Big Bad Ass Book of Sex

by Nancy Armstrong

  Eventually, I moved around the bed, taking my time in releasing her from her all-too-willing captivity. Her body was still prominently red, especially her chest and her lower torso. Her face was still flushed and wet with her tears. Yet she was smiling weakly, thanking me with her eyes because her voice was too hoarse to speak.

  I should have also thanked her, for while she had clearly needed to feel pain, I had definitely needed to grant pain, and our needs had been sated because of the solid bond of trust that linked us.

  A FEW PARTING WORDS

  Sex is a game, a weapon, a toy, a joy, a trance, an enlightenment, a loss, a hope.

  —Sallie Tisdale

  You bought a book about sex, so obviously you take it seriously. Just don’t take it too seriously, okay? I mean, unless you believe its only purpose is procreation (and again, you purchased this book, so you probably don’t think it’s just for making babies), sex is supposed to be a fun time had by all. So now that you’ve read all these descriptions of just about every conceivable sex act possible, go have sex. Enjoy it. That’s what it’s for.

  And about the book: don’t take anything in it personally or everything in it as gospel. It’s a book about sex, but it’s not the book about sex. We hope you’ve enjoyed it for what it is; now go enjoy the improved sex you’ll have. Please.

  SOURCES

  Boston Women’s Health Book Collective. Our Bodies, Ourselves for the New Century: A Book by and for Women, Simon & Schuster, New York, 1998.

  Comfort, Alex. The New Joy of Sex, Pocket, New York, 1972.

  Crooks, Robert, and Karla Baur. Our Sexuality, 6th ed., Brooks/Cole, Pacific Grove, CA, 1997.

  Gould, Terry. The Lifestyle: A Look at the Erotic Rites of Swingers, Firefly, Ontario, 2000.

  Joannides, Paul. Guide to Getting It On, 4th ed., Goofyfoot, Waldport, OR, 2004.

  Scheiner, C. J., ed. The Encyclopedia of Erotic Literature, vol. 1, Barricade, New York, 1996.

  Vantoch, Vicki. The Threesome Handbook: A Practical Guide to Sleeping with Three, Thunder’s Mouth, New York, 2007.

  Wiseman, Jay. SM 101: A Realistic Introduction, Greenery, Oakland, CA, 1998.

  HBO, Real Sex 26: “Lessons in Love and Lust,” directed by Patti Kaplan, 2008.

  The Lifestyle: Swinging in America, film, directed by David Schisgall, 2000, www.nasca.com.