Members

Fourth Part of

The Unspoken Society

series. In the previous story,

Induction

, Traci and Justin are erotically interviewed by a mysterious, intimate club. After some soul searching, they make their final decision to join.

We sent an enthusiastic acceptance and immediately got an evening appointment at a local restaurant in two days. The time went quickly.

We arrived and were conducted back to a private room. Two masked figures greeted us inside.

"Welcome, Traci and Justin. Please power down your phones."

We did.

"We won't bother with aliases, because as soon as you sign this paperwork, we will meet you as ourselves. We are the legal division of the club. Let's get started."

We signed a more detailed, written version of our pledge. We also signed a non disclosure agreement. Finally, we signed a financial responsibility agreement, outlining that we would pay our modest dues and serve in reasonable roles in service to the club.

They took our agreements, put them in a briefcase and snapped it shut, then pulled off their masks.

Traci gasped.

"Hey, Traci. Courtney here. Bet you didn't see that coming."

Traci laughed. "Not in a million years."

Courtney turned her smile on me. "Courtney Barret, pre-law wunderkind by day, dazzling enchantress by night. Well, at least the nights I'm not studying. Met Traci in a mutual class. Sought her out to study with her. We kind of keep tabs on couples we're evaluating."

"Logan Burke, also pre-law. No mutual classes with either of you, but I think you'll find several people you know when you meet the membership. We all befriend potential candidates and learn more about them."

We greeted them and got their congratulations. Courtney spoke.

"Traci and Justin, the club assigns mentors to new couples. I think you will be excited with yours. We are going to leave and let them meet you for dinner." She winked. "Looking forward to seeing you at the club. After you two melted the room down, everyone wants to meet you."

They left and a few minutes later, the door opened again.

Holy fucking shit. Monica and Eric walked in the room, big smiles on their faces.

"I think some congratulations are in order," Monica said, her voice dripping with glee. "Traci, Justin, we are so excited to welcome you into our club. It will be the second-best decision you ever make."

Traci and I both mumbled a thank you. My mind was in a whirl. How far back did Monica's attention and influence go?

She introduced you to your girlfriend, idiot!

Monica saw the pieces jumbling and rearranging in my mind and winked.

"I'm sure we'll have a lot to talk about over dinner. Why don't we get started?"

Eric went out to inform the service staff that we were ready. He came back and sat down.

"We've dined with you before," he said, "so we took the liberty to order family style for the table. I trust that's okay?"

"By now, I think you know our appetites pretty well," Traci deadpanned. Everyone cracked up.

"Let's start with the obvious questions," Eric continued. "As you are learning, we keep close tabs on people who might be good candidates for the club. Like other serious students, Monica and I volunteered for the mentorship program. It also has side benefits for members like us. We each asked for a set of students who were taking serious majors, but also interested in a balanced life. In the little get-togethers, we selected a couple of students who impressed us. Both Monica and I mentor two students each. The other two students are great mentees, but we haven't gotten the right vibes for a club like this. On the other hand, you two worked out fantastically."

Our first course arrived, and we took a moment to settle in. Monica picked up the thread.

"We compared notes and realized we had two excellent prospects, but we needed a couple. Justin, I nudged you a bit to date the fantastic catch beside you."

"I remember. And I told you I owe you for that one."

"And Traci, I talked up this fellow mentee who was really impressing us," Eric added.

"I remember, Eric. It made it easy to say yes when you introduced us and he asked me out. I think I owe you for that one as well."

"We have ways to collect." Everyone laughed.

"So life went on, and we watched the two of you blossom at school and grow close together. Of course, you shared a lot of what was going on with us, and we enjoyed helping you on your journey. We worked to stay objective in our advice, even while we grew certain you would be fantastic additions to our club. We put you on the candidate list, and other members took note and sought you out. You already have some friends and study partners in the club. In time, we pitched you two for formal candidacy, and these other contacts gave their positive impressions. You know most of the rest."

Eric took over.

"And yes, we found a way to bump into each of you yesterday. We figured you would have some stuff running through your heads. And we hope we gave you impartial and authentic advice."

