America 1982-Chapter 111 - 26: A Rare Leisurely Saturday
Susan looked down at the T-shirt and jeans she was wearing and felt somewhat out of place in the current environment. In fact, the college students around her were also dressed similarly, but Susan subconsciously thought that the pattern on her T-shirt was too vulgar, and there were too many holes in her jeans.
"Not quite used to it?" Tommy offered Susan a cigarette and pointed to the training classroom not far away, "Have a smoke and relax a bit before you go in, there’s still time. I’ll give you the last bit of psychological coaching before the training starts."
Susan glanced at the girls on the lawn nearby, playing with small animals or simply leaning against the trees reading, and took the cigarette from Tommy, "It feels weird, I mean... I’m about the same age as them, but... I don’t know how to put it, it’s just different."
"Of course, it’s fucking different, girl. I have to pay you at least fifty bucks for a fuck, right? But I only need to buy a few bottles of booze to fuck them. That’s the difference. What did you think? That the university is crawling with Einsteins?" Tommy took the opportunity to light up and leaned in close to Susan’s ear, lowering his voice:
"Every woman you see here, no one has less experience in bed than you. Think about it, if today Stanford gets hit by a nuclear bomb from the Soviet Union, and we all go to heaven naked, what difference would there be between you and them? The only possible difference is that your figure might be better than many of theirs. As for knowledge, just do as I say, and you can acquire it."
Susan’s eyes widened in shock, barely able to believe what Tommy was saying; even the smoke made her cough a few times.
Tommy gestured for her to look towards the training classroom, then waved his hand towards Renee and Holly at the entrance. Renee and Holly responded, Holly with a shake of her hand, Renee blew Tommy a kiss.
"The slightly shorter blonde is Renee, my classmate and girlfriend. The one next to her, Holly, is my classmate and business partner at my company. Do you believe that when I first met them, with just a few little tricks, I did anything you could think of with them? Do you think I could get you to let me have a shot just by telling you a few jokes?"
"Of course not, don’t even think about touching me without money," Susan said with certainty.
"So, tell me now, who’s noble and who’s nasty, you or the college students? Actually, everyone’s the same. Don’t think because the training is free that you have to be humble and lowly. Act as though you’ve paid for the training, and let those instructors serve you, teach you. If anyone tries to brush you off or ignore you, go to the ninth garage on Stanford University Freedom Boulevard and complain to me, and I’ll show you how the so-called elite are disciplined until they’re shaking in their boots." After saying this, Tommy smiled and patted Susan on the shoulder:
"Coming up, enjoy your four hours of learning every Saturday and Sunday at Stanford, for a total duration of one month. Oh, and we have an unwritten rule: if the teacher thinks you’ve earned an A in the class, you’ll get an additional reward. So, go for it, try to take as much advantage as you can, don’t leave empty-handed."
After finishing, Tommy gave Susan an encouraging look as she walked alone towards the training classroom.
"Aren’t you coming with me?" Susan took a few more drags of the cigarette, not even knowing where to discard the butt and eventually handed it back to Tommy while asking.
Tommy took the cigarette butt, casually tossed it on the ground, and crushed it with his foot. Waving his hand off at Susan, he said, "Nope, I can’t stand to refrain from cursing those fucking idiots. To curse once in a while is fine, but too much, and the school will have a talk with me, and that’s not a good feeling."
Then he waved again to Renee and Holly in the distance. Renee came over cordially with Susan into the training room, and Holly walked up to Tommy. They headed towards the golf cart parked in the distance, talking as they walked:
"I always feel like you have a closer affinity for people from the lower classes."
"Because I come from there. Don’t underestimate those from the lower classes; they have stronger vitality and grow in a more barbaric way. With some guidance, they can explode with surprising power. Take Miss Susan, for example. She called last evening, and by this morning she was here, which shows she has decisiveness and initiative. I believe she will learn something. Later, you teach her and other promising and decent-looking women how to dress – high-end and provocative like you, not vulgar and erotic. Then, I’ll send them to Symantec or other tech companies where our SSD brothers work, to get them high-paying jobs, and make them the models for conning other poor folks during TV ad breaks," Tommy said casually as he saw Holly, all vulgarity and recklessness gone, leaving only indifferences.
Holly was used to this by now. This bastard could make all sorts of expressions and say things that quickly warmed relations with Renee, professors, students, but she knew that this indifferent demeanor was what Tommy Hawk was like most of the time, something only she and Jason regularly saw.
