Midnight Movie Club Ch. 08

She could see the questions beginning to form, but instead, she plowed forward with her explanation. "You were out studying," she reminded Julie. "She spent the night to catch a break from Tricia and one thing led to another. A couple of anothers, actually. I wasn't trying to hide it, I just... it was... I was waiting to tell you guys during our next meeting. I figured that's when we catch each other up on who and what we've been doing."

"Ahem." Cole raised an eyebrow from his spot on Julie's bed. "Meaning to interrupt you, Eleanor. Said to me that you were waiting for the next official meeting to see the look on Julie and Alexander's faces. Buying your current words means buying your past ones too"

Eleanor's shoulders slumped. "Yeah," she said, rubbing her face. "I did say that, didn't I? I guess I wanted to see how you'd react when I told you 'hey, I banged a girl!'"

"You told me you were bisexual the first night we roomed together," Julie said from her chair. "I figured it was an eventuality you would have sex with another woman. Although I will admit some surprise about who that woman was."

"Same here," added Alexander. "I thought you guys didn't get along with your neighbors, but hey, whatever. And I grew up in Seattle. The city's been LGBTQ+ friendly since before I was born. Male fantasies aside, girl-on-girl isn't the surprise it used to be."

Eleanor managed to chuckle. "So much for that," she said, shaking her head. "But yeah. I broke one of our bylaws. And since I'm the first one of us to do so, we need to figure out what the consequences should be."

Julie smiled. "You always did strike me as the trailblazer among this quartet." Pressing a knuckle against her lips, she hummed quietly. "You did violate the rules, however not in a malicious manner. You weren't trying to hide anything, you just exhibited poor judgment in timing."

"Then why not let this one slide?" Alexander looked at his three friends in turn. "As you said, Eleanor wasn't trying to hide anything and she fessed up right away. Call it a first offense and let her off with a warning."

Before Julie could speak, Eleanor raised her hand to interrupt. "Mind if I take this one, Julie?" Her roommate nodded, motioning for her to speak. "It's still an infraction. It doesn't matter that I told Cole immediately after we had sex. The key word is 'after,' not 'immediately.' We all came up with these rules to make sure this four-way friendship with benefits doesn't go sideways." She offered a genuine smile. "You're all my friends. The sex is a fucking amazing bonus, but our friendship comes first. And if we're going to have a freaking charter and talk about holding movie nights for our friends outside this group then that means we stick to rules we came up with." Thumping her chest, Eleanor stated proudly, "I'm a big girl. I can take my licks."

"So could Beatrix."

"You're not wrong, Mr. de'Armound," Eleanor laughed boisterously, "but I believe you also know how many licks it takes me to get to your gooey center."

After a round of laughter, Julie motioned for the group's attention. "OK. As President, two proposals. One, we save Alexander's piece of business for after Eleanor's punishment. Two, before we discuss the punishment, there is one other piece of New Business. Per the bylaws of the Midnight Movie Club, I would like to inform everyone that I slept with a fellow student on Halloween night. His name is Jaxon, and he is the president of the Farragut Film Society."

"And I hooked up with Gwen," Alexander added. "I went over to her and Karen's room to offer them an invite and, to quote, I was an upgrade over her vibrator."

"Got used for stress relief too." Cole made a vague motion towards the window. "Lynn, skinny redhead girl? Both of us needed to blow off steam after our last midterm and steam was indeed blown."

Eleanor shook her head in disbelief. "Look at us. We're a bunch of sluts... no, no," she quickly corrected herself. "We are young adults confident in expressing our sexuality with a variety of diverse partners." Her statement was punctuated with a firm nod.

Julie glanced around the room. "Anyone else sleep with anyone else? Any other New Business? No? OK. Then let us move on to discussing what Eleanor's punishment should be. Now while she did commit a violation, it was only a minor one. I truly believe the punishment should fit the crime without being too excessive. And I happen to have such a punishment in mind."

X X X X X

Eleanor strained against the series of hair ties binding her forearms to the chair's armrests. "This wasn't the punishment I had in mind."

Kneeling on the floor, Julie wagged her finger playfully. "This is the only way to ensure you suffer the full punishment. You won't be able to turn away, glance at your phone, or even get up and leave. You have no option but to sit there and endure it."

