A/N: Thank you for your continued support for OCSS. I am amazed that so many of you have taken the time to not only read my work, but to also review/comment, follow, and favorite. I also love all the PM's you keep sending. Thank you.
Chapter 10 has some adult content, again, nothing overly explicit or graphic, hence the "T" rating.
Many thanks to Nevr for his significant contribution to making this story more interesting and readable.
If you enjoy Chapter 10, please let me know through a review, follow or favorite. I love the interaction, and respond to all reviews and PM's pretty promptly. Your support means a great deal to me, and I always look forward to your feedback.
I don't own Chuck or make any money from writing this story, and I think the person who does may have been kidnapped by the Culiacan Cartel...
Chapter 10 – A Christmas Surprise:
Tuesday 20 December – 12:30 Pacific Standard Time
Santa Monica, California – Orion Cyber Security Systems HQ
Things had been going smoothly for the team as they settled into their covers and routines. Jill Roberts had been working at Orion for 5 days. Other than some mild flirting with Chuck over their days at Stanford, suggesting she had wanted to connect with him, without success, she had not yet done anything overtly suspicious. Carina started the previous day, and at Chuck's suggestion, Morgan had arranged for her and Jill Roberts to join him for a celebratory, welcome lunch today as new joiners.
But while things were running smoothly for the team, on the personal front, both Sarah and Chuck were struggling with their plan to build the cover before they were perceived to be intimate. And it was killing them both. They had managed to steal a few moments to kiss or hold hands during their dates. If anyone was watching, they saw two people taking it slow and building a long-term relationship,….good for the cover.
Sarah arrived at Orion's office promptly at 12:30 for her lunch date. The young receptionist knew about Sarah, but she had never met her as it was Sarah's first time visiting the office.
"Good morning, may I help you?" the receptionist inquired as she appraised the stunning woman in front of her.
"Hi. Good morning….I'm here for my lunch date with Chuck," replied Sarah with a happy smile. "I'm Sarah," she added.
"Oh, Sarah…of course…..We've all heard about the mystery woman who got Chuck to stop working 23 hours a day, so very nice to finally meet you. And welcome to Orion. I'll just let him know you are here."
"Hi, boss…Sarah just arrived. Shall I send her up, or will you come down?"
"Hi, Julie. Please send her up. I'm just finishing something," and Chuck disconnected.
"Sarah, he's just finishing something up, so he asked you to go up to his office. Right up those stairs, you will see his office at the end of the hall."
Sarah thanked Julie and made her way up the stairs.
"Mr. Bartowski, are you keeping me waiting?" Sarah asked with a mischievous grin as she entered Chuck's office.
"I'm so sorry, Sarah. Just finishing something for Beckman….there….all done…I'm all yours." He smiled as he walked around the desk to kiss her.
"Yes…you…are…Chuck," Sarah beamed as she responded to his kiss by putting both hands on his ass and pulling him closer. "Where is everyone…I thought you would be crazy busy with everything going on," Sarah asked.
"Everyone except Julie and a couple of the tech guys in the lab are out for lunch. Are you ready to go?"
Sarah dipped her chin, looking up at Chuck seductively while kicking the door behind her closed. She then put both hands on Chuck's chest and pushed him back to his desk.
"Not waiting another minute, Chuck…..this is happening right here and right now…." She whispered in his ear as her hands made quick work of his belt and buttons on his 501 jeans, both of which were now bunched around his ankles, along with his Star Wars boxer shorts. Chuck lifted her up onto him as he slid further back onto his desk so that she could straddle him. He propped himself up on his elbows, watching her as she took control of him. Their coupling was delicious but frenetic and clumsy. They knocked over office supplies, a Ficus tree, and destroyed a desk lamp before they collapsed on the floor, sweating and breathing heavily. As clumsy and rushed as their session might have been, both marveled at how the sex just seemed to be getting better every time, though perhaps the two weeks of cover-induced abstinence had something to do with that. They took a moment to get themselves organized and pick up the stapler, post-it notes, paper pads, and the poor Ficus tree whose leaves had been scattered all over the room. Then they put the mangled desk lamp in the garbage can and skipped down the stairs to head out for their lunch date. On their way out, Chuck stopped at the reception desk.
