‘Lust Bites’ and ‘Sex at Work’ reviews!

The Xcite ‘Lust Bites’ collection, with one story by me (Fulani) and one by Velvet Tripp came out a while back, but we’ve just heard it’s been reviewed over at Coffeetime Romance.

They say of Velvet’s story, ‘Tooth Fairy’:

Megan is helping her friend at a convention when an author comes up to her and starts a conversation. After a night of intense pleasure with the vampire, Megan finds she has not had enough and must find the vampire to get her kink fix once again.

Ms. Tripp knows how to keep the reader craving more. The way the story bounces from Megan herself to what she was reading in the novel was great. It adds moments of extra eroticism to this spicy tale. I enjoyed reading it immensely.

And on my story, ‘Mad, Bad and Dangerous to Know’:

Sasha is surprised when the stranger comes up to her and tells her he likes her poetry. Somehow she ends up following Byron home and gets to know the real man himself very intimately.

This is a sexy read. I did feel as if it were a little stranger than what I like, but it really seemed to add to the overall element of the story. Fulani makes vampirism seem elegant and wordy and bold and romantic.

So we both feel pretty good about those kind words.

Since then, Velvet contributed a story to another collection, ‘Sex at Work’, which was reviewed by Sizzling Hot Books. While not specifically mentioning her (the review focuses mainly on the lead story), the reviewer did like the collection as a whole: ‘I would recommend Sex at Work anthology to anyone who has fantasies about sex at work, or who likes to read about those.’

I’d put proper links to the books in this post but it’s late and they’re on the ‘Our Publications’ page anyway!

Xcite – change of URL from 1st March

[Edited to note: the erotica-romance-ebooks site has since been dismantled. For Xcite books, go to www.xcitebooks.com or their newer site with knobs, bells and whistles, xcitesexystories.com.]

If you’ve already bought stuff from Xcite Books you’ve probably had an email about this anyway – but from 1st March, Xcite is migrating its web activity to its new website, http://www.erotica-romance-ebooks.com.

Presumably the old links will be redirected to the new URL but we hope to have all the links on DeliciouslyDeviant updated by Tuesday when the new site goes live.

The new Xcite site is significant because it will be a one-stop shop for romantic and erotic ebooks and audio formats not just from Xcite, but from publishers and authors around the globe. Their press release says: ‘It offers a unique, genre specific, shopping experience for romance and erotica readers because they can discover new authors and publishing companies alongside their established favourites.’

In other words it will be a sales point not just for Xcite’s own publications (including of course many of our own stories!) but for other erotic/romance publishers as well. In addition individual authors will be able to upload their works to it and set their own sales price provided they have a valid ISBN.

Top Ten Toys for BDSM Play

Are you new to this stuff? Do you wonder what all these scary looking toys are about? If so, this is just for you. There are lots and lots of toys you can use during BDSM play. Here are a few of my favourites to help you get acquainted.

1. Floggers. These vary in the width of each thong and they also vary by the texture of the materials they are constructed from. The best way to choose a flogger is to decide what kind of stimulation you want from it.
   

   Flogger

   Thin rubber or thin, stiff leather ones will sting if used with any force. Softer leather or suede ones will ‘thud’ more and are really useful to ‘warm up’ the skin. Most reputable sellers will indicate on their websites what type you are buying, and are nearly always willing to advise you if you are not sure which ones to go for. If you can make it to a BDSM fair, sellers will allow you to try them on your own skin to ensure you get what you want.

   

   Selection of floggers

2. Pinweels. Often known as the Wartenberg pinwheel, there are now a few variations around, including a plastic disposable one and a seven wheel one. These look vicious, but can be used very gently over the skin, even nipples, as long as the user does not apply too much pressure. In any event, they are a pretty safe toy that can provide a lot of fun teasing and waking up the subs’ skin.
   

   three wheeled pinwheel

   Historically these had a medical use, for testing skin/nerve sensitivity – though it’s pretty obvious why they’ve become bdsm favorites and are now widely available…

3. Crops. These are very easily obtained from any riding shop, but check out the crop before you buy. They do vary in stiffness and width, and this will affect the sensation on the skin. The stiffer they are, and the smaller the tress or ‘tongue’ at the end, the more they are likely to sting!
4. Canes. The thinner these are the more they will sting and the more chance they have of breaking the skin, so new doms beware and practise before doing any serious play with your partner. Thicker ones, again, will be more ‘thuddy’ but when delivered hard will make your sub howl. Once your sub is blindfolded, Fulani tells me it’s great fun scaring their sub by ‘swishing’ them in the air really hard, but not actually hitting them this hard. There’s another toy involved here…which is listed at the end of my top ten.
5. Nipple clamps. These vary from the howlingly painful (which your sub may or may not appreciate) to fairly stimulating. Some are made like clothes pegs, with a spring to close them. Others screw up so are more adjustable. I would go for these if you’re unsure how much stimulation your sub’s nipples can take. The idea is to leave them on for a while (from a couple of minutes to about twenty in my case) but beware! The longer your sub has them on, the more noise they are likely to make when you remove them, as this allows a blood rush back into the nipples and this obviously can be quite painful. I like this, but if you are new, experiment to find out what you like!
   

