non-monogamy – Summer of Sexiness

Sharing my story on NNM

It was an absolute pleasure and privilege to be a guest on the Normalizing Non-Monogamy podcast. I connected with podcast hosts, Emma and Fin, back in June, for an in-depth conversation on my journey and shared the good, the bad and the ugly. I really appreciated their warm welcome and their encouragement to really let me tell my story. I hope it will inspire people to overcome their own challenges and find their true, authentic selves.

Check out Episode #301 to hear my story and then check out their other episodes. It’s a great podcast!

If you are interested in reading my memoir, Summer of Sexiness: A Self Awakening, you can easily find it on Amazon. Enjoy!

Rethinking Relationships Virtual Summit

My friend Axel Blumenberg, author of Marriage and Beyond, has put together the upcoming Rethinking Relationships Virtual Summit, which features myself and over 10 other speakers across 3 days. With all of this content, you are sure to get the tools and knowledge you need to succeed in your relationships 2022!

The event runs from Feb 14th – Feb 16th and for a limited time you can get a free pass to watch all the presentations from a top lineup of experts.

There’s no selling, just pure valuable content to help you find your relationship superpower in 2022 and beyond!

Get your FREE TICKET now here.

Equal or Balanced

Word selection and nuance are super important in managing open relationship communication. One simple example has been wrestling with the difference between jealousy and envy. Another, more recent revelation, has been the difference between equal and balanced.

One of the most important aspects in our open marriage is that neither Jeannie nor I are looking for partners to replace each other. Instead we’re looking for partners that supplement or compliment our relationship while fulfilling some individual needs or desires. For example, Jeannie likes some aspects of impact play, but not all the same ones that I enjoy. Therefore, my partnering with Justina to play with canes, for example, complimented my relationship with Jeannie. It allowed me to satisfy a craving I cannot satisfy with Jeannie while taking nothing away from Jeannie and me.

This, is balance. This is what open relationships should seek.

A Post on my What is Compersion? Post

I was recently asked to write a guest post for Dr. Marie Thouin’s blog: What is Compersion?. It was a pleasure to have met Marie and learn about her research, which she completed as part of her Ph.D. studies. I enjoyed sharing my story with her along with my thoughts on this complex topic.

For those unfamiliar with the term compersion, it originated in the 1990s in the context of ethical non-monogamy to describe feeling joy or happiness at seeing one’s partner happy as a result of their connection with another partner. In other words, if I am compersive (read my post to find out if I am), then I should derive pleasure at seeing Viktor happy when he spends time with an FWB or a new paramour. This is a very simplified version and I would highly recommend that one check out Marie’s blog and research to learn about compersion in much more depth.

While Viktor and I have written about compersion before, this was an interesting exercise for me as I examined my current state of mind regarding compersion. In this regard, I found it useful to look at a broader application of the term because, for me, compersion can be applied to other connections and relationships beyond romantic partners.

The safe-word is…

As previously shared, I met Brady back in April and we had a fun first date. We bonded over cocktails, which led to an intense (and inappropriate) make-out session at an uptown lounge. When he expressed his desire to go out again, he indicated that he would prefer to go somewhere with more privacy (so as not to shock fellow patrons again) and shared that he wanted to spend more time with my sexy persona. I readily agreed and we picked a date for the following month given our mutually busy schedules.

We arranged to meet at an upscale bar (initially the Roosevelt Hotel rooftop lounge, which turned out to be closed for renovations), to give us the opportunity to reconnect after the four-week hiatus. I had been more casually dressed for our first date, so I made up for my error with an overtly sexy, black and nude, lace cocktail dress, which very much met with Brady’s approval.

Over drinks, Brady brought up the topic of a safe-word and stated that it would be… safe-word. I knew from our first date that he was into spanking, but we hadn’t discussed much else in the way of D/s play, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. Plus, this was only our second time meeting each other, so I was both excited and nervous at the same time, not knowing precisely what was in store.

Continue reading The safe-word is…

The power of polka dots

While I left most of the planning for our fourth date up to Tim, I knew at least part of my attire for the evening would be the beautiful AP stockings he had gifted me on our third date. They were black polka-dots, so I paired them with a black garter belt and a new matching bra and panty that was black with white dots. During one of our text chats, Tim had expressed interest in seeing me in a tight-fitting, short dress, so I perused my closet for something that fit the bill and pulled on a black knit dress to wear over my lingerie.