Eleanor was loosely tied to her desk chair by a series of hair ties, scrunchies, and towels meant to provide both restraint and comfort. The chair was placed at the foot of her and Julie's beds and turned to directly face their television. Her forearms were securely fastened to the armrests while her ankles were tied to the front chair legs. Julie had done the knotwork, ensuring that Eleanor was tied down without any risk of cutting off the circulation to her limbs, with a pillow slipped under her butt as well as behind her back.

"These aren't too tight?" Julie asked while she checked one of the scrunchies.

"Nope. I can wiggle my fingers and my toes just fine." As Julie got to her feet, Eleanor added, "Promise me that if the fire alarm goes off you're not going to carry me outside still tied to this chair."

"I can have you out of that chair in fifteen seconds. Part of my Dad teaching me how to tie knots was learning how to untie them when needed." Julie frowned slightly as she looked down at Eleanor. "Are you sure you're OK with this?"

"It's a little late for that." Eleanor once again tried to lift her arms from the chair. The restraints gave a little bit but still managed to keep her in place. "I trust you," she smiled. "Let's just do this before I have to go to the bathroom."

With that, Julie did her best to assume a solemn expression. "Eleanor Flower Freeman," she proclaimed gravely, "as President of the Midnight Movie Club I declare that your punishment for breaking our third bylaw is to watch a bad movie. Not a movie so horrible it comes back around to being good, but a truly wretched piece of cinema. You're tied to that chair so you can't walk away, look away, or use your phone for distraction. Your punishment ends when the end credits begin rolling. Until then, the only reasons you may be untied is if there is an emergency that requires us to evacuate the building or if you need to use the bathroom. Are you ready to begin serving out your sentence?"

Eleanor could hear Cole and Alexander snickering behind her. She sat up straight in the chair and looked her roommate square in the eye. "Bring it on, Madame President," she growled with spirited defiance. "No movie could be that bad."

"That sounded like a challenge." Julie squeezed Eleanor's shoulder before walking around her. From where she was sitting, Eleanor couldn't turn her head enough to catch more of a glimpse of Alexander. The young man was lying on her bed, stomach down, his head and elbows resting on one of her pillows. She couldn't see Cole, however, who she assumed was against the headboard of Julie's bed.

Eleanor shifted slightly in her seat. She had never been restrained before. Pinned down, yes. Tied up, no. Handing control over to another person had never entered into her paradigm, sexual or otherwise. Her parents, along with her grandparents and a multitude of siblings, had taught her to be strong, firm, and resolute. To Eleanor, that meant never being helpless. To always have a say in matters and refuse to be pushed aside or ignored.

Yet when told she would be tied to a chair, it took only a little cajoling from Julie for Eleanor to overcome her apprehension and submit to the unorthodox punishment. She trusted her friend and roommate to make sure nothing happened to her. And there was no denying the subtle thrill Eleanor experienced from Julie being the one to tie her up.

The television clicked softly before the flat screen burst into colorful life. As Julie began setting up the movie from her smartpad, Eleanor rolled her shoulders, getting comfortable as she prepared to suffer her punishment.

X X X X X

The instant the credits began to roll Eleanor strained futilely against the restraints as she tried to turn around and glare at her roommate. Only able to catch a glimpse of her bare feet, Eleanor nonetheless shot her a withering glare. "Julie Wyndham," she admonished, "I hereby charge you with violating my human rights. Showing someone that fucking movie should be a war crime!"

A trifecta of laughter emerged from behind her. "What's wrong," Julie teased between breaths, "Double Down not to your liking?"

"I'm all for tolerance but that movie should be burned at the stake! Oh my Goddess, where do I even start? A plot so incoherent you couldn't follow it with a corkboard and red string? Scene transitions that make no sense? Scenes that make no sense? Introducing characters without any backstory? Either having too much exposition or no exposition whatsoever?"

The volume of Eleanor's voice rose as she spoke. She barely kept it under control in deference to her next-door neighbors as she fought her descent into a full-blown rant. "And what the fuck was up with all that tuna? His entire trunk was full of empty Starkist cans! How the hell does he not have mercury poisoning?"

She could somehow hear the shit-eating grin on Julie's face over the chuckles of Alexander and Cole. "I take it that you would have no interest in seeing the other four films Neil Breen has done?"

