What Happens in Atlantic City, Stays in Atlantic City

Cuddy pulled off her shoes and ran into the water. "Come on." She beckoned to Damien who laughed and stood just out of reach.

"Do you know how much this suit costs?"

"If you're so worried about it, take it off." Cuddy challenged him.

Damien wasn't worried about his suit, and he had no idea how much it had cost. He was much more worried about getting burned, which he knew was going to happen at some point.

"Chicken?" Lo bitched.

"Tell you what." He shot a glare at Lo before turning back to Cuddy. "I will plunge naked into this freezing cold water if you do something for me."

"What would I have to do?" Cuddy was intrigued.

"I can't tell you that now," he teased.

"Why not?" She took his hand and tried to pull him towards the water.

"Because if I tell you what it is now, you might not want to do it." Damien was being honest.

"It better not be sex!" Lo hated being put in the position of being the responsible adult, but Cuddy was her friend, and Cuddy needed one night to let loose and not risk losing everything, and it was Lo's job to make sure she stayed on this side of that fine line.

"It's not sex," Damien assured her. "But it's very sexy." He smiled mischievously. "So, are you game? Do you trust me?"

"How do you know I'll keep my end of it?" Cuddy asked innocently.

"I don't." He was willing to take the risk.

Cuddy looked at him, her head cocked to one side. He reminded her so much of House, before the infarction and bitterness had taken over his life. The cockiness, the bravado, the willingness to do anything, those were all part of the House she'd fallen in love with over twenty years ago, and they were all still there, somewhere, in the House she was about to marry.

"You've got yourself a deal. Now get naked and get wet."

"If you insist." Damien shook his head. He had no fear of doing crazy things like this. He enjoyed living on the edge.

With a great flourish, he stripped down to his boxers. They had flames on them. He could see her laughing. "They were a gift."

"From whom?" She wondered what kind of woman would give a man silk flaming boxers. She wondered what House would say if she ever got him a pair.

"My dear old grandmother," he said pulling them down to his ankles.

Now completely naked, Damien ran into the water and sunk down to his shoulders. "Are you satisfied?" He asked, shivering.

"Oh yes."

They heard the familiar squawk of a police car. "Oh shit!" Lo was the first to see the uniformed officer coming down the beach. "RUN!"

Lo ran down the beach as fast as she could. Cuddy swept up Damien's discarded clothes and took off after her, motioning Damien to swim along.

Breathlessly both women stopped after they crossed beneath the pier. They should be safe here. The cop seemed to have given up pursuit and gone for a coffee break. "Where's...Damien?" Lo was huffing and puffing from her uncharacteristic burst of activity.

Cuddy looked around. She was in better shape than her friend, endurancewise, but even she was breathing heavy.

Damien came up behind her, and wrapped one hand around her waist. "Can I have my clothes back please?"

Cuddy spun around in his arms, startled. "Oh." It was him.

"I'm a little chilly, do you mind?" Damien would have much rather had her warm him up, but putting his clothes on was the safer option.

"You don't look cold," Lo said, taking a moment to check him out. Shrinkage had not taken hold of this man.

"Not bad, huh?" He smiled charmingly. He was certainly not ashamed of his body, and the alcohol running through his veins only made him more of an exhibitionist.

"I've seen better," said Lo dismissively. She was rather annoyed that he wasn't spending his time trying to woo her instead of her practically married friend.

"I've seen worse." Cuddy realized she was transfixed and quickly flipped her eyes back to his face. He was grinning at her, which made her blush.

"I hope you don't mean your fiancé." Damien had to make a conscious effort to remember House. He liked her far too much to forget she was engaged.

Cuddy bit her lip and said nothing. She could feel the flush rising to her cheeks and hoped no one noticed in the dark moonlight. House was quite well endowed, but...

"Aren't you going to get dressed now?" Cuddy really needed him to cover that thing up.

"I'm all wet." Damien looked down at his muscular body, still dripping with sea water.

"You're not the only one." Lo was looking at her friend, but she couldn't exclude herself from that accusation. Cuddy shot her a death glare.

Damien sat down in the sand, leaning back on his elbows.

"You're ass is going to get all sandy," Lo warned.

"Well, you'll just have to wipe it off for me, won't you?" He shot back.

Lo didn't at all mind the idea of smacking that tight little ass till all the sand came out, but she knew he'd much rather have Cuddy do it, and that was kind of a buzz kill.

Cuddy sat down beside him, far less concerned about the sand. "Lo, find us something to drink, would you?" she called back to her friend. Lo wasn't stupid, she knew Cuddy wanted to be alone with this guy, but she wasn't stupid enough to let her be.

"Only if you come with me."

Cuddy sighed. "I'm not going to do anything stupid while you're gone Lo."

"Are you sure about that Lisa?" Lo wasn't. Lo had known Lisa Cuddy on and off for years, and though they had been apart during Cuddy's first affair with House, Lo had heard the stories. She knew of the sexy daredevil who challenged her and looked at her much the way Damien was doing now.

"GO!" Cuddy commanded. One thing about Cuddy. When she finally decided to put her foot down, she smashed it down so hard it shook the earth.

"Fine," Lo said, knowing this was one of those times.

"She means well," Damien said as Lo trudged up the hill of sand.

"I know."

"She doesn't want me to take advantage of you," he said, looking at her.

"I know." She looked back and once again was distracted by his bare skin. "Would you put some clothes on?"

"Still wet," was his excuse not to.

"At least cover that thing up." She tossed his boxers over his penis so it would stop hypnotizing her.

"Sorry." It was his turn to blush.

She fell silent, staring out into the ocean, listening to the waves as they crashed on the shore, and quite aware that her friend was a few feet away, hiding behind the lifeguard station and watching her every move.

"When is the wedding?" Damien once again had to remind himself she was engaged.

"What?" She'd been lost in thought. Remembering House as she'd first met him. He would have laid there naked in the sand, teasing her, only he would have taken her hand, and slid it over his cock and..."Oh, the wedding. It's next month."

"Not really enough time for me to lure you away from him then?" He knew it wasn't.

"No." She laughed. He was really doing wonders for her ego.

"This House is one very lucky man." She looked beautiful in the moonlight.

"He wouldn't think so." House would never admit to being lucky or happy or anything good. He never could.

"Well, if you ever get sick of him, come and find me."

"Will you still be laying here on the beach?"

"If it will help." His smile lit up the night.

Cuddy placed her hand on his chest. It was smooth and she could feel the muscles rippling beneath her touch. She ran her hand slowly over his skin, feeling the tingling feeling she loved so much. "I think you're dry now," she said, pulling her hand away before it was too late.

"Oh, I beg to differ," he said suggestively.

"Put your clothes on, before Lo calls the police to arrest you."

"She would, wouldn't she?" He got up and wiped the sand off his ass. He would love to have asked her, but she might actually take him up on it, and he didn't think he could handle that.

"She would." Cuddy smiled as she watched him get dressed. "You can come out now Lo. The sex is over now."

"I'm sick of being the responsible one." Lo helped pull Cuddy to her feet.

"Well, you're just going to have to suck it up, because I'm here to have a good time." Cuddy put her arm around Damien's neck and let him lead her off the beach. "So Damien, what should we do next?"

"It's a surprise." Damien led the two women back up to the Boardwalk.