rp for l_cuddy_md; and, eventually, harvard_law

[rubicks_complex]

House stood in front of the bathroom mirror, frowning at his reflection as he attempted to knot his necktie into some kind of neat looking knot. This was his fourth attempt and he was getting annoyed on top of already feeling agitated from nerves. Stupid that he was feeling nervous about having dinner with Cuddy because it was Cuddy he was having

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[rubicks_complex]

House was grateful to see his pill offered to him. With that, though, came slight resentment that Cuddy was still controlling his meds because the hotel still hadn't replenished his supply of Vicodin. He took the pill without a word and threw it back greedily, sucking his cheeks in at the bitter aftertaste the pill left in his mouth. He looked down at Cuddy when she turned back to face him, then dropped his eyes to her hand loosening his tie. He felt so... self-conscious in this suit. He liked to stand out but not with his looks. There was nothing about his looks to stand out, as far as he was concerned. Nothing particularly good, anyway. Cuddy noticing his unease enough to want to loosen his tie didn't help matters.

He looked back up to her as she smoothed his tie down. "Damn," he replied. "I was going to fake a fainting spell, too."

He stepped back and let her move ahead of him to head down to the elevator, and lightly touched the small of her back when he fell into step with her. Realising what he was doing, he dropped his hand away. "We haven't got there yet, so technically I could still try to come up with an excuse, insane or not.

"Such as... I got to head off to court for jury duty. That's why I'm dressed in the suit. This weird case where ten thousand ants dressed up as rice and robbed a Chinese restaurant." He looked at Cuddy mock seriously. "I don't think they did it."

[l_cuddy_md]

Cuddy shook her head at the idea of House faking a faint. Somehow it merged with the idea of Scarlet O'Hare swooning into Rhett's arms, which created such a bizarre mental image she couldn't help but smile.

She glanced over her shoulder as House removed his hand from her back. She was sorry he had--it'd felt good there--but she thought she knew what he was thinking. She felt a little awkward with the physical stuff herself, at least in public. It wasn't so much that it was public, but the fact was that both Wilson and Stacy were somewhere around and she didn't feel comfortable flaunting her relationship with House. Wilson knew about it, but wasn't necessarily okay with it. And she had no idea how Stacy would react.

She pushed the button for the elevator and turned to face House as they waited. She wasn't sure how much of his reluctance was genuine and how much was simply House being House and therefore being obstinate. She, of course, could be just as stubborn.

"I'm sure you can come up with a dozen ever more insane excuses, none of which I'll believe." She shrugged, the arched her eyebrows and gave him her best 'evil boss' look. "Maybe you can think of a dozen excuses to get out of having dinner with me, but I can think of a dozen more painful ways to satisfy the weekly 'feeding.' The choice is yours: dinner or...."

[rubicks_complex]

"Or what?" he challenged. "Bite off a piece of my anatomy with those flesh-eating jaws of yours?" The elevator arrived and the doors slid open. "If losing a part of my body to your carnivorous urges is the alternative, then I'll just go with dinner. Less painful that way. And less blood loss."

He stepped into the elevator and reached for the button, then turned back to Cuddy when the doors began to shut. Stealing the couple of minutes of privacy they had in the elevator, he drew Cuddy towards him by the elbow. He slid his arm around her waist and pulled her against him.

"Of course, if you bite off a piece of my anatomy, then that's one less piece of me you'll get to enjoy carnally, seeing you would've enjoyed it carnivorously." He paused for dramatic effect. "Unless carnivorous is carnal to you. In which case, we may have ourselves a bit of a problem."

[l_cuddy_md]

Grinning, Cuddy leaned against House when he pulled her against him. "I've been accused of being a man-eater, but it's not literally true." She leaned in a little more, lifting her chin to give him a short, soft kiss.

"Believe me, I prefer your body parts right where they are," she murmured against his lips. Not to mention she preferred those body parts to be in full working order. She didn't really think of his damaged leg as a problem, except for the way the pain affected him. Neither the scarring nor the fact that it limited his movement to some extent were issues for her. It certainly didn't hamper his ability to make love.