"Julie, can you do me a favor, please? Can you order me a new desk lamp? I accidentally broke mine."
"Sure boss….no problem….." she smiled.
As they walked towards the restaurant hand in hand, Sarah leaned in and whispered in his ear, "You are staying at my place tonight. This is our 5th date, and it's time. Besides, Julie already has a pretty good idea about what happened to your desk lamp." She had giggled with a bit of hop in her step. Chuck just smiled with a dreamy look in his eye.
Morgan, Carina, and Jill were just returning from their early lunch when they saw Chuck and Sarah leaving. Jill watched Sarah and Chuck holding hands and giggling with each other. As the happy couple was moving away, she said to herself, 'Sorry, blondie….but it's on…..and I am gonna make him give me what I need, and then, just for fun, I am gonna break him.' Half a step behind and to the side, Carina studied Jill and could see the wheels turning in her head, and she did not like what she saw. She would be having dinner with Chuck and Sarah at a local Mexican place that evening, so an opportune time to have a little talk about Jill Roberts, and what she saw.
XXX
"Sarah, that bitch looked at your man the way a hungry tiger would look at a lamb chop. She is going to make a move on him, and I think very soon."
"If she so much as breathes in his direction, I'll put her in a wheelchair and…."
"No, no, no…." interrupted Chuck…. "this is perfect…absolutely perfect. The weakness in my plan was figuring out how to get her to take the bait. I can't just leave my pass and access codes lying around. If we make it too easy, they will suspect a setup. But if she tries to seduce me, I can play that game and let her have what she wants and…."
"Chuck…what are you saying? Do you want to give her what she wants? What exactly are you going to give her, Chuck?" Sarah looked at him with shock, surprise, and some degree of hurt in her eyes.
"No…no…no Sarah, no….I would never do that to you, ever….God, you are the most amazing woman ever, but I just need to find a way to get her to think she is playing me so that when she gets my access card and codes, she will not suspect a setup. I know it might be uncomfortable, but it's the only way without them kidnapping and torturing me. Trust me, Sarah…you do trust me, right, Sarah?"
"Of course, Chuck. I acted like a silly school girl. I'm sorry. I promise…I'm ok, and I trust you completely."
"Thank you, baby. Your trust means the world to me, and I will never disappoint you on that." Chuck gave her a warm and affectionate smile and kissed her cheek.
"Now, I'm going to get us another round of Coronas and 3 tequila shots….be right back," Chuck said with a grin as he left the booth to head to the bar.
The trained agent in Sarah understood what was needed and what was going to happen better than most. She had also been trained in seduction at the Farm and knew most men were weak when pretty girls fed their egos. But the woman in Sarah was guarding her newfound relationship with Chuck like a mama bear, and she was just as deadly. Carina saw the discomfort in her friend's eyes, reached over, and put her hand on her shoulder. "You know he's right, and you know he's doing this for the right reasons," Carina said.
"I know, I know, but still, isn't there another way besides letting that bitch rub up against my Chuck, kiss his lips, and run her fingers through his curls…..What if she wants to sleep with him. Do you think he could resist a trained seductress? And what if that happens? What does that mean for us? I'm sorry, Carina, but I've never felt this way about anyone or anything in my life. There is nothing more important to me than that man, so I don't like this at all."
"I can see that, but I can also see the way he looks at you, and there is no chance in hell he would tap that skinny bitch…..he is totally gone for you….you know that, right? You have told him how you feel, so he knows you two are a real thing….right?...Sarah….Right?...Tell me you have said something to him." Carina was shaking her head at her friend.
"Carina, it's complicated. It's my job to protect him and my career…."
"Blondie, what kind of bullshit are you trying to sell here. Or maybe the better question is, who are you trying to sell here…? He kisses you, and you forget your name, he sleeps with you, and you can't figure out how to put your shoes on….Are you kidding me? Could you possibly be any more stunted or dumber?"
