Nicole Gestalt - Valves and Vixens

Today, I have Nicole Gestalt with me, on her blog tour sharing news of her latest publication as editor, Valves & Vixens, a collection of steampunk erotica. So, welcome Nicole, and over to you:

Valves & Vixens

Today I wanted to give a little sneak peek into each of the stories within Valves & Vixens.

Coming Aboard the Greatest of the Great Ships by Jim Lee

The three of them strolled the grounds unhurriedly - not touching but engaged in good, quiet small talk. They discussed the Great Ship, current news and the lush vegetation around them. Personal items came up next, though in a nature and unforced manner all around.

With delight, Cassandra realised that she truly liked - not just admired or felt dutifully grateful to, but actually and honestly liked both of these respected and - she finally admitted it to herself - profoundly, exotically desirable individuals.

The three of them stopped as one near one of the garden’s outer walls.

Cassandra stood between the men - now not merely fabled Engineers to her, but vividly distinct persons that she wished to share something wonderful with.

At random, she turned her head to the left. She raised a hand, lightly caressed the older man’s neck.

The Waiting Future by Crysta K. Coburn

As we re-approached the house, Nakamura crowed, “Oh-ho! Fukui is lucky today! Is that not Miss Yuki walking there?”

We altered our direction to join Mr. Itoh’s daughter and her young maid. She turned when she heard us, and I was struck dumb. I had not noticed when her back was to us, for she held a paper parasol over one shoulder, that Miss Yuki was entirely white. Her delicate flesh was pale as the moon, and her hair the whitest I had ever seen, while her eyes sparkled blue like the clear summer’s sky. She was like a Japanese porcelain doll. It was no wonder she had been named after snow.

The Musica by J. T. Seate

The room was lit by both candle and gaslight. Jonathan’s eyes nearly popped at the sight of a young woman holding a bow that swept ever so gently over the strings of her cello - a bass member of the violin family an octave below a viola. She had chosen to play in a most uninhibited fashion - in the nude. Without clothing, the cello seemed a part of her, providing an aesthetic appeal. She possessed a naked prettiness that set her above mere sensuality. After the shock of the delightful sight, Jonathan dissected the image one portion at a time and realised he was moved by more than the artistic aspect of the scene.

Boson's Mate by Nikko Lee

Beckett used his mech hand to open the door. His obsidian fingers convulsed before finally releasing the wheel. The tremors were getting worse. It wouldn’t be long before he wouldn’t be able to open his hand at all.

As soon as Beckett closed the door behind them, Boson’s mouth captured Beckett’s. Boson was halfway to undressing Beckett before Beckett caught up to him. The boy was eager; that wasn’t something Beckett was used to with the men he paid for. The stiffness of Boson’s erection burnt against Beckett’s thigh even as his own member began to swell.

Les Lettres Dangereuses by V. C.

As I was cleaning Lady Olivia’s room, I discovered a diary. It was made of tough dark brown leather and embellished with brass, copper, and silver gears from watch parts. I knew I shouldn’t have even been touching it. In the end my curiosity got the best of me, and I couldn’t help but open it and read what stories laid inside of it. In her first diary entry, dated 29 August 1847, she wrote.....

Dr Williams Discovery – The Curious Truth by Zak Jane Keir

Roger Williams lay in his bed, unable to sleep. His mind was filled with images of Lady Isidore; her perfect features, the glowing red of her hair, cropped fashionably short - and the cold fury in her eyes when she spoke of her great-aunt. He was aware that his grandfather, the inventor of Williams Carnality-Pulsation technology, had employed a Miss O’Brien as his assistant.

On Gossamer Wings by Blair Erotica

When the party finally broke up she still wasn’t sleepy and decided to walk the deck, enjoying the dark night and watch the moon, which had just begun its rise. The only lights were soft ones in the rigging and the stars bright in the sky. She walked through that muted dark and listened to the sensual pulsing hiss of the ocean slipping along the hull.

“It’s a nice night to be at sea,” a voice said and she turned slightly startled to see Captain Stanley.

“It is. Quite lovely.”

