Maxim Jakubowski is a London-based novelist and editor. He was born in the UK and educated in France. Following a career in book publishing, he opened the world-famous Murder One bookshop in London. He now writes full-time. He has edited over twenty bestselling erotic anthologies and books on erotic photography, as well as many acclaimed crime collections. His novels include It’s You That I Want to Kiss, Because She Thought She Loved Me and On Tenderness Express, all three recently collected and reprinted in the USA as Skin in Darkness. Other books include Life in the World of Women, The State of Montana, Kiss Me Sadly, Confessions of a Romantic Pornographer, I Was Waiting For You and, recently, Ekaterina and the Night. In 2006 he published American Casanova, a major erotic novel which he edited and on which fifteen of the top erotic writers in the world collaborated, and his collected erotic short stories as Fools For Lust. He compiles two annual acclaimed series for the Mammoth list: Best New Erotica and Best British Crime. He is a winner of the Anthony and the Karel Awards, a frequent TV and radio broadcaster, a past crime columnist for the Guardian newspaper and Literary Director of London’s Crime Scene Festival.
Recent Mammoth titles
The Mammoth Book of Hot Romance
The Mammoth Book of Historical Crime Fiction
The Mammoth Book of Best New SF 24
The Mammoth Book of Gorgeous Guys
The Mammoth Book of Really Silly Jokes
The Mammoth Book of Best New Horror 22
The Mammoth Book of Undercover Cops
The Mammoth Book of Weird News
The Mammoth Book of the Best of Best New Erotica
The Mammoth Book of Antarctic Journeys
The Mammoth Book of Muhammad Ali
The Mammoth Book of Best British Crime 9
The Mammoth Book of Conspiracies
The Mammoth Book of Lost Symbols
The Mammoth Book of Sex Scandals
The Mammoth Book of Body Horror
The Mammoth Book of Steampunk
The Mammoth Book of New CSI
The Mammoth Book of Gangs
The Mammoth Book of SF Wars
The Mammoth Book of One-Liners
The Mammoth Book of Ghost Romance
The Mammoth Book of Threesomes and Moresomes
The Mammoth Book of Best New SF 25
The Mammoth Book of Jokes 2
The Mammoth Book of Horror 23
The Mammoth Book of Slasher Movies
The Mammoth Book of Street Art
The Mammoth Book of Ghost Stories by Women
The Mammoth Book of Irish Humour
THE MAMMOTH BOOK OF
Best
New Erotica
Volume 11
Edited by Maxim Jakubowski
Constable & Robinson Ltd
55–56 Russell Square
London WC1B 4HP
www.constablerobinson.com
First published in the UK by Robinson,
an imprint of Constable & Robinson Ltd, 2012
Copyright © Maxim Jakubowski, 2012 (unless otherwise stated)
The right of Maxim Jakubowski to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988
All rights reserved. This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, resold, hired out or otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or to actual events or locales is entirely coincidental.
A copy of the British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data is available from the British Library
UK ISBN: 978-1-78033-441-7 (paperback)
UK ISBN: 978-1-78033-442-4 (ebook)
1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2
First published in the United States in 2012 by Running Press Book Publishers,
A Member of the Perseus Books Group
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US ISBN: 978-0-7624-4600-1
US Library of Congress Control Number: 2012938749
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Digit on the right indicates the number of this printing
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Contents
Acknowledgements
INTRODUCTION
Maxim Jakubowski
THE BOILING SEA
Angela Caperton
WHAT ARE YOU WEARING?
Matt Thorne
CTHULHU’S TOAD
Robert Buckley
MY TWO HALVES
Alana James
A WASHINGTON SQUARE ROMANCE
Maxim Jakubowski
JOHN UPDIKE MADE ME DO IT
Donna George Storey
THE PURPLE GLOVES
Gala Fur
CHECKPOINT CHARLIE
N. J. Streitberger
THE RED BRASSIERE
EllaRegina
THE ANTIDOTE
Lisabet Sarai
SKINHEADS
Jacqueline Applebee
NEW YORK ELECTRIC
Cara Bruce
SALVATION
Jordan LaRousse
HER FIRST THURSDAY EVENING
M. Christian
THAMES LINK
Justine Elyot
FREEING THE DEMON
Sacchi Green
RIVER
Catherine Leary
GOING VIRAL
Helen E. H. Madden
LEOPARDESS WIFE
Debra Gray De Noux & O’Neil De Noux
ANONYMOUS
Daisy Danger
OF COCKLES AND MUSSELS
Stella Duffy
SAVING THE WORLD
Thom Gautier
ONE LAST FLING
Kristina Wright
JEWELS OF THE TIDE
Alice Gray
BOSTON. BREASTS. BOHEMIANS.
