Rick stepped out of his room and into the brightly lit hospital corridor, as he rolled his shoulders, and walked down the long hallway towards the hospital exit.
But down the hallway at the nurses counter, Nurse Maya was standing behind the tall counter, bent over a stack of medical files, her heavy breasts resting on the edge of the desk.
Rick took a moment to just appreciate the view. The system had told him her body count was zero. A fucking nil.
Clearly the idiots in this world were born out of some donkey's ass to not pursue such a beautiful and innocent girl.
But Rick wasn't one of them. He would never leave his dear Maya alone for someone else to swoop her right below his nose.
As Rick's heavy leather shoes clicked closer, Maya looked up, and his changed appearance made her jaw literally drop.
She stared at him, as she looked at his broad shoulders, the crisp white shirt, the perfectly tied silk tie, and the expensive gold watch. She didn't even recognize him for a good three seconds.
"Mr. Smith?!" Maya gasped, her voice cracking slightly.
Rick stopped right in front of the counter. He leaned forward, resting his forearms on the high desk.
"I told you, it's just Rick," he said, his voice deep and smooth.
"What... what are you wearing?" Maya stammered, completely flustered. She looked him up and down, "Where did you get a tailored suit? You were brought in wearing a ripped t-shirt and jeans! And... and you can't be out of bed! Dr Vance has just ordered a full MRI for you!"
"Oh! I had my tailor drop it off while you were gone," Rick lied effortlessly, looking straight into her eyes, "And I am not waiting around for that strict doctor to poke and prod me. It's time for me to make a run for it."
"You have a personal tailor?" Maya looked at him in half-belief.
"Well it's a long story. I will tell you more about it over a cup of coffee," Rick smiled, "Till then, let us keep the mystery alive."
"Whatever! But you can't leave!" Maya protested. She stepped out from behind the counter to block his path, "Rick, please. If Dr Vance found out that I let you go, she will literally have my head on a spike. You are still under observation."
Rick looked down at her. She was standing barely a foot away from him, and he could smell the pleasant smell off her body.
Ding!
The "slowly getting familiar" sharp, mechanical chime echoed in his skull, and a translucent blue screen materialized right between them.
[New Quest Generated!]
[Quest: The Dirty Distraction]
[Target: Nurse Maya Davies]
[Objective: She is trying to do her job and stop you. Derail her professional train of thought. Make a highly vulgar, suggestive comment about her physical stamina and her shift.]
[Time Limit: 2 Minutes.]
[Rewards: +150 Mischief Points, +15 Carnal Calibrator (Maya).]
[Failure Penalty: Temporary Erectile Dysfunction (24 Hours).]
Rick read the penalty and almost laughed. The system really loved hitting him where it hurt.
He dismissed the screen with a mental swipe, as he took a half-step forward, forcing her to tilt her head up to maintain eye contact.
"You want me back in that bed so badly, Maya?" Rick murmured, his voice dropping an octave.
Maya swallowed hard, "Yes. It's... it's hospital policy."
Rick reached out, and gently hooked a finger under her chin, tilting her face up even further. Her breath hitched, and her large brown eyes dilated.
"You look absolutely exhausted," Rick said, letting his eyes slowly drag down to her plump chest and back up, "Running around these sterile hallways all night. Dealing with lecherous old men."
"It must take a lot of your stamina."
Maya's cheeks flushed, "I... it's my job."
"It's a waste," Rick continued as he leaned in so that his breath brushed against her nape, "A body like yours shouldn't be sweating in cheap blue scrubs."
"I can think of much better ways to keep you on your toes, sweetheart."
Maya let out a sharp, breathless gasp, Her eyes widened to the size of saucers. Nobody had ever spoken to her like that. It was incredibly crude. It was wildly inappropriate. It broke every single rule in the professional handbook.
But her body betrayed her. Her thighs instantly clenched together. The way he looked at her, combined with the expensive suit and absolute confidence, short-circuited her logical brain entirely.
"You... you are completely unhinged," Maya breathed heavily, as she lightly smacked his chest.
Ding!
[Quest Completed: The Dirty Distraction]
[Rewards: +150 Mischief Points, +15 Carnal Calibrator (Maya).]
Rick watched the golden text flash in his peripheral vision.
[Target: Maya Davies]
[Carnal Calibrator: 40/100]
Rick smirked. Forty out of a hundred?! He was almost halfway there.
But he suddenly had a new question; Will the Carnal Calibrator only increase when he gets quests? Or His own actions can increase the Carnal calibrator as well.
"I am just being honest," Rick teased, stepping back slightly as he tried to test it out, "So, are you going to tackle me to the floor and drag me back to my room?"
Maya fanned her flushed face with her hand. She was completely derailed. She couldn't even remember why she was holding the medical chart in her other hand.
"You are going to get me fired," she muttered, looking away.
But as she turned her head, her eyes locked onto the far end of the corridor. The playful, flustered expression on her face instantly vanished, replaced by a confused frown.
"That's..." Maya squinted down the hallway, "That's Dr Vance's fiance."
Rick turned around to look at as well, and about fifty yards down the corridor, a tall man in a dark trench coat was quickly slipping through the heavy double doors that led out to the hospital's dark courtyard garden.
He disappeared through the doors, the heavy glass shutting quietly behind him.
"I need to go see what's going on," Maya said, "If he's looking for Dr Vance, she's on the surgical floor. I should tell him before he gets lost out there."
Rick's mind raced. The Ice Queen had a fiancé? And he was sneaking into the dark hospital garden?
This was absolute gold. Information was power. If the untouchable, arrogant Dr Vance had secrets creeping around right under her own roof, Rick could absolutely use that to shatter her perfect, icy exterior.
Maya started walking quickly down the corridor towards the garden doors.
Rick didn't hesitate. He fell into step right beside her.
"I am coming with you," Rick declared.
"Rick, no!" Maya hissed, looking up at him as they walked, "You are a patient! You shouldn't even be out of your room, let alone sneaking into the garden!"
"I told you, I need fresh air," Rick smirked, "Besides, it's dark out there. You might need a big, strong miracle patient to protect you."
Maya rolled her eyes, but she didn't stop him. "Fine. But you stay quiet. If Dr Vance notices that you are not in your bed, I am telling them you wandered off and I was just trying to bring you back."
"Deal," Rick chuckled.
Outside the hospital building, the cool night air washed over them instantly.
The hospital courtyard was a large garden meant for recovering patients during the day. At night, it was pitch black, lit only by a few flickering orange street lamps along the concrete pathways.
"Where did he go?" Maya whispered, sticking close to Rick's side. Her shoulder brushed against his expensive suit jacket.
"Over there," Rick pointed towards a dense cluster of bushes and an old oak tree near the high brick wall, "I see something there."
As they crept closer to the massive oak tree, a faint sound drifted through the cold air.
Rick stopped in his tracks, grabbing Maya's arm to halt her.
"Do you hear that?" Rick whispered.
Maya nodded, her eyes wide with confusion, "Is someone back there?"
Rick narrowed his eyes. He didn't particularly care about hospital drama. But a golden opportunity has fell right into his lap.
"Let's go see," Rick muttered.
He tangled his fingers with Maya's as he pulled her along around the massive trunk of a tree, stepping into the dim pool of light cast by a distant street lamp.
In front of them, sitting on the cold wooden bench, with his trench coat pushed aside and his trousers undone, was Dr Vance's fiancé.
And kneeling on the ground right in front of him, wearing a tight nurse's uniform with her head bobbing back and forth, was a blonde woman.
Rick could not recognise her, but the smirk on his face widened.
"Gotcha!"