Midnight Movie Club Ch. 06

Alexander put his body weight on Karen's back, pinning her between his chest and the quilt. One arm crossed across her torso for support as he finally lived up to his word and began to rail Karen from behind. She spread her knees to give her lover full access to her womanhood. Eyes squeezed shut, she bit her lip as Alexander plunged his cock in and out of her willing body.

He managed to last longer than he had previously, to the point that Karen was beginning to gasp again when the familiar pressure began to build inside of him. Fighting the urge to bury his cock to the hilt inside of her pussy, Alexander waited until the last moment to pull himself free, groaning loudly as a forceful stream of white fluid exploded from the tip. It fell across Karen's back and butt in several long ribbons, each pulse accompanied by a jolt of ecstasy throughout his lower body. By the time the last drops fell onto the curve of Karen's butt he had fallen back onto his knees, putting one hand on his chest as he tried to catch his breath.

"I didn't know you were into painting." Karen lay flat on her stomach with thighs splayed around Alexander's legs. "I swear if you drew a Sounders logo on my back..."

"Spur of the moment," he answered, running a hand through his blonde hair which was slightly damp with sweat. "Victory sex should end with a fireworks display."

Karen reached for her nightstand and grabbed a half-full bottle of water. "Clean me off. And watch out, I'm still sensitive down there." She laid her head on her arms, humming contently, as Alexander pulled the towel from underneath her prone body. He spilled some water onto the towel and, per Karen's request, gently and painstakingly cleaned both his fluids and her essence from her body. "So," she murmured, "did you enjoy your victory sex?"

Alexander made a sound of affirmation. "Next time there's a game, I'll make sure to come prepared. Where's your laundry basket?"

Without raising her head, Karen gestured to the foot of her bed. "Back there," she told him. "Looks like a late night study session in the laundry room's in order."

"Sorry..."

"Hush." Karen reached out and patted the mattress next to her. "A good time was had by all and I should do laundry anyway." After tossing the towel in what Alexander hoped was her laundry basket, which was overflowing, he lay down next to her, looking up at the ceiling, hands folded across his stomach. One arm reached out to stretch casually across his chest. "So, two other girls, eh? I'm curious who else you've managed to snag for your harem."

"It's not a harem," he answered quickly. "It's... these super cool girls that Cole introduced me to. Eleanor and Julie. Julie's the one showing me how to jog. I hit it off with both of them and... well, nature took its course. As it does."

"Hmm. And does Cole know you've slept with these lovely ladies?"

"He's slept with them as well. And it's... we're all sleeping with each other."

"All of you? Like, you and Cole too?"

"Oh, no. It's... it's an arrangement. The guys sleep with either girl, the girls sleep with either guy, and all four of us are cool with it."

Karen raised her head. She peered at him through a shock of her tangled brown hair. "You guys aren't...all exclusive with each other, right? Because I'm not going to be the other woman in some kind of...quadrouple."

"Quadrouple?"

"Like a throuple but with four people instead of three."

"Throuple?"

"Just answer the question, Alexander."

"We are not exclusive with one another. We're all friends with benefits, and the arrangement prevents anyone from...it prevents confusion and jealousy. Like, I told them you and I slept together a few weekends ago and Cole told them about Gwen as well, so everyone knows the score."

"So are you guys all friends then? Or fuck buddies?"

"We're all friends, just like you and I."

"We're friends?"

"I like talking to you, I like watching soccer with you, and both times I came up to your room I wasn't thinking about sleeping with you. If I had to put a label on it, 'friends with benefits' is as good as any."

"And if I ever slept with Cole, you wouldn't be upset?"

"With you? No. With Cole? No, as long as he told me promptly. Not because he's bragging, but because he's keeping things open and honest. Would you be upset if I somehow ended up sleeping with Gwen?"

"I'd be surprised," she teased, causing Alexander to roll his eyes. "A little jealous maybe, but no. No, I don't think so. But you'd tell Cole and Eleanor and Julie that you slept with her?"

"And you, if we were going to have sex again."

"OK, so it's not a harem. It's a bang club."

"It's not a bang club," he laughed. "It's just a club. We even have bylaws. I'm writing up a rough draft of a charter for the next time we get together."

"You're pulling my leg."

"I swear! It was kind of a joke at first, but...hell, if you're going in, go all in, right?"