One Cheek or Two? By Regina Kammer

Miss Bennett! I need you in the laboratory at once!”

Delia looked up from steadying the convex glass cover of the massive clockwork while Sebastian screwed in a side bolt, a little flutter of excitement tickling just below her belly upon hearing her name. Professor Edward Ockham’s baritone was like a siren song to her heart. She was powerless before it.

Except if she let go of the glass it would surely smash into bits.

Captain Barnabus by Nicole Gestalt

They looked at one another for a moment silence covering the words they didn't want to think about. It was a subtle shift in the engines and Barnabus remembered how short the time they had together was.

“Whatever the future holds and no matter how far apart we all end up being we need to remember to live in the moment and grab what opportunity we can.” His voice dropped low as he spoke and he leaned forward to her.

Valves & Vixens is available here:
Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00LAD2QKS
Amazon USA: http://amzn.com/B00LAD2QKS
All Romance Ebooks: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-valvesvixens-1556820-362.html

And if you visit here: http://www.nicolegestalt.blogspot.co.uk/2014/07/valves-vixens-give-away.html you can learn all about the great give-away we are doing!

A quiet, cosy place to read...

Cosy hideaway, exotic heat or the bustle of a family gathering? I'm sure we all have ideas of where we'd like to spend our dream Christmas. I asked fellow authors Nicole Gestalt,  Annabeth Leong, Victoria Blisse, Gemma Parkes and Angie Sargenti where they would spend their dream Christmas. It seems cosy cabins or chalets figure highly for erotica authors.

And although you may not get the cosy cabin with a real fire in a snowy wonderland this year, you could always try recreating that atmosphere with a couple of candles, a blanket and a copy of The House of Erotica Winter Warmers Collection. (There's a reason I gave up my brief attempt at a career in marketing...)

Nicole: I love travel and so if I could have more then two days off at Christmas I would love to head to the ICEHOTEL in Jukkasjärvi and spend Christmas there, or even travel to Iceland. To be able to walk out during Christmas to see the Northern Lights and even maybe take a dog sleigh out into a snow-covered land would be the perfect Christmas to me! Of course we'd then have to head back into a nice warm chalet with plenty of food and company to top it off. More realistically, my dream Christmas would be to spend the time with my family whom I don't get to see very often and definitely have more then two days off!

Annabeth: Although I can see the attraction of being warm when it's cold outside, honestly I would love to spend Christmas on a cruise. It would be amazing to know it was just me and my partner with no obligations to distract us from each other.

Victoria: I'd love to go somewhere really snowy, a Swiss chalet, a roaring log fire and enough food to keep me going through the season. 

Gemma: In a beautiful, fully heated log cabin away (but not isolated) from commercialism. There would be snow outside and enough food and drink to last for at least a week. I would want my loved one by my side and together we could enjoy taking our time over everything!

Angie: The Virgin Islands or Maui.  I'm not a big fan of cold weather.

Tilly: A little cottage in the middle of nowhere with a woodburner you can keep your mulled wine warm on top of.

My picture above is of a cottage in Shropshire, UK, which you can rent from The Landmark Trust for holidays. Check out their other properties if you're like me and you prefer back-to-basics holidays in places with a bit of character, proper silence and properly dark nights. You can grab a copy of Winter Warmers at Amazon, Amazon UK or All Romance.

What does your average erotica author want for Christmas?

Several tyre-shaped pencil sharpeners, a bottle of sherry and a book of bad taste jokes completed my Christmas shopping yesterday, so I'm feeling rather smug. Of course, if you're looking for a gift for that special someone and they happen to like a bit of smut, then The House of Erotica Winter Warmers Collection, available in paperback or ebook, could be right up their street.

Today, some of my fellow Winter Warmers authors - Victoria Blisse, Annabeth Leong,  Gemma Parkes, Angie Sargenti and Nicole Gestalt - are answering another of my questions: 

What do you want Santa to leave under your tree this year?

Victoria: Owls, I love owls and a cleaner!

Annabeth: As far as naughty gifts, I would love to get a nice butt plug that is comfortable to wear around. The ones I have are good for play, but not so much for walking. Since I started playing with these, I've gotten a bit obsessed, and I think my erotica shows it. I've written tens of thousands of words about butt plugs by now, and "Filled With Christmas Spirit" is part of that body of work.

