Consenting Adults: Let’s Stop Beating Around The Bush

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It’s my pleasure to welcome back Chris Unity Bowness for the second installment of Consenting Adults, and just in time for Masturbation Month!

Chris-Bowness-Newsletter-logoUnity.1As masturbation month heads towards its climax I’ve decided to finish it off by talking about toys and specifically male sex toys.

There is an odd quirk I’ve noticed, and even more so during the celebration of self love in May. On one hand the talk of female masturbation and especially sex toys has been high on the agenda. However, on the other hand, this is in contrast to the lack of discussion of male self pleasure and specifically male sex toys, which usually doesn’t extend past mutual couple masturbation. In general I find it a subject not many people are comfortable with, as it conjures up many negative images. There are many reasons behind this and many assumptions made and this needs to change.

However, I’ve noticed that when it comes to the wider society this quirk takes on a more interesting turn. Though society is uncomfortable with the idea that women enjoy self pleasure and often paints women who do in a negative light,  female sex toy coverage is everywhere in the mainstream. On the flipside it is pretty much taken for granted that every man wanks, but from what I’ve seen there is very little discussion of male sex toys in the solo sense.

These are just my observations of the sex positive media I take in on a daily basis, and I’m not here to start a gender issue. I know there are reasons why discussions not only happen more between women but also why they are needed. However, I believe discussions and better communication about all areas of sex and pleasure not only help demistify sex and, along with it, the positive benifits, but also gets us talking about problems. Ultimately, communication, sharing information and experiences can help us all have better sex lives.

Wanking Wrong

It is important to point out that male sex toys are now far removed from the image of the grubby mac. We should be encouraging men and women to talk about male masturbation and we should be encouraging male sex toys.

One of the big reasons men’s sex toys should be promoted more and talked about is that many of the sexual problems men suffer can be partly the result of years of bad masturbation habits, and the fact that men don’t masturbate the way they have sex. Issues from premature ejacultion, loss of erection, not being able to climax through penetration, and others could be down to how you toss yourself off. Using toys and thinking differently during self pleasure through the use of sex toys could lead to a great improvement.

The Tool Shed

Male sex toys have come a long way since the infamous blow up doll scene in British comedy Only Fools And Horses. Toys are now as sleek, well designed and as thought through as their female counterparts, with some being produced by the same sex toy companies such as Lelo, Pipedream, Rocks Off and Doc Johnson to name a few. So to show that there is more than one way to spank a monkey* here are my tips on the range of male sex toys available and what they can do for you.

Chris Bowness cock ringCock Rings

Cock Rings may be something many have come across during sex with a partner but they are also great for solo play. Most commonly, cock rings can be placed around the base of the penis or around the penis and balls and for that reason they come in different sizes, but also vary greatly in design, functions and now even shape, For Example: the new Endless Cock Ring which aims to stay in place with it’s new twist feature.

Cock Rings can give you a larger, firmer erection and ultimately a more sensitive penis allowing you to learn to control your penis more not just during masturbation but also during penetrative sex.

Masturbators

“What’s the point? You’ve got a hand.” Is the most common response to discussions regarding male sex toys but if that Chris Bowness Versprechenwhere the case you’d hear it in regards to female sex toys too. Masturbators such as the recently award nominated Verspanken shows there is much more to male pleasure than a clammy palm. Many masturbators, like the Verspanken, allow men to play around with different textures, feelings and even temperature, all of this helping men towards a more fulfilling solo experience but also allowing us to experience the different ways we could enjoy sex with a partner.

Fake Pussies

The male equivalent of the dildo, Fake Pussies, come in all forms from tubes in which you can place your cock to some that are even designed and moulded from the pussy of your favourite porn star, to full bodyChris Bowness artificial pussy toys which include a pussys, boobs and even a place to perform anal sex. For Example: see Pipedream Extreme Series.

Men have been using their hands to wank for a lot longer than they’ve been having penetrative sex and they’ve holding themselves too tight, making themselves come as quickly as possible and also the fact they are tugging rather than thrusting can create a whole host of problems when it comes to having penetrative sex.

