Summary: From a distinctly female perspective, lovers – committed and otherwise – explore the many ways oral sex can be an act of love, tenderness, and devotion, or a pure and unabashed sexual act. Readers will revel in the emotion and sensuality of this collection of stories, written by some of today’s top erotica writers with the aim of creating full arousal.

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Tasting Him, by various authors 7.5

I have oral fixations. I like to keep my mouth busy in all manners of delightful and sometimes devilish ways. I’m especially fond of licking. And I love to let things melt in my mouth.

But I can’t say that fellatio is of any great appeal to me – whether it’s giving or receiving. As tremendous as it feels, it just doesn’t turn me on quite like the taste of a woman.

I don’t think anything does, really.

For me.

When I read ‘Tasting Her‘, I recommended it to a book club I belong to. They enjoyed it and then suggested that we also read its companion piece, ‘Tasting Him’. I figure it’s only fair.

So I immediately went out and bought it.

Now, some guys get really turned on by the idea of being sucked off. Some guys live for it. Some guys even pay for it. Is it the sensations, the sense of power and/or the naughtiness?

I honestly have no clue.

While I adore spending a whole day or night under someone’s tongue, I really do, it just doesn’t make me come. Or, rather, it rarely does. And if it does it’s hard work for my partner.

Ahem. Hard.

And yet, I must confess that some of the authors of this short story collection had a way of lighting my fire – much more than I’d ever imagined when the idea of reading it was presented.

In fact, I was pleasantly surprised by it.

1. Gloss, by Rachel Kramer Bussel: A woman goes to a bar with the intention of picking up a random guy and sucking him off. What made this special were small details like the way she served him a sip from her drink, or how she flirted. The descriptions of her oral technique were fine, but since this was very short and we didn’t get into either character’s head, I didn’t find it stimulating. For some, this may be great, though, as it’s completely anonymous sex. For me? Meh. 7.25

2. A Treatise on Human Nature, by Robert Peregrine: A bisexual man starts up a conversation in a Greenwich Village bar with a woman who is interested in knowing how men give blowjobs differently than women do, so that she may improve her skills. Our protagonist offers to show her, at first with a dildo. And then he gets her to practice on him (naturally!). Not too bad, but predictable. 7.0

3. Quite a Mouthful: Confessions of a Sweet Cocksucker, by Tish Andersen: I rather liked this one because it’s from a woman’s point of view and it finds our protagonist reminiscing about her sexual adventures with her lover. The strength of her desire was well-translated to the page; there was something in the descriptions of the oral sex she gave him that was smoking hot. Was it the mildly sub quality of her approach? Whatever it was, it worked. 7.75

4. This Just In, by Heidi Champa: This was written like a letter to a lover, as the woman talks about her desire for him. She talks about watching him do the news on television and being aroused just by the sight of him. He would never allow her to visit his workplace, being a consummate professional, but she’d fantasize about what she’d do if she were there. And then, one day, he brought her to the studio – and she let loose. The desire and passion are so palpable that it made this one very hot – though it was “merely” a blowjob under the news anchors’ desk in an empty studio. 7.75

5. Blessed Benediction, by Radclyffe: Told from the perspective of the receiver, it finds our narrator getting a blowjob from his girlfriend at a party – in front of all her girlfriends, as a dare, to prove to them just how much she likes sucking his cock. I really liked how she just took charge and instructed her friends as she eagerly sucked him off. Did I say him? Soon we find that the others refer to our protagonist as “she”, which was confusing until we find out that she is a hermaphrodite. That was interesting, as was the level of exhibitionism. 7.75

6. How I Learned to Give Good Head, by Amanda Earl: This one finds the female protagonist going from Ottawa to Montreal by bus to hook up with a guy she met online in late December. They start making out and soon he begins to give her tips on how to suck him better. It’s not very sexy, given how much of a selfish jerk the guy is, but you really gotta love his instructions. And that final line… nice! 7.0

