Fast Girls (erotica for women) is a newer erotica anthology published by Cleis press in 2010. It’s an over sized paperback, and contains 20 stories in its 198 pages, as well as an introduction and about the authors and editor sections.

The collection is edited by Rachel Kramer Bussel has edited over 30 erotica anthologies, and she is the senior editor at Penthouse Variations and a columnist for Sexis Magazine, just to mention a few of her credits.

Rachel starts the book out with an introduction that defines what being a fast girl means. It’s not just girls with bad reputations, wild girls, or sluts, but also girls that know what they want and aren’t afraid to go for it. It’s a state of mind that the women in these stories have in abundance, defying the norms and seeking out what they need.

The stories here are quite varied, with all sorts of women: young and old, single and married, vanilla and kinky (although the kinky ones do outnumber their counterparts by a good margin). Most of the sex in the stories is heterosexual, although there is a lesbian tale or two, as well as some hot three-way action with one woman and two men. The stories are also a good blend of first and third person.

Some of my favorite stories in this collection:

“Winter, Summer” by Tristan Taormino - She visits Provincetown, having spent many a summer there, this time in the winter. It’s cold, and she goes with her friend to the pool night at a local bar. She finds herself drawn to a woman playing pool and, watching her, she knows she wants to spend some time with her. Their hookup is wild and explosive.

“Playing the Market” by Angela Caperton - Jessie needs money to pay the rent after she lost everything in bonds, so she’s working the crowd in a bar. She picks up Derrick, who for $500 wants her to do whatever he says. She’s game, but surprised when they stop at an expensive bar and he has her pick out another man to be with them that night. Does Jessie know what she’s in for?

“Whore Complex” by Rachel Kramer Bussel - She’s not really a whore, just Adrian’s private whore. She’s told she must focus on what he tells her, and for a date the next weekend his friend Janet gets her ready and sends her to meet him in a hotel lobby. When she arrives, he acts like he doesn’t know her, but the Texan nearby is interested. She makes him an offer he doesn’t refuse, and she finds that Adrian has orchestrated an encounter and a lesson she won’t soon forget.

“Lessons, Slow and Painful” by Tess Danesi - Tess is ready for Dar to come over that night, but she’s rushing around and losing track of time trying to get everything done. Dar wants to teach her that she needs to slow down, and he’s slow and dominant with her. And a knife.

This is by far the best erotica collection I’ve read to date. I don’t know if it’s the multitude of submission-themed stories or the overall writing and developed characters, but every story in here I found hot and arousing, even stories I didn’t think I’d like because of the setup and theme.