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Give a man a free hand and he'll run it all over you - Mae West
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.*.*.*.
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Three hours later he was back. He didn't want to reveal how relieved he was when he got back to the room and she was okay. He'd been monitoring her on his mobile but there was no substitute for seeing her in the flesh… so to speak. She was dozing. Well, she had nothing else to do. It was passed her bedtime, it had been a long, long day, and she'd have been bored – once she stopped inventing new names to call him. He took a moment to check her over – even breathing, no sweating, she almost looked relaxed. He didn't often see her like that. He allowed the plate of food to clatter onto the nightstand startling her awake.
"House? What time is it?
"Elevenish."
"Is the dinner over?" She hoped the time he'd been gone indicated that he'd done as he'd said and gritted out the dinner. Unfortunately it was just as likely that he'd been in the bar having been chucked out of the meal after half an hour.
"It is for me."
"House, what did you do?"
"Nothing. I was a good boy, Mommy. I just made good my escape while everyone thought that was still the case. Made my boss the excuse. Do I get my reward now?"
"How did it go?"
"Fine," responded House. He looked her up and down. "You've been trying to escape, you've made your wrists red." She rolled her eyes.
"Naturally, I tried to get free. You left me with monster trucks."
"And your skirt's ridden up." He moved his hand in the direction of her leg of which a significant amount of thigh was exposed. She'd hoped that with her flexibility she'd be able to escape her bonds when House left. Unfortunately for her, either House was lucky or he knew how to tie her wrists so she couldn't wriggle out of them. As House didn't believe in luck she could only assume he knew all about tying bonds and she really didn't want to think about that too closely. Also, unluckily for her, her skirt had ridden up while she'd been wriggling about. She'd then made it even worse by wriggling to try to get it down again.
He sat down next to her on the bed, then slowly and inexorably moved his hand towards her thigh.
"House!" She'd kick him if he touched her. There was a gossamer touch to her skin as House picked up the hem of her skirt and pulled it back down. He put his fingers on her neck to take her pulse.
"A little elevated," he said. She glared at him. Her heart had been going twenty to the dozen at the thought he was going to touch her. He smiled then limped tiredly across the room.
"Hey, untie me."
"In a minute." A nature program was just starting on the television. He ignored it until he heard the word tigers. He glanced up then grabbed the remote to switch it off. The last thing he needed was to watch the mating habits of tigers when he had a captive one of his own of which he couldn't take advantage.
"Is this some sort of cruel and unusual punishment - you put food in front of me but don't let me get at it?" She asked. He picked up her purse and rummaged in it.
"Are you sure you know what's on that plate – I might be about to force feed you steak tartare?"
"What are you doing in my purse?" She asked with a puzzled frown.
"Looking for something." She rolled her eyes.
"What?"
"This," he said pulling out her pen light. "I knew you'd be anal enough to never go anywhere without one. I'm surprised you haven't got one strapped to your thigh with a mobile phone strapped to the other thigh." He contemplated that for a moment. "Do you?"
"I think you just got sufficient view to see that I don't."
"Mobile phone could be on the other thigh?"
"No. Will you untie me!"
"What's the matter? Not into a little role playing?" he limped back to the bed and sat down next to her. "Let's play doctors and patients. You're the patient. That means… I'm the doctor," he said with a certain amount of glee and a gleam in his eye. Cuddy huffed.
"I'm fine. Just bored and a few of my brain cells died trying not to listen to the monster trucks but other than that I'm fine. Just untie me."
"Unluckily for you, you don't get a choice." He took her chin is his hand and waved the penlight in her eyes. She tried to shake her head free.
"House!"
"Hmm, dilation and response fine. Shame I can't take your blood pressure."
"It would be becoming more elevated by the minute," she snapped.
"Really. Bondage turns you on." She glared at him.
"Untie me," she insisted.
"No. Got you where I want you. I can give you the full examination …the professional one while you can only whinge and bleat but not move."
