Note: Thanks for your responses to the last part and "Puppy Love"! The reviews seem to be having a problem on this site. They aren't showing up on and in some cases the numbers of reviews aren't recording. As far as I can tell, I am receiving all of your reviews in my email though, so thank you! Hope you enjoy this part! ~Steph

...The Con: Part 4/9...

Rule #4: Spot your mark's weakness and exploit it.

Robin entered the kitchen and poured himself a cup of coffee.

"Gary did some more digging about Emma."

"What did he find?" Killian asked, as he sat at the kitchen counter and sipped his own coffee.

"She was engaged."

Killian eyes widened. "Really? She hasn't mentioned anything yet."

"Can't say I'm surprised. It did not end well."

"What happened?"

"Five years ago, she met this Wall Street big wig, Neal Cassidy. They dated for a year and then got engaged. The night before their wedding, Emma caught him cheating. It gets worse. It was with her bridesmaid in the bathroom during their rehearsal dinner."

"I thought such things only happened in movies."

"Apparently not. She discovered he had been cheating on her for months with various women. She obviously called off the wedding."

Killian sighed heavily. He felt awful for Emma. What a terrible thing to go through. He knew what it felt like to be cheated on. He had experienced that betrayal too, although on a much smaller scale.

"Has she been with anyone since?"

Robin shook his head. "Doesn't appear so. Looks as if she swore off men for a while."

Killian let out a breath. That meant Emma was putting herself out there again, opening herself up again for him. She was allowing herself to trust him and he was just another guy who would betray her and break her heart.

Robin noticed the look on Killian's face. "What's wrong, mate?"

"I feel badly about doing this to her when she's been hurt so terribly in the past."

Robin's eyes widened. "You feel bad? You need to stop allowing your feelings for her to get in the way. Killian, this is information you can use to get closer to her. And you can even tell the truth to do it. You've both been cheated on."

Killian dropped his eyes, but didn't say another word.

...

Emma opened the door and smiled at Killian.

"Hi. Right on time."

He returned her smile. "So what's the plan for the date? Since you insisted on planning it."

Emma grabbed a basket from the table by the door. "Picnic lunch in Central Park."

Killian nodded. "Sounds good. I don't believe you can hustle me during a picnic lunch."

Emma laughed. Killian held his hand out to her. She looked at it for a long moment, then slipped her hand into his. They exited the apartment.

It was a beautiful day so they decided to walk to the park. Emma smiled as they walked down the sidewalk, enjoying the feel of his hand in hers.

When they arrived at the park, they found it crowded on such a nice day. It took them a while to find a spot where they would have some semblance of privacy.

They finally settled on a spot under a tree. Emma took a blanket out of the basket and Killian helped her lay it out. They sat down and she proceeded to empty the basket.

Killian nodded his head, impressed. "That's quite a spread you've prepared, Swan."

Emma laughed. "Oh, I didn't prepare it. Granny's Diner did. Chicken salad sandwiches with pasta salad and potato salad. Biscuits too. Oh and for dessert, Mississippi mud pie. And of course some wine."

Killian licked at his lips and Emma was suddenly hungry for something else entirely.

"It all sounds delicious. Thank you."

Emma handed him a plate and utensils. They went about filling their plates. They made small talk while they ate, until Killian tried to subtly change the subject.

"So is a picnic in the park your go to move when planning a date?"

Emma shook her head. "No, you're the first guy I've ever brought here." She paused and then added, "But then again, I haven't done a lot of dating."

Killian arched his brow. "A woman as beautiful and amazing as you? I find that hard to believe. Men must be lined up around the corner to date you."

Emma shrugged. "It's always been hard for me to know if a guy is interested in me or my money. And then once I tell them that I don't touch the money, they lose interest pretty quickly."

"Their loss...and my gain," Killian said with a grin and a look in his eyes that made her blush.

He honestly wondered what was wrong with these men. He'd still want Emma if she didn't have a penny to her name.

"So you've never had any serious relationships?" he asked.

