Disclaimer: Don't Own, Etc.
Rachael went down for her nap at two.
"Siesta time!" House proclaimed as he pulled Cuddy down the hall to her bedroom. "You know that in countries where they have them, 'siesta' is basically a euphemism for 'let's leave work, go home and have nookie,' don't you?"
"I had heard that," Cuddy replied with a smile as she removed her top and jeans.
"Lisa Cuddy," House stated, "Scholar of international culture . . . " House's jaw dropped when he saw Cuddy's Christmas red thong panties and matching push up bra, " . . . And lingerie model."
"Being a doctor, dean of medicine and mother are just things I do in my spare time," Cuddy joked.
"Yeah, yeah," House said, "Just get that rotondous ass over here."
Cuddy sashayed over to House, adding a little extra swing to her hips.
House had quickly removed everything but his boxers. He told himself he was learning to adapt to the fact that having a kid around meant you needed to optimize your use of time and not linger on non-essential activities like slowly removing clothes. What he wouldn't admit even to himself was that what he really wanted was to maximize the time he spent in skin-on-skin contact with Cuddy. And not just the thrilling sexual kind, either.
As Cuddy reached him he pulled her into his arms. He intended to growl like an animal to let her know how sexy she was, but instead it came out more like a moan. He thought he should be embarrassed until he heard Cuddy whisper, "You really want me, don't you?"
"Yes," House whispered in return as he pushed his obviously excited self against her.
Cuddy practically jumped House's mouth with her lips. His lips responded in kind while they lowered themselves on to the bed. After several minutes they came up for air.
"Remember my rule," Cuddy said quietly as she tugged at House's boxers. He lifted up his hips as she quickly pulled them off.
After House was naked, he realized that it was broad daylight. The blinds were up and the curtains were open in Cuddy's bedroom, so he was lying on the bed, completely naked before her. Instinctively, his hand began moving down to cover his mangled thigh.
Cuddy gently caught the hand before it reached its destination. "Just let me look at you for a while, okay?" she asked softly. She released his hand and it fell by his side.
House wasn't sure what would happen next. He tried not to look in her eyes as she scanned his entire body. She couldn't miss the huge hole in his leg, but what else would she see? There were the scars from when he was shot, and the residual marks on his hands from the burns he'd received when he put the knife in the light socket. There were also marks inflicted by John, but House guessed those were so old that they weren't really visible any more. At least that's what he hoped. And then there was just the toll of what life and constant pain did to a fifty year-old body, and one that hadn't been taken care of very well at that – wrinkles from the sun, and the folds, creases and sags that came from the losing battle with gravity.
With all of this in his head, House was afraid to look at Cuddy. He had felt sexy, or at least desired, in the kitchen when they'd joked about his cooking in the nude. Now that she saw the actual reality of his body, he was sure she'd never request that again.
Oh well, House thought, I might as well see her disgust. She may still want me to have sex with her, but it'll be in the dark from now on.
House braced himself and looked directly in her eyes. He was completely surprised by what he saw. Her eyes were filled with lust and a look he had never seen from anyone else -- reverence. Cuddy's hands began to caress him – his arms, his hands, his chest, his abdomen, his legs, his feet, and then his face. "So beautiful, so beautiful," she murmured as she touched him.
Cuddy bent down to kiss him, starting tenderly at first, and then deepening the kiss as House responded. They broke the kiss and House unhooked her bra. She slid it off her arms and onto the floor. He slipped off her panties and she stepped out of them. House expected Cuddy to straddle him. Instead, she laid her body across his. He felt her breasts rest against his chest and he could feel her curls against his penis.
"God, " Cuddy sighed, "You feel so good." She continued to caress his arms and the sides of his body as she rubbed the side of her face against his.
Despite Cuddy being a foot shorter than House and more than eighty pounds lighter, she completely enveloped him. House felt overwhelmed; it was a combination of being drowned and suffocated, both physically and emotionally. If only actual death would feel this sublime. He let go of any pretense of resistance and gave himself over to her completely.
Cuddy could feel House responding physically to what she was doing. She wanted to know if she was having any emotional effect on him, but she was afraid to look at his face and see only his emotionless mask. That didn't mean House wasn't feeling anything, but she wouldn't know, and the idea of baring her soul to him only to be uncertain about how he felt was something she knew she couldn't take.
She closed her eyes and kissed him. He returned and deepened the kiss once again. When she stopped, she heard a small noise. What was that? She figured out it was House whimpering. But why? Her body shifted during the kiss and was no longer lying on top of him. Was he whimpering at the loss of contact with her? She decided to find out and lay across him again. The contented sigh that greeted her confirmed it. She still had no idea if this was simply a physical response or an emotional one, but she at least knew he wanted her. Badly.
