Lilly is Reading: Fast Girls

Fast Girls: erotica for women; edited by Rachel Kramer Bussel

1 a : firmly fixed <roots fast in the ground> b : tightly shut <the drawers were fast> c : adhering firmly d : not easily freed : stuck <a ball fast in the mouth of the cannon> e : stable <movable items were made fast to the deck>
2 : firmly loyal <became fast friends>
3 a : characterized by quick motion, operation, or effect: (1) : moving or able to move rapidly : swift (2) : taking a comparatively short time (3) : imparting quickness of motion <a fast bowler> (4) : accomplished quickly (5) : agile of mind; especially : quick to learn <a class for fast students> b : conducive to rapidity of play or action c (1) of a timepiece or weighing device : indicating in advance of what is correct (2) :d : contributing to a shortening of exposure time <fast film> e : acquired with unusually little effort and often by shady or dishonest methods <had a keen eye for a fast buck — R. A. Keith>
4 a : securely attached <a rope fast to the wharf> b : tenacious <a fast hold on her purse>
5 a archaic : sound asleep b of sleep : not easily disturbed
6 : not fading or changing color readily
7 a : wild <a pretty fast crowd> b : sexually promiscuous
8 : resistant to change (as from destructive action or fading) <fast dyes> —often used in combination <sunfast> <acid-fast bacteria>

Given these definitions of the word “fast”, the various nuances of the word, you’ll get a better idea of how each story in the book ties into the theme. Sure, they’re all based loosely on definition #7, or better put: sexually hungry. But they all also employ carefully woven definitions in other ways.

In “Five-Minute Porn Star” by Jacqueline Applebee, the boyfriend of the female lead is a whirling dervish, an ADD-timebomb who suffered an injury that has slowed him down considerably. To soothe his frazzled nerves at being so constrained by crutches, his girlfriend sets a 5-minute timer to act like a porn-star for him partially as punishment partially as a challenge due to his “To Do” list entry of sex with her and a time-frame of 5 minutes for the act. In “Chasing Danger” by Kristina Wright, the leading woman is a cop pursuing a high-speed chase. In “Speed Bumps” by Tenille Brown, our girl is addicted to the life of motorcycles, and the fast-paced danger and unpredictability that her and her partner enjoy surrounding the motorcycle lifestyle – she doesn’t want to change that lifestyle but her partner does.

Quickie orgasms abound in stories like “Panther” by Suzanne V. Slate, where a woman gets aroused by a panther statue in a museum and ends up having an orgasm right then and there. Or “Communal” by Saskia Walker (this is one of my 2 most favorite stories) where a voyeur listening in to shower sex in a coed dorm bathroom has a quick orgasm in tune with the couple’s; our little voyeur also quickly agrees to let in her own voyeur to the shower stall with her. I love this story for many reasons….the whole voyeur/exhibitionistic aspect of the coed dorm showers has long been in my fantasies, but the story flipflops quickly from the main character being a voyeur, to an unknowing exhibitionist; from solo sex to coupled sex with a stranger to group sex with the couple she had been spying on; and it’s all fully believable.

One thing that always confuses me about erotica books is the premise that some are “erotica for women”. What exactly IS “erotica for women”? Would I not like erotica for men? Perhaps it is because the main character in each story is a woman and so we can more easily relate? I always have felt that my brain and my sexual impulses leaned a little more towards masculine but I found myself thoroughly enjoying many of these stories and recognizing elements of my own fantasies in the stories.

There are a high number of really great pieces in this book. Some I found, personally, to be a little tepid but this is why I love anthology short-story erotica books: there’s a huge variety and you’re bound to enjoy at least some if not most of the stories in the books. Most are not super-short and give you time to get invested in the character and immersed in the scene the writer is painting. To read more about all of the authors, keep tabs on the book’s wordpress site – which will soon have author interviews, excerpts and more.