Traci and I looked at each other and nodded. "We've left the runway," she said with a grin on her face.

I reached over and squeezed her hand. "Fear of flying," I said to Monica and Eric. "That was the crux of our decision."

"Well stated," Monica said with a smile. "It's a major step, but I trust you will find it truly to be the second-best decision you will ever make. Of course, the best decision is sitting beside you. Let's wait for the next course and then get more into that."

We chatted easily through the rest of our first course and plated our second.

"Okay," Eric picked up, "you're wondering what exactly you've gotten yourself into. First, we take your well-being very seriously. We don't push questionable hookups with people whom you may not trust. In some ways, we're more careful than most of the fraternal organizations on campus, or even some of your friend groups. Yes, we will hook you up, if you want to call it that, but you will always be meeting a person whom you can trust, who wants this as much as you do, and who genuinely cares about you. It's low risk and affirming."

"Next," Monica continued, "we're going to teach you a ton. The skills of love, obviously, but so much more. How to meet people. How to read them. How to gain their trust. How to make lasting friendships. How to do all this in a genuine way. It will make you successful, both personally and professionally. It will also make you very desirable. You will learn to seduce."

"But I've already got a girlfriend," I said. Traci locked eyes with Monica and laughed. She squeezed my hand.

"And a great one at that," Monica answered. "So you better keep seducing her. But to your question, it turns out that seduction is just a form of sharing yourself and gaining trust. When you put a woman at ease socially, she starts getting attracted. When you gain intimacy and trust, that attraction blooms. We don't teach cheesy pickup lines. We teach how to form bonds. Trust me, it won't hurt for your future female boss to be attracted. We also teach how to establish boundaries, which allow the attraction to simmer in a safe way. You'll always have the club if you want to channel that attraction to someone else."

"It doesn't stop there. We've hinted that there are professional benefits. We teach how to interview. How to negotiate. How to make a deal that genuinely benefits both sides. How to arbitrate disputes. We have alumni members help with that. They also mentor and open doors for you. You will grow to be a tremendous asset to any organization. You will have a network of successful contacts at your disposal."

"Finally," Eric said, "we offer a thorough cultural grounding. You will be invited to events and field trips. You will meet interesting people who want to share their passions with people who appreciate it. We do high culture, low culture, and everything in between. If you're interested, alumni will arrange a professional summer internship for both of you in a cultural oasis. Monica and I did one last summer and loved it."

"Wow, I'm overwhelmed," I said.

"It's a lot to take in, but we wanted to put you at ease. We aren't some den of debauchery. We are seriously interested in you and your development."

"Maybe time to lighten up for a moment?" Monica asked. "Finish these excellent dishes?"

"Definitely," I answered. We went back to chatting. It helped that I knew Monica so well.

When dessert came, Monica started the thread again.

"Okay, let's talk logistics. Can we arrange a free evening to tour the clubhouse?"

It turned out that Friday evening worked for all of us.

"Good day. There should be a few people there so you can see how things operate. Now, when you came to our meeting, you actually went to an office building downtown. We have a couple of floors, and we operate as an intern training facility. Not too far off the mark, is it?"

"The downtown location actually helps with privacy. Lots of people blending in when we travel there. Lots of good transportation options. Underground garage for cars, although we try not to drive often. We maintain sleeping quarters for 'interns' who are spending the night. We have meal service."

"Of course, we have to maintain privacy, so we want to go over that before you leave tonight. There are a few things. We load an app on your phone that fuzzes your location when you are downtown. We ask you to keep a low profile with your membership. Don't talk about joining a club, but if people ask why you're periodically busy, tell them you are part of an invitation-only intern program with a group that values privacy. We'll give you more orientation later, but that should get you by for the interim. When you visit the club, you're going downtown for a date night. Maybe you decide to spend the night. Close enough to the truth. Make sense?"

Traci and I nodded.

"Do you mind if we take your phones to load and configure the app?"

We let Eric do that while Monica continued.

