"Erotic short stories"

This is a collection of three short erotic stories with an underlying common theme. Although the setting and time period is different for each, they all involve a woman as a sexual captive, being used initially against her will by several men, and swiftly coming to enjoy her situation. And after re-reading the stories, I realized there is a touching vein of tenderness and caring that underlies them all.

"Bondage, Beauty and the Beast" has a medieval fantasy setting. The young and beautiful widow (she was the second wife) of an elderly lord is sold by her stepson to a man who is under an evil sorceress's spell. The Beast is certainly tall, dark, and handsome -- his height is enhanced by the horns on his head, his fur is silky black, but his features under the fur are still gorgeously human. But he isn't interested in being romantic or even necessarily kind to his new sex slave--he needs someone like her to dominate and control. The sorceress thought she was posing an impossible task when she said that to break the spell on him, he must 'bring a beautiful noblewoman to submission until she willingly embraces your mastery'. Brianne meets the necessary criteria, so the Beast sets out to bring her to sexual submission. Brianne is both frightened and fascinated as she experiences pleasure/pain at his hands. When the sorceress returns and assumes she will join her in a horrible revenge, Brianne has to choose between seeing her Beast tortured and killed or risking her own life to save him.

"A Question of Pleasure" is set in Washington, DC, in the closing days of the American Civil War. Rose is a spy for the South, sent to seduce and get secret information from Alan, a Union Army Major. Of course, she wasn't supposed to fall in love with him. And she didn't think he'd discover what she really was and take her prisoner. Alan decides not to turn her over to military justice, but rather to force her to tell him the names of her spymaster and fellow spys. He thinks threats will accomplish this, but Rose is not giving in easily, so Alan has to resort to other interrogation techniques. The problem is that both of them are enjoying it too much. Alan, being a gentleman, had not expected to find himself so aroused by being free to do anything he wanted to his captive. He eventually brings in another officer with more 'experience' in this method of extracting information, but then feels guilty for treating the woman he loves like this--but not guilty enough to stop.

"The Bloodslave" is the story of three vampire mercenaries in the year 2459 AD. Vampires can survive on synthetic human blood, but what they really need is the psychic energy a woman gives off during sexual climax. The vampires do not mistreat their battle captives; females expect to end up 'on the menu', but thanks to breathless gloating by former ëvictims', it's not something to terrify them. Except for Verica, who was raised in an alien culture and has no experience with human males, let alone male vampires. And these vampires, having been hired to fight in an alien war far beyond human space haven't had a 'good meal' in six months. This was my favorite story of the three, because so much of it focuses on Verica's pleasure -- the vampires only get the psychic charge they want if she is enjoying it.

Sensuality Guide: bondage, D/s, flogging, sex toys, threesomes and foursomes.

Reviewed by Raelene Gorlinsky
Posted June 29, 2001

Summary

In Anastasia Day's Bodice Rippers, three lovely women meet the Prince Charming they've been searching for ñ only to discover his idea of "happily ever after" includes handcuffs and riding crops. The first story, "Bondage, Beauty and the Beast," is definitely not the Disney version as the Beast teaches his Beauty erotic submission. In "A Question of Pleasure," a Union captain discovers his lover is a Confederate spy and sets out to discover just what secrets she's revealed ñ even if he must use sensuous persuasion to make her talk. Finally, a pretty mercenary becomes "The Bloodslave" when she finds herself a prisoner of war to three kinky vampires who consider her virginity an irresistible temptation.