Title: Hide and Seek: Erotic Stories Author: Allison Tyler, Rachel Kramer Bussel, eds. Publisher: Cleis Press Publish Date: 2008 Pages: 187 Genres:: Fiction,Reviewer: SexHerald Staff

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The relationship between those who love to watch and those who live to be watched is probably about as orgasmic as codependent can get. A peeping tom watches his girlfriend have sex with another man in “The Corners Of  My Eyes” (Stan Kent) with his eager consent. In a rented window in Amsterdam, a similar scenario plays out between husband and wife in “Red Light, Green Light” (Shanna Germain). Statutory infidelity? The solo protagonists in this anthology, you could argue, are acting from insecurity masked as sexual desire but so what? Maybe the problem plaguing modern relationships isn’t infidelity, but that it needs to become a shared activity like tennis so no one feels left out.

Work gets a carnal boost in “Counting the Days” (Saskia Walker) where a bored temp and a window washer have a fateful meeting.  Sometimes the thrill of being watched makes the need for actual intercourse unnecessary, even if intercourse if part of what you do for work as demonstrated in “Interview With a Porn Star” (Radclyffe). “Operator 84” (Thomas Roche) tells of a cab driver who gets taken for  a thrill ride by her customers. “The Craziest Thing” (Gwen Masters) takes sex public on a very large and uproarious scale with the lead character and her rock star boyfriend.

Human and camera eyes get their fill and then some in “For All the World To See” (Matt Conklin) where a submissive woman delights in being seen.  “The Astronomer” (L.A. Mistral) is nothing short of a worshipful love story between a male voyeur/stargazer and the beautiful human celestial body he watches making love who welcomes his observation. “Visual Memory” (Teresa Noelle Roberts) is a tale of how an artist’s memory of viewing lovemaking while a student at college inspires and sustains her creative sensibilities. “Operatic Ecstasy” (Erica DeQuaya) introduces a married couple whose wife takes to his suggestion she be a little more affectionate most readily and publicly. “Behind the Wheel” (L. Elise Bland) explores sexual gameplaying between a couple as enhanced by being in a truck at the time. “She Grinds Her Own Coffee” (Sheri Magid) is the coffee shop adventure of a lifetime, where a caffeine buzz leads to an entirely different kind of stimulation .

A camping trip’s fun gets considerably amped up in “Under the Laces” (Andrea Dale) is a story where a couple spies their friends making love in the adjoining tent. The initial mental discomfort of switching out of a primary sexual role turns out to be well worth it in “Cruising” (Lee Cairney) when a dominant woman becomes a lesbian submissive in the woods.

The ache to watch and the ache for an alternative type of penetration converge in “Roof Flashing” (Debra Hyde) where a man views a woman fulfilling his ultimate fantasy as she probes her lover with a fake cock. “Watching” (Dante Davidson) explores voyeurism and exhibitionism between gay men. “Not A Voyeur” (Alison Tyler) delves into the denial mechanism of a couple who find themselves accidental voyeurs then exhibitionists in turn. “Like This” (Rachel Kramer Bussel) brings into focus the anxiety an otherwise sexually confident woman woman feels when she masturbates in front of her lover for the first time.

Hide and Seek may well make you blush, but chances are good you’ll enjoy it.