His cock was erect and pressing against her abdomen. She maneuvered so he slid across her channel. It would have been easier just to straddle him, but she wanted to maintain as much body contact as possible, so she turned her pelvis down while keeping their upper bodies pressed together. She was glad for the flexibility she had from yoga.
House began by easing himself into her. She was tight and very wet. After the initial contact, he began to thrust upward. Cuddy accommodated him, but remained tight. The angle of his thrusts hit her clit at just the right spot for maximum stimulation. She went over the edge after only a few minutes. House followed shortly afterward, empting himself inside her.
Much to House's delight, Cuddy remained lying on top of him. He enfolded her in his arms and they fell into a blissful sleep.
They slept for about an hour. They were woken up by Rachael's cries. It was time for them to get up so House could start cooking dinner. Cuddy got up first and put her bra and panties back on. She went into the bathroom, used the toilet and washed her hands. When she emerged, she was wearing the jeans she had on earlier, but instead of her top, she had pulled one of House's used t-shirts from the hamper and was wearing it. House smiled to himself as he saw her sneak a whiff of it when she thought he wasn't looking.
House got dressed and headed for the kitchen as Cuddy went down the hall to get Rachael. After Rachael was changed into a clean diaper, Cuddy headed into the kitchen to see what House was doing.
"Can you tell me what we're having," Cuddy asked, "Or will it be a secret until you put the plate in front of me?"
"I can tell you the names of the dishes I'm preparing," House replied, "But I'm guessing you still won't know what they are."
"I thought you said you were making some traditional Dutch dishes," Cuddy remarked, remembering the one thing House had told her about the menu. "I don't speak Dutch, but I do know some Yiddish and German. I bet I could figure them out."
House smiled. He loved how competitive she was, even over something like knowing what she was eating for dinner. "Who said the names of the dishes will be in Dutch?"
"But you said they were traditional Dutch dishes," Cuddy reminded him, trying not to sound too frustrated with House's game.
"What do you know about the Dutch?" House asked.
Leave it to him to turn dinner into another opportunity to stroke his own ego by displaying yet another aspect of his knowledge, Cuddy thought. "They wear wooden shoes, they use windmills, and they like tulips. You're not going to make me eat flower bulbs, are you?"
"I might," House replied sarcastically, "If you don't stop thinking of everything in terms of superficial stereotypes."
"I don't know anything else about them," Cuddy protested.
"Sure you do," House countered. "There's this huge city just north of where we live, it's called New York. Do you know what it was called before the English took it over?"
Cuddy was losing her patience. "No, I don't."
"I guess someone slept through American history class in high school," House snarked. "It was called New Amsterdam. I suppose there's no point in asking why it was called that." The blank look on Cuddy's face gave him his answer. He continued. "The first Europeans to settle the island of Manhattan were Dutch. Manhattan is supposedly a variation of a Dutch word. So is Brooklyn. And, of course, there is a city in The Netherlands called Harlem, although it's spelled differently."
"House," Cuddy interrupted impatiently, "This is all fascinating, but what does it have to do with dinner?"
"Ever the practical administrator, Cuddy," House observed, "Always trying to keeping the meeting on track. I was just trying to make the point that Dutch history includes a colonial period. And one of the places the Dutch colonized was Indonesia."
"You're cooking me Indonesian food?" Cuddy questioned.
"Ding, ding, ding," House responded. "And our contestant finally gets one correct answer."
"I don't think I've ever had Indonesian food," Cuddy noted, ignoring House's sarcasm. "What are you making?"
"Well," House began, "The appetizer is Chicken Sate."
"Is that with peanut sauce?" Cuddy asked. "I have had that before."
"Probably an 'Americanized' version -- chicken tenders on a stick smeared with peanut butter -- that was handed out as a lukewarm appetizer at some hospital function," House sneered. "Mine is much more authentic."
"What else?" Cuddy asked.
"The vegetable dish will be Gado, Gado," House informed her. When he saw her blank look, he decided to describe it. "It's a combination of Asian vegetables with tofu, egg and tomato."
"That sounds really good," Cuddy stated.
"You have to be one of the few human beings I've ever known who could get excited about tofu," House commented sardonically, "But, you are right, when I cook it, it is good."
"And the entrée?" Cuddy inquired.
"I love it when you give me restaurant talk, Cuddy," House snarked. "It's Kare Udang Maimom -- shrimp with a curry coconut milk sauce."