She pulled back only when a soft chime announced that the elevator had reached the ground floor. She brushed her hands along her dress, making sure she was presentable even though they hadn't done more than kiss.

"Don't forget, though," she added as they exited the elevator. "I've got that list I've been working on for years of things I've wanted to do to you. I'm sure I could find something on there appropriate for feeding time."

[rubicks_complex]

House looked speculative as he headed out of the elevator with Cuddy. "Is it still classed as feeding time if it's something you want to do to me?" He glanced at her. "Not that I'm complaining. If feeding time results in you doing things to me, then I have no complaints."

He then resumed the speculative look. "Well... unless those things are unpleasant. Then there might be some complaints." Unpleasant like what, he had no idea. Going on more dinner dates dressed in a suit, maybe: that was a circle of hell he hoped he didn't have to venture into too much. Going on dinner dates, per se, was a circle of hell all on its own. So far, this particular dinner date hadn't gone too wrong, bar the fact that he kind of hated the suit. If it continued to remain not going wrong, then maybe he could tolerate this evening.

He stopped in the middle of the lobby and looked between the dining room and the bar. "Drink first to calm first date nerves?" he asked, jerking his head towards the bar. He then jerked his thumb towards the dining room. "Or are we going straight to literal feeding time?"

[l_cuddy_md]

"It doesn't have to be unpleasant."

Of course, going to dinner didn't have to be unpleasant but it obviously was to House. She didn't want to make him miserable--he did that well enough on his own. She wasn't looking to annoy or humiliate or even control him. It was simply that if she could make the effort to accept that he was not going to act like the typical lover, then she felt he could occasionally make the effort to give her the kind of relationship stuff she enjoyed.

She stopped in her tracks and turned to House, her head tilted in a puzzled attitude. "You're nervous?" That actually surprised her. She knew he didn't like the idea of dinner. He didn't like getting dressed up. He didn't like having to behave. But she couldn't quite understand why he'd be nervous. She was already in love with him. If dinner didn't go well then it didn't go well. He had nothing to lose.

"Why...?" She gave a little shake of her head. She doubted House would tell her why he was nervous, assuming he actually knew why. She gestured at the bar. "A drink is fine."

[rubicks_complex]

He gave her a look when she asked if he was nervous. "I was joking," he shot back at her.

Well, actually, he was somewhat nervous. Which was stupid because this was Cuddy and what did he have to feel nervous about? He was a little worried he'd screw up somehow; screwing up was something he did often and well when it came to dating women. He usually ended up saying the wrong thing, or saying something hurtful, or doing something that pissed the woman he was with, off.

He gave himself a mental shake, reminding himself yet again that this was Cuddy and she knew him better than almost any woman he'd ever been with, bar Stacy. He wasn't sure if he was actually just nervous about this date, or if he was actually nervous about the whole relationship thing.

Heaving a quiet sigh, he faced towards the bar, deciding a drink wouldn't hurt, whether he was nervous or not. Placing his hand on the small of Cuddy's back again to guide her to the bar, he added, "Everything is always more fun when you douse it with alcohol. That includes dinner dates and bonfires. You want this to be fun, right?"

[l_cuddy_md]

"Of course you were." Maybe he was. It wasn't always easy to tell when House was joking, but it made more sense that he was joking than that he was nervous. She wasn't sure she'd ever known House to be truly nervous. He tended to make a decision and go full speed ahead with it, damn the consequences. He might worry about a decision he'd made, even doubt himself, but nervous....

She allowed House's hand against her back to guide her into the bar. She ordered a glass of white wine before addressing House's last comment.

"Aside from the fact that I'm wondering when you added pyromaniac to your psychological profile...." She gave him a pointed look, then then shrugged it off without further comment. She wasn't sure it would be a good idea for him to add fuel to any of his already rather combustible relationships with other guests. He was quite capable of igniting conflicts without the benefit of alcohol. And although she'd dealt with a drunk or stoned House before, it was not what she wanted for tonight. Still, one drink to settle her own nerves wasn't an unwelcome idea.

