I've Got Your Ticket to Ride

I've been remiss in sharing the news of a very sexy new book that includes my story, "Hey, Stranger." It's Ticket to Ride: Erotic Tales of Sexual Encounters, edited by Beverly Langland, published by the good people at Sexy Little Pages.

Did you want an excerpt of my story? I got you.

Here's a bit of "Hey, Stranger":

My thoughts raced as I listened to Cindy instruct the cab driver. What did she expect me to do? Would it be OK for me to just lean over and start kissing her?

My libido had plenty of ideas, but I was used to reining that in. Feeling awkward, I worked a hand along the back of the seat until I had an arm wrapped around her shoulders. Still quivering with nerves and anticipation, I dipped my head toward hers until I felt her hair against my cheek. She smelled so clean, so perfect—all those salon and spa scents that had never seemed to stick to me the way they did to other girls. I let my lips brush the top of her ear. “You good with this?”

She hummed way back in her throat and nodded. My body pulsed again, but my thoughts still had me panicked. I realized I didn’t know how she liked to be touched, didn’t know anything about her except the details that could be gleaned among a large group in a noisy bar.

I still wasn’t sure what she wanted with me, but being bold was working so I tried to keep it up. Grabbing hold of one of the fantasies I’d been having about her, I trailed my lips down to her earlobe, then to her jaw, then to the point of her chin. Slowly, a bit shocked at my own daring, I traveled up to her mouth, pausing just before initiating a kiss.

“I want you…” I admitted.

She smiled and took my hand, guiding it to the top of her thigh. She was wearing a short skirt, and I took the hint and slipped my fingertips under its hem. A bolder person might have reached toward her panties right away, but I was still having trouble believing this was happening.

“Sadly, there’s not much traffic,” she whispered, then laughed. “First time I’ve said that sentence. The point is, we probably won’t have more than a half hour before we get to the airport.” Her muscle twitched beneath my fingers as she spread her legs slightly.

***

Want to know more about the book?

Here's a description:

Delve into the minds of nine authors and let them take you for the ride of your life into the world of sex on public transport. Whether it’s trains, planes, cars, buses, trams or ferries, a combination of confined interiors and restricted spaces leads to erotic contact and hot and steamy sex.

Entice yourself with stories of:

Trains: The constant rhythm and clatter of wheels on rails, the side-to-side motion and a sense of entrapment between stations adds a touch of spice to a new encounter; and stealing pleasure on a crowded platform just heightens the excitement. Or travel back to the splendour of the steam age to follow a detective and the thief she’s set out to capture.

Planes: The confined space of the seats necessitates unconventional solutions to comforting a fidgeting woman, particularly when things aren’t quite as they seem.

Buses: A crowded tour bus and the woman who sits between two very different groups of musicians leads to a very different experience on the ‘dividing line’. Meanwhile, eavesdropping on someone else’s erotic stories via Bluetooth during a daily ride share leads to more than just words.

Whatever your fantasy, these erotic short stories will leave you eager to plan your next journey!

Want to buy it right now? You can do that here.

Thanks for reading! <3

MakerSex cover and TOC

I am so pleased to announce that MakerSex: Erotic Stories of Hackers, Geeks, and DIY Projects will be out in March! (Exact date TBA). This was my first editing project for Circlet Press, and I'm so excited to share it with you.

Here is the (absolutely gorgeous!) cover:

And the table of contents:

Introduction by Annabeth Leong

The Not So Wholesome Origins of Cuddle-Bot by Lillian Marguerite

Making Love by Renata Piper

Shiny New Toy by Moxie Marcus

The Junkyard by TS Porter

Lightning Then, and Motion by Eric Del Carlo

The Forge by Kelly Rose Pflug-Back

Look for more news about this soon! :) If you use tumblr, you can watch for much more news about the book here. If you're interested in reviewing the book on Amazon or Goodreads, please drop me a line at annabeth dot circlet at outlook dot com.

Stories I've Enjoyed: "At the Crossroads" by Monique Poirier

Monique Poirier's "At the Crossroads" appeared in Like Heaven and Hell: Erotic Tales of Angels and Demons, which Circlet published in early 2011.

