Kylie was more than a little surprised when Ethan pulled up outside of a bar. By this time, though, she had given up on questions, and so she simply allowed him to lead her inside. Once they were seated, Ken ordered a Bottle of Coors Light, and Kylie asked for whiskey on the rocks, smirking at his 'baby drink.'

The drinks arrived after a few minutes, and they each took a sip. Ken had his eyes on the door, so Kylie looked there as well, but neither said a word to the other. As of yet, he had not told her why they were there, and she wasn't interested in anything else that he might have to say.

​​

The longer they sat there though, the more anxious Kylie began to feel. Ken had put her in a lose-lose situation. If they caught Ethan doing something dishonest, she would be forced to confront him. On the other hand, if this was another one of Ken's scams, then she would have to deal with him. That being said, she hoped that it was Ken who was acting the cad.

Stay calm, she told herself.

Gradually, as she sipped at her whiskey in silence, her thoughts strayed, and her imagination took the wheel. She wondered who would win if Ken and Ethan got into a fight. She played out different scenarios as to why Ethan might have lied to her, and why Ken couldn't just tell her.

Every once in a while, Ken opened his phone and checked it for messages. It seemed that he was waiting for a signal or something. Finally, the silence between them grew to be too much, and she asked him if he knew about Khloe's current situation?"

"She's fine," Ken replied without thinking. "She's pregnant with Matthew Parker's baby. Don't worry about her. She's taken care of and, once she has the baby, she won't have the time or energy to be so nosey and bitchy."

Kylie's eyes went wide. She hadn't known that Khloe was pregnant. She said, "Matthew is an old man. How is that even possible?"

Ken rolled his eyes. He shook his head and said, "Matthew drank an aphrodisiac that day. Otherwise, I doubt he could have even popped a chubby!"

Kylie laughed a little, but it was short-lived.

Ken looked at her seriously and asked her if she'd watched the DVD he'd given her. She admitted that she hadn't. In truth, she had pretty much forgotten all about it. After all, DVDs were pretty much an outdated medium. If you wanted someone to want to watch a video, you sent it to them through Facebook Messenger.

"Does it have anything to do with Khloe's baby?" she wondered.

"Khloe is saying the father is Matthew," he replied, "but I am the actual biological father!"

Hearing this, Kylie faced him with a confused look on her face. "If she is carrying your baby," she wondered, "Why is she saying that it belongs to Matthew?"

"Never mind that," Ken replied. "I don't even know why I mentioned it. Let's head back to the car."

As soon as they were in the car, Kylie looked him in the eye and asked him who his boss was, but as soon as he heard her question, he looked away and said, "I don't know what you are talking about. I am my own boss."

Kylie smiled as she sat back. "I don't believe it," she laughed, "but I won't push you. I might begin to though if I don't get some answers. You said we were in a rush, yet we had the time to stop at the pub for a drink? What the literal fuck? I am beginning to lose my patience!"

Ken didn't say anything. He just started the car and began to drive away. Then, after about twenty minutes, they arrived in front of a six-story building. Ken pointed to a room on the fourth floor and said, "Your man is up there."

Kylie moved to get out of the car but, before she could, he grabbed her arm and asked her a question: "Kylie. If Ethan betrays you, would you consider being with me?"

Kylie shook her arm away and said, "I've told you before that I don't want to be with you. Ever since high school, I have been bi-sexual. If Ethan turns out to be no different from every other man I've ever met, my next partner will most likely be a woman. So, unless you have a pearl, you may as well give it up…"

Ken let go of Kylie's arm as if it had caught leprosy and was highly contagious. He'd had no idea that she was a dyke!

***

Once they arrived on the fourth floor, Ken pointed out the apartment that he had said Ethan was in. Looking at that apartment's door, Kylie's heart pounded. It was Schrödinger's cat all over again. Until she knocked, he either was there, or he wasn't; it could easily go one way or the other. She looked at Ken.

Ken was leaning against the wall. He had lit a cigarette in his mouth. He had a bitter smile on his face. He waved her on with his hand. Without opening his mouth, his stature and mannerisms spoke loudly; go ahead. Knock. This is why you're here.

Finally, Kylie brought her knuckles to the door and rapped upon it, and it wasn't long before she could hear feet walking, getting closer. "Who is it?" a masculine voice wondered. It sounded like Ethan's voice. She knocked again but said nothing.

Finally, the door opened and, when she looked up, Ethan stood before her. Ken had been right. She turned to face him, and he mouthed four words: "I told you so."

When Ethan saw who was at the door, his face turned white, and his body froze. Hearing the commotion, Dora emerged from the hallway. She was wearing an apron over a housedress, and her hair was swept back into a ponytail. She looked like a proper hausfrau. She looked over at Ethan and smiled. "Look," she laughed, "the little mouse comes for you!."

Ethan scowled, turned back to Dora, and sighed. "You don't always have to be such a bitch," he told her. "This is hard enough without your petty sarcasm."

Dora took a step back and covered her mouth with her hand. No one had ever spoken to her in such a forward and contemptuous manner.

"I have been calling you all night," Kylie said. "I suppose that now I know why…"

Suddenly Ken stepped forward. He grabbed Kylie's attention and asked her why she was so calm. "Why aren't you screaming?" he wondered. "Why aren't you scratching his eyeballs out of their sockets?"

Seeing Ken up in Kylie's face, Ethan pushed him away. "I warned you to stay away," he warned. "Did you honestly think that it was an idle threat?"

"You have lost the right to defend Kylie," Ken hissed. "You are a cheat and a cad. You can have Dora if she will have you, but as of this moment, Kylie is under my protection."

"Sounds good," Ethan laughed as his fist connected hard with Ken's face.