A sign proclaims the seventh annual oncology benefit and poker tournament. I cut my eyes at him.
"You brought me to a poker tournament?"
"What can I say, Cuddy kicked my ass last year… I decided to bring Lady Luck this time around." He pauses and I glance at him skeptically, "I thought it would look bad to lose at my own benefit again," He grins. Entering the poker area, he buys into the tournament that starts at eight, and escorts me to the coat check area. I slip the coat off and hand it to the bored looking attendant. His eyes bug out as he takes in the gown I'm wearing. Red, floor length, it shows skin for miles up my back. The double x of straps keep my dress on from where it plunges to the small of my back. In front, it gives a great view of my cleavage.
They have spared no expense to dress up the front lobby for poker tournament. It looks great, complete with the reception area having been turned into a bar. I order a Cosmopolitan, and when I turn, House has joined James. 'Fabulous,' I think.
We converse for a while and House takes off. I sip my drink slowly, taking care not to spill on my dress. At eight, we meet in the player's area. James, House, and Cuddy sit down to a table with four people I've never met before. Play goes on, and I'm lost so I tune out a little bit, choosing instead to watch the gathered people. Looks like a lot of rich people who are using this benefit as an excuse to dress like red carpet royalty and drink themselves comatose.
"20," Wilson says, calling my attention back to the game.
"Call," Cuddy instructs.
"You'll call anything," House taunts. Cuddy just blows him off.
"My stack is bigger than your stack." She looks him over, "You in or out?"
"You know that, relative to their size gorillas have smaller testicles than humans?" I roll my eyes, even from the bar I see a stall tactic.
"Well, then. You'd probably have an edge over a gorilla, but not over me." Cuddy tells him.
"Reason is, primate testes' size inversely corresponds to the fidelity of our females." House looks at Wilson, it's an obvious dig on him.
"You think there might be a better time to annoy me about my wife?" Uh, oh. Greg's being a real bastard tonight. I'm glad I'm not at the table with them.
"I'm talking about poker."
"Right." Wilson says sarcastically.
"Women are evil, you're right to drive them away," Cuddy rolls her eyes, "Call, fold or raise. Story time can wait." She orders.
"We're smaller and better than chimps, bigger and worse than gorillas. For all our rationality, our supposed trust and fealty to a higher power, our ability to create a system of rules and laws, our baser drives are more powerful than any of that. We want to control our emotions, but we can't. If we're happy things don't annoy us. If, on the other hand, we're sitting on crappy hole cards little tiny things annoy us a whole lot more." He waggles his cigar at Wilson, who tries to ignore him. I wonder if there's a point to the litany, "I raise."
"So, are you gonna tell me an annoying story every time I raise?" James asks.
"God, that would be annoying!" House sneers. Wilson slams his cards on the table. Cuddy calls.
"Dr. Cuddy, I got one of your patients in the ER." A man in a lab coat leans in and says, "Ian Alston, six years old."
"Oh, I know him. What's the problem?" She starts to shove her chips across the table, "I'm all in."
"Bloody diarrhea. Hemodynamically stable, but he's been developing some coordination problems." I see House's ears prick at this.
"It sounds like gastroenteritis and dehydration. Order fluids and I'll take it on my service." She dismisses the ER doctor. "Bet's to you House." He calls the ER doctor down.
"They scan his head?"
"No, why would they scan…"
"Don't play games," Cuddy warns House, "You gonna call?"
"How's the heart rate?" House asks.
"Stable."
"I'm sorry." Cuddy apologizes to the doctor. "House, it's gastroenteritis. I'm not going anywhere," She looks at the other guy, "Put the order in and have someone tell Alan and Sarah that I'll be up when I'm done. You in or out?" she asks House and takes a sip of her drink. Looks are exchanged around the table. House gently lays his cards on the table.
"I'm out." I wonder what the hell is going on. I don't know him well, but I know him well enough to know that something's up.
"Oh! Stone cold bluff!" Cuddy exclaims, laying crappy cards on the table, "You might want to spend a little more time paying attention to your cards, and a little less time staring at my breasts!" she beams and stands as she rakes in the chips.
"They don't match either. I'm gonna take some air." Cuddy's smile dies on her lips as she sits back down. I see James slide House's cards over as he discreetly checks them out. The look on his face tells me nothing. Who knows what the hell is going on… but if it's good, he'll be in his office. They play another hand and I visit the bar.
Going back to the tournament, I sip a new Cosmo. By now it's down to Cuddy, Wilson and three other guys. They take a short break between hands before resuming game play. Halfway through this hand, Wilson's phone rings and he digs it out. He listens for a moment before replying.
