Although the greats such as Bram Stoker, Edgar Allan Poe, and Daphne du Maurier are long dead, these contemporary authors keep the Gothic spirit alive and well by interpreting it in new and exciting ways. Red Velvet and Absinthe offers readers a collection of unique and original stories that conjure up the atmospheric and romantic spirit of the Gothic masters (and mistresses) but take things a bit further by adding to the brew a generous dosage of eroticism. Lie back and listen to the wind howling outside your window as you read these stories in the flickering light of a candle, the absinthe you’re sipping warming your body like the caressing touch of a lover’s fingers . . .Includes:Snowlight Moonlight by Rose de FerCover Him with Darkness by Janine AshblessA Rose in the Willow Garden by Elizabeth DanielsThe Blood Moon by Mitzi SzeretoPainted by Anna MeadowsDolly by Charlotte SteinLa Belle Mort by Zander VyneThe Persistence of Memory by Even MoraScratched by Ashley ListerBitter and Intoxicating by Sharon BidwellTea for Two by Claire BuckinghamMilady's Bath by Giselle RenardeThe Way Home by Cary WilliamsThe Queen by Tahira IqbalBenediction by Bonnie Dee

    While misunderstandings surrounding these communities prevail, BDSM sexuality cuts across race, gender, nationality, and sexual orientation. BDSM describes forms of sexuality that incorporate restraint, pressure, sensation, training, and elements of both erotic and non-erotic power exchange between the engaged parties. Some BDSM "scenes" include role-playing, spanking, blindfolds, ropes, and erotic costuming. Sexual Outsiders is designed as a guide for BDSM community members who must wade through the quagmire of unique problems they face: coming out to family, friends and partners; distinguishing abusive relationships from healthy consensual ones; finding and developing community; overcoming shame and denial; exploring whether BDSM sexuality can be a healing tool; gaining access to quality, culturally competent psychotherapy; and finding strategies to develop a healthy sexual self-esteem in the face of current medical and social standards that view them as sick or pathological. The book also serves as an educational primer for those whose partners, friends, and family members are involved in BDSM. In terms of challenges faced by BDSM communities, the most significant is living with a stigmatized sexuality shame, prejudice, discrimination, isolation, depression, and a lack of adequate, competent mental health care. Issues such as coming out as a sexual minority, finding community and partners, and dealing with scenes and relationships that go wrong are some the common experiences shared by members of BDSM communities. Sexual Outsiders employs common sense, good humor, and vivid anecdotes while incorporating basic ideas about human behavior, psychology, philosophy, interviews, history, and clinical case studies to illustrate the real lives and experiences of men and women in BDSM communities. Anyone wanting to learn more about this unique, and more-common-than-you-think expression of sexuality, will find in these pages insight into the various challenges BDSM practitioners face, and the many strengths that people in the BDSM communities have developed in the face of social stigma and prejudice.

    A girly-girl reaps a sweet punishment for refusing to mess up her oh-so-pink lipstick and a well-equipped top takes charge. Whether readers dream of surrendering to a lover or of taking control, Say Please offers plenty of erotic inspiration and gives readers exactly what they want!In "The Cruelest Kind," Kiki Delovely's naughty narrator gets her just desserts from her butch girlfriend with some fierce back alley bondage while D.L. King's domme makes her submissive strip before un unseen audience, binds her to a bench, and gives her a good strapping in "A Public Spectacle." Anna Watson' bored housewife gets more than she bargains for in "The Keys" when she follows a lesbian animal trainer out to a queer bar and anything goes in Xan West's sexy "Strong" when a transgender butch and genderqueer sub engage in some very tough love.

    A place where your most intimate fantasies came true. Definitely not the kind of place Chloe Daniels would ever normally go. But when her fiancé breaks up with her and her best friend buys her a membership to the exclusive club, Chloe figures it’s time to break out of her shell. Her first night there, she matches with an amazing man. Dark, mysterious, and totally anonymous, the man in the mask brings her to heights of pleasure she could only imagine in her darkest fantasies. Too bad Chloe’s mystery man is Jayson Reynolds. Arrogant billionaire. Notorious playboy. And Chloe’s boss. Her boss is the man who’s been making her fall to her knees, to call him sir, to bend over and beg for release as he spanks her hard. Chloe doesn’t even realize how much trouble she’s in. Because you know what they say about the truth. It always comes out. And when it does, Chloe will be begging for more than just pleasure. She’ll be begging for her heart.

