Edwin then got up to close the ceremony. Several members of staff moved forward and lifted the covered table that Danny Tripps body lay on, revealing a grave, wide and deep and lined with stones and flowers behind it. A ramp had been dug out leading down to it from the north side.

Moving carefully, they wrapped his body in the white cloth that draped the table, and then lifted his body on their shoulders to the head of the ramp, and as everyone gathered around, they laid him to rest on the flowers, then began to gently place stones and more flowers over the corpse until he was completely covered.

Edwin thanked them for coming and bade them return to the main house for refreshments, then added that he would invite them to do as Kyle suggested and share their memories, good and bad, of the man Danny Tripps had been.

The staff were the first to drift away, with nearly all of them working, and many of the guests followed. Katie and Kara got up, but Kyle remained in his seat, wanting to stay and witness the burial, but his sisters reminded him they had lots of guests and that he couldn't stay there all day.

On the walk back up to the house Kyle got many compliments on his speech, of the courage it took to get up there, and of how it reminded them of Danny Tripps himself in the way it was delivered. The last part came as a surprise to Kyle.

The next half hour of mingling back at the house was a repeat of the same conversation. Really great speech, emotional, reminded me of him, but it passed quickly and it was time to walk many of the guests back to the boat or the helicopters that were waiting to take them back to the world.

By the time they bade them farewell and got back to the house, Kyle was feeling pretty drained and excused himself for a few minutes. He got into his suite, hung up his jacket and sat quietly on the balcony for a minute having a cigarette.

Patricia appeared a few minutes later, looking for him.

"You okay?" He asked. He hadn't had a chance to talk to her since before the ceremony as they'd been moving from guest to guest, shaking hands, making small talk and then dealing with those who were leaving.

"You did good, Kyle," She said, leaning over the chair from behind him and giving him a hug and another peck on the cheek.

"Just clicked what I wanted to say this morning. The core of it's what you wrote though."

She swatted his head. "You changed everything, so don't go trying to credit me for your own work."

Kyle chuckled. "So who's still here?"

"Not many people actually," She said, frowning. "Sting and Neil Finn are still here. They're already talking about doing a few tunes later. Johnny Depp is staying overnight, as are Charlize Theron and Christy Turlington, but everyone else has left or will be in the next couple of hours. There's a ton of phone calls to return too."

"I never got the chance to talk to Mike Myers. I was going to ask him for tips on being cool too," He said, getting a laugh from Patricia.

"You're doing fine, Kyle."

"Who's the phone calls from?"

"Oh, there's a list. Lots of friends and acquaintances of Mister Tripps, the usual politicians taking the opportunity to secure campaign donations, media fishing for interviews, stuff like that. Lakshmi's culling the list of calls you can return in the next couple of days."

"Do you guys ever stop working?" Kyle asked.

Patricia rolled her eyes. "Are we going to have that conversation again already?"

"No, I guess not," He replied, stubbing out his cigarette. He stood up and turned to face her. "How do I look then?"

"Tall, dark, handsome." She smirked a little and tilted her head. "You should get Katie to photograph you today. You look good."

He frowned. "Don't know if I like the idea of being photographed. Even if it's Katie doing it."

"Get a few drinks in you. You'll be fine."

"I thought I wasn't supposed to be drinking, what with all the training."

Patricia shrugged. "It's a special occasion."

Kyle nodded towards the stairs, indicating that they should return to the party but she stopped him and wiped at the lipstick on his cheek. The close proximity of her as she stood before him, her head tilted up and her lips parted, her hand on his face. It was one of those moments where things happen or they don't, but before Kyle could kiss her she stepped back.

"Yeah, that was a moment," Kyle muttered, getting a grin from Patricia as she led him back down to the party.

By midnight, Kyle was yawning and apologising for it. It had been a fantastic evening.

Neil Finn and Sting played together with their musicians for nearly two hours, putting on an impromptu concert that Kyle felt priviliged to hear. Katie had pressed Johnny Depp to teach her the Captain Jack swagger, and had fallen over twice attempting it, but Kara nailed it first time. Connor Grant had drunk Mister Crowler under the table, then disappeared with Christy Turlington a couple of hours ago and hadn't come back. Katie had been bobbing around with her camera for hours, and was desperate to leave to get the shots on the computer and edit them, but there was always something else to photograph.

Kyle had enjoyed long conversations with everyone, not just stories of Danny Tripps, but lots of general conversation too. He'd had a long chat with Lakshmi and Peter, getting to know them a little. Lakshmi was slow in opening up, but had a very sharp sense of humour, and Peter was the typical geek, right down to the glasses, with the exception that he looked like a male model, something which he seemed blissfully unaware of. He also told Kyle about the gaming network they had on the Island and challenged him to a game of Call of Duty tomorrow night. Lakshmi assured Kyle, who considered himself to be pretty good that he'd get thrashed and that Peter was a freak when it came to gaming.

In a conversation with Charlize Theron about LA, she'd put her hand on Kyle's leg and told him she'd be happy to show him the sights when he came to town. He didn't know if she was just being friendly or if he was being propositioned, but when Patricia nearly choked on her drink he figured it out.

Kara was a concern though. She'd remained a little withdrawn throughout the whole evening. Kyle and Katie had both tried to draw her into engaging a little more with people, but failed, until Johnny Depp slumped down on a seat next to her and talked to her for three hours straight about anything and everything.

Seeing everyone had relaxed, Kyle had ordered up a round of cocktails for Patricia, Heidi, Garius, Peter and Lakshmi, and they'd all sat themself down at a table. He'd kept an eye on them as the evening had gone on and kept sending drinks over for them, making sure they had a good time as they deserved a night off.

However, as midnight came and went, the guests started to drift off to bed. Eventually Kyle saw his opportunity and bid them all a goodnight too and headed upstairs, dropping into his seat on the balcony for a smoke.

He smiled as Kara appeared.

"I thought I was never gonna get rid of him," She said wearily as she sat down and reached for his cigarettes.

"Captain Jack?" Kyle asked, surprised.

"Yeah." She lit up.

"You mean to say you were trying to escape from the guy who's a figure of fantasy to millions of women around the world?" He grinned. "How fucking mad is this?"

Kara smiled. "I know. Who knew sexy actors could be boring? How awesome was the music tonight?"

"I wish I'd recorded it," Kyle said immediately. Between Sting, Neil Finn and their musicians, they had done impromptu covers of everything from Frank Sinatra to Nirvana, their own music, and Sting's version of Rihanna's S&M blended seamlessly into Roxanne was something he would never forget, mostly because the singer could barely stop laughing while he sung it.

"Hey, have you see Katie's pictures?" Kara asked quickly, kicking her black heels off and putting her feet up on the table.

Kyle shook his head. "I haven't, but she's barely had that camera out of her hands for six hours now. Any good?"

"She showed me a few on the back of her camera. That girls talented. I bet she's up all night editing them."

Kyle smiled. "Good to see someone with passion for what they do, isn't it?"

Kara nodded. "Definitely. She even took a picture of me that I liked. The ones of you are superb. So, what's the story with you and Patricia then?"

"What story?"

"This morning you were all angst and angry. Today she's hanging all over you again."

"We're just.... close." He shrugged. "I don't know."

"Have you two...." She winked with the subtlety of a sledgehammer, drawing a laugh from Kyle.

"No, haven't even kissed," He admitted.

"You bicker like an old married couple," She said a moment later. "It's kind of freaky to watch, considering you've only known her what? Three or four days?"

"Yeah, something like that. How are you getting along with Garius?"

"Well, he's a lot of fun, lots of sharp one-liners and he's helping me with the briefings, translating what it all means into words I can understand. He really does think he's Gods gift to men though." She smiled. "I still don't know if I can trust him, but I like him as a person."

"He seems like a nice guy," Kyle agreed.

He paused as he heard a whistle and Kara frowned, looking over the balcony. "I think someone's trying to get your attention, Kyle."

He stood up and looked down at the pool area, where Heidi was trying to stop a drunken Patricia from going for a swim.

"She's totally wasted," Kara muttered, shaking her head.

"Fucking hell," Kyle said, laughing as his assistant nearly fell over.

Heidi waved again for Kyle to come and give her a hand, and he nodded.

"Better go help her," He said, stubbing out his cigarette.

"Have fun."

Kyle nipped down the stairs then out to the pool where Heidi now had a hold of one of Patricia's arms and was trying to hold her back, telling her, "It's not a good idea to go swimming when you're drunk, and never when you're wearing Prada, Patricia."

"Hey, Patricia," Kyle said, stepping in front of her to divert her attention.

"Wooo!" She said, rolling her head as she tried to stand up straight. "There he is."

"You're hammered," He said, grinning.

She lifted one arm as if to salute him, but smacked herself in the head and staggered to the side. "Bosseses orders."

Her voice was slurred and Kyle looked at Heidi, trying not to laugh as she rolled her eyes at him.

"She needs to go to bed," Heidi said. "Can you help me take her upstairs?"

"Sure," Kyle nodded. He looked at Patricia wobbling on her feet and opted for the simple expedient of just scooping her up in his arms and carrying her.

She let loose a 'Wooo' when he scooped her up, but then leaned her head on his shoulder as he carried her over to the stairs.

"You okay carrying her like that?" Heidi asked, seeming no worse for wear after an evenings drinking.

"I'm fine," Kyle nodded. "Go on."

He followed her up the wide wooden staircase, past a grinning Kara and then into his suite, where he took her straight into her room and sat her on her bed.

Heidi bent down to take her shoes off, and Kyle stood back, laughing as Patricia kept moving her legs out of Heidi's reach.

"Maybe I should stay in here tonight, keep an eye on her," The redhead suggested.

"It's fine," Kyle said. "I'll keep an eye on her. Be nice to look after her for a change."

"I'm gonna put her to bed then," Heidi said.

"I assume you don't want a hand getting her out her dress," Kyle said, moving to the door.

"No, probably not, no," Heidi grinned. "But thanks anyway."

"I'll be out on the balcony," Kyle told her.

"Kyle!" Patricia blurted, her eyes struggling to focus on him. Her hand patted the bed beside her. "You shleep here, right." Her words were all slurred but Heidi began to laugh quietly.

"Patricia," Kyle said, stepping forward and peering at her. "You go to sleep."

She thumped the bed again. "Here."

Kyle looked at Heidi, who was trying not to laugh and he winked at her. "Patricia. You go to sleep and I'll sneak in and wake you up, okay? It'll be our little secret. How's that sound?"

She grinned and gave him a thumbs up. "Shecret."

"Yeah."

"Coool," She said, then rolled onto her side as if to go straight to sleep.

"Fucking hell," Kyle muttered, looking at Heidi. "She's totally hammered."

"Yes, she certainly is," Heidi grinned. "And what was that about?"

Kyle shrugged. "Maybe she just wants someone to cuddle into."

Heidi chuckled. "And if you really thought that you'd be a lot dumber than I think you are."

"Much as the idea of Patricia and me hooking up is appealing, it'll never happen like this," He told her. "I'm not that guy. Never have been."

Heidi looked at him. "I know. If I had any doubts I'd be sleeping in here with her. Besides, I don't think it's you we'll have the trouble with tonight, is it?"

Kyle smiled. "Good point. Right, can I leave you to it? You'll get her into bed?"

Heidi nodded. "I'll be out in a few minutes."

Kara had gone by the time he went back outside, so he nipped back in and got his phone then sat back on the balcony and checked his emails.

"Holy fuck." He whispered, seeing he had three hundred and ninety one new emails in his personal account. People he hadn't heard from in years, guys and girls he went to school or college with and lots of people he didn't know at all had emailed his personal account. He scanned down, seeking emails from his folks, Casey or Ed, and discovered one from Ed.

Richie McRichfuck!

That Caroline chick keeps sexting me and sending hot fucking pics, but no face shots. If she's a fucking butterface I'll tell the press you're a scat-loving him-she hermaphrodite bitch and you fist yourself every morning at work.

Ed, clunge-magnet extraordinaire!

Kyle chuckled and closed the message, glad to see that Ed was still a dick, but the same dick he was before.

The rest of the emails were from more people he knew but didn't want to talk to, or people he didn't know at all, and Kyle couldn't be bothered wading through them all, so shut it down and folded the screen back.

"Hey, that's her in bed," Heidi said as he got up. "She's out for the count."

"Thanks for that," Kyle said, nodding. "I'm going for a shower and I'll check on her after that."

"She's gonna have a monster hangover in the morning," Heidi warned, unable to hide the slight grin on her face.

"I bet she will, but I'll go easy on her," Kyle promised.

"Anything you need, just let me know, okay?" She said and Kyle nodded, then headed inside and shut the doors.

He hung his trousers and waistcoat up, had a quick shower and when he got back in the bedroom, Patricia was curled up under his sheets. There was no sign of the black Football top she usually appeared in, and he wondered if she was naked under there.

"That's all I need. Me trying to get Patricia back into her own bed while she's butt naked and you can bet that's the point someone will walk in here," He muttered to no-one in particular.

"Patricia, wake up." He rubbed at her shoulder, shaking her until her eyes opened and she smiled at him. "You need to go back to bed."

She shook her head slowly, as if the alcohol had made it too heavy for her neck to support. "Nope. Protectorin' you." Then she stuck her tongue out.

Kyle chuckled, seeing how drunk she was. At least she was a fun drunk though, which was a serious bonus.

"What you protecting me from, Patricia? The boogeyman?" Kyle asked, trying hard not to laugh at her, but finding the way she eyed him pretty funny.

"No, shilly." She paused for a second and swallowed, then frowned. "Boogeygirl!"

"Boogeygirl?" Kyle chuckled, then stopped, realising what she meant. Even though she was hammered she had come through to make sure no-one slipped into his room in the middle of the night again.

"Patricia. Was that you in my room last night?" Kyle asked, figuring if she was drunk he might as well ask her.

"Nope." She frowned. "Told you ear-earlier, Kyle."

Kyle nodded and then Patricia grinned at him, and held her arms out to be hugged.

"Hug."

"Sleep," He said firmly.

She pouted and Kyle burst out laughing. It had been a while since he'd put a drunk person to bed and he'd almost forgotten how many of them behaved like a tired five year old who didn't want to go to bed.

"S'not funny. Kiss me," She ordered, lifting her arms up again. The sheet slipped down exposing one of her breasts and Kyle's eyes were drawn to it, seeing the tight pink nub atop the soft, inviting flesh.

He silently reminded himself that he was sober and she wasn't, and taking advantage of a drunk chick wasn't cool, particularly if you were friends, colleagues or whatever. He walked round the bed and sat down beside her, casually pulling the sheet up to cover her.

"You know you're drunk, right?"

She grinned at him and winked. "Lil bit."

"And only douchebags and criminals take advantage of drunk girls, right?"

She snorted and giggled. "Lotsa people."

"Not me though," Kyle said gently. "Not tonight, Patricia. Not while you're drunk. If you still want to get together tomorrow, then that's fine. But not tonight, okay?"

"Huh?" She gave him a confused look, which came out halfway between a sneer and a pout.

Kyle shook his head, trying to remain serious. "Me and you. You're drunk, so we're not going to do anything while you're drunk. If you still want to tomorrow, then we'll talk about it then, but right now we both need to sleep, okay?"

Kyle smiled as Patricia looked disappointed. He found it really cute.

"Sleep?"

"Yeah. Sleep," He nodded.

Patricia squinted at him. "No... coitus?"

Kyle burst out laughing. He was a big fan of the Big Bang Theory, but he really didn't expect Patricia to spring the word 'coitus' into the conversation, let alone actually say it when she was hammered.

"S'not funny."

"You can sleep here if you want, but no funny business, okay?" Kyle figured if she was as wasted as she was it might be just as easy to let her sleep in his bed, so if she started vomiting he'd be able to get her into the bathroom. He was also pretty convinced that if he put her in her own bed, she'd just come back through again.

She blew a raspberry at him.

"Okay then." Kyle said, smiling as he got to his feet. Figuring he better not sleep naked too, he went into the dressing room, pulled out a pair of track pants and a vest top and put them on, then returned to the bedroom.

Patricia scrunched her face up into something approximating a frown seeing him wearing clothes, but didn't say anything.

He walked round the bed, set an alarm on his phone and slipped under the sheet, smiling as Patricia rolled over and nudged at him until he put his arm around her. She snuggled into him, her head resting on his chest and Kyle pulled the sheet up to cover them both.

"Shex?" Patricia murmured.

"Go to sleep, Patricia."

Her hand slid down towards his waistband and he rolled his eyes as he pulled it back up and held it against his chest.

"You're no fun," She muttered.

"Goodnight, Patricia."

He turned his alarm off quickly and flicked on the bedside light. Patricia had rolled over at some point in the night and was sprawled across the bed, the sheet twisted down around her hips.

He looked at her lying there for a second, then reminded himself he wasn't a fucking creep and got out of bed. A quick wash in the bathroom woke him up and he entered the dressing room quietly, removing his top, stained with saliva where Patricia had drooled on it as she slept. He slipped another one on, then gathered up his phone, pulled the sheet up over her and headed for the gym.

Kyle was feeling pretty pleased with himself for not giving in to temptation last night. At one point he'd woken up, spooned in behind her and as he moved he felt her pushing her ass back into him. It would have been all too easy for instinct to take over, and it had tempted him at the time, but he'd remembered the state she was in, and he didn't want that. If he was going to fuck Patricia, and he really wanted to, he wanted her awake and alert, not drunk and half unconscious.

He frowned and shifted his mind to his coming workout. Kyle was surprised to discover he was really looking forward to it, and had actually missed it last night. He broke into a gentle jog on his way down the path, chuckling as he realised what he was doing.

"You're turning yourself into a gym-junkie, Kyle? Really?"

Julian was waitng, as always, and Kyle threw himself into the mornings programme, working with an intensity he welcomed and Julian encouraged. His arms, shoulders, pecs and stomach all got blasted hard, and he was pleased to note the weights he had been lifting for the last couple of days had increased.

The burning pain in his muscles was actually pleasing him, and Julian nodded approvingly as Kyle completed his warm down.

When he arrived back at the house, Lakshmi was sitting downstairs with a laptop, working away and Kyle slowed to talk to her.

"Morning, Lakshmi. Sleep well?"

"Hi, Kyle. Very good, thank you. You?"

"Yeah, not bad," He nodded.

"How's Patricia?" Lakshmi asked. "I haven't seen her that drunk in a while."

"She's still asleep, although I can see her having the mother of all hangovers."

"I can cover her duties this morning, if you need some help?" She offered, smiling. "Probably best you don't expect too much from her straight away."

"That'll be cool, thanks," Kyle nodded. "I figured she'd need the morning off anyway. Do you happen to know what's in my schedule for today? It's not in my phone yet."

The indian girl looked down at her laptop, her fingers flickering across the keyboard. "Here we are. Breakfast at eight with guests, until around half nine and then you need to be available to escort them to either the helipad or the pier."

"Okay," Kyle nodded, thinking that sounded easy enough.

"Mister Crowler has a ten minute slot with you around ten o'clock, just whenever you can fit him in, and you've got an appointment with Connor Grant at twelve."

"What's that about?"

She tapped at the keyboard again, then looked up, smiling. "Introduction to firearms."

Kyle's eyes widened. "Really?"

"Yes, sir."

"It's Kyle," He said quickly, then grinned. "Do you think Connor will be sober by then?"

"Despite all appearances to the contrary, he takes his work very seriously," Lakshmi explained. "He's got quite a reputation."

"I think he scored with Christy Turlington last night," Kyle grinned.

"She was stunning yesterday. You know she was one of the supermodels? Late eighties, early nineties, along with Cindy Crawford, Elle McPherson, Claudia Schiffer."

"Yeah," Kyle nodded. "She's still got the looks."

"Mister Tripps dated her for a few weeks, years ago," Lakshmi told him. "Since then he'd speak with her on the phone at least once a month, and if they were ever in the same area at the same time they'd meet up for lunch. She was a good friend to him."

"I'll make sure I speak to her before she goes."

Lakshmi nodded. "Anything else I can help you with just now, Kyle?"

"No, I'm good. I better get myself cleaned up and wake up Patricia. Good morning, hangover," He said, grinning.

"Good luck."

Kyle headed upstairs and into his suite, finding Patricia exactly as she was when he left, so he went into the lounge, grabbed a couple of bottles of cold water and returned to the bedroom.

As he looked down at her Kyle had another moment of temptation, a sudden desire to slide the sheet back and admire her naked form, then slide in behind her, but he took a deep breath and shook his head.

"Patricia." He shook her shoulder gently. "Patricia, time to get up."

Her eyes opened and she blinked a few times, then shot bolt upright, looking around.

Kyle chuckled as she figured out where she was.

She thumped back down on the bed and pulled the sheet up over her head. Kyle heard a groan, and then the sheet slowly slid down, revealing her face. She had one eye open a little, the other closed against the light, and she was licking her lips at the dryness in her mouth.

"What time is it?"

"Nearly seven."

"You're late for your workout," She replied immediately, closing her eyes as the enormity of her hangover struck. "Oh dear God."

Kyle chuckled. "I've already been for my workout, sorted out my schedule, and you've got an hour until breakfast, so take it easy. How you feeling?"

"Dire."

"Want some water?" Kyle asked, pressing the bottle into her hand.

Patricia sighed and pulled the nozzle to her lips, squeezing and swallowing half the contents in one go. She lowered the bottle and smiled weakly. "Thank you."