"The chicken is still in Piccadilly Square." Like it's not obvious who he's talking to and about. Cuddy's head snaps up.
"Is that House? Tell him that the blinds just went to 20/40 and he's running out of chips."
"Well, what's going on? The way you took off, something's obviously…" He trails off.
"The patient is on life support, and we're about to pull the plug," Wilson flicks a look a Cuddy.
"Are you talking about me?" She asks suspiciously. He doesn't respond.
"Hmm, those sound like high dose cardio meds… Still waiting on the final labs… No, hydration is not a problem." He pauses before shoving his chips across table.
"Call," Cuddy orders, "Two pair." She thumps her cards, "Show me your cards."
Wilson turns over a five and two of hearts. The dealer turns the final card, revealing a seven of clubs with a jack of hearts, an ace of clubs, a six of hearts, and the eight of spades.
"Seven of clubs," Wilson announces into the phone. His face falls as House talks. Cuddy laughs.
"Oh, yes!" Cuddy grins as she rakes in the chips. Wilson looks a little dejected. I sigh heavily, even when he's not here, House adores screwing with James. I'm bored, but when Cuddy trades jabs with James, it makes me nearly giggle. They're like a couple of five year olds, trading insults.
Wilson's phone rings again an hour later and he checks the caller ID. Cuddy rolls her eyes. "What's going on?" James answers the phone.
"Well, thanks to your last consult, the patient has improved dramatically." Wilson stares at Cuddy.
"Tell House the patient is about to kill the doctor." She sounds irritated.
"She says the patient… well, Cuddy just raised. And uh…" He pauses and looks around as if searching for something. "How do you know?" He pauses.
"Wait, what? If you're going to mess with me, wouldn't it be more fun to do it in person?" Wilson stares at Cuddy for a minute, and pulls the phone away from his mouth.
"Umm, can you beat a pair of threes?" Cuddy is just raising her glass to drink when Wilson says.
"I left orders for PO fluids, doctor…" he pauses before stating, "She's drinking her seltzer…" he pauses, "Yes." He says as Cuddy lowers her glass.
"Umm, but… You couldn't care less about this charity, but you claim not to be messing with me. Obviously you're just trying to keep me… Hold on." He sets the phone down and shoves all his chips in. He raises his hands in a 'your turn' gesture. Cuddy folds. Wilson giggles, "Oh, ho ho ho!" he exclaims before asking, "House, are you sure you're ok?" He pulls the phone away from his ear and looks at it before hanging up.
A couple of hands later one of the women busts on a bluff and James takes her for everything. And then there were four.
His phone rings again. Where the hell is House? It must be something good for him to abandon his one chance to crush Cuddy out of nothing more than spite. "Depends on what type," Wilson says, "Could make it better, could make it worse."
"Tell House, if he wants to play cards he can get his ass back down here and play." Cuddy challenges. Wilson pauses for an instant considering his words.
"But, um, the party's over in less than three hours." Cuddy's head snaps up to look at him.
"It's over in less than two hours, which means you either have three of a kind or just threes. I'm guessing threes. I bet five hundred," She fires up her deductive skills and tosses her chips in.
"You obviously want to bust me." Wilson snaps into the phone, "Why, why would you…" he puts the phone down and rolls his eyes. Whatever House just told him, he may not agree with, but he's willing to trust him.
"I'm all in!" He says, shoving his chips in.
"I'll call." Cuddy says as Wilson picks the phone back up, "I'm betting you have a pair of threes, but even if you have three, it's not going to beat trip nines." She flashes a huge grin as she lays her two nines down with a flourish.
"Oh, oh, oh, no!" Wilson exclaims as he lays down the ten of hearts followed by the queen of hearts. Cuddy's face falls.
"Oh, no! Oh, no! Oh, that's gotta hurt!" He gloats, "I just killed two birds with one straight. Good bye." He starts to hang up, but stops and sobers momentarily. What the hell just happened there? We take another break. James excuses himself and Cuddy turns up her deductive skills on me.
"So what have you been up to since I saw you last? Still drinking buddies with Wilson?"
"Not as much anymore. We learned our lesson." I see her file that information away and wonder what conclusion she's drawn.
"Still doing the 'House' thing?"
"Absolutely… I mean, when he's not banging every constitutional lawyer he can find." I smile dangerously. Her eyes widen. I thought everyone had those two figured out. Stacy must be a pro at discretion.
"I'm sorry…" Cuddy starts.
"It's quite alright, Dr. Cuddy." She sips from her tonic.