Fake pussies can address these problems; by helping you control the tightness, not only prolonging orgasm but also encouraging you to thrust rather than pull, which can help you control the sexual energy and pleasure that builds in the groin, hips and lower abdomen during sexual intercourse.

Prostate Massagers

Chris bowness prostate stimulaterYep! You read right toys which allow you to gain pleasure from the massaging of your prostate. Not only is there actual health benefits involved as prostate stimuation keeps your prostate healthy but you will also, through practice, be able to reach a whole new level of pleasure and orgasm.

Furthermore, it will lead you to the skill of multiple orgasms not only allowing you to control your orgasms and sexual energy but help you focus on other areas of your body, prolonging climax. Prostate play will help to make the distinction between orgasm, climax and ejacultion allowing you greater control of those seperate pleasures and giving you more control and allowing for communication of what you like when you are with a lover.

My advice here though is to start small — possibly with your finger — and learn where your prostate is, how to stimulate it and get used to the sensations before diving into buying a toy. For a quick guide to health benefits head over to this information by Lelo and where you can find Billy, one of the best selling p-spot massagers. For further reading; there are also many books available such as The Multi Orgasmic Couple and also recent release The Ultimate Guide to Prostate Pleasure: Erotic Exploration for Men and Their Partners by Charlie Glickman.

Climax

These are just the main areas of male sex toys, but each area has a whole range of products, variations and prices within them and I hope I have given you motivation to explore. If there is any specific recommendations or further information you’d like please use the comments box below.

Ultimately, masturbation and self exploration through sex toys, whatever gender or sexual orientation, is very self nurturing, self loving and can help us get in touch with ourselves in a deep way before we let others in.  It can help us learn more about what we like, what turns us on and what makes for a better orgasm. Having a better understanding of ourselves can go a long way to better self awareness and communication, in the exchanging of turn-ons, when we have sex with a partner. We can not only help ourselves be better lovers but also allow for an all round heightened mutual experience.

Obviously, anybody who is suffering from problems in sexual performance I first encourage to seek medical advice to discover if there is any underlying health issues and then you are welcome to explore the above.

If you have a partner with a penis and would like to encourage them to explore sex toys, many men find it more comfortable to speak to someone in more comfortable surroundings and if you are in the London area there is no better place to visit than the Sh! Womenstore in Hoxton. Not only do they help couples explore penetrative sex but also solo exploration. They also have special evenings men can visit and get advice and they also hold a whole range of classes including spanking and blow jobs to name a few.

*no euphemisms were hurt during the writing of this article.

The Allure of the Abbey by Justine Elyot

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I’m very excited to have my dear friend and fabulous writer, Justine Elyot, back on A Hopeful Romantic today to talk about her yummy new book, Secrets and Lords. Welcome, Justine!

 

Secrets and LordsAre you devoted to Downton? Downton Abbey, that is, the smash-hit TV drama of early 20th century aristocratic life?

I’ll admit, I must be pretty close to the ideal viewer for this kind of show. I’ve been addicted to costume dramas since I was a wee nipper dressing up in my mum’s silk petticoats and strings of pearls (and, of course, the frocks have a lot to do with the fandom). Add a dash of angst, above and below stairs, and some light history and I’m sold.

Of course, there is sex in Downton, but it tends to lead to babies, scandal or even death (as in the case of the unfortunate Turkish diplomat, Kemal Pamuk). For me, then, it proved inspiring. A house like Downton Abbey, I should think, would have been an intense sexual pressure cooker – attractions, affairs, courtships, illicit liaisons all going on beneath the perfectly-ordered and luxurious surface.

Thus was conceived my novel, Secrets and Lords. Deverell Hall may bear a passing resemblance to Downton Abbey, and the story is set in 1920, shortly after the end of the First World War, but there the similarities end. The Deverell family is riddled with secrets, and the staff are just as bad. Lord Deverell, the head of the clan, is just about the only member of it who can claim to be straightforward; the rest of them present a face to the world that poorly represents their real selves.

Into this web of deception and intrigue comes Edie, a young London woman whose application for the job of housemaid conceals a secret agenda of her own…

If you enjoy feathers and fans, flirtations and, uh, maybe some other stuff that begins with F, then this book might be for you.