"Hey…wait a minute," interjected Sarah getting her temperature up.
"Shut it, Blondie," snapped back Carina. "I'm not done. I'm trying to save you from yourself here….He is an amazing man, who is over the moon for you, and it's clear to anyone that you are equally over the moon for him, but you have not really told him how you feel…I mean, aside from assaulting him physically at every opportunity. And then you play the jealous school girl? I would love to find what you have, what just landed in your lap, and if I did, I would not hold any of my cards back. I would put them all on the table in front of him and make him play his. Anything less, and you risk it all. Do you understand?"
Sarah had nothing to say to that. She knew that Carina was right and that she was in love with Chuck. She had managed to put her relationship fears in a box to get Chuck, but now that she had him and the relationship was progressing, her fears started creeping back out. 'After all, keeping a man long term,' she thought, 'is harder than getting him interested in the first place.' She exhaled, reached for Carina, and pulled her into a hug. "Thank you, Carina. I love you too," she said. At that moment, Chuck returned with the drinks and saw the two women hugging.
"Ok…what did I miss…?" He asked with a chuckle
"Just some girl talk curls….all good here. Now let's drain these shots," and with that, Carina licked the salt from the back of her hand, downed the shot, and sucked on the lime before taking a long pull of her Corona as Chuck and Sarah watched her enjoy the moment. Then they looked at each other with love in their eyes and repeated the procedure, following it with a spectacularly deep kiss.
Carina smiled at the pair while, in her thoughts, she encouraged Sarah to go all in. "I'm done, kids, she announced. Besides, if I have another tequila, that waiter will get very lucky right here in this booth." Carina turned and strode towards the door, but not before passing the cute waiter and pinching his rear.
Once again, Chuck and Sarah were deserted by Carina and left to make whatever mistakes two good people with lots of baggage might make….or they might get lucky and save each other.
"Come on, Chuck, you're coming with me," Sarah said affectionately yet firmly as she grabbed his hand and pulled him along. "We need some quality time alone."
Back at her hotel, Chuck was preparing for Sarah's full-on assault, but instead, she led him to the couch and made him sit. She knelt in front of him and took his hands in hers, resting her arms on his knees. She looked up at him with a longing that he could feel and he exhaled deeply.
"Sarah, are you ok….are we ok? You are worrying me," Chuck said nervously.
"I'm sorry, Chuck. I'm sorry I sounded like a jealous little girl this evening. I'm sorry if I made you feel like I did not understand or appreciate your feelings for me or didn't trust you." Chuck opened his mouth to interject, but Sarah stopped him with a soft, "Shhh."
"Please let me finish. I grew up with a father who was never home and did nothing but cheat on my mother and abuse her psychologically. I was pursued by boys and men throughout school who treated me like a thing to be taken and used. At the Farm, the men in my class even had a pool going to see who would be able to get into my pants before graduation. They wanted to bag the 'Ice Queen.' I've spent years building emotional walls to protect myself because of a growing distrust for men. I focused on academics, on athletics…I bet you did not know I was a collegiate volleyball player…..and at the Farm, I kicked everyone's ass graduating at the top of our class…in part to show those arrogant, misogynistic pigs I was better than them. My focus and self-isolation served me well and is what got me selected to the special task force last year, which allowed me to move to the NSA. And then I met you. The night we met at the Crab Shack…my walls fell, and for the first time in my life, I followed my feelings instead of my head, and it was magical. And I know it's only been a short time, but my feelings for you have only intensified, and it scared me because I've never felt like this before. Then the talk about that skinny brunette bitch looking at you like a piece of meat and wanting you…..and you appearing to encourage the idea…..well….it let my insecurities come screaming out. I was ashamed of myself….of my weakness. I've been playing not to lose, and tonight I realized that I need to play to win, to go all in….I love you, Chuck. I love you, and I feel like saying it has taken a weight off my soul. I know this may seem fast, and you told me that the emotional connection can take some time for you, so it's ok if you are not there. This is about me, my feelings, and my ability to fully open myself up to you emotionally. I love you, and I trust you." She then kissed the back of his hands and looked at him with pure love in her eyes.