"Four more? Who the hell... I mean... HOW?!?" Eleanor could feel the scrunchies digging into her forearms as her body viscerally reacted to Julie's statement. "Are they all self-inserts like this? I've never seen a more blatant Mary Sue in my life, and I've read Supernatural fan fiction!"

On her bed behind her, she could hear Alexander trying to swallow his laughter. "Why are you so worked up?" he asked. "It's just a movie."

"Because I'm a creative type." Eleanor blew out a long breath to calm down. "I wrote poetry in high school, I was on the literary mag, I'm taking Creative Writing... Julie, remind me I have a story draft due this week... and I may have dabbled in slashfic once or twice. That movie insulted me on every level of my creative core." She shook her head. "I'm going to be more careful with the bylaws from now on. But I'm warning each and every one of you, the second one of you breaks the rules, I am going to personally tie you to this chair and make sure you watch every second of whatever shitty movie Julie picks. And the Earth Mother help you if you're the one in this chair, Julie."

"I will have to be extra careful." Eleanor heard Julie lightly clap her hands together. "As President, I hereby declare that Eleanor Freeman has completed her punishment."

With Alexander's assistance, Julie easily and quickly freed Eleanor from her makeshift restraints to a groan of relief from the young woman as she got to her feet. After a quick trip to the bathroom, she came back into the dorm room and immediately pointed to Cole and Alexander, "One of you gets to rub Wod Balm into my shoulders while the other massages my ass until I get feeling back in it..."

Even as his hand shot into the air, Alexander eagerly called out, "Dibs on Eleanor's ass."

"Before you begin rubbing down my roommate," Julie chuckled, "there's one other piece of New Business we still need to conclude. Alexander?"

"Oh! I almost forgot!" Displaying the same eagerness as he had regarding Eleanor's butt, Alexander reached into his backpack. After a moment he pulled his hand free, flourishing a piece of brown paper, wrapped and tied with a black ribbon. "Ladies and gentlemen," he said proudly, "the official charter of the Midnight Movie Club. If you would do the honors, Madame President?"

After carefully removing the ribbon Julie unrolled the charter, which had been printed on perforated paper dyed to appear browned with age. Once run through the printer, the edges of the document could be removed to give the final product a torn, crinkled appearance. "This is impressive, Alexander," she said approvingly. "It looks like a professional prop one would see in a Hollywood movie."

Alexander smiled. He watched Julie read the charter before passing it along to Cole, who scanned it before giving a succinct nod and handing it to Eleanor. "No complaints here," she said as she looked it over. "Everything's laid out and easy to read. It looks rather formal." After reading it a second time, she looked up at her friends. "As long as we're all cool with everything in here, I'll sign it."

Cole gestured towards the charter. "Everything we assented to right there written in printer ink. Quartet of us don't need a piece of paper to tell us we're friends, but I see that charter as a way to strengthen that bond. Tells us to be responsible to the others and trust the others to be responsible to us. Plus," he smiled casually, "having a charter makes us mite more classy than other bang clubs."

"It's not a bang club," Alexander quietly groused.

"If we're all in agreement on the charter, then let us make this official." Julie walked over to her desk and pulled out a small wooden box that Eleanor didn't recognize. The light brown box appeared hand-carved, with a small golden plate set into its lid. "My father got these for my eighteenth birthday," she explained while opening it up. Nestled inside were a pair of objects - a brass compass and a small, narrow silver cylinder. "He found the box and the compass in an antique shop while Illinois was docked at Pearl. He and another officer managed to restore them both and drop the package in the mail before setting sail on their next patrol." She held up the compass. The polished brass gleamed under the dorm room's fluorescent lighting. "They think it dates back to the 19th century and probably belonged to a naval officer, either from the Royal Navy or the Marine Nationale."

Eleanor pointed to the cylinder. "What's that?"

"A high-quality pen." Julie put back the compass and took out the pen. "This is the first time I've used it. Eleanor, if I could have the charter?" After Eleanor handed it over, Julie smoothed the charter over her blotter. With bold, flowing strokes, she neatly affixed her name to the bottom of the charter in black ink. "Julie Wyndham," she proclaimed with a smile. "Who's next?"