Blurb:

Illicit liaisons and unspoken attractions fill the stately home from wall to wall until something will have to give…

From the author of ‘On Demand’ and ‘Kinky’, Justine Elyot’s ‘Secrets and Lords’ is a seductive erotic novel perfect for anyone who loves Downton Abbey.

The summer of 1920 will be the hottest at Deverell Hall for years.

Lord Deverell’s new wife has the house in thrall to her theatrical glamour. His womanising son, Sir Charles, has his eye on anything female that moves while his beautiful daughter, Mary, is feeling more than a little restless. And why does his younger son, Sir Thomas, spend so much time in the company of the second footman?

Into this simmering tension comes new parlour maid, Edie, with a secret of her own – a secret that could blow the Deverell family dynamic to smithereens.

The book is available from 30th May from Mischief Books. Pre-order from Amazon:

Amazon UK
Amazon US

Guest Blogger: Elizabeth Black

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reviewertoppick2Night Owl Reviews TOP PICK Novel Don’t Call Me Baby 25% Off!

Celebrate Don’t Call Me Baby’s TOP PICK review by buying it for 25% off at All Romance eBooks and Naughty Nights Press until May 31!

Buy Links

Naughty Nights Press

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AllRomanceeBooks

http://tinyurl.com/dont-call-me-baby-are

Night Owl Reviews

http://www.nightowlreviews.com/v5/Reviews/Hitherandthee-reviews-Don-t-Call-Me-Baby-by-Elizabeth-Black

Top Pick

4 1/2 stars

HitherandThee

 

Don’t Call Me Baby is a fast paced, very adventurous romantic novel that will take readers on a roller coaster ride of scorching romantic fun. The main character, Catherine, is a woman after my own heart. She is young and fiercely independent, and beyond gorgeous. She is not wealthy, but she wants to live the good life and is not afraid to go get it. She is also very sexually liberated, and in the 1980’s this was sometimes a good thing, and sometimes a not so good thing. The story is so blisteringly hot and steamy; it’s difficult to put down. It took me back to a better time, and a time I enjoyed much more. It is a novel I truly enjoyed reading, and will definitely be reading time and time again. It’s not for the faint of heart, but it’s also not to be missed.

So many men, so little time. Catherine has a long list of men that she sees on a regular basis, and at the top of the list (for the moment, anyway) is Brian. He’s one of her professors at Quincy, and a married man, but that’s never been a problem. But he’s so demanding! So maybe some time apart will be just the trick. A summer theater camp at another local college for local teens should make him realize that Catherine is not his possession, right? That is, until she gets to the camp and meets the other counselors. Ryan is gorgeous, and the rest? Well, what’s a girl on her own to do? Why, enjoy as many as she can! In the meantime, Catherine will come to grips with her mind and her heart, and will figure out what she really wants in life.

baby_top_pickBook Blurb for Don’t Call Me Baby

DON’T CALL ME ‘BABY’ is a fast-paced, quick-witted, sexy, novel about a young woman exploring her sexuality and the cultural morés she collides with on a daily basis.

It’s 1983 in Maryland and Catherine Stone is sex on wheels. She plays the field the way men have done for aeons. Not content to strive for her MRS degree like so many young women her age, she seduces men of all stripes – married college professors, theatre students, virgins, complete strangers who intrigue her. She has already cost one man his job.

She asks herself lots of questions on her search to enjoy her sexuality. Why don’t other women enjoy their sex as much as she does? Why do so many women and men look down on sexually free women, calling them sluts while sexually free men are called studs and Lotharios? She bucks at the double standards! Catherine has made no commitment to any man. She’s free to explore and she gladly does so. No man can tie her down and no woman’s judgment will stop her from playing the field to her heart’s content.

Does she meet her match in a new man who introduces her to sexual bliss she had never before experienced? When she tries multiple partners and bondage for the first time as a submissive, she believes she’s found the sexual bliss she is looking for – and with a man who not only introduces her to the fineries in life but also cares about her like no man ever has before.

Excerpt

[Intro: Catherine Stone is my heroine and the book’s main character. She has taken a summer job at a college camp. Ryan is the older college professor in charge of the camp. KC (aka Casey) is one of the counselors who becomes one of Catherine’s closest friends. DJ teaches drama at the camp. They are currently in an orientation meeting before camp begins.]

