[Spirit of Lust 2] Chapters 754 & 755. (Patreon)

Chapter 754: Intermission - Get together (part 1).

To say Eric was out of his depth would be an understatement. He’d never gone out to drink, never been to a love hotel, never hung out with more than two people until very recently and even then that was usually playing games with some friends from childhood. He felt uncomfortable and, in truth, he was tempted to make up an excuse to get out of hanging out that evening. But…

Remembering Oliver from high school freshman year and seeing him now… It was like seeing two completely different people. Yeah, there was the obvious, superficial stuff, like him getting his growth-sprout and bulking up a fair bit, but that was nothing compared to being in the same room as him.

He talked, he bantered, he threw deadpanned jokes… That outcast, whom Eric pathetically felt superior to back in the day just because he could talk, now oozed confidence worth envying. And Eric did envy it, badly. If he could have even a small fraction of that confidence, he was sure he could finally turn his life around. But since he didn’t have it, he decided to fake it.

‘What would Oliver do?’ had become an annoying yet everpresent question in Eric’s mind. Somehow, against all odds, that mindset helped him get a girlfriend, so when he started thinking he didn’t want to get together with his classmates to have drinks, he asked himself ‘what would Oliver do?’

The answer came easily. He’d be afraid, he’d be nervous enough to want to throw up… but he’d go. He’d go because change didn’t come from standing still. Eric had learned that in his own flesh by now.

He didn’t want to dress to impress, but Oliver did say the place was fancy. A black shirt with a long-sleeve purple T-shirt underneath and clean blue jeans. That should be enough. He had showered in the morning, but he decided to do it again before leaving anyway because of what had become his greatest shame. His girlfriend had once commented that ‘he should shower more often’ and that had nearly made Eric burrow his whole self in a hole. Later she had explained that it was because his long hair got greasy awfully quickly, but the trauma of thinking she’d called him stinky remained.

Eric found the hotel easily. It stood out, after all. Lot of lights did the trick. It didn’t look like any regular hotel, which Eric found counterproductive. Didn’t love hotels try to keep a low profile to avoid drawing attention to the people coming in and out?

He waited outside because there was no fucking way he was going in alone. He did text the others to tell them he’d arrived. Steven said he’d be there soon while Luna texted that she and Ruby were parking their car in the underground lot. The two girls actually came out of the hotel to meet him.

“There was no exit to the street from down there,” Ruby explained.

“We only got a glimpse, but holy crap, the place is nice…” Luna said. The carpets, the chandeliers, the doors… hell, even the door knobs look expensive.”

“Yeah, I’m thinking we shouldn’t let Steven cover the whole bill,” Ruby said.

“Even though he makes more money than us?” Eric said as a joke, but Ruby didn’t seem to take it that way.

She frowned and crossed her arms. “You want to take advantage of him?”

“That’s not what I… Um… Sorry.”

“Man, do you always default to seeing the worst in people?” Steven asked, coming from behind Eric. He patted him on the back and smiled. “Dude’s just making a joke.”

Ruby pouted.

“She does have a point, though,” Eric said, feeling thankful. “This place looks expensive. We should share the bill.”

“Nah, let me do it just this once, at least. That is, unless you all go crazy and try to drain my wallet. If you do that, I’ll walk out on your drunk asses and leave you to Oliver’s wrath.”

Luna chuckled. “What? The wrath of a wet puppy?”

Eric sighed. “You’d be surprised.”

His three classmates raised an eyebrow. “Really?” Ruby asked.

“Oliver is quiet, but he can be… intense.”

“Beware the anger of a gentle man, huh? Steven muttered with a grin. “Man, that guy is interesting.”

“He doesn’t swing that way, Steven. Move on,” Luna teased him.

“And it sucks, but that’s not what I mean. Sorry, but since I listened to his music, I really want to start a band with him.”

“Aww, more than us?” Luna pouted with crossed arms.

“I don’t watch anime, so J-pop has never been my thing, but you girls ARE good. I do want to start a band with you all, but I’m less willing to let go of Oliver.”

“Did he really captivate you that much?” Ruby asked.

