[Spirit of Lust 2] Chapters 766 & 767. (Patreon)

Chapter 766: More guests.

I was in the kitchen with Mr. Aliev as he showed me some techniques to trim the fat out of the meat with some very prolific knife slices that didn’t give credit to his grumbling that our knives weren’t sharp enough.

“I’ll bring you a good set of knives next time,” he told me. “That and a good whetstone.”

“Please, it’s not necessary,” I told him.

Mr. Aliev scowled at the knife he was holding. “I disagree.”

Then I heard someone running, coming into the house through the backdoor and saw the blonde blur heading towards the front door.

“Sarah? What happened?” I asked.

“My folks are here!” she shouted back, excited.

Mr. Aliev chuckled beside me. “I don’t think that girl ever went through a rebellious phase with her family like Mila did with us.”

I grinned. “Was Mila too big of a troublemaker?”

“No, but nothing we did ever made her happy. If we talked to her, she’d get mad. If we didn’t, we were negligent. If we got her gifts for her birthday, we didn’t get the right ones, and if we asked her what she wanted, she’d say she didn’t care.”

“Ugh…”

“Exactly.” Mr. Aliev laughed. “Longest couple of years of my life. That attitude went away by the time she turned 17, mostly.”

“Holly says Oliver never gave her any trouble and I’m so jealous of that,” Mrs. Aliev said, walking into the kitchen with my mom beside her.

“What trouble was there for him to give me when he stayed cooped in his bedroom for the better part of six years?” mom said. “Your girl and her friends did me a favor by getting him out of there.”

“Please, he’s been a better influence on our Mila,” Mrs. Aliev said. “I went to check her bedroom and her bed was made! I couldn’t believe my eyes!”

I chuckled. “I can’t take credit for that. That was Grace.”

Our conversation was interrupted by the loud voices coming from the entrance. We all stopped to listen.

“Wooooaaaah! It’s so big!”

“It’s bigger than our house!”

“Why is it so empty, though?”

Robert, Violet and Cole spoke, in that order. The younger kids seemed impressed, while the older one asked a perfectly valid question.

“Um… We’re planning to do something here,” Sarah told them.

That was one way to say we both ran out of money and had no idea what to do with such a large space. Our best idea so far was to make one of the two empty spaces a large dining room for gatherings like these when we couldn’t be outside.

“Can we go exploring?” Robert asked.

“Not before you say hi to everyone,” Sarah told them.

Cole groaned. “Everyone?”

“Everyone,” Sarah confirmed. “Oliver’s in the kitchen. Over there.”

Quick steps got louder and louder as the kids got closer. Robert and Violet ran into the kitchen, eyes wide when they saw me and ran directly at me.

“Oliver!”

“Robert! Violet! Welcome!” I knelt to their level and the two kids threw themselves at me for a big hug at the same time. “We were waiting for you. Sarah’s misses you a lot.”

“R-Really?” Violet asked, grinning.

I nodded. “She won’t admit it, though, so don’t tease her too much.”

The two kids laughed, seeming happy to hear that.

Cole came in next, walking slowly with hands in his pockets and that air of disinterest that a kid barely starting puberty tries to put on. I stood up.

“Hey, Cole,” I said, greeting him with a handshake and a fist bump, trying to let him feel more grown up than his younger siblings. I hoped he didn’t notice, but whether he did or not, he appreciated it and smiled back.

“Um… Congratulations on the house,” he said.

“Thanks.”

The kids greeted Mila’s parents, who they already knew, and I introduced them to my mom. They were a little stiff, yet very polite with her.

“Why don’t you all go check the house out with Sarah?” I asked them. “There’s still some time until we have lunch ready.”

“Yeaaah!” Robert and Violet went running back to their big sister. Cole gave me a nod and followed them.

Right after they left, Mr. And Mrs. West came into the kitchen, each holding a white box.

“Hello everyone,” Mrs. West greeted, smiling brightly. “I made a couple of cakes. Where should we leave them?”

“Oh, thank you. The counter should be fine,” I told them.