Chuck's breath hitched as he struggled to contain his emotions. Sarah's declaration was so clear, so complete that he felt a hundred things at once. His heart was broken learning what Sarah had been subjected to, but he was proud of the way she handled herself. He was profoundly moved by her trust, but nothing compared to her declaration of love and commitment.
With their eyes locked, Chuck slowly slid down and sat on the floor with his back to the couch, Sarah kneeling now at his side. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her onto his lap. Her chest was pressed against his, and their lips were inches apart. He tenderly caressed her cheek.
"Sarah, I was there the instant I looked into your eyes and felt the world disappear around us. I felt a connection, unlike anything I have ever felt before, at that very moment. I love you too…..and I promise that I will never betray your love or your trust."
Time stopped. Sarah and Chuck's foreheads were touching as they gazed lovingly into each other's eyes and shared a gentle but profoundly emotional kiss.
"Chuck…..make love to me," Sarah whispered.
Sarah stood and took Chuck's hand, leading him to the bedroom, where they took their time helping each other shed their clothes. Chuck picked her up and gently laid her on the bed, and they made soft, slow, and deeply passionate love all night long.
XXX
They woke up spooned with Chuck's arm around her waist, his hand against her belly, and her hands over his. He nuzzled against her ear. "Good morning, gorgeous."
"Good morning to you, lover." She responded as she wiggled her rear end further into him.
She was gloriously beautiful, and the morning sun reflected off her golden hair like a halo, so getting up and going to work was not what he wanted. What he did want was to give his love a proper breakfast. He kissed her hair and told her not to move, then he got up.
"Don't you dare leave this bed, Charles Irving Bartowski! Get your sweet bottom back here and keep your woman warm or else…." Sarah looked at Chuck wantonly.
"Sarah, we need to eat. I Promise I'll be right back with sustenance and to keep you warm…I promise," replied Chuck putting on his clothes and running out the door. Fifteen minutes later, he sat on the bed with the morning meal, coffee, chocolate croissants, strawberries & cream, and fresh-squeezed orange juice, all from the nearby patisserie. He whipped off his clothes and jumped back in bed to snuggle Sarah.
"Argh…your feet are cold….." Sarah complained with a bit of a giggle.
"So sorry, baby…perhaps a chocolate croissant will make you feel better," Chuck replied.
They fed each other the strawberries and cream and the chocolate croissants and, once finished, shared a hot shower. Before heading to Chuck's place, where he would change and wait for Casey, Sarah asked, "Chuck, would you come with me to my mom's for Christmas?"
"Christmas…I have not had a family Christmas in a long time. I'd love to. Can we make it work with Casey?" asked Chuck.
"I'll work it out with him. Mom lives in Austin, Texas, so we can take the jet and be there in just a couple of hours."
"Ok, sounds great. Now I need to get to the office and finish the final arrangements for the Orion Christmas party this Friday. Then we can leave Saturday morning, spend Christmas Eve with your mom, and come back the Monday after Christmas. That gives us a few more days here before we leave for Florida.
= ! =
Wednesday 21 December, 10:00 Pacific Standard Time
Santa Monica, California - Orion Cyber Security Systems HQ
"Good morning, boss." Jill smiled at Chuck as he walked into the office.
"Good morning Jill. Wouldn't want to get in trouble with HR, but you look extra lovely this morning. Who is the lucky guy?" Chuck replied with his beaming smile….it was time to set the hook.
"Wouldn't you like to know, Chuck?" Jill responded, popping the "k."
Carina watched quietly from her cubicle in amazement. 'How is it possible that this guy is actually already seducing the seductress….and with no training…..I'm just glad Sarah isn't here to see this.' She looked down for a moment with a smile as Chuck squared off with Jill in the seduction dance.
"Say, Jill, has anyone actually given you the full tour of the place," asked Chuck with a confident smirk.