Cole stood up, taking the pen from Julie's outstretched hand. "Cole Scales," he said while scribbling his name.

Eleanor took her time signing the charter, making sure her signature was perfect. "Eleanor Flower Freeman."

Going last, Alexander's signature was incredibly formal, as if he had spent years and years practicing it. "Alexander de'Armound." He put the cap back on the pen and handed it back to Julie. "I guess this means we're officially a club. Do you think we should get the school to recognize us?"

"I don't think we'd fall under their oversight," joked Julie as she put the box back in her desk. "Well, that's the final piece of New Business. Now what should we do?"

Eleanor's answer was to immediately pull her shirt over her head, exposing her naked chest. "As I said earlier," she proclaimed in a tone that brooked no argument, "Cole's going to rub down my shoulders and, well, Alexander called dibs on my ass..."

X X X X X

"You're awake."

Julie could feel Alexander stir at her statement. "Hmm?"

"You're awake." She turned her head from where it rested against his chest to look at him. His face was outlined by the dim moonlight shining around the closed curtains. "You've been lying there for the past three hours looking at the ceiling. And you've been trying to sigh without disturbing me."

"Sorry. I didn't mean to keep you up."

"It's alright. I've been drifting in and out of sleep myself." Julie snuggled closer to Alexander, humming contentedly as he idly scratched her back. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing. I'm good."

"You and I both know that's not the truth." Her hand idly traced a path along his chest. "You tend to fall asleep soon after finishing your amorous activities for the evening. Remaining awake tells me something's on your mind."

Alexander sighed quietly. "Seriously Julie, it's nothing. It's stupid."

"If it's nothing, then you wouldn't be worrying about it. If it's stupid, then you shouldn't be worrying about it. So by process of elimination, it's neither nothing nor stupid."

Pressed against him, Julie could feel Alexander's body shake as he chuckled dryly. "You're not going to let this go, are you?"

"As long as you're not still upset about your soccer club losing last weekend. Then I'm going to make fun of you."

The pair was currently curled up underneath Julie's thick quilt, with Alexander on his back and Julie's arm and leg sprawled over him. On the far side of the room, Eleanor and Cole faced towards the wall, Cole spooning her from behind, both of them breathing softly as they snoozed.

To no one's surprise, Eleanor stripping naked was the catalyst for the second half of the Midnight Movie Club's evening. Julie had watched from her bed while Cole and Alexander proceeded to give Eleanor her requested rubdown. To the credit of both young men, they had taken their assigned duties seriously. Cole's fingers, trained and calloused from years of playing guitar, worked the Wod Balm into her skin, while Alexander utilized the same massage techniques Julie used on him after their weekend jogs to help soothe the muscles in Eleanor's legs and butt. Eleanor had signaled the switch from "rubdown" to "foreplay" when she blatantly pulled Cole's cock from his pants and began eagerly licking it. That had been Alexander's cue to join Julie on her bed, where his presence quickly led to some blatant foreplay of their own.

Tonight had been the first time the two had slept together since September. While making out for several minutes as well as shedding various layers of clothing, Julie slowly realized that she was dealing with a different young man. She ran her feet along his legs, which were beginning to tone from his months of running. There was less of him along his chest and abs as well. Most noticeable to her, however, was a confidence that hadn't been there during their first time together. There was still a hesitancy underlying his actions, but Alexander quickly overcame it much more often than not.

Then there was his improvement as a lover. He wasn't as intense as Cole, and he lacked Jaxon's primal ferocity that had left her mewling like a cat in heat. What Alexander had was an appreciative eagerness - his avid kisses, the vigor with which he ran his hands over her toned body, and how he had gone down on her to make her moan with his lips and tongue. And there was a noticeable increase in his stamina as well. Alexander's thrusts had been firm and deep, with the pair quickly finding a rhythm that suited them. Julie was utterly satisfied by the time Alexander spilled inside of her. A few moments of quiet pillow talk filled the gap between climax and sleep as they both drifted off to the sounds of Cole and Eleanor's frenetic lovemaking.

"Try not to laugh too much, OK?" Alexander's sigh was one of someone looking for the correct words. "Have things ever gone too well for you? Like, everything is going your way and instead of soaking it all in you're waiting for the other shoe to drop?"