INTRODUCTION: TO LOVE AND HONOR

The iconic question “Do you take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband?” is engrained in the American psyche as one of the central parts of the wedding ceremony. Yet that phrase—and indeed that ceremony—could not be a part of the gay American dream until very recently. Now individual states have legalized same-sex commitments and marriages, and the U.S. Supreme Court has struck down the restrictive Defense of Marriage Act, and men all over the country—and indeed the world—are pledging to love and honor each other in the presence of family and friends, often with the blessings of civil and religious authorities.

Gay erotica, on the other hand, has always been about the thrill of first contact. Meeting, falling in lust and into bed (or whatever’s handy). Exploring a new lover’s body, learning what turns him on, feeling unfamiliar hands and lips on you.

How can these two traditions come together? This collection of erotic stories aims to answer that question.

How much sexier can an encounter be when the two men involved have been together for long enough to make some sort of commitment—formal or not—to each other? When you know what turns your partner on, and vice versa, your encounters can be even hotter. When you are making love to a man, not just having sex. When your pleasure is so much deeper because you’re with him, and you have a connection and a history together.

I hope you’ll enjoy these stories!

Neil Plakcy

Hollywood, Florida