Mr. West and Mr. Aliev shook hands while Mrs. West and Mrs. Aliev hugged and kissed each other’s cheeks. Of course, they knew each other well, with their daughters being long time friends. I also introduced the Wests to my mom, whose mood seemed to be getting even better by the minute. 

“Congratulations on the house, Oliver,” Mrs. West said, giving me a kiss on the cheek as a greeting.

“Everything well so far?” Mr. West asked me as we shook hands.

“Nothing we haven’t been able to handle. We’re still getting used to the morning routine,” I told them.

“How’s the commuting so far, by the way?” Mr. Aliev asked, picking up the knife again and continuing trimming the meat.

“I think we’re fairly lucky. We haven’t had to deal with a lot of traffic.”

“Hey, that reminds me, Diana mentioned something about a fight breaking out at the bar last night. What happened?” mom asked me.

“What? A fight?” Mrs. Aliev’s eyes went wide.

“What happened? Are you hurt?” Mrs. West asked.

“N-No, I’m fine, really,” I said, smiling to reassure them. “It wasn’t really a fight. Two customers began to yell at each other, but we were able to calm them down before it came to blows.”

“Did you get them kicked out?” Mr. Aliev asked.

I shook my head. “Nothing happened beyond a few shouts, so no. We convinced them to move to the restaurant or return to their rooms so we wouldn’t have to call the police.”

“‘We’ he says,” Diana said, coming into the crowded kitchen. Actually, no, it wasn’t crowded at all. Everyone was just too close. We still had PLENTY of space… “He did it all alone. Mr. Allen already heard, by the way,” she said, looking at me. “Seems he wants to talk to us, so he’s coming over tonight.”

“Oh.”

Diana took a deep breath I don’t think she meant to be so noticeable, but she braced herself to address everyone. “Good afternoon. I’m Diana, Diana Black. I’m… Oliver’s girlfriend as well. We work together at the bar.”

Much like always, her steady voice managed to hide her inner anxiety. However, the cold glare that showed itself when her nerves got hold of her wasn’t there.

“We don’t have much, but… Would anyone like a drink?” Diana offered.

There was an awkward silence that lasted for about five seconds. After all, this was the weird older woman hanging out with us and the Alievs and Wests were meeting her for the first time. And yet…

“I’d like one,” Mr. West said, smiling. “Sarah has told us a lot about you, especially how you’re responsible for her not being able to drink cheap beer anymore.”

“Me too, I’d also like something,” Mrs. Aliev said, walking over to Diana with a big smile.

I could feel relief washing over Diana, though she kept herself alert, believing she wasn’t out of the woods yet. Mila and the others were also important to Diana, and she didn’t want their families to think she was getting in their way or being a bad influence, but I wasn’t particularly worried. Like Mr. West said, the girls all looked up to Diana, and they had good reasons to.

She’d be fine.

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

Chapter 767: And then the Summers.

Eventually, we all moved to the backyard. The weather had decided to be nice to us and we were able to enjoy a sunny day, if just a bit chilly. Sarah dragged Isabelle and Mila to play soccer with her and the kids, Andrei included. Turns out Mila’s younger brother was also really good friends with Robert and had an awkward interest in Violet that I don’t believe he even understood.

Red and Chip were in there as well, happy to chase the ball to and fro, but Cake and Mint had chosen the smarter position, close to the grill where they’d be able to beg for small scraps of meat from the weak-minded. Noelle had already begged me to give them something, but I refused.

I kept stoking the fire Mr. Aliev and I made. Around us, all the adults had a drink in hand, a whiskey sour since all Diana had to work with was a bottle of whiskey and lemons. And while everyone was very much enjoying it, Diana herself wasn’t entirely satisfied with the results.

“Are you sure it’s okay?” she asked Mrs. West again.

“Yes, of course! I’m not very used to drinking cocktails, but this is really tasty,” the older brunette said.

“Yes, this is really good. We mostly drink wine, and we were bringing a bottle, but…” Mr. West smiled apologetically. “I forgot and left it on the kitchen counter at home. I’m sorry.”

