Chapter 35

HOUSE

During the short time that I napped, Elle had transformed the apartment. The table was adorned with a nice white tablecloth and a pair of silver candlesticks that held 2 long white tapers. The flowers were centered on the coffee table and 2 plates of hors d'oeuvres surrounded them. One plate held some cut-up veggies with a bowl of dip in the middle and the other plate held cheese and crackers. I grabbed a cracker and a piece of cheese and wandered into the kitchen.

"Hey, looks pretty fancy around here. You didn't have to do so much."

"It's not a big deal. I used to have Friday night dinners all the time. Plus your Mom helped."

Elle handed me a stack of napkins and asked: "Could you set these on the coffee table next to one of the platters? And could you put on some nice soft dinner music for us?"

I took the napkins from her, bent down and quickly kissed her lips and then limped into the living room. I tossed the napkins down next to the cheese and crackers platter and then went over to the CD rack. I pulled out several CD's of classical music and put them in the player on shuffle. I adjusted the volume and then sat on the futon. I was munching on more cheese and crackers when Mom walked in. Wilson was right behind her.

"Look who I found in the foyer."

I snarked: "Well, just because he followed you home, doesn't mean you can keep him."

Wilson chuckled: "Funny. Where's your much better half?"

"Right here."

Elle walked over to Wilson, kissed him on both cheeks and said: "Shabbat Shalom."

He answered with the same greeting. "Shabbat Shalom. I hope this wine is OK."

Elle took the proffered bag from him and examined the contents. "Oh, you got some Israeli merlot. Cool, I haven't tried these. Let's pop the cork so it can breathe a bit."

Wilson followed Elle into the kitchen and after a few minutes, we heard 2 pops. He walked out of the kitchen with a bottle in each hand and set them down on the table. He came over to us, grabbed a couple of pieces of cheese and said: "So Blythe, how have you been? It's been, oh, since November, right?"

"Yes, James, it was November when we were last here. You have a good memory. We have been doing well. John is off on a fishing trip, but I guess you know that. I have been spending a lot of time in my garden. I've started growing heirloom roses now. It's quite enjoyable."

"That's great. I guess the weather in San Diego is amenable to growing roses year-round."

"Well, I just put them out in the spring, but they are supposed to winter well in our climate. And what about you? I do hope work is not keeping you as busy as it seems to keep Greg. And how's Julie? I'm so sorry that she was unable to join us tonight."

Fortunately for Wilson he was saved from answering that question by some loud knocking on the door. Since Wilson was already standing, he opened the door. Avi burst into the room with Ricky right behind him.

Avi called: "Shabbat shalom y'all! Where's my little sister? Ah, there you are." Elle was walking towards him with a big smile on her face. Avi grabbed her and spun her around, making her squeal. He set her down and grabbed her face with both hands.

In a much quieter voice, Avi said: "Shabbat shalom, Elle."

"Shabbat shalom, Avi."

He kissed her. She threw her arms around his neck and gave him a big hug.

Then she gave him a kiss on the cheek and looked down at his empty hands: "So where's the challah?"

He sighed dramatically: "Like I would forget it?"

Ricky interjected: "Uh, yeah, you would. But I didn't." He held up the transparent plastic bag with the loaf of bread inside. "Got us an apple crumb pie from the Main Street Bakery too."

"Oh, Ricky, you're so sweet."

Elle walked over to him and kissed both cheeks. "Shabbat shalom."

"Shabbat shalom, sweetie, now, where can I put this?"

"I'll take it."

Elle took the bread and the pie from Ricky. "Come and meet someone."

They moved over to the futon. Elle said: "Blythe, I'd like you to meet my dear friends Avi Friedman and Ricky Schwartz. Guys, this is Greg's Mom, Blythe House."

Mom held out her hand and shook first Avi's and then Ricky's hand. "It's so nice to meet you both. I'm confused. I thought Elle was an only child, but you called her 'your little sister'."

Avi laughed: "Elle is like a sister to me. I only have brothers and she has no siblings so we have adopted each other."

"So which one of you is the drummer?"

Avi answered: "That's me. Elle told you about our band, huh?"

"Yes, she did and I'm coming to hear you play tomorrow night."

"Oh, cool. You'll get to meet all the other guys, including my twin brother."

I eased away from the futon at that point. Avi and Ricky had engaged Mom in an animated conversation and since she was occupied, I didn't need to keep her company. I wandered into the kitchen and watched as Elle finish the dinner preparations. Wilson was helping out by slicing tomatoes and onions for the salad.

Wilson glanced my way and said: "You could help."

"I am helping. I'm staying out of the way."

He smirked and went back to his chopping.

I watched as Elle laid the brisket on a serving platter. It smelled really good and my stomach started growling. She surrounded the roast with baby potatoes and carrots and laid some onions on top of the meat.

From the living room, Avi called out: "Hey, Elle. It's after 7. Light the candles, already."

Elle yelled back: "I'm just waiting for our last guest."

"Who else is coming?"

I snarked: "The wicked witch of PPTH."

Mom frowned at me: "Greg, that's no way to talk about your boss."

"But, MOOOOOM. She's so mean to me. She makes me work in the clinic. I have to see runny noses, barf and crotch infections."

Ricky grimaced: "Ooooo, thanks for sharing that."

Wilson smirked: "Hmm, funny that you didn't realize you would have to deal with those things when you were in medical school. Maybe you would have chosen another profession."

