‘That’s ’cos you’re a slut, Emerald,’ he sighed pleasurably. He was so clean from the shower that he was almost tasteless until she sucked the faintly salty pre-come from the eye of his cock. Putting her hands on his hairy thighs, she lost herself in the art and the pleasure of giving him head. He wrapped his fingers in her hair, guiding her, unhurried. He pushed all the way to the back of her throat and when she took the length without gagging he nearly purred. ‘Emerald.’

She opened her eyes and looked up at him, knees splayed and ass thrust out, her mouth wrapped around his turgid cock.

‘I’ve got a surprise for you.’ He nodded over her shoulder.

Confused, it took a moment before she broke away and turned. There in the doorway, arms folded, stood Max with a face like stone.

‘Shit!’ squealed Emerald, clapping her hand over her mouth as if she could hide the fact it had just been pleasuring their flatmate’s cock. ‘Oh shit! I’m sorry!’

‘Yeah,’ said Max. ‘You look sorry.’


Plot: Non-supernatural.  Emerald and her boyfriend Max share a flat with Max's best friend Greg. While Max is out at work, Emerald and Greg carry on a secret sexual relationship, in which Emerald gets off on Greg's dominance. Then one day Max walks in on them, and it turns out that he's known about it all for some time. And now he's going to make Emerald pay...

Sexual Themes: Threesome, spanking, anal, femsub

Notes: This is by no means a nice story. Oh no. It sits right over the edge from my personal comfort zone. Three characters, none of whom will win any prizes for ethical behaviour, and none of whom come up smelling of roses by the end. Consent is implied (largely by a failure to protest) rather than explicit. This is a diiiiirty one...

I wrote it for myself too, with no particular market in mind, just a flash of inspiration. I sent it to Alison Tyler of Cleis Press when she put out the call for M is for Master - but not only was this story well over the word limit for that anthology, she thought it would fit better in Playing With Fire and bumped it sideways into that collection. That's what a good editor is for. A lucky thing for me too, because M is For... didn't actually see daylight, being an early casualty of the financial depression. 

The theme of the collection is sex that pushes or trangresses the boundaries of relationships. Scorched certainly fits in there.

I get first mention on the back cover: "In Scorched Janine Ashbless shares a three-way with two hot men and one lucky woman". Yeeehah!

All the story titles, btw, are fire-themed. So I had to rename mine upon acceptance - it having originally been entitled What Friends Are For. I suggested Scorched - and to our mutual delight that was actually the interim title Alison had given it already. We were clearly on a roll!

Trivia: Max asks Emerald to pick him up the "new Eisler thriller". Barry Eisler is a mainstream author who was interviewed on our group blog Lust Bites back in the day. I just thought I'd give him a mention.

1) Why does infidelity continue to make for such great stories, books, movies, songs, etc? I mean, we've seen it all at this point, but it often still feels fresh.

 It’s about the drama, isn’t it? The lure of the forbidden, the conflict between mind and heart and body, the fear of being found out, the rage of the betrayed partner. It’s an eternal subject for fiction. And when it comes to explicitly erotic fantasies ... well, I write about all sorts of themes; from emotionally-charged romance to scary gang-bangs to sex with minotaurs.  We use erotic fiction to explore and satisfy deep parts of our sexual imaginations –  not necessarily because we want to do it in real life. We can read about infidelity and then walk away into our normal monogamous lives. Just like murder or mountaineering disasters or zombie invasions: it’s exciting to read about, but probably worth avoiding in the flesh.  

 In the case of “Scorched” I deliberately wrote a filthy dirty story about people who behave in ways I don’t approve of.  I did it for fun, that’s all.  Personally, I believe we have an ethical responsibility to treat our partner(s) in any sexual relationship (monogamous, poly, friends-with-benefits, one-night-stand, or whatever), with honesty, respect, fairness and care. That means whatever your setup and however many people are involved, lying and cheating and manipulating people is not on. I don’t believe that monogamy is the only ethical lifestyle choice, but I don’t believe that in the pursuit of your own satisfaction you have a right to treat your partner(s) with contempt, either.

