Page 2 of Toxic

Alvin gave a wry smile. "It’s not as simple as you think. They aren’t just regular escorts. They’re other students. We have a… pact."

That sounded so high school, but I raised my eyebrows, feeling intrigued. "Offering sexual services on campus can get you expelled."

He nodded, still smiling. "Yep. Exactly. It’s against the rules. You could get kicked out, blacklisted and even face some legal shit."

There was a pause. I was still staring at him.

"I won't go into the details of how it started, but let's just say we found some guys who were struggling for money. They agreed, in secret, and under the strictest confidence, to act as basically paid fuckbuddies for us. Because of it, we're all at risk. Using these services on campus is a big deal, so all of us need to be careful."

I wasn’t sure what to make of it. It was consensual and everyone could do what they wanted, but it was still kind of shady. The fact that these people had money problems made me feel strangely uncomfortable.

"How’d you convince them to do it?"

Alvin waved his hand dismissively.

"I managed to find out, very cleverly and anonymously, who was in the most financial trouble, who was on the brink of getting expelled because they couldn't afford tuition… and I gathered ten people from that group."

Archer huffed. "So cleverly and anonymously, huh? You let yourself get fucked by that hideous beta in the administrative office, didn’t you? And he let you sneak a peek at students' tuition payment records or something like that."

Alvin growled in annoyance. "Whatever, bro! I did what was necessary for the greater good!"

Archer shot him a wry smirk from his bunk, repeatedly making obscene gestures with his hand and mouth, but Alvin ignored him.

"You were the sole organizer of all this?"

Alvin nodded, and I burst out laughing.

"So, you're a pimp? Where's your mustache and cigar?"

He cursed quietly. "Don't be an idiot! I just got the ball rolling, but I don't gain anything from it. It's voluntary. If this ever got out, I'd be facing criminal charges, not just expulsion. I just piqued their interest, and now it's a… self-sustaining system." He made a face.

Silence fell, and I hesitated. I still felt there was something wrong with involving people desperate for money, but if they agreed, who was I to judge?

"How many of you are there, you know, as clients?"

"We have ten patrons and ten… companions. So, to put it bluntly, the workload isn't heavy."

"Companions? You call them that? Kinda euphemistic."

"They're not pro-escorts, Skye! There are no outsiders involved. It's more like a closed fuck-buddies club with benefits, with a sugar daddy vibe. We're just sponsors for their tuition. We all have our preferred companions, and we stick to them. I would even say it has a poly-group feel to it."

"Are all the patrons alphas?" I probed.

"No, six alphas, two betas, and two omegas."

I whistled softly in surprise. "Oh, I see. And what about the… companions?"

"Five omegas, three betas, and two alphas."

"Ah, so something for everyone. A diverse crowd!" Rubbing my chin, I decided to investigate, "So how does it all work?"

"We all have a shared password. We use it when meeting someone new, but after that, everyone just handles it on their own. You casually ask when, what, and how much, making sure no one else hears. No conversations over texts or messaging apps, of course, for security reasons. No digital trace."

"Right," I muttered.

"We agreed that when we bring someone new into the group, everyone gets notified to avoid surprises and awkwardness. But we haven't accepted any new members since we started five months ago, so we've never needed the password. We’ve been a closed group from the start; it’s been working pretty well so far."

We both sat in silence for a moment, me feeling a strange mix of unease and excitement.

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