Exhibitionism, voyeurism and female sexual fantasy (video)

While it is true that tender, romantic and languid sex delight and often serve as the cornerstone for intimate liaisons, sometimes women (and men) really want it naughty. They want it a little kinky. They want sex that crosses their boundaries, whatever those lines may be.

Part of the allure of sexual fantasy is that it allows our minds to wander into vulnerable places with a trusted partner that we wouldn’t normally visit in our everyday lives. That’s okay. Even if they stay only in our head, those luscious imaginations can offer couples with an open mind towards the unchartered new levels of excitement, connection and communication. Regular readers of Modern Love and the Alphabet Erotica series already appreciate the important of fantasy to sex play for adults.

But do you know what two of the top ten most common female sexual fantasies are? (source).

Rachel Kramer Bussel obviously does. Her anthologies of erotica capture the range of hidden desires, and Peep Show (Cleis Press, 2009) goes to the smutty heart of two of them: Exhibitionism and voyeurism. After reading this delicious gem of sexy literature, Modern Love must agree that inside many women (and men) are tartlets fantasizing about the excitement of being on display.

Peep Show is a top-notch assembly of eighteen sexy stories that center around the delicious theme of watching or being watched. As Bussel says in the introduction of Peep Show, “There’s a sense of the forbidden in many of the stories you’ll read here, whether money changes hands or not.”

What surprised Modern Love when reading this anthology wasn’t just how arousing illicit peeking can be; it’s the originality of many of the stories and settings, and the sense of respect these peeping Toms and Thomasinas have for their fetish.

Many notables stand out. Glass, by Nobilis Reed, is perhaps the most complex, with consensual voyeurism layered upon the unexpected. Without giving anything away, the story involves at least two women and two men, and if you include the reader, there’s a lot of peeping going on.

Sleeping Beauty by Malcolm Ross is as much about watching your naked wife sleep, as it is homage and expression of love and desire. "Some people might think that the only ones with sexual secrets are those having affairs, or single folks with wild lives that involve a different bed parter every night. But me? I'm a happily married man with a dirty little secret: I like to watch my wife, Inez, sleep...watching her at rest turns me on, makes my d**k come alive," confesses the protagonist about his passion and appreciation for his wife's vulnerable form.

In Missing Michael, M. March captures the angst and guilt of losing a love one and the guilt of moving on; be prepared for a surprise when you find out who’s stealing glances from afar.

And Sommer Marsden does a fine job of describing a husband’s longing for sexual satisfaction and the return of his pregnant wife’s appetites in Satisfaction Guaranteed. "The pregnancy was almost over, but by god, it felt to him as if she'd been pregnant for years...he still missed her. His wife. Them. Together. He missed the morning sex when they avoided kissing because it was just better to use those morning-breath mouths..." elsewhere, Marsden writes in the beginning of the story.

Erotica is a growing industry, with a notable audience increase in the past few years, enough to make even some of the larger publishing houses open their vaults to the genre (source). Some may think that this sort of writing it is only pornography on the page, but Modern Love believes there are more reasons beyond horny appetites for the increased popularity, especially with readers under forty. Like any tool, erotica can enhance a relationship, providing a platform to share and explore the blessing of pleasure.

Fortunately for readers with discriminating taste, Cleis Press continues to offer a selection of erotica that is both smart and sensual, appealing to readers’ appetites above and below the belt. And often, as is in the case of Peep Show, the repertoire includes story lines that appeal to the bold, the hungry, and yes, even the romantic.

For more excerpts from the book, enjoy the book trailer below. You can learn more about Bussel at her blog.

Check out Modern Love's sensual series: Tantra Tuesdays. Short and playful, it’s a weekly lesson in intimacy for lusty couples in love who want to merge the sacred and sensual towards a more conscious union.

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