As Cuddy headed to her office, she noticed Sam coming her way. As she approached, she handed Cuddy a much-needed cup of coffee. "Thanks Sam," Cuddy said, surprised by the gesture. She had always had assistants, but had never made it a habit to rely on them for trivial things she could do for herself.

Sam smiled, sympathetically, "Don't thank me yet. You're three o'clock called; they're going to be almost forty minutes early." As they continued to walk, she realized that she already missed the casual dynamic they had shared over her lunch. Now things were all back to business.

Cuddy glanced at the clock on the wall and cringed. She had hoped to look over the details of the upcoming meeting, but now she only had twenty minutes. She took a large gulp of the coffee hoping the caffeine would kick in soon. Damn House and his incessant need to tease.

"Also a Joel Drake called about his proposal?" Cuddy covered half her face with her hand, having completely forgotten about him. She was now fully expecting to have to deal with him today, as well as her meeting.

"I wasn't really sure what you wanted me to say, so, I explained that you were looking over some of his plans and would be back with him by the end of the week?" Sam looked questioningly, hoping she made the right call. She bit her bottom lip, not realizing how cute the small act was.

Cuddy breathed an obvious sigh of relief, as she nodded her approval. She and Sam started to make their way towards her office, once again. Cuddy hadn't felt this much relief from her job in a long time. Sam seemed incredibly dependable and competent. Even though she still had to deal with everyone, for the first time in a long while, she felt like someone else was on her side.

"Two more things," Sam said, hesitantly. She inwardly melted, as Cuddy looked to her with worried eyes. "First you've had quite a few doctors calling about House." Sam watched Cuddy's shoulders ease once more.

House was something that Cuddy could deal with later or not at all, preferably. He wasn't hiding from her, so it was probably more just a case of him being an asshole, than him being a dangerous asshole. That was nothing new and there was little she could actually do about it.

"I told them you were already aware of the situations and would deal with it." Cuddy nodded appreciatively, not really needing the details or lectures that she was sure her new assistant had suffered through.

"Okay," Cuddy grinned, feeling like this girl could be the best thing that had happened to her in a long time. "And the last thing?" The news had been getting progressively better, so she assumed it wasn't anything too terrible.

"You're skirts torn," Sam said, gesturing to a rip up the side of Cuddy's skirt. She smiled sympathetically, at the other woman's misfortune.

"Shit," Cuddy hissed, having had to use her spare clothes the day before and not brining in new ones. She fidgeted with the skirt, trying to see how bad it actually was.

Taking pity on her boss's obvious distress, Sam offered, "I can fix it if you'd like? It'll only take a couple of minutes?" They had both reached the same conclusion that the rip was more than noticeable.

"Please?" Cuddy asked helplessly. It wasn't a huge tear, but it was defiantly noticeable. The skirt Cuddy had worn that day was shorter than usual. So, the tear jutted from her knee up along a few inches of her thigh.

Sam nodded for Cuddy to head into her office. "Let me just grab some stuff. I left a folder on your desk that you might want to look over before the meeting." Heading to her desk, Sam's hands began to tremble slightly. She knew what she was doing, but the thought of being that close to her boss left her feeling nervous.

Cuddy walked into her office and sat down somewhat flustered. She stared blankly for a moment, before opening the file neatly centered on her desk. She couldn't help but smile to herself, as she read. It was a brief synopsis of the group's proposal, their past dealings, and a personal bit about each member that would be present.

"You are a godsend," Cuddy stated, as Sam walked into her office. "My last assistant could barely keep up with the phone, let alone anything else." She was truly impressed with Sam's efficiency. Although, being someone House seemed to admire, it should have come as no surprise. He had very strong feelings about the type of people he surrounded himself with.

"Well I have been a PA before," Sam smiled, trying not to let her blush show, "I told you, I'm very good at what I do." House's words about her and Cuddy were running through her head, leaving her with a nervous twisting in her stomach.

Cuddy nodded, as she took the final sip of her coffee and tossed it out. "Would it be easier if I stood up?" she asked, gesturing towards her skirt. She was oblivious to Sam's nervous mannerisms or the way the girl was staring at her.

Sam shook her head as she knelt down at Cuddy's side. "This is fine," she said, quietly, lowering her eyes. She could feel Cuddy watching her, but was afraid the older woman would see the desire in her eyes. It wasn't Cuddy's obvious sexual aura, her dominating attitude, or even her obvious skills in the 'boy's' game of business. There was a tenderness, Sam saw, in the woman's eyes. She had the ability to be in charge and run things, yet still say soft and even maternal.

Cuddy watched Sam, slightly confused. The submissive nature of her assistant's actions was hardly going unnoticed. While she found it annoying when men got that way around her, this was different. Sam was attractive and capable of holding her own. She could easily get almost anyone she wanted. Girls like that weren't usually impressed with sexual dominance. Cuddy jumped, as the girl's slender fingers grazed her thigh.

"Sorry," Sam apologized, "You've got a nasty scratch here." Cuddy suddenly felt a little nervous herself. She busied herself with reading the file in front of her, trying not to focus on the flutter in her stomach or the nimble fingers that kept darting against her flesh.

Sam put her entire attention on fixing Cuddy's skirt. The sooner it was done, the sooner she could get away. She was attracted to this woman, with a strength she had rarely felt. It scared her and drew her in, all at the same time. As she finished up, she asked, "How's that?"

Cuddy had calmed her nerves and was back to herself. "Good as new," Cuddy said, smiling down at the woman still sitting at her feet. Looking down at her, Cuddy was confused by her own urges. She had always enjoyed equal partnerships in the bedroom. She wanted someone she could go head to head with in any avenue. That was part of why she and House had such strong sexual tension. But with Sam, she could feel the appeal of controlling the younger woman gnawing at her.

Sam saw the hunger in Cuddy's eyes, but wasn't sure what to make of it. She could feel her cheeks reddening and dropped her head, once more. It wasn't just Cuddy's presence, Sam was afraid of letting go. Afraid of letting someone else take care of her. She had only ever trusted Greg with that and that had hardly been sexual.

Cuddy decided there would be no harm in indulging slightly in the new bond they seemed to share. Knowing that it was up to her, to make the next move, Cuddy slipped to fingers beneath the girls chin and tilted her head back until she was looking in her eyes. "You have no idea what a relief it is to have someone I can depend on. Thank you." She felt a surge of confidence as she saw the words register with.

Sam tried to hold Cuddy's gaze, but finally had to look away, overwhelmed. "I'm glad I was able to help," she said, softly. She gathered her things and headed out to meet Cuddy's guests

Trying to clear her head, she quickly put away her things. Just as she'd finished, the people Cuddy was meeting with showed up. Sam led the group inside Cuddy's office, announcing them.

Cuddy couldn't help but grin at the younger girl, both knowing how close they had cut it. She'd barely had time to compose herself. "Sam could you take care of this?" she asked, passing a folded sheet of paper over.

Sam knew better than to question what it was. She simply nodded, took the paper, and excused herself. Shutting the door behind her, she unfolded the task at hand. It was simply a note from her boss, thanking her once again.

Sam-

Thanks so much for this afternoon, it was all such a huge help. You're really a lifesaver. Go take a break for a while; you have more than earned it. If I need anything, I'll page you. Its soap time btw, House and Wilson should be in the supply closet on the fourth floor (second on the left from the elevator). I'll touch basis with you before I leave today.

Thanks again,

Cuddy