At that moment, a young man ran into the room in a blaze of jeans and oversized t-shirt. He tossed his backpack behind the chair next to DJ, and then plopped into a seat.

“Nice of you to drop by, KC.” Ryan said.

“Sorry I’m late. Ran a bit behind this morning.” He gave the crowd a big toothy grin, and leaned back in his chair until the front two legs were off the ground. Oh, boy. This guy is going to be fun. “Okay, alarm didn’t go off. But I’m here. So… did I miss anything?”

“Not yet, but you did manage to be the center of attention again,” Ryan tried to sound miffed, but Catherine saw his dimples deepen as he tried not to smile. “We just did introductions. You can get to know everyone here a bit later. Now, I need to get started.”

The orientation went well. Catherine kept her legs up on the table, showing them off, and her stunt did not get past KC. His eyebrows shot up, and he blew a kiss in her direction. Catherine couldn’t help but like him immediately. He seemed to be the type of guy who didn’t take a thing seriously, and she liked to surround herself with people like that. KC’s silly mood was infectious, and soon with his carousing and smart-mouthed funny comments, everyone at the table was laughing. Monica and Ryan assigned each worker to a class. DJ and Catherine were to teach drama.

“I brought my accordion again,” KC said. “You know how much the kids loved me last year.”

“They cringed, KC,” DJ said. “Did you actually watch them when you played Freebird? On the accordion? You were not cool, dude. Try as you might.”

“I was the coolest guy in the room. You’re just jealous because you can’t pick out Freebird on that tin-plated noise machine you play.”

“It’s a 12-string steel guitar, and I can pick out Freebird just fine.”

“Looks like Miss Longest-Legs-in-the-Universe here is also a guitarist. You two can play the theme to Deliverance to really get the kids in a good mood.”

“How’d you know I play the guitar?” Catherine stretched her legs in response to KC’s ribbing. Her movement did not get past Ryan’s attention. That pleased her to no end.

“I saw you arrive, and you hoisted that guitar over your head. I see a threesome in your future – no, not that kind! Get your mind out of the gutter!!” He laughed at his own joke, and so did everyone in the room, including Catherine. “Us, on guitars. You, DJ, and I. Scaring the kids to death with our bad renditions of Kumbaya. And there’s no need to look so horrified. DJ is used to me picking on him. It’s all in good fun. We’ve been best friends since we were in fourth grade.”

“And we’ve been at each other’s throats ever since.” DJ said. “I’m glad we’re going to teach the drama classes, Catherine. Your suggestion of improvs is perfect. After the meeting, want to do some brainstorming?”

“Sounds good to me. I have lots of good ideas.”

“Don’t let him hog all the ideas,” KC said. “He’s a born monopolizer.”

“Speak for yourself.”

“I do. All the time.” He winked at her, and DJ busted out laughing. It was good to see DJ’s handsome smile. It made his demeanor seem less standoffish. She figured out his relationship with Casey. They balanced each other out very nicely. DJ was the imposing Pontiac GTO and Casey was the Triumph Spitfire.

When Monica learned that Catherine played the piano, guitar, and flute, she immediately added her name to the list of people to play music around the campfire at night. DJ would join her on the guitar and KC on the accordion. What is it with the initials for names around here? Did their parents name them by choosing two different blocks from a game of Scrabble? It wasn’t required that she play every night, but it sure sounded like fun.

Once the meeting was over, and everyone left the room to go about their business, Catherine ran until she caught up with KC and DJ. But she didn’t leave without giving Ryan a coy smile and a wiggle of her hips. His gaze traveled to parts of her body that would have been considered impolite in mixed company. She didn’t turn to see Ryan watch her as she wiggled her way out into the hall towards KC and DJ.

“Here she is, the girl with the longest legs in the world. And damn! You’re short!”

She looked up at KC. “I’m five foot nothing. Most of it legs. You are what? Six feet?”

“Six foot two. So you and my buddy DJ are going to run the acting workshops for the kids?”

“Sure looks that way. It sounds like fun. I know lots of theatre exercises we could try on the kids. They make great icebreakers, too.”

