Chapter 43

"Ah, Dr. Cuddy, here you are!" Jay exclaimed as he saw Cuddy.

"Mr. Jay" Cuddy replied coldly. She was well determined not to spend too much time with him. The symposium would soon be over and she just wanted to go back home. She had done the job, no one could expect her to do more. No one except Jay.

"I'd like to introduce you to people that might be interested by investing in your hospital after the ceremony. I hope you won't disappear as usual."

Cuddy looked at him. This guy was surprising. He always found something new to keep her with him a little longer. She couldn't refuse to meet potential sponsors and Jay knew it. She sighed and said: "Yes of course, with pleasure. But I can't stay too long because of my plane."

"Oh I forgot it! You go back to Chicago tonight. Well then I hope the ceremony won't last too long." Jay said and drove Cuddy to a chair. They sat and waited. Cuddy looked around her, trying to avoid Jay's look. Foreman and Chase were on the other side of the room. Jay smiled at her. Then he leant towards her and whispered: "I missed you, Lisa. I was worried about you, I hope you feel better." After a while, he added: "You look wonderful with this dress" and Cuddy could feel his eyes on her legs. She felt uncomfortable. Keep calm, with all the people around, he won't do anything. You're paranoid! She tried to remain calm and relaxed but deep inside her she was worried, she had a bad feeling. She wished Chase and Foreman were with her.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I'm happy to be here today to reward a great project. The decisions were not easy to take. Before I tell you who the winners are, I'd like to attribute a special prize of 100 000 dollars to Dr. Foreman and Dr. Chase from Princeton Plainsboro for their innovative project. Please, come on the stage." Foreman and Chase stood up by applause.

"I'd like to thank the organizers for their generosity." Foreman said. "It will help us to realize our project. Thank you."

Once they were back to their seats, the speaker went on: "And now, the winners are… Dr. Cuddy and Mr. Jay from Chicago. Bravo!"

Cuddy and Jay went to the stage to thunderous applause. Jay was beaming. "Well, I'm really happy to have won, we worked very hard on this project and this prize rewards many months of work. I'd like to thank the organizers and the sponsors for their kindness while the symposium and for their generosity. And" he turned to Cuddy, took her hand and stared at her: "and I'd like to thank especially Dr. Lisa Cuddy for the great work she did, without you, Lisa, all this wouldn't have been possible. Thank you" he said, hugged her and kissed her on the cheek. Cuddy blushed. She hadn't expected that.

"Aren't they cute together?" the speaker said with a wink. "Well, ladies and gentlemen, the 5th symposium of Miami is now over. I hope to see you next year. Thank you for your participation."

Foreman and Chase went to Cuddy to congratulate her.

"It was a real pleasure to see you here Cuddy, I hope we won't wait too long to meet again. And maybe we'll see House next time." Chase said.

"Dr. Cuddy", Jay interrupted them, "some great sponsors are waiting for you, do you forget it?"

"No, I don't. I'm coming." She replied drily. "Chase, thank you for everything, I hope to see you soon." She told Chase and hugged him. Then she turned to Foreman: "Thank you Foreman. I wish you all the best for you and your family."

"Do you want us to wait for you? We can share a cab to the airport…" Chase offered.

"Well, I don't know. Will it"

"Dr. Cuddy, I don't know how long the meeting with the potential sponsors will last, you'd better not wait for her" Jay replied staring at Chase.

"It's gonna be okay" Cuddy said but she wasn't convinced at all.

"Then good bye, Cuddy".

"Good bye"

Cuddy turned then to Jay and followed him to a quiet place. With relief, Cuddy saw two men talking together. At least, Jay hadn't lied.

"Mr. Stanford and Mr. Barney, this is Dr. Lisa Cuddy."

"Hello, nice to meet you" Cuddy replied with a smile and held out her hand.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Dr. Cuddy. Mr. Jay talks always about you but we never have the chance to meet you until today."

"Oh really?"

"I just told them how great you are as Dean" Jay said.

"That's true and we heard only good things about you. That's why we'd like to make a proposition to your hospital."

"I'm glad to hear it. But… can we fix an appointment to talk about it?" Cuddy replied. "I have to go back to Chicago in the evening and I haven't lot of time right now so if you agree, we can meet next week."

Stanford and Barney looked at each other then at their datebook. "What about next Friday at 10.00 am?"

Cuddy looked at the agenda on her phone. "Okay, then see you next Friday at 10.00 am. If you don't mind, I have to go to the airport. Thank you. Good bye."

"Good bye, Dr. Cuddy"

Cuddy headed to the exit. But before she could reach it someone held her back by the arm. She turned away. It was Jay.

"Mr. Jay, let my wrist away. I have to go now or I'm gonna miss my plane." She said coldly and with a touch of anger in the voice. She was really fed up with this guy and she wanted him to know it. But Jay didn't let her wrist. On the contrary he held it tighter.

"Lisa, we need to talk. Right now. Your plane is only in three hours. You have plenty of time." He said threatening. "There is a small room on the left, come, and don't even try to call for help, everyone here thinks we're together" and he headed to the room pulling Cuddy away. She had no other choice than to follow him. The people in the hall didn't pay attention to them. Of course she could shout but… Jay hadn't done anything until now that could explain why she didn't want to talk to him. Especially after his speech. Once they were in the room, he closed the door and looked at Cuddy who stood as far away from him as possible.

