The women in Obsessed show their passion for their lovers in
all kinds of ways. For some it’s about indulging in an act
of daring, for others it’s about letting go of their
preconceived notions of propriety and going where their body
tells them. In many of these stories, communication, the
touchstone of advice about good relationships, is missing in
some key way, whether it’s the almost-divorced couple in
“Aftershocks” by Bella Andre who finally, during an
earthquake, confess their deepest desires, or the chef and
client in “Silent Treatment” by Donna George Storey who
tease each other with the promise of a very special recipe.
In “Then,” Emerald explores what happens after a woman
confesses to her boyfriend just how much she lusts after
another man. They push the boundaries of their relationship
and the boundaries of their trust in each other, another
theme of this book.Charlotte Stein paints a portrait of a
“Loser” who manages to capture the attention of the
narratoræand keep it by impressing her with his ardent
desire. Stein writes, “He does little things, like when I
stop him saying words like those with my mouth on his, he
brings his hands up to cup my face. Other guys don’t cup my
face. And he does it as though he wants to keep me as close
as possible, so he can fully concentrate on my mouth and the
way it moves and how much tongue I’m giving him at any given
time.” Obsessed is not about obsession for a new purse or a
new car or a new perfume. It’s not even about the
obsessiveness of a crush, the kind of panting lust that
cycles over and over itself with no end in sight. Instead,
Obsessed is about the way a lover can get under your skin,
can drive you crazy with lust as well as so many other
emotions - love, longing, hunger, anger, confusion. Are
there happy endings here? Yes, there are, but they are not
always the happy endings you’d expect. These stories sizzle
with the kind of obsession that is fueled by our deepest
desires, the ones that hold couples together, the ones that
haunt us and don’t let go. Whether just-blooming passions,
rekindled sparks or reinventing relationships, these lovers
put the object of their obsession first. They don’t always
do what’s rational or proper; instead, they chase their
dreams, such as in Kayla Perrin’s “One Night in Paris,”
across the world and across the landscape of their lovers’
bodies.