PART 1, Chapter 1: A Warm Awakening

"James." No answer.

"James." Pause. "Honey," someone said in a sweet singsong voice. Was it morning already? "You're going to be late for work."

James Wilson grunted in response. Someone was walking around the room, disturbing his efforts to go back to sleep. Just as he began to drift off again the bed suddenly sank down as his wife Julie jumped on and started crawling towards him. She lengthened her body against his so they were spooning. He felt her warmth on his backside and sighed in assent. Julie reached over his torso and slid her palm gently over his lower stomach. His eyes flew open.

"Good morning birthday boy," she whispered sexily into his ear, dragging her hand further down. "The sooner you go to work the sooner you can be home for your birthday present." There was no doubt what he'd be getting. A thought dawned onto Wilson. It's my birthday. He laughed inwardly. Am I turning into House? I forgot my own birthday. But a second thought crept in. Why am I thinking about House now?

He didn't notice that Julie had been nibbling on his earlobe, but woke up now that she began to lick inside his ear. That, with her gently rubbing his thigh, his groin stirred, sending a shock up his spine. He started to turn to kiss her but she stopped him.

"You'll get the rest when you come home tonight."

"You sure know how to wake someone up," Wilson said. She chuckled and stood up. Rolling over onto his back he looked up and couldn't help smiling at her in his boyish way. She was fully dressed but had crinkled her shirt by getting into bed with him.

"Look what you did." She unbuttoned her shirt as Wilson turned over and plunked his feet on the ground. Rubbing his eyes he noticed the drapes were pulled open, revealing a clear, fine day outside. His gaze left the window and paused on Julie as she bared her chest as her shirt fell to the floor. Watching her as she bent into the closet, Wilson remembered again what how attractive Julie was. The way her golden hair shined in the light from the window and shimmied down her graceful back, the goose bumps that started to spread up her slender arms. How she suddenly appeared shy dressing in front of her husband. She could make him do anything.

She turned her back to him, tossing a new blouse over her head and reaching behind to try to button herself up. Wilson waited for her bashful appeal for his help before he got up and finished the task, all the while feeling amorous thinking about their domesticity. He turned her around and kissed her softly while pressing her body into his. Her arms wrapped around his back as his head slid down into the cranny on her shoulder. They stood there hugging in the mellow glow of their bedroom.

"I love you."

"I love you too." Wilson hesitantly let his wife go as she pulled away. A lazy grin spread on her face.

"Listen, be home at eight. Don't stray or forget about me while going out partying with your co-workers," she said earnestly.

"Of course not. You'll be on my mind all day." His hand slithered down to squeeze her bottom.

"Now hurry up. You don't want to deprive the nurses of your gorgeous presence. I bet they'll be presenting you offerings all day. You'd be lucky if you got any work done at all," she said proudly. He chuckled. She grabbed her purse and smiled dimly at him before leaving Wilson standing alone in his underwear in the air of her perfume. He vaguely wondered if his reputation for charming women really bothered her. Of course not. She's strong, even without me… And the reputation was just that, a reputation, exaggerated, maybe even not true. He never flirted with women on purpose, but sometimes they flocked to him like sheep to a herder. He didn't want to hurt Julie but he needed the resolve to change.

His thoughts drifted from his wife to what House would give him for his birthday. Maybe he'd conveniently forget like he did with everyone else's birthday. Wilson sighed, shaking his head and started to dig through the closet for a smart suit.