November 24, 2007 -- Late Afternoon

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For the past week, all during their case, Foreman had been trying to rein House in, demand he pick fellows, try to tell him how to conduct the case, look for a diagnosis, as if he'd respect his Cuddy-given-powers and listen. House had brushed him off (well, until he'd actually been right and his advice actually made sense), thinking that if this was Foreman's idea of retaliation--boss him around in front of his team--then it was pathetic. House wasn't even going to acknowledge it. He intentionally avoided Foreman any other time. After the car ride, and the forced avoidance that followed once they got to work, House realized that it was a tactic he could use. He felt smug about it, imagining Foreman brooding, fuming with possessive jealousy because he'd jerked off to memories of an ex-boyfriend that he didn't even know anymore, hadn't seen since his residency had ended decades ago. But apparently it was enough to get to Foreman; he already felt that possessive over him to get pissed off over something like that, as if people didn't fantasize about ex-partners, or even strangers.

Secretly pleased with himself--it helped that he conned Cuddy into getting the fellows he wanted, too--he'd made Foreman sweat it out. He'd resisted the temptation to knock on Foreman's door and get him so turned on he wouldn't be able to turn him away. He'd masturbated instead, certain that Foreman had jerked off to images of what he'd done in the car. Foreman had gotten so hard then, so horny that he hadn't been able to control himself, and House doubted he'd exercised much control when he was alone. It was all too good.

He sat around for most of Saturday, passing most of the afternoon, considering dropping by Foreman's place just out of curiosity, just to see what the hell Foreman would do. Why not, he thought. He had nothing better to do for the next day and a half and he hadn't had a chance to rub this in Foreman's face at work. He still had a grin on his face when he arrived at Foreman's door, sneaking in with a building resident--the cripple card really came in handy sometimes--and knocked on the door, waiting for Foreman to swing it open.

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After standing at Foreman's door for several minutes and receiving no answer, House considered his options. He could break in, but that might take a while. Someone might see him, and that wouldn't really make for a good Saturday night. Foreman sure as hell wouldn't post bail for him if he got caught and arrested, and he couldn't call anyone else unless he wanted this all out in the open. He could stake out the evening outside the door; that wasn't appealing, and House rejected that option right away. He could try to find someone with a key. Maybe an office had a spare, the landlord in the building. He could push the cripple card for the second time tonight and see where it got him. That was probably his best option. Not much effort, not much risk of getting caught. Pretty easy access.

He made sure to tuck his keys deep inside his pocket before returning to the first floor, where he found a sign pointing him to a small leasing office. "Hi," House said when he entered the office, greeting the older woman behind the desk, all sweetness and sincerity. "My friend just gave me a ride home"--he pointed in the general direction or the exit--"and I just realized that I forgot my key at my office, and--" House leaned extra-hard on his cane, grimacing. "And it's just so far, and I was wondering if you had a spare key I could borrow. Just for tonight. I'll bring it straight back, first thing in the morning."

The woman eyed him for a moment, and House offered her a pained smile. That seemed to do the trick, because in another second, she was reaching for her desk drawer. "You're lucky, Mr..."

"Foreman." House was betting that these employees had only seen the name on paper, and hadn't met Foreman in person.

The woman didn't skip a beat. "Foreman. The office keeps spares in case of emergencies, daytime maintenance, things of that nature." She adjusted her glasses and opened the drawer. "Apartment number?"

"4D."

"Oh! The corner unit with the big window in the living room, right?" She pulled the key out of the drawer and held it as she closed the drawer again.

"That's the one." House wasn't sure how much longer he could keep this damn smile plastered on his face. He was beginning to regret that he hadn't just tried to break in, although this was still turning out to be less trouble.

"I saw that floor plan," the woman said, extending the key towards him. "Lovely unit."

"Yeah," House replied and took the key. He pocketed it. "Thanks."

As he made his way back into the hallway, the woman called after him. "The office needs it back in twenty-four hours, or we'll have to charge a twenty-dollar fee each day until it's returned."

House turned his head. Oh, well, now that was convenient. He could have a key to Foreman's apartment, that Foreman probably wouldn't even know he was paying for until his next rent notice arrived and, with any luck, Foreman had already paid for the next month's rent. Get a free key to Foreman's place and mess around with him. Win-win. "Right," he replied, giving the woman one last pasted-on smile. "Thanks again."