"Yes, I'd like this to be fun. For both of us. But honestly I'd settle for it not being completely horrible." She took a sip of wine, then gave him a wry grin. "I've learned from many years of experience that it's better not to expect too much from a first date."

[rubicks_complex]

"Pyromaniac has always been part of my psychological profile," he replied as he ushered Cuddy into the bar. "Can't count how many times I considered turning your beloved clinic into a blazing inferno."

He hooked his cane onto the edge of the bar as he slid onto the bar stool, and ordered a Firewhiskey after Cuddy ordered her white wine. Firewhiskey would definitely calm his nerves. As always, the first sip left him feeling like his throat and stomach was on fire; he grimaced like he had severe indigestion as he swallowed the first mouthful, blinking away the sudden sting of tears in his eyes. Consecutive mouthfuls of Firewhiskey were never as face-slapping as the first.

He gave his eyes a quick rub with his fingers, then exhaled slowly as the burn in his throat subsided. He then looked across at Cuddy and smirked, elbow propped on the bar as he held the glass loosely in his hand.

"Do you put out on a first date?"

[l_cuddy_md]

"What the hell are you drinking, battery acid?" She wasn't familiar with this fire whiskey but it must be potent to get that kind of reaction from House. And leave it to him to find a new and extreme way of self-medicating. Briefly she wondered if that had been Wilson's poison of choice and then decided it really didn't matter.

"It might be the first time I stopped putting out on the first date," she retorted. It wasn't much of a threat. However else things went between them, the sex was undeniably fantastic. Short of House being a complete and utterly deliberate ass, she was unlikely to deny him sex. She wasn't going to deny herself sex.

Still, she kind of enjoyed playing the game, teasing him the way he liked to tease her. She enjoyed being able to get a rise out of him, and not just physically.

"I'm serious, House. If you don't behave you won't be getting into my panties," she said calmly, taking a small sip of her wine. She leaned forward until she could almost feel his stubble against her own cheek and whispered, "Which would be a shame because I'm not wearing any panties."

[rubicks_complex]

House rolled his eyes and silently mimicked what she was saying about behaving as he drew the glass back to his mouth for another sip. He abruptly stopped, however, glass poised mid-air at Cuddy's next words whispered by his ear. Oh, boy... He raised his brows in momentary surprise and then turned his head to peer at Cuddy with an expression equal parts curious and smug.

"Rroawr," he replied, a smirk now firming on his mouth. "When you put it to me like that..."

He took a quick sip of his drink and set it down, and then swivelled a little on the stool to face her more. "Who woulda thought it?" he said. "Lisa Cuddy really is a cocktease."

Well, now she'd said that, he couldn't help wondering if she was just teasing him or telling the truth. She was probably just teasing him, but all the same, he lowered his eyes and cocked his head to the side, looking down towards her crotch as though he'd be able to tell through the material of her dress. Which of course, he couldn't.

He darted his eyes back up to Cuddy. Draping his arm across the back of her stool, he watched her face for a moment, his lips still curved in a playful smirk. "You know, you can't tell me that and threaten to not put out at the same time. That's just cruel. What about the whole 'dessert is on the House' deal?"

[l_cuddy_md]

"It's not a tease if I intend to make good on the promise," Cuddy argued.

She watched as House blatantly looked for evidence of panties, a smug smile slowly curving her lips. She knew he wouldn't be able to tell whether she was wearing panties just by looking. She'd actually considered going bare because she didn't want any panty line ruining the look of the dress but she'd found a thong that so skimpy she might as well not be wearing anything.

"Now, now--only good boys get dessert," she admonished playfully. She looked at him, her eyes bright because this was fun. She liked flirting with House. She liked capturing his interest, keeping his focus on her. She liked that he was amused by it as well.

The truth was that flirting with him was familiar. It was comfortable. They'd been doing it for years, just without the final payoff.

She let her fingers brush lightly along his thigh before she reached for her wine glass again. "All you have to do is mind your manners and you'll get all the dessert you can handle."