"No problem," Kyle replied. "Do you remember much?"

Patricia frowned as she thought, then grimaced and then flushed a little with embarassment. "Well, I made an ass of myself. Did we....?"

"No," Kyle assured her quickly. "Absolutely no, okay?"

She seemed a little relieved. "Thanks for not... doing anything," She murmured, looking at him through one eye. "I get the feeling I wouldn't have said no."

"No, you wouldn't have said no," Kyle said, then smiled. "In fact at one point you even suggested we have... coitus," He explained, breaking into a broad grin.

"I didn't," She said quickly, then slumped back. "I did. What a tool."

"I thought it was kinda cute. Now, you want me to run you a bath or put the shower on or something?"

"Bath. Please," She muttered, closing her eyes. "Really hot."

"No problem. Just drink the rest of that water, okay. You need to rehydrate."

Kyle put the bath on, surprised at how fast the water level rose, and he opened the cabinet that had jars after jar of different salts, powders and other things that he wasn't sure of. Rather than put in something that might make her feel sick, he just checked the water level and when it was deep enough, he shut off the tap and walked back into the bedroom.

Patricia was sitting up in bed now, her knees drawn up and the sheet tucked under her arms as she drunk from the second water bottle.

"Bath's ready."

"Oh good," She muttered.

Kyle's eyes widened as she threw the sheet to one side and slid naked across the bed, then walked past him and got slowly into the bath.

"Bit casual with the nudity this morning, are we?" He joked.

"I don't care," She stated. "I'm sure you saw me naked last night, and I'm too rough to give a shit today."

She dunked her head under the water, then swept her hair clear of her face as she leaned back against the head of the bath. "Unless it bothers you?"

"I have absolutely no problem seeing you naked when you're sober enough to know what you're doing," Kyle said, smiling. "In fact, you can walk around like that all the time, if you want."

"Only in here," She replied, closing her eyes. "Kyle?"

"Yeah."

"Any chance of some more water? Or a can of Pepsi or something?"

"Sure," He nodded, and fetched one from the small refrigerator in the lounge. He handed the cold can to her.

"Thanks. You'll make someone a wonderful assistant one day."

"Funny."

"I try," She muttered, holding the cold can against her forehead, her eyes closed. "Don't let me drink again please."

"You'll get over it," He replied, grinning at turning one of her phrases back on her.

Her middle finger emerged from the water for a moment, then disappeared again. Kyle looked at her, mostly submerged in the hot, clear water. He could see the smooth skin of her legs, and for the firs time he could see in detail what lay between them. Her pussy was completely shaved, not a hair to be seen, and he could make out her clit protruding just a fraction. Her lips looked firm and tight, no flappy labia hanging out to destroy the symmetry of her groin.

His gaze travelled up, seeing how the water slid back and forth between her breasts like waves on a beach, and he licked his lips, glad her eyes were closed.

"You sure you don't want some bath salts or anything in there?"

"Nope. I need the heat to sweat out the alcohol."

"And you don't care that the water's transparent?"

She shrugged. "Too rough to care, and it's not like you haven't seen me naked, is it?"

"Hey, I'm not complaining."

"Isn't it time you had your shower?" She muttered.

"Yeah, although right now I'm giving serious consideration to joining you in the bath," He admitted.

"Shower. Go."

"Ah, but..."

"Shower."

Kyle chuckled, seeing how she was back to her forceful self despite the chronic hangover. He opened the cubicle, turned the shower on and then stripped off his clothes and stepped inside.

"You're starting to tone up, Kyle," Patricia told him a moment later.

"Yeah?" Cool." He opened the door a fraction, turning the opaque glass transparent again, so he could see her while they chatted.

"Changing, and not just physically," She added, the Pepsi can still held to her forehead.

"How do you mean?"

"You're becoming a lot more confident, more take charge, know what I mean?"

Kyle shrugged. "Not really."

"A few days ago you weren't confident talking to women, you were shit-scared about meeting your sisters and you were reluctant to accept what was happening. Now you're the guy who stood up in front of a load of strangers and nailed his own speech, mingled with A-listers without exhibiting any nerves and you're a lot more confident."

Kyle frowned. "Just getting used to things, I guess. I'm still the same guy though."

"Just don't turn into an asshole, okay? No monster-ego or anything," She said, finally opening the can.

Kyle chuckled. "Yeah, that's not likely."

"Hello? Are you guys back there?"

Kyle recognised Lakshmi's voice and quickly shut the cubicle door, turning the shower opaque again.

"I'm in the shower," Kyle called back.

"Just come in, Shmi," Patricia told her. A moment later he heard the Indian girl start to laugh.

"Some things never change, Trish," She said a moment later. "So how bad?"

"Remember the last time we were at Aspen?" Patricia said quietly.

"Really? That bad? You were pretty hammered last night."

"Oh, don't I know it. What's up?"

"Kyle's being asked for downstairs. Charlize." Lakshmi explained.

"Really?" Kyle called from the shower.

"Probably wants to hit on you again," Patricia added.

"Jealous much?" Lakshmi said, laughing.

"Not at all," Patricia replied, getting another laugh from Lakshmi. "Okay, maybe a little. I like to think of it as overly protective."

Kyle was a little startled at how open the conversation was between the two of them, until he remembered that they usually shared one of the houses on the Island. They obviously knew each other really well and were good friends.

"Any idea what she actually wants?" Kyle asked.

"I'm guessing she wants to set up a booty call for when you're in LA," Patricia suggested.

"Maybe," Lakshmi said tentatively. "More likely it's to do some groundwork for getting you to invest in a movie she's producing and acting in at some point later this year."

"Could be," Patricia allowed.

"Is it a good investment?" Kyle asked, wondering what he should do or say.

"Who knows," Patricia replied. "If it's anything to do with that, she'll just be wanting to set up a meeting, probably invite you to visit her when she's working or something."

"Ah, the attraction of a behind-the-scenes private tour," Lakshmi said. "That sounds likely."

"Then again, she might just want your cock before breakfast," Patricia added.

"Trish!" Lakshmi said sharply.

"What? Kyle's a grown-up. Besides, we chat about this stuff," Patricia replied, then Kyle heard her sigh. "I feel like shit."

"You should get up, have some fruit and get down to the gym," Her friend told her. "Kyle, you should get out the shower and get dressed. She's sitting downstairs at the pool."

"Okay," Kyle said. He reached for the door and paused. "Lakshmi?"

"She's gone," Patricia replied. "You can come out now."

Kyle opened the door, grabbed a towel and sat on the edge of the bath. "You okay?"

"I'll get over it."

"Any suggestions on what I should do downstairs?"

"Take a meeting, take her number, tell her you're a fan, and compliment her. Tell her you'd be delighted to meet with her when you're in town but you don't know when that'll be." Patricia took a deep breath. "And don't fuck her please."

Kyle cocked an eyebrow. "I wasn't planning on it, but okay."

"I've no right to even say that," She said, looking at him. "I don't know what this is, what's going on between us, if anything, but I feel shit enough today without getting uber jealous too."

"You'd get all jealous?" Kyle asked, a smile twitching at his lips. "That's so cute."

"Shut up," She muttered, blushing a little. "And go get dressed."

Kyle got up to leave, but her hand grabbed his, stopping him.

"Kyle, just wanted to say thanks again for... not doing anything last night."

He looked down at her, this incredible, gorgeous woman lying in the bath and he smiled. "Patricia, if we're going to hook up, me and you, I want you sober, I want you conscious and I want you being you. Not drunk and half asleep."

"I'm not promising anything," She said a moment later.

"I know," He nodded. "But I know you're into me, and you know I'm into you. We'll get it together or we won't. I just hope we do."

She nodded and let his hand go.

Kyle left and got dressed, opting for light blue jeans, an old faded t-shirt and timberland boots, Margaret be damned. He roughly towel-dried his hair and swept into place with his fingers, grabbed a pair of shades, his phone and cigarettes and headed outside.

He found the actress sitting at a table overlooking the pool, looking elegant as she sipped at a coffee. Kyle said hello and took a seat.

"Sleep well?"

"Yes," She smiled. "It's so peaceful here."

"Feel free to visit any time you like," Kyle told her. "I've no idea if my sisters or I will be here, but there's plenty room if you need to get away for a few days."

"I might take you up on that," She replied. Her eyes flicked down to the phone and cigarettes on the table. "Smoke if you want to, I don't mind."

Kyle lit up. "So you wanted to see me?"

"Yeah. When you coming to LA?"

He laughed, reminded of the conversation upstairs. "Honestly, no idea. I get the feeling they're going to keep me travelling for the next few months, but I haven't seen the itinery yet."

"Well, I know you've got a lot of business in town, so give me a call when you do," She said. "And my friends call me Charlie, not Charlize."

"Okay," He nodded, picking up his phone. He opened the address book, typed in a new contact called 'Charlie T' and then handed her the handset. "Punch your number in."

She handed it back a few moments later, her number entered. "That's my personal phone, okay?"

Kyle nodded, then smiled. "So is this 'give me a call' thing... is it personal or business?"

The actress laughed. "That's direct. Let's just say it's a bit of both. I assume you're okay with that?"

"I think so," Kyle said, smiling.

"You should take a picture to go with that number on your cell, just so you don't forget who I am," She told him, a smile twitching at her lips.

"Yeah, because my phone's full of Oscar-winning hotties," Kyle joked. He picked up his phone and it took a couple of minutes fiddling before he had the camera working. Eventually though, he had a shot of her smiling at him added to the contact.

"Ring me," She said a moment later.

"Now?"

"Well, I don't have your number, do I?" She pointed out.

"Good point." He gave her a quick call, and then she insisted on taking his picture too.

"So no idea when you're coming into town?"

"Honestly, not a clue," He admitted. "I don't think they've figured that part of it out yet."

"Well, feel free to message me in the meantime."

"Sorry to interrupt," Lakshmi said, appearing at the table. "There's a call for you, Kyle."

"Okay," He nodded, wondering who it was. "Got to go for now. See you at breakfast?"

"Sure," Charlie replied, giving his hand a squeeze as he grabbed his phone.

Kyle nodded and followed Lakshmi back to the stairs and up to his suite. "Who's the call from?"

"No-one," Lakshmi admitted. "I was just talking to Heidi and..."

"There's no call?" Kyle said. He'd been enjoying the conversation with Charlie, and it had been innocent enough, but he was a little pissed that it had been interrupted.

"Kyle," Lakshmi said sharply, her voice low. "Listen to me. I've just been talking to Heidi. She just let me know that Katie's having a few problems."

"What kind of problems?"

"I'm not sure. Heidi's a bit of a cold fish sometimes, and she's not great with the emotional stuff, but she let slip that Katie's been crying in her bed for the last couple of nights. I think she's lonely."

Kyle frowned. "You think she's lonely?"

Lakshmi nodded. "I was watching her yesterday and she's quite withdrawn. She would chat with people for a while, but then she'd make some excuse and slip away. Has she mentioned anything to you?"

Kyle straightened up as he realised he hadn't really had much of a chance to talk with her over the last couple of days. He'd had his late night chats with Kara, but the only time he'd spent around Katie had been meals and meetings.

"I haven't really had much of a chance to talk with her," He admitted. Now that she'd brought the subject up, Kyle realised he hadn't really seen Kara and Katie hanging out much either.

"I'll go see her," He said firmly.

Lakshmi held out a hand, stopping him. "What about bringing some of her friends out?"

Kyle shrugged. "I don't have a problem with that. Want me to talk to her about it?"

"Yes, please," She replied. "If I'm wrong, then no harm done. If I'm right then she'll have people she can talk to, and it wouldn't do any harm if you spent a little more time together, the three of you."

"When we do it's all work."

"I'll change the schedules today, get a bit more fun stuff in there if you like?"

Kyle nodded firmly. "That would be really good. The last few days have been pretty heavy, know what I mean?"

Lakshmi nodded. "Thanks, Kyle."

"Is she in her room?"

"Yeah."

"Okay."

Kyle walked around the balcony and knocked on the open door frame. "Katie? You in there?"

"Back here," She called. Kyle followed her voice to the large bedroom at the rear where she was sat on the bed with a large laptop, a pen and tablet device plugged in the side.

"How you doing?" He asked.

"Good. Come and see," She said, nodding to the bed.

Kyle walked round and sat down beside her, seeing she was working on the images she'd shot last night at the party. She flicked open a gallery full of dark thumbnails, then opened the first one full screen.

"Wow," Kyle murmured, seeing a shot of Sting and Neil Finn, the sunset behind them as they played.

"Cool, huh?" She replied, clicking to turn the slideshow on.

Kyle sat there, amazed at the photos she'd captured and edited. Some of the changes were subtle and some undetectable to his eye, but as the evening wore on, there was more shadow in the shots, and then he was looking at black and white pictures, everything shadowed out but the closeup of the person in the picture.

"Katie, these are fucking amazing," He told her. "You must have been up all night."

"I had a couple of hours sleep, but editing photos is like an addiction." She shrugged. "I've been like that for years."

"Listen, I know we haven't had much of a chance to talk over the last few days, so I wanted to see how you're doing."

Her expression changed, becoming a little flat, unimpressed. "You're coming to check up on me now, Kyle?"

"Not at all. Just wanted to see how you're doing."

"I'm fine."

"You sure?"

"Why are you asking?" She said, a hint of anger in her tone as she faced him. "You've barely spoken to me since you were in here a few nights ago. You held me in your arms until I drifted off to sleep, and then you've barely spoken to me since."

He frowned. "I know. We've been really busy, and I haven't had much time to chat."

"You seem to find plenty of time with your PA. And Kara too," She added.

"Hey, you could have come and seen me any time," He told her. "This isn't all on me."

"It's not easy to just walk in to see you with Patricia hanging around all the time like some possessive jealous frickin wife," Katie said, shaking her head. "And how come you've never included me in your late night balcony talks with Kara either?"

He shrugged. "I don't know. Because they're not planned. I sit out there at night and have a smoke and Kara has one too. I don't issue invites or anything."

"Why have you never come to see me again, Kyle?" She said bluntly. "Why?"

He spread his hands helplessly. "What do you want me to say here, Katie? You said we shouldn't speak of what happened. You said it couldn't ever happen again."

"And you agreed," She said quickly.

"I did. So what was supposed to happen? Was I meant to come and cuddle you to sleep every night, because that's not fucked up at all, is it?"

"Don't be sarcastic," She snapped. "That's the last thing I need."

"So what do you need, Katie? What do you want?"

"I don't know," She said a moment later. "Kara doesn't really talk to me at all. You've barely said two words outside the meetings, and I'm bored of it. You were this guy, this figure of fantasy in my head, and now the reality isn't matching up to the memory. Now I feel completely alone, and I just want to go home."

He frowned, thinking, trying to consider what she was saying. He knew he should have made more of an effort over the last few days, but he'd been so caught up in everything that was happening, and his attraction with Patricia was definitely a part of that too.

"Okay, I had this idea earlier and wanted to talk to you about it," He said, choosing his words with care. "How would you feel about us bringing some friends out here?"

"I thought it was meant to be just the three of us for the week?"

"And I'm thinking we could do with some people we know to keep us grounded, or remind us who we are, know what I mean?"

"I know who I am," Katie said bluntly. "I don't know who you are though. You're not the same guy you were three years ago though."

"Everybody changes in three years, Katie. Even you. Anyway, that's besides the point. What do you think? You could bring Margarita out for a few days if you want."

"What about Kara?"

"She can bring people out too," Kyle shrugged.

"Kyle, she doesn't have anybody."

"No friends at all?"

"Have you ever heard her mention anyone?" Katie asked. "There's no numbers in her phone book apart from ours and the work stuff."

"Then maybe she can make friends with our friends," Kyle said. "I don't know. I think it's a good idea. Would you like to see Margarita here?"

She thought for a second and nodded.

"I'll ask Lakshmi to arrange it," Kyle said, nodding.

"Not Patricia?" Katie said quickly.

"No, she's a bit.... indisposed this morning."

"Good."

"Katie," Kyle protested, chuckling at her tone.

"What? I don't have to like her, do I?"

"Just give her a chance. She's okay," Kyle said.

"I'll think about it."

"And in the meantime, how about we start again?"

"As long as you're not going to be a dick any more," She said, a hint of a smile on her face.

"I can do that. You have to be less argumentative though."

"I'm not argu..."

"Gotcha," He said, cutting her off.

"Sneaky fucker," She said, laughing.

"I have my moments," He grinned. "Now, it's breakfast time and we've got some guests. You coming down?"

"Five minutes."

"Bring the laptop. Those pictures are impressive and you should show them off."

"I might."

"You must have a great camera," He added.

"Oh, Kyle," Katie said, sighing. "Complimenting a photographers images and then saying they must have a great camera is like eating a top-class meal in a fantastic restaurant, then meeting the head chef and complimenting him on his pots and pans."

Kyle burst out laughing. "Yeah, I guess so. Sorry."

"It's okay. It happens to every photographer."

"You're coming down?" He said again.

"Few minutes," She nodded. "I need to smarten up. You sick of all the wardrobe changes yet?"

"Beyond sick." Kyle grinned. "Today I got to choose my own clothes. That was a change of pace."

"Maybe I should get Heidi drunk tonight then," Katie smiled.

"Good luck with that," Kyle replied, remembering how sober she seemed the night before when she put Patricia to bed. "See you in a few."

Kyle tracked down Lakshmi and told her about Margarita, and suggested she catch Katie and find out if she wanted to bring anyone else out, then asked her to organise for Ed and Casey to come out too.

He sat down on his balcony, lit a cigarette, called them both and felt immensely relieved when they jumped at the chance to come and see the Island. Ed called him an asshole for not getting a picture of Caroline for him, and Casey point blank refused to believe him when he said he had been hit on by Charlize Theron.

Kara drifted by towards the end of the call with Casey, so he cut it short and carefully asked her about bringing out anyone she wanted to the Island for a few days. She shrugged and said she was fine, then drifted off to breakfast as if she didn't really care. Kyle frowned and made a mental note to try and draw her into spending more time with Katie, then headed into his suite to see how Patricia was.

He found her sitting on his bed with a laptop, wearing only a black bra and matching panties.

"Wow. You look hot," He said immediately.

"Don't go getting any ideas," She replied, winking anyway.

"What you up to?" He asked, getting up on the bed beside her.

"Checking out the kiss and tell story," She said, handing him the laptop. "You recognise her now?"

"Nope," He said, seeing the photo of a brunette in a blue bikini, posing next to the article. He quickly read it and started to laugh. "I know who she is now."

"Who?"

"Some girl that Ed fucked at a college party," He explained. "He was playing some drinking game and got locked in a wardrobe with these two girls. They couldn't have impressed him because he gave them my name."

"Your name?"

"Yeah, he used to think it was funny to give girls he deemed as fugly my name and number. Sometimes Ed can be... unusual."

"You mean an asshole?"

He shrugged. "Pretty much."

"Okay, I'll let the media people know the chick was so drunk she got the wrong guy and actually banged his friend. That should make that story go away," She murmured, taking the laptop back.

"You sure you're up to working?"

"Shut up, Kyle," She said, rolling her eyes.

"You coming down for breakfast?"

"I'll be down in a bit," She nodded. As Kyle got off the bed to leave, she called him. "Kyle."

"Yeah?"

"You think I look hot in black lingerie?" He could see she was enjoying asking him that, teasing him a little.

"Want me to come over there and show you how much?"

"Nope," She said, sticking her tongue out at him.

"One of these days..." He said, grinning.

Kyle arrived at breakfast to see Kara seated between Johnny Depp and Sting who were having an animated conversation about the song he sung for the movie Leaving Las Vegas. Kara seemed to be holding her own in the discussion, which was surprising, so he took a seat a few places down, opposite Charlie and next to Neil Finn.

They talked about the impromptu concert last night, and Kyle told them how he was totally blown away by it, and how he wished he'd recorded it. After Neil promising him concert tickets any time he wanted, Katie arrived, laptop in hand.

She took a seat next to Charlie and began to show her a few of the shots, and then suddenly she was the centre of attention, with Heidi quickly hooking the laptop up to one of the big screens on the walls and Katie giving an unexpected photo presentation.

By the time Kyle finished breakfast, Johnny was making a call to a friend at GQ telling him he had to hire Katie for an upcoming shoot they'd booked with him, and Charlize was emailing copies of the shots to her agents to go on her website. Neil was sitting chatting with her about shooting an album cover for him, and Katie had a massive smile on her face.

Just as he was heading outside for a smoke, Patricia appeared. "Your schedule's changed."

"Yeah, Lakshmi mentioned that."

"You've got half an hour now before the guests start to leave. Want to meet with Mister Crowler now?"

"Sure," Kyle nodded, then remembered something. "Can you get a hold of Edwin and ask him if he's got a minute to chat too please?"

"He's in the bar just now," She replied, so Kyle nodded and walked over.

"Hi, Edwin."

"Good morning, Master Kyle," The old man nodded. "Everything to your satisfaction?"

"Yeah, everything's excellent," He nodded. "Listen, I had a question for you."

"Go ahead, Master Kyle."

Kyle closed the outside door, making sure there was no-one else in the room.

"A discrete matter, I assume?"

"Yeah," Kyle nodded. "I wanted to ask. Where's Mister Tripps safe room?"