"Please… There are no lab coats here. Call me Lisa."
"Lisa, I'm not upset, or offended. He isn't mine. Greg House belongs to no one." I explain.
"Well, I'm out," she says, standing up from the table, "I'm going to have a drink before they get started. Can I interest you?"
"Absolutely," I say, standing as well. We stand at the bar, Lisa orders a gin and tonic. I order a cosmo. Like some kind of veterans, we toast.
"To men," she says.
"Screw 'em." I add and we clink glasses. We discuss my new doctorate, and she congratulates me. I'm in the process of explaining my osteology certification when Wilson returns ten minutes later. I stand near the bar and face the table. Wilson stops by and starts to say something before Lisa turns around. He is stopped by the ring of Lisa's phone.
"He did what?!" she yells. I cringe. Sounds like House's in deep shit.
"I'll be right there!" She glances at me. I try not to be unsettled by the rage in her eyes.
"I'm gonna go check on Ian." Cuddy says angrily and disappears. The table is down to three players. Wilson plays more carefully than he had been earlier. After two hands one man busts and leaves. I bring James a glass of water, and when I lean down to hand him the glass, I can feel the other two guys' eyes on my nearly bare back.
"Play smart, James," I say into his ear. As soon as the game resumes, the guy to Wilson's right, Berman, starts trying to get James to make stupid decisions out of irritation. Berman trash talks Wilson a little bit, the usual shit, but Wilson calmly blows him off. After four hands, the entertainment is wearing off as the third guy has just busted. I'm beginning to get tired and I'm flushed from the alcohol in my system. I sip on my cosmo. On the fifth hand something changes.
James gets very frugal with his chips, only calling, never pressing. When the fourth card turns, Berman suddenly gains a good card, probably a pair of kings. Wilson checks, and Berman thinks he has him. The last card turns. Again Wilson checks. Shivering in anticipation, Berman goes all in, intending to break James and win the tournament.
Wilson calls it, and they flip their cards. James' twin aces stare at the ceiling. With the ace of spades in the hand on the table that makes them three of a kind. For a moment, the room is silent. Then it erupts in cheers. Wilson scrapes in the chips and when I approach, he picks me up and spins me around. I slosh cosmo everywhere.
"That was amazing! I felt like I was really something!" He says over the hubbub of people. For a second he holds me around the waist.
"You should probably put me down now."
"Yeah," he agrees quickly and sets me down. They cash out his chips and find that he's raised over 100,000 for the oncology department. I sip off my drink again, but there's no way I want to finish it. It's mostly Vodka now. I offer it to Wilson, he tosses it off like water. He sets the glass on the bar and we celebrate again.
"Hey, maybe we should go check on House… Lisa… Cuddy, took off after she got that phone call. I gather that she might be pissed at him." He rolls his eyes, and as we leave he says his goodbyes. On the elevator, he admits that it has something to do with Cuddy's patient who arrived that evening.
"So… no General Hospital marathon?"
"No, but that was good, wasn't it?"
"It was good, and it bought him some time didn't it?"
"Yeah, yeah it did." I lean over and kiss him on the cheek.
"Thank you. For whatever it's worth." Even though I'm still pissed off at him for screwing me over, I'm glad he's got friends like James. He's too sweet, and I like that.
"Not a problem. What else would I do with my time if I didn't have to cover House's ass"
"Spend time with your wife. Ex-wife?"
"Ah, wife… we aren't finalized yet, and let's not go there. Julie's taking me for everything she can get her hands on," he says. We exit the elevator and round the corner to find the lights on, but both offices empty.
"Damn," I say. Around the corner from the conference room, Wilson lets us into his office.
"You can rest here, get off your feet, those shoes have to be killing you. If you want to take a nap while you wait, you're more than welcome."
"I think I will sit down, I've been standing for a while." He closes the door and clicks on his desk lamp.
"I'm saving myself from Cuddy's wrath. It's not my fault House does as he damn well pleases." I nod. He goes behind his desk and sits down. Before I sit, I check out one of his movie posters. I walk to the poster behind his desk and squint. Since I'm wearing neither my glasses nor my contacts, I'm having trouble making out some of the details. He sees where I'm looking and stands to get out of my way.
"Vertigo. It was an excellent movie."
"I see it now," I can make out the fuzzy outlines of shapes on the poster.
For a second we stand side by side in silence. Turning to him, I start to make a comment, but find his arms around my waist and my lips instead occupied by his. I feel my eyelids fall closed as I kiss him back… or he kisses me back… I'm not sure how it happens. James pulls away for an instant.
