Forbidden Fruit

Like the best amuse-bouche, these four brief, mouthwatering erotic tales will satisfy a discerning palate, but leave the reader hungry for more. Black assembles contributions from Tamsin Flowers, Zak Jane Keir, Elizabeth Black, and Vanessa de Sade, who set their rendezvous in a five-star kitchen, dominatrix club, beachside cottage, and postapocalyptic Europe, respectively. In each story, the taste and texture of the food being served play some small role, though they never overtake the sex, which is front and center. The most successful story is Flowers’s, which features a starchy dietician who can’t resist a taste of the Michelin-starred chef who taunted her on TV. A summer pudding, featuring berries picked in the rain, makes an indulgent dessert. The premise of De Sade’s tale opens the door for an intriguing look at a futuristic society with few men, openly sexual women, and sophisticated automations, but lacks the space to fully flesh out the backstory. Black’s story of an ocean-commanding witch fits well in this set, but Keir’s account of a weak man still reeling from childhood teasing seems out of place. (Jan.)