September 30th 2011 - Annie

Apartment 303,

"Are you sure Abed's going to be gone all weekend?" Annie said.

Troy nodded. "The Kickpuncher convention doesn't finish until Sunday."

"What did he say when you said you couldn't go?" Annie had moved a couple of paces closer.

"He understood - I told him I'm struggling to keep my GPA up and I couldn't afford to miss the deadline on this project." They were now almost touching.

"And have you finished the project?" Annie's eyes were shining.

"Actually, I'm just starting," Troy grinned as he pulled her towards him. The kiss was intense, only broken by the need to tear at each other's clothes. That first time, they didn't even make it to Annie's bed.

That night she was awake long after Troy, lying in bed looking slightly awestruck at the hard planes of his naked body and remembering the sheer stamina of the man. Teenage me would never have thought this was possible, Annie thought as she remembered the high school outcast with the hopeless crush on the football star and how different she was to the young woman who had spent weeks dancing around Troy's growing desire for her until the opportunity of Abed's absence presented itself. But it's different now, we're friends.

When Abed came back, he took one look around the apartment and said "You two have been having sex," before going catatonic with a look of utter betrayal on his face. It was only as she watched as Troy had rushed over to console his friend and pouring out apologies as he went that Annie realised there was a difference between friends and lovers. It was never the same after that, and a month later Annie took Troy to Senor Kevin's.

"I'm glad we got it out of our systems, but I really think we are better just as friends," she said.

Troy tried to look upset for her sake - he was kind like that - but he was mostly relieved. "It was good though, wasn't it?" He said with a shy smile.

"It was the best, Troy." Annie beamed back at him.

Apart from a few sideways glances - whenever Troy lifted something, Annie couldn't help but remember she knew exactly how powerful his muscles were, and when she bent over to pick up something, he would look at her like a man who knew what her ass looked like without a skirt in the way - things went back to normal in Apartment 303.

XXXXXX

July 10th 2012 - Jeff

Hawthorne Manor

Jeff stepped out of his Lexus and smoothed down his suit as he looked around and sighed, remembering the conversation he'd had the day before. Pierce Hawthorne is a crazy old fool, he remembered Ted saying, but he's one of this firm's best clients and he's asked for a lawyer to be present at the reading of his father's will. Keep him happy and you'll be another step closer to making partner.

Jeff kept the thought of the partnership front and centre as he knocked on the door of the house.

"Yes?" A serious looking African American gentleman had answered the door.

"I'm here to see Mr Hawthorne," Jeff said. "Jeff Winger from Hamish, Hamish and Hamlin." He held out a hand.

"Do come in," the other man flashed a wholly insincere smile as he shook it. "My name is Gilbert Lawson and I'm the executor of Mr Hawthorne Senior's will. I'll show you to where Mr Hawthorne Junior is waiting."

Jeff was shown to a room where Pierce Hawthorne was waiting with a slightly confused looking man who appeared to be of Italian extraction and four rather trashily dressed young women.

"Who are you?" Hawthorne said grumpily. Jeff repeated his introduction, the other man grumbled bad-temperedly.

"Pierce, are these people really your closest friends?" Lawson said superciliously.

"You asked me to bring seven people, Six is close enough. It's up to me how I picked them." Pierce sounded angry. "My lawyer-" pointing at Jeff, "My barber-" pointing at the Italian. "And Trixie, Pixie, Moxie and Roxie, my favorite lady friends."

Jeff drifted over to the girls, who were obviously escorts. That wasn't a problem for him - Jeff had no problems with escorts although he had never needed to avail himself of their professional services (though several had availed themselves of his over the years), they had an approach to life that was as pragmatic and cynical as any lawyer's and he usually enjoyed their company.

"I'm not his lawyer, I work for the law firm that represents him," he whispered to Roxie.

She looked at him with significantly more than professional interest. "You don't need to explain it to me," she said. "We're both here to screw the old guy out of his money, but at least you'll get to keep your clothes on." Jeff grinned while Roxie rolled her eyes.

"If I may have your attention, please." Gilbert said in a loud voice before reading out the terms of the will.

Jeff listened in growing disbelief. "What the heck is this?" He said as they were led down to a bank of video game booths.