The topic of the appeal of bad boys has been beaten to death (including by yours truly). From Rhett Butler to House, M.D., it seems bad boys finish first and are the ladies' choice when it comes to sex appeal.

Well, as true as this phenomenon is, Ashley Wilkes and Dr. Wilson have their fans too. So I thought it was time to trumpet the virtues of the virtuous guy for a change.

Readers of my Erotica with Soul blog well know of my House obsession, and I'd be the first to vouch for the sexiness of the curmudgeonly, nasty, and self-absorbed doctor. However, lately I've found myself giving a lot more fantasy time to his nice-guy sidekick, Dr. James Wilson (played by Robert Sean Leonard). This week's episode of the Fox show was Wilson-centric for a change, and gave viewers a good, long look into the life of the kindly oncologist.

Employing biting wit of his own (Wilson's no wuss), the good doctor plays House's conscience as well as a foil to his nastiness. His personal warmth and nurturance is demonstrated both in his selfless dealings with his friend and his dedication to his patients. You can't watch Wilson in action without wishing every doctor who ever treated you could be just like him.

I don't know about you, but the Healer has always been something of an erotic archetype to me. For example, in my story "Between Earth and Sky" (Soulful Sex Volume I) I told a tale of a woman lost in the Appalachians rescued by a handsome, nurturant mountain man. I've had my share of fantasies about being saved, healed, or nursed by some attractive fellow. Sometimes the traits of gentleness, warmth, protectiveness, and devotion are truly erotic.

As for the Rhett vs. Ashley controversy, I'm afraid I've always been an Ashley girl. Sure, in a crisis you'd rather have the ruthless, practically-minded Rhett on your side, but when it comes to romance, I'd pick Ashley every time. He's honorable, faithful, principled and deep down good. There's passion behind his beliefs, and to me that's very alluring. You just don't meet guys like that in real life.

Some other Nice/Good Guys that I've been smitten with: Obi-Wan Kenobi (well, Ewan McGregor's face doesn't hurt), Curly from "Oklahoma!", Les "Survivorman" Stroud, Captain Jean-Luc Picard, Mike Holmes ("Holmes on Homes"), Wash from "Firefly," Faramir from "Lord of the Rings," Superman, and Jesus from "Godspell." Well, you don't get any nicer than Jesus.

I will admit, however, that a Nice Guy's sex appeal can be enhanced if he is either a reformed Bad Boy or someone you mistook for a Bad Boy. There's no better example than Mr. Darcy. The hero of Pride and Prejudice comes across as bad for half the book, only to be revealed to be an absolute Knight in Shining Armor in the end. Likewise, Jane Eyre's Mr. Rochester seems distant, hedonistic, and cruel by turns until he is revealed as madly in love with Jane and actually a good guy.

Good vampires are generally this type as well. At the very least they must battle with their darker nature to be good, like Edward Cullen or Mick St. John ("Moonlight"), or perhaps they have been turned from evil to good by the love of a good woman (always an effective plot line). Either way, a dash of evil in the good makes for a delicious mix.

I'm also a fan of the character Cal Lightman (Tim Roth) on Fox's "Lie to Me." Having honed his skills at reading body language as a criminal, Cal now uses them in more beneficent ways. Nevertheless, his ability to seemingly look into your soul with those lovely, sexy eyes is a little scary. And his occasional struggles with the temptation to fall back into a life of crime are pretty alluring to watch.

For me, I guess it's like this: A Bad Boy can be a turn-on or fun for a quick fling, that's for sure. But when you meet a guy that's seriously, earnestly, unflaggingly good...well, he's heroic. You can only imagine how well he's going treat you. And what about that is not sexy?

Diana Laurence's popular new book, How to Catch and Keep a Vampire: A Step-by-Step Guide to Loving the Bad and the Beautiful was released in September. She is also the author of the Soulful Sex anthologies of erotic romance fiction, and the vampire romance series Bloodchained (www.bloodchained.com). Visit her at www.dianalaurence.com or enjoy her blog at www.eroticawithsoul.blogspot.com.