"House, I'm fine. There's no need to do this." House continued to ignore her.
"Hmmm, should have got you to take off all you clothes before you lied down. I'll just have to help you off with them now." He moved his hands threateningly.
"House!" she said, with an evil glare.
"Did you wear the edible underwear?"
"No. Talking of which I'm hungry untie me - please." He picked up a grape and moved it above her lips.
"House, stop it."
"I thought you were hungry? Do I need to peel the grape?" He asked her, innocently.
"No, just untie me and I can eat it myself."
"I'm just trying to be helpful here. Not untying you until I have completed my examination. Come on, Cuddy, just a little grape for the nice doctor." He rubbed the grape over her lips. "Open wide." She was caught. She couldn't say anything because House would push the grape into her mouth when she opened it but she didn't want to meekly take the grape from him. She opted for snapping at the grape and nearly biting his finger.
"You're such a child! Now untie me," she tried again.
"You going to make it worth my while?"
"How about I make your life hell if you don't?"
"Tricky if I don't. Any nausea, light headiness?"
"No."
"Are you sure your okay, Cuddy, only your respiration rate seems to be increasing?"
"I. Am. Fine." She said, slowly and deliberately.
"You're slightly flushed." He put the back of his hand to her forehead. She gave him a narrow eyed evil glare. "As your doctor I'm not prepared to sign your release papers without a thorough examination. Your off your food, flushed, heavy breathing – not looking good, Cuddy. Not looking good at all. I better check you lymph glands."
"House!" He grinned.
"You flat on your back, on the bed, yelling my name… it's such a turn on."
"Sign me off AMA."
"No! I need to listen to your heart. You carry a stethoscope about with you, too?"
"No," she said, with barely concealed frustration.
"Oh. I'll just have to improvise." He turned his head to move his ear down to her chest.
"House! Stop this. I'm fine. You said to trust you."
"Ouch! Spoilsport."
"Untie me."
"Nope."
"Why not?"
"You need to be under observation for at least another hour. If I untie you, you'll insist on going back to your room which would be unwise for a least a couple of reasons. As you pointed out before you can out run me even in heels, so, rather than let you go, I'll just leave you restrained. Now, more food?"
"Don't you dare."
"You daring me?" His eyes twinkled dangerously, but then he seemed to think better of it. "I know you're pissed at me – you often are. Fortunately, it's a good look for you. But at least you're a safe pissed."
"Don't you think you're being over cautious?"
"I think you must be confusing me with you. The speech went well by the way - much fawning and nothing words after, especially from the host's wife – trophy wife that is – blond and buxom. Slit in her dress from here to here and here to here." He demonstrated on her without touching.
"Don't change the subject. Untie me."
"Not listening. Cheesy twist? We don't want you doing anything stupid." She kicked out at him. He caught her foot easily, had obviously been expecting it. He moved a finger close to her sole threatening to tickle.
"Nooooo!" she tried to yank her foot back, it was only successful in letting the skirt slip back over her thighs. She looked aghast at the large area of flesh displayed, even more than before. He looked mesmerised by the large area of flesh displayed.
"House!" He snapped out of his trance.
"Now was that a reflex kicking response Cuddy, or did you do that deliberately? Need to know in case this is a new symptom."
"There aren't any symptoms, let alone new ones," she snapped. He just continued to look at her enquiringly. She sighed. "It was deliberate."
"Are you just telling me that so I'll let you go? Then again, can I trust your responses… such a dilemma…" He put her foot down on the bed. Then let his fingers skim up her calf to her knee… and beyond.
"House, my wrists hurt, my shoulders ache..." Recite the muscle groups, he said to himself. Keep control. Soleus, tibialis anterior, gastrocnemius, vastus medialis, vastus lateralis. He reached the hem of her dress, she froze. He gave a sad sigh and pulled the dress back down over her legs. Making her more decent but not necessarily more presentable, to his eyes anyway. She swallowed and her eyes closed briefly.