Gemma: Something to read, something to eat, sexy lingerie and something girlie that smells gorgeous!

Angie: What do you want Santa to leave you under the tree this year?  Something kinky, or at least a Victoria's Secret gift certificate. Wearing the same cute little outfit gets boring after a while.

Nicole: I love surprises! I totally adore getting presents that I would never have asked for myself and of course I have been moderately good this year (I can't every quite get to being a good girl all the time – life would be too boring). So in a dream world Santa would be leaving lots of interesting presents that will keep me occupied well into the new year!

Tilly: Home-brewing equipment.

Next time, we'll be talking about where we'd like to spend our dream Christmas. You can grab a copy of Winter Warmers at Amazon, Amazon UK or All Romance.

My picture is of a lino print from The Bluebird Gallery on Folksy.com. I might treat myself to one of their prints...

What's sexy about Christmas? Erotica authors Q&A

It's a funny winter here in the UK, last week we had gales and floods, this week we've had sunny, 13C days and where I am right now it's cold, grey and wet, which is just the sort of weather for staying cosy inside with a good book (and some cake). Some of my fellow Winter Warmers authors have been kind enough to answer a few questions on their feelings about Christmas for me for your amusement. Today I have Gemma Parkes, Angie Sargenti, Nicole Gestalt, Annabeth Leong, Victoria Blisse and little ol' me answering my first question: 

What's sexy about Christmas?

Gemma: Oh so many things: Shorter days with chilly nights drawing in. Snuggling in the warmth of your partner’s arms in front of a roaring fire. Basking in the soft glow from a lit Christmas tree. Colours, sounds, smells and rich tastes that are not enjoyed with such relish at other times of the year and the opportunity to relax without feeling you should be doing something else!

Angie: Sitting by the fire with the Christmas tree lights on, snuggling with my favourite dude.

Nicole: I get very few days off so being able to spend two whole days (two!) with my partner all snuggled up by the fire away from the cold is very special. Add to that the place is lit up with magical lights adding spots of colour all over the place and sometimes even snow outside (it does happen occasionally), things can get very, very sexy.

Annabeth: I think the sexiest thing about most holidays is time. It's such a luxury to have an evening free to spend having a long, leisurely dinner, drinking wine, and lingering. I cherish the times when I don't have to be up early the next morning. I host a big Christmas Eve dinner every year, and I love the moment when the guests have left, we've loaded as much into the dishwasher as possible, and I turn to my partner, let out a long breath, and know that we're finally free to jump each other. At Christmas, it's particularly nice because it's cold where I live. There's something wonderfully sexy about being warm and naked when the world outside is cold and quiet. In my Winter Warmers story, Caroline is looking forward to just this sort of cozy, sexy time. Her boyfriend Marcus has other ideas, but I think he does make it worth her while.

Victoria: Warming up by snuggling naked with a lover and sexy, late-night, adult-only gift-unwrapping!

Tilly: The excuse to stock up on some gifts for opening privately with a partner. 

Next time, I ask what your average erotica author would like to find under their tree on Christmas morning. 

You can buy The House of Erotica Winter Warmers Collection at  Amazon, Amazon UK or All Romance.

In which I get drunk and talk bollocks.

So what's new, you might think. Well, apart from the fact that I've stopped drinking for most of September and so this is a strictly virtual world event.

I'm over with the charming Oleander Plume today, who is plying me with (virtual) beer until I spill all my dirty secrets. It's getting messy, I can tell you. I think we should have stuck to the tea and petit fours.

Guest - Oleander Plume

I have the fantabulous Oleander Plume visiting today, talking about her first foray into writing erotica. She's my book-fellow in The Women Who Love to Love Gay Romance. Her story is both sexy and funny and uses the amazing phrase: 'Oh, holy sweet shit on a cracker.' Here she is:

I used to write erotica with the door locked and the shades drawn. Sure, I tell various friends and family members that I 'write', but I never give details. The only one that I let in on my little secret is my husband. How I broke the news to him is kind of a funny story. It went something like this:

Me: Um, you know I've been writing a lot more lately.

