[Spirit of Lust 2] Chapters 428 & 429. (Patreon)

Chapter 428: Research.

Friday was another day we spent on our own after school. Well, maybe not completely so. I knew Alice and Grace had bunkered down in the latter’s house to read everything they could about every university that offered the courses their parents wanted them to take, getting ready to make a case for themselves when they tried to get them to accept going somewhere else. Sarah took Noelle to her house to talk while enjoying the sauna, thinking the redhead needed to relax. Mila went back home to have a serious talk with her parents, not to tell them she had made up her mind, but to discuss her options.

Me? I had two intruders in my room watching over my shoulder as I sat at my computer and looked some things up.

“I mean, I figured this might happen…” Isabelle said, a frown on her face and her lips curled down. “But… You’re really thinking of leaving the house?” she asked me.

“I’m… looking at options,” I told her. “There are things I can’t give up on.”

I was looking at houses and rooms for rent in the city, nearby towns and other places. I was looking at the locations, prices, distance to universities, size of the buildings, number of rooms… All that stuff.

“And you want to move in with all the girls?” Thomas asked, sighing. “And here I was thinking of asking you to move in with me.”

Oh? That was a surprise.

“Aren’t you staying in town?” Isabelle asked him. “Why would you need to move out of your parents’ house?”

“I love my parents, but I want more independence. I don’t want to bother them every time I want to throw a party or something.”

“I thought you might move in with Maria,” I told him.

The big guy flinched. “I… considered it but was too afraid to ask. It’s too soon, isn’t it? It’s her house, after all. Her own space. I don’t want to intrude.”

“For what it's worth, she’s happy you’re staying in town,” I told him, scrolling down the fifth page of a list of house rentals. “Are you sure you’re okay with Hyogen University, though?”

“Yeah,” Thomas said confidently. “I don’t really care what degree I get. I just want to play basketball at that level and make myself known. Going to a weaker school will give me a better chance to be a starter from the get go.”

“Oh, that’s kinda smart,” Isabelle praised. “If you went to a school with a strong team, you might just be warming the bench for years.”

Thomas scowled. “I want to believe I would make an impression regardless. It’s just…” He sighed. “Maria is the best thing that has happened to me in a while. I don’t want to choose between her and basketball, so I can compromise on going to a weaker school if it means staying with her.”

“And here my brother is looking for houses just to do the same with his girlfriends…” Isabelle groaned loudly. “Ugh! Why are you two such good boyfriends!? Why do I get stuck with the worst, most insensitive men on the planet!?”

“Sorry, Isabelle, but you’ve had bad taste since I’ve known you,” Thomas said with a shrug. “I did warn you a few times, but you never listened.”

“She never does,” I told him.

Thomas nodded. “I bet you’re one of those who look at the bad boys and think ‘I can fix him’, only to get disappointed they turn out to be the assholes they always seem to be.”

Isabelle’s face went beet red with shame. She looked down, grumbling but saying nothing coherent.

“I’ve always liked you, Thomas,” I told him, nodding in approval. 

“Oh, shut up. I’m done looking for boyfriends, anyway. If someone nice comes around, we’ll see, but that’s it. I want to focus on my own stuff now.”

“Oh yeah, what ARE you doing after high school?” Thomas asked her.

“I’m gonna study photography,” Isabelle said confidently. “I’ve been having a blast editing videos and I can learn more of that on my own. I want to learn more stuff about lighting, how to organize a scene, stuff like that.” She grimaced and then hugged me from behind. “So… try not to go too far from here, okay? I want to continue our channel.”

I smiled. “I know. I do, too.”

“There’s Diana, too, right?” Thomas asked. “She has everything here, doesn’t she? Her house, her job… You really can’t go too far.”

“And Grace and Alice might end up going far away if we don’t find a way to convince their families to let them pick something in the area.”

“Can’t Alice just work with her brother in his shop?” Isabelle asked.

“She’d love to, but their father says cars are a hobby, not a job. Alice’s brother basically went rogue.” Which I respect the fuck out of, really. I kinda wanted to have a chat with the man.

“Then Alice should just do the same,” Isabelle said before pouting with arms crossed. “I know, I know. It’s not that easy.”

“...”

What would the girls need to do the same? Grace, Alice and Noelle are at the mercy of their families choices. If they wanted to break free… what would they need? A way to sustain their own livelihoods. Meaning money. How much?

Cake interrupted my train of thought by jumping on my lap. She stood on my thigh and put her front paws on the desk of my computer, looking at the screen.

“You think she wants to look at houses, too?” Thomas joked.

“Hey, that’s right…” Isabelle grimaced. “I’m staying here with mom, especially if you leave. I don’t want her to be alone. So… if we’re parting ways… Who’s keeping Cake?”

Shit. Good question. Cake was attached to me, but that didn’t mean she didn’t love mom and Isabelle. Not to mention that mom loved having Cake around, too. Friday nights had become Movie Nights for the two.

“This is why I didn’t want a pet…” I said with a groan. “Everything gets more complicated.”

Then again, the same could be said about having a relationship. If I was single I wouldn’t have to be worrying over houses, universities and logistics. It didn’t mean worrying about all these things wasn’t worth it, though.

…

Money, was it?

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

Chapter 429: In need of details.

