"Stunned?" Elaine teased, leaning over the bed as she held my chin with her small hand. "Eric, baby, you know silence means your agreement. So, unless you say something, Jordan will remain an interest for you. Whether love or lust, it doesn't matter. I'll know that you look at him the same way you used to look at Riley."

I was literally mute. Honestly, it caught me off guard and I just didn't know how to reply. Sure, I've had these heart-thumping moments but I don't think that's enough reason to set him as a love interest. He didn't even compare to Riley. Because with Riley, I felt a different emotion with him. He would stop my lungs from functioning at the mere sight of him, possessing my heart to beat non-stop. But with Jordan, he just drew me in. My eyes would follow him even when I wasn't even aware. He just commanded my attention and that was something I wasn't used to, since I was always on the other side. However, a potential love interest, huge question mark. All I know is that this man intrigued me to no end, and I wanted to crack him open.

"Eric. You can't be serious?" Elaine mused, letting go of my face and returning to her seat. The disbelief on her face made me cringe inwardly, the urge to burrow under my blankets growing.

How humiliating.

"I want to meet him." She suddenly said, breaking the awkward silence immediately. "This Jordan, Eric. I want to meet him."

I groaned, rubbing my temples tiredly as I eyed her quietly. She was dead serious. No more joking. No more laughing. Just good ol' don't fuck with me attitude.

"Elaine, wait." I said, clutching the sheets on my bed. "Jordan's not what you think he is. I mean, I'm not even sure if he really is interested in me. Wait. That came out wrong. Shit!"

"You little princess. You like this guy. You seriously and undeniably like this guy." She said, amazed at the discovery.

"Well, LIKE is such a strong word. I'd prefer INTRIGUED, if you must continue with this strange conversation." I replied, desperately containing the blush on my cheeks.

Fuck. I was sure as hell astounded as to how the mere topic about this nurse was making me feel. It's sad when you think about it. Here I was, thinking about this bastard while said bastard must be flirting his ass somewhere over the rainbow.

The stabbing pain in my chest started and I immediately regretted thinking about him and some faceless woman getting it on. I don't know what the fuck was up with me and it was messing with my head. To have this attack whenever I think of him with another person is unheard of. I must be sicker than I thought. I should get myself checked and, obviously, not with Jordan around.

"Oh. My. God. You don't even know what his effects on you are. Eric, you're blushing and squirming. And let me tell you, that's not normal! The normal Eric wouldn't even budge at this level of teasing, he'd just come up with some wise-crack answer and leave it at that; but, look at you. Smiling like an idiot and that disgusting dreamy gaze you give when I so much as say his name. This is it! He's definitely the ONE." She yelled happily, clasping her hands together as she looked at me.

"Will you shut up, Elaine?! I don't know what the hell you're talking about, but I'd appreciate it if you didn't yell to the heavens of some made-up fantasy of yours." I rolled my eyes at her, ignoring the goofy smile she was wearing as her hands remained clasped in front of her chest. "Seriously. What's with he's the ONE crap? He ain't shit and just leave it there. I don't want him walking in here and finding out you've been spouting lies and fantasies ever since we started this stupid conversation."

I felt a frown and I knew I didn't like where this was going. Elaine had these grandeur fantasies that sometimes sucked me in and I've had enough of those.

There's no such thing as THE ONE. Because, first of all, if there really was such a thing, then mine had just married his estranged lover a few days ago. Jordan is nothing more than a mere distraction from all the suffering I was going through. I'm sure that by the time I leave this damned hospital, I would've forgotten that guy and moved on with life, one broken heart at a time.

"Okay, okay. I'm sorry. I'm sorry, alright. I was just a bit over excited to know that you were intrigued by a man whose name didn't start with an R and didn't end with an ILEY." Elaine fixed herself, forcibly removing that disgusting smirk on her lips. "Come on. Now, tell me more about this Jordan fellow. What does he look like? What's his attitude? How do you normally talk to him?"

Her barrage of questions was too overwhelming. Questions about his background, ex-lovers, relationship status, economic status, and all that shit made me realize one thing. Jordan was a secretive bastard and the only thing he let me in on was the fact that he was a basketball player in college.

"Elaine, shut up. I don't know shit about him. All I know is that he's a smartass, and he's an asshole. And he used to be on the basketball team in college. Also, he has a contagious laugh. His eyes are covered by goddamned glasses and he is really tall. Oh, and he doesn't give a fuck about me." I ended bitterly, the last statement leaving an awful aftertaste.