    Where the men are rugged, forged by the elements, and cowboy masters of seduction. Where the women they meet are feisty, headstrong, and courageous enough to enter their Dom’s world, taking a chance to submit to the one man they find they cannot live without. This is the complete collection of the original eight full-length sultry, steamy Western romances. It includes… HIS UNEXPECTED LOVE: Jenna & Carter, The Beginning HIS SCANDALOUS LOVE HIS WICKED LOVE HIS UNTAMED LOVE HIS TEMPTING LOVE HIS SEDUCTIVE LOVE HIS SECRET LOVE (Plus bonus scene) HIS CHERISHED LOVE Publisher’s Note: This steamy collection of eight full-length novellas includes themes of power exchange.

    It is a collection of poignant stories told by the women themselves about how they were enslaved, how they ended up in there, what they think of it, and where they were before. A few are in love with him; an equal number are plotting to assassinate him. Most have dejectedly resigned themselves to being completely cut off from the world and confined in the suffocating environment of a harem.Some recount chilling stories, such as the one who used to belong to a sheikh who flunked out of medical school but decided to operate on people anyway. He set up a "clinic" in his basement, bought slave "patients," and regularly performed surgery. Of course, he butchered most of them, but he was able to indulge his desire. Or the one who had been in the laboratory of a scientist who experimented with gags, dildos, and body glues. The experiments kept going wrong and dozens of subjects had to be put down, but were immediately replaced by fresh ones. Or the fussy prince who owned a crocodile, and if his slaves didn't perform the way he wished, he would have them fed to the crocodile on the spot.Many tell similar stories of being lured with promises of glamorous jobs as models, musicians, or movie roles, then trapped and sold into slavery. Two actually entered servitude voluntarily. More than a few have gone quietly insane (violent insanity means a transfer elsewhere). Some responded to propositions online. Others were simply victims of opportunistic kidnappings. Fathers, brothers, step-fathers, law enforcement officers, clergy, school counselors, as well as professional traffickers, have all been involved in this unspeakable crime.

    Carol Queen. Whether writing about the joys of being spanked into erotic bliss, performing in a red-light district peep show, partaking of the pleasures of the new safe sex clubs, or lobbying for the pro-pornography platform, Queen is an enthusiastic advocate for sexual pleasure.

    I couldn't stop thinking about the dirty things he did to me. Was I a slut for enjoying it so much? I no longer cared, I needed more from him. When I got that phone call, I knew what was coming. This is part 1 of The Billionaire's New Toy (amazon.com/dp/B00KYGD430): 1. Summoned: For His Pleasure (amazon.com/dp/B00K3FE6AM) 2. Forced: To Enjoy (amazon.com/dp/B00KCWNZDK) 3. Used: To Satisfy Enjoy your reading time again!

    The only book to promote psychological and physical well-being in the practice of anal sexuality for women and men."

    Although some people regard fetish fashion as exploitative and misogynistic, others interpret it as a positive Amazonian statement--couture Catwoman. But the connection between fashion and fetishism goes far beyond a few couture collections. For the past thirty years, the iconography of sexual fetishism has been increasingly assimilated into popular culture. Before Michelle Pfeiffer's Catwoman, there was Mrs. Peel, heroine of the 1960s television show "The Avengers," who wore a black leather catsuit modeled on a real fetish costume. Street styles like punk and the gay "leatherman" look also testify to the influence of fetishism.The concept of fetishism has recently assumed a growing importance in critical thinking about the cultural construction of sexuality. Yet until now no scholar with an in-depth knowledge of fashion history has studied the actual clothing fetishes themselves. Nor has there been a serious exploration of the historical relationship between fashion and fetishism, although erotic styles have changed significantly and "sexual chic" has become increasingly conspicuous.Cultural historian Valerie Steele has devoted much of her career to the study of the relationship between clothing and sexuality, and is uniquely qualified to write this book. Marshalling a dazzling array of evidence from pornography, psychology, and history, as well as interviews with individuals involved in sexual fetishism, sadomasochism, and cross-dressing, Steele illuminates the complex relationship between appearance and identity. Based on years of research, her book Fetish: Fashion, Sex & Power explains how a paradigm shift in attitudes toward sex and gender has given rise to the phenomenon of fetish fashion."Steele is to fetish dressing what Anne Rice is to vampires," writes Christa Worthington of Elle magazine, "the intellectual interpreter of...wishes beyond our ken." According to Steele, fetishism shows how human sexuality is never just a matter of doing what comes naturally; fantasy always plays an important role. Steele provides provocative answers to such questions as: Why is black regarded as the sexiest color? Is fetishizing the norm for males? Does fetish fashion reflect a fear of AIDS? And why do so many people love shoes?

