“Would you care to explain what this is?” Victoria held up the offending newspaper, while leveling a disapproving look at her daughter. Her voice echoed in the deserted corridor, a clear sign that she was upset. Erin knew her mother seldom spoke loud unless she was angry.

“It's a newspaper mother.” Erin replied with a weary sigh, leaning against the white wall. She looked towards Nicky for help, but her cousin and Kim had retreated to a safe distance. So much for support, she thought wryly.

“Don't get smart with me young lady.” Victoria snapped, green eyes sparking in anger. “I know it's a newspaper. What I want to know is why on earth your name is on the front page of this..this rag.”

“I don't know mum.” Erin raked a hand through her hair, dislodging strands from the ponytail. Her body ached in every spot and she wished she were anywhere else but here. “I was just as stunned when I saw it this morning, believe me.”

“What will your father think when he sees this? And who are these men they claim you were cavorting about with last night? Is one of them the man with whom you had dinner?”

The word 'cavorting' caused a small smile to cross Erin's face. Her mother could be so old fashioned sometimes, using words best suited for the Victorian era. She would have made an excellent titled lady.

“Mum, I wasn't cavorting with anyone. And the article is wrong about what happened last night. Sure, I had dinner with To...with someone, but I certainly was not flirting with two guys. Quite the opposite in fact.”

The ding of the elevator doors opening distracted them. Since Erin was facing the elevator, she was the first to see the man who stepped off the elevator. She smiled uncertainly as Todd walked towards them, dressed in blue scrubs.

His face was unreadable when he came up to her. “Hello again Erin.”

“Hey.” Erin murmured, feeling self conscious. She wasn't sure if Todd had seen the article or not for one thing. She could also feel her mother's eyes watching the exchange, coupled with that of Nicky and Kim served to make her uncomfortable.

“I tried calling last night to make sure you were OK.” Todd said, fiddling with the stethoscope hanging from his neck. “You didn't pick up, so I thought maybe you were upset at me for leaving you on your own. Left a message on your voice mail.”

Erin frowned, wondering when he had called and why she hadn't heard the phone ring. “No, I am certainly not upset.” She opened her purse and dug out the phone. Sure enough, there were a couple of missed calls, a few from her mum but others from Todd's number. Ah hell! She must have been asleep when he called, and in all the distraction of the day, she'd hardly checked her voice mail.

“I'm so sorry Todd, but I didn't hear my phone ring. I was probably sleeping when you called. I'm sorry.”

He grinned and swept a hand through his already ruffled hair. “Wow! That's a relief. I was worried I'd ruined things with you. So are we still on for Saturday?”

Erin surmised he hadn't seen the paper yet if he was still asking for another date. “Umm..Have you seen the paper?”

To her complete surprise, he chuckled and nodded. “Ah that. Yeah, a friend showed it to me this morning. But I didn't take it seriously, had a few laughs over it in fact.” At her astonished expression, the smile slipped from his face to be replaced by an uncertain look. “Is there a problem?”

Erin opened her mouth to assure him that there was no problem, but her mother cut in.

“Of course there is a problem.” Victoria snapped. “My daughter's face is splashed over the paper for all the world to see, claiming some preposterous lies and you just laughed about it?”

“Mum-” Erin began, but her mother rounded in on her.

“I assume this is the man you had dinner with last night? And he is also the one in the picture too. Who is the other man then?”

“That would be me.” An amused voice announced from behind them. Erin gasped and spun around, shocked to see Ethan striding towards them, a smile playing across his lips. How the hell had he come up without making some sort of noise? She wondered, feeling her entire body tense up at the thought of another battle with him. What the hell was he doing here?

“And you are?” Victoria asked, sizing him up with her eyes, mouth set in a thin line of displeasure. Her gaze slid from Ethan to Todd who looked on in surprise, then over to Erin.

Ethan stopped beside Erin, his proximity setting her pulse racing in anxiety. Of all the miserable things to happen again today! She groaned inwardly. “What are you doing here Ethan? This is a private ward.”

He barely glanced her way, his attention moving from her mother, then to Todd; resting briefly on Nicky and finally settling on Kim. His eyes narrowed at her but he didn't speak to her, turning back to Victoria, a charming smile on his face.

“Ethan Lachlan.” He held out his hand to her mother, who hesitated for a moment then shook his hand. “I'm-”

“Leaving now.” Erin broke in, her teeth gritted in frustration. She stepped forward and grabbed his upper arm, feeling the muscles ripple underneath her fingers. She stifled the images of that arm wrapped around her earlier and tugged him away. “Excuse me mum, I just need to deal with this.”

Mercifully, Ethan allowed himself to be pulled away. Erin was thankful for that because she doubted she'd have been able to get him to budge otherwise. She led him down the corridor, into an empty room she had spied earlier while coming off the elevator.

Shutting the door for much needed privacy, Erin leaned against it and glared at Ethan. “How the hell did you come here?

He grinned, a gesture that did not reach his eyes. “I used the stairs.”

She folded her arms over her breasts and huffed. “That's not what I mean Ethan. How did you know to come here?”

“I have my sources.” He looked furious, taking a step towards her and Erin realized that dragging him into a room was probably not the brightest idea she'd had. Certainly not after today's fiasco. “Why didn't you tell me your father had a heart attack?”

She gaped at him, feeling her own anger build at his words. He was angry because she had not told him about the heart attack? That was rich, coming from the very man who had put her father in this condition in the first place. “Are you freaking serious? You're really asking me that?”

“Yes.” He didn't elaborate, merely stared at her impassively.

Erin took a deep, calming breath. She needed to stay focused or her anger would get the better of her. Right now, all she wanted was to throw him out and put him out of her mind.

“Well, that's a funny question Ethan.” She forced out through clenched teeth. “One I'm not going to deign reply because it's none if your damn business.”

“As a member of the board and a major shareholder, I believe a have a right to know when the president is incapable of running the company. You and your family have kept that information under wraps and that's a breach of the rules.”

Erin saw red. “Why you bastard. How dare you?”

With a snarl, she pushed off the door and launched herself at Ethan, intending to inflict bodily harm. Her palm connected with his cheek, the sound resounding in the empty room. The force of the hit turned his head sideways, the red imprint of her fingers vivid against his skin.

“You vile, hateful man.” Erin hissed, her breath choppy from the force of her emotions. “My father is in here because of your actions and you dare accuse us of breaking the rules?”

She watched his jaw work, probably testing the condition of his cheek. Erin hoped the hit had broken something even though she knew that was unlikely. He rubbed at the spot, an unfathomable look in his eyes.

“I hope you go to hell Ethan.” Erin continued, more in control with her temper now. The hit had taken the edge off her fury and it gave her no small satisfaction to see the mark on his cheek.

“Don't ever try that again.” The cold fury in his voice caused her to take a step back. “I can tolerate a number of things but I will not take that, certainly not from you.”

In spite of the cold shiver that ran down her spine, Erin lifted her chin. “I am not afraid of you Ethan. I'll hit you again of you ever speak of my family in that way again. Be warned.”

She turned and stomped to the door. Her hand was on the handle when his next words stopped her in her tracks.

“You forget Erin, that I currently hold all the cards in this game.”

Frowning, she turned to stare at him. “What game are you talking about?”

He moved close till he stood toe to toe with her. So close she could see every pore in his face. “My game.” Ethan said softly. “And right now, I've just moved to phase two.”