Okay. So, I didn't know much. Hell, I only knew his name and those other things. Anything personal was kept under layers of heavy security and I wasn't bothered enough to go through all that trouble just to know a little more about him. Damn. If only that doctor rapist didn't start any shit, then I wouldn't be in this confusing mess of questions.

"So, you don't know shit, huh. Sad." She looked at me with this pitiful gaze and it boiled my blood. I was already smoking hot from the irritation I was building up for her, this was just a match in a tank of gas. "Hey, don't look at me like that. I was just saying."

Elaine suddenly stood up, walking to the foot of my bed. She stood exactly where Jordan did and crossed her arms. Her expression was unreadable and I just didn't know what to expect. Elaine was great in exceeding expectations. That's why she was still Riley's assistant to this day.

Weird. I rubbed my chest, my brows furrowing at the thought. 

I noticed that we had mentioned Riley's name in this entire talk a lot of times, I even thought of his name, and yet I wasn't feeling that painful burn from my heart. It was like my heart had a fire extinguisher with it and just doused the flames that threatened to burn my heart whenever Riley was concerned. When this thing happened, I don't know. It's added to my list of Things to find out why and how it happened. 

Awful title, I know. But, hey. I was a model, not a scholar. How the hell should I come up with some smart-sounding title? Even I wasn't that perfect.

"Hey, hey. You with me, gorgeous." Elaine clapped her hands loudly, catching my attention almost immediately. 

"What?" I asked, not really interested with what she had to say.

"I said, are you sure this guy's not interested?" She crossed her arms again, tilting her head a bit to give off that sassy look. Let me tell you, she didn't pull it off. But, I wasn't that heartless to tell her.

"Yes, yes. I'm sure."

She hummed in response, nodding her head as she thought deeply. Well, it looked like she was thinking deeply. There was no shrill voice calling my attention, so I guess she was busy yelling at herself in her head. I hope she becomes mute until she leaves because of that.

"Now, that's going to be a problem." And there goes my silent wish down the toilet. "Eric, we have a problem here and that bored look in your eyes is not going to supply us with the answer to this puzzle."

"Elaine, just leave me alone. I don't know what you're up to, or what you plan to do; and, frankly, I don't really care. All I ask is that you don't involve me in it, whatever IT is. I plan to leave here tomorrow, just as I planned and nothing is going to stop that. Not you or him or anyone else." I answered, my voice firm and stern.

"Oh no. You did not just say that, Eric. How can you not care when it's your heart we're talking about here?" She stomped her foot as added emphasis to her question. I raised my eyes at her and frowned.

"Look. I'm not saying that you love this guy or anything like that. You've only known this guy for a few days. Who knows what his real character is truly like. What I'm trying to say here is that he's someone you shouldn't allow to disappear in your life. You've never found anyone remotely interesting to explain in a conversation, never. Not even Riley, when you guys first met. But, Jordan, this guy. This anonymous guy comes into your life and you suddenly care about something other than yourself. If you ask me, this one's a keeper."

"Well, I'm glad I didn't ask you." I replied, turning my eyes away. I didn't want to admit it, but she did have a point. And that point was something I should take into consideration, if it weren't for the fact that my pride was stopping me from doing so.

"Eric, listen." Her voice was softer, her tone gentle as she continued. "Lately, I've been finding myself worried about you. I'm too stressed to think, eat, and even do my job excellently. I'd hate to find you back to your old self when you leave this place. That you'll go back to being that broody man whose heart was crushed in a food processor 10 times, as you put it."

I smirked at her, amused at my own comparison to my shattered heart. Really, I am such an amazing man.

"When I came here, I thought I'd find you depressed again and all that. But, you weren't and that was great. You were under your sheets, rolling around like a lunatic, and when your head popped out, you had this huge grin on your face. I guess it was Jordan that caused it and I'm glad he did. So, please. Just think of this as a distraction. You never know, he might be your ticket out of this broken heart."

Sighing loudly, I combed my soft hair. Elaine was never one to ask that gently. It was always demand, demand, demand. Sometimes, it would even become a command. However, this time, she was asking me kindly. It was for my best interest that she kept this up and I should be glad that she cared this much.

"Elaine, thanks for the concern but you might be forgetting one major concern in this situation. The guy isn't interested." I said, stretching the last word for the added oomph flavor to the sentence. "How the hell am I supposed to drag a man into my life if he is the one that doesn't want to be a part of it? And you were right awhile ago. What if he's an even greater asshole or a serial killer or something. I might just be putting myself in even greater danger."