Jeremy Edwards
LET’S DANCE
D. L. King
AN UNUSUAL LEGACY
Anya Levin
ROOFTOP HUNGER
Aimee Herman
WHITER THAN SNOW
Zander Vyne
THE PEANUT BUTTER SHOT
C. Sanchez-Garcia
DR MULLALEY’S CURE
Delilah Devlin
DARK SIDE OF THE MOON
Kristina Lloyd
THE AMAZING MARVELLA
Elsie McGraw
OBIT FOR LYNN
Tsaurah Litzky
I WAITED FOR YOU BY THE RIVER OF TIME
Remittance Girl
PIC
KING APPLES IN HELL
Nikki Magennis
BARNACLE BILL
Angela Caperton
BELLEVILLE BLUE
Carrie Williams
AQUA SUBCULTURE
Lee Ee Leen
GET UP! STAND UP!
Madeline Moore
YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR
Robert Buckley
Acknowledgements
THE BOILING SEA © 2011 by Angela Caperton. First appeared in LIKE A VORPAL BLADE, edited by Jen Blackmore.
WHAT ARE YOU WEARING? © 2010 by Matt Thorne. First appeared in SEX IN THE CITY: LONDON, edited by Maxim Jakubowski.
CTHULHU’S TOAD © 2010 by Robert Buckley. First appeared at the EROTICA READERS AND WRITERS ASSOCIATION.
MY TWO HALVES © 2010 by Alana James. First appeared in RED HOT READS, edited by Miranda Forbes.
A WASHINGTON SQUARE ROMANCE © 2010 by Maxim Jakubowski. First appeared in SEX IN THE CITY: NEW YORK, edited by Maxim Jakubowski.
THE PURPLE GLOVES © 2010 by Gala Fur. First appeared in IN/SOUMISES, edited by Gala Fur & Wendy Delorme.
CHECKPOINT CHARLIE © 2012 by N. J. Streitberger. First publication.
THE RED BRASSIERE © 2010 by EllaRegina. First appeared in SEX IN THE CITY: PARIS, edited by Maxim Jakubowski.
THE ANTIDOTE © 2011 by Lisabet Sarai. First appeared at the EROTICA READERS AND WRITERS ASSOCIATION.
SKINHEADS © 2010 by Jacqueline Applebee. First appeared in BEST WOMEN’S EROTICA 2011, edited by Violet Blue.
NEW YORK ELECTRIC © 2010 by Cara Bruce. First appeared in SEX IN THE CITY: NEW YORK, edited by Maxim Jakubowski.
SALVATION © 2011 by Jordan LaRousse. First appeared in OYSTERS AND CHOCOLATE.
HER FIRST THURSDAY EVENING © 2010 by M. Christian. First appeared at THE EROTIC WOMAN.
THAMES LINK © 2010 by Justine Elyot. First appeared in SEX IN THE CITY: LONDON, edited by Maxim Jakubowski.
FREEING THE DEMON © 2011 by Sacchi Green. First appeared in DREAM LOVER, edited by Kristina Wright.
RIVER © 2010 by Catherine Leary. First appeared in SLIPTONGUE.
GOING VIRAL © 2010 by Helen E. H. Madden. First appeared at the EROTICA READERS AND WRITERS ASSOCIATION.
LEOPARDESS WIFE © 2011 by Debra Gray De Noux & O’Neil De Noux. First appeared in INDECENT PROPOSALS, edited by Miranda Forbes.
ANONYMOUS © 2011 by Daisy Danger. First appeared at DAISYDANGER.COM
OF COCKLES AND MUSSELS © 2010 by Stella Duffy. First appeared in SEX IN THE CITY: DUBLIN, edited by Maxim Jakubowski.
SAVING THE WORLD © 2010 by Thom Gautier. First appeared in LUCREZIA MAGAZINE.
ONE LAST FLING © 2010 by Kristina Wright. First appeared in THE MAMMOTH BOOK OF THREESOMES AND MORESOMES, edited by Linda Alvarez.
JEWELS OF THE TIDE © 2010 by Alice Gray. First appeared at the EROTICA READERS AND WRITERS ASSOCIATION.
BOSTON. BREASTS. BOHEMIANS. © 2010 by Jeremy Edwards. First appeared in THE COUGAR BOOK, edited by Jolie du Pré.
LET’S DANCE © 2010 by D. L. King. First appeared in FAST GIRLS, edited by Rachel Kramer Bussel.
AN UNUSUAL LEGACY © 2011 by Anya Levin. First appeared in MASKED PLEASURES, edited by Jennifer Levine.
ROOFTOP HUNGER © 2012 by Aimee Herman. First publication.
WHITER THAN SNOW © 2011 by Zander Vyne. First appeared in her collection WEATHER GIRL AND OTHER KINKY STORIES.
THE PEANUT BUTTER SHOT © 2011 by C. Sanchez-Garcia. First appeared at the EROTICA READERS AND WRITERS ASSOCIATION.
DR MULLALEY’S CURE © 2011 by Delilah Devlin. First appeared in CARNAL MACHINES, edited by D. L. King.
DARK SIDE OF THE MOON © 2010 by Kristina Lloyd. First appeared in BAD ASS, edited by Alison Tyler.