"You mean where he keeps his valuables?" The old Englishman asked, one eyebrow raised.

"No, I mean like a panic room. I assume he has one here?"

"Actually, no," Edwin said, looking down. "It was something I brought up regularly with Mister Tripps, however he didn't like the idea of locking himself in a box. A bone of contention, I'm afraid."

"I thought he would have had one," Kyle said, surprised. "Was he claustrophobic or something?"

"I don't know," Edwin said, shrugging. "But I can assure you no such room exists, Master Kyle."

"Oh, okay."

"Was there anything else I could assist you with, Master Kyle?"

"No, I don't think so... wait, Patricia said you're waiting for a part for her shower."

"I'm afraid you must be mistaken, Master Kyle," Edwin replied, looking puzzled. "As far as I'm aware there are no faults with any of the facilities in your suite."

"Really?" Kyle replied, frowning. Had Patricia just made that up so she could have an excuse to use his bathroom?

"I'm sure, Master Kyle, however I will have maintenance check immediately."

"Don't worry about it," Kyle said, shaking his head. "I probably just picked her up wrong."

"If you insist, Master Kyle," Edwin replied, nodding his head.

"Thanks, Edwin. That's all it was."

"Have a good day, sir," The Englishman replied.

"You too," Kyle murmured as he headed outside. He was chuckling a little at the idea that Patricia had faked a broken shower so she could use his bathroom, and made a mental note to check it out himself, but then his mind drifted back to Edwin's claim that there was no safe room on the Island. Connor's note claimed there must be, and that seemed more likely.

"That doesn't make sense that Danny Tripps wouldn't have one," He whispered as he walked, and decided to bring it up again with Connor that afternoon.

When he got back to the lounge, Mister Crowler was waiting for him, so Kyle suggested they have a walk while they talked.

"You asked me a few days ago when we first met if I was your lawyer, Kyle," The old man reminded him.

"Yeah. That seems like weeks ago," Kyle replied. "It's fine now though."

"Well, the purpose of this meeting was to let you know I'm now your lawyer, and you can discuss anything with me in complete confidentiality," Mister Crowler explained. "Now, I believe my number is in your cellphone?"

Kyle nodded.

"Good. In the event of any kind of emergency or situation, you call me, day or night. Particularly if there is any potential legal impact."

"I've to call you first?"

"No, obviously if you need to call an Ambulance then you do that first. Then, you call me."

"Okay," Kyle nodded. "Hey, I've got a question for you."

"Of course," Mister Crowler nodded.

"Do you happen to know if Danny Tripps was claustrophobic?"

"No, he wasn't at all," The lawyer replied. "Why do you ask?"

"I was just asking Edwin if the Island had a panic room, like a safe room, in the event of an attack or something, but he said that it didn't," Kyle explained.

"That's rather unusual," Mister Crowler said, frowning.

"Why's that?"

"Well, I know his residences in New York, LA and Hawaii all have them. As does the villa in Italy, now that I think on it," The old man replied. "This island had extensive work done on it prior to the builders coming in, and that would fit with the installation of a safe area."

"You think there is one?" Kyle asked, his eyes widening.

"Allow me to check out a few things, Kyle," Mister Crowler said softly. "This is a discrete enquiry, I assume."

"Yes. I don't want to make a mountain out of a molehill, but if there is a safehouse, then my sisters and I should know about it, and if it's there, why is Edwin keeping it from us?" Kyle frowned. "Likewise, I don't want to call him a liar if there's nothing there either, know what I mean?"

"I do," The old man nodded. "I shall find out what I can."

"Thanks, Mister Crowler," Kyle nodded.

"Kyle," The old man said, stopping him. "I think it's acceptable for you to call me George if you wish."

"George it is," Kyle nodded. "And thanks for the chat."

The next couple of hours flew by as Kyle, Katie and Kara escorted their guests back to either the helipad or the pier, bidding them all farewell, and thanking them for coming along.

It was almost surreal how they'd arrived as these famous people with reputations and impressions, yet when they left twentyfour hours later they seemed different people entirely. Johnny Depp was Johnny, a goofy guy and a bit of an oddball with a sensitive side and Charlize Theron was just Charlie, a chatty and flirty woman who cared deeply about her projects.

Kyle, Kara and Katie were then walked down to a small shooting range at the far West side of the Island to meet Connor Grant and the Islands Head of Security, Brian Kane. The 'introduction to firearms' proved to be a real eye-opener, as they saw Connor Grant in work-mode. Gone was the charismatic rogue with the scotch in hand, and in his place was a neat and tidy professional, calm and confident who demonstrated using a pistol with ridiculous accuracy.

Connor spoke to them for a few minutes about how if they were under threat they may need to know how to use a firearm, and without going into any specifics, he explained that he was speaking from experience and they should listen closely as what he was about to teach could one day save their lives.

They were taken through how various different models of pistols worked, how the safety worked, how to use the sights and then shooting stances. Katie had ever fired a gun before, but Kara had in the past, explaining she used to be friends with a biker who was a bit of a gun nut. Kyle had grown up with guns in the house as his father was a policeman, so he'd been to the range half a dozen times and had a basic grasp on firearm safety.

While Katie hit the target sometimes, and Kyle hit it most of the time, Kara proved to be the best shot of the three of them, hitting the targets centre-mass with most of her shots. Brian Kane hit the centre mass with every shot which was impressive, until Connor stepped up and hit bullseyes and eyeballs for fun.

Kyle didn't get the chance to mention to Connor about the conversations with Edwin and George Crowler as they were whisked off again as Kare and Katie were to attend appointments with the team of beautificans on the Island. Kyle was led straight into the gym for his second workout of the day, emerging exhausted and shaking as usual.

He stumbled into his suite, a weary smile on his face as Patricia steered him straight into the bath, the now familiar smell of bath salts permeating the air.

It had been a long day already, after a late night and Kyle rested his head against the end of the bath and closed his eyes, breathing slowly and deeply as he rested his sore muscles in the hot water. He mentally drifted and wondered if he'd snoozed as Patricia placed a gentle hand on top of his head. He hadn't even heard her come in.

"Sit forward," She said softly, and he groaned as he sat upright, leaning forward in the bath. He watched silently as she slipped off the white dressing gown, exposing her naked form, and with no pretence at discomfort or awkward positions for massaging him, Patricia entered the water behind him, slipping her legs round either side of his hips. Her hands rested on top of his shoulders and she slowly eased him back until he was resting on her body, his head on her chest.

"That's nice," He murmured, feeling the tension in the air.

Kyle felt her hands begin to soap up his shoulders and chest, massaging his pectoral muscles down to the side of his ribs and across his stomach and he closed his eyes again.

"You work too hard," Patricia said quietly in his ear. "I worry about how sore you are when you come back from the gym. I worry you're going to tear something, or hurt yourself."

Kyle took a deep slow breath, and felt her head resting against his. It felt comforting, intimate and he could feel her breath on his neck. Her hands slowly began to drag handfuls of water up his body, rinsing the soap off him with each gentle movement.

"Lean forward," She said quietly a moment later, but Kyle stayed where he was, feeling each rise and fall of her breathing, revelling in the contact between them.

"Kyle," She said gently, checking to see if he was asleep. As she moved her head to the side to try and check, he rolled his head around until his lips were inches from her neck and he kissed her soft skin.

"Kyle," She said gently. "Come on, sit forward."

He kissed her neck again, then dragged his lips down over her collarbone.

"Don't do this," She whispered, but he could hear the desire in her voice, could feel it in the way her arms held him in place against her.

His lips sought her neck again, and he felt her head roll back in pleasure at his touch.

"Kyle, you shouldn't...."

"Shush," He whispered, kissing her once more, hearing her sigh. He brought his left hand up, carefully running his fingers along the line of her jaw, and he felt her kiss his thumb as it moved past her lips and then her lips were on his.

They kissed, a sudden explosion of passion that had been kept at bay for too long.

Patricia's arms wrapped him in tight, her legs locked themselves around him as she slid her tongue into his mouth, kissing him with an audible moan.

Kyle pressed her lips against hers, feeling her desire explode as he felt his own, ripping through his body like an electrical recharge. His hand wrapped itself in her hair, holding her to him as he kissed her, hard and hungry.

He realised he was growling with desire, his cock erect and wanting and he could feel it pressing at her legs. Kyle knew she could too, and he felt them move, releasing him to turn.

They broke in a mad scramble, panting as their wide eyes stared at each other. Patricia's hand came up and held his head as he flipped onto his front, both of them ignoring the wave of water that sloshed onto the floor and buffeted them, caught in their own passion.

Kyle placed one elbow on the side of the bath, his other hand sliding beneath her, pulling her into him, seeing her eyes narrow as she anticipated him.

"Go on," She moaned, inches from his face and then she smiled hungrily as she felt that first inch probe inside her.

"Give me it."

Kyle pulled with his hand as he pushed with his hips, thrusting into her.

"Fuck!" She moaned, then could say no more as his lips pressed onto hers once more. His hips began to move back and forth, lost in the exquisiteness of her pussy, moving slowly at first, as she rocked her hips to match his movements, then faster as their passion lifted them to new heights.

Water began to rock around them, deep peaks and troughs sloshing over the end and sides, splashing over their bodies, yet neither cared as they rode each others desires.

Kyle thrust, withdrew and thrust again, repeating and repeating the motion that brought such pleasure from his erection, pleasure that radiated through him as he knew it radiated through her.

He heard her moan as her tongue withdrew into her own mouth, louder as she broke their kiss to gasp for more air, and he leaned his forehead against hers.

A hand slid free from his head to his hips, beckoning him onward, calling him for more and he gave it, powering into her with everything he had, every ounce of desire, every ounce of hunger he'd felt for her over the last few days.

"Kyle," She cried, a sharp gasp that spurred him on.

"Yes," She cried, her lips probing forward for a second before they broke to accommodate her fast, hard breathing.

He knew he was close, but he knew she was too.

It would never be a case of trying to hold on, but to bring her there faster and Kyle reacted to that instinctive knowledge, pushing deeper with every thrust, as fast as he could with every thrust, as hard as he could give it to her.

"Oh."

He knew she was close and then she was there, stiffening, gasping, moaning beneath him and it was more than he could cope with.

Kyle groaned, a loud, drawn out primal noise of pure pleasure as he thrust deep, deep inside her, still pressing even though her skin was tight against his own and he came.

His entire pelvis rocked with each surge, mirrored by the water sloshing around in the bath, splashing up the walls, and slamming into their bodies like the waves that coursed through them both.

"Kyle," Patricia panted, kissing him for a long, drawn out second, breaking as he did as their bodies screamed for more air.

Their eyes remained locked on each others long after their orgasms had begun to fade, until eventually Kyle eased out of her.

"Oh my," She murmured, kissing him once more, a quick brief peck on the lips. "That was....."

"Long overdue?" He guessed.

"Very pleasurable I was going to say," Patricia replied, smiling. "But either way works for me."

"Me too," He nodded, then as he moved his elbow from the side of the bath that had been taking his weight he grimaced. "Oh, ouch."

"Muscles stiff?" She asked, tilting her head.

Kyle nodded.

"Told you should have leaned forward earlier."

"This way was much better. No pain, no gain," He chuckled, earning a slap on the shoulder and a laugh from the beautiful woman beneath him.

"I think we made a bit of a mess," She said a moment later, drawing his gaze over the side of the bath at the water all over the floor.

"I'll lick it up if I have to," Kyle told her. "I wouldn't have stopped there if the walls had fallen down."

"Neither would I," She smiled, kissing him once more. "Now get up."

"Why?"

She slapped him on the shoulder again. "We've got lunch about... ten minutes ago, and then a full afternoon."

"I better have time for.... rest and relaxation with my wonderful assistant at some point," He said pointedly. "Assuming you're interested?"

"Right now, I'd happily clear your schedule for the rest of the damned week."

"Good."

"You know, you really opened Pandora's box here, Kyle," She said, smirking. "You've no idea what you've let yourself in for."

"Meaning what?"

"You'll see," She said, kissing the end of his nose. "Later."

Kyle arrived twenty minutes late to lunch and sat down to a very different meal a few minutes later. A platter of steak and lobster, and a glass of low fat milk were brought out and Kyle grinned as he looked around the table.

"You're looking very cheerful," Kara said, giving him a shrewd look. "Like the cat that got the cream."

Kyle glanced down at the plate, seeing an excuse right there in front of him. "I've been craving steak for days and I've been getting nothing but tuna and eggs, so this is a real change. And lobster too. Lucky me."

Katie chuckled at his enthusiasm, while Kara raised an eyebrow.

He ignored her and got stuck into his meal.

Heidi asked if Patricia was joining them for lunch, but Kyle shook his head, saying she was working upstairs but would order something from the kitchen, and then before he was finished eating they moved smoothly into an hour long briefing from Peter on the basics of business management, with a focus on international marketing strategy and modern advertising.

Kyle found the whole topic a little boring, having covered it already at college and in practice at work, but he simplified a few of the questions when Kara struggled, and it was soon over.

Lakshmi reappeared, explaining that their schedule had changed for the afternoon now, and would they like to accompany her.

Exchanging puzzled glances back and forth, Kyle, Katie and Kara followed Lakshmi up to the helipad where a man in a flight suit waited for them.

"Good afternoon. My name's Captain Jonas Scott and I'll be flying you this afternoon aboard this here Sikorsky S-76," He said, jerking his thumb at the big helicopter on the landing pad behind him.

"We'll be up in the air for about thirty minutes, doing a quick tour of the Island from above then a fly over of a few of the neighbours, and if we can manage it we'll go looking for some dolphins too. Come on board," He finished, a broad smile on his face as he turned and boarded the helicopter..

"Fucking awesome," Kyle murmured.

"You're not serious," Katie replied. "I'm not going up in a helicopter."

"Come on," Kara said. "It'll be fun."

"No. It won't," Katie said, looking scared. "I don't want to."

"Katie," Lakshmi said gently. "Think of this as a drill, a training exercise."

"For what?"

"Say, for a security threat on the Island, or a foul-weather warning. In the event we have to evacuate you by helicopter, do you really want the added pressure of never having flown before."

"The terrorists will just have to put up with me," She said, drawing a chuckle from Kyle. She rounded on him. "This isn't funny."

"I know," He said, holding up his hands. "I just found it funny someone else was as scared as I was," He lied.

"You just said you tought this was fucking awesome," She said, shaking her head.

"I was being sarcastic," He improvised. "I don't want to go up in a steel box held up in the air by four rotating bits of metal and a couple of jet engines, no matter what it's safety record is, or how good the crew are," He finished, giving Lakshmi a pointed look.

She caught it and added. "I have to say, the S-76 is used all over the world and has one of the best safety records going. The government even use them for ferrying diplomats and dignitaries around, it's that good. And did I mention our crew are all ex-special forces?"

"That's kinda cool," Kara said.

"Yes. I think Captain Scott used to be a Night Stalker," Lakshmi added.

"What? One of those guys who fly the Delta Force guys around?"

"Yes, although if you ask him, he'll deny it."

Kyle pretended to consider the matter, tapping his fingers against his chin. "Katie, I'm scared, but if I'm going to fly in a helicopter for the first time, I don't suppose I can ask for a better pilot or safer aircraft."

"You're thinking about it?" Katie asked, wheeling to face him.

"You know, my dad used to tell me 'Never be ruled by that which you fear' and if I don't try it, then I'm letting the fear win, right?" He asked, then cautiously, feeling dramatic and transparent, he took a step forward, then held out his hand to Katie. "You coming?"

"No."

"Come on, please," He said, licking his lips. "We might even enjoy it, or at least that's what I'm trying to convince myself." Kyle knew it was a sneaky thing to do, but he knew how important it was that they could just jump on one of these things if anything happened.

"I don't know," Katie said, and Kyle looked at Kara.

"I'll hold your hand too, Katie," Kara said. "I'm not frightened at all. I've been dying to fly in a helicopter for years."

"Come on," Kyle said firmly, taking her hand. He moved slowly, as if he was fighting his own battle against his fears as he reached the steps and he hesitated, then went up, pulling a terrified Katie behind him.

"Oh, wow. Look at this," He said, looking around the luxury interior. Six leather armchairs on pivots sat on a carpeted floor within a white painted interior. "It's like the inside of the jet I flew in on."

He felt Katie gripping his hand as she entered the cabin and looked around. "I don't know if I want to do this," She said.

"How about we sit over here, in these three seats?" Kyle suggested, selecting the three armchairs on the right, all within close reach of each other. Rather than wait for her to reply, he led her up, Kara trailing and they sat down.

Captain Scott re-appeared through the cockpit door. "Nervous?" He asked, seeing their faces.

"A little, Captain," Kyle said. "None of us have ever been in a helicopter before, so this is new territory for us."

"Hey, that's no problem," He smiled. "Most of our flyers are nervous the first time. When it comes to the second time, they're usually the first ones on board."

"That's good," Kyle said, nodding his head, feeling like a fraud, but Katie seemed to be following his lead, thinking if he could do it then so could she. He winked subtley at the Captain then casually tilted his head towards his sister.

A brief smile crossed his lips and a barely pereceptible nod let Kyle know the message had been received.

"Let me just make sure your seatbelts are fastened for when we take off," He told them.

While he showed them how the seatbelts worked, he told them about his co-pilot, Captain Johnson, and what he was doing to start the aircraft. As soon as the door was shut, the rotor began to spin, and within a few seconds, Kyle could feel the power in the big engines.

"You know, this is kinda exciting," He told his sisters. Katie looked at him like he was mad. Kara just rolled her eyes at his theatrics, then nodded when Katie looked at her.

Captain Scott disappeared forward and then his voice crackled on a loudspeaker in the roof. "That's us about to take off, folks."

Kyle felt it at the same time he saw the scenery begin to move out the window, and then they were out over the cliff, the ocean beneath them.

"Hey, you guys did it," Kara said a moment later. "Well done."

Kyle spun his chair so it was facing Katie and looked out the window to his side. "Oh, man. This view is amazing."

"Totally," Kara agreed.

The helicopter had continued to rise as it took off and they were circling the Island a couple of hundred feet up within no time at all. It swept slowly round the west side of the Island, giving them a good view of the exterior of the main house, and drawing waves from Peter, Heidi and Garius.

Katie began to cautiously relax and was able to turn her chair to look out the window. Kyle watched her reaction to the amazing view of the Island, and grinned when she muttered, "I wish I had my camera."

They circled the Island a couple of times at different heights, then swung out to sea, flying over a couple of small islands, barely piles of sand and a few trees, and then a larger one with a small community living on it. They swung further round to the west and the water turned a much deeper blue, obviously a lot deeper beneath them now.

Kyle figured now would be as good at time as any to tell his sisters about Connor's questioning notes, Edwins response and George Crowlers thoughts on it.

"What's the big deal?" Katie asked. "There's probably no safe room."

"Maybe," Kyle allowed. "But if there is, why is he hiding it from us? What's in there? Has Edwin stashed away loads of jewels or cash or is it full of dodgy stuff?"

"It doesn't matter whats in there," Kara argued. "If it's there, it's there for a reason, right? So if we need to use it in an emergency, he's not letting us."

"Anyway," Kyle said firmly. "I'm following it up and I'm gonna get to the bottom of this, so I'm just keeping you guys in the loop, okay? Now, I suggest we don't talk about this back on the Island unless we know we're absolutely alone. We don't know who's listening, do we?"

"I don't like this," Katie muttered.

"Just don't keep us in the dark, okay?" Kara told him.

"I won't," He promised.

A few minutes later the scenery changed again as they flew around a small cluster of Islands and sand banks, and Kyle could see several fishing boats pulled up on the beach. It looked like life was simple down there, peaceful and lazy and he felt a moment of envy. Life was anything but simple.

The big helicopter swung round and began to fly gradually lower until it was only a hundred feet or so above the water. It was difficult to judge their exact height, Kyle realised. His musings were interrupted by Captain Scott's voice in the loudspeaker.

"If you look to our left in the water, you'll see some friends."

Kara darted out her seat and crossed the cabin, looking out the windows. "Oh my God, you've got to see this."

Katie grabbed Kyle's hand as he got up, and he slowed, helping her out her seat as she moved tentatively over the small cabin, and then her reaction was the same as Kara's.

The first thing Kyle saw was the Betsy, racing across the ocean at their side and then his eyes caught sight of the shapes flickering in and out the water before it.

"Dolphins."

"Ten out of ten, Kyle," Kara said, flashing him a grin.

They were beautiful. The three of them sat mesmorised, their faces glued to the small windows watching the creatures dart in and out of the water in front of the sleek catamaran as it raced towards the Island.

At some invisible signal though, the small school of dolphins turned away, disappearing beneath the water and surfacing off to the east of the Betsy.

"How amazing was that?" Katie asked, her fear of flying forgotten for the moment.

"Breath-taking," Kyle agreed.

"I am totally coming back up here to take some photos," She muttered, and Kyle and Kara exchanged a grin.

They landed a few minutes later, touching down with a barely noticeable bump and then they were off the helicopter. Kyle thanked Captain Scott and then turned to join the rest of them.

Katie had bounced over the helipad and was chatting excitedly with Heidi, while Kara was making motions with her arms, describing the dolphins jumping in and out the water in front of the Betsy.

Kyle spotted Patricia waiting for him, a slight smile on her face.