Him (he was staring at a football game on ESPN): Yeah, I know, the laundry is really piling up.

Me: Well, I have a short story I'd really like you to read.

Him (still staring at TV): Okay, yeah, sure.

Me: It's different from my usual stuff, um, it's dirty.

His head jerked my direction so fast I thought he was going to have whiplash.

Him: Huh?

Me: Yeah. I'm writing smut now, it's what I do.

Him (wearing a large grin): Can I read it now? (he grabbed for my laptop)

Me: Fine, but don't laugh at me. And don't judge me. And don't tell anybody.

Him: Shh, reading.

I sat next to him on the couch, wringing my hands and turning five different shades of red. He started sweating, and shifting in his seat.

Him: Holy shit.

Me: Do you hate it? Oh, crap, I should have never let you...

Him: Shh, reading.

Occasionally he would glance at me with a stunned expression on his face. I need to mention, he's a slow reader, so watching him read is like watching paint dry. Finally, he got to the end. He sort of nodded, then looked at me.

Him (shrugs): It's good.

Me: It's good? That's all you have to say? You're really saying you hated it, right?

Him (he gave me a glare, then lifted the laptop): Does it look like I hated it?

Me: Oh. OHHHHHHHHHH!

Incidentally, that story went on to win a contest. Consequently, I use him as my barometer before I send anything out. It's a body part that never lies.

*****

Thanks for visiting, Oleander! You can get your hands on a copy of The Women Who Love to Love Gay Romance at  Amazon.com, Amazon UK, All Romance and Smashwords.

And you can find Oleander blogging at oleanderplume.blogspot.co.uk and tweeting @OleanderPlume.
And you can comment to tell me how to get rid of the damn white background, should you so wish.

In two places at once

I've been on holiday and made the most of all the open water swimming opportunities we came across in North Wales. I'm the little black blob in the sea in these pictures at Ynys Llanddwyn. I do love living somewhere that has such beautiful countryside within a couple of hours' drive.

Meanwhile, I've also visited Justine Elyot's blog to talk about how I came to be writing erotica as part of her Debutantes series. A big thank you to Justine for having me over. I read her Seven Scarlet Tales collection while I was away. It was highly enjoyable - seven stories about every possible nuance of spanking with the characters and overall storyline all linked together. Beautifully written, as you would expect from Justine, with a variety of narrative viewpoints and settings. I particularly liked the two stories from doms Rob and Richard on how they got into their kinky shenanigans in the first place.

Out visiting

I'm over at Ashley Lister's blog, How To Write Erotic Fiction, today with some ideas for writing dirty. If you haven't seen his blog before, then you might need to set aside some time to read through it because it's chock-full of tips and advice from a huge range of authors and editors from relative newbies like myself through to names you'll recognise. 

Because there's already so many good ideas on there, I've tried to come at things from a slightly different angle, so to speak. My five tips start off with turning off your inner censor and writing out of your comfort zone. 

Read Your Smut However You Want! by Lucy Felthouse

Lucy Felthouse is visiting today with some great news about Smut by the Sea Volume 2. Over to you, Lucy...

Firstly, I want to say a huge thank you to Tilly for letting me loose on her site today. Thanks, Tilly!

So, Smut by the Sea Volume 2 has been out for a little while now, so I apologise for being so slow in getting this guest post out, but things have been incredibly busy – but I’m not complaining. I’d rather be busy than bored!

Anyway, I just wanted to let you know that you can now read your Smut by the Sea Volume 2 however you want to—i.e. eBook or print. Yes, I said print! :D Most of the eBook sites now have the anthology available, but what’s even more exciting is that if you want a delicious print copy  in your hand (I’ve got ten here ready for Smut by the Sea the event on 22nd June—they’re gorgeous), you can bag one, or two, or fifty... we really don’t mind. Just head on over to Amazon UK or Amazon US (links here: http://lucyfelthouse.co.uk/published-works/smut-by-the-sea-volume-2/) and grab your copy for an absolute bargain price.