“Yeah. I’m not shy in admitting that I think I’m technically better, but I see so much potential in him and I selfishly want to be part of it. I want to try playing something he writes.”

“...”

Potential. Eric didn’t see it, but he meant that in the sense that he wasn’t good or insightful enough to understand something as vague as potential. Did he have potential? He didn’t know. He did know that Oliver was good, though. Better now than he was four years ago.

“I do have one of his songs stuck in my head,” Ruby admitted. “I think I understand what you see.”

“Oh, so you listened to his stuff for real?” Steven asked with a teasing smirk.

“Yeah…” both Ruby and Luna admitted, sighing like they’d just lost a bet.

“Good. Now, I hope we got talks of Oliver out of our system, because I don’t think he’d like people to talk about him behind his back,” Steven said.

“But we just did that,” Eric pointed out.

“Aaand he doesn’t need to know,” Steven said, smirking with a finger over his lips.

Eric chuckled.

He kept it to himself out of embarrassment, but Eric also wanted to be in a band with Oliver and Steven for similar reasons. They were good, and Eric wanted to be part of that.

He still wasn’t sold on Ruby and Luna, though, if only for… personality reasons.

************

Chapter 755: Intermission - Get together (part 2).

For a moment Eric was worried they’d have to rent a room to be able to use the bar. He wasn’t sure how things worked, so maybe access to the facilities was only permitted to guests? Thankfully, Steven had courage to spare and didn’t hesitate to ask that very question at the reception desk.

“No, the bar and the restaurant are available to the public,” the receptionist told them, gesturing towards a closed, dark wooden door with a sign on it that said ‘open’ and a small neon sign beside it that simply said ‘Bar.’ “Please, go ahead.”

“Thank you,” Steven said.

The group of four walked towards the bar. Eric would’ve been nervous to even open a closed door, fearing he somehow wasn’t allowed in despite being told the opposite, yet Steven fearlessly opened the door.

“Woah… Nice place,” Luna muttered.

Eric could only nod in agreement.

Dim purple lighting coming from small neon lights. Dark red carpet on the floor and brighter red walls. A long counter made of mahogany with dark wooden stools in front of it. Shelf after shelf behind it with bottles of all kinds of liquors, most of which Eric didn’t even recognize. It was fancy, like Oliver had said.

Surprisingly, the place was busy. All four tables were occupied by a couple each, and the two cubicles with larger sofas at the back were also in use by larger groups. The only open spots were six stools at the counter, with the other two already occupied.

“Ah!”

That exclamation made the group turn to look. Oliver was standing in the middle of the room with a tray with empty glasses in hand. He had a white shirt and black dressing pants on, looking formal.

Steven smiled wryly. “Sorry. Did we come at a bad time?” he asked.

Oliver shook his head, quickly moved behind the counter to set the tray down and gestured to four seats available. “Please, take a seat,” he said with a calm, polite smile.

“...”

Eric wasn’t the only one left a little stunned. The way he moved was fluid and deliberate, his tone of voice gentle and polite, his smile charming in a very… non-sexual way. The group sat down wordlessly, either because of the shock of seeing Oliver in full ‘Work Mode’ or because the atmosphere of the place was already fairly quiet. Maybe both.

“I’m sorry. The cubicles at the back were reserved in advance,” he told them with an apologetic smile. “Will you be comfortable here? If not, you could wait a moment and I’ll arrange two tables for you.”

“A-Ah, n-no, no, this is fine,” Ruby said, softly clearing her throat. “Thank you.”

“Are you sure we’re not being a bother?” Luna asked, looking around. “The place seems busy.”

Oliver smiled and shook his head. “If not you, others would come. Please, relax,” he reassured them. He then turned to the other person behind the bar. “Diana?”

The woman finished garnishing a cocktail, which once completed, she smoothly slid forward towards a customer. Once done, she bowed and moved towards their group.

“...!!!”

If they’d been cartoon characters, their jaws would’ve hit the floor. The woman, dressed in black pants and a black shirt that could barely constrain the size of her chest, was named Diana, and Eric had recently heard that name. Not just that, but had heard what she did from Oliver’s own mouth. Meaning…

“W-W-W-Wait… D-Diana? You mean she’s…” Luna stammered.