"We'll formally introduce you at the next meeting. But on Friday, you may see someone you know. It's okay to be surprised. We're all normal, serious students who have a secret naughty side. Not that different from a lot of others—we just give it a playground. Just remember to be affirming if you see your former lab partner getting railed."

Traci and I laughed.

"Okay, let's meet at six at the library and go downtown. We'll show how we discretely visit the club, then you'll get the nickel tour. We'll catch a late supper later. Sound like a plan?"

We nodded.

"Okay, I think we've covered enough business for one night. Shall we enjoy the rest of this dessert?"

We went back to chatting. Monica and Eric kept us at ease, even with all the revelations of the night. I realized that they had some serious social skills, and their story of the club started to fall into place.

When the meal ended, Eric looked over. "We want to end the evening by saying how excited we are for you. We have to admit that we were proud to see you wow the club Saturday. There are a lot of members who can't wait to meet you. You're the new celebrities, but don't feel pressured. Everyone knows how to ease new members into the club. We'll be here for you as well, and you can greatly expand the subjects you discuss with us."

"Anything at all," Monica added, looking at me.

Traci smacked my arm.

"Stop drooling, boyfriend." We all laughed.

"Okay," Eric continued. "We're going to step out. Everything is settled with the restaurant. Give us a few minutes then enjoy the rest of your evening. It was a pleasure."

"Eric and Monica, thank you," Traci said. "We appreciate all you've done for us."

"Absolutely," I added. "You've gone way out of your way to look out for us."

"You'll get to do the same for some lucky students some day," Monica said. "We've loved working with you. Good night."

They got up and I hugged Monica and Eric both. Traci did the same. I felt Monica's body pressed against mine a little differently this time.

They left with a wink.

"Well, well, well," Traci said when the door closed. "I didn't see that coming."

"Me either," I said. "But I think we made the right decision."

"I think you're right." She took my hand. "We're flying now, boyfriend."

We got some serious studying done that evening and the next day to take our minds off the ramifications of our decision.

Friday, we gathered at the library a little early. Monica and Eric were already there.

"Everyone's early. I wonder why. Let's go," Monica said.

We rode a bus downtown.

"Lots of ways to get to this place," Eric said. "The bus works, or you can catch the light rail."

We got downtown and got out. They walked us to a busy area, full of restaurants and other nightlife. We went into a mini mall area.

"This entrance is a good one, tucked by the toilets. There are a couple of other side entrances—we'll show you one on the way out," Eric explained.

He keyed in a code, and we entered a hallway that opened into a bank of elevators.

"We usually take a quick look around to see if we recognize anyone before we go to the entrance. If so, we walk around to another."

He called an elevator, then used a key fob on the reader. The elevator started up.

"If you use the fob again, the elevator will cancel our stop and go to the bar on the top. Looks natural if someone you don't recognize joins you. The bar has a great view, by the way."

The elevator opened into a small lobby with a glass door and a discreet sign.

Eric went across and opened the door with the fob and a code. He let it close behind us. We were in another lobby. Three doors led off.

"Now that we're in our domain. I can speak plainly," Eric said. "We use facial recognition to unlock these doors. Everyone in the group has to match up. These keypads are for show, but if you key in a code, it alerts security that there is a problem. Good if someone is trying to follow you in."

He opened a door, and Monica took over.

"This door opens into the anteroom you used the first time. There's a changing room through that door. We'll keep our clothes on, but a lot of members strip down on days without planned events."

We took a quick look in the changing room. There were several changes of clothes hanging, and some cell phones in cubbies.

"Good, we have some members around for the evening. Let's put our phones in the cubbies. We each have spaces. You'll get yours at orientation. Just use ours for now."

"There's a detector that reminds you if you take your phone through a door. We all feel better without cameras in the area."

We went back into the anteroom, and Monica paused at the far door.

"Be prepared to see anything on the other side of this door. Ready?"

Traci looked at me and nodded.

"Let's do it," I said.

Monica opened the door with a flourish and led us into the main hall. On the same bed we had used, a buxom girl slowly rode a guy cowgirl. Her flushed face turned to us.