"Wow," Cuddy said. "Isn't this going to take hours to prepare?"
"I did a lot of prep work this morning, as you saw," House replied. "Besides, a good meal should take some time to make and a while to eat."
"I didn't hear anything about dessert," Cuddy noted with a suggestive tone. "Do you mind if I do that part?"
"What did you have in mind?" House asked, his curiosity overtaking him.
"I bought some chocolate body paint about a week ago," Cuddy replied seductively. She had thought she would give it to him as a Christmas present, but she had other presents for him, and it was Christmas Eve, anyway.
"I do love chocolate," House responded with quiet enthusiasm and an evil grin.
With all that settled, House turned back to the stove and began cooking. The chicken sate was up first.
"Could you leave some without sauce so Rachel can have plain chicken?" Cuddy requested.
"Well, I did marinate it, so it will have some flavor even if it doesn't have sauce," House explained, "Although it isn't a strong taste and it isn't spicy."
"If she doesn't like it, I'm sure I can feed her something else," Cuddy reassured him.
They sat down to eat their first course. Rachael made a face when she first tasted it, but she must have decided she liked it, because she finished three pieces of the chicken.
Rachael also liked some of the vegetables, the egg and tomato. She seemed to draw the line at eating the tofu, much to House's amusement and Cuddy's chagrin.
Cuddy and House enjoyed the entrée while Rachael played with toys on the floor of the kitchen. Occasionally, she would get up and walk around, bumping into either Cuddy or House. They would pull her up onto their laps and let her sit there until she became too fidgety and she would be released to the floor once again.
When they were finished, Cuddy proclaimed the entire meal delicious. She wanted to help clear the dishes, but, at House's insistence, she was forced to remain seated while House put away the leftovers and cleaned up. They went to the living room to watch some TV.
As House eased himself on to the couch, Cuddy went to the garage. She made sure both cars were there with the doors down and she locked the door from the garage into the laundry room. She then went to the back door, opened it and locked the storm door. She made sure the back door was locked as well. Finally, she went to the front door. She made sure both the storm door and the front door were locked and she put on the alarm. When she went to the living room, she closed the blinds and the curtains on the picture window. Cuddy sat on the couch next to House.
Rachael had been playing on the floor of the living room. She began to get sleepy. She climbed up on Cuddy's lap and snuggled. House put one arm around Cuddy and flipped through the channels with his other hand.
"What's with all that?" House asked as he settled on the "A Christmas Story" marathon.
"All what?" Cuddy asked as she looked at the TV screen.
"Checking all the doors and stuff," House stated.
"I've been more conscious of security ever since I got Rachael," Cuddy noted.
"Okay," House conceded as he ran the differential through his mind. "That explains locking everything and turning on the security system. What about the blinds and curtains?"
"It's cold out," Cuddy replied. "It's warmer if they're shut."
"Nice try," House responded. "What's the real reason?"
"Maybe I just want to cocoon with my family," Cuddy stated. After the words passed her lips, she decided maybe it wasn't a good idea to have referred to House as her family, but it was too late to take it back.
"Okay," House agreed without fanfare. He pulled her and Rachael closer to him and pulled a blanket from the back of the couch. He wrapped it around the three of them as he watched the TV.
Cuddy was completely surprised. She was expecting some kind of serious snark to pass House's lips. The very best she had hoped for was that he would ignore what she said. She never expected such a kind gesture from him. The only conclusion she could reasonably draw was that House didn't mind being considered part of a family. Her family.
They watched TV for a while until Rachael fell asleep. Cuddy got up, hating to leave the warmth of the blanket and House.
She took Rachael to her room, changed her into her pajamas and sat down to rock her. House appeared in the doorway.
"I turned off the TV in the living room," he informed her. "I figured we could 'cocoon' just as easily in the bed."
Cuddy smiled. "I'll be there shortly."
She finished singing to Rachael and rocking her. She put her in her crib and covered her with her blanket. It wouldn't be long before Rachael needed a bed instead of a crib. Cuddy sighed. Her little girl was no longer a baby.
"You coming, Cuddy?" House called from her room. Oh, well, Cuddy thought. At least I'll still have that large, old child. I hope.
"I'll be there in a minute," Cuddy replied. She went to the guest room and retrieved the box from the shelf. She pulled out the chocolate body paint, put the box back and proceeded to her bedroom. House had propped up the pillows and was sitting against the headboard watching TV.
Cuddy headed for her bathroom and got ready. She removed her jeans, socks and bra, and kept House's t-shirt and her red panties on. She washed off her makeup, brushed her teeth and used the toilet.