    Today, single women are the fastest-growing segment of the population, with over forty-seven million single women in this country and twenty-two million of them between the ages of twenty-five and forty-four. Whatever the reasons -- fear of divorce, increased financial independence, delayed motherhood -- more women than ever no longer feel the urgency, or the ability, to settle down. Lucky for this growing group of women, author and former commitment-phobe Elina Furman has written Kiss and Run, the first-ever book about female commitment anxiety. Filled with fun quizzes, first-person testimonials, and step-by-step action plans, Kiss and Run includes the top-five panic buttons, advice for curbing overanalysis, and tips for fixing negative commitment scripts. You'll also find the seven types of commitment-phobes, including the Nitpicker, the Serial Dater, and the Long-Distance Runner. Based on the stories of more than one hundred women, this straight-talking guide helps single women conquer commitment anxiety and say yes to love.

    Jon Stallworthy has here selected some of the most moving, funny, shameless, and erotic love poems in the English language.Representing the work of more than 190 poets, from Sappho to Byron and Browning, from Rossetti to Wordsworth and E.E. Cummings, he offers a startling collection of love poetry down through the ages. Arranged thematically, beginning with the first drawings of young love and ending with the longlook back of the aged, and revealing love in all its different aspects and perversities, this anthology demonstrates vividly man's changeless responses to the changing seasons of the heart.Stallworthy's book of love poetry, ranging across more than twenty centuries of writing about love 'till the stars have run away' establishes beyond the eye-shadow of a doubt that love is, has been and always will be blind.--Christian Science MonitorA very thorough job...eccentric and entertaining.--Times Literary Supplement (London)

    Global Leather has been murdered!In the Grand Sterling Hotel of Midtown Manhattan, home of the huge annual leather/BDSM/fetish ball and contest, Mr. & Ms. Global Leather, last year's male winner lies dead on the floor of his suite, wearing only very frilly, bright yellow panties. Cormac "Mack" Steel made a lot of enemies in his year wearing the studded leather sash, not the least being his co-winner Mistress Ravenfyre. But she is not alone � there are over three thousand attendees at this year's fetish-festooned event from all over the world, some of whom might have had some very personal issues with the corpse.Enter Detective Rebecca Feldblum of the Midtown East Precinct. Assigned to this doozy of a case because, as one of NYC's only out lesbian detectives, her Lieutenant seems to believe these are "her people." Shocked, amazed and alternately puzzled and amused, Detective Feldblum must navigate a world of doms and subs, masters and mistresses, pups and trainers, leather, latex and lingerie, and discover who murdered the late Mack Steel � and hopefully do it before the weekend is over and everyone goes home. In the process, she will discover more about the sexual underworld than she ever really wanted to know, and more about her own past than she could have ever imagined.Written in the classic spirit of Sharyn McCrumb's Bimbos of the Death Sun, The Killer Wore Leather is both an engaging mystery and a humorous glimpse into the world of modern, pansexual international leather/BDSM contests and conferences.Only Laura Antoniou could write The Killer Wore Leather. In addition to being the author of the best-selling Marketplace series of erotic novels, she has over 20 years of experience teaching, speaking to and occasionally skewering the alt-sex communities around the world. With a wicked sense of humor, insider information and a twisted imagination, she crafts a spicy mélange of mystery and mayhem!The Killer Wore Leather is a deliciously tongue-in-cheek murder mystery set at a leather convention, allowing readers into this private world of personalities and peccadiloes. The kinkiest game of clue ever with a sex toy as the murder weapon and every leather man and woman lacks an alibi. Cleverly crafted and highly humorous, Antoniou is at her wicked best in this pageturning fetish fest.Laura is the best-selling author of the classic BDSM series, THE MARKETPLACE, which has sold more than 400,000 copies and been translated into 5 languages.

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     Maggie Culver doesn't trust anyone. This pediatric nurse floats from man to man taking no more than the physical release she needs. Finding out who killed her parents when she was an infant is her obsession. No one will stand in her way to find the truth. An anonymous letter sends her flying back to her hometown with a new lead. Enter Thomas Ramsey, the small town criminal defense attorney who is haunted by his own ghosts. His own love life has been limited to a handful of women who couldn't seem to cope with his dangerous clients. Maggie finds herself irresistibly drawn to the man who is supposed to be helping her. Can she manage to keep business and pleasure separated when her body aches each time she's near him? She knows Thomas is hiding something about her parents' murder but what happens when her heart gets in the way? This ebook contains very hot and explicit descriptions of romantic activity and submissive training. Only mature readers should download this book.