"Hey," He said as he walked up to her, feeling excited and more than a little horny. She looked great, dressed in a pair of grey loose trousers, heels and a black top that hugged her figure very nicely.

"Enjoy that?" She asked, smiling at him.

"Amazing experience," He admitted. "It's been a day for it."

She smirked. "It certainly has. I hear you had a nice treat earlier."

Kyle smiled. "I did. It was very tasty. I'd been craving it for a while." If she could talk in code, then so could he, he figured.

"Maybe you'll get more of the same later."

Kyle grinned as she turned to walk towards the house, falling in behind Katie, Heidi, Garius and Kara. He moved too, glancing over his shoulder to make sure no-one was behind him. As he got alongside Patricia, she glanced at him.

He reached out and gently ran his hand down the small of her back, then further, feeling the softness of her buttocks beneath his fingers.

She chuckled silently then took a step to his right, putting herself out of reach.

Kyle, knowing he couldn't exactly protest in words made a pouty face, but she stuck her tongue out at him, then winked.

The six of them arrived back in the main house, Katie still chattering on about how she wanted to go back up there with her cameras and take loads of pictures. Heidi was explaining to her about how the Chinook would be a better idea, as they could harness her up and lower the tailgate so she wouldn't be shooting out a window. Kara was laughing at that, given Katie's recent terror and now sudden enthusiasm and lack of fear.

"What's happening now?" Kyle asked, hoping he'd be whisked upstairs for some quiet time, but Patricia nodded to where Peter and Lakshmi waited, a presentation ready to go in the business suite off to their left. He sighed, but followed his sisters anyway.

To his surprise, Patricia, Heidi and Garius joined them, scooping up laptops and binders from a nearby table.

The meeting didn't turn out to be another briefing as Kyle expected, but a planning session to try and sort out their schedules for next week when they left the Island, and to put a few plans in place for the next few months when they'd be visiting the businesses they'd inherited.

The first decision they had to make was if they would be travelling as a trio, or if they would be going as individuals.

"If you don't mind me making a few observations," Peter said, kicking things off, "I've noticed a few things since I arrived yesterday. Kyle, you seem to be taking to the business side of things with ease, like the proverbial duck to water. Katie, you seem to be doing okay with the information, yet struggle with some concepts, and Kara. Well, frankly you seem quite lost at times."

As Kara glowered at him, Katie looked a little disappointed and Kyle shrugged, Peter continued. "I don't say this to criticise or cause offence, but to point out that the three of you are at different levels in your experiences, and we should take steps to balance that out in the coming weeks and months."

"What are you suggesting?" Kyle asked.

"Please, bear with me for a moment. Kyle, you seemed a little... awkward chatting with some of the musicians and actors yesterday, while Katie and Kara seemed a lot more comfortable."

Kyle frowned, wanting Peter to get to the point.

"My suggestion for next week and the following one is that we should split into two parties," Peter explained. "Katie and Kara should go to New York, where we can focus on several of the businesses there. This will allows to give you more of a grounded education and by the end of the fortnight you should be roughly level in terms of understanding with where Kyle is now."

Kyle didn't like the thought of being separated from Katie and Kara. He was only just getting to know them, but he realised it might not be a bad thing, as it would force his two sisters to spend more time together.

"As for you, Kyle, I'm suggesting we send you out to look at our businesses in LA. You'll be going into an environment with its own rules, truly a different world, and you'll be starting from the ground up."

"You're splitting us up?" Katie asked, frowning a little.

"I'm suggesting it for a couple of weeks," Peter nodded. "You'll still be able to talk on the phone, video-conference, etc, and if you want to meet up for dinner then I'm sure we can arrange it, however I think it's the best way to go."

"Personnel?" Heidi asked, looking up from her notes.

"Heidi with Katie. Garius with Kara. Either Lakshmi or I to come along with you both. Patricia would go to LA with Kyle, and whichever one of us doesn't go to New York will go to LA," Peter replied. "Do you have a preference, Lakshmi?"

The Indian girl shrugged. "The shopping's good for me in either city."

"LA? If I go to New York I can visit my family," Peter suggested.

Lakshmi nodded. "Sure."

"Can I just ask," Kyle said, holding up his hand. "How many of you guys think this is the best approach to take?"

His eyes looked at each of them, getting nods from Heidi and Lakshmi, a smirk from Patricia and a shrug from Garius.

"Garius?"

"I'll go wherever Kara wants me to," He said simply. "I think the decision should be made by you three, not us."

"I'm trying to get your thoughts on it though."

"I think it's as good an idea as any," He explained. "I think if the three of you are together you can help each other out, but there is an imbalance there right now. If we can address that, then it'll help going forward."

"So you're all basically agreed then?" Katie asked, getting a chorus of nods in reply. "Kara?"

"I don't know. Whatever. I've never been to New York."

"I'll show you around," Katie smiled. "We can go shopping too. Oh, and clubbing."

"That sounds fun," Kara replied, a hint of a smile on her face.

Kyle nodded. "Then it's settled. You guys are going to the Big Apple, Patricia, Lakshmi and I are going to Tinsel Town."

"Okay," Peter nodded. "Now, let's talk about schedules while we're there. If we split into two focus groups and..."

Kyle chuckled as Heidi, Patricia, Garius and Lakshmi all groaned theatrically.

Peter rolled his eyes. "Running joke. Apparently I say focus groups too much," He explained. "Anyway, Lakshmi, Patricia. If you would take Kyle and start knocking a schedule out of this," He said, tapping a large pile of printouts on the table at his side. "Then we can start sorting out this," He continued, tapping a larger pile right next to it.

"What's in those piles?" Kara asked, a hint of trepidation in her voice.

"Memo's, emails, invitations, social events, appearances, meetings," Peter explained. "Basically, everything we think you should do, or other people think you should do if you're in New York in the next few weeks."

"Jesus," She muttered.

"Don't worry," Peter added. "We've already culled the crazy stuff."

Kyle chuckled as he got to his feet and gathered up the pile of notes.

"Let me," Lakshmi said, moving to take it off him, but Kyle chuckled.

"I'm pretty sure I can manage a pile of notes. Now, where are we going with them?"

Patricia and Lakshmi exchanged a few looks and shrugs.

"Upstairs?" Kyle suggested, and the two women nodded. "Let's go."

Kyle set the pile of notes down on the coffee table in his suite and the three of them sat on the sofas. The initial plan was to make a first pass to split everything into three stacks. The discarded, the 'must do' and the 'needs discussion'.

They set to work, and for the next hour Kyle laughed, shook his head or muttered. There was invitations to do all the chat shows, lots of press requests, invites to meetings to discuss investment in productions, many of them disguised as lunches or dinner invites. There was visits to be made to the Production company they now owned, as well as the Talent Agency and Music producers offices, and an invite to attend the recording studio to hear one of their up and coming artists record their new album. There was also the offices of the magazine group they owned, as well as a branch of the Consultancy firm Kyle worked for to visit too.

Patricia ripped through her part of the pile, while Lakshmi pulled up data to answer Kyle's many questions, everything from who was inviting him where and why to what does this charity do.

It was almost a surprise when Patricia ordered him off to get changed for his workout. Kyle stretched as he stood up, realising they'd been sat there for two hours straight, and suggested that they both take a break.

Lakshmi chuckled and Patricia rolled her eyes. "This is like a hint of getting a normal workload," Patricia explained. "We'll just keep with it for now, Kyle. It won't take long."

"Okay," He said, leaving them to it. He got changed and jogged down to the gym, where Julian was waiting for him. This time he gave him a thorough examination to check the development of his musces and any signs of injury, weighed him and took a few measurements.

Then, with an enthusiasm that Kyle was sure was part hysteria, Julian got him working out again. His legs bore the brunt of it in this particular session, although he was aching all over when he left.

"No jogging back this time," Kyle muttered to himself as he tottered back to the main house.

Patricia had drawn him a bath but was still hard at work in the lounge with Lakshmi, arranging the paper into dozens of piles on the desks across the room, so he stripped off and sank into the water, groaning as he lay back. Patricia appeared a moment later, a cheeky smile on her face.

"You're on your own in there for this bath, Kyle," She said softly. "Lakshmi's right next door."

Her hand drifted down to touch his chest and she leaned forward and gave him a quick kiss. Kyle could feel his heart rate accelerating as her tongue darted into his mouth, a quick swipe, before she sat back up.

"Just wanted to do that," She whispered. Her hand drifted down over his stomach, and her smile broadened as she wrapped her fingers around his cock and gave it a gentle squeeze, then let it go.

"Any time you like."

"I'll remember that later," She told him, standing up. Patricia reached for a towel and dried her hand off. "In a few minutes, Sarah, the masseuse, will be arriving. She's going to do her thing, but Shmi and I will be right next door."

"Sarah?" Kyle asked, remembering her reputation. "Wait. What do you mean by do her thing?"

Patricia chuckled. "Relax. She's just gonna give you a massage. We're right next door, remember. Might even pop in and ask you a few question," She winked. "Just to make sure no-one poaching on my territory."

Kyle smiled, liking the possessive side of her. "So I take it you're cool with us breaking the rules now?"

She shrugged. "We've crossed the line, so we might as well see what's on the other side. Unless you'd rather step back again?"

"Fuck, no," He replied with feeling.

She smiled, eyeing him in the water, then her shoulders slumped and she groaned. "I better get back to work now, or I'm gonna end up wetter than I am already."

Kyle smiled as he slid under the water. Today was turning out to be the best day he could remember in a very long time.

Sarah turned out to be an excellent masseuse, not that Kyle had a lot of experience to compare her skills against. She had arrived, laid towels out on his bed, heated oils, dimmed the lights, and told him to lie down.

He was quite surprised at his first impression of her. Shoulder-length dark hair framed a pretty face with a fit but voluptous body, reminding him more of Katie than Kara. Sarah was dressed in a black vest-top and black track-pants, and he could see at least a dozen tattooes around her upper body. Her entire right arm from her shoulder to her wrist was a mixture of aquatic creatures intermingled with waves and stars, a strange yet beautiful and colourful combination, and she had a large tribal dragon on her left arm.

She seemed a little uneasy to Kyle at first, maybe nervous, but she settled quickly as they chatted about her tattoos for a few minutes while she got sorted out, Kyle sitting wrapped in a towel, Sarah busy getting set up, until she told him to lie down on the bed.

Kyle lay there on his back, a towel across his lap, feeling more than a little uncomfortable, yet her hands put him at ease. There was no haste in her movements, but a lot of strength and control, as she worked each muscle of his upper body.

Eventually she told him to turn over and he did, becoming so relaxed as she worked his back that he barely noticed she was astride his hips. He could barely keep his eyes open, and slid into a half-snooze.

Sarah worked his upper body and then his legs while he lay face down on the bed, and Kyle's muscles felt tired but the pain was gone from them. She asked him to flip over, and he felt that momentary discomfort as he held the towel over his lap and turned onto his back.

"I'm just going to work your thighs now, and that's us done," She explained.

Kyle lay back, closing his eyes as her hands rubbed the large muscles, one at a time, easing the pressure and tension from them, her hands warm and firm on his skin. She was sat astride his feet, kneeding his thighs, and as he lay there with his eyes closed something nagged at him, like he'd forgotten he was meant to be somewhere.

"You're done," She announced a few moments later, and before he could open his eyes, he felt her press her hands down on either side of his hips and she sprung back off the end of the bed.

The recognition was instant, as Kyle remembered someone making that exact same movement a few nights ago, in the darkness, just before she fled.

He tensed and looked at her, frowning.

"Something wrong?" She asked casually as she bent to retrieve her bag from the floor.

Kyle wanted to ask her straight away if it was her that was in here the other night, fucking him and sucking his cock, and why she'd done it, but something made him hold his question back. He needed time to think.

"No, everythings fine," He replied a moment later.

"I'll just tidy up and then I'll be off," Sarah said, giving him a smile. "Let me know if you want me to come back again tomorrow. Or whenever."

"Yeah. Will do."

She bustled about for another few seconds and then slipped out. Kyle heard Patricia and Lakshmi say goodbye and then Patricia appeared in the bedroom doorway. She caught his expression.

"What's wrong?"

Kyle sat up, propping himself on his elbows. "I think I've figured out who the boogeygirl was."

Patricia's eyes widened and she mouthed, "Sarah" at him, her face framing the question.

Kyle nodded. "I didn't say anything or ask her, but I'm sure it was her."

"How do you know? Did she..."

Kyle shook his head. "Nothing like that. It was the way she got off the bed."

"You know just from that?" Patricia asked, sounding unconvinced.

"It's an unusual way of doing it." A thought struck him. "I take it she used to give Danny massages up here, in this bed too?"

Patricia's eyes narrowed. "How did you know that?"

"I'll tell you later."

Patricia frowned and came over and sat on the side of the bed. "She's so getting fired."

"Not yet," Kyle said immediately, although he realised he had no idea why. "I need to think about what I want to do."

"What does that mean? You better not be thinking about a repeat performance!"

Kyle chuckled. "No, nothing like that. I mean why did she do it? Just randomly sneak into someones room and take advantage of them? It doesn't really make sense."

"I told you. She's a self-confessed slut," Patricia said, a hint of anger in her tone. "Can I be there when you fire her?"

"You're angry, aren't you?"

"I don't see why you're not," She pointed out. "If I was you, I'd be pissed."

"I'm more confused than angry right now," Kyle said, trying to puzzle his way through it. He felt like there was a game going on that he didn't know how to play, with rules he didn't know and no idea how to win. Gut instinct, his dad would have called it.

"So what do you want to do?"

"Think first, act second," Kyle told her. "Can we put this to one side just now?"

She sighed. "I suppose."

"So how's it going through there?"

"We're getting there. Couple more hours and we'll have a first draft itinery."

"Sounds complicated."

"It is," She told him. "Dinner's in ten minutes. You should get dressed. There's an outfit in the dressing room for you."

"Thanks, Patricia."

She left the room and Kyle got up and got dressed. He slipped on a tight black v-neck top, dark blue jeans and a pair of black boots and then wandered out to the balcony where Patricia and Lakshmi were having a break.

"Feel better after that?" Lakshmi asked.

"Yeah. Certainly eased the pain," He replied, lighting up. "How's it going with the schedule?"

"Well, we're trying to cut it down from insane to manic, but we'll have a better grip on it later," She replied, sounding pleased with herself.

Kyle took a seat. "If you can get it from manic to chilled, that would be awesome."

"On another note, your friends Casey and Ed will be here late tomorrow morning."

"Really?" Kyle smiled, then chuckled as he thought of how Ed would react to this place. "This could be fun. Hey, what about Margarita? When's she arriving?"

"Katie's friend? Late tonight, along with her sister."

"So two of them?"

"Yes," Lakshmi replied. "We're giving them the guest suites next to Katie's. Your friends are going in the one next to Kara's, above the bar."

"Okay. Did Kara invite anyone out?"

Lakshmi shook her head. "No, but I think that's one of the reasons why Katie's friends sister is coming out, although she didn't say so."

"Katie didn't?"

"No. I mean, no, she didn't say."

Kyle chuckled. "Anything else going on?"

"Oh, there's always something else going on, Kyle," Patricia said, smirking. "You should know that by now. How much do you want?"

He shrugged. "Give me anything you've got."

"Okay," She said, leaning forward. "Someone made an audio recording of your speech at the funeral and gave it to the press. The Wall Street Journal described it as hesitant and stuttery."

"It wasn't hesitant or stuttery at all," Kyle said quickly.

"And it wasn't naive or panicked at times either. The journalist who wrote it used to work for one of our magazines and got fired a few years ago. Since then he snipes at every opportunity he gets on anything regarding Mister Tripps," Patricia explained.

"Even his funeral? What an ass-hat."

"Yep. I spoke to your folks earlier and we're going to bring them down to LA for a couple of days when they're finished their hiking trip. They're having a great time, lots of photos, meeting nice people and apparently the air is really fresh."

Kyle chuckled. "No problems with them?"

"Nope, they're having a great time."

"Good to hear. I need to phone them more often," He said, feeling a pang of guilt that all this stuff was happening to him and he was barely giving them a moments thought.

"I've been keeping in regular contact with them, so don't worry too much. They know you're busy."

"Okay. What else?"

"Shmi?"

"Oh, that was mean," She protested as Patricia leaned her head back and laughed.

"What was?" Kyle asked, not getting the joke.

"She just gave me a... sensitive one to deal with," Lakshmi said, looking unhappy. "Okay, if you're going to be in LA for a couple of weeks, you're going to be attending a couple of film premieres, social events, parties. That kind of thing, right?"

"Yeah," Kyle nodded.

"So you need a date for them."

"I could always take you guys," Kyle suggested, meaning he would take Patricia.

"You can't," Lakshmi told him. "You can't sit us at a table with people and introduce one of us as your date, because they first thing they'll do is ask what we do, and then you're the guy who dates his assistants."

"Oh."

"Plus," Patricia added. "We can't get taken seriously if people think we're employed as girlfriends first, assistants second. Playboy bunnies with blackberry's, know what I mean?"

Kyle made an unhappy face. "So I can't socialise with you guys?"

"Yes, you can," Lakshmi replied. "But there are occasions when you'll need a date and so we've started a shortlist of suitable single women."

"You're picking out dates for me?" He raised an eyebrow as he looked at Patricia.

"Well, it's not set in stone that they'll agree, but we're looking for you to trim the list a bit and then we'll investigate our options from there," Lakshmi continued.

Kyle frowned. "Have you got it handy?" He asked, finding it absurd, especially considering Patricia had a hand in picking out the names.

"Later. We're still working on it."

"Oh. Okay."

"Anyway, it's time for dinner," Patricia announced. "Shall we?"

Dinner was fantastic.

The food was really good, as always, and Katie was really excited about the imminent arrival of her friends, chatting constantly to Kara about Margarita and her sister. Kyle told them a few stories about Ed and his crazy antics in the past, and everyone seemed quite relaxed in each others company. Most people had a few glasses of wine with the exception of Kyle who was in training and Patricia who everyone agreed should steer clear of alcohol for at least forty eight hours.

Peter brought up his challenge to a game of Call of Duty, and then everyone got involved, dispersing quickly to their various suites and rooms to get on the Islands network. Kyle picked up the X-box controller, finding it strange in his hands as he was used to a PS3 at home, but he could see the benefits on their choice of console on the Island. Peter had told him how they recorded the matches on a server, playing back particularly awesome kills or streaks in the bar afterwards, and Kyle was hoping to have some of his included.

He got his ass handed to him.

Kyle put it down to the controller being different and not being able to adapt quick enough, but he just couldn't seem to get the instinctive reactions to put the sight where he wanted it and have the trigger pressed before he got killed. Either that or Patricia and Lakshmi chatting while they worked behind him produced some strange gaming effect that made him a bullet-magnet.

After a particularly humiliating defeat where the match finished with him having two kills and twenty deaths he logged off and went outside. Kara was already sitting there, smoking his cigarettes and to his surprise, Katie was sitting next to her. He shut the door, not wanting to hear Patricia and Lashmi arguing over who he should lunch with next Thursday.

Kyle took his seat and lit up.

"How did it go?"

"Not my night," He grunted. "And Peter really is a freak. First game we played he was on my team. Thirty seven kills, one death."

"Is that good?" Katie asked.

"Freakish," Kyle replied.

"So, busy day," Kara noted.

"I know," Katie agreed. "Saying goodbye to the guests, meetings, shooting a gun, flying in a helicopter and we saw dolphins. And I've got a shoot with Johnny Depp! Way cool."

"I liked the dolphins," Kara agreed. "And I want to learn to fly a helicopter. And a plane. That looks like fun."

"Make sure you tell Garius. I'm sure they'll arrange it," Kyle said.

"Already have," She replied, then grinned at Kyle. "Big day for you, too."

"How do you mean?" He said, looking out to sea as he tried to hide his grin.

"Oh, come on, Kyle," Katie replied. "You're not exactly Mister Pokerface, and Patricia's been smiling all afternoon."

"Don't know what you're talking about," He muttered, getting a loud laugh from Kara.

"Plus, he got hit on this morning too," Katie added, grinning.

"Really? Who by?" Kara asked.

"The gorgeous Miss Theron."

"Really?"

"You keep saying that," Kyle protested. The two of them were enjoying his discomfort a little too much for his liking.

"Oh, come on, Kyle," Kara replied. "It's not like you're fugly or anything, but she's totally stunning."

"Have you got a bi side we don't know about?" He teased.

"Hey, if I had to choose a woman to get it on with, she'd be in the top ten," Kara replied, laughing. "And besides, how do you know I'm not a lesbian?"

"That's a good point," Kyle grinned. "Are you a lesbian?"

"Kyle!" Katie said. "You can't ask her that."

"Why not?"

"It's not polite."

"She is my sister," Kyle pointed out. "Kara?"

"Don't answer that, Kara," Katie said quickly. "In fact, tell him you're a lesbian. Then his friends won't hit on you every two minutes."

"You sound like you know them," Kara said, looking at Katie, who turned her head away and took a sudden interest in her drink.

"Well?" Kyle asked, trying to divert her back to the lesbian question.

Kara rolled her eyes. "No. I'm not a lesbian, although I have a few dirty secrets from my stripping days. Truth is, I like guys too much."

Katie looked at her in surprise, but Kara continued.

"Anyway, you should know that, Kyle." She said, catching his eye. "After all, I did make you cum in your pants."