"He's not dangerous. He just saved your ass from getting raped, so that cancels the bad guy out. The even greater asshole, not so much." She smiled, her pearly white gracing me with their presence. "And as for the part where he doesn't want to be a part of your life. Well, make him want to be a part of it. My God! You're Eric Giordanio, a sex god; Adonis in the flesh. Make good use of those god-given limbs and make him beg to be a part of your life."

My mouth gaped open, eyes widened as I stared at her. Was she saying what I think she was saying?

"You want me to seduce him?" I asked, not believing those words just left my mouth.

She nodded smugly, smiling at me as she got on my bed and started crawling towards me. Her expression changing to one that was intensely familiar to me, as it was used numerous times by different people in attempts at getting my ass.

"Make him want you, beg to be inside you, desire to be the only man in your life." Her voice was hoarse, almost breathy like she had just finished a satisfying round of sex and she wanted more. She straddled my lap, a long finger reaching for my neck and lightly scratching downward. Instantaneously, her face just inches from mine, her breath heating my cheek. "He's not interested? Then, do everything to get him interested. No one on this planet is immune to you and your sinfully good looks. No one."

I looked at her, surprised that she had just done and said all that.

Dear God, why did you give me such a sister? 

"Show more skin, wave your ass in his face, kiss him. I don't care what you have to do to get him to stay in your life, as long as you succeed. Jordan is your salvation, Eric, so get to it." She unexpectedly backed off, smiling sweetly at me like she hadn't just shown the devil.

"And you call yourself my little sister?" She giggled at me, getting off my lap and sliding back down to her seat. 

We remained silent, the playful air steadily dissipating. Seducing, huh? I mean, I did try to seduce him but showing just a bit of skin wasn't exactly seducing anyone, right. I needed my big guns, the whole motherload, in getting this unusual man. I was desperate to move on and if he could provide the way out, then I'd gladly do anything he asked for. 

I'd even give him my entire body.

"Fine." Elaine turned her head quickly, almost snapping her neck at the speed of the turn. "I'm bored and playing with him might get my depression over quickly, don't you think?"

"Of course. Just stay alert for the others. He might not get affected at first, but it doesn't mean other people will have the same delayed reaction. Play it safe but not too safe, okay."

"Okay." I smirked, watching my sister mirror the smug face I was wearing.

This was going to be fun and I knew it. To seduce an unwilling man was a challenge I had yet to experience. This was going to prove some fun and all I had to do was play my cards correctly. I wasn't one to act without thinking. It's what got me this far in life and gifted me with such a controlling personality. Now, I was going to go all-out and I was going to enjoy it.

"Let the games begin."

The next morning, I had woken up early. I was thinking of how to get this man to come with me after I left this place. He was a nurse and I'm sure a lot of people relied on this man to provide the care and attention they needed. But, I wanted him and nothing was going to stop me from taking him.

I was still sick and all that, right. I was going home because I wanted to be an out-patient, so what does this tell me. Ugh, I was never one to come up with bright ideas. That was all Elaine but she was still freshening up in the bathroom.

"He's a nurse and his job is to care for the sick. I'm still sick but I won't be staying in the hospital." An idea popped in my head as I smiled evilly. "And that's the problem. No one will care for me when I leave so I need a personal nurse. And I know just who to get."

"Eric, you are creepy as hell when you mumble with that smile on your face. It's like you're plotting someone's demise and enjoying it to the fullest." Elaine said, leaving the bathroom in a new set of clothes.

"Meet Jordan, he's my personal attendant." I introduced, giving her a hint as to what I had just come up with.

The smile on her face told me that she approved of the idea. Now, all I had to do was get Raphael to agree without him getting suspicious. Elaine had told me that Raphael was going to negate our plans and that was something she didn't want.

"Good one. So, I'll be meeting him the next time I visit your house." I nodded happily, feeling oddly thrilled to have him in my home. "Oh, and one last thing. When we meet again, we'll never say or breathe a word of this. I don't want us to have a confrontation like in those sappy dramas on cable channels."

She gathered her thing quickly before giving me one final look. Her eyes telling me she wanted results of my seduction and no details to spare. I nodded, smirking at her as she left with a smirk of her own.

Yep, she is my sister.

Alright. So, now I was all by myself. Jordan was going to drop by in less than two hours and that meant I had enough time to get ready. I couldn't take a bath, since I was still hooked on an IV drop, and the best I could come up with was a hand-towel scrub. Not my best option, but I had no choice.

I may not look my best, but I was sure that it didn't dampen my million-dollar face.