"Aren't we clever tonight?"

Elle just smiled through our whole exchange. She took the challah to the table, placed in on a platter and covered it with a cloth. Then she went to the front closet and started rummaging around for something. From the depths of the closet, she called out: "Avi, do you have a kippah? I want you to say Kiddush and the motzi."

"I have one, sweetie."

"OK." Elle emerged from the closet with a small white cloth.

Wilson asked: "Do you want all of us to wear kippahs?"

"Oh, no. You don't have to. Avi does if he says the blessings; I just wanted to make sure he had one."

I raised one eyebrow: "The blessings?"

Elle smiled at me: "Yeah, it's Friday night. We're Jews. There are certain rituals that we do. You'll see. It won't hurt."

Before I could ask any more, there was a knock at the door. I sighed with relief. Cuddy was here and at long last we could eat.

I limped to the door to let her in. Cuddy looked nice, wearing a conservative navy blue dress and her pearls. Sadly the twins were not peeking out at me. However, she was carrying a bag that looked like it contained a bottle.

I snarked: "Shabbat shalom."

The look of surprise on her face was so worth it.

Slowly she said: "Shabbat shalom. Wow, I've never heard you say that before. Am I in the twilight zone?"

"It's seems to be the Jewish twilight zone. Was Rod Serling Jewish?"

Elle rolled her eyes. "Actually, he was, but he converted to Unitarianism. Dr Cuddy, it's nice to see you. Shabbat shalom."

"Shabbat shalom, Elle. And please call me Lisa. We are not at work. Thank you for inviting me. This is for you." Cuddy handed her the bag.

"Oh, thank you. But you certainly didn't have to bring anything."

"My mother would kill me if she knew I went to someone's house for Shabbat dinner and didn't bring anything."

Elle smiled and then pulled the bottle out of the bag. It turned out to be a bottle of 15-year-old Laphroaig single-malt scotch.

I grabbed the bottle from Elle's hand and took a good look at it. This was a very expensive bottle of scotch.

I moaned: "Oh, Cuddy, you are my new bestest friend."

She slapped my shoulder: "Smart ass. Where's your Mom?"

The open door had hidden the view of the rest of the room so she didn't see Mom on the futon with the boys.

Elle said: "Blythe is over here. And let me introduce you to my friends."

Lisa and Mom had a nice reunion hug and then Elle introduced the boys to her. Avi looked pointedly at his watch and then at Elle.

She threw up her hands: "I'm lighting them. Keep your shirt on."

Elle walked over to the table, draped the white cloth over her head and lit a match. She lit both candles, waved her hands around the flames 3 times and then covered her face with her hands. In a loud clear voice, she chanted: "Barukh atta Adonai eloheinu melekh ha-olam, asher kid'shanu b'mitzvotav v'tzivanu l'hadlik ner shel Shabbat."

After a moment of silence, Mom piped up: "That was lovely, dear. What does that mean?"

"It's just the blessing that you say when you light the Sabbath candles. I can't translate it exactly, but Avi can."

I groaned: "Can we have the Hebrew lesson later? Let's eat now."

Elle giggled as she walked towards me while removing the cloth from her head. "Are you hungry?" She had a saucy look on her face.

I grabbed her around the waist and said: "Yes, but for food this time. The other hunger is satisfied for the moment."

She blushed slightly and bit her bottom lip. She always looked incredibly sexy when she did that.

What was it about her that made me forget that there were other people in the room? I bent and kissed her lips, pulling that pouty lower lip between mine.

I whispered in French: "Feed me now or your punishment will be even bigger than I originally planned."

She gave me a smile that lit up her whole face and I was again stunned that this amazing woman was voluntarily in my arms.

Looking over her shoulder at our guests, Elle asked: "Are y'all ready to eat?"

There was a chorus of affirmative answers.

Elle looked back at me: "Why don't you pour everyone some wine and I'll get the food."

She draped the cloth over the back of the chair at the end of the table. Addressing the group, Elle said: "Sit wherever you like. Just leave this one for me, so I can get in and out of the kitchen easier."

Elle headed into the kitchen and Wilson followed her.

I took one bottle, Avi took the other and we filled the wineglasses. Elle and Wilson came back and set the platters on the table. Elle sat at one end of the table flanked by Ricky and Avi. I took the other end and Wilson and Cuddy flanked me. Mom sat in between Wilson and Ricky.

When we were all seated, Avi stood up and pulled a kippah out of his pocket. He set it on his head and raised his wineglass. We all followed suit. In a harmonious voice, he chanted: "Barukh atta Adonai eloheinu melekh ha-olam, bo-re p'ri ha-gafen."

Everyone, except for Mom and I, intoned "Amen". Following Avi's lead, we all took a gulp of wine. It has a nice flavor; I definitely wanted more of that.

Then Avi uncovered the challah and held it aloft while he chanted: "Barukh atta Adonai eloheinu melekh ha-olam, ha-motzi lechem min ha-aretz."

Again, everyone else intoned "Amen"; Mom included this time. Avi tore off pieces of the bread and passed one to each person. Everyone munched on their piece of bread while Elle took the large platter of meat and walked around the table serving everyone. Meanwhile, we all passed around the salad bowl. Finally Elle sat down and served herself. Once she was settled, we all dug in.