Her words hung in the air between the three of them. Kyle stared at her, while Katie's head turned like an owl, staring open-mouthed at her sister. Kara just shrugged and grinned.

"Yes, I remembered you," She told him. Kara turned her head to look at Katie. "And I know you were Julietta, because I was the girl Kyle thought was you."

"Um... what?" Katie said, stammering her words.

"Oh, come on," Kara said. "It's about time we got all this out in the open anyway. I did a lapdance for Kyle in Myrtle Beach when I was a stripper, and he got me all hot, so I made him cum. Then he went off to meet a girl who looked exactly like me, going under a fake name of Julietta? It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure it out, especially after seeing both your reactions down on the pier."

"Oh my fucking God," Katie muttered, covering her face with her hands.

Kyle shook his head. "I fucking knew you remembered me," He said softly, trying not laugh. "And you've known all this time?"

"As soon as I saw your photo I remembered you. Then I put two and two together and wondered if Katie was the girl you were going to hook up with. And you two did hook up, right?"

"We didn't know, same as me and you didn't know," Kyle pointed out.

"Kyle, I'm not retarded, and I'm not angry or anything. I just... I guess I just wanted you guys to know that I know. That I've known." Kara explained. "Sorry, Katie. I'm not trying to embarass you or anything."

"This is so dysfunctional," Katie said a moment later, causing Kyle to start laughing. Kara couldn't stop herself and Katie was grinning, despite her efforts to stop.

"Stop it," She said for the third time before Kyle and Kara got a grip of themselves. "This isn't funny, guys."

"No, it really isn't," Kyle agreed. "But it is kinda ridiculous."

"Yeah, the odds are kind of... miraculous, but that's not the right word either," Kara added.

"I think they'd need to invent a new word to describe this situation." Katie said quietly. "I could curl up in a ball right now."

"Poor Katie," Kara said, slipping her arm round her sister and giving her a squeeze.

Kyle smiled. It was the first time he'd seen her display any affection at all, and he was glad it was Katie who was the recipient after her words that morning.

"Well, the cat's well and truly out the bag now," Kara grinned. "Anything else I should know?"

"Not that I can think of," Kyle said a moment later.

Katie tilted her head and looked at him. "Kyle gives really good cuddles, Kara. You should try it some time."

"I'm not a cuddle type of girl."

"No, you don't understand," Katie said, but Kyle cut her off.

"I don't think it's so much me that gives good cuddles, Katie. I think it's you."

"Well if it's me, I've never had a cuddle as good off of anyone else, so that makes no sense," She argued.

"You sure?" He asked, frowning. "I'm not a guy for cuddles, but with you it was different. Like you kind of fit, know what I mean?"

"Jesus, will you two get a room?" Kara said, chuckling. "Oh, wait. You already did that."

Katie narrowed her eyes as Kyle tried not to laugh.

"Tomorrow, we're going to experiment with this, the three of us," Katie said firmly.

"No."

"Not me either," Kara said, holding up her free hand. "No cuddles, thanks."

"I don't care. I need to find out."

"Find out what?" Kyle said.

"If it's a womb thing," Katie replied. Kara looked confused while Kyle shook his head and grinned.

"Really, Katie? A womb thing?"

"Tomorrow," She repeated firmly. "It's happening. And if I'm right, you'll both really like it. If not, you've wasted two minutes by lying down and you'll have something to mock me about."

"Alright," Kara replied slowly. "But be warned, I will mock you mercilessly."

"Kyle, you're doing it too," Katie said.

"Why do all the women in my life boss me around?" He asked.

"Because we can," Kara laughed.

"And on that note," Kyle said, stubbing out his long-dead cigarette. "I'm going to bed."

"Try to get some sleep, Kyle," Kara teased.

"And don't make too much noise," Katie added. "You don't want to wake the neighbours."

"Hark at my witty sisters," He said as he got up. Feeling quite affectionate, he walked behind the two seater chair they were sharing and bent down, giving them both a kiss on the top of the head. "Night, girls."

"Night, Kyle," They said in unison, then burst out laughing.

It took another hour before Lakshmi quit on the schedule for the night, and Kyle had lain in bed, thinking about everything that was going on.

What would Mister Crowler discover, and if anything, why was Edwin lying to him? What was Sarah thinking by sneaking in here the other night? Why did Kara keep it a secret that she did remember him, and then just blurt it out in front of Katie too? All these questions and more spun around in his head, but one kept coming to the fore, above all else.

How much longer would it be before Patricia walked into the room?

She appeared in the doorway, a wicked smile on her face. "She's gone."

"Get in here," Kyle said, throwing back the sheet on the left side of the bed. He was naked under the right side and he could already feel himself growing in anticipation.

Patricia took a step forward and paused, then kicked off her heels, unfastened her grey trousers and let them fall to the floor, and as Kyle watched, she peeled her tight black top over her head.

Kyle let out a slow breath, seeing her standing there in a black bra and panties, and then his erection solidified as she unclasped the bra and dropped it to the floor. Her fingers slid over her breasts, rubbing the skin under them, casually tweaking her own nipples, and then she slipped her panties off.

"Get in here," He repeated, his voice thicker, huskier with arousal.

Her eyes held his as she walked around the bed and he could see the intensity there, the intention that matched his own. She slid into the bed, whipping the sheet off his own form and her eyes drifted down, seeing his cock standing proud and ready.

She licked her lips. "Very nice, Kyle."

He didn't reply, just grabbed her and kissed her. He heard Patricia's muffled moan as her arm snaked around his head, holding him in place as her tongue shot in his mouth.

Kyle rolled onto his side, half above her and he felt her legs widen, welcoming him, so he rolled further, his legs sliding over hers until he was between them. He broke for air, panting as she was, and he could see her eyes boring into his. He felt her hand grasp his cock, positioning it, readying it to go inside her.

"Please," She whispered, and he complied.

"Oh, fuck," He moaned as he slid inside her. He could feel how wet she was, how ready and he smiled. "You're soaking wet."

"For hours now," She admitted and Kyle smiled. He rocked his hips, moving his cock inside her, loving how her mouth opened and her eyes rolled back in her head.

"You've been thinking about me?" He rocked his hips again.

"Thinking about this," She replied. "About you inside me again."

"And?"

"And I want you to fuck me," She whispered.

Kyle rocked his hips once more, grinning as he watched her reaction. He waited until she was just about to say something else then rocked again, teasing her.

As she was about to try and repeat her words he kissed her and began to pump his erection inside her, drawing back with his hips and pushing inside her once more. He was amazed at how she felt inside, as if he could feel her gripping him, squeezing him, and almost caressing his cock as it moved back and forth, coating him with her natural moisture.

Kyle kept it up, firm and steady, and his head slipped down to her breast. His mouth sought out and found first one nipple, then the other, sucking each one into his mouth, catching the stiff little nub between his lips or teeth, teasing and tasting each one as his hips rolled back and forth between her spread legs.

"Oh, fuck," Patricia moaned in his ear. "Please. Harder."

He pumped his hips as she asked, fucking her with more energy, more intensity, and she shook her head.

"Nipples. Harder," She whispered.

Kyle's eyes widened a little at that, but he sucked one of them back in his mouth, really sucking hard at it now and he felt her chest rise in response. Her hand clasped the back of his head, lacing her fingers through his hair, holding him against her.

He released her from his mouth and then sought out her hard little nipple and caught it between his teeth.

"Yes," She moaned, her own hips beginning to rise, matching each thrust into her.

Kyle pulled on her nipple with his teeth, not biting but using them to pull on it and she moaned.

"Harder."

His eyes slid up to watch her, seeing her eyes closed, her lip between her own teeth as her body rocked against the pillow. He set his teeth against her nipple, increasing the pressure a little and her mouth opened in a silent cry, but her hand in his hair increased it's pressure, holding him to her breast.

He squeezed a little tighter on her nipple and she gasped, moaned and nodded. Kyle hadn't been asked to bite a womans nipples during sex before, but he could see the sheer pleasure she got from it, so he began to pull on her tightly clamped little nub.

"Oh fuck, yes!"

Kyle held her nipple between his teeth, keeping the pressure on it as he pulled, lifting her breast. He worked his hips harder now, seeing the pleasure on her face and wanting to take her to orgasm, and she responded to his harder thrusts, her own hips tilting to welcome him as her free hand began to pinch at her other nipple.

It only took moments before she came, and it was a joy to behold for him. Her back arched, her head rolled back in the pillow and as her rapid breathing peaked, he let go of her nipple and slammed inside her, grinding his pelvis against her to get friction on her clit.

She exploded, panting and trembling as her orgasm thundered through her. Her wet pussy clenched and squeezed on his cock, her legs held tight to him, keeping him in place. Kyle lifted himself up on his hands so he could watch her. The rosy glow on her cheeks, the flushed colour that appeared on her chest and the way it rose and fell, the way her stomach tensed and relaxed with each breath, all were captivating sights to him.

Eventually her eyes popped open and she saw him watching her. She pulled him down into an embrace, his cock still deep inside her and kissed his cheek.

"Oh, that was fun," She said softly, wrapping her arms around him.

"So you like getting your nipples bit, huh?" He said a moment later, grinning.

"I like a lot of things," She told him, catching his eye. "Tip of the iceberg, Kyle. Did you cum?"

"Not yet."

"I'll fix that." She replied, smirking. Kyle felt her twisting under him, and he moved with her, rolling onto his back. She slid off his cock and kissed him, and then she was on her knees beside him, turning her body and she took him in her mouth.

Kyle groaned.

She worked fast, her head bobbing up and down on his cock like a piston, her lips locked around him like a perfect fit.

Kyle's hands moved, one knotting itself in her hair, the other lifting to her ass, running over the smooth skin and probing for her pussy. As his fingertips found her wetness he gasped, feeling his cock pressing against the back of her mouth.

Patricia paused for a second, taking in a couple of deep breaths as she moved her hips a little closer to him and then Kyle gasped again as he felt his cock slide deeper inside her than it had before.

"Oh fuck," He grunted, revelling in the sensation of being deep throated for the first time in his life. He knew it was a special moment, knew that despite what you see in porn, very few girls liked the thought of gagging on a cock, and even fewer were able to supress their gag reflex, yet Patricia had taken him down with ease, something no girlfriend of his had ever done.

She slid back up, then pumped her head up and down a couple of times, taking him deep inside her each time.

"You like that?" She asked a moment later as she paused for breath.

"Oh yes," Kyle grunted. "Fuck, yes."

She was back on him again immediately, her head bobbing up and down, fucking him with her mouth and throat. Kyle pumped his hips, an unconscious movement drawn from the pleasure she was giving him and she moaned.

Her hands slid under his buttocks, pulling at him to do it again and he did, pushing his cock into her mouth as her head slid down, and she moaned again.

Kyle's groping hand found her pussy and he rammed two fingers inside her, curving them to try and reach that little rough spot he'd found women enjoyed.

Patricia pushed her head a little further forward as she plunged her mouth down on him, welcoming the thrust of his hips, and as he began to rapidly pump his fingers in and out of her pussy, she thrust her ass up in the air, welcoming it.

She began to moan as he thrust into her pussy, into her mouth, and Kyle was bucking his hips. He barely noticed that she had given up bobbing her head up and down, happy to accept his cock as it fucked her, just as she accepted his fingers.

His balls began to tingle, and he groaned, breathing deeper.

Patricia's hands on his ass tightened, helping him thrust into her as her moans became one long, drawn-out moan.

Kyle could feel his own orgasm rushing forward, ruining his concentration, making his plunging fingers erratic, and Patricia must have sensed it as she suddenly began to bob her head again, sucking hard at him too.

"I'm gonna cum," He gasped, knowing it was imminent, feeling how his cock stood rigid in anticipation.

Patricia rammed her face down on his cock.

Kyle's back arched as he came. His fingers jammed inside her. His hips thrust upwards and he could feel her chin pressing into his pelvis.

Patricia moaned and Kyle knew she could feel his cum pumping out his cock, first one spurt, then a second.

"Fuck," Kyle moaned, panting like crazy.

Patricia's head slid back up his cock, keeping him in her mouth as he pulsed out cum inside her, and she moaned as she tasted it, the feeling so erotic and exquisite that Kyle closed his eyes and groaned in pleasure.

After what felt like an eternity, his cock finally stopped pumping, and his body began to relax and Kyle, floored by the intensity of his orgasm, lay on the bed, breathing heavily.

Patricia sucked on his sensitive tip, making him flinch, and then she released him and sat upright at his side.

His fingers slid free of her pussy, and Kyle opened his eyes as she turned to look at him, wanting him to watch as she swallowed his cum into her tummy.

Patricia smiled, looking very pleased with herself. "You came," She said, grinning. "Hard."

"You're awesome," He panted. "Best blowjob. Ever."

"Oh, I think we'll be able to top that soon enough," She chuckled.

Kyle patted the bed beside him, but before she lay down, Patricia grabbed the sheet and dragged it over them both as she snuggled in beside him.

"You're quite the kink," Kyle murmured a few minutes later, his breathing now relatively normal.

"This girl has got skills," Patricia grinned, looking at him.

"I believe you." Kyle smiled as he wondered what else was in store for him.

"And just so you know, for future reference," Patricia said, pausing to lick his nipple. "If you feel the need to play with my ass a bit, you go right ahead."

"You like your ass played with?" Kyle asked, raising his head.

"Love it," She admitted. "Or do you think that's too dirty?"

"Fuck, no," Kyle smiled. "That's kinky as fuck. I'll be remembering that."

"Yay." She replied in her best girlie voice. "We nearly had the butt-sex tonight you know."

"What?" Kyle asked, startled.

She kissed his chest. "I really wanted to taste you though. Besides, I'm a patient girl. I can wait until tomorrow."

Kyle laughed and kissed her forehead. "Tomorrow's only a few hours away."

"Then you better get some sleep, Mister."

She rolled over onto her side, facing away from him, then bumped him repeatedly with her ass until he got the hint and spooned in behind her. His arm slid over her stomach and she pulled it up until it rested under her breasts.

"That's better," She murmured. "Oh, Kyle?"

"Yeah?"

"Turn off the light, please."

Edwin

"You... Why are you DOING THIS TO ME!" He bellowed, staring at the recording from Kyle's bedroom.

He stood upright and kicked hard at the waste paper bin, smashing it hard against the wall and turned back to stare at Patricia on the screen, coupling with.. him.

"You're meant to be mine!"

Edwin shook his head, wanting nothing more than to go upstairs and throw that upstart man off the Island and take his Patricia for himself, as he should have done long ago. As he stared at the screen, his chest heaving, he knew that it wouldn't work.

"You have to think, Edwin," He told himself. "You're smart, you've got the resources you need and you have the material to ensure when those incest-freaks leave, your Patricia stays here. Now think, work the problem. How to split them up?"

He paced back and forth in the small room, discarding idea after idea until he knew what he had to do.

"Provide evidence of him cheating on her, without exposing the system here. Temptation is what he needs. That and a sneaky video recording that can just happen to fall into my Patricia's hands, and I can be there to console her when he leaves her behind."

He smiled, a wicked and cunning expression that would have shocked many of the people who knew him. Their impression of the bumbly, snobby English gentleman who quietly got on with his work was exactly what he wanted them to think.

His gaze turned back to the screen.

"You will be mine."

Kyle

Kyle woke hard, knowing it was Patricia's hand around his erection, feeling her ass pressing back into his hips.

He could feel the tip of his cock pressing against her and then she opened up and he slid in.

"That's her ass," He realised as his tip moved in.

She gasped in the darkness, breathing fast and then he felt her press once more, taking him in a little more, slowly inching him inside.

"Holy fuck, she's tight," He thought.

Kyle could feel the slipperyness of a lubricant coating her, coating him as he crept inside her and he felt a thrill inside him, knowing that she'd readied herself while he slept.

"Kink," He whispered and felt her stiffen.

"Good morning, Kyle," She whispered back. "How's this for a new wake-up technique?"

He pushed forward a little, feeling how unbelievably tight she was and he heard her gasp again.

"I like it."

He felt her push back again, increasing the pressure as she pushed back against his cock, and he felt her ass give as she took the rest of him inside her.

She moaned and Kyle could hear the mixture of pain and pleasure in her voice, a beautiful sound that made him hornier than he was already.

He pulled slowly, sliding his cock back half an inch and then slowly rocked it forward again. He knew from the little experience he had with anal sex that going fast at the start was not a good thing.

"Easy," She whispered. "For now."

Kyle grinned. "And later?"

"Hard as you like," She replied, and Kyle felt his cock twitch in anticipation.

He felt her hand reach behind him, holding him inside her and then he felt her move, pulling at him to go with her. It was clumsy, a little awkward, but then he was on top of her, Patricia face down on the bed, Kyle face down on top of her, his cock still inside her tight ass.

"Slowly," She whispered. "Please."

Kyle nodded in the darkness, then grinned as he realised she wouldn't have seen it. He lay down on top of her, brushed the hair from her face and neck and then began to slide his hips up, drawing his cock back an inch or two inside her.

He could feel her gripping him, that extraordinary sensation that made anal sex so unique and then he pushed. She moaned, and as he drew back he felt her slip a hand under her body, reaching for her pussy.

Kyle repeated the maneuver again, and then a third time, loving how she panted and moaned beneath him and then he felt her ass relax just a fraction, as if her body was announcing she was ready to be fucked now.

He slid back and forth in one smooth movement, feeling the difference, knowing he didn't need to be as careful or cautious now.

"Do me," She told him, her voice thick with desire and lust.

Kyle placed his head on hers and kissed her cheek. "Kink."

He drew back his hips, sliding his cock nearly all the way out, and then she stiffened as he pushed it firmly back inside her.

Her grunt sounded like music in his ears, and Kyle grinned. "You like that?"

"Yes."

He did it again, withdrawing and thrusting deep. He could feel her tense with each thrust.

"More."

Kyle grinned, feeling horny beyond belief, and he did, thrusting into her repeatedly, loving how tight she was, how smooth it felt inside her, and how he could feel her body tensing and stiffening as he fucked her ass.

"Hard, Kyle," She grunted a few seconds later. "Hard as you like, please."

He loved how she said please when it was something she really wanted, and he loved how the more time they spent together, the more he discovered about her dirty, kinky side. The knowledge spurred him on and he gritted his teeth.

Kyle fucked her ass. There was no holding back, no careful or cautious control. He gave in to the animal side that everyone has, rutting like a beast on top of the beautiful blonde woman beneath him.

She responded, loved it. Patricia began to grunt noises, some of them unintelligible, some positive words to express her pleasure. Her hand clawed at the bed, grabbed his hand in a vicelike grip and she sucked his fingers in her mouth.

Kyle growled above her, experiencing this primal, carnal lust for the first time, revelling in the complete abandon of everything except the need to fuck her as hard as he could.

Patricia came beneath him, gasping and moaning loudly, her hips bucking as her body writhed, yet he never relented.

His hips pistoned up and down, drilling her ass, and he adjusted position, wrapping his arms around her, pinning her own to her sides, immobilising her beneath him as he sought to fuck her into oblivion.

"Fuck," She panted, over and over, like a prayer of desperate pleasure as he pummelled her ass, fucking her as fast as he could, deep and hard.

He felt his balls begin to tighten, felt his cock thicken and he knew he was going to cum.

He lowered his mouth to her ear, and growled, "I'm gonna cum in your ass."

"Please," Patricia replied quickly, her voice sounding full of desperate desire. "Yes. Please."

It only took half a dozen more thrusts and then he was buried inside her, pinning her down, his body taught as his cock twitched and jerked inside her, holding himself still so she could feel it shooting cum into her ass.

"Oh, fuck, Kyle," She panted, gasping for air as she pushed back with her ass, trying to take that extra millimetre inside her. "Yes. I can feel you."

He was breathing hard, his head inches from her face, each breath coming out as a growl or pleasure, even after his cock stopped shooting inside her.

"Oh my," Patricia panted. "Kyle, that was..."

Her words slowly brought him back to where he was, as if saying his name had somehow pulled back the man he was and put the animal back in it's cage where it belonged.

"Are you alright, Patricia?" He asked gently. "Did I hurt you or anything?" Kyle braced himself to slide his cock out of her, but he felt her feet slip up, holding him in place.

"Kyle Watson," She said into the darkness, her tone full of wonder. "That was incredible."

He panted, relieved that he hadn't hurt her. He'd never fucked anyone like that in his entire life. He lay there on top of her and his lips slid to the back of her neck, kissing her gently as his cock softened.

"Oh, that's nice," She murmured.

Kyle felt a touch of sadness as his cock gradually shrunk and slid out of her, easing out of her ass as it resumed its natural position.

"Best wake up call ever," He whispered. "Thank you, Patricia. That was.. amazing."

"Thank you," She replied, rolling her shoulder so she could half-turn and kiss him.

Kyle felt his cock slide away from her ass and he grinned, knowing she was too at the sticky mess he'd left behind. He felt her hand slip behind her and knew that she was checking it out.

He heard her giggle and then she kissed him. "Showers for both of us, I think."

"Good idea."

"And then you're off to meet Julian," She reminded him, giggling as he suddenly collapsed on top of her.

"I'm too tired," He muttered. "You've kept me up all night, abusing me."

She laughed. "You'll get over it."

Julian worked him hard, relentlessly torturing his muscles systematically one at a time until he was ready to quit, but Kyle made it through his workout, emerging on the other side of it as a sweaty, quivering mess. He took a few minutes to recover and then slowly walked back up to the house.

