Matt’s Smut Vault: Early Dessert-A Swingers Story

Let’s swing, daddy-o! To be honest, it’s surprising that we haven’t somehow covered the swinging sub-genre inside the Vault yet. This week, we’ve been gifted a tight little short story that focuses on the hip, swinging world of wife swapping. Going in to this brave new frontier, I’m hoping to have a few questions answered about this sinful taboo. Well, I don’t want to waste another second, so let’s check our hang ups at the door and see how non-monogamous relations fit inside the world of modern erotica.

Early Dessert: A Swingers Story is another short narrative from veteran erotica writer Ava Sterling. For this go ’round, Sterling attempts to cram a hell of a lot of story into a very brief amount of pages. Kelly and Ryan are a hot ‘n’ heavy couple searching to add a new bit of spark to their relationship. The world of swinging ends up being a rewarding one for both of them, and quickly becomes an important component of their relationship. Ryan and Kelly can’t get enough of each other…and they can’t get enough of sharing themselves with others. Everything seems to be going great for everyone involved until suddenly, the couple runs into a (relative) tragedy: the online match-making leads completely dry up, and they’re unable to find any new couples to swing with. As the young couple fear that they may lose the fiery hobby that’s anchoring their relationship, upon happenstance they meet the equally beautiful Lily and Noah at a dinner party and things start to become interesting again…

Just as with the previous story we reviewed by Ava Sterling, the sexual content within comes at you fast and furious, and is used to bridge the middle section to the end of the story. That being said, a wife swapping story where four people are having sex within a confined space has its own set of unique challenges that needs to be addressed and discussed. When things get raunchy in Early Dessert, it’s sometimes difficult to keep up with what each person is doing (or penetrating), and to whom in the throes of passion. Without any visual aids, we can get easily confused and occasionally, a re-read will be required (which was true for my out-loud reading of this story to my wife). Ensuring we got it right almost required a John Madden-level of analysis, complete with the always classic telestrator…

One other bone (nice) of contention with the overall story is with the build up and payoff of the new swinging couples’ experience. As usual, taking length into account, I was slightly disappointed that there was a lack of realism when it came to the two couples transitioning their mutual attraction into a sexual exploration. A wink of the eye, a touch of the leg and we’re off to the races? That’s great for porn, but I’m looking for a bit more description when it comes to the written word. Erotica and visual pornography have an interesting relationship. It goes without saying, but most porn is sex without consequence. No condoms, consent is always understood, no rules, no limits, and please wear safety goggles. Most erotica works on the other hand take the time to describe the details that make the sexual experience, no matter how crazy, have a basis in reality. Condom use is huge in erotic fiction, and Early Dessert is no exception in that regard. What is NOT discussed however, we’re the rules of engagement when it comes to the couples’ swinging antics. While their consent is clearly obvious, I’m frankly not sold that each of the four are equally comfortable with what their partner is doing from a long-term perspective. My personal understanding of swinging includes a deep and complete understanding of what is and what is not okay to do with your swapped partner. Yeah…I can also understand that deeper evaluation, using 1500 words to say “don’t put your mouth there” would be asking a little too much. But something, even if it’s an implication that this discussion took place would make the scenario even sexier. To the author’s credit, she’s given us characters and environment that make us want to learn more, and explore their sexuality right alongside all the action.

Rating: Early Dessert: A Swingers Story by Ava Sterling is a mighty little package that provides the appropriate smoke that an erotic wife swapping experience requires. While this is certainly not a “how-to” guide for fulfilling your own swinging fantasy, this story might just serve as a whisper. A little bit of kindling to stoke the flames of those seeking to expand upon their monogamous relationship.

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