Best Bondage Erotica 2011 is edited by Rachel Kramer Bussel and published by Cleis Press
In Best Bondage Erotica 2011, men and women get tied up with everything from rope to handcuffs, silk ties to plastic wrap, ethernet cables, and more. With stories that feature a sexy little mermaid, a randy circus act, an IT manager at a fetish club, and a Las Vegas photographer with an eye for kink, this daring collection offers erotic insight for newbies and experienced players alike. In Evan Mora’s “Foreign Exchange,” emotional bonds grow deeper as the play gains intensity, while a bratty “good girl” is displayed for the pleasure of all in Dusty Horn’s “Subdue.” Janine Ashbless’s “The Ingénue” is a deliciously decadent and scorching hot-period piece, and many will identify with the fear and passion in Lux Zakari’s “Truss Issues.”
Stay tuned for the book trailer and erotica excerpts.
Introduction: The Joy of Restraint
The Long Way Home Elizabeth Coldwell
His Little Apprentice Jacqueline Applebee
Foreign Exchange Evan Mora
The Ingénue Janine Ashbless
Reasoning Tenille Brown
Subdue Dusty Horn
Relative Anonymity Emerald
Closeted Emily Bingham
Vegas Treat Rachel Kramer Bussel
The Cartographer Angela Caperton
The Apiary Megan Butcher
Wired Lisabet Sarai
How the Little Mermaid Got Her Tail Back Andrea Dale
The Lady or the Tiger Bill Kte’pi
Sealed for Freshness Jennifer Peters
Stocks and Bonds Rita Winchester
Helen Lay Bound Suzanne V. Slate
The Rainmaker Elizabeth Daniels
Do You See What I Feel? Teresa Noelle Roberts
Truss Issues Lux Zakari
Introduction: The Joy of Restraint
Perhaps I shouldn’t have been surprised to find, when putting together this anthology, that about 75 percent of the story submissions involved the submissive’s, or bottom’s, point of view. When it comes to bondage, the feeling of giving in, surrendering, allowing oneself to be placed at someone else’s mercy, comes alive on the page, and these authors certainly know how to vividly depict that appeal. Though there are stories here from a top’s perspective, told by dominants who delight in the thrill of watching a lover squirm, struggle and submit, most of the stories here go the other way.
Take “The Rainmaker,” by Elizabeth Daniels, in which Amy, a bit uncertain, allows herself to overcome her fears and get tied up:
Darkness and the ropes enfolded Amy like a chrysalis. Her mind was clear, finally at peace. After months of agonizing over every step of foreplay, after sex that consisted of checklists and flow charts compiled from hours of research, for once, she did not need to think or plan. Like extradark chocolate, such dependence was not something she would want every day, but for the moment, it was a bite of bitter bliss.
I especially appreciate the stories here that illuminate the leap of faith one needs to make to allow someone else to bind him. In “Truss Issues,” Emy repeatedly tells Samir that she’s not into bondage, doesn’t want to be tied up and yet, somewhere inside, she knows that isn’t totally true. “To her surprise, her body didn’t sync up to her beliefs. She felt a warm liquid rush flood her cunt… Cursing her body for its betrayal, Emy nestled her teeth in her lower lip and forced her breathing to remain calm, to not come out as a needy whimper.” What happens when she surrenders teaches her that she doesn’t have to give up all of herself to enjoy the sweet friction and emotional journey that submission to bondage can incur.
In the lesbian scene in Dusty Horn’s “Subdue,” the narrator finds herself, finds the core of her submission and learns how to be patient.
After what seems like eons without touch, her hot hand on my chin is electrifying. She lifts it up and back, pressing something against my smooth exposed throat. Tugging firmly up on the hair at the nape of my neck, she wraps the rest of the mystery object against the top of my spine where my still body meets my busy mind.
“This is mine,” she hums to me as she slides a metal clasp into place. “This is not your collar. It’s mine, for you to wear.”
The collar bulges around my neck, a leather halo engorged with blood.
Other stories stand out for their unique scenarios. In “The Ingénue,” by Janine Ashbless, a young woman finds a bound man outside in the yard, and goes to investigate this curious vision. “How the Little Mermaid Got Her Tail Back,” by Andrea Dale, puts a kinky twist on a beloved fairy tale. In “Sealed for Freshness,” Mitchell pays for his disobedience with a flogging against his plastic-wrapped skin, while in “Stocks and Bonds,” some historical role-play at a Renaissance Festival leaves Kerri begging for mercy.