   Screw type nipple clamp

6. Paddles. These are flat, paddle like spanking toys that can sting quite a lot. They aren’t one of my favourite toys, but they may be one of yours. Again, they will vary in intensity depending on what they are made of and how wide the paddle is. Softer suede will be less intense than a wide, stiff leather one. Try before you buy or choose from item descriptions on the website you’re looking at. Studded ones are going to hurt more than flat ones!
   

   Selection of funky paddles

7. Restraints. From ankle and wrist straps to collars and rope, being retrained is part of many a BDSM play scene. Nice, broad, well fitting straps are best for comfort and long scenes. They will minimise the need to adjust during play, which can be a distraction! Rope should be used only if you know how to tie them correctly and you are aware of the Safety issues involved. Rope knots should never press on tendons or ligaments, and your sub should not end up with a huge knot pressing into their back when led down. See the earlier post we did showing the correct way to tie the wrist. We will be doing more bondage tutorials, so call back again for them. Collars should fit well. Your sub should never be left alone if the collar is tethered to anything. They are fun to attach a lead to when moving your sub around.
   

   Set of restraints

8. Gags. Not a toy for the beginner unless you have a particular fetish for them. I found it took me a while before being prepared to try them. You cannot speak with one in [Fulani adds: though you can make attractive and quite loud mewls and squawks!] so you do need another way to indicate should you need to be released for any reason. My Fulani gives me a small ball to drop, but we’ve also used hand signals in these play situations. You must be able to trust your dom to act immediately if you need to be released. [Fulani adds: our hand signals are similar to some scuba diving ones – finger and thumb in an ‘O’ for OK, a flutter of the hand for ‘this is borderline’ and a raised middle finger, ‘giving the bird’, for ‘red: I need this to stop NOW’].
9. Vibrators. Well, I don’t think these will need much description, but they are sometimes overlooked and shouldn’t be. From your standard rabbit to more powerful vibrators intended for deep muscle massage can be pressed into BDSM play. Experiment, ensure your sub has a way for indicating when they’ve had enough and amass a nice collection of them.
10. Last but not least, the best BDSM toy, and it’s free. Your brain is the best toy you have. Imagination can build intense anticipation, fear, excitement or whatever else you want out of a play session. Use email to tease each other before the play event. Talk to your sub once they are blindfolded (another useful accessory) and tell them what you’re going to do to them. Tease them with scary stories. It all depends on what you and your sub want out of a play session. I remember once turning up for a play session and Fulani quite innocently showing me his new chef’s kitchen knife. We had a meal then decided to play. When I felt cold metal on my skin and realised it was a knife I was truly scared (which is a turn on for me in this situation). My brain told me it was that huge, sharp new carving knife. We had a great session. Later, once the blindfold came off, I realised the scary huge knife was actually a little blunt one Fulani uses to tease subs! My brain had done the rest very well. Trust is vital when playing, and again something only you, your partner and your brains can develop. And that depends on communication. So talk lots, agree a safe word or way of letting your dom know you’ve had enough and talk again after a session, especially if either of you felt uncomfortable about anything.

As a little extra encouragement, stimulate that brain. Give it some ideas to cogitate. How about a story? There are free ones on here, but Fulani and I also write for a living. Go on, find new inspiration. Find more stories by Fulani and VelvetTripp here.

Have loads of fun, and play safe!

VelvetTripp

***

Pics used to illustrate this article are all taken by Velvet for our friends (they live round the corner) Freak Clubwear. You’ll find all these items for sale on their website and at the stall they run at various fetish fairs such as the monthly Birmingham Bizarre Bazaar.

Contract for Sex At Work

I had an email this morning. It was from my publisher (Xcite Books uk) or .com for a short story I wrote last year and which is due to be published, I believe, around March time. I had to laugh. The subject line of the email relates to the theme of the collection my story will be in which is Sex At Work. So the subject line actually reads ‘Contract for sex at work’! Wonderful. I wish I could get a permanent contract like that. License to have fun or what? The mind fairly boggles at the thought. Would any real work get done under a contract such as this? Would anyone be sat at their desks or on the shop floor (giggle – they might, but with a contract like that what would they be DOING on the shop floor?). Ideas on a postcard please (or in comments). We’d love to hear from you. Happy new year and I hope your sexploits this year are all happy and memorable ones.

Velvet Tripp