He entered the suite as Patricia emerged from the shower, gave her a kiss and laughed weakly as she shooed him away, calling him 'sweaty and sticky and not in a good way'.

Kyle slid into the blue-green hot water in the bath, groaning in pleasure. The coloured water and the mixture of salts that Patricia sorted out always seemed to ease him after each workout, even if it was only for a short time.

"You getting in?" He asked, hearing her re-enter the bathroom. He opened his eyes and saw she was dressed in a charcoal business suit, a matching skirt and jacket with a white top underneath.

"Nope. Not this morning," She replied as she moved to the mirror to fix her makeup. "Besides, I don't want to tire you out."

"How's your..." He began and glanced down, earning a chuckle from her.

"Well, I know I've been fucked, if that's what you're asking," She replied, flashing him a grin. "That was fun."

"It was," He nodded. "I know I keep saying it, but you're quite the kink."

"I'm not going to burst into tears if you call me other names in the heat of the moment, you know," She added, doing her mascara.

Kyle laughed and put his head back. "You like being called names?"

"Sometimes," She admitted calmly. "Like this morning. If you'd called me your little slut that would have been hot."

"Yeah?"

"Or last night, if you'd called me your cock-sucking whore." She shrugged, her concentration on her makeup. "If you want to, of course?"

"If you like it, then I'm fine with it," Kyle said, grinning. "Anything else I should know?"

"I think you're getting the general idea of what I'm into," Patricia said. "Feel free to be a bit more masculine, dominant with me."

"Like grab you, pin you down, shit like that?"

"Sure," She nodded, and Kyle had the funny feeling he wasn't quite getting the point. "Spanking?" He guessed.

She winked at him in the mirror.

"Maybe I should get some rope or something," He grinned.

"Now you're talking," She replied, a wicked smile on her face. "I've got some toys, if you want to play around with them too?"

Kyle shrugged. "Fuck it, why not. I'll try anything once."

"Anything?" She asked, grinning in amusement.

"Okay, not anything," He admitted. "But I get the feeling you would."

She shrugged and turned back to the mirror. Before she could reply they were interrupted by Lakshmi calling. "Morning, Kyle, Trish."

"Morning, Shmi," Patricia called. "We're back here."

"What is it with me being in the bath?" Kyle muttered. He made sure the water covered him before Lakshmi arrived and then sighed. She walked in, dressed in a pair of black trousers with a matching blouse and jacket. Her hair was pinned up on top and hung straight down her back.

"Morning," She said, grinning as she saw Kyle was in the bath and Patricia was finishing her makeup in the same bathroom.

"Hey, Lakshmi," Kyle said. He lifted a hand from under the water and gave her a wave. "I'm in the bath."

"Yeah, I can see that," She said. "So is this going to be an ongoing thing? Meetings in the bath?"

"I hope not. Have we got a meeting now?" He asked.

"No, just wanted to drop off the dating shortlist and let you know Katie's guests have arrived." She pulled a piece of paper out the folder in her hand and waved it at him.

"That the list?"

"Do you want to wait until you get out the water?"

"Em, yeah. Probably a better idea," He nodded. "Margarita and her sister are here?"

"Katie's showing them their rooms now."

Patricia put her makeup down beside the sink and took the list out of Lakshmi's hand. Kyle watched her, frowning as she traced her finger down over it.

"These last three?" She asked.

"Late additions," Lakshmi replied. "I did some research last night. I've taken a few off the list too, online rumours they're dating someone."

"Who are we talking about here?" Kyle asked. While the idea of going on fake dates seemed pretty stupid to him what with his situation with Patricia, he was getting curious to see what names were on the list.

"After breakfast," Patricia told him. "We'll go pick you out some clothes."

The two women left the bathroom and Kyle sighed, wondering how much more weird his life could get.

Breakfast was a lot of fun. Margarita shook hands with him as if she'd never laid eyes on him, and her sister, Louisa, seemed really nice too, a slightly shorter version but with the same killer body. Kyle knew Casey would be drowning in his own saliva when he set his eyes on Margarita again, and it was all he could do not to laugh at the thought.

Katie did a good job of including Kara in the conversations as she told her friends of life on the Island, and Margarita and Louisa told them of what it was like in New York with the press calling them, emailing them, and how they'd been in a cafe yesterday when Katie's face had popped up on TV with the photos of Charlize Theron, and how some random woman at the table next to them claimed to know her quite well.

"So what did you say?" Kara had asked.

Margarita turned in her chair, acting it out. "Really, because I'm her best friend and I've never seen you before in my life." Her ponytail wagged as she delivered the words. Then she lifted her phone and flipped it open, showing a wallpaper picture of her and Katie. "There's my proof. Where's yours?"

Katie burst out laughing, while Louisa told them how the woman had shut up instantly and then whispered to her friend that it was a secret thing.

"People are lame," Margarita had concluded.

They didn't get much time to talk after that as there was a lot to do. Kara was continuing the scheduling meeting with Peter and Garius while Katie and Heidi were giving a tour of the Island to Margarita and Louisa, and Kyle went upstairs with Patricia and Lakshmi to get their own work done.

"Right, first off, I want to see this list," Kyle said bluntly as he sat on the balcony. Patricia raised her eyebrow and handed him the sheet of paper.

"It's just a first pass, remember."

Kyle's eyes widened as read the names on the page. It was like an FHM top twenty women list, every guys fantasy.

"You're serious?" He asked, looking up.

"Why not?" Patricia replied. "We're looking for someone high profile, someone that will give you credibility and instant recognition, as well as get you in the papers."

"And how the hell am I supposed to do this? Just send a fan email to their website asking them on a date?" Kyle asked, shaking his head. It wasn't that he objected to the thought of a date with anyone on the list. They were all stunning and he'd love to meet any of them, but they were so far out his league it was unbelievable.

Patricia rolled her eyes, but Lakshmi sat down opposite him. "We arrange things so you guys meet and you get a chance to talk to whoever it is. Like asking them in for a meeting with your production company, or the magazine offices. You just happen to be there, bump into them, chat for a bit and then ask them to accompany you to an event."

"So I've got to try and get one of these women to go on a date with me?" Kyle laughed. "Yeah, you might as well tear this list up right now."

"We can always go through their publicist if need be," Lakshmi added. "Mister Tripps dated a lot of different women, so we've got a lot of practice arranging little introductions over the years."

"Can we go through the names on the list now, Kyle?" Patricia asked. "If you're quite done with your mini-diva moment."

"Diva moment?" Kyle said, staring at her. She shrugged as her cellphone rung and she glanced down at the screen.

"I've got to take this," She announced then disappeared inside.

"Was I having a diva moment?" Kyle asked Lakshmi, who just smiled at him.

"I'm sure she was joking. Now, first name on the list if you please?"

Kyle glanced down. Eva Green.

"Well respected actress, a little bit.. bohemian. She's also French, so she's an option for the reserve list, if you like?" Lakshmi informed him.

"I know who she is," Kyle nodded. He'd seen her in plenty films as well as the recent series of Camelot. "Wasn't she a bond girl?"

"Yeah. Yes or no?"

"What? Just like that?"

"Think of it as trimming the list down a bit," She suggested, spreading her hands.

"Okay, sure," Kyle said. "Although it's never gonna happen, with any of these names."

"We'll see," The Indian girl grinned. "Next, Mila Kunis."

"I'd be a moron to say no, but again, way out my league."

"Okay, and for your information, no-one has you in any league yet. That's why the board is wide open. So that's a yes then?"

"Yes."

"Good. Next, Jessica Biel?"

"Smoking hot, loved her in Blade Trinity, but isn't she dating Justin Timberlake?" Kyle asked.

"It's a bit dubious, and no-one's really sure," Lakshmi explained. "Want me to investigate?"

"No. I'm thinking if it's dubious it's because they're trying to keep it quiet."

"In LA? She could be doing him a favour," Lakshmi suggested. "Like a beard."

"A what?"

"A beard. When a gay man dates a woman to give the impression he's straight," She explained.

Kyle chuckled. "After the last few days nothing would surprise me."

"Want me to shortlist her?"

"If she's dating him, she'll say no," Kyle thought aloud. "And if she's doing him a favour then she'd still say no, right?"

"I guess," Lakshmi admitted.

"Then that's a damn shame, but there's no point, so no."

"Okay. Emma Watson?"

"Hermione Granger?"

"That's her," Lakshmi nodded.

Kyle frowned. "No. Whenever I see her on TV or in the press I just see the little girl. Too weird."

Lakshmi chuckled. "Okay, What about Rihanna?"

"Nutjob. No."

"You sure? She's single, really huge at the minute and hot too."

"No. I like her music, but there's something scary about her."

"Okay, Hayden Panetierre?" Lakshmi suggested. "She likes to date sports guys, and there's nothing definite about her dating anyone just now. What do you think?"

Kyle shook his head. "Schoolgirl thing again, from Heroes. Bit weird."

"Alright. What about a hot mom? Kate Winslet?"

"Isn't she like Connors best friend or something?" Kyle asked.

"Yeah, they're close. She's apparently really nice."

"No, I like the guy but I don't want to piss him off."

"Oh, I don't think he'll mind."

"Yeah, but I don't know. I just don't see it."

"Okay, we'll move on," Lakshmi nodded. "Leighton Meester?"

Kyle frowned. "Wasn't there a whole load of shit about her taking legal action against her own mother or something?"

"Yeah. She's dated a few people this year too, but no-one at present."

"Sounds like a bit of a budding Lindsay Lohan. Let's give that one a miss too," Kyle replied. "You know this sounds completely insane in my head, right?"

Lakshmi smiled. "I bet it does. Kaley Cuoco? Wait, she's engaged, so no. What about Evan Rachel Wood?"

"Who's that again?" Kyle asked.

"She played the Vampire Queen in True Blood, and she was in Mildred Pierce with Kate Winslet."

"Oh, yeah. She's quite hot."

"She could be dating Jamie Bell, so I'll check that out."

Kyle shook his head. "Leave it for now. We can always come back to her if we need to."

"Okay," She nodded. "Next up, Ellen Page?"

"The little girl from X-Men? No."

"She's twenty four, Kyle."

Kyle made a face. "Still, you see her picture, you see that little kid. Or Juno."

"So no?"

"No."

"Okay. Patricia says you'll like the next one," Lakshmi smiled. "Missy Peregrym?"

He grinned. "She's right. That's a yes."

"And the last one, Charlotte Sullivan. Plays Peck on Rookie Blue."

"Hell, yes. She's hot too," Kyle replied. "Any more names on that list for now?"

"That's it," Lakshmi said, running through her notes. "So we've got Eva Green, Mila Kunis, Missy Peregrym and Charlotte Sullivan."

"Only four?" Kyle asked, surprised. "At least four knockbacks won't kill my ego too much, I guess."

"We'll do some digging and make a few calls, see what we can find out."

"Cool," He nodded. "It would be cool to just meet them."

"I'm going to get prepped for the schedule stuff. Do you want a coffee or a drink or something?"

Kyle shook his head and Lakshmi disappeared inside. He took the opportunity for a quick smoke, waving to Katie, Margarita and Louisa as they headed out.

"Hey, how did it go?" Patricia asked, reappearing from her phone call.

"Got it down to four names."

"That's a start," She grinned.

"So I threw a... what was it?"

"Mini-diva moment," She told him. "And you know you did."

"You don't think it's a bit weird that you of all people are picking out a list of people for me to date?" He asked.

"Why?" I know you're going to have to go out on dates. It's no big deal."

"Even though we're...." He wasn't sure how to finish the sentence. He didn't know if they were dating, seeing each other, just friends or if it was something more serious.

"We're..." She grinned. "What?"

"I don't know," Kyle said, shaking his head. "We should probably talk about it."

"So we can put a label on it and use it to define us?" She asked. "Let's not worry about it just now, okay?"

"So right now we're just friends and colleagues who fuck each others brains out?" He asked, chuckling.

"You're putting labels on it," She pointed out.

He chuckled and shook his head. "As long as you're happy, I'm fine."

She leaned forward and lowered her voice. "Did you know every time I walk I can feel my ass reminding me what you did to it." Patricia winked at him. "I'm perfectly happy."

Kyle grinned. "Glad I could be of service."

"I'll take you up on that later," She smirked, then got up to join Lakshmi in the suite.

Kyle finished his cigarette, sighed and got back to work.

The scheduling proved to be a pain in the ass, as they had each day down to different options of meetings or visits or events, often conflicting and sometimes with four or five different options for either morning, afternoon or evening. It took until nearly eleven o'clock before Patricia sent Kyle downstairs for a meeting with Katie, Kara and Connor Grant to identify Heads of Detail for their bodyguard teams.

Katie and Kara were already waiting for him, chatting with Connor when he got there, and he'd already been briefed on the plans for the next couple of weeks and the tentative months ahead.

The Scotsman was all business as he gave them each a profile, his recommendation for who should run their detail. To Kyle's disappointment, the name on his page wasn't Connor Grant.

"How come you're not doing it?" He asked.

"My team's set up for a different role," He explained. "We only take on clients who are under a specific threat. High-risk work, but we're bloody good at it. None of you fit my criteria."

"I'd be happier if you were running my detail," Kyle said. "How about it?"

"Cheers, but no. Your schedule's a bit too bread and butter for me." The Scotsman shrugged. "I like the pressure of the imminent threat. You need a janitor."

"A what?"

"A janitor. Caretaker. Someone to keep things running smooth. That would do my nut in."

"You like the chaos?" Kara guessed.

"That and the imminent threat. I like the pressure, the competitiveness. Plus, the paparazzi and I don't exactly get along, so they try and piss me off. Sometimes it works. You need someone else," He finished. "Cheers anyway though."

Kyle glanced down, reading the profile before him. Kevin Bannon, aged fifty one, former Marine and FBI, with fourteen years experience working close protection. He'd run his own team for the last nine years. Kyle looked up. "So this is the guy?"

Connor nodded. "I worked with him a few years back in New York. Very slick, very smart, good at reading people and he manages his team well. He's a solid choice."

"And mine?" Katie asked.

"All three of them," Connor replied. "I know them all personally, and they all run good teams. They'll look after you, no problems."

Kyle frowned, a little disappointed that he wasn't able to get Connor for himself, but if this Kevin guy was as good as the Scotsman said he was, then he figured he'd be fine.

"So what happens now? Do we call them, or are you doing it?" Kyle asked.

"If you guys all approve the choices then I'll get things set up for you. Least I can do to thank you for your hospitality."

"And if they don't work out?" Kyle asked.

Connor smiled. "Then bin them. Get somebody else in. Give me a call and I'll get you a few numbers."

Katie and Kara nodded, so Kyle agreed and Connor got up to leave.

"Wait, I need a word," Kyle said, walking out the door with him.

"Is it a written word?" Connor said quietly. Kyle patted his pockets for a pen, and found his phone. He quickly tapped out a message.

E said no. Crowler thinks yes. Waiting on word.

Connor deleted the message then tapped out his own.

Keep me posted. Going to check out E myself. Suspicious.

Kyle nodded, deleted the message and headed back inside. While Patricia and Lakshmi kept trying to get the schedule down from insane to manic, striving for snowed-under, Kyle got his gym stuff on. As he was on his way out the door, Patricia warned him that Casey and Ed would be a few more hours getting in.

"How come?"

"I meant to tell you earlier. Your friend, Ed, was three hours late for the flight. Apparently his limo broke down and it took a while to fix it."

Kyle wondered if it was Caroline that was driving Ed's limo. He knew she'd been teasing Ed mercilessly for days, sending him pictures and messages, and Ed was desperate to meet up with her. If there was a three hour delay, it didn't seem likely that the limo was broken, unless it was the suspension.

He nodded and headed for the gym.

Julian's workout with him was a little easier than the one that morning, and he was done within half an hour. As he emerged from the gym, a member of the fitness staff said there had been a call for him from Mister Crowler and could he go down to the pier to meet him immediately.

Kyle nodded, frowning, and walked the short distance, seeing George Crowler sitting waiting for him in one of the Islands speedboats. He hopped on board.

"You wanted to see me, George?"

"Glad you're here, Kyle. Let's get going for our boat ride round the Island, shall we?" The lawyer replied, giving Kyle an intense look. "If you could just unfasten those ropes, please?"

Kyle nodded, wondering what the old man had to say that he wanted to go out on a boat to do it, and he unfastened the two mooring ropes from the cleats on the pier. He took a seat as George revved the engine up and then the long sleek boat pulled away from the pier, heading out to sea.

"So what's going on then, George? What did you find?"

"There's something going on here, Kyle," The old man said as he turned the boat a couple of hundred metres out from the Island. "I've been through Danny's private banking and had my people pull out any one-off payments to construction companies between when the Island was bought and the main house was built, and they found one, an Indian company that specialises in home security."

"So you think they were brought in to build a safehouse somewhere?" Kyle guessed.

"Exactly. Now by my reasoning, it must be underground, as otherwise the company who built the main house, or any of the other buildings would have it in their plans, correct?"

"Makes sense," Kyle said, bracing himself as they bounced over a wave.

"So Edwin tells you there is no secure facility on the Island, yet Danny pays a company who specialises in building them from his own personal account at the time one would be built."

"So there must be one there, so Edwin's lying then?" Kyle said. "Why?"

"There's only two reasons I can think of," The lawyer replied. "He's either hiding something in there, or he wants to keep the facility for himself. That brings me to the reason we have the boat for our discussion, Kyle."

"What? Are you gonna tell me the rooms are bugged now?" He joked.

"I believe, knowing Danny as I did, that there was no way he would lock himself into a steel box without some way of knowing what was going on outside. He always thought several steps ahead and contingency planned constantly. He always, always had an exit strategy."

"So what are you saying?"

"You understand I have little evidence to support this?" The old man said and took a deep breath. "I believe there may be hidden recording devices, either audio or video on the Island, and I believe Edwin is using this safe room to view you and your sisters in an effort to collate private information on you. My guess is he'll use it in some form of extortion or blackmail."

Kyle felt sick, like he'd just eaten a dozen burritos and been kicked in the stomach.

"And bearing in mind the questions you asked me about legal representation when we first met, am I right in saying that there are secrets you hold that you would prefer kept from the world?"

"Fuck," Kyle muttered. "Fuck. Fuck. Fuck."

"I'll take that as a yes," The lawyer replied. "Now, I don't need to know what they are, even though you're my client and I couldn't reveal anything, even if I daresay I could hazard a guess or two. The question is have you verbally or physically implicated yourself, or have your sisters"?

Kyle immediately remembered the conversation he'd had on his balcony last night with Katie and Kara, the individual conversations they'd had and the several conversations he'd had with Patricia about it too.

"Fuck."

"Have you committed any criminal offences, Kyle?"

He shook his head. "I... don't know, actually. I think... fuck it. I met Kara three years ago when she was a stripper and she gave me a lapdance. Then I met Katie at a club and we slept together. None of us knew we were related, and since then we've done nothing."

The old man's brow furrowed as he thought. "Has there been any... physical contact between you since then?"

"No." Kyle replied quickly. "I did hug Katie in her bed the first night we got here, but I was on top of the covers and dressed."

"Have you discussed your... history?"

"Individually with Katie, same with Kara, and then last night the three of us spoke about it."

"Hmm," The old man muttered.

"Oh, and I told Patricia about it. You said I could trust her," He reminded him. "She got someone to do a little digging into the friends that were with us on Spring Break. My buddies are cool. In fact they're arriving here any time, but two of Katie's friends might be problematic, so we got some info on them."

"And what happened to them?"

"One of them has a sick kid, so we're helping her out with her medical bills and expenses. The other girl has some history of drugs and stuff. Videos too I think. She's was working at a law firm but now she's working for us with a massive pay rise. Both of them have signed agreements not to say anything."

"So potentially you could be open to extortion or blackmail, bribery and investigated for incest too?" George asked bluntly.

"Fuck my life," Kyle muttered. "Maybe."

"Even if there are no criminal proceedings, simply leaking recordings of the conversations would be enough to force you to resign from any positions you may hold in the future, destroy your credibility, or instigate political hearings. It could also potentially destroy your companies."

Kyle slumped into his seat, craving a cigarette, a bottle of tequila or anything that would numb his brain.

"Is there anything else you can tell me about what's happened on the Island? Anything strange that's occurred since you arrived?"

"Fuck, everything's been strange, George. This whole place is bizarre." He shook his head, then looked up sharply as a memory appeared. "A few nights ago one of the staff sneaked into my room and had sex with me. I thought it was someone else."

"Did they drug you, anything like that?"

"No. Just.. well, they fucked me then gave me a..."

"Yes, yes, yes. I get the picture," The lawyer said, holding up a hand. "Do you happen to know who? Or why?"

"Well, I'm pretty certain it was Sarah, the masseuse. The thing is, I'd never laid eyes on her before," Kyle explained.

"And she just appeared in your suite and propositioned you?"

"No," Kyle replied, shaking his head. "No, I'd been flirting with Patricia and she went to her bed. Then when it was dark this girl joined me in bed, held her finger to my lips to be quiet and then we had sex. I thought it was Patricia, but when we finished she ran off."

"So what was her motivation?" George said. "She just randomly decided to seduce you?"

"Apparently it's possible," Kyle said, shrugging. "I don't get it though."