"I'm sorry," He says quietly, but makes mo move to lower his arms. My arms are still raised in surprise. I put them around his neck.
Maybe I'm just being crazy. He's still married, for God's sake. But he kisses me so gently, it takes me a moment to realize that our lips are actually touching. I kiss him back, and we each draw the other closer. After a few minutes, I feel him pull back. Dazed, I sit on the edge of his desk. When I flick my gaze up to meet his, it's like something inside him snaps. He goes to the door and flips the lock shut.
Placing his hand on my knee, he slides me around the corner so that he is standing behind his desk. Hands on my dress, he eases the hem of my gown up as he slides between my knees and leans in to kiss me again. Gently, I feel him nudge my skirt up my thighs as he presses closer to me. I run my hands through his hair, relishing how soft it is between my fingers. Seemingly of their own accord, I feel my hips hitch themselves to the edge of James' desk.
He smoothes his hands up my stockings until he hits where they stop at mid thigh. Breaking off, he looks down. I hear him groan when he takes in my thigh highs. Smiling, I ease my panties down amid minimal fumbling with my stockings, and present James my lacy panties on the toe of my high heel with a 'ta-da' gesture. With a smile, he takes the panties and pockets them.
Leaning forward, I start to pull his shirt out of his pants.
"Hang on… I have to get something." He disappears out the balcony door, and I wonder what the hell he has to retrieve from House. Miffed, I sit up and cross my legs, adjusting my skirt. Seconds later, he reappears, locks the door and checks the blinds before tossing a pair of condom packets at me.
"You told House?" I ask.
"No! Oh, Christ no. I stole these from his desk."
"You don't keep some?"
"Of course not… I'm still technically married. That's not something married men get to keep in their desks at work." He looks at me like I'm crazy. I nod my understanding. He rounds the desk.
"Where were we?" I ask.
"Right about here," he supplies, taking off his tux jacket before sliding my knees apart again and smiling lazily at me. I smile back, unable to help it. James leans down and kisses me, more roughly than before. I part my lips and feel his tongue dart into my mouth, tasting and testing. Our tongues begin to lazily tangle back and forth, and for an instant, his mouth leaves mine. When he returns, I feel him brush against me.
With two strokes, he places first one, then two fingers in me, and I gasp against his mouth. I rock my hips against his fingers. Our tongues duel frantically for a few minutes, and James matches the tempo in his fingers to our tongues. I reach down and grab one of the packets without breaking our kiss. He withdraws from me and I feel him pulling at the fabric of his shirt, then I hear his zipper and feel him shove his pants down. I tear the packet open, eyes closed, lips occupied.
Amazingly, his lips never leave mine as he feels for the condom and puts it on without once having to look. When he has that done, I feel his hands slide behind my knees and he drags me to the very edge of his desk.
"Are you ok?" He asks. James actually stops long enough to look me in the eye. At this point, I'm flushed and ready… I want this.
"Oh, God, yes," I reply and he thrusts into me. Within three strokes, he has himself buried deep within me. We both make wordless sounds of appreciation. For several seconds he remains still, cozy inside me. I use that as my opportunity to loosen his tie and unbutton his shirt. I undo the bow, just like a present, and leave the ends loose. It could end up being fun. He thrusts slowly, experimentally.
I use his tie to draw his lips to mine and we lock lips. Reaching up, James slides the straps out of his way and kisses my skin. Unable to help myself, I nip James' lip and I hear him groan. I can feel him struggling to remain a good guy. Wrapping my legs around him, I try to encourage him to move faster. He's still very gentlemanly, refusing to just get his rocks off.
'Oh, if this is a mistake, it has to be my favorite one thus far.'
Wilson startles me by disengaging my legs from around his hips. He gently pulls me off his desk and puts my feet on the floor, spinning me around before bending me carefully, but forcefully over the edge. My hands smack the desktop, and I accidentally send a pile of stuff tumbling over the other side.
"Fuck it," he says through gritted teeth, slipping back into me. I whimper with pleasure. Splaying my legs slightly, I lean back into his thrusts and feel him fill me. His hands are on my hips, driving the tempo at a medium, but steady, pace. My knees are starting to feel weak when he pulls nearly all the way out and starts pulling out some tricks. Even through a sex-induced haze, I'm impressed. Looking at Wilson in his button up shirt with matching tie and puppy dog eyes, I never dreamed he'd know how to drive me so wild.
But he's doing a damn good job. He grinds circles as he works himself inside me in short, jerky thrusts that put him even deeper inside me. I gasp every time his cock twitches within me. Finally, I feel him withdraw almost completely before he slams himself back into me. Spots dance in front of my eyes, and I feel my muscles contract around him. He leans forward and kisses my back, which is already covered in sweat. I'm panting.