[rubicks_complex]

"I can be good," he said, playing up to her flirting by giving Cuddy a wide-eyed, innocent look. He then dropped his expression to mock seriousness, though there was a hint of a smirk on his lips. "But you know, when I'm good, I'm very good, but when I'm bad, I'm better."

He lowered his eyes to where she'd brushed her fingers, his smirk broadening. This flirting was making him feel more at ease because of its familiarity. And because it was fun, too. Cuddy was sexy, too, when she flirted - even sexier now that House knew what Cuddy was like in bed.

He raised his eyes back up to her when she went on to say about minding his manners. "What exactly does minding my manners entail? There's a lot of different ways to mind my manners. For example, I could offer you loads of compliments throughout the night in hope that'll grant me access between your thighs. Or I could mind my manners by keeping my hands to myself."

With that, he lifted his hand from where it was draped on the back of her stool, and teasingly brushed his fingers across her bare shoulder blade.

[l_cuddy_md]

Cuddy gave a throaty laugh when House claimed to be better when he was bad. What made him so frustrating to deal with is that with him it seemed to be true. He always seemed to be on his best game when he was breaking the rules. It had made him a difficult employee, but on a personal level...well, she liked a little bit of bad in her men.

A subtle shiver ran down her spine when he caressed her shoulder. "If you keep your hands all to yourself it wouldn't be much fun for me," she said suggestively. She finished her wine and set the glass on the bar. She looked back at House with a slightly more serious expression.

"Don't bother giving compliments unless you mean them. In fact, don't bother trying to be someone you aren't. Just don't go picking fights, with anyone, and we'll be okay." She stood up, which placed her right between his knees as he sat on his bar stool. She rested her hands on his thighs.

"What do you say we stop wasting time in the bar and go have dinner?"

[rubicks_complex]

"Ah, but you could use your own hands," he said just as suggestively. "You can have a lot of fun with yourself and I can have fun watching."

He continued to caress her shoulder for a moment while she sipped on her wine, then dropped his hand away and reached for his drink with his other. Glancing back at her when she continued to speak, he drank a mouthful from his glass, supressing a sharp shudder from the alcohol's fumes. "I mean what I say, and I say what I mean," he replied. "Most of the time."

He placed his drink back on the bar just as Cuddy stood between his knees. He looked up at her with interest when she placed her hands on his thighs. "This is wasting time?" he asked. "But we've only just started."

With her standing over him like that, he had a good vantage point to rake his eyes down her body before looking back up to her face. Keeping watch on her eyes, he quickly took one last sip of his firewhiskey, then shoved the glass across the bar for the bartender to take. He pushed himself up from his seat, causing Cuddy to be cornered against the bar, and he not-so-subtly invaded her personal space by pressing against her briefly, meeting her eyes. He then backed off and reached for his cane.

"Shame dinner's not on the House," he remarked. "Could've had a three-course meal on the House." He offered her his arm to take. "I can be generous when I want to be."

[l_cuddy_md]

"You'd never be satisfied with just watching." She didn't know if he was simply trying to mess with her or if he really had a fantasy about watching. It certainly wasn't the first time he'd mentioned it. Of course she'd mentioned tying him up more than once and she had no desire to actually do it. She really was just messing with him. Still, it made her wonder.

She smiled up at him when he pressed her against the bar. She was tempted to grab his ass, purely to prove she wasn't going to let him get one up on her. But she'd made him promise to behave and she figured it was only fair that she behave as well. Not as much fun, but fair.

"Generous, right. Because you'd get nothing out of that arrangement," she said as she took his arm. This was exactly the kind of thing she'd been hoping for when she'd suggested having dinner. They were having fun talking--and what they talked about didn't matter--and House was not only behaving, he was being almost gentlemanly. Maybe having a drink had been a good idea, because she felt immensely more relaxed than she had. She was even feeling optimistic about dinner now.

"Maybe we should see how having dessert on the House goes," she teased lightly as they made their way out of the bar. "You might not be up to a full three course meal. Not when I'm doing the cooking."