“Well, I’ll leave you two kids to your theatre business,” KC said. “I haven’t unpacked yet, and I want to get myself settled in. See you two at dinner?”

“Yeah. What does KC stand for anyway?”

“Kevin Collins. I go by ‘‘Casey,’ C-A-S-E-Y. Emphasis on the first syllable. I’ll see you two later.”

He ran off before either of them could answer, which struck Catherine as something he did on a regular basis. Looks like you met your match, girl. Being around Casey could be exhausting, and she had only a little bit of exposure to him. How was she going to survive two weeks of “Whirlwind Casey”? She wasn’t the least bit attracted to him, and she didn’t want to fuck him, but he was far too much fun to ignore. He’d be a good friend to have in her corner if she needed one. And she wanted to make friends with him regardless of what gossip might erupt about her sexual activities, and there was bound to be some sooner or later.

News, Naughtiness and Nomination Niftiness

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It’s been awhile since I’ve had a news update and with an exciting summer fast approaching and lots of things happening, I thought it was time I caught everyone up on the latest. So grab your diaries and mark the dates and hold on to your hats. It’s gonna be a wild ride!

COMING SOON!

In the Flesh London Re-launch

One of America’s rudest reading events, In the Flesh, relaunches in London on May 29th giving well-known erotic writers the chance to share their In the Flesh logowork with their readers. For four years In the Flesh was a popular monthly event on the New York street calendar. Curated by erotic writer editor Rachel Kramer Bussel it featured the best writers in erotica from the US & UK.

Sponsored by Xcite Books and hosted by bestselling erotic memoirist Suzanne Portnoy, In The Flesh London will be held on the last Wednesday of every month at the Alley Cat Bar & Club on Denmark Street starting on 29th May from 6.30pm – 8.30pm.

The first session features readings by prolific erotica authors Liz Coldwell (former editor of FORUM magazine), KD Grace, Jilly Boyd and will be hosted by Suzanne Portnoy, author of  The Butcher, The Baker, The Candlestick Maker: The Intimate Adventures of a Woman Who Can’t Say No.

The venue The Alley Cat is located in the basement of what was once the famous Regent Sound Studios on Denmark Street. Denmark Street has an illustrious history, where the Rolling Stones, the Kinks, Elton John and David Bowie recorded songs but also where serial murderer Denis Nilson worked in the Job Centre on the corner.

Details:                                                             

Date: 29th May

Time: 6.30-8.30pm

Place: The Alley Cat Bar & Club,4 Denmark Street, London WC2

What: Erotic Reading Night sponsored by Xcite Books,.

Get your tickets here, FREE! http://www.eventbrite.co.uk/event/6634737679/estw#

Come join us for rude reading pleasure and lots of surprises.

eto-awardETO Best Erotic Author Nomination

That’s right, I’ve been nominated! I can still hardly believe it! I’m very excited to be on the short list for Best Erotic Author 2013, as voted for by subscribers to the ETO Magazine! This is the first year ETO has had a category for Best Erotic Author, so I feel a bit like a pioneer!

And just look at who I share that honour with: Rachel Kramer Bussel and Kay Jaybee!! Also on the list are a couple of writers I’m sure no one has ever heard of before, but I wish them well anyway – EL James and Sylvia Day. (heh, heh!) I’m chuffed to bits just to be nominated and to be in such fine company. And I’m even more chuffed that I’ll actually be able to be in Birmingham on the 23rd of June for the ETO with author extraordinaire and good friend, Kay Jaybee to do a little bit of book signing for Xcite Books. Then afterwards, it’s off to the award ceremony, dawlings! Black dress and pearls at the ready!

And it gets even better! As if it wasn’t enough to get to be in Birmingham for the ETO Awards, I’ll be coming down from Scarborough after a wild and crazy Saturday at

sbtsmed(1)Smut by the Sea

Smut by the Sea: Scarborough 2013 is an Adults Only Event held at Scarborough Library on the 22nd June. It’s a celebration of smut with erotic authors, including myself, performing short readings from stories covering a wide variety of genres. There’ll be a little something for everyone and loads of fun for all.