The brisket was melt-in-your-mouth tender. It was so delicious that it was all I could do not to moan out loud. Everyone else seemed to be enjoying their food also, even Cuddy who rarely ate meat. There were a few minutes of initial quiet while everyone started their dinner, and then slowly the conversations picked up again. I could hear Ricky and Mom talking about the Morven Gardens. Avi and Elle were talking about music. Wilson and I were having one of our endless discussions concerning the Eagles versus the Jets. Cuddy was quiet. She looked around the table as she nibbled on her dinner. She seemed relaxed, yet her eyes were far away.

Elle noticed, of course. "Lisa, can I get you anything else? Some more wine, perhaps?"

"Some more wine would be great, thank you."

Cuddy held her glass up while Avi topped it off for her. She thanked him, took a sip and then said: "You know I was just thinking. This is just like Friday night dinners when I was growing up. The relatives would come over and we'd light the candles. And we'd sing 'Shalom Aleikhem' before we said Kiddush. It was nice. I was just reminiscing about that. I haven't thought of that in a while."

Avi poured himself some more wine and said: "Friday night dinners were big for us too. I grew up Modern Orthodox. My aunt and uncle had 6 kids and they would all come over just about every Friday night. Imagine nine kids at one table. It was wild. The zemirot might go on for 2 hours. Sometimes we would thump the table so hard that the glasses would fall off."

Elle giggled: "I would have liked to have seen that. How did your mother put up with all of that?"

He shrugged: "She always bought dime-store wine glasses. Who cares if they break when they are inexpensive? The good stuff only came out for Passover and Rosh Hashanah. We were better behaved on those occasions."

Mom piped in: "Avi, what is zemirot?"

"Those are special Shabbat songs. When you finish eating, first you chant Birkat ha-Mazon, which are the blessings after the meal. Then you can sing zemirot and that can go on as long as you want. And the more wine you drink, the longer it can go on."

Elle tittered: "Although these days, it's more like Barry Manilow after dinner than zemirot."

Ricky laughed while Avi shushed them both.

I grinned inwardly. Barry Manilow? That was way too stereotypical. I had to run with this one.

I addressed Elle: "Avi sings Barry Manilow?"

Elle chortled: "Yes. Avi has a great singing voice, which you don't get to hear very often since drummers don't sing lead much. He also plays a mean guitar."

Wilson asked: "How did you end up becoming the drummer for the band?"

"We needed one. All the guys we knew played guitar and no one played the drums. Mom wasn't really happy when I took them up, but she got over it. And it's fun. I love pounding the shit out of them. It's more fun breaking drumsticks than guitar strings anyway. And Adam is a much better guitarist than I will ever be."

Elle squeezed his arm: "You're too modest. Let's play after dinner. Come on, like we used to."

Ricky joined in: "Yeah, Avi, do it. We haven't heard any Barry in a long time."

"I'm sure your guests are not exactly fans of Barry Manilow."

There was a chorus of voices expressing love for Barry's songs, including mine, mainly because I just wanted to hear Avi sing.

In a wheedling tone, Elle said: "Piano's across the hall. You can use my guitar. Come on, pleeeeease?"

Everyone joined in on the begging and finally Avi caved. "OK, OK. After dinner, but there had better be brownies afterwards."

Elle clapped her hands: "There are brownies, Mike's vanilla ice cream, apple crumb pie and of course, after-dinner drinks."

Avi sighed: "Yeah, I'll need a bunch of those."

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Conversation was fairly lively as we finished dinner. I didn't say much, I mostly watched Elle. She was really animated and it was obvious that she was having a good time. Finally everyone had eaten their fill and sat back with stuffed bellies.

Cuddy spoke up: "Elle, that was wonderful. You're a great cook."

Elle smiled shyly and said: "Thank you. I'm glad you enjoyed it."

Wilson said: "I second that. And, Cuddy, you should taste her spaghetti sauce. Elle makes it from scratch and it is fabulous."

Mom piped in with: "I can vouch for that. You are an excellent cook, dear."

I smirked: "Of course, she is. As much as I like to eat, would I keep a woman around who can't cook?"

Cuddy shot me a smug look: "Stacy didn't cook. And you kept her around for a while."

I gave her an evil look: "Yeah, well, she was good at ordering take-out."

Wilson made a noise like he was going to choke.

I glanced at Elle to see if this line of conversation was bothering her, but she just looked amused.

I jerked my chin towards her and said: "This one swings both ways. She can cook and order take-out."

Cuddy gasped at my comment and Elle stuck her tongue out at me.

"Hey, I told you not to stick that out unless you are prepared to use it."

Elle grinned and said: "Not in front of an audience, sweetheart. Maybe later if you're a good boy."

Our eyes locked and I said slowly: "Oh, I'm very, very good."

The corners of her eyes crinkled, as her smile got bigger.

Wilson groaned and Cuddy slapped my arm. "You should be ashamed of yourself, talking like that in front of your Mom."

Mom waved her hand in Cuddy's direction: "Oh, it doesn't bother me, dear. I'm happy that my son has a great sex life."

Every mouth at the table hung open from Mom's comment. Elle blushed quite red that time. She looked at me and mouthed: "Oh my Gawd."

I chuckled and just shook my head.

Avi pushed his chair back from the table and stood up. "OK. Who's ready for some Barry Manilow?"