"If it works for you guys, go forth and conquer." She shifted her upper body so she could give him a light kiss on the cheek. "I like you, Alexander de'Armound. I don't want to be exclusive with you, but I want to be your friend. With all the benefits that it entails." She returned his smile before continuing. "So, want to study some psychology? I got two hours' worth of laundry to wash, dry, and fold. Might as well do some reviewing."

"Sure." Alexander groaned as he sat up. "Look at us. Fresh from having sex and going right back to the books. With dedication like that, you and I are going to absolutely crush these midterms."

X X X X X

"B-plus? I got a B-plus?"

Julie looked up from her plate. "In which course?"

"Introduction to Psych."

"Congratulations," Julie offered. "You were particularly worried about that exam, and..."

*BONK*

"...you're not pleased?"

"No." Alexander had barely avoided his mashed potatoes while letting his head fall against the cafeteria table. "Karen and I studied zealously for that test." Without looking, he reached out and tapped his smartphone. "B-plus. Damn it."

Cole, sitting next to him, leaned over and glanced down at Alexander's phone, which currently displayed the class's Sharepoint site. The grades for the midterm were listed by the last four digits of a student's SSN. "Seeing pair of A's, handful of B's, and a whole bunch of C's."

"Sounds like our graduating class," Eleanor quipped from across the table.

"B-plus ain't too shabby for your first college midterm." Cole put a reassuring hand on his friend's shoulder. "No reason not to be proud of your diligence due."

"I haven't gotten a B since fifth grade," Alexander mumbled in response.

"Get the fuck out of here," Eleanor said. "Seriously?"

With a long, drawn out sigh, Alexander sat up and looked at his trio of friends. "It was the graduation ceremony for elementary school. The teachers handed out all kinds of awards and commendations. Never missing a day of school, being a helper in the school office, classroom leader during fire drills, stuff like that. The last part of the ceremony was when they handed out the academic awards. You got a gold certificate for having an A average all five years and a blue one for having straight A's. I got a gold one, and my parents were so proud of me. After the ceremony, I was getting some punch and my fourth grade teacher, Miss Clark, saw me with the certificate tucked under my arm. I smiled at her and said 'Look Miss Clark, an A average."

His shoulders slumped. "She looks me dead in the eyes and says, 'Yes, and you should have gotten all A's Alexander.'" A deep frown creased Alexander's lips. "So I spent the entire summer moping instead of enjoying myself. Come middle school I spent all my free time with my nose in a book. Pulled straight A's from sixth grade until graduation, 4.0 every semester across the board."

"Damn," Cole said as Eleanor joined in with an impressed whistle. "Not shabby at all..."

Alexander held up a finger, cutting Cole off. "All the teachers at the academy show up for senior graduation. I'm on stage with my National Honors Society sash on. I'm feeling proud and so is my entire family sitting in the stands because I'm the first member of my family to go to college directly from high school. After the ceremony, we're all milling about shaking hands and talking to the teachers, and there's Miss Clark. She comes over, sees my sash, and says in the same tone she used in fifth grade, 'I saw you had a 4.0 Alexander. If you had taken AP classes you could have had a 4.3 and made valedictorian."

"Did Miss Clark not care for you?" Julie asked.

"Not in the least. She felt that my slot at the academy would have been better filled by someone more... appropriate." Alexander waved a hand. "That comment didn't bother me because I had just graduated and was coming here to Farragut." He sighed, tapping his smartphone. "But getting a non-A grade reminded me of Miss Clark and how she made me feel."

Eleanor scoffed. "Sounds to me that the problem wasn't your academic performance but the fact that Miss Clark had enough sand in her vagina to give her a seven-year itch."

"Colorful metaphor aside, I agree with Eleanor," stated Julie. "Getting straight A's for one year is difficult, let alone throughout six years of middle school and high school. Much like you I also spent a good portion of my time studying and managed to hold mostly A's through my high school years, despite taking Advanced Placement classes... and that final statement hinders more than it helps, doesn't it?"

"Little bit, sweetie," Eleanor grimaced.

It was the third day of midterms, and the subdued mood in the school cafeteria paid homage to that fact. The clatter of plates and clink of silverware filled the air, filling the aural gap created by a lack of conversation. The gathered students talked in hushed tones, careful not to disturb their neighbors as they quizzed each other or discussed tests both past and forthcoming. Those who didn't speak had their noses in books, or spiral notepads, or even their phones, each preparing for their upcoming exams by whichever method worked best for them.