I was looking for stories that spanned the world of bondage, and boy did I get that! Here, you’ll find rope and handcuffs, as you might expect, but you’ll also find cling wrap, Ethernet cables, stocks and bonds, silk ties and other implements whose creators probably didn’t intend them to be used in kinky play. There’s bondage at the office, bondage onstage and under a red turtleneck sweater dress. There are bondage beginners and seasoned pros, men and women who offer up their wrists, ankles, necks and other body parts to those just itching to play with them.
This is a book for anyone who wants to know what’s so arousing about being tied up. Whether you’ve ever experienced bondage or not, these authors boldly take you along as they negotiate what they are and aren’t willing to give up, and illustrate the blissful beauty that can take place, inside and out, when you make the choice to give up some of your freedom and mobility in order to access the world from a new perspective.
If what drew you to this book was the stunningly sexy image on the cover, I can assure you that the stories you’ll find inside is just as hot—possibly even hotter. They are about so much more than simply what one looks like while tied up: for instance, what it feels like to wait, longing for release while also hoping the joy of restraint never ends. That push/pull is at the heart of bondage, and that is what you will experience along with the characters, those brave subs, brats, bad girls and naughty boys who offer themselves up so their masters and mistresses—and you, the reader—can savor them, one click of the handcuffs at a time.
Rachel Kramer Bussel
New York City
Order Best Bondage Erotica 2011 from:
IndieBound (find your local independent bookstore)
About the Authors
Jacqueline Applebee (writing-in-shadows.co.uk) breaks down barriers with smut. Jacqueline’s stories have appeared in various anthologies and websites, including Cleansheets, Best Women’s Erotica, Best Lesbian Erotica, Where the Girls Are and Girl Crazy.
Janine Ashbless is the author of five Black Lace erotica books of paranormal and fantasy erotica. Her short stories have been published by Cleis Press in the anthologies I Is for Indecent, Playing with Fire, Frenzy, Best Women’s Erotica 2009, Sweet Love and Fairy Tale Lust. She blogs at janineashbless.blogspot.com.
Emily Bingham is a writer, coffee addict, sock fetishist, bookworm, pervert, word junkie, and lover of puns, poetry and red wine. She hopes to never grow up and pick a “real” job. When she isn’t writing she can be found cooking esoteric baked goods and crazy multicourse meals.
Tenille Brown is a Southern writer whose stories can be found online and in such print anthologies as: Do Not Disturb, Iridescence, Tasting Him, A Is for Amour, Dirty Girls, Making the Hook-Up and Fast Girls. Tenille keeps a blog at thesteppingstone.blogspot.com.
Megan Butcher is a librarian and sex educator living in Ottawa, Ontario. Her writing has appeared in newspapers and magazines like Capital Xtra, Herizons and Dharma Arts. Every Sunday night, she posts some dirty micro-fiction to Your Weekly Dose (meganbutcher.com/weeklydose), her smut blog.
Angela Caperton writes eclectic erotica that breaks genre rules. She won the EPIC award for Best Erotica in 2008 with Woman of the Mountain. Look for her stories published with Cleis, Circlet Press, Drollerie Press, eXtasy Books and in the indie magazine, Out of the Gutter. Visit Angela at blog.angelacaperton.com.
Elizabeth Coldwell lives and writes in London. Her stories have appeared in numerous anthologies including Spanked, Bottoms Up, Yes, Sir and Please, Sir. “The Long Way Home” is dedicated to Cinturones, queen of the seat belt.
Andrea Dale’s stories appear in Fairy Tale Lust, Alison’s Wonderland, Sweet Love and The Sweetest Kiss. With coauthors, she has sold novels A Little Night Music (Sarah Dale) and Cat Scratch Fever (Sophie Mouette). She believes all fairy tales are really for adults. Share her fantasies at cyvarwydd.com.
Elizabeth Daniels is a former reporter and teacher. Her erotic short fiction has appeared in several e-zines and in the Erotica Readers & Writers Association anthology Cream. She is a member of the RWA and the ERWA.