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Elle told everyone to leave the dishes and she quickly wrapped up the leftovers. Avi fetched her guitar from the bedroom and we trooped across the hall to my apartment. The rest of the wine accompanied us.

Elle sat down at the piano and warmed up by playing some scales.

Mom, Cuddy and I shared the couch while Wilson perched on the arm. Ricky pulled the straight-back chair over from the desk to sit on. Avi stood, tuning the guitar for a moment, before he joined Elle on the piano bench.

Scowling, he addressed us: "Are you sure you want to hear Barry Manilow? We could just get Elle to sing; I'm sure you'd enjoy that a lot more."

We all protested and assured him that we wanted to hear him sing Barry. He glanced at Elle; she had a goofy smile on her face.

"Come on, let's do it. For Auld Lang Syne, bro."

Elle started playing; it turned out to be the opening bars of "Weekend in New England". At the appropriate time, Avi started singing. Once he started singing, he really got into it and he did have a great voice. Too bad he was hidden back with his drums; he should definitely solo more often with the band. We applauded at the end of the song and Avi looked quite sheepish.

He kissed Elle on the cheek and said: "I can't do this without you."

Elle began the opening bars of "Can't Smile Without You".

Avi groaned: "You cheesy bitch."

Elle laughed, started singing the song and Avi joined in. They harmonized well together on the chorus and Avi sang solo on the verses. You could tell that they were having fun. I found myself smiling as I watched them. When Elle was happy, it was incredibly infectious. Elle was a born entertainer. She loved playing for an audience, whether it was a barroom full at Satchel's or a gang of 5 in my living room.

When we applauded at the end of that song, Avi joked and said: "Please folks. Hold your applause until the end of the night."

We all laughed.

Mom piped up: "Avi, do you know "Mandy"?

Ricky laughed: "Oh, yeah, he knows "Mandy". He sings that in the shower all the time with the bottle of shampoo as a microphone."

Avi snarled: "You know, there are some things that you shouldn't mention in front of company, and that would be one of them."

Elle covered her mouth to keep from laughing. Ricky had no qualms about laughing cuz he did. "Oh, stop being a drama queen and sing it already. The lady has requested it."

Avi rolled his eyes, but Elle started the opening bars and he started singing at the right place. To my surprise, Ricky stood up, came over to Mom and said: "May I have the honor of a dance with you?"

Mom nodded, took his hand and they went behind the couch to a more open floor space to dance. Ricky was a very good dancer; I wondered if he had taken ballroom lessons. He was that good. He even spun Mom around and dipped her. Wilson, Cuddy and I sat there, watching, slack-jawed.

From "Mandy", they went right into "This One's for you". Wilson took Cuddy's hand and led her behind the sofa. Now there were two couples dancing in that space. Wilson's dance technique was not nearly as good as Ricky's but he made up for it by holding Cuddy really close. Her head rested on his shoulder, eyes closed, with a blissful look on her face. I just shook my head. This had to be one of the strangest nights I had ever spent in my apartment.

They danced through 2 more songs and then they all sat down. Mom looked flushed, but happy.

I squeezed her shoulder: "Have fun?"

"Oh, yes. Goodness, me. I can't remember the last time I went dancing. And Ricky can really cut a rug."

"Yeah, you two looked good together."

Pointing towards the piano, Mom said: "Those two are really good. Elle is just fabulous on the piano. She knows so many songs by heart."

"Oh, you ain't seen nothing yet, Mom. Wait until tomorrow night. She will amaze you."

Avi and Elle were arguing; he was tired of singing and wanted her to take over. She claimed he hadn't finished his repertoire of Barry songs and wanted him to finish.

"No. They've heard enough of Barry. You sing something."

"No, you sing one more, and then I'll sing."

They had a whispered conference and then Elle started playing. It turned out to be "Your Song" by Elton John. Avi looked at Ricky as he sang it. The slight smile on his face and the quirk of an eyebrow as he sang, spoke volumes of his feelings for Ricky.

When they finished, we all applauded. Ricky walked over and gave Avi a kiss. "That was fabulous. Now, Elle, darling, sing my favorite."

Elle groaned: "If you insist."

"I insist."

Ricky and Avi flopped together on the floor next to the piano. Avi put his arm around Ricky's shoulders and they leaned against each other as they watched Elle. Her fingers flew across the keys banging out a tune that I didn't recognize. It was a complicated allegro and then suddenly the tune slowed down and she started singing: "Somewhere Over the Rainbow."

My mouth dropped. I had never heard her sing this song before. Each word passed over her lips like a caress as she poured so much emotion into the song. She sang so beautifully that I think everyone was stunned because the room was completely silent when she finished.

Finally the silence was broken when Ricky sighed: "I know it's gay, but I just love Judy."

Mom gushed: "Oh Elle, you sang that so beautifully that I could just close my eyes and imagine that it was Dorothy singing it from Kansas."

Elle laughed: "I've watched that movie a hundred times. I love all the songs in it. However, I need a drink after that."

Wilson poured the remainder of the wine into her glass and she took a big sip. Everyone started chatting. Still holding her wineglass, Elle walked over to me. She knelt in front of me and placed her hand on the back of my neck, urging me forward. I leaned towards her and felt her lips on my cheek.

She whispered in my ear: "How're you doing with all this commotion in your home? You holding up OK?"

