"You look like hell."

Jessica glared playfully at the visitor standing in her doorway. "Thank you, Thomas Hughes. A girl can never get enough flattery." She waved him into the office.

"You know what I meant." Tom Hughes sat down on the corner of her desk. He was Jessica's law partner and best friend. Since the moment they had met in Chicago, a bond had formed between them. That bond had led Tom to persuade Jessica to move to Oakdale and eventually become a full partner in his family's law firm. Years later they were still best friends and confidantes. "Another restless night?"

"Yes. But not the usual." Jessica sighed heavily. "Stefan Cassadine is in town."

Tom frowned. "The guy you told me about? The one Lucinda tried to set you up with?" Jessica had recounted to him the details of her encounter in Port Charles with the wealthy aristocrat.

"That's the one," she confirmed wryly. "He's at Lucinda's. We ran into each other there last night.

"And?"

"And," Jessica admitted, "I am still attracted to him."

With one clean stroke after the other, Jessica glided through the water effortlessly. From one end to the other of the Olympic sized pool she swam. After watching for several moments, Stefan swam to the bottom of the pool and moved to cut her off. When he suddenly appeared beneath her, Jessica was startled. She pulled up short and gasped, inadvertently swallowing a mouthful of water. Choking and coughing, the startled lawyer struggled to make her way to the side of the pool.

Strong arms grasped her about the waist and directed her to the side of the pool. Jessica recognized the hard male body which pressed against her back. "Do you require mouth-to-mouth assistance?" a smooth voice murmured in her ear. "I am quite adept at it."

"No, thank you," Jessica responded tartly. She tried to ignore the stirrings his raspy voice created within her. "And I am sure you are." She paused. "You can let go of me now, Stefan."

"Darling," Stefan's musings were interrupted by Lucinda Walsh's insistent voice. " I know that you have a plan in place. But I don't think you realize what kind of resistance you are up against." Lucinda sat behind the enormous desk in her office at Worldwide Enterprises and watched Stefan Cassadine drink his coffee.

"I am aware of Miss Griffin's hesitation where I am concerned, as well as the reasons for it. But I am hardly Duncan McKechnie." He gave Lucinda a knowing smile. "I intend to ensure that there is no confusion regarding that fact."

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