"Does she know you have suspicions?"

"Sarah? No."

"Then you need to find out what motivated her to come up to your room," George said. "It may be that she simply saw you and decided to seduce you, or thought she'd get on good terms with the new boss. Then again, if you're being set up for leverage, a sex tape could be a helpful thing to have, yes?"

"Mother fucker," Kyle blurted.

"On the plus side, you mentioned that it was Connor Grant who put you onto the Island having a safe room, yes?"

"Yeah. And I let Connor know this morning that Edwin had said no, that you were looking into it, and he asked to be kept posted. Oh, he also said that he was going to see what he could find out himself."

George frowned as he steered the boat out a little further from the shore. "I would suggest the following. One. You figure out a way to discuss the matter with Sarah, somewhere off the Island such as on a boat like this or perhaps in a helicopter, if you can arrange it. Two. You need to get Connor on side with you, and given his personal skillset and employment record I imagine he'll be happy to help out if he can."

"He already is."

"That man is a nuisance, but when he's working he's like a different person entirely," George said. "Use him as much as possible, but above all you must be discrete."

"We have been so far."

"No, Kyle. I mean you can't act differently, you can't discuss this openly with Kara or Katie, don't discuss the situation with these two girls with Patricia either. I'll speak with her directly about that myself. If what you're saying is true, I'm best placed to deal with these two ladies myself anyway."

"Okay, don't talk about it, act normal, don't do anything differently," Kyle repeated, wondering how the hell he was going to pull that off.

The pier came in sight as they completed their circuit of the Island and Kyle frowned, thinking about everything the old lawyer had briefed him on. It seemed certain that Edwin was setting him up for something. Either that or he was getting paranoid. Maybe the man who'd run Danny Tripps private Island had some unknown valuables stashed away, and didn't want to let the new kids know about them.

Either way, he knew something was going on, and he felt a little comforted that George Crowler was helping him. He knew he had to get to Connor at some point today though, and somehow get him up to speed.

As the old man maneuvred the boat back to it's mooring, Kyle moved to stand up and tie it off, but he wobbled and nearly fell over.

"Kyle?"

"Sorry, my legs have tightened up," Kyle explained. "I came here straight from my work out, so my muscles are really stiff." He rubbed at his thighs and slowly began to stretch his mucles until he was able to move and tie up the boat.

"Speak to you later?" Kyle asked, climbing painfully up onto the pier.

"Anytime," George replied.

Kyle walked back along the pier, grimacing with each step until he began to loosen enough to walk relatively normally, following the path up from the beach and around to the main house.

"Where have you been?" Patricia asked as he re-entered his suite. "Julian said you left ages ago."

"I was chatting to George Crowler," Kyle said, trying to remember to act normally. "He took me for a lap of the Island on one of the speedboats. Very cool."

"Well, you're late for lunch."

Kyle nodded and headed back to the bathroom, sighing as he saw the last of his bath water draining away.

"It got cold, so I emptied it," Patricia explained from behind him. He felt her hand on his hip and her lips pressed softly against the back of his neck. With Lakshmi still in the office area of the suite, he knew she wouldn't be joining him, but he smiled at the secret display of affection. "You'll have to settle for a shower."

Kyle glanced around the room, wondering if there were cameras in here, and then his eyes widened as he realised he could have been filmed or watched doing all sorts of stuff with Patricia. He gulped.

"Hey, you okay? You seem a bit out of sorts," Patricia murmured, slipping around to face him.

He forced a smile on his face. "Just tired. That was a hard workout, and my muscles are all tight and sore. Feeling pretty exhausted." Seeing her worried expression he added, "I'm fine though. I'll be okay."

"You sure?" She asked, then lowered her voice and smiled. "I hope I didn't wear you out last night. And this morning."

"Not at all. Just workout fatigue, I think." He moved forward to give her a hug, but she squirmed away.

"After your shower. You're a sweaty mess and you'll ruin my suit."

Kyle headed for the shower, and the hot water felt good on his skin. Not as relaxing as a bath, or one with Patricia's assistance, but it helped a little. His mind whirled though, trying to remember every conversation he'd had since he got here that could potentially be used against him.

What he couldn't get his head around was why? If Edwin was planning to blackmail him or extort money, why was he doing it? What was motivating him when by all accounts he lived in paradise, of his own free will, everything was paid for him and he got a salary that he didn't really have to spend. So why blackmail someone when you have everything you want?

He shook his head, turned off the water and dried himself off, then headed for the dressing room. Someone had laid out a pair of sneakers, jeans and a sleeveless black top, a neat pile of accessories at their side. Kyle got dressed quickly, then joined Patricia and Lakshmi as they headed down for lunch.

Much of the conversation around the table was about an offer that Katie and Kara had received to appear on the Howard Stern show, asking them to be interviewed together and to ride his infamous sybian side by side. Katie found it disgusting, Kara found it hilarious and Margarita had them in stitches doing her impersonation of Katie trying not to orgasm. All too soon though it was time to go back to work for Kyle.

The dreaded scheduling meeting continued, and for the following hour Kyle listened to Patricia and Lakshmi debate if he should tour this office on that day, or do this press event, or take the time to rest up. Kyle had difficulty concentrating on it though, his own thoughts consumed with the situation with Edwin, how he was going to get a hold of Sarah without tipping his hand and the need to let Connor know what was happening.

"How long have I got until Ed and Casey arrive?" He asked.

"About twenty minutes," Patricia replied, not looking up from the piles of paper on the desk.

"I'm going to go see Connor, and then I'll head down to the pier for them coming in," Kyle announced, gathering his phone and cigarettes.

"What for?"

"I haven't given up on hiring him."

"You can see him later. There's still work to do, Kyle."

"I know. Plus, I just need ten minutes on my own," He explained, then tapped the side of his head. "Lots going on, and it's giving me a headache."

"You okay?"

He nodded, trying to appear relaxed, but he wasn't convinced of his success. Patricia cocked an eyebrow at him, but he winked back at her when Lakshmi's eyes drifted back to her work.

"See you guys back here," He said, stepping outside.

As he walked, he thought about which problem to try and tackle first. He knew he'd be seeing Connor later this afternoon, so that could be set aside for the moment. The Edwin thing was too complicated right now, so he turned his thoughts to Sarah, trying to figure out a way to get her into a boat or helicopter alone.

"What reason could I have to want some alone time with her?" He mused aloud, then grinned at the obvious answer. Everything suddenly clicked into place.

He knocked on Edwin's office door a few minutes later.

"Edwin?"

"Ah, Master Kyle. Do come in," The Englishman said.

Kyle entered, keeping his face as neutral as possible, wondering what this guy was up to, but trying not to let it interfere with his little charade.

"What can I do for you today?"

Kyle took a deep breath, then launched into the lie he'd developed in his head on the way there. "Well, Edwin. I wonder if you could help me with something.... discrete?"

"If I can, Sir." Edwin's eyes narrowed as he spoke. "Can I ask what, exactly?"

"Well, yesterday I got a massage from this girl, Sarah," Kyle began, trying to appear hesitant, embarassed.

"Ah, yes. Sarah's a wonderful masseuse, isn't she?"

"Yes, she is," He nodded. "She's also very.. hot."

Edwin smiled, a brief tight-lipped grin.

"Now, a couple of nights ago, I had a late night visitor who was very..."

"I'm familiar with Sarah's reputed apetities, Master Kyle," Edwin replied. "I take it you two..."

"Oh yes," Kyle said, feigning enthusiasm. "And if you don't mind me saying, I thought she was fucking amazing. If it was her, of course."

"And what makes you think it was her, Master Kyle?"

"Oh, just the way she moved, her perfume when she was giving me the massage yesterday," Kyle shrugged. "I'm pretty sure it was her, and since then I haven't been able to get her out my head, if you know what I mean." He gave Edwin a pointed look.

"Aha, I do, Master Kyle," Edwin replied, nodding quickly.

"Which brings me to why I'm here," Kyle said, moving on, feeling a little more comfortable in his acted role. He bit his lip, as if hesistant to say something, then launched into it quickly. "Do you think you could arrange for Sarah to be waiting for me in the helicopter after my workout, Edwin? I'm thinking we could go for a little fly around, I could ask her if it was her and... express my admiration for her skills, see if I can convince her to try it again?"

"You wish to.. hook up with her, Master Kyle," Edwin said, a broad smile on his face now.

"Well, yeah. But somewhere that Patricia or my sisters aren't going to know about," He added. "They're kinda.. control freaks. It feels like I can't take a shit without one of them walking in on me, or micro-managing my every move, and I'm pretty sick of it."

Edwin nodded. "I understand entirely, Master Kyle."

"I mean, take Patricia, right," He continued, warming to his role. "She's there when I wake up, she's there all day, and she's there when I go to bed. And don't get me wrong, she's really fucking hot, and if she's giving it away, I'm not gonna say no, but... "

"You would like to pursue your own desires," Edwin said carefully.

"Something like that, yeah," Kyle replied. "Sorry for all the moaning, Edwin. It's just getting to me, know what I mean?"

"I most certainly do, Master Kyle," The Englishman said. "And be assured, I can arrange with Sarah to be where and when you need her, and if she's already attempted to seduce you, as you suspect, I expect your flight to be an interesting one."

Kyle forced a grin. "That's exactly what I'm hoping for, Edwin. So you can help me out?"

Edwin winked, the smile still fixed on his face like the cat that got the cream. "Most assuredly, Master Kyle. Your secret shall be safe with me."

"You're a frickin star, Edwin," Kyle said, slapping him on the shoulder. "Right, I gotta run. I'm trying to recruit Connor to be my bodyguard, and I want to catch him before my friends arrive."

"Best of luck, Master Kyle. I shall see you on the helipad at what? Five o'clock?"

"Five o'clock," Kyle agreed. "And thanks," He added as he left the office.

Kyle had to work hard to keep the grin off his face as he walked down towards the clubhouse. As George Crowler suspected, Kyle was now sure Sarah's nocturnal visit was definitely linked to whatever Edwin was up to. He was sure of it just from Edwin's reaction alone, and if he could get some information out of Sarah, then that would help figure out what he was up to.

He entered the clubhouse, looking around for Connor, but he wasn't there, so Kyle approached the barman.

"Yes, Master Kyle, he was here a short time ago, sir, but he left with one of the maids."

Kyle grinned. "Connor getting himself into mischief, is he?"

"It certainly appears to be a recurring habit of his, Master Kyle. Do you want me to call his room for you, sir?"

"No," Kyle said shaking his head. "Although if you could tell me where it is, that would be great."

"Turn right as you leave, then left up the hill and it's the first villa on your right, sir."

"Cheers."

Kyle followed the directions and came across a beach-hut styled villa with a wide balcony that looked out over the ocean. He could hear the unmistakable cries of a woman in the throes of pleasure from a window at the far end, so moving as noisily as he could, he approached the window and knocked on it.

"Connor, it's Kyle."

The woman squealed and there was a muffled thud, followed by the Scotsmans laughter and a rushed thud of feet across the wooden floor.

"Come on in, Kyle," Connor called.

Kyle pushed the door open and stuck his head in the doorway to the right, seeing Connor sat in a bed, a wrinkled sheet across his lap and a broad grin on his face. The room was strewn with clothes, pillows and looked like it had been the scene of an argument, not a hookup. The room smelled like sex.

"Sorry to interrupt," Kyle began, but Connor rolled his eyes.

"Give me a wee second," He replied, getting out of bed, wrapping the sheet around his waist as he crossed the room to a wardrobe door in the wall. He opened the door and Kyle's eyes widened as he saw two women hiding in the closet, both completely naked, both trying to cover themselves. One of them shouted something at Connor in Spanish, presumably shut the door.

"Work beckons, ladies, but it's been a blast," Connor told them, waving a hand towards the door.

"I'll just step out for a minute," Kyle said quickly, trying not to laugh. He went out on the balcony for a cigarette. Barely a minute had passed before Connor emerged with a pair of jeans on, the two women back in their maids uniforms darting up the path.

"Sorry to interrupt, Connor," Kyle said, unable to hide his grin.

"Ah, don't worry about it, man. It's all good in the hood, know what I mean."

Kyle pulled out his phone and began to type a message. Crowler confirm saferoom somewhere. E denies it. Why? Need your help! Think E is going to blackmail me/sisters To cover what he was typing he spoke aloud. "So I was thinking about this Kevin Bannon guy and I think you should be my bodyguard, Connor."

Kyle handed him the handset, screen tilted down to the floor. Connor flipped it, glanced at the message

"I'll be happy to help you out in the short-term, Kyle, but long term you need someone like Kevin."

"Any help you can give me in the short-term would be great, Connor," Kyle nodded. He took the phone back and as Connor nodded to the handset, the Scotsman began to ramble about day-rates versus weekly rates, some of the personnel on his team and what it's like working in LA. All the time he kept glancing at the handset of the cellphone, indicating Kyle should type up a new message.

Sarah. Masseuse. Seduced me in my sleep few nights ago. Arranging to meet her in heli for chat. E thinks for me 2 seduce her. Crowler thinks two things linked. Need to find bunker!

Connor read the message as Kyle began to talk about a monthly rate for his services and his teams services, but getting a prolonged discount if it was to be an ongoing contract. The Scotsman erased the message, added one of his own, then handed it back.

Maids know Edwin schedule. Late visits to kitchen, vanishing act. Will tail tonight. Be ready for call

"Fuck, man, I gotta go," Kyle said, nodding. "My friends are arriving any second at the pier and I have to be there to meet them."

"Go for it. I'll catch you later, Kyle."

Kyle got up, and patted the unperturbed man on the shoulder as he went by, then paused at the path. "Connor."

"Yeah."

"You know you smell like pussy, right?"

"Aye. Life's grand sometimes, ain't it?"

Kyle jogged the last few metres along the pier as the Betsy slid the gangplank onto the pier.

"Mother-fucking hero!" Ed called, grabbing him in a bear hug.

"Jesus, fuck, Ed," Kyle laughed, as his friend eventually dropped him.

"Bitch, you're not gonna fucking believe it," Ed grinned. "Limo driver. Her. Caroline."

Kyle chuckled and exchanged a handshake with Casey.

"He's in love," Casey told him, "And he won't shut up about it."

"I am," Ed declared, throwing his hands up in the air. "Kyle, billionaire-dick, matchmaking superhero. When me and Caroline get married and she starts punching out babies, I'm gonna name my first-born male spawn after you. Or maybe a female. Haven't decided."

Kyle laughed and shook his head. Having an excited Ed jump off a boat at you was a bit overwhelming on the senses. He looked at Casey. "How long's he been like this?"

"The whole fucking trip. That's why the limo was late." Casey rolled his eyes. "They stopped. For four hours."

Ed grabbed Kyle again. "Best fucking four hours of my entire puny existance. I can truly call myself," He paused to beat on his chest like a gorilla. "A... Man!"

"You finally lost your anal virginity?" Kyle joked. "With a strap-on?"

"What?" Ed said. "Fuck, no. I did that ages ago with that freaky chick, Cassidy, the one that was into all that pee-pee and shit. Well, not shit, but you know what I mean," He hastily added. "Anyway, where's all the booze at, cunt-nugget?"

"And the women?" Casey added. "Nice pad, by the way."

"Oh, fuck yeah," Ed blurted. "This place is fucking cool. So is this like Tracy Island then? Do we get little fucking Thunderbird hats or what?"

Kyle laughed. It was good to have his friends back around him again, even if it felt like getting hit by a tidal wave of expletives and enthusiasm.

"Follow me, and prepare to be amazed."

Kyle led them along the pier and up off the beach, managing to keep Ed from bombing off the pier or stealing a speedboat by promising to take them out later. They hit him with question after question all the way up the hill until they turned on the path to face the main house.

"Whoa!" Casey muttered.

"Well fist my urethra," Ed blurted. "Is that a fucking Ninja temple?"

It took Kyle a few minutes to stop laughing, and he explained to them that this was the main house, a series of five interconnecting buildings full of suites, guest accommodation, entertainment areas and business rooms, as well as a games room, a cinema, a pool, a bar and a restaurant area.

"And you fucking inherited this?" Ed muttered. "You must be the luckiest cunt on the face of this fucking planet."

"Ed!" Casey protested, hating the way Ed liberally sprinkled the C word into his vocabulary.

"Oh, stop being such a fucking minge-flap, Case," Ed muttered. "Anyway, talking of... " He paused and amended his language. "Ladies, are they here? Your fine-ass sisters?"

Kyle frowned and took a deep breath, addressing them both, but mostly Ed. "Listen up, okay? I only want to have to say this once, and I'm absolutely fucking serious when I say this, alright? You can't talk about what happened three years ago, you can't mention it, refer to it, hint at it, fuck all, okay?"

Casey nodded immediately, but Ed screwed up his face.

"Ed? I'm serious."

He sighed. "Alright man, I promise."

"Now, you can't speak to Kara like she's a stripper, Ed. Neither of you can actually. No calling her Sahara, and no calling Katie Julietta. As far as you're concerned you've never laid eyes on them before, and you'll treat them like you would if they were your own sisters, okay?"

"Not like you would with your sisters, because we all know what happens there," Ed grinned, but seeing Kyle's serious face, he rolled his eyes. "Sorry, fucknut. I just had to get that out of my system. I'll behave, I promise. No sliding down my fucking pole jokes or anything, alright?"

Kyle nodded. "Cool. Now we've got that out the way, we can head in. While you're here you can eat whatever the hell you like, drink whatever you want, and use the facilities. Have a great time, but no fucking parties on your own at four in the morning, Ed."

"Oh, for fuck's sake. Stop being such a whiney bitch, Kyle," Ed muttered. "Christ, if I'd known you were gonna read us a fucking rule book I'd have put my fucking iPod on."

"What happened to me being your match-making mother-fucking hero?" Kyle asked.

"Just imagine this picture, right, of the worlds funkiest, sexiest wallpaper, right, and then put ten supermodels in it, buttnaked, holding up Megan Fox with her fucking legs wide open, ramming a monster fucking dildo up her ass and telling you 'This is so I'm ready for your cock', right?" Ed licked his lips and nodded. "Can you imagine that Kyle? Can you?"

"Yeah," Kyle nodded. "What's your point though?"

Ed paused. "I've forgotten, but it's a fucking cool picture."

Kyle and Casey both chuckled. "You're such a fucking cock sometimes, Ed," Kyle told him.

"Oh, I remembered!" Ed said quickly. "The point is, right. The fucking point is, I'm completely and utterly in love, so I won't be hitting on no bitches, fine-ass or otherwise."

Kyle chuckled, then turned to Casey. "Meant to tell you. Margarita's here too, she looks stunning, and she's brought her sister too."

Casey blinked and then his face broke into a broad smile.

"She's brought a sister?" Ed moaned. "Aw, man."

"I thought you were in love?"

"I am, but... Fuck. We gonna stand here all fucking day or what?"

Kyle chuckled, and led them inside.

He showed them through the ground floor of the main house and then out to the pool area where Katie, Margarita, Louisa and Kara were all sunbathing, all in black bikini's. Kyle stifled impure thoughts at seeing the four of them lying there, tanning themselves.

Casey calmly strolled up and started introducing himself with handshakes and more coolness than James Bond, while Ed introduced himself simply as,"I'm Ed, Kyle's buddy. I'm spoken for so don't be trying to tap this fine ass."

Kyle simply shook his head and showed them to their rooms above the bar, then suggested they chill out at the pool for the afternoon, have a few drinks and he'd see them in a couple of hours at dinner as he work still to do.

He got back to his suite, flopped down on the balcony and lit up. The chaotic, noisy and overwhelming arrival of his friends had restored his good mood and temporarily set back his concerns over everything happening with Edwin, Sarah and Connor, but he was reminded as soon as Patricia appeared and sat beside him.

"How did it go with Connor?"

"Hey," He said, smiling and genuinely happy to see her. "Yeah, I think I've got him, but I'm not really sure." He chuckled. "I know. Not exactly definitive."

She smiled. "No, not exactly. So I think by the way they said hello I've figured out which one's Ed and which one's Casey."

Kyle smiled. "Yeah, they're not exactly similar. Casey's black, smooth and sensitive. Ed's like a vulgar dictionary with a penis."

"But he's in love," She chuckled.

"Yeah, with Caroline, the limo driver that brought me to meet you."

"It's a small world."

"It sure is," He nodded.

"Glad to see them?"

"I am," Kyle said. "Despite the vulgarity, and the fact that I don't trust either of them around my sisters, or you come to think of it, I've missed having them around."

"You're worried about them hitting on me?" She asked, nudging him with her shoulder. "That's sweet."

"I'm sure you can manage to fob them off. I haven't been telling people about..."

"Thanks," She said quietly. "Lakshmi knows, because... well, she's not stupid and she knows me really well, and I know some of the others suspect, but the fewer people who know, the better."

"Why's that exactly?" He asked, tilting his head towards her.

She narrowed her eyes, seeing he was teasing her a little, threatening to kiss her out on the balcony. "Credibility, avoiding the cliche, because it's fun to have a little secret."

To his surprise she slowly looked around, then darted her head towards him and gave him a quick kiss.

Kyle grinned. "You rebel."

"I know. Hardcore or what?" She winked. "When you're finished that come inside. We think we've got your schedule done."

"Good work. I'll be right in."

She kissed him again then slipped away.