I turned my head so I could look in her eyes. They were sparkling; she seemed so happy that it was worth putting up with it all for that look.

I touched her cheek. "I could listen to you sing all night."

Her smile grew wider. Softly, she said: "Thank you".

"It is a little bit more company than I'm used to, but Mom seems to be having a good time and you are glowing. Are you having a good time, my little minx?"

Elle nodded: "Yes, I am. It's fun. I like having our friends over."

I stroked her cheek with my thumb. "Just remember one thing. When everyone is gone, and we're alone in bed, I am going to punish you for your earlier mischief. There's no escape for you."

I could see the lust building in her eyes. "I don't want to escape from you."

She leaned closer so that her lips just barely brushed mine. My hand slipped around to the back of her head and pulled her closer. I deepened the kiss, my tongue slipping into her mouth. I could taste the wine that she had just drunk. She was delicious and I reluctantly stopped only because Avi called out: "Hey, can you stop sucking face with your boyfriend long enough so that we can have dessert?"

We trooped back over to Elle's place and had brownies, pie and ice cream. Elle offered coffee, tea or Grand Marnier to accompany the sweets. Everyone ate, drank, talked and seemed to be having a good time. The boys were sitting on the futon with Mom and keeping her occupied. She seemed to really enjoy their company. Wilson and Cuddy were strolling around the room, looking at Elle's photographs and seemed to be in deep conversation. I was sitting at the table, working on a big slice of pie with ice cream on top and a brownie on the side. Now that everyone was settled with dessert and drinks, Elle brought her plate over and sat next to me. Her plate contained a small piece of pie covered with a rather large scoop of ice cream.

"Like a little pie with your ice cream?"

She just grinned and put a big bite in her mouth.

I looked around; no one was paying any attention to us. I put a small amount of ice cream on my spoon, acted like I was going to feed it to her and then smeared it on her cheek near the corner of her mouth.

"What did you do that for?" She stuck her tongue out trying to lick it off, but she couldn't reach all of it.

"So I could watch you try to lick it off. I like watching your tongue in action."

She looked at me and I swear I could see the lust building in her eyes. "Bet you can't wait for everyone to leave, huh?"

"You know it. I have plans for you tonight. You've been a very naughty girl and you have made me wait hours to punish you. That's going to make your punishment that much worse."

"Really? Should I be scared?"

I snickered, leaned forward and licked the rest of the ice cream off of her face. I heard a soft sigh and I smiled.

"Are your panties wet?"

She breathed the answer in my ear: "A little."

My hand stroked her jean-clad thigh as I said: "Hmmm, only a little? I know you are wondering what I'm going to do to you when I get you alone and naked. How many times can I bring you right up to the edge and then back off again before you are begging me to make you come?"

I hear a hitch in her breath and I knew her excitement was escalating.

"My tongue will be licking you all over except on that swollen little nub that wants the most attention. You'll be thrusting yourself at me, begging me to lick it and I'll touch you everywhere else but there. My fingers will penetrate you just a little, not enough for satisfaction, but enough to make you buck for more. I'll stick my cock in your mouth and have you suck me off. And maybe, if you're a good girl and give me a mouth-blowing orgasm, maybe I'll let you come."

She whispered: "Oh my Gawd. My panties are wet now. Hope you're happy."

Her face was flushed with excitement. Her nipples were so erect that I could see them poking through her clothes. My lips brushed hers and I captured them in a slow gentle kiss. As I sat back, I noticed Cuddy out of the corner of my eye. She was still over by the wall, talking to Wilson, but she was watching us. I gave her an evil smile; she smirked and turned to face Wilson again. I picked up my spoon and stuck it into my dessert again.

"Eat up, sweetheart. The sooner everyone finishes eating, the sooner we can get them to leave and the sooner the fun can begin."

CUDDY

Wilson had been right about House. I saw the PDA's between him and Elle tonight. At first, the displays had been small; a quick kiss, his hand on her hip for just a minute, his arm draped over her shoulders for a longer moment. But they got more demonstrative as the night wore on and more alcohol was consumed. There were the looks that passed between them as Avi sang those Barry Manilow love songs. After the singing stopped, there was a long kiss between them that Avi broke up with a goofy comment about dessert. And now, as I stood here talking to Wilson, I watched them over at the table. He had smeared ice cream on her cheek and licked it off, with his mother in the room! I couldn't believe it. House was different with her. He had never been this openly affectionate with Stacy, even in the beginning of their relationship. He had always belittled the PDA's he saw between other couples and Stacy used to complain to me that he wouldn't even hold her hand in public.

He caught me looking at him and gave me an evil grin. I smirked and turned my back to them.

"You were right."

"About what?"

"House and Elle and the PDA's. He was just licking ice cream off of her face over at the table."

Wilson chuckled: "I told you. He's different with her. He won't admit it, but believe me, he's happier. He's been in a better mood these last few weeks than he has been in years."

"I'm sure he's getting laid a lot, that would account for it." I tried to keep the note of jealousy out of my voice.

"Oh, there's no question about that. He kinda likes to rub that in my face."

"I take it you and Julie are still having problems."

He nodded: "Yeah. And I don't know what's wrong. She won't go to counseling; she says everything is fine. Yet she is never home and she doesn't want sex. I make a nice dinner and she gets irritated with me for using the good china and making a mess. Everything I do seems to irritate her these days. I can't get her to go out to dinner; she always has an excuse with all these damn committee meetings."