“Please, you brought two cakes already,” Alice said. “We couldn’t ask for more.”

“What’s the problem with that drink?” Mr. Aliev asked. He had a can of beer in his hand, taken from a pack in a cooler he had brought himself.

“The ice,” Diana said. “I… had to use normal ice from the freezer.”

“We use clear ice at work,” I clarified. “Well, Diana uses clear ice even at her house. I thought it was an exaggeration at first, but it does make a difference in taste.”

“Look at you, all knowledgeable now,” Grace teased.

“If he didn’t know something that basic, he would’ve been kicked out of the bar already,” my dear mother said. Yet it’s true.

A phone rang and I turned to look. This time it was Noelle’s phone.

“Yes?” the redhead answered. “Ah, okay. Yes, I’ll be there.” She hung up and looked at me. “My parents are here. I’ll… go greet them.”

“I’ll go with you,” I told her. “Would you mind taking over for me here?” I asked Mr. Aliev.

“Sure.”

Knowing the fire was in even better hands than mine, Noelle and I went to open the gate and greet her parents.

They came in a luxury SUV and parked along the now long line of other cars, right behind the Wests. The moment they got out, I had the same thought as I did the first time I saw them. Noelle’s hair never stood a chance.

Both her mother and her father have bright red hair, not exactly the same shade, but still very much red, nowhere near auburn. Noelle’s height, though, was likely left to a coin toss, one her father had won.

Mr. Summers is fairly short, about my height, actually, if not a smidge shorter. His hair was neatly combed to the side, his glasses frameless, his build on the average side and was wearing a blue shirt and white dressing pants. Mrs. Summers, in contrast, was maybe just a bit shorter than Diana. She had long straight hair that reached her lower back and a curvy figure. Admittedly, a very pretty woman. She wore a dark blue blouse, a black skirt and a very noticeable pearl necklace. Actually, she had a lot of jewelry on. Three rings, a gold bracelet and emerald earrings that matched her eyes.

Both were barely just entering their 40s, so very close to my mom in age. They looked good, too.

“Mom, dad! Welcome!” Noelle ran up to them, hugging her father first, then her mother. Both smiled at her, rubbing her back and kissing the top of her head. Mrs. Summers cupped Noelle’s cheek and checked her face.

“Well, you don’t have bags under your eyes, at least,” she said, chuckling. “You’ve been sleeping properly, then? No all-nighters playing games and streaming?”

“I’ve been going to university, so no. I did stream until 3:00 am last night, though…” Noelle admitted.

“Should you really spend your Friday nights working?” her dad asked her, a warm smile on his face.

“Well, we have our Mondays free, so it’s fine, right? Besides, I like it,” Noelle said.

“Oliver, please make sure she rests properly,” Mrs. Summers told me. “I can’t tell you the amount of times we had to tell her to go to bed at 4:00 am on a weekday when we caught her playing games.”

“I’ll try, but I’ve been guilty of the same…” I admitted sheepishly.

I greeted them both with a handshake. Mr. Summers looked around the lot and up at the house. “It’s still a bit hard to believe how you got this, but it is a relief that you already have a house. These days it’s getting so much harder for people your age.”

“We’ve been lucky,” I admitted. “We try not to rely on that luck, though.”

Mr. Summers nodded in approval.

“Are we the last ones to arrive?” Mrs. Summers asked.

“No, Alice’s parents still aren’t here,” Noelle said. “Everyone else is in the backyard, though.”

“Then let’s go say hello before you give us a tour of the house.”

“Please, come in.”

The Summers were, in a way, the most distant group here. Mila’s, Grace’s, Sarah’s and Alice’s families knew each other already, but while the Summers had met the Knights, this would be their first time meeting the other families.

…

“Um… Is it just me or is this starting to look like a mafia meeting?” I whispered to Noelle. “You know, with all the different families.”

Noelle snickered. “I was just thinking that!”

All these families gathered… almost like a clan. Maybe we weren’t that far from being like the yakuza.