I also knew that I had to make sure that the new sex toy was adequately charged and that I generally knew how to use it (or at least brought the instructions with me). Once it was ready, I turned on the small vibrator and slipped it into the pouch provided in the underwear included in the toy’s set. I then tied them on over my sexy, ouvert panties. The vibrator was in place (sort of), but slipped further into the pouch as I walked to the subway.

On my way to meet Tim, he texted me to make sure I remembered that we were meeting at the James Hotel in Nomad, not Soho, and then he sent me a photo of the cocktail menu so he could order my drink for me and have it waiting upon my arrival. Very classy and appreciated!

Continue reading The power of polka dots

Life is but a Dream…hotel

For our third date, Tim asked if I wanted to go somewhere trendy or more sedate. I chose trendy and we arranged to meet at the rooftop bar at the Dream Hotel Downtown. The weather was perfect and I found Tim sitting at a table on the balcony, with amazing views of the New York City skyline.

It had been a few weeks since we had seen each other and we warmly greeted one another and then Tim presented me with a gift… stockings from Agent Provocateur. It was a sexy start to the evening.

We enjoyed a few drinks and had fun catching up with each other. Then Tim suggested that we go to dinner and offered me some choices in the neighborhood. We decided to go to Buddakan, headed over to the restaurant and proceeded to have a delicious meal.

After dinner, we started walking back to the hotel. I was a little tipsy and wasn’t paying close attention, thinking that we were going back to the rooftop for another drink or two. Then suddenly I realized that we were heading to a room. Beautifully executed!

Continue reading Life is but a Dream…hotel

Adventures in Anthropological Studies

For those following along at home, these last few posts have been very reflective, but I promise that life has not been boring. The dating app did not disappoint in gifting me with a variety of adventures back in April, which I have been negligent in sharing. Most of these have simply been first dates that haven’t gone anywhere, but a few have the potential to become more interesting.

Jesse: As a wine distributor who was excited that I was drinking Pecorino (and not Chardonnay) when we first began texting, he seemed promising; at least there would be good wine on our dates. So I took him to my favorite, local wine bar, where we had a pleasant time. But after an auspicious start, the follow through was non-existent. He finally texted two weeks later, which I decided was two weeks too late.

Polly: She was our first female connection on the app and our first double (or rather, triple) date. We took her for drinks and both Viktor and I liked her, but she was too self-conscious about her size in comparison to mine and chose not to pursue us further.

Continue reading Adventures in Anthropological Studies

It’s A Numbers Game

Polyamory. Its definition is right there in the word… many.

But, how many is too many?

Before I got married, I had had 10 sexual partners including Viktor. Some of those were one-night stands, but most were in the context of a dating relationship. And that was over a period of seven years. So, once I was a married, monogamous woman, I figured that number would never change, nor did it matter.

But, obviously things have changed. When we first opened up our marriage, sex (specifically intercourse) seemed so scary and I considered it to be a Very Big Deal. Thus, my play was limited to outercourse. Then, a few months in, with Viktor’s blessing, I chose to have sex with Jack during our first full swap.

Since then, I have had sex with several other partners, with the expectation that there was some sort of ongoing relationship with the person. In some cases, this didn’t turn out as expected, but you can’t plan for everything.

Continue reading It’s A Numbers Game

Happy Polyversary: A Love Letter to Viktor

My dearest Viktor,

Wow! I can’t believe that this past year has flown by. It has been such an amazing experience to go on this polyamorous journey with you as we pushed, prodded and pulled our marriage in new and exciting ways. Even more unbelievable is how much this has brought us closer together, increased our intimacy and dramatically improved our sex lives!

Early on in our marriage, when I was convinced that I was “broken,” you stood by your conviction that you would rather be with me without sex than be with someone else with lots of sex. I even encouraged you to find a mistress, but you chose not to pursue this option. Instead, we found ways to maintain our connection and bond, but it was frustrating for both of us as we endured an undersexed marriage.

Continue reading Happy Polyversary: A Love Letter to Viktor