"Mr. Jay, I don't like your manners. You should be happy, you won the prize. What else do you want?" she said angry. She was furious.

Jay came closer, she moved back but suddenly she felt the wall behind her. She was stuck. Jay stood just in front of her. "Mr. Jay, I"

"Lisa, listen to me. Stop playing the stupid girl, I'm fed up with it" he articulated slowly, staring at her.

"I… I don't understand what you"

"Lisa, you perfectly know what I want."

"The prize?"

Jay laughed and moved slightly back. "The prize was just a way to attract you here in Miami, just a diversion, nothing more. One million dollars is nothing for someone like me, without telling that the money is for the hospital, not for me."

"But I thought you liked winning."

"And you're right, I do like winning. But that's not enough. "

"So… What else do you want?"

"You. I want you Lisa Cuddy."

Cuddy took a deep breathe. She felt uneasy stuck between the wall and Jay. "Mr. Jay, I've already told you that I"

"Shut up!" Jay shouted and put his hands on the wall on either side of Cuddy. She didn't dare to move. "I know, you're not single and you're faithful. When we first met, you were with Robert, an insignificant guy that you dumped a few days later. And now, you want me to believe that House, a limping guy, an invalid, gives you all you need and makes you happy. That's ridiculous! How can you just think of it? I can give you all you need, I can give you all you want, I can make you happy, not this infirm."

"Mr. Jay, I can assure you that House gives me all I need." she articulated furious.

"Really? Can he buy you a diamond necklace or a Ferrari? Can he go with you around the world in the best hotels? Does he have influence in the city?"

"You may have more money and more influence than House but" she replied angry.

"Lisa, forget about him, he's a loser. You deserve much better. Without saying that he's cheating on you…"

Cuddy was puzzled. "How… how do you know?"

Jay smiled. His plan worked well. "I called Barrow to inform him that we won the prize and I found him… worried. So I asked him what bothered him and he told me that House has an affair with a Doctor – "and not with the Dean" I quote him – which is a problem, a big problem… don't you think so?"

"You're really a son of a bitch. I'm sure that's just rumors, nothing is true."

"You're so naive, Lisa" Jay laughed.

"Think what you want, but you'll never match House."

"Really?"

"House is the best lover I've ever known." She knew that Jay considered himself as a seducer and as a great lover, that's why she said that, she knew it would hurt him. And it worked. Jay's pride was obviously hurt.

"Are you sure? How can you say that? I haven't made love to you yet. Let me show you what a real man can do." Jay whispered in Cuddy's ear. She felt his warm breath on her neck. She tried to move but she couldn't.

"And he has one thing you'll never have." She said furious.

"What?" Jay exclaimed and moved a little back to look at Cuddy straight in the eyes.

"Me." Cuddy replied with a smile. "He has me and you, you will never have me." She articulated. She could see how hurt and furious Jay was. But she didn't care, she had to tell him, she knew he will be hurt and offended. And it was a victory.

Jay stared at Cuddy. She touched on a raw nerve. He was jealous, so jealous of House. What did Cuddy find to this guy? Why did she love him? How could she resist him? It drove him crazy. He didn't understand it. "That's what you think, Lisa." And he moved away from her. Cuddy was surprised, she didn't know how to react. What did it mean? She really thought he was going to rape her and she was somehow resigned. So why did he go away from her? What did he plot? Because there must be a reason for Jay's behavior. Jay never acted without a good motivation. So what did he have in the back of his mind? He opened the door and was about to leave the room when Cuddy asked:

"What… what do you mean?"

He turned slowly to face her, a predatory smile on his lips and a dark glint in the eyes. Cuddy was scared. "You really wanna know? You have no idea of what I'm capable of, Lisa. You humiliated me, you mocked me by rejecting my advances and this overtly since the day we met, but now I'm gonna take my revenge on you. But I'm going to be generous and give you a last chance. You really should think of what you're gonna do because it can have heavy consequences for you and …" he stared at her, waited a few seconds and added: "… your family"

And suddenly a nightmarish sight came to Cuddy's mind. Rachel, Ethan. Jay was smiling, he knew she had understood what he meant and he enjoyed seeing her so frightened and desperate. Sooner or later he'd get what he wanted.

"Good bye, Lisa. See ya soon"

"No!" she exclaimed and ran to him. She tried to hold him back by the arm. "No, you can't do that! They're innocent! Leave them alone! I…"

"Oh you disappoint me, Lisa. I thought you would have resisted a little more." He said and put one hand on Cuddy's ass, the other one on her breast. She tensed up immediately. "But I won't reject you, you're so worth it…"

"I screw you, Jay, you're a bastard" she spited in Jay's face and pushed him violently away.

"Ah, that's more you. I like when you're furious." He replied smiling. "You know how to prevent this to happen, Lisa. You have just one word to say." He whispered in her ear. "I'm a nice guy, you have until Monday to give me your answer. I'll wait for you to be in my office at 10.00 am." He kissed her neck and left. Cuddy was feeling queasy. She would have never thought he could go that far. She had to tell House and the police. This guy was dangerous and completely mad.