When she entered the room she saw House was still watching "A Christmas Story." "Haven't you seen that like a thousand times?" Cuddy asked.
"There's nothing else on," House whined.
"What do you mean nothing else?" Cuddy questioned. "I get at least 100 channels."
"With nothing original or interesting on any of them, Cuddy. Listen, it's either this or watch that home improvement channel," House responded. "And what's the point of that? It's not like I'm ever going to install a deck."
"Why not?" Cuddy asked. "You seem pretty handy with tools. Or one tool in particular . . . . "
House smiled.
Cuddy handed him the wrapped package. "I was going to give this to you for Christmas, but I think we should use it tonight."
"The body paint?" House asked eagerly.
Cuddy loved it when he was so enthusiastic. He had still managed to keep that child-like quality in spite of an abusive upbringing and a very lonely, painful life. It was one of the many things she loved about him.
House turned off the TV, tore off the wrapping paper and found a jar with a brush attached. House fingered the soft bristles. "I could have a lot of fun with just this," he stated, indicating the brush. "But I want my dessert."
"Go for it," Cuddy responded. She pulled the t-shirt over her head and slid off her panties, putting both at the foot of the bed.
"Where shall I start?" House asked with a wicked grin. "Oh, I know. I have to exact some revenge for a certain toe-sucking incident."
"Please," Cuddy implored, "Not there." Cuddy was extremely ticklish, especially on the bottoms of her feet.
"You know that begging only makes me want to do it more, don't you?" House asked evilly.
Before Cuddy was aware of what was happening, House grabbed the t-shirt from the bottom of the bed, tied her wrists together with it and tied her hands to the headboard.
"House," Cuddy said, her voice a combination of fear and warning.
"Relax, Cuddy," House reassured her. "This won't hurt a bit. In fact, just the opposite."
As House told her this, he reached for his discarded boxers and used them to tie her left ankle to the post on the left side of the footboard. Then, he grabbed his own discarded t-shirt and tied her right ankle to the post on the right side of the footboard.
"Did I ever tell you that you have excellent taste in furniture?" he questioned rhetorically. "So many places on your bed to tie you up to . . . " House looked down at her, spread before him and grinned. It was a smug, self-satisfied, wicked smile.
"You weren't planning on much sleep tonight, were you?" House asked. He knelt down at the foot of the bed, opened the jar and put it on the floor next to him. He took the brush and dipped it in.
Cuddy hissed as House brushed the paint on the bottom of her foot. Apparently, it was rather cold in that closet. And the brush was very ticklish, too. However, it was nothing compared to House's tongue. He began at her heel and licked slowly and sensuously up the sole, making sure not to miss a molecule of the chocolate. The only thing that saved her from complete sensory overload was his beard scraping at the sides of her foot.
"Delicious," House proclaimed, pausing for a moment before attacking her toes. Cuddy thought the anticipation alone would kill her. It was as torturous as she expected and more. House swirled his tongue around each of her toes, greedily slurping up the chocolate. She moaned out loud when pulled her toes part and slowly licked between each one. Cuddy was writhing on the bed and begging House to stop.
"What did I say about begging?" House reminded her as he dipped the brush into the jar of paint again and covered the bottom of her other foot in chocolate.
He did the same thing to her other foot. In addition to the now copious begging she was doing, she noticed how aroused she had become. She knew it was a combination of what House was doing to some very sensitive areas of her body, along with her inability to stop him that made her feelings and responses so intense. Cuddy thought she never wanted to be so helpless, and yet she was, and beyond that, she had never been so completely turned on in her life. This was not how a strong, independent, powerful woman should feel. She felt her body flood with shame.
With House concentrating on her feet, she was praying he hadn't noticed what was happening to the rest of her body. No such luck.
House reached up and found her wetness with his finger. "What have we here?" House asked mischievously. "Someone finds what I've been doing very hot."
Cuddy's shame intensified. She was sure her whole body must have been bright red. Maybe House would mistake it for arousal and she could salvage at least a scrap of her dignity. Again, no such luck.
"Are you embarrassed, Cuddy?" House asked playfully.
Cuddy couldn't take it anymore. "Yes I am, Goddamit! I'm weak and helpless and enjoying it. I'm so ashamed," she whispered, turning her face into the pillow and sobbing.
House stopped smiling and cursed himself. What was he doing to her? He wanted to be playful and make her feel pleasure and he was humiliating her. His first impulse was to get the hell away from her by leaving the room. It didn't take him long realize that leaving her tied up, alone and ashamed of herself was probably not the best thing he could do. Okay, that was what he shouldn't do. But, what should he do?