By this point, I bet you’re thinking the same thing as me. If you are, then you’re likely in either one of two camps: A) Are you stupid? Don’t do it! It’s too dangerous! Or B) Are you stupid? It’s free money! Do it!

Even if it would only help a little bit, it was tempting to accept the offer if it would make staying together with the girls easier. Mr. Allen said my help would be worth at least the same as high value jewels and precious metals, but… huh… How much was that, even?

When Thomas left and Isabelle was back in her room, I looked it up. I swallowed. The price of one of the most expensive diamonds would cover the rent of an average sized house for at least a couple years. I didn’t know what to think. In a way, it seemed like way too much money and it made me believe that Mr. Allen was screwing with me. But then again… 4 years of university studies could cost more than that one diamond.

…

Maybe I did need more details. I didn’t get any specifics out of Mr. Allen, after all. I just wanted to get out of there. What would I need to do, how much would he pay me… How many times would he need my help?

I swallowed again. Lowballing it (maybe?), if he needed my help once a year and paid me an expensive diamond’s worth… There may be a way to make things work. Maybe.

Shit. I didn’t know anything. I was starting to get a headache from how hard my brain was working, but it still wasn’t enough. I needed more information, and… I needed it from Mr. Allen and the girls, too. I needed to know which compromises the girls were willing to make, if any at all. I needed to know the details of my partnership with Mr. Allen. Who should I talk with first? See the girls so I can negotiate better with Mr. Allen or negotiate with Mr. Allen to know what our options are before I tell the girls?

It was Friday. I would be meeting the girls at Diana’s place tomorrow after work. It was still relatively early. Only 7:20 pm. Would Mr. Allen meet me now if I asked? No way, right? But…

I looked for his card inside my wallet. I could email him to ask him the details, but would talking about this kind of stuff over email even be safe? In the end, I ended up emailing him, asking if it was possible to give me more details in either a file or something like it.

I was… a little shocked when he answered the email not five minutes later. He said he could and would, but that if I wanted to talk in person, he was available at any time including that instant.

…

Was it just me or did he smell of desperation? It was kind of funny, actually. I got an image of Mr. Allen staring at his phone all day hoping I would call or text him.

I emailed him again, saying I would like to meet with him at 8:00 pm, if possible. He answered immediately, saying it was no problem. We would meet at his hotel again.

“Mom, I need to go out for a while,” I told her as I went down the stairs. “I shouldn’t take long. Maybe an hour or two. Do you need anything?”

“Hmm. Tell you what, I’ll text you a list. If you stop by the supermarket I’ll let you borrow my car.”

Oh shit. I grinned excitedly. “Really? Yeah, I’ll do it.”

Mom chuckled and tossed me her keys. “Park carefully and pay attention to your surroundings.”

“I promise.”

Considering I had like 40 minutes until the meeting, I went to the supermarket first before it closed and bought everything mom needed. After that, I made my way to the hotel. As an aside… I felt like a grown up, you know? Going out on my own, in a car, to have something like a ‘business meeting’... Yeah, I get it. Plenty of people do this and this is my mom’s car, but even so. A year ago this was unthinkable, which is why I think mom let me borrow her car.

I parked close to the hotel and made my way there. As expected, Diana wasn’t at the front desk. Actually, I kept thinking that was what she did here because that was the first time I saw her, but she actually oversaw the bar and other things. Though she still had day shifts, so she wasn’t here.

I went over to the front desk and spoke with the man behind it.

“Hello. I’m here to see Mr. Luke Allen. He’s expecting me. I’m Oliver Brooks.”

Woah! That was so smooth! I kind of caught myself off guard there! I just went up to the front desk, to a man I’d never seen before, said what I had to and didn’t even think about it! Sorry, am I making too big a deal out of this? It’s just that it was the first time I did something like that without second guessing myself and swallowing my nerves. Or at least it was my first time noticing it. I also didn’t hesitate to ask Mr. Allen to meet, despite knowing he could be busy.

The man smiled and made a short bow. “Yes, we were told you expect you, Mr. Brooks. Mr. Allen is waiting for you in the restaurant. Please, follow me.”

I followed him into the restaurant. Last time I was there it was empty, but now there were like seven tables in use. Most of them were couples, one had four people, two men and two women.

I got a little embarrassed. This place was a love hotel, so these people… Oh whatever. Hope you all have some good sex. Have fun.

Mr. Allen was at a table for two, a distance away from his guests and drinking… a martini, I think. It had a green olive inside. He saw me and his eyes lit up. He set his drink down on the table and stood up with a cheerful smile.

“Mr. Brooks! Welcome!” He extended his hand to me and I shook it. His grip was firm and excited. “Please, have a seat. Would you like something to drink? Something to eat? Of course, it’ll be my treat. Ask anything you want.”

Don’t let that confidence from before leave you, Oliver! To negotiate you need confidence! R-Right?

I smiled politely, like I’d do at work. “Thank you, but I already ate. And I have to wake up early tomorrow, so I’d rather not drink. I’m not good with alcohol.”

Mr. Allen's smile remained, though he seemed a little disappointed. “I see. That’s a shame.”

“I don’t want to take much of your time, sir. Thank you for agreeing to meet me so suddenly.”

“I believe I told you this, Mr. Brooks, but my partnership with you is my highest priority right now. So please, sit down and tell me. What can I do to convince you to work with me?”

 I gathered my courage and sat down across from him.