And don’t forget to let us know what you think—us authors and editors thrive on feedback, you know...

Happy Reading!

Lucy x

*****

Excerpt from On the Big Wheel by Lucy Felthouse

Brigit loved the seaside. She always had, probably because visiting it was a rarity. Living in the centre of England meant that even the nearest seaside town was over an hour and a half away—and the nice resorts even further.

Which was why her boyfriend, Allen, proposed a long weekend in Brighton. He knew how fond she was of the seaside. Unsurprisingly, she agreed delightedly.

“It’s a long way,” she said. “But it doesn’t matter. We’d never go anywhere if we lamented the length of the journey.”

As it happened, the travelling wasn’t too bad. Miraculously the M1 was clear all the way down to the M25—and even that notorious motorway wasn’t experiencing its usual havoc. A straight shot south on the M23, then the A23 took them towards Brighton, and they navigated the one-way systems and lack of road signs and—eventually—found their hotel.

“Wow,” Brigit said, stretching luxuriously after getting out of the car, “that didn’t take as long as I thought. Shall we check in, dump our bags and go and explore?”

“Sounds like a plan to me,” Allen replied with a grin.

They slammed their respective car doors, grabbed the bags from the boot and headed into the hotel. Fifteen minutes later, after using the toilet and freshening up, they were back outside.

“Nice choice of hotel, babe. I like it.” Brigit said.

“I’m glad. I researched it well,” Allen replied.

“The bed looks nice and comfy.”

“Well, I’m sure we’ll be able to give it a decent road test later.” He winked at her, and got a slap on the arm for his trouble.

“You’ve got a one-track mind, you have.”

“Well, what do you expect when I’ve got a girlfriend that looks like you?”

She giggled. “Charmer.”

“That’s me. Okay, now I’m back in good books,” Allen said, “what do you want to do? Now, I mean. Not at bedtime.” He waggled his eyebrows.

Brigit stuck her tongue out at him before replying. “I dunno. Just look around I guess. Get our bearings. See what there is to do around here.”

They walked hand-in-hand towards the seafront, then along it in the direction of the pier. They passed the burnt out shell of the West Pier, and Brigit wondered aloud whether it would ever be rebuilt or demolished. Or would the blackened skeleton be left there forevermore, a reminder of what once was.

Soon, they drew close to Brighton Pier. Brigit turned to Allen with a grin.

“What?” he said, then followed her almost manic gaze down the length of the pier, towards a building with fake turret-type things and some very real flags. He sighed. He couldn’t be sure from here, but he thought it was bound to be the amusement arcade. “Oh, you want to go in there, do you? I wonder why?” His voice was laden with sarcasm in his last sentence.

“You know damn well why. Come on!” Brigit tugged him along the last few metres of the pavement and onto the wooden slats of the pier. “Ooh, we can have fish and chips when we come out, if you want.”

*****

Light hearted, sexy fun by the sea is the theme of this erotic anthology, edited by Victoria Blisse and Lucy Felthouse.

From the sun soaked beaches of Brazil to the altogether cooler coastal towns of England, Smut by the Sea Volume 2 has it all. Whatever your interpretation of naughty seaside fun, there’s something nestling between the covers for you. Amusement arcades, beach houses, mermaids, honeymooners, shipwrecks, sex toys and more abound in this exciting collection of stories from erotica’s finest authors.

Contains stories from Victoria Blisse, Tilly Hunter, Rachel Randall, Giselle Renarde, Tamsin Flowers, Lucy Felthouse, Kate Britton, Jillian Boyd, Bel Anderson, Cass Peterson, Delyth Angharad, T C Mill, Erzabet Bishop, Tenille Brown and Annabeth Leong.