"No, Chuck, would you be willing to show me all the little hiding spots you have here."
"That would be my pleasure. Let's start on this floor, then I can show you upstairs where the magic happens."
'Holy shit…he is really, really good at this…..I don't think she stands a chance,' thought Carina.
"So this is the lab, it's access controlled, and you need one of these." Chuck smiled, showing Jill his access card attached to his belt loop. "This is where we pull together hardware and build new stuff. This was a kitchen before we took it over…but this is the coolest part…we converted the walk-in freezer into our server room which is both secure and cold to keep the servers nice and cool." He used his access card again and the door unlocked. But before he opened it, he reached into his wallet and pulled out a piece of paper with two codes on it. Chuck further explained, "The card unlocks the server room, but you need to disable the alarm system by using this code before you open the door." Chuck typed in the code and saw a green light confirming the alarm's deactivation, and he opened the door. Once inside, Chuck continued, "The second code is for accessing the servers themselves. I should have memorized both codes, but I keep forgetting them….Now let me show you the executive offices upstairs….after you."
Chuck let Jill lead the way upstairs, ostensibly so he could watch her shake her ass on the way up. As Jill was selling her best hip sway, Chuck managed a quick glance and a wink at Carina, who was staring wide-eyed at Chuck's natural seduction skills.
"This was three separate apartments up here, and we converted two of them to the executive offices and conference rooms. We kept the smallest one, a one-bedroom, next to my office…you know, for those late nights when we just can't make it home," Chuck explained as he pointed to the various things that had been changed.
"Wow, It's much bigger than I thought it would be, particularly the bedroom. Does it get much action, Chuck?" again, Jill popped the "k".
"Not so much these days, but one can always hope," said Chuck with a low voice.
With the tour over, Chuck was confident that Jill saw him as an overconfident nerd with money and no common sense. She knew where to get the card and the codes, but she underestimated him, assuming he was easy pickings, which would be her undoing.
= ! =
Friday 23 December - 18:00 Pacific Standard Time
Santa Monica, California – Orion Cyber Security Systems HQ
Morgan & Chuck were each wearing Santa Claus hats and distributing small gifts to every staff member. There was a DJ, a full open bar, and the catering came in the form of a food truck parked in front of the office. The food truck was a favorite of Chuck & Morgan's and had the most amazing carnitas in the greater Los Angeles area.
The team had decided that to facilitate the trap, Sarah would only stay at the party for a short while but would leave when Chuck became intoxicated and a little too handsy. It would not be a big fight, just enough to prompt Sarah to go home, leaving Chuck drunk and vulnerable. Within a couple of hours, the party was in full swing, and Chuck enjoyed playing his role. He stumbled and slurred his speech convincingly and flirted with most of the women in the office. The climax would come in a well-choreographed moment when Chuck was close enough to Jill to trigger Sarah's departure. As for Jill, knowing Chuck's blonde girlfriend was there meant that she needed to play it cool and hope there was an opening. This wasn't college, and she had a mission to complete, so she could not risk causing an incident with the boss's girlfriend.
Sarah watched Chuck stumble around, weaving his way around the open floor plan of the main floor, moving closer to Jill. As Chuck got within three feet of Jill, Sarah approached him sharply. "Damn it, Chuck, you are really pushing my buttons. You know we are supposed to meet my friends later for drinks, but you are already drunk. And don't think I didn't see you flirting with the redhead over there!"
"Over there?" Chuck groused drunkenly as he spun to point in the red head's direction but managed to fall towards Jill, who caught him before he fell.
"Argh," growled Sarah…. "I'm not staying for this nonsense…sleep it off here, Chuck, and we will talk in the morning, but don't you think of coming to my bed tonight."
"But Sarah, I'm just trying to have a little fun," said Chuck, pleading, but she held up her hand, turned on her heel, and stormed out of the office to get a cab.