"I apologize, Alexander," Julie said. "I didn't mean to disparage your efforts by drawing attention to my own."

Alexander answered with a tired nod. "Apology appreciated, but not necessary. Considering the run of good luck I've been on ever since arriving on campus, I shouldn't be freaking out this much over a B-plus."

"OK to freak out," Cole told him, "volume level could be toned down just a bit though. Don't want my roommate having a coronary by junior year."

"What about you, Cole?" inquired Julie. "How have your midterms been?"

"Two B's and one A. English and Biology never my bag but rocked the hell out of Intro to Trig. Just got History of Jazz. Music portion'll be a cakewalk. History portion, meeting a classmate tomorrow morning for coffee and more coffee before taking it at 11 am. Hoping for a B, minimum at least. Ain't much of a musician if pulling a C in a music history class. Going around the horn, Eleanor?"

Eleanor sighed. "I haven't even looked yet. I'm going to wait until Friday night so I can see them all in one fell swoop, and then determine if I'm drinking in celebration or drinking at the wake for my academic career. The spirits know they'll be plenty of Halloween parties to hit up. Too bad it fell on a Thursday this year. Ending midterms with a big Halloween bash on a Friday night would have lined up nicely." She turned to Julie. "And that leaves you, roomie. Are you bringing up the Midnight Movie Club's curve or dragging it down?"

"Three A's so far and I am confident I'll score high marks on my final two midterms," Julie answered definitively. "I have both of those exams tomorrow, which means I will be able to spend tomorrow evening watching an enjoyable film that is appropriate for All Hallow's Eve." She motioned to her trio of friends. "Hopefully your exams will be completed as well, meaning we might be able to enjoy said movie together?"

"Last midterm's Friday morning," Cole responded.

"Same," added Eleanor.

"Ditto," Alexander tacked on.

"I see." Julie chewed on her lower lip for a moment. "Perhaps this weekend then? It will no longer be Halloween or even All Saint's Day, but letting this particular holiday weekend pass without a meeting of our club wouldn't feel right to me."

"I'm down, however, I'm going to be late. Seattle's playing LAFC in the playoffs in the late game on Saturday." Alexander gave Juile a sheepish smile. "No offense Julie. I like watching movies with you, but soccer's practically my religion."

"Understandable. No harm, no foul. A later start time on a Saturday night shouldn't be an issue."

Eleanor raised her hand. "Consider me penciled in. For the movie and whatever comes afterward. Which will hopefully be all of us." A chorus of groans escaped from Julie and Cole, while Alexander managed to keep the volume of his laughter down. "Oh no you don't," Eleanor shot back, playfully defensive. "That was a damn good pun and you all know it."

"No thing as a damn good pun," Cole declared.

"Maybe, but damn it, I deserve a gold star for that pun," Eleanor declared dramatically.

Alexander got out of his chair. His friends watched as he walked over to the condiment island in the middle of the cafeteria, picked up several containers of pats of butter, and brought them back to the table. "Here you go," he proclaimed after arranging the gold foil packaging in a five-pointed star on Eleanor's tray. "One gold star for one gold pun."

Cole and Julie snorted at the display, however, Eleanor gave Alexander a peck on the cheek. "Thank you," she laughed. "Too bad I'm wearing a skirt. I would so let you into my pants right now."

Alexander raised an eyebrow. "You know, I'm wearing pants."

"Yes. Yes, you are." Eleanor stood up, with Alexander quickly following her lead. She grabbed her satchel from the floor and took Alexander's hand in hers. "Let's go and get you out of your pants so that you can get into my metaphorical ones. See you guys later." The soft sound of Alexander's sneakers and Eleanor's sandals against the tile floor momentarily filled the quiet air of the cafeteria as the pair headed for the steps leading out of the cafeteria.

"Seriously," Cole snorted as they disappeared, "haven't seen a guy proposition a girl for sex since getting here. Always been the other way around. All for women calling their shots, but my flirting skills are getting seriously atrophied."

"I suggest you look at it this way," Julie offered. "You will have a personal goal to aim for once your academic goals are finished for the week - working on your 'come hither' eyes and practicing your guitar."