"The new celebrity couple!" she exclaimed. "Justin, this could be you, anytime you wanted."

Her partner looked over and laughed.

"Getting your claim in quick, huh?" he said.

"Never hurts," she replied brightly.

"Traci and Justin, meet Mia and Micheal, our resident exhibitionists, and our M&M's," Monica said. "They often take over this bed. The offer is always open to join them, or take them individually to more private spaces. They are a lot of fun, and everyone likes them."

She went over and patted Mia's butt affectionately.

"We're giving them the nickel tour, so you'll have to take a rain check."

"Oh well, it's Friday night and I'm sure we'll snag someone. Welcome, Traci and Justin. We can't wait to meet you more intimately."

"Thanks for the—ah—genuine welcome!" Traci said. Mia and Michael laughed and waved.

"You can now see the entire room where you burned the bed down," Monica said drily. "We hold our club meetings here, and we also use it for classes or social gatherings. Sometimes we mingle here and pair off for fun in the back."

She led us to another doorway.

"This leads to the fun rooms. There are several. If the door is closed, the occupants select a sign that they don't want to be disturbed, a sign to knock and wait, or a sign that you can open the door and go in. If the door is open, you can watch or join in."

We walked by a number of large, interior rooms with large beds and other rounded furniture. One of the rooms had a closed door with a knock sign.

"Everything works for sex," she added. "We keep the furniture clean, and we go through a lot of sheets. Let's move on to the private rooms."

We moved out into the exterior rooms of the building. Light flowed in through the windows to each room.

"Most of the exterior of this floor is devoted to private bedrooms. You can spend the night if you choose. When people pair up, this is where they typically go. You can also invite another couple to your room. The beds are kings, and all the rooms have at least a couch and an attached bathroom. Many of us use this as a hotel to romance our own partners. Dinner downtown and a romantic evening of sex keep the relationship going. And if you decide to spice it up, the fun rooms are just down the hall."

We went around a bend and found a staircase going up.

"Second floor this way. We have our restaurant space up here."

We ascended into an airy room with tables and good light through the windows.

"We encourage you to date other members. You'll meet them here for dinner and then spend the night together. We all enjoy those nights. The vibe is very friendly first date, with a sense of adventure and excitement in the room. You'll get to meet many interesting and accomplished people, and you get to know them out of their clothes, too. We also enjoy waiting tables, getting to connect with a lot of our friends on their dates. Lots of fun all around."

Eric led us to a door at the side of the space.

"This leads to another set of fun rooms and private bedrooms along the perimeter." He opened the door and led us in. "By convention, these cater to more advanced tastes. You're welcome to wander, but you will see stuff and be invited to join if you do. You'll find three-ways and more-ways, same-sex action, and advanced positions and practices up here. And we keep it all shame free and positive. So if you want to let your freak flag fly, come on up. We treat everyone gently. You don't have to join in. You can make intimate love while a small orgy rages beside you. And we use this for overflow from downstairs, so not everything is advanced and crazy."

We moved on to a door with a coat of arms on the door.

"What's that?" Traci asked.

"The dungeon," Eric answered enigmatically.

"Like, BDSM?"

"We wouldn't be a full service club without it."

"Oh my God. Are we touring in there too?"

"It's our choice to show you. You have to take a class to be granted access, but we can escort you. But we'll only do it if you clearly want to go."

Traci looked over to me.

"I'm in if you're in, girlfriend."

"I guess we're flying high now," she answered. "Can we take a look?"

Eric moved to the door and entered a code. He threw a stout deadbolt, then swung the door open.

"Do not do anything without direction from us. And remember to affirm the people in here. And there are people in here. Still want to come?"

"Lead on, Eric," Traci said. "Might as well get my education started now."

"That's the spirit. Enter our lair, fair maiden."

We wandered into a dim, quiet hallway. It wasn't lost on me that our mentors had access to this area. One more thing I didn't know about Monica.

Rooms led to each side. Eric entered one and turned up the lighting. We saw mirrors on each wall. Various eyebolts supported trapeze-like structures. A sex swing hung from the ceiling.