The women in Obsessed show their passion for their lovers in all kinds of ways. For some itβs about indulging in an act of daring, for others itβs 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 itβs the almost-divorced couple in βAftershocksβ by Bella Andre who finally, during an earthquake, confess their deepest desires, or the chef and client in βSilent Treatmentβ by Donna George Storey who tease each other with the promise of a very special recipe. In βThen,β 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 βLoserβ who manages to capture the attention of the narratorΓ¦and keep it by impressing her with his ardent desire. Stein writes, βHe 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 donβt 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 Iβm giving him at any given time.β Obsessed is not about obsession for a new purse or a new car or a new perfume. Itβs 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 youβd 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 donβt let go. Whether just-blooming passions, rekindled sparks or reinventing relationships, these lovers put the object of their obsession first. They donβt always do whatβs rational or proper; instead, they chase their dreams, such as in Kayla Perrinβs βOne Night in Paris,β across the world and across the landscape of their loversβ bodies.
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