All the while, as Ethan and Kylie snuggled, Elliot waited patiently outside of the car. Finally, after an hour or so, Ethan rolled the window down and said that they were ready to go. As he climbed into the driver's seat, Elliot met Ethan's eyes through the mirror and asked him where he wanted to go.

Kylie looked at Ethan and said, "I haven't seen Pupu for a long time. Can we go to the Toprak Mansion to pick up Pupu? After that, we could go to the Merlin Villa. What do you think?"

​​

Ethan smiled and said, "As you wish."

Ethan gave Elliot a meaningful look, and Eliot started the car. Once they were on the road, Ethan turned to Kylie and asked her if she was ready for the shareholders meeting in the morning. When Kylie said that she was, he asked her what she intended to do with her shares.

Kylie gave him a funny look and asked him how he knew about the recently acquired shares. Ethan didn't answer her question directly. Instead, he said, "If there is anything that you need, please tell me. It would be best if you didn't have any contact with Ken. Is that clear?"

Kylie nodded and said, "Crystal clear."

After Ken had attempted to assault Kylie sexually, Ethan had hired someone to break one of his legs and added him to his blacklist. Of course, Ken had tried to circumvent his actions, but to date, every one of his efforts had failed. As for Kylie, she no longer feared Ken, but if Ethan wanted her to stay clear of him, she took no issue with his directive.

Kylie looked at Ethan and asked him if there was still a bodyguard following her.

"Of course," Ethan replied, "Your safety is my number one priority."

***

Kylie's bodyguard was waiting for her when she arrived home with Pupu. As promised, the guard was a woman. Kylie introduced herself, and her first impression of the guard was that she was charming, but she also saw a potential for violence in her eyes.

"My name is Dinah Larson," the guard said as they shook hands.

As Kylie took her hand away, it suddenly occurred to her that she'd heard the woman's name before. In her mind, she could practically hear the name flowing from Stephen's mouth, but the context was lost on her.

Ethan invited Dina to take a seat on the couch, and the three of them made themselves comfortable in the living room. Pupu joyfully wagged his tail and jumped into Kylie's lap.

Ethan glanced at it. Even though Pupu was a dog, he was jealous of Pupu's proximity to Kylie, so he scolded the dog and encouraged her to go back to the floor.

Ethan put his hand on Kylie's shoulder but, just as he made contact, Pupu put his paws back on Kylie's legs. Dinah sat on the opposite of them, and as she watched their behavior, she burst out laughing. She said, "I bet that Pupu is the only man alive who would dare vie for Ethan's affection!"

Suddenly a car horn blared from the driveway, and everyone froze. Kylie got up and looked out the window. She looked at everybody and said, "It's only Stephen, loud as ever. He must be just now returning from the hospital. He has a cell phone in one hand and a briefcase in the other. The operation must have been a success, but he probably still has a lot of work to do…"

Kylie was excited to see how Stephen would react when he saw Dinah.

The first thing Stephen saw when he walked in the door was the unfamiliar set of lady's military boots in the closet. He poked his head into the living room to say hello, but before he uttered a single sound, he saw Dinah.

Much to Ethan and Kylie's surprise, Dinah stood up, walked over to Stephen, and kissed him on the mouth. But no one was more surprised that Stephen appeared to be. His face turned red, and he said, "Sorry, but I have to go upstairs. I still have a lot of work to do."

Stephen moved in the direction of the stairs, but Dinah cut him off. She looked him in the eyes and wondered, "Why are you trying to hide from me? You have nothing to fear from me…"

"I'm not hiding," Stephen replied. "I have legitimate work to do, and you are holding me back!"

Kylie laughed and said, "There is never a dull moment in this house!" She looked and Ethan and said, "Did you know that they had a previous relationship when you hired her?"

"I did," Ethan chuckled. "I thought it would be amusing to watch, and it is, but why don't we go upstairs for now. There will be plenty of time in the future to watch these two go at it like cats and dogs! The game has just begun!"

Pupu followed Ethan and Kylie up the stairs. As he opened the door, Ethan threw a ball down the stairs, and as soon as the dog went after it, Ethan closed the door so he could not come in. Kylie scowled but said nothing. She had learned to pick her battles with Ethan, and she was pretty sure she couldn't win this one. Whenever his jealousy was involved, she never won.

Kylie could see that Ethan was exhausted, so she offered him a massage. She helped him take off his shirt and had him lie on his stomach. There was some massaging oil in the bathroom. She brought it in, rubbed it into her hands, and began to rub his back. His shoulders, she noted, were full of knots, and she pressed her elbows into his muscles.

Ethan sighed as the tension was released. Once he felt completely relaxed, he rolled over so that he could face Kylie. He ran his eyes over her entire body, and she began to tingle all over. He hadn't touched her, but she felt as if he'd undressed her with his eyes. She could feel his hands on her body, even though they weren't. The room was quiet, and there was a subtle tension in the air.

Not knowing what else to do, Kylie began to massage his front. She ran her fingers along with his abs and stretched his arms away from his body so that she could rub his deltoids and triceps. She removed his pants so that she could get to his legs and his feet.

As Kylie massage him, she began to feel horny. The tingling in her body increased, and her heart began to beat faster. She could feel the heat go up into her groin as her wet core became moist. She looked up to Ethan and was shocked to discover that he had fallen asleep. She gently got off of the bed, and her head felt light. This is the worst, she thought to herself, but if he can't take care of me, then I can take care of myself.