I wondered what kind of committee met on a Friday night, but I kept my mouth shut. He seemed to need to vent, but I wasn't sure that he really wanted any advice or not.

"I'm sorry."

He nodded and quickly changed the subject. "I bet Elle surprised you with her piano playing. She's really good, isn't she?"

"Yes, she is. I don't know her very well, but sometimes she seems so shy that I wondered why House took up with her. But she really isn't like that."

"No, she really isn't. You should see her at Satchel's. She absolutely rules that stage when she's up there. Hey, why don't you come tomorrow night? Blythe will be there and you can hang out with all of us and watch them play. I'll pick you up if you want."

I realized that I didn't have any plans for Saturday night. Tonight had been really nice, hanging out with this group. Elle's friends were a lot of fun. And why sit home alone on a Saturday night when I had an invitation?

"Yeah, I think I will. I'd like to see them play. But you don't have to pick me up; I'll drive myself."

"Great. And there's more room to dance there." He gave me a silly grin.

I smiled back at him: "Sounds like fun."

We glanced over at House and Elle. They were sitting so close that she was almost in his lap. His arm was around her shoulders and they were kissing.

"It's nice to see him with someone again."

Wilson agreed: "Yeah, it's about time he came out of hibernation. He's been in that self-imposed cocoon for six years."

"Maybe he was just waiting for the right girl."

HOUSE

Finally the party broke up. Mom insisted on helping Elle with the dishes despite Elle's protests that she was just going to leave them for tomorrow. That was another half hour delay. I kept shooting meaningful glances at Elle; the longer this took, the worse her punishment would be. Suddenly I thought of exactly what I wanted to do and it required something from my place.

"I'll be right back. I need some more boxers for tomorrow."

Elle shot me a puzzled look; she knew I had a whole pile of clothes on her dresser. I gave her an evil grin as I limped out of the kitchen. I went into my closet, grabbed what I needed and then grabbed a couple of pairs of boxers out of the drawer. I put the necessary items inside the boxers and headed back to Elle's. I slipped into the bedroom while they were still preoccupied with the dishes and placed the items under my pillow.

Finally they were finished with the cleanup. We walked Mom across the hall and said goodnight to her. Mom gave us both a big hug and thanked us for throwing such a nice dinner party for her. Elle insisted that it was her pleasure and was glad that Mom enjoyed it.

When I bent down to give Mom her hug, she whispered in my ear: "She's a real keeper, son. Don't let her get away."

I whispered back: "OK. I'll tie her to the bed if I have to."

Mom feigned a shocked look and then giggled.

Elle and I said goodnight. I took her hand and led her back to her place. Once inside, I closed and locked the door. Leaning my back against it, I gave Elle an evil grin. "Ready for your punishment?"

Elle looked both excited and a little anxious. I knew she was wondering what I was going to do to her; she had been thinking about it for hours.

"Yeah, but this morning, I didn't get a turn and you'd said I was going to get my turn tonight, remember? Then earlier, you said I was being punished and wasn't going to get a turn. So am I getting a turn or not?"

"Well, you need to be punished. You were a very naughty girl. You tried to get me all excited right in front of my Mom. You stuck your tongue out at me at the dinner table in front of everyone. And you didn't disagree with Wilson when he called you 'my much better half'.

She gulped: "I guess I was a very bad girl today."

Her lower lip pouted out in that really sexy way that I loved. "What are you going to do to me?"

"You'll find out. You better go in the bathroom and pee now, cuz I'm not letting you out of bed for hours. Then strip and come into the bedroom. No, wait; just keep your panties on. Take everything else off."

She nodded and headed into the bathroom. While she was in there, I pulled back the top sheet and lay 2 large towels across the bed. No point in having to sleep in sticky sheets after this fun was over. By the time I had stripped to my boxers, Elle was strolling into the room. She was wearing just those little red lacy panties that I loved so much. The tenting of my boxers made it obvious that I was pleased with her appearance.

She glanced at the bed: "What's with the towels?"

"So the sheets don't get too messy. Come here."

Elle walked over to me; I stuck my hand between her legs and rubbed the crotch of her panties. They were indeed wet.

"Nice and juicy. Good girl. Go lay in the middle of the bed, on your back."

Elle complied with my request. Once she was settled, I quickly removed the items from under my pillow and showed them to her.

She gasped: "What are the neckties for?"

I smiled evilly: "What do you think? Now scootch closer to the headboard."

I arranged her pillow exactly where I wanted her to lie. Then I took one wrist and tied one end of a necktie to it. The other end of the tie was knotted around the headboard. I repeated the process with the other wrist. I stepped back to survey my work. She looked lovely, laying there completely at my mercy. Elle, on the other hand, looked more than a bit anxious.

Tugging at the neckties, Elle said: "Um, Greg, I don't know." Her lower lip started to tremble.

It had not occurred to me that she wouldn't like this; that she might actually be afraid of being restrained. I sat on the bed, stroking her cheek to comfort her. "Sweetheart, you know I won't hurt you. I'm just playing with you. You know what a safe word is?"

She nodded.

"So the safe word is 'apple pie'. If you say 'apple pie', I'll stop and untie you. But only say it if you're scared and you really want me to stop. If you say: 'no, no, stop', I'm going to keep going. Only the safe word will stop me."