Emma averted her eyes to her plate, as her voice lowered. "Just one."

Killian noticed her obvious discomfort. "It's okay, love. You don't have to share it with me if you don't wish to."

Emma shrugged and met his eyes. "You'll find out eventually anyway. It ended quite publicly three years ago. I was the topic of gossip at every social event for months."

"What happened?" Killian asked, hoping he managed to sound surprised.

"My fiancé cheated on me the night before our wedding. I caught him with one of my bridesmaids in the bathroom during our rehearsal dinner."

Killian heard her voice break and tears fill her eyes. He reached out and linked her fingers with his.

"That's awful. I'm sorry."

She shrugged her shoulders. "I found out he had been cheating for months with many women. I don't believe he ever loved me. I think he only wanted me for my money. I think he believed he could eventually convince me that I should use it, invest it in some stocks or something." She paused and sucked in a breath, as she met his eyes. "In some ways, I'm grateful it happened the way it did. At least I avoided ending up with a cheating husband. I avoided being with a man I couldn't trust. I dodged that bullet."

Killian felt the guilt bubble to the surface at her words.

"But such wounds do not heal quickly," he said.

Emma shook her head. "No, they don't. I doubted myself for a long time. Doubted my ability to do my job. I had missed all of the signs and I started not to trust my instincts. I started not to trust at all. I swore off men."

"I can understand how you would feel that way."

Emma felt a smile pull at her lips. "But then you came along. And for the first time I felt ready to put myself back out there. To open myself up again and trust."

Killian swallowed roughly. The guilt built inside of him with every word she said. She waited for him to say something, but when he didn't she went on.

"What about you? Any serious relationships?"

"Just one," he said, meeting her eyes. "I'm afraid I too know what it feels like to be betrayed."

Emma tilted her head to the side. "I'm sorry. What happened?"

"It was on a much smaller scale, of course. Shortly after moving to the states, I met Milah. It didn't take long for us to fall in love. I was even going to ask her to move in with me. But the night I planned on doing so, I found her in bed with one of my mates."

Emma chuckled mirthlessly. "Aren't we a pair? I think we need to choose better friends."

Killian managed a smile. "I too was wary of women for a long time after that. You're the first woman I've wanted to pursue a relationship with."

And it was the truth. One of the reasons Killian liked conning women was because he knew there was no chance of a future with them. He knew his heart wasn't on the line. But Emma was different. Emma changed everything.

Emma smiled as she met his eyes. "Let's make a pact."

Killian quirked an eyebrow. "A pact?"

"Yes," she said, holding out her hand. "Let's promise that no matter what happens, we won't break each other's hearts."

Killian stared at her hand for a long time before placing his in it.

...

"Where are we going?" Emma asked, as Killian led her by the hand through Central Park.

"Patience, love. You'll see."

"I thought I was in charge of this date," she said.

"The picnic was a brilliant idea and quite delicious. But I have something a little more fun in mind."

Killian and Emma stopped in their tracks as the carousel came into view. Emma's mouth hung open, as she turned to him.

"You want to go on the carousel? Aren't we a little old?"

"You're never too old for a carousel ride. Plus, I'm willing to bet that nanny of yours never took you as a child."

Emma smiled slightly. "That's a safe bet. I always wanted to go."

Killian pulled her toward the carousel. "Never too late, love."

They climbed aboard and quickly found horses side by side. Emma hopped on and smiled at Killian once he was atop his own. The carousel started up and Emma felt the wind blow her hair. Killian watched the excited look on her face and felt his heart swell. Emma could feel his eyes on her as their horses moved up and down side by side. She turned to look at him and then held out her hand. Killian smiled as he reached across and placed his hand in hers.

...

Emma turned to look at Killian as he led them to the rowboats in Central Park.

"Will you stop hijacking the date I planned?" she asked, feigning annoyance.

Killian grinned. "Well, love, not to criticize, but it didn't seem like you planned anything beyond the picnic lunch."

Emma offered him a crooked smile. "In my defense, by the time I finished ordering from Granny's I was pretty tired."