"Sit down." I tell him. I can feel his confusion, "Please, sit down before I fall down," I admit. I sigh in disappointment when he slides out of me.
When he's situated, I straddle his lap and take him all in slowly. He pulls at the top of my dress until he has one nipple exposed. Caressing it with his tongue, he pulls it into his mouth and does something that feels wonderful. With my hands in his hair again, I feel my inner muscles contract at his ministrations. It makes him moan into my skin. He pulls out as far as he can and pumps once hard and quick.
It's my turn to moan. He puts a cautioning hand over my mouth, as if I'm being too loud. His mouth changes nipples, and I moan into his hand. James pulls his hand back and brings my lips to his. As we kiss, I feel him span my hips and lift them. He begins to pump in and out of me furiously, I am nearly squealing. When he tires, I brace myself against the chair and begin to rise and fall. James is getting close, and in an effort to level the playing field, I feel him place a thumb on my clit. 'This is going to be over very quickly,' I decide when I feel him touch me.
"Oh, my God, James… make me come." I whisper in his ear. We mutter quiet words for a few seconds, and he strokes me while I increase the frequency of my rocking. After a few seconds, his lips find mine again in an effort for us to be a little more quiet. Not like whoever's on the other side of the wall we're sitting closest to hasn't already figured out what we're doing. James' hand leaves my clit and goes to my hips, speeding my tempo even faster. With one final hard and deep thrust, we are competing between our lips to know who is coming harder. I accidentally bite James too hard, and I taste blood. Pulling back, I examine him as his head lolls back. We both sigh heavily and aftershocks rock us.
"Oh, God," He says.
"That was great," I admit, "you sure had me fooled. Who thought that preppy, buttoned up James Wilson was so fabulous in bed? Or… on desk?" I smile. He brings a hand to his lip. Withdrawing it and cracking an eye he sighs.
"You drew blood." He shows me a drop of bright red blood on his finger.
"I was excited." He groans no doubt wondering how he's going to explain it to anyone, his wife, House, Cuddy, anyone that's interested. I withdraw, sitting instead on the edge of his desk.
"What was that?" He asks, standing and pulling his pants on.
"I have no idea," I admit, "Probably a mistake."
He tucks his shirt back in, looking troubled.
"But as far as mistakes go, it was definitely one of my better ones." I assure him.
"Julie divorced me because I had an affair," James says quietly. I'm sure my face registers my shock, "Actually, all three of my wives divorced me over infidelity."
"Yours or theirs?" He looks at the floor.
"Mine."
"It's ok. I'm not looking for anything… you're in the clear."
"So… what is this?" He asks again.
"I guess it's our little secret." I reach out and wipe my lipstick off his cheek and upper lip.
"Thanks," he says and looks at me, "If this is our little secret, then I guess my lips are sealed."
"Our lips are sealed," I agree. I smile at him.
"I'm gonna need my panties back, James." He nods and slowly begins to fish for them. Finding them he hands them back.
"I'd have given them back eventually." James says as I snatch them.
"And I'd have let you keep them."
We let ourselves out of his office, and try to sneak out. Cuddy catches us.
"Did you ever catch House?" she asks.
"No, we didn't. Wilson and I waited for about an hour… but I'm tired, and I need to head home."
"I offered to give her a ride since House is MIA."
"He's in the pediatric ward." Cuddy says. I do a double take.
"That's what I thought." She admits.
"It's nice to see that he can still surprise us," I say. As we walk away, Lisa stops me.
"You have something on your back." she puts a hand on my shoulder.
"I must have rubbed up against something," I say nonchalantly as my heart begins to pound.
"It looks like lipstick," I feel her lean close.
"I must have run into somebody."
"A dwarf with lipstick on her upper lip only?" She smears just above the small of my back. I feel my eyes go wide. Thank God my back is to her.
"Must not be lipstick then," I turn to face her… which is a mistake. I see the wheels in her mind turning as she looks at her finger and then back at me.
"I had a wonderful time, I'm so glad you raised so much money." She is momentarily put off.
"Thank you."
"I really need to get going, I have to be up in two hours," I excuse us.
"Why go to sleep?"
"It's better than nothing." I shrug. We say our goodbyes, but I sense that Cuddy may have sussed us out.
We make it to his car, and as soon as we shut our doors, I share my observation.
"Someone always finds out." He says.
"Yes, but will Cuddy be discreet?" We both laugh as James starts the car.
"I have no idea."