THE AMAZING MARVELLA © 2010 by Elsie McGraw. First appeared in CLEAN SHEETS.
OBIT FOR LYNN © 2010 by Tsaurah Litzky. First appeared in SEX IN THE CITY: NEW YORK, edited by Maxim Jakubowski.
I WAITED FOR YOU BY THE RIVER OF TIME © 2010 by Remittance Girl. First appeared at the EROTICA READERS AND WRITERS ASSOCIATION.
PICKING APPLES IN HELL © 2010 by Nikki Magennis. First appeared in SEX IN THE CITY: DUBLIN, edited by Maxim Jakubowski.
BARNACLE BILL © 2010 by Angela Caperton. First appeared in her collection DARKNESS AND DELIGHT.
BELLEVILLE BLUE © 2010 by Carrie Williams. First appeared in SEX IN THE CITY: PARIS, edited by Maxim Jakubowski.
AQUA SUBCULTURE © 2010 by Lee Ee Leen. First appeared in THE BEST OF SOUTHEAST ASIAN EROTICA, edited by Richard Lord.
GET UP! STAND UP! © 2010 by Madeline Moore. First appeared in THE COUGAR BOOK, edited by Jolie Du Pré.
YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR © 2011 by Robert Buckley. First appeared at the EROTICA READERS AND WRITERS ASSOCIATION.
Introduction
Welcome to another entertaining, sexy and – who knows – educational cruise in the shimmering waters of erotica.
The Mammoth Book of Erotica series has since the early 1990s been at the forefront of what I would term “literary erotica”. Literary as opposed to merely stories full of sex scenes in which the characters are not made of flesh but second-rate cardboard, and of course miles away from what I would consider pornography. Now I know that there are still people out there who would wish to taint anything that describes sexual acts and represents the complicated world of the senses we live in in all its often crude reality as pornographic, but it has always been my contention that erotic writing should answer to the same standards as any popular form of writing (think crime & thrillers, SF & fantasy, romance . . .) and not only entertain the reader but also make him or her think, speculate, or at any rate leave a mark on their memory and stimulate their imagination. Mere titillation is never enough.
Trawling through the myriad anthologies, magazines, websites and blogs of the previous 18 months (the periods covered by this volume are somewhat extended due to the publication of our recent Best of Best Erotica volume, before we revert to an annual selection again with volume 12) is both a pleasure and a duty I undertake on a regular basis with a heavy but trepidating heart. Sturgeon’s Law (named after the renowned speculative fiction author) states that 90 per cent of any body of work, irrespective of genre, is rubbish, and my task has always been to uncover the gems, the 10 per cent that justify my faith in the healing, exciting powers of erotic writing and, once again, the writers I’ve been privileged to collate for this 11th volume in our series have delivered with bells ringing.
Not only have they proven madly inventive, but always deeply provocative, sensual, literate, intelligent, and the adventures and dilemmas in which their characters swim will make your heart beat just that little bit faster and, I daresay, even see many of you partly identify with them. Because, after all, we all have sex lives and wonder endlessly about the lives of others, don’t we? Be honest.
For the past few years, there has been a veritable deluge, a sheer avalanche of erotic tales being issued in new mediums like the Internet and as ebooks, which I fear has been to the detriment of our beloved genre, as a distinct lack of quality control has often been sadly in evidence outside of print publications, but the nuggets we have managed to pick up from these murky streams are always worthwhile. To the extent that this volume welcomes ten writers who have never appeared in our pages before, some totally unknown to me previously (including our first ever contribution from the far shores of Malaysia) and others who have been active in other pages or genre areas. As a result, a handful of regulars to the series have not made the grade this time along; there are only so many pages available to me!
As always, not every story will be to every reader’s taste. But diversity is paramount and demonstrates yet again how varied literary erotica can prove to be. You will be delighted, you will be shocked, you will be puzzled, you will on occasion be both scared and aroused, but I am certain you will keep on reading, knowing all along there is a
lways something intriguing and sexy around the next page.
This is the best erotica of the year without a shadow of a doubt and your life would be poorer without it.
Savour slowly!
Maxim Jakubowski
The Boiling Sea
Angela Caperton
I met the Walrus in July 1969, my first full day back in the world. Sometimes I think that everything that happened after that was only a dream, all the decades just fantasy or hallucination, but I know better. Everything changed, but it’s all as real as flying pigs, as certain as cabbages.
I came back from Nam that summer and, after my discharge, I went home for a bad afternoon and evening, just long enough for my parents to remind me why I’d enlisted the very moment I turned eighteen. Around four a.m., jacked up on white cross and thermos coffee, I took my old Ford and headed for the nearest coast, through lowland fog, to a crackling soundtrack of Top Forty radio and clear channel preachers. I wanted a taste of what I’d been reading about in magazines back in-country: hippie girls, California pot, and loud, beautiful music. I had nearly three thousand dollars and no ambition but to have a dangerously good time.