"I can imagine," he said with a chuckle.

Killian gestured to the boats. "I'm willing to bet you've never been on a boat."

Emma nodded. "You'd be right."

He stepped inside and held his hand out to her, helping her into the boat. They sat across from each other and he handed her the paddle.

"There's nothing to it, Swan," he said, demonstrating how to row.

They started moving out into the water. Emma enjoyed the peaceful setting. It was a welcome change from the hustle and bustle of the city.

"This is nice," she said.

"I've always enjoyed the water," he said. "I find it calming."

"Did you go sailing as a child?"

Killian's eyes darkened. "Aye. My father took my brother and I quite frequently."

"Did you continue after he left?"

Killian shook his head. "No, it was too painful."

Emma tilted her head to the side. "Then why take me now?"

A smile pulled at his lips, as he met her eyes. "I suppose I wished to make new, happy memories with you. To reclaim something I once loved."

Emma smiled and dropped her paddle for a moment, leaning forward to touch his hand. But as she did so the boat tilted. She tried to compensate by shifting her weight to the left, but that just made it worse. The boat rocked back and forth and then finally flipped, dumping them both into the water.

They came up beside it a moment later, gasping for air and then dissolving into a fit of laughter when their eyes met.

"How's that for a memory?" she asked.

He nodded with a grin. "That'll do quite nicely."

She waded up close to him and looped her arms around his neck. "You know, if you hadn't hijacked my date then we'd still be on land right now and completely dry."

Killian smiled, as he gently brushed a piece of wet hair off her forehead. "Aye, but what would be the fun in that?"

Emma simply laughed.

...

Killian walked Emma back to her apartment. They stood facing each other in their soaking wet clothes.

"I had a wonderful time today," he said.

Emma smiled. "Me too. Not bad for a second date."

"Third date if you count the stakeout."

Emma laughed. "I don't."

"Well, I believe it's my turn to plan our third date then, despite your insistence that I hijacked this one."

"What did you have in mind?"

"Something you can't hustle me in of course." He paused and asked, "How does the Bronx Zoo sound?"

Emma's face lit up. "I've always wanted to go there."

Killian arched a brow. "You've never been to the Bronx Zoo?"

Emma shook her head. "Never been to any zoo. My parents were always too busy with work to take me anywhere. And my nanny said zoos were smelly and disgusting. I guess I always felt silly going by myself as an adult."

Killian shook his head. "Well, love, I do believe that is a wrong that must be righted and I'm just the man for the job."

Emma chuckled. "I do believe you are."

Killian leaned toward her and again Emma waited for him to kiss her. But he brushed his lips against her cheek instead. She wanted to grab him by the collar and crash her lips into his, but she resisted. She appreciated that he wanted to take things slowly, even though it was obvious to her that she was falling for him fast and hard. And if the look in his eyes was any indication, he was falling too.

"Goodnight, Emma," he said.

"Goodnight," she whispered.

Emma leaned her head against the door as she watched him go.

...

"You've got another date with Emma today, right?" Robin asked Killian a few days later.

"Aye."

"Good. It will be the perfect time to move ahead with our plan."

Killian met his eyes. "What do you mean?"

"We need to get access to Emma's office and see what information we can find."

Killian sighed. "Emma owns a security firm. I'm fairly certain that her office must be hard to access."

Robin leaned forward on the table. "While you've been wining and dining the lady, I've been doing my research. She has a swipe card to get into the firm and her personal office. I need you to get the swipe card."

"She'll notice if it's missing."

Robin grinned. "Way ahead of you. We're going to coordinate a hand-off."

Killian ran his hands down his face. He had a fun day at the Bronx Zoo planned with Emma. He just wanted to spend the day with her getting to know her better. He didn't want it to be a part of the con. He didn't want to be constantly reminded of how he was hurting her.

"Can't we do this another day?"

"The sooner the better, wouldn't you say?" Robin sighed in frustration. "I think you keep forgetting the objective. Your job is to manipulate her so we can gain access to her client accounts. I already agreed to forego stealing her money. Are you going to be able to compete this operation or not?"