Oliver sighed, but nodded. “Diana, these are my classmates from university. I’m sorry, I forgot to tell you they’d be coming today. Guys… this is Diana, the manager of the bar and head bartender. Also…”

“Your g-girlfriend?” Ruby asked.

“Y-Yeah…”

Oliver’s mask of professionalism broke for a second. He smiled wryly, as if he didn’t like to admit it, likely because he was at work and his girlfriend was also his boss.

They were all in further shock. They knew Oliver was in a relationship with multiple women, and the fact that this one was as hot as the scorching sun was, weirdly enough, not the biggest surprise. They all were. But the fact that Diana was clearly in her mid to late 20s made things different in all sorts of senses. Or maybe that was just Eric. Ruby and Luna may have just been smitten.

Diana bowed politely with a hand under her chest. “Welcome. We’ll do our best to offer you a great experience. I can make just about anything, so feel free to order whatever you like. If you have nothing in mind, I can make some recommendations.”

“Waiter?” someone called from a table behind them and Oliver immediately perked up.

“Sorry, I’ll leave you in Diana’s care. You won’t find a better bartender in the city, so take this chance to try something interesting,” he suggested, bowed, then went over to the table.

“He’s… pretty different here from how he’s at school, huh?” Steven said, grinning amusedly.

“Our job here is to not only provide excellent service, but a certain kind of atmosphere,” Diana explained with an easy smile. “Please, forgive him if he seems cold. We’re having a busier night than usual and he’s been running around all night.”

“Cold wasn’t the word I’d use…” Luna said. She coughed to clear her throat. “I like girls, but… I think I can see what you see in him, Steven.”

“H-Hey, not in front of his girlfriend!” Steven went red in the face, much to Eric and the girls’ amusement. “I’m sorry, I… uh…”

Diana chuckled. “No, it’s no trouble. I’m sorry he doesn’t… swing your way.”

Steven sighed. “It’s alright, I’ve moved on.” He chuckled nervously. “What do you recommend to drown my sorrows? I want something strong.”

“How strong?”

“Very strong.”

“It’s not for me to ask, but since you’re friends with Oliver, I will. Can you handle it?”

“I can take my liquor.”

Luna sighed. “I’m not drinking since I’m driving, so I’ll take him home if he’s too plastered.”

“Very well. Then how about a Long Island Iced Tea?”

“I don’t know what that is, but yes, I want it,” Steven said. “And don’t tell me. I want to be surprised.”

Diana nodded. “You, miss?” she asked Ruby. “Anything in mind or would you like a recommendation?”

“I’d like a Tequila Sunrise,” Ruby said. “I always have one when I go to a new place.”

Diana nodded.

“Um…” Luna began. “I’m not drinking, but is there anything non-alcoholic that’s not just… a plain soda or a non-alcoholic beer?”

“Of course.”

“And… c-can it look like a proper cocktail? I don’t want to feel like a kid drinking juice…”

“You’re such a child,” Ruby teased her. “Trying to appear all grown up.”

“Well, then you drive, then!”

“Nope. I won rock-paper-scissors.”

“Don’t worry,” Diana said. “I can make something you’ll like. How about a Hera’s Crown? It’s orange and lemon juice with pomegranate syrup and club soda, but it’s my personal go-to when I can’t drink.”

“That does sound good… I’ll have that!”

Diana nodded with a smile. “And you, sir? Have you decided?” she finally asked Eric.

“Um… I don’t… know much about drinking. At most I have some rum and coke…”

“So you’d like something sweet? How about something with chocolate?”

Eric blinked. “There are cocktails with chocolate?”

“Well, chocolate-flavored, more like.”

“Then… Yes, I want something like that.”

“Then can I recommend a chocolate martini? It’s chocolate liqueur, creme de cacao, vodka and half-and-half.”

“That’s a martini?” Steven asked.

Diana chuckled. “In name only.”

“I’ll have that,” Eric said.

“It’ll only be a moment,” Diana said.

The bartender got to work while Oliver cleaned tables and poured drinks for new customers.