Buy links: http://lucyfelthouse.co.uk/published-works/smut-by-the-sea-volume-2/

*****

Lucy Felthouse is a very busy woman! She writes erotica and erotic romance in a variety of subgenres and pairings, and has over seventy publications to her name, with many more in the pipeline. These include Best Bondage Erotica 2012 and 2013, and Best Women's Erotica 2013. Another string to her bow is editing, and she has edited and co-edited a number of anthologies. She owns Erotica For All, and is book editor for Cliterati. Find out more at http://www.lucyfelthouse.co.uk. Join her on Facebook and Twitter, and subscribe to her newsletter at: http://eepurl.com/gMQb9

Victoria Blisse Talks Smut

Well, what a pickle. I've got Smut editor extraordinaire Victoria Blisse here today and I'm sure she'll be expecting cake. But I'm out! I'm over at Erzabet Bishop's blog with a mini interview of my seaside favourites. Big thanks to both of them.

Here, Victoria explains what she's looking for when she's choosing a hot seaside story:

What makes a good beach story?

Lucy Felthouse and I have edited two volumes of Smut by the Sea now and I’d like to think we have managed to find some top quality pieces of erotic fiction based on the coast. Here are some of the things we look for.

Setting:

This may sound a bit obvious, but we need to know the story is set by the sea. We don’t want a story that could be set anywhere, we want signs that it is near the ocean. Sea birds, fun fairs, sand, arcades, ice creams, the scent of salt on the air are all examples of things we like to see.

Emotion:

Evoking a feeling of holiday fun is what the Smut by the Sea anthologies are all about.

All successful stories need to engage your emotions, so this kind of goes without saying. However, with all the Smut anthologies we’re looking for a light-hearted feel that makes sex fun and this is particularly essential in the seaside stories.

We want our readers to be transported to the coast, to feel the excitement of being on holiday. We love stories that make us feel like we’re in a very particular place, where when you read them you feel like you’re seeing all the sights, smelling all the scents and feeling the wind whipping in your hair.

Hot, hot, hot!

I’m not talking about the weather, many of the Smut by the Sea stories are set in the cold or the wet and are thoroughly brilliant. No, the kind of heat we’ve looked for has been sexual. We want hot loving and lots of it. The more ingenious, the better!

If you’ve got a bit of all the above, you’ve got a good seaside story. If you’d like to read lots of such stories pick up Smut by the Sea Volume 1 http://victoriablisse.co.uk/books/smut-by-the-sea and Volume 2.

http://victoriablisse.co.uk/books/smut-by-the-sea-vol-2

Here’s a snippet from my Story, Honeymoon Suite, which appears in Smut by the Sea Volume 2 http://victoriablisse.co.uk/books/smut-by-the-sea-vol-2

“I might as well confess all,” I sighed. “Come in a minute.” I ducked behind him when he stepped forward and closed the door.

I was encouraged to see he didn’t look too scared. Confused, yes but he even managed to wear that well.

“I’m not a lesbian,” I blurted. “And neither is Sam.”

Ben still looked dazed. I took the Kindle from his hands and put it down on a side table, then sat down on the edge of the bed.

“We’re not even married. She’s just my mate. “

“O--kay,” Ben exhaled. “Erm, why do I need to know that?”

“Because you work here, and I won this holiday as a honeymoon and Sam and I have been lying about being a couple so we could take advantage of that prize.”

“Oh,” Ben sat on the chair opposite the end of the bed. “Well, there’s two things you should know.” He leant forward, rested his arms along his knees and he looked directly at me. I wilted under his gaze. I was mentally packing my bags before he even said a word.

“Firstly, I’m an employee so honestly, I don’t care what you do as long as you don’t complain about it to me or make a complaint about me. Then secondly it doesn’t matter anyway. The company gives out quite a few of these holidays and as long as they’re taken they don’t really care if you’re married or not.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, really.”

“Well that’s a relief, I can tell you,” I giggled as the anxiety lifted, holding on to my chest to steady myself after the good news.

“I’m glad to have been of help,” Ben smiled. “Anyway, my shift just finished so I’m off for the night.”

“Oh, right. Well thanks for bringing my Kindle back for me.” I don’t know whether it was the heady relief that gave me the bravery to carry on or if it was just the presence of a highly handsome man in my bedroom but I managed to sputter out an invitation.

“Look, I’ve got this huge bottle of champagne, a basket of fruit and a licence to call room service. Would you like to join me? You know, as a thank you.”

“Really, we’re not meant to erm, fraternise with the customers.” He coughed.