"Guitar practice is mandatory. Surprised about having 'come hither' eyes though. Never quite trained those."

"Perhaps they just come naturally with the package." The grin accompanying Julie's statement brought about a chuckle from Cole. "If I may make an observation?"

"You may."

"You've spoken of your worries over the midterm for your History of Jazz course. Yet when I look at you you're not exhibiting any of the common physical indicators associated with stress. As your friend, I..." Julie paused. "I don't quite know how to phrase this, so I am going to come out and say it with the hopes that I will not offend you. Are you dealing with your stress in a healthy manner, or are you bottling it up inside of you to be let off at a future date?"

"Just ain't stressed," Cole said as he took a drink of water. "Focused. Taking exams seriously. But feeling not a lick of stress over it."

"Truly? Not even a hint?"

He tapped the side of his head. "Drilled into my noggin at a young age, stress should only be saved for what you can control. Mom's a long-range trucker, specializes in winter runs through Alberta and British Columbia, Dad's the stay-at-home guy, does the books and fix-it jobs for truckers passing by. Mom always told me she only stressed out driving in bad conditions, because she was the one behind eighteen wheels. And even then, sole focus was on her driving. Couldn't control the weather, couldn't control traffic, couldn't control when they let her get on the road. Could control how she steered and braked. Dad? Same thing he told me. Numbers were numbers, couldn't change them. Parts is parts...mechanical, not biological...they fit or they don't. Best way to put it, taught me the difference between concern and stress. Concern is worrying, that's fine. Stress is tension, and tension breaks if it's too much. Makes sense?

"For me? No. For you? Yes."

"Welcome to college. Dorms full of unique individuals, present company included. So what about you, Julie Wyndham?" he asked as he reached for his water. "How are you coping with stress?"

"Hard jogging and vigorous masturbation."

The bottle of water hung in Cole's hand as he paused at Julie's statement. His eyes darted to one side as he contemplated her words. "Could see how that could work. How hard and how vigorous, if I may venture?"

"I believe my five-kilometer run Sunday morning after leaving your room was my personal best since arriving at Farragut. As for your second, more personal question," she teased, "I am debating buying a sex toy in November to provide relief for my fingers come finals week in December."

"Just want to say, love the way you're direct. Years of high school slander and gossip, cool drink of lemonade on a blistering hot day whenever you talk."

Julie answered with a smile. "Thank you, Cole. I do have one final question, however. Did Alexander or Eleanor mention which of our rooms they were heading to?"

X X X X X

"That wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be," Cole said. "It was worse."

"Tell me about it." Walking on the sidewalk next to him was Lynn Reed, his study partner for History of Jazz. "I lucked out because one of the essay question choices was on swing music. Everything else on that exam was a deep dive." She shook her head in disbelief. "I can't remember the last time a multiple-choice test kicked my butt that much. Misery index aside, how do you think you did?"

"Truth? B, maybe B-plus because you and I studied our proverbial butts off. Brain feels like it's been put through the wringer. And got one more actual test tomorrow."

"Not me." Lynn threw her arms out and turned her face towards the sun. "I am finished for the week." Indian summer had descended upon the Idaho Panhandle over the past week, and Lynn was taking full advantage of it. The slender redhead wore a white sundress patterned with red roses and yellow daffodils along with a pair of red-lensed wire-rimmed sunglasses.

"Wish I said the same," Cole sighed. "Especially since this all comes crashing down tomorrow night when Brother Autumn comes roaring down the valley. Storms, wind, cold. 24 hours ago, weekend was gonna be a little brisk and misty. Now, batten down the hatches halfway. Welcome to Idaho in November."

Lynn kept her face raised towards the sky while she answered. "It put a kibosh on most of the Halloween parties off-campus. No one wants to drag their costumes through the rain. They were talking about doing some kind of trick-or-treat thing in Loyall Hall but with this being midterms week there wasn't any real enthusiasm behind it." After a moment, she lowered her head to peer at Cole from behind her red lenses. "I hope that next year they hold midterms the week before Halloween."

"Time should work in your favor then. Think Labor Day falling when it did pushed everything forward. Drops earlier next year, nice little hard reset of the academic schedule."

"Doesn't help for this year though. I'm failing as a college student if I'm letting a little wind and rain stop me from getting hammered on the weekend."