Please, Sir - bdsm toy by Cleis Press Inc. - review by Petite Valentine

After an excellent introduction in which Ms. Bussel offers insight to the joys of submission, the collection opens with Shanna Germain's "Anticipation," wherein sexual promise is thick in the air but there is no actual consummation. Beginning an erotic collection with no sex may sound strange, but it sets the tone for the book: pleasure is as much a mental function as it is a physical one. The stories may be short, but the build-up is rarely quick. Handing over control is not like passing the butter at the dinner table. The females in this round-up either have trust in long time partners or see a spark of understanding in a new face. Submission comes by design and by surprise, and with pleasure.

If as a reader you crave steamy scenes, the stories take a harder turn immediately after the opener. Submission in this volume runs the gamut from Mercy Loomis' pleasurable dress-up romp, "The Sub Fairy" to Ariel Graham's tale of 24/7 ownership, "Welcome to the World." Elizabeth Coldwell, whom you may recognize if you've read Yes, Sir offers up a less friendly, but no less hot, MMf ménage à trois in "Because He Can," while Heidi Champa gives every reader reason to fantasize about their 10-year high school reunion in "Long Time Gone." Allison Tyler — who also edits her own erotic collections — ramps up the physical pain in "No Good Deed," and Charlotte Stein ramps up the mental games in "Pleasure Keeper" — which gives new meaning to the phrase slow burn.

Other authors appearing in Please Sir are Tess Danesi, Justine Elyot, Evan Mora, Remittance Girl, Sommer Marsden, Aimee Pearl, Lisabet Sarai, Kissa Starling, Donna George Storey, Yolanda West, Salome Wilde, and l'éditrice extraordinaire Rachel Kramer Bussel. Edge play, spanking, bondage, voyeurism... there is a little something for everybody, all of it well-written and appearing in print for the first time.

A note on the physical book: it's a sexily packaged trade paperback of 214 pages. It might not fit in a purse, but would settle quite nicely in a small tote. The cover features a gorgeous photo by Christine Kessler of a toothsome model in a magenta corset. It might not raise too many eyebrows on a crowded subway car or bus, however the large "Please, Sir" on the lower third is sure to attract attention. The back cover is a slight close-up of the same photo, with the book description cleverly following the outline of the model's corset; points to the graphic designer. I wouldn't mind flipping this open in public, but then I've been called brazen on more than one occasion.

Please Sir definitely pushed my buttons. After my negative reaction to He's On Top I thought this book would be a hard sell, but surprise, surprise! I enjoyed the majority of it. Both books are expertly edited and well-written, the difference lies in the insight given to the females in this volume. My main complaint about He's On Top was that many of the females felt like pushovers. In Please Sir we see into their thoughts — either through their own confession or though their male partner's perception — and it makes all the difference in the world. Just because she's on her knees and saying "please" doesn't mean the female is spineless. As many of the ladies in this collection prove, it's the opposite.


That said, some stories don't sit well with me. I don't connect at all with Isabelle Gray's masochist in "Veronica's Body," and I admittedly avoid Doug Harrison's "Momma's Boy" because of the watersports. A few others leave me unmoved or indifferent, but then there is the story I come back to most often: Emerald's "Power Over Power." The protagonists of this tale are Krav Maga practitioners who ooze power and control, physically and mentally. The story is especially hot and I don't want to give anything away, but I will say that it skillfully delves into the power of submission, which is not as contradictory a concept as you might believe.


Overall, there are far more hits than misses in this collection and I recommend it for those into D/s and also those who like well-written erotica. I'd say it's so nice I bought it twice, but I only paid for my e-reader version. My print copy was comped. Both are staying in my library because it makes it that much easier to enjoy a quick re-read of my favorites.