“Oh right, well, yes, then, well…erm.” I was completely embarrassed until he stopped me with his next sentence.

“But I’m off duty so I don’t give a fuck.”

“Ha, brilliant,” I laughed. “You pop the cork and I’ll order some...how do you fancy pizza?”

He nodded, stood and went over to pick up the champagne. “I’m easy,” he said, “you can go on top if you like –I mean choose what goes on top.” He winked. Was he flirting with me?

I shook my head and reached over to pick up the phone.

“Hi, yes I’d like a large pizza sent to my room, cheese and tomato will be fine, thanks.”

A pop and a fizz indicated the champagne bottle was open.

“Here you go.” Ben passed me a glass. “To your good health.”

“And yours,” I replied, clinking my glass with his then taking a short sip of the madly bubbling liquid. “Shall we sit out on the balcony?”

“Why not?”

I followed him out into the cool evening breeze, drink in hand. I was completely absorbed in the moment and had all but forgotten I was wearing nothing but my lightest nightie.

“I never grow weary of watching a Caribbean sunset,” Ben sighed. I walked over to lean against the balustrade next to him.

“It’s very beautiful,” I responded, looking over the beach and the sea, tinted orange, red and peach from the glow of the disappearing sun. “How long have you been out here?”

“A few years.”

“Don’t you miss home?”

“Occasionally,” Ben nodded, “but I’m mostly happy here.”

We slipped into silence. The world around hummed with noise, the slap of water on sand, the low hum of faraway conversation and laughter and the rustle of light breeze through palm trees.

I was thinking hard. How does a person go about seducing another? All I wanted to do was throw myself into his arms and kiss him but I was pretty sure that you had to build up to that kind of thing. How do you flirt? I’d never been very good at it. I was always surprised when a guy showed any interest in me at all.

As I thought and didn’t pay attention to what I was doing, my elbow slipped on the polished wood and knocked into his, throwing me completely off balance.

“Whoa, steady there.” He turned to face me and I fell into him, tossing the contents of my glass all over his front.

“Oh, shit, I’m sorry.” I found my feet and steadied myself. I looked into his eyes and words dried up in my mouth. I didn’t worry about my wet chest butting up against his. It felt quite good, actually. He took my champagne glass from my hand and set it down on the table beside us. He didn’t let his gaze leave mine, not even for a second. The tension built. I gulped. He kissed me.

My eyes widened in shock at first then I closed them as I sank into the heat of the kiss. Ben held me tightly, our wet chests rubbing together through damp layers of cotton. He stroked my back as I desperately gripped onto his hips and our mouths pressed into one another determinedly. I was aware of a vague knocking, but I had assumed it was my heart or maybe my knees giving way beneath me.

“The pizza,” Ben gasped and pulled away. “You jump into bed, I’ll get it.”

Smut guest - Bel Anderson

I have fellow smut writer Bel Anderson with me for a virtual cuppa today, so over to her...

I’m thrilled to have a story, ‘The Beach House,’ in the brand new Smut by the Sea - available at All Romance, Amazon UK and Amazon.com.

The inspiration for the story came from two sources – the location was inspired by a childhood holiday and the male love-interest is pretty much based on my first ever lover. 

When I was about seven years old, my parents, sister and I stayed in a holiday cottage belonging to friends of the family in Lessingham, Norfolk. I don’t have great memories about the cottage itself – my abiding memory is that there were ear-wigs in residence and I used to fall asleep with my fingers in my ears, afraid that they’d crawl in! What I really remember are the dunes – miles and miles of them – and the rolling, grey North Sea. It was windy and wild and it stirred something in my soul. It has been the basis of two other, non-erotic, stories as well, one of which was published in a women’s magazine. I’ve tweaked the cottage and made it a sort of glorified beach hut for the purposes of this story, but the wildness of that part of the coast remains un-tweaked.

