Reminiscent of the ’57 Varieties’ printed on the Heinz beans tins, but 12 better (and spicier) – here comes 69. Edited by Alison Tyler and published by Harlequin Spice, this is a treasury of erotic vignettes (I could almost say snatches…ahem) by a roll-call of erotica’s brightest and shiniest. And me.

The cover alone will take your breath away.

I have three little pieces in this, all featuring the same couple at different stages of discovery. They’re called Permission, Permissive and Permitted. Here’s a tiny snippet – very tiny, because none of the stories are long:

When I pour him his double measure of the spirit, my hand shakes and he has to keep moving the cup around underneath the glugging neck of the bottle.

“Sorry,” I mutter. I can’t look at him.

“You’re nervous.” He puts a steadying hand on my forearm. I drop the bottle.

“Shit!”

In my panic I simply stare up at him, breathing in jagged arrhythmic gasps. The thought comes to me. I can have you. If I want to. Nothing stands in my way but your permission.

“What’s the matter?” His voice is gentle and his fingers are still on my sleeve.

“I’ve never been,” I stammer, trying to frame the thought and failing. “I could do anything,” I finish lamely.

He blinks.

“I mean, I’ve been trapped for years and now I’m not and there are things I want to do but I’m not used to doing things I want to do, and when I look at you, you make me realise I want to do them…”

“Things like this?” He bends his head and kisses me.

I hold the breath, hold the kiss inside me, stare at him in wonder. He understands.

“Exactly. Exactly like that.”

I promised a fabulous line-up and you can’t argue with this one. Stories by: Alison Tyler, Janine Ashbless, Vida Bailey, Sophia Valenti, John Albert, Jax Baynard, Thomas S Roche, Sommer Marsden, Kristina Lloyd, Portia Da Costa, Nikki Magennis, Emma Hillman, Dante Davidson, Georgia E Jones, Eric Williams, Raziel Moore, Ashley Lister, Charlotte Stein, Allison Wonderland, Cate Robertson, Willsin Rowe, Donna George Storey, Aisling Weaver, Shanna Germain, Jeremy Edwards, N T Morley, Saskia Walker, Angell Brooks, Heidi Champa, Victoria Janssen – and a foreword by the legendary Violet Blue. Wow. Vive le soixante-neuf!