"Okay, okay." Spraying a bit of body spray, I took a deep breath and grabbed the small vanity mirror Elaine left. 

I was well aware that I was acting a bit out of the edge. Girly at most. But I had to get this man and I wasn't one to back down from a challenge. I was confident I was going to pull this off, even in my sleep. But, I just had to be sure. I wouldn't want to land face-down and my ass high up in the air on my road to success.

Knowing this guy, I knew that a few bumps in the road was feasible.

"There we go. Now, who says I can't look even more beautiful?" I commented, admiring my reflection in the mirror.

My hair was tousled a bit, giving off that cute I just woke up in a really good mood kind of way. The was my tanned skin had lightened a bit also added to that effect. I also loved the way my lips were a little red from the biting I did to get this effect. Plus, the sweet but manly body spray I had on accentuated my natural scent.

All in all, I was perfect. 

Placing the mirror down, I looked at the TV. The news was playing and I didn't know why. It was practically 10 o'clock in the morning and all news channels should have been done but this one wasn't. I think it's CMM or something, I don't really care. What I did care about was the time they were showing and it meant one thing. Jordan was due to arrive in 30 minutes and I hadn't even brushed my teeth yet.

"Fuck." I blew a breath on my palm and took a sniff. Nothing bad, almost neutral in smell but it wasn't what I was going for. "Need to brush. Need to brush. Need to brush." 

Getting off the bed, I headed towards the bathroom, dragging the IV drop with me, and whipped out my toothbrush, dental floss, and mouthwash. If my body couldn't take a bath, it didn't mean my mouth was going to suffer as well. I was out to stun someone with my looks, not my smell.

I glanced up the mirror to check on my reflection for the millionth time today, turning my head in diferent angles to spot any blemishes. Of course, I found none. I was Eric Giordanio, and Eric Giordanio never got blemishes. Not even a tiny, itty bitty mole. 

My hands tousled my hair a bit, making sure every strand on my head looked perfect. My teeth were all set, all white and shiny, not a single scrap of food to be found. I raised my arm and took a quick sniff of my underarm. Okay, I didn't smell awful but I wasn't happy as well. Almost four days of no showering and unlimited towel scrubs could only get you that far. Basically, I needed a shower and I was going to get one as soon as I got home today.

Taking another satisfied look, I smiled. My lips curling up and my eyes drooping low as I practiced my lazy smile, a.k.a. my you made me smile and now I'm inviting you to bed smirk. Confused as to how a smile and a smirk can be combined? Well, that was the magic only I was capable of.

I looked down to check my hospital gown. It was white and revealed my back in a rather provocative way, especially if I tilted my hips a bit. But, it wasn't enough. I was going for the kill so, naturally, I'd have to look even more provocative.

I undid the few ribbons that held my gown together, letting the cloth slide down my soft and supple skin whenever I moved. It was a winner, I tell you. No one would be able to resist this beauty. My flawless back, if curved at the right angle, had this shiny look like I was in the middle of having sex and you were watching my back move. That's how hot and awesome I looked.

"If he doesn't fall for this look, he ain't human. No, he ain't." I muttered to myself, watching myself strut around in the bathroom like an idiot. Hell, I was a happy idiot. I even thought of myself as a peacock showing off my amazing feathers. "I look so damn hot and I didn't even take a shower today. Heh. This is why I'm me and no one else. Only I could look good without cleaning up properly."

I heard three knocks on my door and my eyes widened. Shit, I was here in the bathroom like an idiot, strutting my stuff when I should've prepared myself in bed. Damn. 

Hurried, I made my way to the bed. I got in and sat down, my legs on either side of me as the blankets pooled by my feet in a messy stack. My gown was slowly sliding down my shoulders and I had to tilt myself subtly so they don't completely fall off. Finally, for my finishing touch, I licked my lips to give it that wet look and jutted them out in a pout. 

I looked helpless and that's what I was going for. The little maniacal laugh resonated in my head and as I waited for him to show up. The door clicked open and I boosted my pheromones 300 times its normal size, looking at the corner where he was going to pop up.

"Woah." An unknown face revealed himself and I immediately deflated.

Who the fuck was this asshole? 

"Who are you and what are you doing here? Where's Jordan?" I asked in an irritated tone, my smirk long gone as I realized I wasn't faced with the one I was supposed to draw in. Fuck, I was sorely unimpressed and felt like an ass. To be prepared and wound up facing an entirely different man was humiliating and embarrassing at most. 

Does God hate me for trying to seduce one of his loyal subjects? Damn.