It was supposed to be a friendship with a witty and humorous man, but now it seemed she only had a mostly expressionless partner, and Holly wasn’t sure if that was an honor or a misfortune.
"When will the SSD Chapters at other universities start preparing for the training? So they will all buy our software? Should I contact the universities in California ahead of time to try to secure the first revenue for the company?" Holly asked Tommy.
The company’s funds were now less than ten thousand, not enough to even place ads in computer specialty magazines, let alone for Tommy’s TV ads – he probably couldn’t buy much airtime at all.
"No, they will start preparing after we deploy this batch of students into the market. No need to rush; the money is there and no one can take it. Just walk slowly towards it and we can stuff it into our wallets," Tommy said, slowing his tone, his eyes fixed on a red-shouldered hawk circling in the sky, his voice calm, "The greedier you are inside, the more gentlemanly you must appear outside. Wait for the right moment, just like that red-shouldered hawk, Holly."
Holly looked at the small raptor in search of prey, nodded thoughtfully, and then asked Tommy with a smile:
"So, on the rare Saturday I get off, since everyone I’m responsible for is off too, is there anything else I need to do?"
"No work, it’s just that Renee isn’t available today, so I was thinking you could fill in for her and come with me to the garage for a bit." Tommy said with a sly grin to Holly, "Wanna come?"
Holly was taken aback at first, but then quickly nodded in agreement and said, "Of course, it’s what I’m entitled to. It’s only right that you do this work until you’ve paid me enough money to enjoy ’personal services’. Just remember to guarantee the quality, so I allow you to go back and have a few of Jason’s ’Dignity and Glory’ first."
"You know I was joking, right?" Tommy paused, then added, somewhat sheepishly, "Actually, I still need to check if there are any other students who require special attention."
"You know I wasn’t joking, right?" Holly turned around, dead serious, and said to Tommy.
At the same time, Tommy watched as a red-shouldered hawk swooped down swiftly, talons striking like lightning, capturing an unlucky squirrel at the top of a tree. After a thunderous grip, it took its prey and flew away.
...
"Buddy, I think there’s no way you could be a gigolo, they aren’t shy like you," Jason said to Mark after he walked out of the training classroom.
He had been observing outside the training classroom for a while. This morning, there were eleven people who came with the intention to try out the training, and aside from Mark, they were all women. But this guy, Mark, amidst a group of eighteen women, including the instructor, managed to draw Jason’s attention.
It wasn’t that Jason had any designs on him; it’s just that this Mark Warren guy had seemed very odd right from the start, always walking with his head down as though afraid to be recognized, and rarely making eye contact, shy like a five or six-year-old innocent girl. This was not normal, so Jason thought this jerk was probably a serial killer or some high-profile fugitive and watched him closely.
"I’ve already explained, I’m not a gigolo, nor am I gay," Mark said to Jason in a resigned tone, "I just want to learn some computer skills, find a part-time job; I’m really looking forward to working in a big company."
Jason thought hard for a moment, "How about I take you for a drink? We could also take a look around Stanford."
Mark frowned slightly, suspiciously eyeing Jason, "Your warmth right now seems more like a gay man ready to lure someone."
"Hey, Jason?" Jason White was about to retort when a familiar voice called her from not too far away.
Turning around, Jason saw Chad standing by the roadside, warmly greeting him.
"You’re Chad, right? Chad, the guy who’s like the world’s best roommate compared to that dumbass Tommy." Jason was surprised to see Chad; despite some unpleasant memories from that night, Jason remembered Chad as a solid and reliable guy:
"How come you have time to come to Stanford, here to sneak into various parties again?" 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶
"No, I came to see you; your roommate at the apartment said you might be around here," Chad said, bumping fists with Jason as he approached.
Jason said, "Yes, I’ve been busy with my career lately."
"Career, that’s great. I’m here about your career too," Chad said to Jason:
"Remember the lady who shared a bed with you? She’s been calling my dorm looking for you, hoping you could ’service’ her. I was so disturbed that I brought her here, having heard you’re still pursuing your gigolo career. Think of it as a good deed from me; no need to thank me. Plus, it’s Saturday, so you’ll have lots of time to spend with her."
With that, Chad considerately gestured for Jason to look towards the roadside in the distance; a champagne-colored Pontiac Firebird rolled down its window, revealing the elder lady from that night, sending Jason an ambiguous glance.
"So, you’re the gigolo?" Mark, who had been quiet, suddenly seemed like a different person after witnessing all this and approached the dumbfounded Jason, whispering mysteriously, "Buddy, are you looking for a part-time job? I’ve got a good offer."
