America 1982-Chapter 313 - 19: Seven Hundred Thousand as Consultancy Fee

In the soft light of the suite’s small dining room, a waiter dressed in evening attire brought food for two. After pouring the accompanying red wine into their glasses with a decanter, he politely bowed:

"Please enjoy your meal, both of you."

For Tommy, it was best to fill up on some food before attending the party. Otherwise, everyone would be drinking merrily, and he would be the only one fixating on food like a starving ghost—a truly scene-ruining behavior. So after both had showered, Tommy called the hotel to arrange a meal for them.

Noticing that the waiter bowed but didn’t leave, Tommy reached for his trouser pocket, then realized he was dressed in a shirt and tie up top but only wore boxer shorts below. He pointed towards the bathroom: "Fetch my trousers for me, so I can get some change to tip you." 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

The waiter seemed unfazed by Tommy’s attire, agreed, and retrieved the trousers for Tommy. Tommy pulled out his wallet from within, handed the waiter a few notes, and after sending him off, tossed the wallet back onto the table. He then looked at Diane Linn across from him, who had changed into a black backless evening gown, had her hair redone, and looked elegant and ravishing:

"I’m clear on the rules of twelve hours with unlimited rounds, but may I ask if the same goes for unlimited clients?"

Diane Linn rolled her eyes at Tommy, "So? You want your friend to join you as well?"

"No, no, no, I’m not the playful type. I mean, you’re probably the most famous woman tonight. When you accompany me into the hall, many men will be interested in you, asking for autographs, photos, chatting you up. I mean if you don’t mind, I can charge them—twenty thousand a pop. If there are over forty men there all eager, that means more than eight hundred thousand in income. I could split it with you generously, and if we both take home four hundred thousand, that would be nice," said Tommy, taking a sip of red wine, then added concernedly to Diane Linn:

"I’m just worried whether you have the stamina to handle it."

Diane popped a piece of salad into her mouth, her expression a mix of amusement and sarcasm, "You’re really quite generous. The mistress only earns thirty percent, and you want to take fifty."

"I’m just presenting an idea that could earn you some extra money, purely out of my kind and helpful nature. After all, you’re short on cash, and so am I. The percentage can be further discussed; forty-six isn’t off the table," Tommy said, swirling his wine glass and addressing Diane.

"I doubt those young men could afford a twenty-thousand-dollar expense per encounter, or even your wealthy friend Stephen. After all, they are few and far between," Diane said, swallowing her food before looking back at Tommy.

Tommy showed a confident expression that indicated there was no need to worry about bad debts: "I can have the bank lend it to them at a low interest. You don’t have to worry about them being unable to pay; the bank can pay on their behalf. If they default, the bank will arrange for someone to find them and recover the money."

"You own a bank?" Diane asked Tommy, caught off guard.

Tommy shook his head immediately: "No, it’s my girlfriend’s business. I’m actually living off of her. If she finds out I’ve spent so much money without her knowing, I’m dead. That’s why I have to figure out a way to make up for the loss. So, are you interested?"

"Isn’t that nice, sir? It seems if I agree, and if I don’t drop dead by then, I could leave with an extra four hundred thousand tomorrow morning," Diane said, tilting her head slightly, her smooth chin pointing at Tommy, her tone dripping with sarcasm.

Tommy, as if oblivious to the sarcasm, earnestly continued: "It’s a win-win situation. Sometimes I even admire myself for always coming up with such..."

"So you think I’m one of those women who would sleep with anyone for money? You scumbag!" exclaimed Diane, throwing her wine in Tommy’s face in anger.

Without any hesitation, Tommy grabbed the salad from the table and splashed the entire plate onto her, then looked apologetically at Diane Linn: "Sorry, I truly apologize for offending the saintly virgin before me. F*ck you! So, seventy grand is the price for sleeping with you, but for twenty thousand a go, I’m just a scumbag?"

Diane was likely not expecting Tommy to have such a short fuse when faced with a woman’s anger. Her evening gown drenched and her face smeared with dressing, she stood there, arms outstretched, unable to speak for a moment.

Tommy wiped his face, stood up, walked to the bathroom, and brought back a towel to dab at the wine stains, muttering:

"Once is selling out, forty times is no different. I don’t see how saying such things to a prostitute could be damaging to her. If you expect me to apologize, I have to tell you that there’s probably only one condition that would make me sincerely apologize for offending you—that you prove you’re not someone who would sell her body for money. Only then would I offer you a sincere apology. Otherwise, you better mind your manners. Maybe those Hollywood guys you’ve dealt with all seem suave and gentleman-like, only revealing their true nature in bed, and I’m sorry, but I’m not one of those gentlemen. Even if all of America’s youth idolize you, I’ll still throw sauce in your face because I paid, and our transaction is equal."

Then he hit the speaker button and dialed: "Stephen, F*ck you! The girl your wife sent over splashed me with red wine. I want you to get her out of my room now! Then call all the newspapers, have them send photographers to the hotel to wait for a photo op. I want all of America’s papers to carry the news tomorrow, about your American teenage dream, the whore who sleeps with clients for money."