A half-blood angel infected with incubus venom plucks a demon from the gutters of the Gray City to satisfy his infernal craving. Neither of the two is able to treat this as just another encounter:

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry... next time, I promise... next time I'll make it so good for you..." he panted into my ear in counterpoint to thrusting hips. I closed my eyes and arched my head until the tips of my horns touched the firmness of hay behind me, my breath coming in quick gasps as I was filled again and again. He'd slicked the way with something, and the sensation was... novel. Nothing like the pain I was used to, and that spot inside me that turned my insides to liquid fire was touched intermittently. He was promising to make it good? This was as good as I'd ever known.

I really wanted these two to end up together, somehow, which is one of the best signs that a story is working. Also, I was reading it over breakfast, and it almost made me late. I loved the concept of the Gray City, where the two characters meet--a sort of no-fire zone between heaven and hell. I also liked that the story didn't shy away from the ethical questions it raised. This is a really strong story, and closed out the anthology on a great note.

I've previously posted about two other stories in this anthology, "Switch," and "Give and Take."

For full disclosure, I've published with Circlet before, but I bought and read this book entirely on my own.

Stories I've Enjoyed: "Give and Take" by Karen Cobb

Karen Cobb's "Give and Take" appeared in Like Heaven and Hell: Erotic Tales of Angels and Demons, which Circlet published in early 2011.

A demon and angel (who, in this world, aren't really different from each other) find in each other an outlet to deal with the ways that mortals' expections twist them:

I hold my breath, waiting. It feels as though every nerve ending in my body is protruding an inch from the skin and waving around like a little sea anemone. But the cry that explodes from me at the first strike is more due to astonishment than pain. I was expecting a whip, the whip, the one that cuts through skin and flesh. The whip which scourges away my shame and self-loathing, healing my essence while it flays this beautiful, ephemeral frame. Instead, the stripes being laid across my skin are from a strap. Painful, yes--but only a strap. Devious Othello is playing with me, teasing me with my own fears.

This story is well-titled--it clearly portrays how both parties in a bdsm encounter are giving to each other, and how both are receiving from each other. The emotion between the two main characters was palpable.

Last week, I blogged about "Switch," another story in this anthology, and I'll post about my favorite from the book next week.

For full disclosure, I've published with Circlet before, but I bought and read this book entirely on my own.

Stories I've Enjoyed: "Switch" by KJ Kabza

KJ Kabza's "Switch" appeared in Like Heaven and Hell: Erotic Tales of Angels and Demons, which Circlet published in early 2011.

An angel who enjoys slumming on Earth by pretending to be a demon becomes obsessed with another angel, who is much more innocent:

"What are you doing?" he whispered. But the whisper was dreamy and weak, and when I moved my mouth to his ear, his words became lost in a feverish sigh.

I slid my hand down. I expected to find his desire rising in answer to mine, but I hit nothing but soft hair.

Oh. A woman's place.

I felt myself smiling. "This is your first time. To Earth. You've never manifested before."
Head tipped back beside my mouth, transported, Nix could barely manage a sound.

"Human males don't..." I started to explain. But perhaps Nix had meant to manifest as a woman to begin with. Or maybe Nix wasn't quite clear on the differences?

I really enjoyed how genderqueer this story was. It played with the fluid boundaries between "him" and "her" in a sexy, satisfying way.

I liked several stories in this anthology, and plan to post about them in coming weeks.

For full disclosure, I've published with Circlet before, but I bought and read this book entirely on my own.

Stories I've Enjoyed: "Time On His Hands" by D. Mark Alderton

Circlet Press regularly puts up free speculative flash erotica. Case in point: D. Mark Alderton's "Time On His Hands." It's about a time-traveling professor who is looking for the perfect woman:

“I started out with the most famous women in history. But they were disappointing. Cleopatra was young and nubile, but too kinky for my tastes.”
“Kinky?”
“Yes, she was only interested in asp play."

"Asp play" totally cracked me up. The whole story is funny like that.

Stories I've Enjoyed

I'm starting a new weekly posting, in addition to Music Mondays. I'm planning to highlight erotic stories I've recently read and enjoyed. I'll post about whatever I've been reading, which may not always be the most recent stuff.

I'm not planning for these to be reviews per se. I don't intend to get into technical discussions of the merits or flaws of stories, and I'll only discuss stories I liked. My comments will likely be minimal.

That said, there's a lot of great erotica out there, and I want to do my part in spreading the word!