The Guy Next Door

Chapter 22

As promised here is chapter 22, the story will be a bit more saucy so if you don't like that sort of thing stop reading now...thank you!

These are the definitions for the Italian words in the chapter below:

fratello: brother ; piaga: pest ; davvero: really ; piccolo: little sister

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Chapter 22

Wes's POV

I examined the clear bottle of vodka to assure it wasn't a counter fake, you could never be sure in business when someone would try pulling a fast one on you. Turning the bottle around I nodded and placed it on the shelf with the other bottles I had to restock after the private party, for rich snobs with everything at their finger tips they sure consumed more alcohol than I would have originally thought. As the head bartender I held the sole duty of reordering, restocking and anything else my station demanded of me which wasn't too much especially with Carrie as my assistant.

"Carrie I need you to get the small crate in the back, it's the only one without a lid." I ordered. Nodding wordlessly Carrie slipped out from behind the bar and went to receive what I asked of her. That's why I liked her, I love my other sisters but they were a handful at times. Marbella rarely listened let alone followed orders and Anna as sweet as she may seem she had a mouth that could drive anyone to rip their ears off in desperation to mute her. Carrie on the other hand listened to me and did as I asked unless it was something she felt was wrong, she wasn't a quiet mouse nor a nagger which counted more -unlike my other sisters she knew when to voice an opinion and when to follow a command.

"Do we have enough?" Dominic asked from the doorway

Nodding I started stacking the other bottles beside the vodka bottle I put up "We have enough till Monday, I've placed an order with Hal for Sunday just to be sure." I answered in a flat tone still avoiding my brother-in-law's gaze in which he noticed when he released a sigh

"You know what I did was right, if Marbella knew she was coming yesterday she would have drove the poor girl away." he explained in a thick accent I have come accustomed to over the years. What he said held some truth, Marbella would have chased Khloe away with her constant badgering -something Khloe doesn't like to begin with.

My older sister was a bit too protective of us since she felt it was her responsibility to keep us safe as the oldest sibling, she means well but she tends to over do the mother hen role at times. Thanks to her obsession with gossip magazines my sister knew dirt on Khloe -whether it were true or not Marbella would not hesitate to call her out on those rumors. I refused to read anything about her when Marbella shoved the magazine that took our picture at her sister's engagement telling me to read up on her past but I refused, if and when Khloe decided to tell me about her past I'll listen -to her not a tabloid.

"You could have given me a hands up Dom." I sighed feeling my anger towards my old neighbor dissolve. Although I don't agree with what he did it was the right thing to do considering Marbella.

"I didn't want to risk anyone knowing. I barely got Marbella to stay home with the kids and if word got out she would have rushed over here to rip into the girl."

Pausing with a bottle in mid air I lowered it "I see your point." I mumbled, lowering the bottle I turned to face Dominic who had walked over to the bar "I was surprised to see her after her hodeni act." I admitted

"This is new for her fratello, in her head it makes sense to run." he replied with a sad smile, the sympathy filling his eyes genuine. Dominic was the only one who knew what was truly going on between Khloe and I. He's been my best friend long before he and Anna went out, being neighbors in Italy and growing up practically like brothers it was natural I turned to him with the truth.