And onto the man… he wasn’t a childhood sweetheart but I was only seventeen and, yes, he broke my heart. He was five years older, wore a suit, smelt of aftershave and knew his way around a woman’s body. I consider myself lucky to have had him as my first lover because he taught me to enjoy my body with confidence and treated me like a woman. He had hair the colour of a red-setter’s coat, smiling green-blue eyes and he used to make me laugh. He was also a dreadful snob and had been brought up as though he was one of the aristocracy, which he wasn’t. I was too lowly to even meet his mother. Still, the great thing about memory is that you can be selective – and I have selected everything that was gorgeous and sexy about him for this story.

Here’s a small taste:

I step over the threshold and he reaches past me to flick the light switch, producing an electric-shock-type reaction from me as his arm brushes my shoulder and nothing at all from the bulb in the ceiling.

“Maybe the electricity’s off,” he says, flicking the switch a couple of times for good measure.

It is. The old card-meter is card-less. Bang goes any vision I may have been entertaining of a cosy fire and us writhing naked on the rug in front of it. I remind myself that it was never going to happen anyway; only in my filthy mind. In any case, if there still is a rug, it’ll be full of dust and goodness only knows what else.

“Oh well.” He looks at me, his green eyes clear and so, so beautiful in the half-light of the hallway. I make a snap decision. I reach up to touch his face and then slip my fingers slowly into the luxurious thickness of his hair. I stand up on tiptoe and I pull his head down to mine. He doesn’t resist. His breath, warm and clean, mingles with my own as his lips part and slowly, tentatively, find mine. A small moan of lust escapes me as his hot tongue slides delicately, almost politely, between them. I return the pressure as my chest heaves against his and suddenly he’s devouring me, his hands roaming from my hair to my face, to my throat and back again. I bury my fingers in handfuls of his thick hair, stroke the plane of his cheek, finger the smooth line of his jaw; everything I’ve been longing to touch from the moment I saw him this afternoon. I close my eyes and let all thoughts fall away. I just want to feel.

Bel has previously been published in anthologies by Xcite books, has recently had stories published in Smut Alfresco and  Smut by the Sea Volume 2. She is working on a non-erotic novel and also an anthology of erotic stories.

You can find her blog here: http://belandersonwrites.blogspot.com  and her work here:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Smut-Sea-Absolute-Erotica-ebook/dp/B00CFP1W5U/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1368034428&sr=1-2&keywords=Smut+by+the+Sea

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Smut-Alfresco-Absolute-Erotica-ebook/dp/B00BL6RF0K/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1368034521&sr=1-1&keywords=Smut+Alfresco

http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=ntt_athr_dp_sr_3?_encoding=UTF8&field-author=Bel%20Anderson&search-alias=books-uk&sort=relevancerank

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dead-Sexy-Paranormal-Erotic-Anthology/dp/1908086505/ref=sr_1_5?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1363018292&sr=1-5

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dead-Sexy-paranormal-stories-ebook/dp/B009YLRHEI/ref=sr_1_6?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1363018292&sr=1-6

http://www.xcitebooks.com/results.html?keyword=Bel+Anderson

Did someone mention cake?

Personally, I'm a fan of a nice moist carrot cake with a sweet cream cheese topping. Or a good old-fashioned scone with raspberry jam and clotted cream. Always served with tea. So it's a good job I keep going out visiting other lovely writerly folks for virtual baked goods.

I'm at fellow smut writer Jilly Boyd's place talking about Smut by the Sea and seaside inspiration. My mind flits from bondage under the pier to snoozing on a warm, grassy bank via the pervertability of lighthouse-shaped souvenir ornaments.

Read the post here.

Out visiting

Happy bank holiday to the Brits. I hope you all get chance to enjoy the sunshine we've waited so long for. I certainly made the most of a free weekend by climbing a big hill, swimming in a very cold mountain lake, drinking real ale and eating fish and chips by the seaside. Yes, that is the lake and, yes, that is snow on the mountain.

I'm visiting fellow Smut writer Bel Anderson today to talk about my story in Smut by the Sea vol 2, with this little poser:

When I read Smut by the Sea volume 1 last summer, I knew I wanted to write a story for volume 2 because I love the seaside. But it posed a problem: could I write a sweet story that manages to be sexy without the merest mention of a length of rope?

Read more over at Bel's blog.