Cleis Press
November 2011
On Sale: November 1, 2011
244 pages ISBN: 1573447242 EAN: 9781573447249 Kindle: B005SZEDGO Paperback / e-Book Add to Wish List
Lust is intense, overpowering. While in real life we may not always act every time lust calls to us, in fiction, we can abandon the safety of propriety and seek out lust and sex wherever we find them.
The characters in Women in Lust may vary in the objects of their lust, and how they go about acting on it, but what connects them is that pure impulse for a lover. Sometimes he is someone she knows well, is married to or dating; in other stories, he is a stranger, and is sexy precisely because he represents the unknown. Women also lust after other women here, such as in Kayar Silkenvoiceβs Japanese happy ending massage story, βCherry Blossom,β and while we only hear one side of the story, Iβd like to think the working woman is doing more than just her job. In addition to the culture clash, thereβs the joy of throwing caution to the wind while on vacation, using travel to broaden oneβs sexual horizons. Whether watching a lover playing guitar, using a webcam, going out for a smoke or simply a chance encounter, these women seize the opportunities presented to them, and savor the lovers who teach them about themselves, helping open them up to new sensual possibilities. Sometimes that means looking at the man they live with in a new light, and other times that means something much naughtier. Either way, their lust is a valued part of their lives, not a pesky afterthought or to-do list item on βdate night.β
The objects of their lust are not always the βrightβ person. In βRain,β a woman falls for her best friendβs boyfriend, one of the ultimate dating taboos, but she goes for it. Sometimes the desire itself, the way it can be used to tease and taunt, such as in Charlotte Steinβs βGuess,β is maddening, but we embrace our lusts even when they are maddening, even when they make us do things we might otherwise consider reckless.
For every woman here who can locate her lust on the map of her body, who zeros in on her target and goes for it, there is another who is opened up to her lust by a lover, whether itβs Jen Crossβs narrator pondering what it is, exactly, her orally gifted lover gets out of being between her legs. The first words of Shanna Germainβs powerfully kinky βBeneath My Skinβ are βIβm afraid,β to which Kade responds, βYou should be.β Fear can be a powerful motivator and, crossed with lust, can lead to explosive results.
Whether discovering the joy of a younger man, not to mention some delicious pudding, in βComfort Foodβ by Donna George Storey, or taking sex and bondage into the great outdoors in βSomething to Ruinβ by Amelia Thornton, these women indulge in new ways of getting off and pushing the limits of their lust. Thornton writes: βDespite my longing, there was still part of me that wanted to protest, to tell him to cut me loose, to run wildly through the forest back to the safety of our picnic blanket, but to me that is the beauty of rope. To desire escape but to willingly be imprisoned, to feel the pressure of something that prevents my movement, yet to know there is no place that I feel safer than when trapped like this.β She captures the excitement of giving in to a dominant lover, even when there is a small part of the narrator that is unsure, uncertain, for that is precisely the part that fuels her desire. This story captures the true power that lies in submission, and the many joys it can bring. In βHer, Him and Themβ by Aimee Pearl, the narrator submits to various lovers who question her and push her not only to be the best sub she can be, but to figure out why, exactly, she likes the thrill of submission and service.
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