In the Evening there’s a Launch Party Extravaganza with fun, laughter & prizes galore and lots more, including an exclusive performance of a scene from The Eye of the Beholder, the wildly wicked, quirky burlesque play I’ve written with the multi-talented Moorita Encantada, who will be performing. Check out the schedule of events and if you want to join the fun, all you need to know is on the Smut by the Sea website. I hope to see you there.

Eroticon 2014

Yes, I know it’s still a long ways away, but it’ll be here way before we know it, and I just have to share the news that I’m going to be speaking with the fabulous Victoria Blisse at Eroticon next year, on a subject that is near and dear to both of our hearts, Sex and Spirituality. Victoria and I have been dreaming and scheming this topic for a while now, so it will be great fun to finally be able to share our thoughts on a very important topic and have a whole roomful of erotic authors and bloggers share their thoughts with us.

Also, I’ve been asked to do another writing workshop for Eroticon 2014. I’m very much looking forward to that, since it was so much fun last year. I’ll be keeping you updated on dates, times, places and all the fab speakers as the event draws nearer, and I’m sure I’ll be able to convince Ruby Kiddell into telling us more as time grows closer.

What’s in a Name?

We authors need lots of validation, as we’re very much a neurotic lot, or at least I am. We need to feel the love, probably more often than most people. Sometimes that happens in the form of award nominations or good reviews or being asked to speak or read at an event or someone simply saying they Stella and Tino Bownessenjoyed our book. And sometimes it happens in completely unexpected ways. Last weekend I was validated and shown the love in the most unexpected and most moving way I can ever remember, so I had to share it with you.

Most of you know Chris and Caroline Bowness. They’ve been on the Passionate Partners segment of my blog and Chris is now a regular contributor with his Consenting Adults post once a month. (He also has a weekly Consenting Adults news round-up you won’t want to miss)In fact I met Chris on Facebook when he messaged me to say that both he and Caroline had enjoyed my novel, The Pet Shop, and from there, we struck up a friendship.

Last weekend, the Bowness family welcomed two new members to the household, two rescue puppies, half Jack Russell and half Chiuaua. Imagine my delight to learn that these two bundles of energy (which all of Chris and Caroline’s FB friends saw bounding around on the lovely video they shot and shared on FaceBook) were named Stella and Tino! Yup! That’s right! The lovely Caroline and Chris named their naughty Pets after MY naughty Pets! For those of you who don’t know, and haven’t yet read my novel, The Pet Shop (shame on you if you haven’t!) Stella and Tino are the main characters, and Tino is a very naughty Pet, indeed! I have it on good authority that Tino Bowness is misbehaving just like his namesake!

So, to Caroline and Chris Bowness, a heart-felt thanks. There is no compliment you could have possibly paid me, as a storyteller, that would have meant more to me.

Oh, and make sure to tune in next Thursday, the 30th, for the next instalment of Consenting Adults – Chris’s tribute to Masturbation Month with that mysterious world of male sex toys revealed!

In Other News:

ExecDecisions Banner1

Most of you who follow me on Twitter or are friends on Facebook know that my counterpart, Grace Marshall, is hard at work on novel three of her Executive Decisions trilogy, The Exhibition. At the moment she has just passed the 34,000 word mark, which is roughly a third of the way, and she has left Staci and Harris in a very awkward situation, where they’ll probably have to remain until after the long weekend. Hubby’s lovely sister, Cindy, her OH Pat and the fabulous niece, Juanita, are coming all the way from the steamy south of the US to the bracing English spring for a visit. This bank holiday Monday, Grace wants to take them all to the County Show to see the fancy chickens and eat some fresh strawberries and cream … all for inspiration, you know. I think she might allow me to go along if I promise to behave myself.

Wishing you all a strawberries and cream sort of weekend … and fancy chickens too if you’re so inclined!

 

Coming Together: With Curves, edited by Victoria Blisse and Lucy Felthouse

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Coming Together With CurvesCurvy girls and the men (and women!) that love them is the theme of this charity anthology, edited by Victoria Blisse and Lucy Felthouse.