Emerald’s erotic fiction has been published in anthologies edited by Violet Blue, Rachel Kramer Bussel, Jolie du Pre and Alison Tyler, as well as at various erotic websites. She lives in Maryland and serves as an activist for reproductive freedom and sex workers’ rights. Find her online at thegreenlightdistrict.org.
Dusty Horn is the Smartest Ass in Show Business. A queer porn performer, sex educator, social worker, diehard rock ’n‘ roller and practitioner of professional BDSM, her culture writing has appeared in McSweeney’s and Aorta. She pens and distributes a nominal sex work memoir/critical theory zine and lives in Oakland, California.
Bill Kte’pi is a full-time freelance writer with a variety of credits. He currently lives in New Hampshire while planning a move to the Southwest. He maintains a web presence at ktepi.com.
Evan Mora is a recovering corporate banker living in Toronto. Her work can be found in Best Lesbian Erotica 2009; Best Lesbian Romance 2009 & 2010; Where the Girls Are; The Sweetest Kiss: Ravishing Vampire Erotica; Girl Crush; Please, Sir: Erotic Stories of Female Submission and Spank!
Jennifer Peters works as the associate editor of Penthouse Forum and Girls of Penthouse and is a contributing editor to Penthouse, where she writes the “Pet Projects” column. You can read more of her stories in anthologies such as Peep Show and Fast Girls.
Teresa Noelle Roberts writes romantic erotica and erotic romance for horny people who believe in love. Her short fiction has appeared in Best of Best Women’s Erotica 2, Orgasmic, Spanked, Playing with Fire and other anthologies with similarly provocative titles. Her newest paranormal ménage romance is Foxes’ Den.
Lisabet Sarai has published six erotic novels, two short-story collections and dozens of individual tales. She also edits the single-author charity series “Coming Together Presents” and reviews erotica for Erotica Readers and Writers Association and Erotica Revealed. Visit Lisabet online at Lisabet’s Fantasy Factory (lisabetsarai.com).
Suzanne V. Slate is a librarian who lives in the Boston area with her longtime lover. She has published a variety of nonfiction articles and a book, and has recently begun writing fiction.
Rita Winchester’s work has appeared in various online zines such as The Erotic Woman, For the Girls and Ruthie’s Club. Her work has also appeared in print anthologies such as Frenzy, Afternoon Delight, I Is for Indecent, Tasting Her and Mammoth Lesbian Erotica. Visit her at myspace.com/ritawinchester.
Lux Zakari’s stories, poetry and reviews have appeared in Best Women’s Erotica 2009 and Girl Crazy, as well as on the websites Clean Sheets, Oysters and Chocolate, The Erotic Woman and For the Girls. Her first novel is Coercion. For details, visit luxzakari.com.
About the Editor
Rachel Kramer Bussel (rachelkramerbussel.com) is a New York–based author, editor and blogger. She has edited over thirty books of erotica, including Orgasmic; Bottoms Up: Spanking Good Stories; Spanked; Naughty Spanking Stories from A to Z 1 and 2; Fast Girls; Smooth; Passion; The Mile High Club; Do Not Disturb; Tasting Him; Tasting Her; Please, Sir; Please, Ma’am; He’s on Top; She’s on Top; Caught Looking; Hide and Seek; Crossdressing; Rubber Sex and Bedding Down. She is the author of the forthcoming novel, Everything But… and the nonfiction book, How to Write an Erotic Love Letter, Best Sex Writing series editor, and winner of 3 IPPY (Independent Publisher) Awards. Her work has been published in over one hundred anthologies, and she serves as senior editor at Penthouse Variations and wrote the popular “Lusty Lady” column for the Village Voice.
Rachel is a sex columnist for SexisMagazine.com and has written for AVN, Bust, Cleansheets.com, Cosmopolitan, Curve, The Daily Beast, Fresh Yarn, TheFrisky.com, Gothamist, Huffington Post, Mediabistro, Newsday, New York Post, Penthouse, Playgirl, Radar, San Francisco Chronicle, Time Out New York and Zink, among others. She has appeared on “The Martha Stewart Show,” “The Berman and Berman Show,” NY1, and Showtime’s “Family Business.” She has hosted In The Flesh Erotic Reading Series (inthefleshreadingseries.com) since October 2005, featuring readers from Susie Bright to Zane, about which the New York Times’s UrbanEye newsletter said, she “welcomes eroticism of all stripes, spots and textures.” She blogs at lustylady.blogspot.com.