Kyle heard the unmistakable sound of Ed downstairs and he peered over the balcony to see the most outrageous pair of shorts he'd ever laid eyes on. They were like a fabric designer had swept up off-cuts of tartan, high-visibility vests, denim, old t-shirts and anything else lying around and had the material pressed into a pair of shorts.

Kyle shook his head. "Peace well and truly shattered," He muttered as Ed bombed into the pool.

The schedule for LA wasn't insane or manic any more, but it was still going to be a busy two weeks. He was pleased to note that Patricia and Lakshmi had built in time they labelled as 'Float', a term he'd first heard in Project Management circles that was basically a bit of spare time built in to cope with delays and allow for the unexpected.

They spent a little over an hour going through it, amending any conflicts or decisions as they went, and by the time they were done, Kyle had a really clear picture of what his fortnight was shaping up to be.

Two days each in the Agency, the Music label, the Production company and the Magazine publishers offices, with six days of meetings and tours. Every evening had a social event or two, some business and some pleasure, and there was a number of slots marked up for media. Mid-way through the trip was a night labelled as 'Party', during which a surprised Kyle discovered he was to be hosting a huge party in the house, despite not knowing anyone in LA.

However, despite his doubts about how ambitious it was, Patricia and Lakshmi seemed confident it would be achievable, so he nodded and thanked them for a huge task, well done.

"So we need to speak about recruitment, Kyle," Patricia told him as the three of them sat outside, supposedly taking a break.

"Sure," He nodded, remembering her talk about how she would need to build her own team.

"Lakshmi's out of contract in a couple of weeks," Patricia explained. Kyle looked at the remarkably competent and efficient Indian girl, who nodded back at him.

"How come?"

"Mister Tripps figured that three weeks would give plenty time for you or your sisters to decide who to keep or who to lose," Lakshmi explained.

"Kyle, can we keep her?" Patricia said simply.

Kyle shrugged. He'd seen so much of people being put in jobs and then having their bosses interfere or micro-manage them, robbing them of the opportunity to actually do the job their way that he considered himself a fan of giving people a job and then letting them sink or swim. As far as he was concerned, Patricia could hire whoever she wanted, as long as they didn't all turn out with personalities like Margaret.

"Is that what you want, Lakshmi?"

She nodded immediately. "Trish and I have been talking about it, and we figure we can split the work, so I'd be doing pretty much what I am now. You seem like a nice guy and a smart one too, plus it'll be fun to keep working with Patricia."

"So you'd be doing the same job as Patricia?" Kyle asked.

"Yes, Kyle," Patricia replied. "Two Assistants. That way you're covered if one of us is sick, busy or tied up."

"As long as you're both happy with that, it's fine by me," He agreed.

"Told you," Patricia said, giving Lakshmi an affectionate bump.

"Thanks, Kyle," Lakshmi replied. "I really appreciate it."

"Thanks nothing. I need the help, if you don't come on board Patricia will get swamped sooner or later, and it's better if you're working for us than our competitors."

Patricia smiled and nodded at him. "Go, Kyle."

He chuckled, then moved on. "So what else about recruitment?"

"Well, I've got a ton of interviews set up for when we get you to San Antonio for a couple of days, before we head out to LA," Patricia explained. "That's for a support team for me and Shmi."

"Are either of you guys going to have a heart attack if I call you Trish or Shmi?" Kyle asked suddenly. "I've heard you call each other that. Just wondering?"

"It's probably better if you stick with our full names for the time being," Patricia replied. "To encourage others to do the same, but I'm not going to collapse or faint if you call me Trish when it's just us."

Lakshmi nodded. "Yes, Lakshmi when there's people around, then whatever when it's just us."

"Alright," Kyle replied. "So what posts are you looking to fill?"

"Two correspondence secretaries, a finanial assistant, a press assistant, information assistant, publicist and media spokesperson," Patricia explained. "For now anyway."

"Plus we'll need a personal shopper, a stylist, maybe even an agent too," Lakshmi added.

"That's like ten people," Kyle protested, his eyes wide.

"They're not all going to be around you, Kyle," Patricia explained. "The correspondence secretaries and financial assistant can work out of head office, but for now it would be helpful to have the press person, the publicist and the information assistant around us. Plus, if we get a personal shopper and stylist on board it means that Margaret won't announce she's coming with us."

"That's a win right there," Kyle said quickly. "So now I'm gonna have an entourage?"

Patricia shrugged. "You'll get over it."

"You keep telling me that."

"It's fun," She smirked.

"So I wanted to ask about Casey," Kyle said. "Is there a job we can give him?"

Lakshmi frowned and Patricia leaned forward. "Kyle, that's not a good idea."

"What? Why?"

"Because he's one of your best friends," Patricia explained. "Everyone will know he got given the job because he's your buddy, and he'll have no credibility."

"But it would be a fantastic learning opportunity for him," Kyle protested. "Plus, it would be good having him around."

"Then ask Garius to hire him for Kara's team," Patricia said. "But he can't work for you. It just won't work. Plus, if he starts acting like a dick then I'll have to fire him and I can't see you letting me do that."

"I can't see him doing that," Kyle said. "And if he goes to work for Kara I'll never see him."

"You, Katie and Kara are split for the next two weeks, but you're probably going to be around each other for another month after that before you part again for a while," Lakshmi added.

"Yeah, you'll see tons of him," Patricia nodded. "Besides, have you asked Casey what he wants to do?"

Kyle sighed, and looked over the balcony at his friend. Casey was chilling beside the pool, or more accurately, beside the ladies and was busy chatting with Margarita, obviously hoping for a repeat of three years ago.

"I'll talk to him," Kyle promised.

"And your friend, Ed?" Lakshmi asked.

Kyle grinned. "If I ask Ed what he wants to do he'll tell me he wants to produce and direct his own porn videos, with a specialised role in casting for new talent."

"I thought he was in love," Patricia said, chuckling.

"Yeah, that's new," Kyle admitted. "I'll talk to him too."

"We had a look at his artwork online this morning. The comic book stuff and a few of the sites he posts on," Patricia clarified. "You know, you could commission him to do artwork for some of the offices and use them as gifts. Patronage of artists is common among the wealthy."

Kyle thought about it and it seemed like a great idea. Ed would get to do what he loved, and do it wherever he wanted. If this thing of his with Caroline was real then he could stay at home and continue to see her, or if he wanted to join Kyle and travel with him for a bit, he could do that too. At least having one of his friends around would make Kyle feel a lot better, he knew.

"I'll have a chat with him about that when I talk to him about his gambling debt," Kyle nodded.

"No time like the present," Patricia suggested pointedly.

Kyle lit a cigarette up, wanting to avoid the inevitable explosion he'd get from Ed when he found out Kyle had investigated him, but he knew his friend needed help paying it off, so he squared his shoulders and nodded.

"We'll leave you to it," Lakshmi said as she got up. "I've got to go see Heidi."

Patricia reached out and slipped her fingers into Kyle's hand. "Just wanted to say, Shmi and I get on great, so I don't think the two of us working for you will be a problem. If there is though, you'll probably have to decide on whatever we disagree on. Just don't let anything personal interfere in your decisions, okay?"

"Personal meaning me and you?"

"Yeah."

Kyle nodded. "Okay. You know that I'll decide against you sometimes then?"

"And sometimes you'll make me angry too," Patricia admitted. "That's okay though. That's working life. Plus, angry sex and makeup sex can be really hot."

Kyle chuckled. "What you doing now?"

"Tidying up in the office, check on the accommodation booked for the couple of days you're going to spend at home, then sending out notifications and meeting requests and confirmations."

"Sounds like a lot of work."

She shrugged. "It'll only take an hour or so."

"You should chill out at the pool after that for a bit. Get some relaxation time in," He suggested.

She winked. "Someone has to run your bath."

Kyle frowned, trying to figure out how to explain to her that he was jumping in a helicopter with Sarah as soon as his workout finished and could be a little late.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing. Julian said he might want to discuss an ongoing fitness programme with me after our session tonight, so I might be half an hour late getting back," He improvised.

"He never told me," She said, frowning.

"It's cool," Kyle said quickly, then squeezed her hand. "Trust me. I won't be long, and I'll be looking forward to that bath as soon as I get back."

Patricia nodded. "Okay. I'll be here."

Kyle hated lying to her, but he couldn't figure out another way of telling her discretely enough that any bugs or hidden cameras couldn't pick up. He realised that maybe when they were in bed tonight, he could sneak his phone under the sheets with her and then type out a message and let her know what was going on.

"Thanks, Patricia," He said as she headed inside.

Kyle squared his shoulders and called down to Casey, asking him to come up for a second. They chatted for a few minutes about how cool the Island was, how Casey thought Margarita had improved with age, all three years of it, and how nice Katie and Kara were.

Then Kyle broached the subject of a job or career for his buddy. Casey didn't like the idea of a management role, probably due to his fear of confrontation, Kyle guessed, so he suggested a role working as an assistant to learn about all the various businesses, see the world, and get plenty time to hang out.

Casey seemed to like the idea, and promised to give it some thought, so Kyle made him promise an answer tomorrow and said he would speak to Garius in the meantime to see if they could find something for him.

After Casey returned to the pool, Kyle asked Ed to come up.

Rather than tell him the whole story of how he'd been investigated, Kyle just ploughed straight in, announced he was going to give Ed a loan of forty grand that Ed would have to pay back at a dollar a week, he had to attend gambling addiction treatment, and if he ever gambled again on anything, then the whole debt would be called back in.

Ed's jaw dropped as he put it together, but before he could launch into a big tirade about it, Kyle then steamed into Patricia's idea for artistic patronage, an offer of a six figure salary, with potential sales of his work too, and suddenly Ed's worries about an invasion of his own privacy were set aside as his debts were cleared and he had a job that he could only ever dream about.

Kyle smiled as he saw his friend realise that his debt was gone, wiped out and to be paid back over the next eight hundred years. To his surprise, Ed had tears in his eyes, so the two friends reacted in the only way they knew how.

After the balcony had resounded with cries of 'Crybaby', 'Dick', 'Fucker' and other assorted expletives for ten minutes, Ed finally returned to the pool and Kyle went to get changed for the gym. Patricia was waiting for him inside.

"That was incredibly sweet," She told him, hauling him onto his bed and planting kisses all over his face.

Kyle felt an explosion of desire as her legs wrapped around him, but the thought in his head of being spied upon killed any horny thoughts he had. He disengaged himself a moment later, leaving a pouting Patricia on the bed.

"Later," He promised as he headed for the gym.

His workout with Julian proved to be a disaster. The impending confrontation with Sarah distracted him so much that he wasn't able to focus properly on his workout, and despite Julian's unending enthusiasm, he didn't beat any of his own records from the previous days.

A few minutes before five o'clock Kyle emerged from the gym. Edwin was waiting for him on the path and joined him immediately as he took the path up to the helipad.

"Everything is arranged, Master Kyle, and if you don't mind me saying so, I do believe that young Miss Sarah is rather enthusiastic to spend some time alone with you," Edwin said, winking with the subtlety of a sledgehammer.

Kyle forced a grin. "Excellent, Edwin. You're a true friend."

Edwin seemed almost gleeful. "Anything I can do, Master Kyle. Now, Miss Sarah is already on board, the flight crew will take off and leave you undisturbed. Simply knock on the door to the cockpit when you wish to return to the Island, you understand?"

"Oh, I do," Kyle said in his best creep voice, doing his best to act like he was dying to get his hands on her. All he really wanted to do though was scare the shit out of her and find out why the hell she'd come to his room that night.

They walked around a bend in the path and then Kyle could see the helipad before him, the steps leading into the big Sikorsky helicopter already in place and one of the flight crew waiting by the door. Behind it sat the twin-rotor Chinook that was used to transport guests, staff and supplies.

"Best of luck, Master Kyle," Edwin said, winking again.

Kyle shook his hand, a gesture he had to force himself to make with a man he suspected was setting him up, and turned towards the helicopter.

"Is this what my life's becoming? Handshakes with bastards?"

A thought struck him suddenly and he paused.

"Master Kyle?"

"Sorry, Edwin. I really should have been clearer earlier. I wanted to ride in the other helicopter, not the one I was in yesterday," Kyle improvised.

"Sir? I can assure you the Sikorsky is much more comfortable and a lot less noisy," Edwin said quickly. "Plus, it's not ready to go as..."

"Edwin," Kyle said, leaning in as if conspiring with him. "I want the helicopter to be noisy to cover any other noises that might... eminate from the passenger area, understand?"

"Oh," The Englishman replied.

Kyle could see the old man was trying to figure his way through something, so he decided now was the time to try and knock it on the head.

"You can head off now, Edwin. I've got it from here," Kyle said bluntly. "And thanks again."

"But sir," Edwin began, but Kyle cut him off.

"But nothing Edwin. I can handle it from here." Kyle added a wink, trying not to smile at the worried expression on the old man's face.

Kyle turned and walked towards the waiting crewman quickly, turning once to wave goodbye to Edwin. He was stainding at the edge of the path frowning.

"Fucker," Kyle thought, then turned his attention to the waiting helicopter.

"Afternoon, Sir."

"Hi. Listen, how long would it take to get the Chinook up in the air instead of this one?" Kyle asked, then lowered his voice. "Edwin screwed up and booked me the wrong chopper."

"Oh, em, three or four minutes, sir?"

Kyle nodded. "Let's make that happen right now then, yeah?"

"Of course, sir." The crewman darted into the Sikorsky to let the flight crew know, and Kyle stuck his head in too.

Sarah was sitting in one of the leather armchairs, her makeup dark around her eyes and red on her lips. Her dark hair framed her face and matched the shade of her black dress.

"Hi."

She gave him a smouldering look, licked her lips slightly then replied. "Hello, Kyle."

"Listen, there's been a bit of a mix-up," Kyle said quickly. "We're going up in the other helicopter. Come on, let's go." He beckoned with his hand.

"What?"

"Wrong helicopter. We're going up in the Chinook." Kyle knew he was moving fast with this, but he wanted her into the other helicopter before Edwin could interfere. He winked at her. "Lots more room," He added.

She got his point and smiled, and as she got up her eyes flickered to her bag in the corner of the cabin, a black canvas shoulderbag that sat on the floor.

"Just leave that. You can get it when we get back," Kyle said, and in an effort at character acting, he added, "You look just... wow... good enough to eat. And I'm particularly hungry."

She smiled at him, but she seemed nervous and her eyes flicked to the bag again. Sarah moved to grab it, but Kyle stepped forward and took her hand in his. "Come on."

"But, my bag. I've got... things in there." She looked panicked and Kyle tried to remain calm. At that the flight crew emerged from the cockpit she looked around helplessly.

"Captain Scott," Kyle said, smiling. "Sarah's bag will be safe in here until we return, won't it?"

The pilot quickly nodded. "Of course, sir. We'll lock the door as soon as you're outside."

"Excellent," Kyle grinned. He turned and steered Sarah straight out the door of the Sikorsky, seeing her glance back at her bag as the flightcrew emerged behind her.

Kyle knew he had to keep the charade going, so while he waited for the Captain to lock the door on the Sikorsky, he pulled Sarah a little closer, and bluntly eyed her up and down, assuming Edwin would still be watching them.

"You look really hot, Sarah," He whispered, trying to sound husky or aroused, despite feeling nothing of the sort.

She smiled, seeming a little more relaxed, but as her eyes caught sight of Edwin she stiffened again and bit her lip. "Kyle, can I just get my bag."

"Are you expecting a call or something?" He asked, turning to follow the crew towards the Chinook.

"What? No, nothing like that," She replied, shaking her head.

"Having second thoughts?"

She shook her head quickly. "No, not at all."

Kyle nodded and rambled on before she could continue. "So you're fine to go ahead? That's awesome. And if it's just normal makeup and stuff like that in your bag then don't worry about it. You look beautfiul already. Stunning, sexy," He added, despite his own particular dislike for the word.

As they got to the tailgate of the aircraft he leaned in and whispered in her ear. "I haven't been able to stop thinking about you since yesterday. The massage and then the realisation that you were my late-night visitor too."

"You... you knew about that?" She stammered.

"The second you hopped off the bed," Kyle winked. "I wanted to grab you there and then but I couldn't. Other people in the suite, you know."

Before she had the chance to reply, Kyle helped her up the ramp and into the long straight cabin of the Chinook. Rather than the luxury of the Sikorsky, the inside of the Chinook was spartan, with long rows of fold-down bench seats up either side and a metal floor.

"Captain Scott," Kyle called. "Is there any way we can look out the back while we're flying, so we can see the water?"

"Um, sure," He nodded. "We'll lift the bottom part of the tailgate but leave the top part up. Just don't go too close to the edge, okay?"

"Thanks, Captain," Kyle replied and then he steered Sarah to a seat. Kyle sat down next to her, casually slipping an arm around her, suspecting Edwin would be looking in.

Inside he felt incredibly uncomfortable, feeling like he was betraying Patricia even though he didn't know what they had going on, but he knew he had to find out, and keep Edwin out the loop at the same time.

"So you've been thinking about me then?" Sarah said gently in his ear.

Kyle swallowed and nodded, wishing the tailgate would just come up and block the view into the Chinook. He nearly sighed with relief when he heard the big rotors begin to turn.

"Yeah. I've been doing my head in trying to figure out who it was in my room the other night, and then yesterday I realised it was you," He explained. "That was very very naughty of you, you know?"

She stared at him for a moment, then spoke quickly. "I'm a bit of a bad girl sometimes, Kyle. In fact, sometimes I'm a very bad girl."

"How are you bad, Sarah?" Kyle asked, trying to keep her talking. "Tell me some of the things a bad girl does."

"I can show you right now." Her hand slid over his thigh, and Kyle grabbed her hand, trying to make it appear casual.

"Once we're up in the air. So, tell me," He repeated. "I like hearing hot women telling me about their bad behaviour."

"That's kinky."

"I know." He winked.

"Let me see," She said, tilting her head to the side. "Well, I do remember one night when I was out partying with friends."

"Drinking?"

"Oh, yes," She smiled. "And you know how girls are when they've had a few cocktails. Little bit horny, little bit chatty, a lot less inhibited."

"So what happened?" Kyle asked, having to raise his voice a little as the rotors picked up speed and the noise increased.

"Ah, well there was these guys, college guys. Three of them, and they were buying us a few drinks, putting the moves on us."

"Nice," Kyle nodded.

"So there I was, trying to decide which one I was going to seduce and I couldn't decide." She paused, her grin hinting at how much she was enjoying recalling the memory. "So I got the first guy as he was heading to the mens room downstairs. Dragged him into a cleaning closet and sucked his cock and made him cum."

"And you swallowed it down like a really bad girl, right?" Kyle guessed, remembering how he'd came in her mouth only a few nights ago.

"Oh, you better believe it," She winked. "I like my regular medicine."

"So did you just go back to your friends after that?" Kyle asked, wondering how long it would take to get this big helicopter in the air so he could start the real conversation.

"Oh, no," She shook her head slowly. "No, I followed one of the other guys downstairs and dragged him into the same closet, but by that point I was really horny, right?"

"What did you do?"

"Well, I dropped his pants, hauled up my dress and slipped my underwear off and then we fucked against the wall."

"You are a bad girl, Sarah," Kyle nodded. "Did you suck him off too?"

She grinned and shook her head. "Oh, no. Much dirtier than that. I let him cum in my pussy, a full load of creamy goodness."

"Wow, that's really dirty."

"Oh, there's more," She told him, licking her lips. Her hand was firmly massaging his thigh, and despite his unease and acting, his cock had begun to thicken a little as she told of her slutty behaviour.

"The third guy?" Kyle guessed.

She nodded once. "He banged on the door of the closet, so I kicked out the guy I had just fucked and pulled his buddy in, shut the door and started to jerk him off."

"Wow."

"Now, as you can imagine, Kyle, I'm in full slut-mode by that point, right, and I'm thinking to myself that I've just blown one of them, fucked another and there's three guys, I've got three holes and one of them hasn't been touched yet."

"You took him in your ass?"

She gave him a smouldering look again, obviously horny as she related her tale. "Oh yes. And I used his friends cum as lubricant too."

"Fucking hell."

"He had no idea. He just thought my pussy was wet, but I got him hard, took him in my ass and he fucked me hard against the wall."

"Now that's one hell of a story," Kyle said. His head turned as the tailgate began to rise, but he turned back to Sarah.

"I'm not finished," She said and Kyle chuckled. "So this third guy is fucking my ass, and he tells me he's going to cum, so I tell him to go for it, cum inside me, but he pulled out at the last minute and pumped his load all over my ass. Just as he's finishing up, one of the bartenders starts banging on the door, so I haul my dress back down over my ass and the two of us head back upstairs to join our friends."

"All the time with cum dripping off you?" Kyle asked.

"Oh yes," She nodded. "I felt like such a slut, feeling it running down my legs as I stood wobbling at the bar. I even dripped a little bit on the first guys shoes. Now, do you believe me when I tell you I'm a bad girl, a naughty girl, and actually I'm a bit of a slut?"

Kyle nodded. Before he could reply he felt the aircraft shift and then it was slowly lifting in the air, the rear up much higher than the front.

It was a bit of an unsettling experience, and different from the Sikorsky the day before. Sarah's hand clamped to his inner thigh wasn't helping either, and the nerves of knowing the conversation was imminent added more pressure.

Kyle took a deep breath and let it out slowly, then nodded.