Nine-to-Five Fantasies

Starred review from September 22, 2014
Tyler (the Alphabet Erotica series) compiles 18 inventive and toe-curling original erotic fantasies related to a variety of contemporary jobs. In most cases, the sex happens at the actual workplace: behind closed office doors, in a theater tech booth, against a car in a mechanic’s shop. The stories cover a wide variety of professions—barber, personal trainer, cowboy, teacher—and incorporate diverse interests, including both straight and queer pairings and a range of kinks. Every story features off-the-charts heat, and there’s often a sweetness at the center, as in A.M. Hartnett’s “Just a Little Tenderness,” in which a delivery man with a broken leg needs the narrator’s care. Other charismatic stand-outs include Andrea Dale’s “California Dreamin’,” Devin Phillips’s “Current Photo, Please,” and Cora Zane’s “Body Work.” Most of the stories feature the realization of long-held fantasies—about a person, an act, or both—in ways that build a solid emotional basis for the splendid sex. This anthology is a must-read for anyone fancying a bit of play at work.

September 15, 2014

Work is work, but it can also be a hell of a lot of fun, as is demonstrated in this anthology of sexy professional tales. In this collection, no vocation is spared, as commonplace fantasy fodder like construction workers, cowboys, and mechanics mingle with quirkier options, such as bookbinders, IT guys, and even an ice cream man. Shy Lenore gets a chance to make her oldest dream a reality when a sweet, sexy construction worker makes the first move in Sommer Marsden's "Grimy," while Katy takes the local mechanic for a surprisingly kinky, after-hours joy ride in Cora Zane's "Body Work." Each story is a fast read, offering a glimpse of the erotic appeal of each profession (Who knew stage managers and museum curators could fit in a few quickies on the job?) without delving too deeply into plot. While the contributions are all enjoyable and well written, there seems to be a lack of the variety that typically sets Cleis titles apart. In terms of representation, most of the pairings are het (male/female), with the occasional threesome and kink thrown in. VERDICT The predominantly female perspectives in this collection build a repetitive pattern of women lusting after men in their fantasy professions. Still, this is a fun selection of playful twists on the typical workplace tryst that won't disappoint mainstream erotica fans.

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