7. Without Eyes, by Terri Pray: This one tells of a mild dom and sub dynamic in which the protagonist, worried because her partner is late but hasn’t called, gets a punishment for not being attentive when he finally arrives home. That involves being blindfolded and having her hands tied behind her back while she gets him off with her mouth. The descriptions were terrific, but I didn’t much like the set-up; it put me off the way that he spoke to her because it felt as though it could have been an abusive relationship. 7.0

8. Tony Tempo, by Tsaurah Litzky: Tony Tempo is a widowed trumpet player who is spending his remaining days in a seniors’ home, reminiscing about Clara, his spouse. The thought of her amourous ways still turns him on, but all he has left are memories – that is, until a nurse who grew up listening to his music arrives at the facility. Though I didn’t find this one erotic, it was an excellent story; I couldn’t help but feel for Tony. And I love that it addresses sexuality in the golden years. 8.0

9. A Tongue is Just a Tongue, by Michelle Robinson: Cindy goes to a bar with her friend Brianna and decides the moment that they arrive that she wants to suck off this guy at the bar – then boldly offers it to him and waits to see if he’ll take her up on it. Naturally he does. And naturally, she gets Brianna to join them – though she is shy and takes a while to warm up. This one really didn’t mess around, went right for it within the first paragraph. I enjoyed reading Cindy’s perception of flirting and seducing, but I was really sure this was written by a guy as it eschewed any flowery bits – and it had Brianna rim the guy while Cindy sucked him off (few women would come up with this scenario, seems to me). Hey, I’m not complaining; I’m just sayin’. But I found the writing a bit weak in some areas, leaping over some details, like the fact that Cindy is dressed one moment and is topless in another. Um… what happened there? I docked it some points for that sloppiness. 7.5

10. It’s a Wonderful Blow Job, by Simon Sheppard: The title is dumb, but I enjoyed reading about this gay man who hooked up with a married hetero man. The infidelity was a put off, but his eagerness was infectious – not enough for me to do the same, obviously, but it certainly made their encounter sexy. I also quite enjoyed getting a peek into his mind, knowing what turned him on and what he thought on the subject. 7.5

11. Down on the Beach, by Alessia Brio: Chloe is in Jamaica, waiting for her partner, whom she hasn’t seen in months, as she daydreams of him and bathes in the ocean, he arrives. Early. She basically devours him. I really liked the set-up, because we got into her head, understood where she was at. The sex was nice, but I’d say this one was more about the whole. 7.5

12. Getting Used to It, by Tenille Brown: Herbert loves to eat meat, but Evelyn can’t cook it worth a damn. She’s a terrific cook otherwise, so he doesn’t mind pretending to enjoy her charred steak. Same goes for her blowjobs: she’s a terrific lover, so he doesn’t mind pretending to enjoy her oral love. But, one day, running an errand for her, he discovers that her friend Minnie makes a brilliant brisket and sucks cock like none other. I guess the combination of infidelity and real world vibe didn’t do anything for me. It’s decently written, but it left me unmoved. 7.5

13. Cocksucker, by Lori Selke: Talk about gender-bending: the narrator’s boyfriend, wants to suck her strap-on! He is extremely turned-on by the idea and she is too. But she discovers that he wants to push it further and suck a real one. What I liked most about this was the breaking of taboo, yes, but mostly how she processed his request for real dick. She goes through all her possible responses, and then answers what she thinks would be best for him in the moment, to permit him to be himself. I loved the empathy. 8.0

14. Prego, by Alison Tyler: During a dinner party, a woman stumbles upon her spouse basically f-ing the jar of spaghetti sauce. They’re a kinky pair, so the only thing that stumps her is the fact that there are people waiting in the other room – and the fact that she might get sauce all over her. But she adores spaghetti sauce, and she adores fellatio, so she gives in when he asks her to lick all the sauce off of him. Frankly, their kink didn’t bother me at all – I just couldn’t get over the idea of this guy dicking the sauce. What a weird image. 6.75

15. Equanimity Unbound, by Craig J. Sorensen: A middle-aged, uptight guy decides to live a little and goes shopping for more trendy clothes while at the mall. He’s accosted by the flirty goth girl who works there and they have a quick fling in the parking lot, while on her break. I enjoyed the setting and the narrator’s descriptions, especially since the goth girl had all sorts of unique traits so it made the encounter different from others. Okay, I’m biased: I guess I just like goth girls. 7.75

