Page 3 of Toxic

"I’ve never used paid services before; it just didn’t appeal to me. I’m all for long-term, but damn, I’m stressed from all the studying, and feeling a bit desperate. What you're saying sounds kinda intriguing—the discreet nature of it. Plus, it’s a closed group, so it feels safer," I muttered more to myself than to Alvin and stared at the ceiling, considering my options.

Because it was the second semester of my senior year, I didn’t see the point in trying to find a boyfriend now. I had a ton of coursework to catch up on because of the transfer, plus all the extra classes required for this major. It was all overwhelming. Sure, I could probably squeeze in some dating between classes, but it would take careful planning and juggling what little free time I had. Even though I preferred steady relationships, maybe for this one semester, I could make an exception and explore other options to satisfy my ‘carnal’ needs?

Suddenly, I noticed a quick glance from Archer. "Are you part of the group, Archer?"

He snorted. "Of course not! I would never pay for sex, it’s not my thing."

"So how do you know about this group, if it’s all super secretive and shit?"

Alvin grimaced and interjected, "He’s a fucking hacker, that’s how! Initially, I had this… Excel sheet with all the data, and I was keeping mum about it. He asked me a few times what was going on, but I ignored him, so he got annoyed and hacked my laptop."

I fixed my eyes on Archer. I’d heard from both Alvin and Gabriel that Archer was a brilliant hacker even before I transferred to this college, but finding out that he actually used his skills was way more interesting. "And you didn’t let anyone know about it? It’s fucking illegal and, let’s say, morally gray to use people’s desperate financial situations… even if they consent. Didn’t it bother you?"

Archer's crystal-blue eyes bore into mine. "Listen, it does kinda bother me. But I do my own shit with hacking. They are all consenting adults, whether I like it or not. And I don’t care what Alvin does with his dick and ass. If he wants to catch some STDs, not my problem."

"We all get STD tests every two weeks! And we use condoms!"

"Condoms don’t protect well from herpes, idiot."

"Jeez, you’re such a buzzkill!" Alvin seemed triggered, but Archer just shrugged and fixed his eyes back on the screen. So, Alvin sighed exaggeratedly, muttering ‘asshole’ under his breath.

"Listen, you're my homeboy, we went to high school together, so I’m willing to risk it and invite you to join us… if that's what you want."

He stared at me intently, obviously waiting for my definitive answer.

Clearing my throat, I asked, "So, how does it all work? I mean, do you know the prices, the options?"

He just smiled slightly, stood up, walked over to the desk, took out a piece of paper, and wrote down a long row of numbers and names.

"I learned my lesson with the Excel sheet. No traces. So, I’ll jot this down for you, but just for a moment; you need to remember it," he tapped his head. "Only up here, no writing it down; I’ll destroy this piece of paper in a sec. You’ve got a moment to memorize it."

"Sure!" I nodded eagerly, almost snatching the paper from his hand and staring at it intensely while Alvin chuckled.

Here's what I saw on the paper:

Anselm (omega) hj 15, bj 60, a 120

Darren (omega) hj 15, bj 50

Stephen (omega) hj 15, bj 50, a 120

Tim (omega) hj 15, bj 60, a 120

Thomas (omega) hj 15, bj 60, a 120

Sean (beta) hj 15, bj 50, a 130

Frank (beta) hj 15, bj 50, a 120

Soren (beta) hj 10, bj 70

Robin (alpha) hj 15, bj 60

Mark (alpha) hj 15, bj 50, a 200

"No way, I have to remember all this? You must be joking!"

"No fucking joking. We all know it. If you forget something, I can always give you a hint, but it's better to get familiar with it because nobody pays me for mediation, you get that, right?" He grinned wryly.

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