2) Emerald relates being called a slut and "horny little bitch" and so on, and seems to enjoy it. Yet, that goes against all the chivalry lessons young men are taught. So, where's the disconnect? At what point should men go from opening doors and standing up at the dinner table to smacking their lover's ass with a belt and calling her a slut? And why does it always seem like this is part of this particular fantasy?

 My character Emerald happens to be a sexual submissive. I don’t agree that humiliation and BDSM are always part of an infidelity fantasy – although they can certainly play upon the guilt one or both partners may be feeling, and highlight the sense of transgression. And I think we’re off the topic of infidelity here and into the politics of Dom/sub sexuality.

 But since you ask, “At what point?” the answer is: “When she asks him to.” That’s the disconnect. Grown-ups can tell the difference between consensual sexual fantasy/roleplay and real life. Grown-ups know that your sexual preferences do not define the whole of your persona – male or female – and that there are different social rules for different situations. It’s not rocket science.

 
3)Is Emerald happy?

I think she’s enjoying herself.

 
4)What do you hope readers take away from your story?

An earth-shaking orgasm!  Nothing else. Well, maybe a desire to track down all my books via Amazon and buy the lot...

5) When we read these stories and essays, why does there seem to be a difference between a woman having an affair and a man cheating on his significant other?

 Er ... I see no difference at all.

6) Is an "open relationship" -- similar to the one that seems to be getting started at the end of the story -- a possibility in real life?

 Of course. An open or polyamorous relationship might not last forever (more variables = more possibilities for things to break down), but there’s no guarantee that any particular monogamous relationship will last forever either.

7) Without being too personal, do you relate to Emerald ... or Max ... or Greg?

 All three characters in “Scorched” are selfish and duplicitous, in different ways. I don’t find any of them particularly sympathetic. I was just using them for sexual kicks ...  which is okay because they aren’t real people.

 
8) Is an affair the ultimate fantasy?

 No, I think it’s pretty tame compared to many of mine!

 
9)What do we -- as women, men, people -- get out of monogamy? There must be some anthropological reason for it.

 In the pre-contraceptive historical period, you’d know who was the father of the children produced. So men would know which children were worth protecting. Nowadays - sure, being monogamous means you have to give up some forms of sexual pleasure (though not so many, if you have porn and fiction to make up the gap when you crave novelty) but in return you get stability in your life. That’s worth a lot.  

 
10) Why does our society put such a premium on monogamy? Why is society as a whole so scared of otherwise devoted women and/or men engaging in outside-their-relationship sex? 

 Goodness – there’s a whole essay in answering that!  Potted version, off the top of my head: Historical influence of Christian ethics; the socio-economic status of women (and how that has changed over the centuries); the idealisation of romantic love; self-perpetuating social learning.  

11) Is it at all possible to separate sex and emotion?

I don’t actually think it’s a good idea to separate sex and emotion. However, it is certainly possible to separate sex from jealousy and possessiveness.

 
12) Is there a sane way to set up ground rules for exploring outside of a dedicated relationship?

Well, I’m not sure I’m qualified to give advice, but...

• Talk. Talk more. Keep communicating.
• Make sure you are honest with each other about what you are after.
• Make sure you are honest with yourself about what you actually need.
• Be safe, and take responsibility for your partner’s safety too: look after each other.
• Keep a close eye on your own emotions: if you are getting competitive or insecure or jealous then this is not the lifestyle for you.
• Respect your partner’s boundaries no matter how arbitrary they seem to you – and demand the same respect.
• Don’t keep secrets, and don’t harbour grudges.
• Don’t be selfish.
• Be completely prepared to give up sexual fun for the sake of preserving the dedicated love relationship – and if need be, go back to being monogamous for a while or forever.
• Remember that hot sex is NOT the most important thing in life.

 And, if you want to be on the safe side – make sure neither of you is going to fall in love with one of the outside parties. Infatuation stops you thinking straight. And it is probably easier for most people to cope with their partner fucking someone else than them being in love with someone else.

 
If monogamy isn't realistic, what is?

Monogamy of some sort – even if serial monogamy - is perfectly realistic for most people. Probably far more realistic than some utopian dream of free love. Living in a dedicated-but-open relationship requires maturity, compromise, tolerance and empathy. Seriously: unless you are a profoundly shallow person, monogamy is easy in comparison.