Ten months ago:

Ellie headed over to her brother and John's new business, "Solution Systems." She was meeting John for lunch as she had the day off. She adored spending time with her husband. She also loved to pop in and see what was new at his company. The office building was beautiful and Sarah had overseen the decorating which was stunning. Everything was modern and high tech with lovely maple woods and marble floors. She was so pleased with the three of them for making their dream a reality. Once Chuck had received his diploma from Stanford, he seemed to have a new lease on life. He was so confident lately. It showed in all aspects of his life. He dressed differently, interacted differently with people and generally carried himself with grace and confidence. She knew he always had it in him and she knew his brilliance in computer technology would serve him well some day.

Now that the day had arrived, things were pretty sweet for all of them. Sarah and Chuck were inseparable. They'd moved into John's old apartment when she and John had gotten together. John, Chuck, Sarah and Morgan had all pooled their money and experience together and started their business in a small office complex in Burbank. It grew so fast and took off so well, that it was only a matter of time before they had moved into their very own large, sprawling building in Calabasas. While Calabasas was only eighteen miles away from their apartment in Burbank, the commute John faced to work each day on the 101 was grueling and could take upwards of fifty minutes to an hour. So he, Chuck and Sarah for that matter were spending long hours at work and coming home once the commute traffic had died down. They'd discussed buying a home in Calabasas to save John the horrid commute. Her job at the hospital was against the commute so she would be able to easily go back and forth from work in under fifteen minutes. They both liked the idea of owning their own home and no longer renting. The money they both made was very good and both had diligently saved so they were in a good position to find a high end home. Today, they were going to plan their search and discuss finding a real estate agent.

As Ellie walked into the gorgeous atrium foyer, she saw Morgan leaving. She enjoyed seeing his excitement at doing something he truly loved. His exuberance shined brightly as he greeted her.

"Ellie, good to see you Babe!" he smiled as he gave her a quick and surprisingly comfortable hug.

"Hi Morgan, I'm meeting John for lunch. We're thinking about buying a home here in Calabasas."

"Wow, setting up the nest now eh? Will there be little Casey's running around terrorizing everyone anytime soon?"

Ellie laughed at his boldness. "No, no little Casey's as of yet. Just looking for a bigger place that is closer to work."

"You know, a friend of mine is a real estate agent. I can give you her card if you want," he fished out his wallet and dug out her card handing it to Ellie.

"Oh, thanks Morgan, I'll show it to John and keep her in mind."

"Well, I don't mean to be rude, but I've got to jam El. Have a nice lunch with the big guy." He waived as he dashed out of the building.

Ellie headed to the reception desk and was buzzed into the facility. She understood the need for heightened security considering the high tech computer work that took place here and her husband's undercover military presence. She even had her own identification card that she had to show the receptionist before she could get any farther into the office building. She passed Chuck's office but noted the door was shut. He was more than likely running around on the grounds somewhere. Soon she was in her husband's large corner office that overlooked the campus. He looked so handsome sitting behind his desk. He was on the phone and grinned at her when she entered. He quickly wrapped up his call and hung up the phone. She approached his desk and walked behind it and scooted into his lap and gave him a kiss he wouldn't soon forget. She got a deep groan in return for her boldness and felt his arms tighten around her. There was nothing better in life then being wrapped in his strong arms.

"Wow" John grunted out. "Glad I'm sitting down with a kiss like that, Babe."

"I've got more if you want it." She replied with an evil sparkle in her eye.

"I'll bet you do. You know, I really don't need to eat, we can just, you know, have some fun in here if you want."

"Why don't we go grab some lunch and then see what happens when we get back," she purred into his ear as she sucked on the spot he liked on his neck.

Ellie got a shiver as she felt his arms wrap around her and travel up her back into her hair. She was straddling him now and starting to get tingles and shivers. She ground her hips into his and fit herself more tightly against his body. He was kissing her now in an urgent way. His tongue swirled over hers and grazed her teeth. She moaned as her eyes fluttered shut. He had such an affect on her. Her mind briefly drifted back to the first steamy encounter she'd had with him.

----

Ten months ago:

It was soon after Christmas and she'd just broken up with Devon. She'd caught him bowling with a bunch of bimbos from a local strip bar. This, after he'd told her he hated bowling! Chuck, Sarah and John had insisted she come bowling with them one evening. Devon had told her he was working a double so she had agreed to go out with her brother and his friends. She needed some fun after the stressful visit from Devon's parents and the whole hostage deal at The Buy More, and so did they.