"Please, untie me, House," she asked, softly.
"You going to promise not to make any escape attempts?"
"You're being…" she tried.
"That'll be a no then?" he cut her off.
"I won't make an escape attempt," she said, quickly, not wanting him to back off.
"You won't leave this room until I say you're okay to go?" he asked, seriously.
"Okay. Okay," she agreed. "But I think you're being obsessive." He gave a wry half smile. Then reached up to undo the knots. She sighed with relief and groaned as the blood started flowing into cramped muscles. House rubbed her shoulders for her. That and the "Better to be safe than sorry," was the only apology she was going to get, but it was better than nothing, and she supposed he was right.
"You really attended the function?" She reached for the plate of food.
"Oh ye of little faith! I went down to the function, made your apologies, said you were ovulating and had jumped some guy in the bar... okay, I said you'd been taken ill and I was monitoring you on my mobile because I was concerned. It seemed to go down well with the hostess. She thought I was amazingly dedicated. There I was monitoring you even while I was out enjoying myself – obviously some definition of enjoying myself I haven't heard before but she seemed happy so, I sat back and thought of… the hospital. Such a caring and concerned doctor not switching off my phone even during the meal - the food was as bad as expected by the way – not much for vegetarians either, some very well done cheese and onion flan thing you did well to miss out on."
"Where did you get this food then?"
"I slipped into another function. They had a really good buffet in there. I spent half an hour grazing before they sussed me."
"You did do your speech?"
"Did you know that dolus in Latin means fraud, deceit, treachery or a trap?"
"House?" She looked concerned.
"Yes, Mom, I did my speech, 29 minutes and 45 seconds. Are you going to tell me off for the extra 15 seconds? Everyone said they were very pleased. It took me 20 minutes to escape and I only managed that by saying you were looking green or did I say blue. I said you'd changed colour anyway although over the mobile it looked like you were red bordering on purple. I'm glad I turned the sound down it looked like you were ranting. For a moment, I thought you were exhibiting some symptoms, then I realized it was your usual harpy demeanour. The speeches were extremely boring, except mine of course – I livened it up with a few embarrassing patient moments."
"Please tell me you didn't mock?" He took a deep breath. She got ready to cringe.
"I didn't mock. Do you believe me?" She looked noncommittal. "I was too busy watching you writhing about on the bed to pay much attention to anybody else. Good ploy, Cuddy." It had been fascinating watching the glacial upward progress of the hem of her dress up her leg to her knee, above the knee, the start of her thigh…
"I got an itch!" She gave as a mitigating circumstance.
"Doesn't that always happen when your hands are occupied? You mean you weren't deliberately trying to distract me?"
"As if I knew the schedule so I could distract you at just the right moment!"
"So, I did everything you wanted. What's my reward?"
"Have a grape." She popped one into his mouth as he opened it to protest. He pretended he was going to spit back at her but then sucked it back into his mouth and ate it.
"That's really motivational. You could have at least made it a cherry!" He got up and moved towards the bathroom. He left the door open, so he heard her as she got up.
"No, trying to sneak out while my back's turned," he yelled.
"I'm just getting a bottle of water."
"Don't …." She didn't hear the rest of the sentence over the flushing of the toilet. She noticed the bottle House had filled in the bar earlier and ignored that and reached for the half full bottle of water.
"I didn't hear that. What did you say, House?" She took a big glug from the bottle, then nearly choked. It wasn't water.
"I said I switched bottles so don't drink…" He stuck his head round the bathroom door and saw her shocked face. He looked at the bottle in her hand. "Shit! Please tell me you didn't drink that?"
"Please tell me this is not what I think it is?" she returned.
"I was being paranoid. Just in case they tried to mug us for it later. How much did you drink? More than a sip?" She nodded her head, looking horror-struck. "Shit! This is going to be a long night."