Killian slowly nodded. "Fine. I'll do it today."

"Good, so you should arrive at Emma's early. She'll have to let you in to wait while she finishes getting ready. That will allow you time to search her apartment for the swipe. I'd assume it would be in her purse, but that will be up to you to determine. Once you have it, the drop-off will occur at the zoo."

"Where?"

"Butterfly garden. Stick it in the back pocket of your jeans. Don't worry, I'll wear a disguise. Give me two hours to get it to Gary, make a copy, and get it back to you."

"Where do you want to meet to hand it back off?"

"Sea lion exhibit. I'll slip it right back into your pocket."

Killian slowly blew out a breath as he shook his head. "I doubt getting access to her firm will be as simple as using a swipe. Security is what she does. She must have security cameras."

"Right you are, mate. She does and they are monitored by a security guard. Fortunately for us, Gary will access the cameras remotely and loop the feed when we break in."

Killian nodded. "Okay."

...

Emma opened the door, her brow rising in surprise at Killian.

"Hi...you're early."

"Couldn't wait to see you, love," he said, stepping inside and placing a kiss to her cheek.

Emma closed the door behind him. "I have to finish getting ready. I'll just be a few minutes."

"Take your time," he said, as she disappeared down the hall.

Killian scanned the living room, his eyes landing on her purse that sat on a table by the door. He moved to the bag and began to rummage through it quickly. He didn't see a swipe. Killian looked around the apartment and noticed a door off the kitchen. He quietly made his way to the door and opened it. It was Emma's home office. He crept inside and closed the door behind him. The small office contained a wooden desk and a filing cabinet. He moved to the desk first, rummaging through her drawers. He found nothing but papers in them about household concerns. Killian moved to the filling cabinet next. The first two drawers were more papers related to the household. The third cabinet he found locked. Killian arched his brow. It was the first locked drawer he'd found. He dug into his jacket pocket and pulled out his lock picking set. It wasn't the first locked he'd ever picked and he had it open in less than thirty seconds. The drawer was empty except for one thing: her swipe. Killian reached into the drawer, pulled it out, and closed the drawer. He stuck the swipe in his back pocket. He would have to find a way to get Emma to let him in after their date so he could place it back in the cabinet.

Killian moved to the door and slowly turned the knob, peeking outside before slipping out and closing the door behind him. He quickly moved to the couch and sat down just in time. Emma emerged from the hall a moment later.

"All set," she said with a bright smile.

Emma held her hand out to him and he placed it in hers as he stood.

"You look lovely," he said.

Emma glanced down at her simple jeans and black t-shirt and smiled. "Thanks."

They exited the apartment hand-in-hand.

...

Emma's eyes lit up the moment she entered the zoo. "I can't believe I'm finally at the zoo."

Killian smiled at her childlike excitement. "If you're good, perhaps I'll get you cotton candy later."

Emma laughed, as she linked her arm through his. "Where to first?"

Killian's smile faded. "How about the butterfly garden?"

"Sounds great," Emma said, as Killian led the way.

Killian spotted Robin the moment they entered the garden. He was wearing a baseball cap and sunglasses.

Emma's mouth dropped open at the butterflies surrounding them. "They're beautiful."

"Aye, that they are."

Killian put his arm around Emma's shoulders, as he looked at Robin out of the corner of his eye. Robin slowly made his way over to them, his hand darting out as he passed behind Killian. He quickly grasped the card, stuck it in his pocket, and kept walking.

...

Emma pulled a piece of cotton candy off and stuffed it into Killian's mouth, laughing as she did so. He smiled through the pink fluff and then swallowed it.

"I haven't had cotton candy since I was a lad," Killian said.

"Me neither."

Killian looked around the zoo as they walked. "My brother and I used to come here when we first moved to the states. We would scrape up enough money and just spend the day visiting the exhibits. It never got tiresome."

"That's a nice memory," she said.

