The erotic story of a Tinder date

When I first saw Todd’s picture, I was overwhelmed. He looked so stunning that for a minute, I thought he was a catfish.

It was a regular Friday night for me: after a long day at work, I prepared dinner for myself, opened a bottle of wine, and started swiping left on Tinder. Ever since I had downloaded the app, I became a pro at swiping left.

Don’t get me wrong; it’s not that I’m mean: but the guys there look incredibly mainstream. …

It comes down to one concept: gratitude.

We have designed modern life makes us feel continuously dissatisfied.

Imagine this: you get home late after an intense day at work. You like your job, have a nice boss, and things are doing well. Not outstandingly well, but it’s okay. After lying down on your couch, you unlock your phone screen, and your fingers automatically open social media.

There, you find an influencer sharing every second of her perfect morning routine, the girl boss who built an empire at the age of 22, and your high school classmate who is happily married with three kids and looks ecstatic with her family. …

The erotic story of self-discovery

Let me start by confessing something: when I first sent nudes, I got obsessed with it.

Those pictures made me feel powerful. I had found a new level of intimacy that I had never experienced before. The feeling was like eating chocolate — sweet, and the more you have, the more you want it.

Soon, I became a pro in taking nudes. Sometimes I wouldn’t even send them: I was happy enough with having the picture for myself. I tried out different angles, lights, and lingerie. …

It was a very sexy night

The room was large, with a smell of cheap perfume and a fancy stage at one corner. The audience looked unusual when compared to my typical surrounding — middle-aged men wearing suits while smoking cigars.

It was my first time at a strip club.

Everything started as a joke. Kevin and I were celebrating our fourth anniversary, and as we sipped our fancy red wine, we discussed things we needed to do before getting engaged. To my surprise, Kevin made a suggestion:

“We should go to a strip club together.”

We laughed together — Kevin was a funny guy, and there was no way he was serious. But the thought of going to such a place made me curious. Even though I had no idea what to expect, the idea aroused me. …

It wasn’t all unicorns and rainbows.

Growing up, I’ve always heard the following sentence “relationships are hard.”

As a child, I could not relate to this idea at all — it opposed entirely to the lessons we see in romantic movies. But as I got older, I experienced first-hand the challenges of love.

My most controversial relationship was with Jon. We met at a house party through a friend in common. I felt immediately attracted to him, and we talked all night. Before going home, we exchanged numbers — needless to say; I went to bed with a smile on my face.

However, the smile didn’t last much longer. The following morning, I woke up with a text from my friend: “OMG, you’re interested in Jon?? Isn’t he too young for you?” …

There is more to it than just a picture.

Sending nudes is one of the most intimate things you can do.

This is the reason why sending a nude to my boyfriend was a turning point for me. Harvey and I were dating for almost one year. We met in high school, and it was my first serious relationship — I was still learning about how it works.

Even though we were young, Harvey was a great boyfriend. He always respected my needs, and I never felt pressured to do things that made me feel uncomfortable.

On a regular Wednesday night, we talked on the phone, and I decided to surprise Harvey. I had never sent nudes before: I just didn’t feel confident enough to take those types of pictures. …

Mr. Grint knew how to seduce me

When I rang the doorbell at Mr. Grint’s house, I felt nervous.

Before I met him, I had a clear type: athletic, tall, and blond hair. But more importantly: young. All my previous partners were around my age, and I had never felt attracted to older men.

However, age was not an issue with Mr. Grint. We had met at work due to a partnership between our companies — it was a minor project, but it required some attention. Since the first meeting, he has caught my attention.

Mr. Grint was significantly older than me. Back then, I was in my mid-twenties, and I assumed he was in his 50’s. The age issue was easy to overlook: Mr. Grint was the most charming man I had ever met. In hindsight, it’s possible that my standards for charming men were extremely low: dating surfers and university students wouldn’t lead me anywhere. …

A creative way to get acquainted

When I first traveled overseas, I went to Europe.

At that time, my best friend, Linda, was spending a semester abroad earning her bachelor’s degree. She was studying in Spain, and we had weekly calls in which she told me all about her adventures.

On the first opportunity, I took a flight to visit Linda. It was the peak of summer — the perfect time to see Europe. Luckily, Linda managed to get some vacation so that we could travel around.

The most remarkable city of our journey was definitely Prague.

The city was mind-blowing, but I remember for other reasons. I was still young and falling in and out of love, insanely quickly. …