the information.

Placing the manila folder in her bag, Emma packed up her things and switched her computer off. She had not seen Killian for the rest of the afternoon but made sure to write him a big sticky note reminding him to fix her up a car parking space. Placing it on his door where he wouldn't miss it.

Emma smiled to herself. It was like she enjoyed irking him. She turned around quickly and crashed into something solid. Hands reached out to hold her steady...burning her skin. Looking up her eyes met with those of brightest blue.

She was in trouble now.

To Be Continued...