"Wait….Sarah…..Oh, hi, Jill!….. Did I fall on you? I'm sorry. I was just trying to have a little fun, but Sarah was like the fun police, and she…hey….you have really pretty eyes, do you know that…." Chuck was trying to steady himself but still hanging on to Jill.
"It's ok, Chuck, I've got you now, and I'll take care of you. You have really pretty eyes, too." She smiled seductively. "Why don't we get you upstairs where we can be more comfortable?"
"That sounds really good, Jill….with the pretty eyes….that sounds very good. Just let me grab one more drink….for upstairs." Chuck smiled drunkenly.
As Jill steered him towards the stairs, he grabbed a mojito from the bar and stumbled up to the second floor. Jill kept her arms around him as she led him towards the bedroom and positioned him next to the bed. Chuck giggled about Jill's pretty eyes and slurped his drink when she sat him on the bed and started removing his shoes. Then she made him stand so she could remove his pants. She undid his belt, the button, and pulled down his zipper, and his pants fell around his ankles, revealing his Shazam boxer shorts. Then suddenly, the glass fell from Chuck's hand and bounced on the carpeted floor without shattering while Chuck just fell backward onto the bed passed out.
Jill smiled inwardly, looking at Chuck's form, laid out on the bed with his pants around his ankles and his stupid Shazam boxers…..'what an idiot, he's cute, but still an idiot,' she thought. Then she got to work. Jill pulled Chuck's wallet from his pants, retrieved the paper with the access numbers, and unclipped the access card from Chuck's belt loop. She was pleased that his passing out made her life easier, though she was sorry that she would not be able to fuck his brains out and ruin him for the tight assed blonde girlfriend.
She walked back downstairs and slipped quietly to the back of the offices, using the card to access the lab. She then used Chuck's card to unlock the freezer door and punched in the first access code. Once the green light confirmed the alarm was deactivated, she entered, found the control panel, and typed in the second access code. The heavy metal grill that blocked access to the servers slid out of the way, giving her the access she needed. She pulled the device out of her pocket and plugged the cable into the USB port, and thirty seconds later, a green light flashed, confirming the upload was complete. Jill returned everything to its original state and slipped back upstairs, put Chuck's card and the paperback where they belonged, and returned to the party. Ten minutes later, she left Orion's offices to contact her handler, confirming the mission's success. The entire operation in the server room took less than three minutes.
Chuck held his passed-out state until Carina arrived. "Shazam…..nice boxers, curls…."
Chuck cracked open one eye at Carina, then he smiled. "She's left?"
"Yep….it went exactly as planned, and we have everything on video….She had a small device with a USB connector she plugged into the server stack. It was small and only plugged in for about 30 seconds, so she could not have downloaded everything, so what gives Curls?" asked Carina with her head tilted.
"They didn't download….they uploaded….probably some code designed to give them access to the servers at their convenience," Chuck explained.
"Ok, but isn't that a bad thing?" she asked.
"It would be if the data on those servers were real…I'll explain later. Right now, I need to get to Sarah."
"Ok. Casey is outside waiting for you. By the way, you were really good at the whole seduction thing with Jill. You played her like a pro, and she really didn't have a clue. I'm impressed, Curls."
"Coming from the master, that is high praise indeed. Thank you, Carina. Now if you will excuse, me I need to call Sarah and make sure she is not freaking out." He smiled, and left Carina to call Sarah from his office.
The minute he left the room, Carina grabbed her mobile, and quickly hit the speed dial for Sarah.
"Carina? Is everything ok?" Sarah asked.
"Blondie, that man of yours is a machine," Carina gushed. "He played Jill Roberts like a frigging Stradivarius, and she did not have a clue. And the first thing he said to me was that he needed to call you to make sure you were ok. He's a good one Sarah."
"Thank you Carina. He's calling me now….gotta go." Sarah switched calls to pick up Chuck while trying to act relaxed about the whole thing.
XXX
Two blocks away from Orion, Jill Roberts walked briskly as she pulled out the burner phone from her pocket and dialed the number.
"It's done," she said curtly, then ended the call, took out the battery, and dropped the phone in a public trash can.