Timid steps towards BDSM: A Companion to EXPLORATIONS, Cover Reveal

The cover is a detail of Leighton's Tristan and Isolde. The little excerpt here is from one of my favorite parts of the story of Charles and me: our first date.

Unable to resist the tide of sensation, I whispered (it was a very quiet restaurant, thank God) "I do. . . need more." There was a pause. Thank God for Dionysus, aka Kirin, or I don't think I ever in a million years would have continued, as I did, "I'm really. . . you know. . . kinky. . ." 

He visibly gulped. This is for me the most important part of the moment transformed in Emily's First Submission as my exit from the bathroom in nothing but the lace thong over a shaved pussy. As you'll see, the moment does have a more literal analogue, too. 

He says he gulped because he had never let himself imagine me responding that way, just as I refused to let myself imagine him doing something dominant. Sweet. 

He said, "Oh. Wow. Me too." 

EMILY: "Um. BDSM for me. You?" My heart was beating too fast for me to speak in complete sentences, I guess. 

CHARLES: "BDSM. Yes. Me too." 

The world seemed to slow down, somehow. 

EMILY: "I'm a sub. You?" 

CHARLES: "I'm. . . not completely sure about the terminology. . ." 

EMILY: [waits, agonized] 

CHARLES: "But I think I'm a top." 

EMILY: [gushing] "Really. That's interesting, because I need one of those, I think." 

CHARLES: "I'd, uh, like to try. . . to. . . do that, uh, for you." 

EMILY: [melts]

Annnnnnd. . . the blurb (buy the book here!):

It was a look of appraisal; I don't think there's another way to put it. Charles Smith appraised me as a possible anal-submissive, and I felt searched out and known as I never, ever had before. 

This companion, drawn from Emily's blog, tells the story of her early relationship with her husband Charles, and of the way she came to write the first version of the Explorations series. Please note that most of the content of this book has appeared on the blog, though it is no longer available there. 

This companion to EXPLORATIONS contains fiction elaborating the following sorts of fantasy that you may wish to avoid: Mf, spanking, anal. It's intended for over-18 audiences who, like me, are interested in exploring the lines between pleasure and pain, dominance and submission, and fantasy and reality. All characters depicted are consenting adults.