What Killian didn't tell her was that they ran some of their very first cons here. Killian and Liam would weave in and out of the crowd, snatching wallets from distracted guests. Then they would get lunch and Killian would pretend to find a fly in it. Liam taught him to keep a bag of dead ones with him at all times. They would complain and get their money back. They ran this particular con for a few months before they were caught and banned from the zoo. Killian remembered how disappointed he felt not being able to visit the animals anymore. He was happy to be able to come back to it now and even happier that he got to share it with Emma. His only regret was that he was still running cons instead of just enjoying his time there with her.

...

Killian and Emma made their way to the sea lion exhibit. It was the last one and Killian hoped that Robin had arrived back in time. He scanned the area and breathed a sigh of relief when he spotted him.

Killian guided Emma over to the sea lions and again put his arm around her. She smiled at him and placed her head on his shoulder. He swallowed hard, guilt bubbling up inside him again. He hated that these moments with her had to be marred by this operation.

He saw Robin move out of the corner of his eye. He walked behind Killian and slipped the swipe into his pocket.

Emma laughed as the sea lion caught a fish in its mouth and then clapped its flippers. Although Killian had missed it, he laughed along with her.

...

Killian walked Emma to her apartment.

"I had a great day with you, Killian," she said.

"As did I," he replied.

Emma moved closer to him, her fingers coming up to play with the buttons of his shirt.

"I really love spending time with you," she said softly.

Killian reached up and brushed a piece of her hair behind her ear. "Emma, you are the best part of my day...my week."

Emma's smile widened. "I look forward to seeing you and when we're not together, I can't stop thinking about you."

"You're on my mind all the time too, love."

Killian licked at his lips. He needed an excuse to come in but he didn't want to rush things between them.

"Today is our third date. You know what they say about the third date, don't you?" he asked.

Emma arched her brow. He hadn't so much as kissed her yet.

"What do they say?"

"That the lady should invite her date in for coffee."

Emma wondered if this was a euphemism for sex.

"Actual coffee?"

Killian nodded. "Of course."

Emma smiled. "Must be an English thing, although I would have expected tea instead of coffee." She paused, "Okay, come on in."

She unlocked the door and they both entered. She dropped her purse onto the table and headed for the kitchen. Killian quickly realized his mistake. The office was off the kitchen. He couldn't get to it without her noticing.

"How do you like your coffee?" she called.

"Black," he replied, as he sat on the couch and weighed his options.

Emma returned a few minutes later with two mugs. She sat down close beside him.

"Thank you," he said, taking a sip.

Then it came to him. He would suggest they watch a movie and hope that she would drift off to sleep during it.

"How about we watch a movie, love?" he asked. "I don't want our time together to end."

Emma smiled. "Okay."

She flipped on her Smart TV and found Netflix. "Any preferences?"

"Anything you desire," he said.

Killian expected her to choose some romantic comedy, but she chose an action movie instead. Emma snuggled up close to him and he wrapped his arm around her. She placed her head on his shoulder, enjoying his warmth. Killian loved the feel of her in his arms, but he couldn't enjoy the moment knowing how he had manipulated it and what he had to do next.

After about an hour, he heard Emma's breathing change. He looked down at her, smiling at her slightly parted lips and closed eyes. He hated to separate from her, but he knew he didn't have a choice.

He gently cradled her body and moved her so she was lying on the couch. He hurried into the office, opened the drawer, replaced the card, and then used his pick to relock it.

He closed the door behind him and walked over to the couch, standing over her peaceful figure. He knew he couldn't stay. The guilt was eating at him as it was. He didn't want her to wonder where he went off to, so he scribbled her a quick note saying he knew she needed her rest and that he would see her soon. He placed the note on the coffee table.

Killian pulled a blanket off the back of the couch and placed it over her. He leaned down and gently pressed a kiss to her forehead.

"I'm sorry," he whispered. "Sweet dreams, love."

He then exited the apartment.

...

End of Part 4

Thanks for reading! I'd appreciate any feedback you'd like to give. ~Steph