From Zumba classes to Burlesque dancers, all kinds of big and beautiful women are portrayed between the pages of this book. Read about birthday surprises, smut at the gym, horse riders, lusty couples, naughty neighbours, skilled bakers, rope bondage and misunderstandings from some of erotica’s best authors.

Sales proceeds benefit Parkinson’s UK.

Contents: Six Lengths of Red Hemp (Tilly Hunter), Cross Trainer Number Four (Lily Harlem), Bella Buxom, Just Squeeze Me (JoAnne Kenrick), Captivated (Elizabeth Lapthorne), Red Rag to a Bull (Victoria Blisse), Girl Next Door (Bella Blake), Lush Buns (Sommer Marsden), The Big Reveal (Giselle Renarde), The Wrong End of the Stick (Lucy Felthouse), Riding School (Bella Blake), Flesh For Fantasy (Lexie Bay).

Available from: http://lucyfelthouse.co.uk/published-works/coming-together-with-curves/

*****

Bonnie stifled a sigh. He was doing it again. Staring at her, as he had been every day that week. She was on a fortnight’s training course through work. She was the only one from her office who’d been sent. As a result, she knew no one and ended up sitting alone in the college’s cafeteria at lunchtimes. She’d had a couple of invites from kindly people also on her course, but she’d turned them down. It wasn’t that she was being rude or anti-social, she just hated people to see her eat. She was a big girl—that was putting it politely—and when people saw her eat, she could feel the judgment rolling off them in waves, the thoughts that she was fat because she ate so much.

It wasn’t true. About what she ate, that was. She was fat, and there was no denying it. But it certainly wasn’t her doing. She’d been born to large parents, and despite a healthy diet and plenty of exercise, she was still overweight. All she ever managed to shift was a pound or two here and there, and that was hardly noticeable, particularly on a woman her size. She kept at it, though, resigned to being a larger lady, but determined not to get any bigger.

Because she’d always been big, she was used to the snide comments, the dirty and derisive looks, the open stares. So it didn’t upset her any more, but she still got irritated when people simply gawped at her. Surely one glance was enough for them to ascertain that yes, she was a shapely girl, and then move on. In most cases it was, particularly if she glared at the person in question. But not with this guy. She was sure he was trying to be subtle, because he often averted his gaze as she trained hers on him. But even if he’d looked away, she could tell by the position of his head and body that he’d been peeking at her. Again.

Now, on day seven, she was almost at boiling point. What the hell was his problem? Had no one ever told him it was rude to stare? She was on the verge of doing just that.

Eating her lunch was an unpleasant task, knowing she was being observed. If she hadn’t been so damn hungry, she’d have left it. But she’d been running late that morning and had committed that mortal sin—missing breakfast. So her chicken salad—with no dressing—was absolutely necessary to avoid making herself feel ill, or passing out, so she devoured every last morsel. She ate faster than she normally would, not because she was being greedy, but because the sooner she finished eating, the sooner she’d stop feeling so damn self-conscious about the guy across the room watching her.

She decided to give him one last chance. When she’d finished her lunch, she’d drink her carton of apple juice, then sit for a few seconds, doing nothing. If he continued to look at her, she was going to stomp over there and give him what for. If he didn’t, then she’d carry on with life and do her best to forget about him and his rudeness.

Deep down, she knew she was going to have to go over and say something to him. After seven days, he wasn’t going to suddenly amend his habits. She was just being a bit of a wimp, really, hoping to find some way of getting out of confrontation, because she didn’t like it, not one bit, and it was absolutely a last resort. Unfortunately, she couldn’t think of a single other way of stopping him from doing it. Perhaps she could put up a sign in front of her saying “Please stop staring at me.” But if he couldn’t take the hint when she’d glared at him, he wouldn’t take any notice of a piece of paper.

Several minutes later, her salad was gone and she moved onto her drink. With a sinking feeling in her gut, she saw he was just as interested in her now as he had been when she’d been eating. Damn, confrontation it was then.

Draining the carton, she gathered her plate, cutlery and other rubbish onto her tray, stood up and slid it onto the rack nearest her. Then she returned to her table, grabbed her bag, pulled in a deep breath through her nostrils and marched over to the Peeping Tom. She slid out the chair opposite him and sat down on it.

*****

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