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Chapter 9

House's morning didn't begin well. It all started with waking up to no heat in his condo. It would seem that his heater was not working and his leg did not take well to the cold. Then, the cab he called was over an hour late picking him up. He should have just rode his bike in and not listened to Cameron. She wasn't working for him yet and she was already telling him what to do. When he did finally make it into the hospital he thought he would chat with Wilson before Cuddy found him. Only, Wilson was still miffed about him not sharing his Cameron plan with him and wouldn't talk to him. So, he still hadn't had his Wilson fix and it was almost lunchtime. Needless to say, he wasn't in the best of moods. And now, he could hear the familiar click clacking sound of Lisa Cuddy's shoes quickly approaching his office. Just what I need, he thought and waited for his door to open.

He heard the clicking of the shoes come to a stop and without looking up, he could hear her open his door and walk in. He didn't look up until he heard her clear her throat to let him know she was there.

When he did look up, he slowly moved his eyes over her slender body. She was wearing a tight gray skirt, tailored fit and a black sweater cut low, showing just enough of her breasts to make him want to see more. He always wanted to see more and he knew she enjoyed that.

Cuddy moved towards him, not missing how he was looking at her. "Did you speak with Cameron?"

"Yes but she hasn't given me an answer yet." He said still watching her as she moved closer to his desk. She has great legs, he thought.

"Good girl. I'm glad she didn't give you an answer right away."

"You would." He snarked.

"So what do you anticipate her answer to be?" She said as she now stood in front of his desk and picked up the black pen lying on a stack of papers.

He watched her twirl the pen through her fingers. "I anticipate it will be yes but not without a price."

"What do you mean?" She asked curiously and laid the pen down and placed her hands on his desk and leaned forward slightly.

He leaned back in his chair trying to resist the urge to look down her sweater. He didn't want to give her the pleasure of looking. "I'm expecting one of Cameron's famous speeches before she accepts my offer." "Why do you say that?"

"Because it's Cameron. What are you doing?"

"Asking about Cameron." She said simply and stood up.

House stared intently at her. "You want something else."

She smiled. "No. Just checking to see if Cameron had given you an answer." She turned and started walking towards the door. "You know, this is putting me in a bind. Cameron isn't going to be easy to replace. She is very good at her job." She said, stopping at the door.

"You have been taking advantage of her talent and you know it."

Cuddy looked shocked. "I have not been taking advantage of her. She had a choice House."

"She is more than qualified for that job. You should have offered her more." He stated.

"At least I convinced her to come back to Plainsboro." She said in her defense. She paused. "I'm curious about something."

"What?"

"Is there another reason why you have asked Cameron back?" She watched him carefully.

House rubbed his chin. "Would it matter if there was?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.

"No. I'm just curious." She gave him a smile and walked out.

He continued to sit at his desk and wondered what Cuddy's little visit was really about.