Toxic (Eden’s Omegaverse #3)

SKYE

"I just need a good fuck."

I dropped the line while lying sprawled out on my bed, arms folded behind my head. Alvin tore his eyes away from whatever he was studying on his laptop and glanced at me with a bit of sympathy. My other roommate, Archer, didn’t even flinch, still buried in his phone.

"That bad already? It's only the start of the semester," Alvin muttered.

"So what? I broke up with Martin four months ago, and since then, I haven't felt like getting into any flings," I shot back.

He gave me a look, then shrugged. "I get it. It’s tough finding time to date with all the shit in our major. Just a crazy-ass workload. So—" he cleared his throat, "I had to make some compromises."

There was a moment of silence. Archer still didn’t say a word, ignoring our conversation like he usually did. But Alvin seemed ready to talk, even though I wasn't sure if I wanted to dig into what he meant. His sex life never overly interested me, but for some reason, I decided to ask, "Back in high school, you weren’t much of a… dater. ‘Education over ejaculations’, you always said. Did something change?"

Chuckling, he stretched out his arms and leaned back in his chair.

"No fucking way, you know my priorities. But I still need to fuck; I just don’t do long-terms. It’s too much of a time-suck. Freshman year, I was drowning in work—sometimes didn’t even have time to buy groceries. I almost lost my scholarship! So, dating went out the window," he admitted.

I watched him for a sec; he seemed a little embarrassed, like he thought I’d judge him. He glanced at me and scratched his chin. I’ve always been more into long-term relationships, and Alvin knew that. Maybe that’s why he never talked much about his sex life before.

"What's up, Alvin? You got something to tell me?" I pressed.

He snorted lightly and looked out the window, like he wasn’t sure if he could trust me. That’s when Archer finally looked up and eyed him.

"You can’t be serious, Alvin. You really gonna tell him about this shit?"

Alvin rolled his eyes and bit his lip. I was even more curious now, so I sat down on his bed and gave him a look. He grimaced and avoided my gaze.

"C’mon! Spit it out already, you’ve got my attention, fucker," I demanded.

Alvin cursed under his breath, then muttered, "This is a secret, and it's really risky. If I tell you, and you spill, it could fuck things up for like twenty people."

My jaw dropped. Archer just snorted and went back to his phone.

"The fuck? What did you get yourself into?"

Grunting and snorting unhappily, Alvin made a face, then he sat up straight, giving me an annoyed look. "At the beginning of senior year, a bunch of us realized this major is a bitch, and it’s almost impossible to have a love life. So, we came up with something quick and practical."

"You just realized it at the beginning of senior year? Well, it took you some time."

He pouted. "Before, we all tried and tried… but we finally gave up!"

Alvin and I have known each other since high school. We weren’t best friends or anything, but we hung out in the same group because we were both into programming. After high school, I ended up going to a different college that was closer to my family’s place. But then, at the beginning of last semester, my boyfriend, Martin, broke up with me, and I came to the conclusion that I couldn’t keep going to classes with him every day while he was already with his new guy.

In a desperate move, I decided to transfer to another college in the middle of my senior year without telling anyone.

I didn’t know any students here except Alvin and Gabriel Nolan—my second cousin.

I found out that transferring from one college to another for the senior year was nearly impossible—that’s just how their rules were—so I needed a little miracle.

Luckily, Finn Delgado, who was my brother Winter’s ex, worked here as a professor, and he helped me pull off that miracle.

Then Alvin offered me a free spot in his three-person dorm room on campus. Since Archer and Gabriel were also friends, I didn’t feel like I was among strangers—and I needed to be around familiar people, hoping it would lift my mood—and… it actually did.

The second semester started two weeks ago, and I’d been slowly getting back to normal. Alvin still irritated me sometimes—he’d gotten even more full of himself since high school—but overall, I didn’t regret the decision.

"Can't you just tell me? I'll keep my mouth shut," I said, giving him a questioning look.

Alvin looked at me cautiously. "You gotta swear on everything that you won't say a word."

I leaned back against the wall, settling onto his bed. "You know me, Alvin. I'm not about to go looking for trouble."

Alvin sighed, got up from his chair, and sat on the other edge of the bed. He lowered his voice, "Me and a few other students decided to pay for sex."

"Wow, what a bombshell!" I rolled my eyes in irritation. "What’s so dangerous about that? Lots of students hire escorts, especially the ones with money. I doubt you’d get kicked out for that. You’re all adults, so why all the secrecy?"

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.

"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.

"Wait! What are these names supposed to tell me? There are plenty of Tims and Robins on campus."

Alvin just chuckled and took out his phone.

"I'll show you their faces on Facebook, dummy. I’ve got them added as friends, so I can see their private albums. That’s how you'll recognize them, but don't invite them as friends yourself, remember the rule: the fewer traces, the better."

"Oh my God, this conspiracy is intense, but I guess I get it. Why don’t some of them offer the full set of… services?" I made a meaningful wink.

"They set those conditions from the start. One alpha, one beta, and one omega decided the anal stuff wasn’t for them."

"I also notice some differences in prices. Where do those come from?"

"Don’t ask me; everyone set their own. I don’t impose anything on anyone. I’m not a damn pimp; it’s a free arrangement. If someone wants to charge more, that’s on them. You don’t have to hire them if you think it’s too expensive; just go to someone else who’s cheaper. Am I clear?" He gave me an intense look, and I shrugged.

"Alright, alright, I understand. It’s just a group of people exchanging favors, and nobody asks silly questions, right?"

Alvin nodded with a cheeky smile. "Exactly. Just a group of fuckbuddies with a bit of financial help."

We were silent for a moment.

"So, how do I fit into your elite circle?" I smiled ironically.