"Will you really stop if I say 'apple pie'?"

"Of course I will. You trust me, don't you?"

She nodded. I continued to stroke her cheek. She had a lot of fear in her eyes and that made me a bit uncomfortable. Her hands were clutching the ties so tightly that her knuckles were white. I had planned on blindfolding her, but decided that she was scared enough and blindfolding might push her over the edge. I would take this even slower than I had planned and make sure that she was OK.

I started by planting little kisses all over her face. I licked the shell of her ear and then whispered: "Close your eyes."

Elle obeyed and I kissed each eyelid gently. I ran my tongue down the length of her nose and kissed the tip. My lips brushed against her, once and then again. Her lips parted as if in anticipation of a deeper kiss. Instead, I kissed her chin and nibbled on it a little bit with my teeth. She giggled a little and seemed a bit more relaxed. I checked her hands; she was still gripping the ties but her knuckles were no longer white. Good, she was relaxing and getting into it.

I moved down to her neck and started kissing and nibbling on it. Elle arched her head back as far as the pillow would allow. I chuckled inwardly at her response; she did really love having her neck kissed. I spent a few minutes there until her hands relaxed and were no longer gripping the ties at all.

"You doing OK?"

Her answer came out in a whisper: "Yes."

"Good girl. Now keep your eyes closed, don't move and I'll be right back."

Again, a whispered response: "OK."

I hurried to the kitchen, grabbed a spoon and the tub of ice cream from the freezer. I returned to the bedroom as quickly as I could.

"I'm baaaaaaack. Were you a good girl?"

Elle nodded: "I kept my eyes closed and I didn't move."

I studied her. Her hands were not gripping the ties any more and she seemed relaxed. Her lip wasn't trembling and when she answered my questions, her voice had been steady. I wanted to check one more thing before I proceeded.

"Open your eyes, sweetheart."

Ah, much better. There was a trace of anxiety but not as much as there had been.

"Shall I continue with your punishment?"

She nodded and I was pleased to note the level of excitement rising in her eyes.

"I'm still hungry, so I thought I would have some more ice cream."

I dipped out a small spoonful and showed it to her. She watched as I pretended to bring the spoon to my mouth and then dropped the ice cream on her left nipple.

Her response was immediate. "OH, Wow, cold, cold!"

I rubbed the ice cream into her nipple for a minute, and then latched on. I sucked the cold sweetness into my mouth and then laved her nipple with my tongue. Her nipple was completely erect as I withdrew my mouth.

Elle gasped: "Oh my Gawd, that was amazing."

I chuckled as I put more ice cream on the spoon. This time I went for the right nipple. I rubbed the ice cream on it, got it nice and cold and then warmed it up with my tongue. I repeated this over and over, rather quickly, so that Elle became overwhelmed with the cold/hot sensations. She started to thrash a little bit, but I knew it was from excitement, not from fear.

"Having fun?"

"Hmmmm, but I want to touch you."

"Nuh-uh, not yet. You're still being punished."

I slowly kissed my way down her belly. I particularly focused on her ticklish spots. She was giggling and squirming as much as she could to get away from my tongue. I made my way to her belly button and dropped more ice cream in there. She gasped from the shock of the cold hitting such a delicate spot. I greedily licked it up. Amazing how much better plain old vanilla tastes when it is licked off of a gorgeous woman's skin.

I looked up at her to check that she was still doing OK. Her face was flushed with excitement and her eyes were lust-filled. However, she had squirmed so much that her arms were completely hyper extended and if she moved the wrong way she could pop her shoulder out. I put my hands on her ass and gave her a little push. "Scootch up, baby. Your arms are over extended. I don't want you to hurt yourself."

Elle dug her heels into the bed and moved herself up towards the headboard. When she was back in her original spot, I climbed on top of her. She spread her legs wider to accommodate me. I briefly let her feel the weight of my body against hers and then propped myself up on knees and elbows. She moaned and lifted her hips up towards me. My lips brushed against hers and I whispered: "Already bucking towards me? I haven't touched you anywhere below your belly bottom yet."

"I know, but I want you. I want to kiss you. I want to touch you. I want to fuck you."

"Punishment isn't over yet. But I'll give you one little kiss." I held her face between my hands and crashed my lips onto hers. I kissed her hard, pushing my tongue into her mouth and tangling with hers. Elle moaned and bucked her hips up towards me. She managed to angle her body so that her lace-clad core was rubbing up against my dangling cock. I let her tease herself for a minute, and then I rolled away from her. She howled in frustration, her fists clutching the restraints and her mouth red from my hard kiss.

"Greggggggg,"

I didn't say anything; I just picked up the spoon, dipped it in the ice cream and then I swiftly pulled her panties off. I made sure that she was watching and her eyes got really big when she realized where the ice cream was going next. She squealed when the coldness hit her clit. I rubbed the ice cream in for a minute and then quickly licked it off.

"Oh, Gawd, oh Gawd, that was intense."

I let my warm tongue just lay on top of her clit to help her recover from the cold shock. When Elle started wiggling against it, I knew she had recovered enough to do it again.

"Close your eyes."

I waited until she complied and then I put a spoonful of ice cream on her clit again. She cried out and bucked her hips up from the sensation.

"Oh, Jesus, it's cold. Please, Greg, please lick it off."