16. Fellatio: A Love Story, by Scarlett French: I really enjoyed this one. It finds our protagonist deciding to explore blowjobs after having been against them for political reasons. She gets a book on fellatio and gets so turned on reading it that she decides to try it out on her boyfriend, who thus far had been very understanding. It was hot because it got into her head as her desire bloomed. To me, it all made sense, contextually, and her newfound love of fellatio was genuinely affecting. 8.0

17. Logic, by Jacqueline Applebee: An intriguing premise, this one finds our narrator joining her best friend Sammie the night she decides to try oral sex. Emotionally bound to Sammie, she defies her own logic, which tells her that she shouldn’t be there. But Sammie wants her there, wants her to guide her through her first blowjob – so she indulges her friend, and the lines blurs. Very sexily. I very much enjoyed how the characters mixed it up here. 7.75

18. Frosted, by Kristina Wright: This one was fun, playful: a woman is bringing home cinnamon buns for her boyfriend, who has been sick these past two weeks and has a craving for the sweet treats – especially the frosting, which he asked her to get extra of. And she does, but she puts it to sexy use. Yum. 7.75

19. Long Relief, by T. Hitman: A minor league baseball player is on the road in a motel room, having wet dreams about getting head – until he realizes that he’s not dreaming. But who could it be that’s snuck into his room? Certainly not his girlfriend, who doesn’t particularly like and isn’t especially good at giving head. Well, who cares? Whoever it is is too good at it for it to matter. I loved this story, though I found it obvious and it didn’t turn me on; I just like the way the writer described the act, and really liked the conclusion. 7.5

20. Open Wide, by Marina Saint: Cindy loves sucking cock. No, she REALLY loves it – nothing makes her come more than that. Especially if it’s a large one, that fills her mouth so much that she has to stretch to get it in. So when she met her husband, and discovered that, despite his small build, he had a monster cock, she was in heaven. Here is the story of their first time, in the back of a cinema. It was super hot, mostly because of Cindy’s intense desire. That makes a huge difference (ha!). The ending kind of spoiled the effect, though, corny as it was.  8.0

21. Sketch of a Suck-Off, by Thomas C Roche: A couple are making a video, with her claiming that it will make of him a porn star. But the lights are off, so they’re doused in the camera’s green light, and they’re struggling with the camera a little bit. But she’s not struggling with his cock: she knows exactly what to do with it. It’s not bad, but I enjoyed the dirty talk in this one, and that’s about it. 6.75

22. Sculpted, by Shanna Germain: This one finds a couple who’ve made a replica of his penis, and she’s strapped it on for him to lick. She’s getting off on the idea that he’s sucking himself off, for all intents and purposes, and that he’s showing her the way he likes it; she’s taking mental notes. The descriptions were hot, I suppose, but the fact that it’s a dildo (which makes me wonder what the thrill is) left me unmoved. 7.0

23. After Dinner Mint, by Donna George Storey: Jana is dating Ian, a wealthy man, and wants to treat him to something special. She feels cheap offering him crème de menthe, in light of the expensive meals he pays for, but gets into her mind to give him a tingly crème de menthe blowjob – for which he is extremely grateful. I like the idea, and it’s the perfect closer for the book, thematically, but it left me completely indifferent. 7.0

I was quite impressed with the fact that the book wasn’t focused solely on a particular gender or sexual orientation. While I’m not bi, I appreciate the notion of fluidity and wish I were able to be.

Granted, it means that anyone reading this book either has to be pretty open-minded and have the ability to be turned on by a variety of options. Or they have to be selective in their reading.

But I think that it’s totally cool. I give props to editor Rachel Kramer Bussel for putting the book together in this fashion. I honestly believe that this is the way modern erotica should be.

Still, as with all anthologies, ‘Tasting Him’ was a hit-and-miss affair. But I’m surprised by how much I enjoyed reading some of these stories. It almost makes me think that I’ve been missing out.

Maybe it’s time that I revisit a few things.