He decided that untying her would be a good start. At least she wouldn't feel so helpless and trapped. As he untied her feet, he gave each one a soft kiss. She had stopped crying as was looking at him with a tear-stained face. He climbed up the bed and untied her hands, kissing each of them as well. He looked into her eyes to see if he could tell what she wanted him to do next.
He honestly couldn't tell. Did she want him to go now? Would it hurt her even more if he did? He decided he would try something other than what he usually did, which was run away. He carefully slid his arms around her and pulled her to his chest. He waited for any protests, vowing to let go of her the minute she indicated that she wanted him to.
He relaxed a little when he felt her arms slip around his waist and her head push into his chest. He responded by holding her more tightly.
After a few minutes, she pulled back and looked at him. Her face was still tear-stained and her hair was sticking to it. House ran his hands across her cheeks and forehead moving the hair out of her face and wiping away what was left of the moisture.
"I'm sorry," he said softly, looking away from her gaze. "I wanted to make you feel good and to turn you on, not to make you feel crappy."
"I'm the one who's sorry," Cuddy said. "I did feel incredibly turned on, more than I think I ever have in my life. I just felt such shame . . . "
"You know that I would never intentionally hurt or humiliate you, don't you?" House asked as he continued to stroke her face. "Even when I've said terrible things to you, it was because I was strung out or delusional. It's not an excuse; I just want you to know I never want to hurt you."
"I know," Cuddy responded, placing her hands over his. "It's nothing you did. It's my own fault that I just can't let go and enjoy it. I'm such a control freak I can't even let myself be vulnerable with someone I love. How screwed up is that?"
"Royally," House agreed with a smile. "And I should know. I'm the poster child for so hating to feel helpless and weak that I totally deny my own basic need for comfort to the point of putting my mental health in jeopardy."
"But you've been so good about accepting help from me these last two weeks," Cuddy observed.
"After a mental breakdown, detox, and months of therapy," House stated sardonically, "I can finally accept help from the person I love when I'm in agony or in danger of freezing to death. Wow, what a breakthrough!"
Cuddy smiled. House was making her feel better. And she realized that she and House had both said they loved each other. House must have realized it, too, because he kissed her.
"So," House inquired, after they came up for air, "You said I turned you on more than you have ever been in your life . . . "
"Yes, Stud," Cuddy replied. "Now if I could just get past that overwhelming sense of self-imposed shame . . . "
"Why do you think you feel that way?" House asked, taking up the puzzle. "You're hardly a prude, and you don't feel shame about sex in general . . . "
"Hell, no!" Cuddy responded. "I guess it has to do with giving up control."
"I told you that you've spent too many years being an administrator instead of a real doctor, Cuddy," House joked.
"Hilarious," Cuddy countered.
"You know the Masters and Johnson standard for sexual behavior, don't you?" House questioned.
"Consenting adults in private," Cuddy intoned. She had taken one class on human sexuality as an undergraduate, which, unfortunately, had turned out to be little more than an opportunity for the class geeks to attempt to pick up girls. She had spent the entire semester fending them off.
"Did I do anything you didn't consent to?" House asked seriously.
"Even though I begged you to stop, I really didn't want you to," Cuddy admitted, blushing.
"We're in the privacy of your bedroom, behind locked doors, closed blinds and with the security system on," House observed, "I'd say that's pretty private."
Cuddy nodded in agreement.
"And I don't think either of us is in danger of being carded at this point," House noted. "So, I don't think we have to worry about violating the standard. And yet, I think you are feeling ashamed based upon some standard. What is it and why?"
"I don't know," Cuddy stated. "The whole thing with my feet. It's just weird . . . "
"No, it's not," House disagreed. "It's a part of your body that gives you pleasure. What's so terrible about that?"
"When you put it that way, nothing," Cuddy admitted. "You're sure you're okay with it?"
"First of all," House said, "After getting sex almost exclusively from hookers for the past ten years, I'm in no position to judge the 'morality' or 'correctness' of someone else's sexuality. Second, as I've told you countless times, I love your body, Cuddy. All of it."
"I was right," Cuddy stated with a huge smile on her face.
"About what?" House asked.
"You are beautiful," she said softly.
It was House's turn to feel uncomfortable. He decided to deflect. "You know, I never did get my dessert."
"You had quite a bit of chocolate, as I recall," Cuddy argued.
"Forget the chocolate," House growled, "I want to taste you."
Cuddy smiled as House left a trail of kisses down to her core. He gave her three orgasms with his mouth before little Greg took both of them over the edge. They fell into a blissful sleep.