Satisfied with her begging, I proceeded to do just that. At the same time, I penetrated her with two fingers. The licking and the finger fucking threatened to send her over the edge, but I stopped before that happened.

"No, don't stop. Please, don't stop. Please, Greg, fuck me."

"Ummmm, I like it when you beg me to fuck you."

I took my dick, and rubbed the head around her opening and over her clit. She moaned and thrust her pelvis up, trying to make more contact, but I only allowed a teasing touch. Elle was breathing hard and whimpering from frustration. I moved up her body again until I reached her mouth. Her kiss was hungry and needy, but I noticed that her lips were also dry from all the panting that she was doing. That gave me an idea.

I spooned up some more ice cream and positioned myself so that I was kneeling over her. I fed her the spoonful.

"Taste good?"

She nodded.

"OK. This time, don't swallow, just hold the ice cream in your mouth and let me slip my dick in."

I wanted to experience the same fun that she just had. I fed her the spoonful and maneuvered myself so that she could take my dick in her mouth.

Ah, that cold was so intense that I slammed my hand against the wall above the bed. Elle sucked and caressed me with her tongue and eventually the ice cream melted and was replaced by the warmth of her mouth. I looked down and watched as my dick slipped in and out of her mouth. It was an extremely erotic sight and it threatened to send me over the edge. Despite what I had said earlier, I didn't want to come in her mouth. She had given me a spectacular BJ this morning and I did want her to have her turn, after a bit more torture.

"You look so hot, so sexy with my dick in your mouth. Shall I let my cream slide down your throat to follow the ice cream? That would be tasty, huh?"

Elle murmured in agreement and the sensations were overwhelming. I put my hand on her jaw and ordered her to open up. I slid out of her mouth and moved down until I lay on top of her. My body rested against hers as I planted kisses all over her face and neck. She was passionately kissing me back while trying to rub her pelvis against me.

"Tell me what you want."

"Oh, Greg, I want you to fuck me. I want you to untie me so I can touch you and hold you. I want to reach down and guide your big hard cock into my hot, wet pussy. I want to feel your entire length slide into me. I want you to pump me so hard that your balls slap against me as you thrust. I want to you to pull my leg up so you can fuck me as deeply as you can. I want you to make me come so hard that I see stars and I want to feel you explode inside of me and I'll squeeze my walls around you until I drain out every last drop of come from your dick."

Damn, that was hot. I was ready to explode from just listening to her. I nibbled her neck, just below her ear and said: "So, you're tired and just want to go to sleep?"

She screamed: "NO! Fuck me! I want you to fuck me."

I swiftly parted her folds and slid my dick fully inside of her. Mid-scream, she suddenly gasped as I started thrusting inside of her.

"Is this what you wanted, baby?"

She moaned: "Yes, oh, yes, but please untie me. Please. I want to touch you so bad."

I reached up and untied her left wrist. As soon as it was free, her hand went right to my face and she caressed my cheek.

"Want me to undo the other one too?"

"Please."

I continue pumping slowly as I untied her right wrist. Then I stopped when I saw the damage I had done. Her wrist was red and rubbed raw.

"Oh, shit, Elle, I tied you too tightly. I hurt you."

"Shh, it's OK. It's not bad. Here, kiss it and make it better."

She held her wrist out to me and I kissed and licked the red marks.

"See, you made it all better now."

She squeezed her inner muscles around my cock and said: "Ride me cowboy. I've been waiting for my turn for a long time now."

I chuckled and cradled her head in my hands. My heart swelled, as I looked at her, the most amazing woman I'd ever known. I felt her hand on the back of my head urging me down towards her. I leaned down and pressed my lips to hers. Her fingers tangled in my hair as we kissed slowly at first, then more urgently as our desire grew. I started pumping faster and she kept up with me, thrust for thrust. Finally, I hooked my arm under her left knee and lifted it towards her chest. I rammed into her hard and deep. She moaned loudly and shoved her pelvis up to meet me.

"Is this what you wanted, baby?"

"Yes, oh Gawd, yes. Oh, you feel so goooooood. Ah, ah, you're gonna make me come."

I could tell she was almost there. I shifted position ever so slightly to put more pressure on her clit as I thrust and then I bit her neck. Elle screamed incoherent words and I felt her walls contract and a fresh flood of moisture. I had pushed her over the edge. All it took was a couple more deep stabs and I fell over too. I continued to pump inside her as we rode out our orgasms. I let her leg drop and, wrapping my arms around her, I rolled us on our sides.

Panting like dogs and glistening with sweat, we lay there trying to catch our breath. Elle started planting kisses all over my chest and worked her way up to my neck and then my face. She was giggling too, in between still panting for breath.

When I finally caught my breath, I positioned her head on my shoulder and held her there. "What's so funny, my giggly girl?"

She giggled some more and then said: "I was laughing at myself. I was kinda freaked out when you tied me up. I didn't think I could go thru with it. But you put me at ease and then you got me so turned on. I wanted you so badly and you kept teasing me along. And then, BAM! Oh my Gawd."

She giggled some more and then said: "It's just funny that I was scared at first, and then you give me, like, the biggest orgasm I've ever had."

She sure knew how to feed a crippled guy's ego. "Yeah, the biggest ever?"

"I think so, definitely in the top 3, anyway."

I chuckled and pulled her closer: "Top 3, huh? What's my competition?"

"Don't worry, you're only competing with yourself. My top 3 list is all you."