John's injured foot was healing well and he'd planned on bowling as well. As soon as they got their shoes and balls and were at their lane, Ellie heard a commotion on the other side of the alley. Her jaw dropped when she saw her fiance surrounded by bimbos in skimpy midriff baring shirts and tight hot pants. There was even some girl on his lap kissing his neck! Devon had a huge grin on his face and was wearing a loud, garish bowling shirt that read "The Pink Taco" on it. Ellie knew enough about what she'd heard from her co-workers that it was a popular strip club. In all, there were six women and Devon who made up the team. One of the girls had just thrown a strike and ran over to Devon for a kiss.

Ellie was speechless. John was standing next to her while Sarah was taking her first turn. Chuck was sitting at the computer score table entering their names on the read out. All three turned when they heard her gasp. Instead of tears, Ellie felt only anger as she motioned her eye's towards the spectacle. The four of them all watched in sadness as Devon carried on, completely unaware that he was being watched by his fiance, his brother-in-law to be and his friends.

Chuck was first to react. He was immediately at her side and glanced uncomfortably at John and Sarah. Their faces remained unreadable but John's cheek was twitching as Sarah turned her back to Devon and faced Ellie. John, not knowing quite what to say or do muttered, "Want me to kick his ass?"

"Yes!, yes that would be appropriate right now," Chuck uncharacteristically but enthusiastically replied.

This exchange surprisingly earned a small giggle from Ellie. "No John, he's not worth our time, but thanks anyways."

Something had changed in her relationship with Devon when she met his parents. There was so much pressure from them. While kind, they were completely overbearing. They tried to plan every step of the wedding, they dictated where Devon and Ellie would honeymoon, where the reception would be, what food would be served and while Devon was supportive of her and concerned that she was uhappy, he didn't seem to be able to keep his parents in check. Things had really gone from bad to worse when she'd heard him talking with his Father one night about them moving to live closer to The Awesomes. After that, things had gone south. Lately, she found herself spending more and more time with John and going out with Chuck, Sarah and he. Devon was immersed in work and their shifts never seemed to coincide. Over time, they predictably grew apart and she found herself growing closer and closer and more attracted to John.

They'd immediately left the bowling alley as Ellie didn't want a confrontation. She'd talked with her friends during the entire ride back to their apartment. She was surprised that she actually felt relief and not hurt. She was saddened that he'd lied to her and angry at his betrayal of her trust but she really, honestly, felt relief. She broke up with him that evening and never looked back.

A few weeks after her bowling alley discovery she'd come to the Buy More seeking Chuck only to find the store ready to close for the evening. John was on the closing shift and Chuck was apparently over visiting Sarah at The Orange Orange. John supervised the employees for fifteen minutes as they closed their registers and deposited their funds in the office safe. Then he dismissed them and locked the doors and shut off the lights leaving only the security lights on. She walked the store with him as he checked the loading dock and checked that all of the doors and product cages were secured.

He stopped and turned her towards him, resting his hands on her shoulders. Ellie felt her heart skip a beat as he spoke. "Would you like to watch a DVD with me in the home theater room? It's a perk I get to enjoy when I close the store and I'd like to share it with you."

She watched his face and noted it was impassive but his eye's showed something else. They were normally a bright blue in the daylight, but in the low lighting, they looked almost cobalt. He didn't appear to be nervous and tilted his head at her in a questioning manner. It was all she needed to make her decision. She'd been getting closer and closer to him, even before the breakup with the "D" word and found herself enjoying every moment she shared with him. She knew in her heart what it was that she was feeling and she knew this was an invitation from him to take their friendship to a new level. She also instinctively knew that she wanted it.

She smiled at him and extended her hand to him. She felt a shiver when he took her hand in his and laced his fingers with hers. They walked into the employee kitchen and he popped a bag of popcorn in the microwave and grabbed some sodas and then led her to the DVD area and they picked a movie they would enjoy together. He told her not to worry, that he'd pay for it the next morning so all they had to do was sit back and enjoy each others company.

He set the alarm and took her into the home theater room. He pulled the curtains tightly shut and locked the door from the inside. The room was so comfortable and so well appointed that it deceptively felt like they were sitting in his apartment or hers, for that matter. He loaded the DVD and sat down stretching out his long legs and removing his shoes to give his healing foot some comfort and rested them on the edge of the coffee table. She felt so comfortable with him. They both knew they were stepping into something new that night. She kicked off her shoes and curled up next to him on the couch as the movie began. Without any hesitation, John wrapped his arm around her shoulders and used the remote to turn off the lights as he pulled her up cozily to his side. The surround sound was incredible and the large screen was so clear. John rested the bag of popcorn on his lap and they shared the treat as they enjoyed the movie.