Hey y’all! I’m not dead! Well…not entirely. Actually, it was SO SWEET that some of you have actually been sending in emails to ask if I’m okay! Totally understandable, since I think the last time there was a gap like this on the site, I actually was in the hospital.

No, this time I’m not sick. I’m just the luckiest stressed-up girl in the world. I took a brand-new full time job that is super rewarding, but also super demanding. My very first book was published and launched (sorry that I can’t tell y’all what it is, since it’s not under my pen name). Things with Cash are beyond lovely, though he leaves for ten months in June, so we’re trying to spend every moment together. I started a new business venture with some family members and couldn’t be happier about it.

All of this means that I literally fall into bed every night exhausted. But I wouldn’t change that for the world. I feel so blessed.

I can’t promise that I will be here as much as I have been in the past, but the good news is that there are some brand new contributors who are going to start making appearances right here on Between My Sheets. You guys are going to love them. And don’t worry, I’m not going to go weeks without posting again! Now that I’m getting used to my new schedule, I cant definitely find time to post more. Especially since my relationship with Cash is HOOOOOT. Seriously, y’all, I can’t NOT tell you about it. So it’s coming. I promise. I owe it to you guys!

So last week I missed Masturbation Monday because I took a brand new job and was so overwhelmed with work that I didn’t have time to breathe. And I promised you an awesome MasMon this week to make up for it. And here we are on Tuesday, no new post. What the fuck, Rori? I know, right? So I have a giveaway to bribe you all not to hate me. WOO MONEY.

First, let me tell you about my day.

Today was the day from hell. Thank god I have a supportive boyfriend. Co-worker rant and meltdown, totaled car (luckily not mine and no one was hurt, but I had to drive people around because of it), crazy beyond crazy landlord in my house for FIVE HOURS with her three-year-old grandson who was not being properly supervised and thus getting into everything, major work problem with a project I’m doing…and all of that on three hours of sleep. From some who is definitely a 8-a-night girl.

It was just one of those days. No one hurt. No significant harm done, even with work problems. Just not a moment to breathe. I ate a Lean Pocket for lunch and some chips for dinner. I’m exhausted. And I have a deadline.

So yes, I suck, and I totally failed on delivering on my MasMon promise.

But I’m going to give away a $50 Gift Card to EdenFantasys to a random reader!

To enter, simply leave a comment telling me one thing: what’s your cure when you have a bad day? What makes you feel better, even if you’re not near a loved one for a hug or anything else? Is it listening to a specific song? Is it eating a specific food? Is it something else that makes your smile? Just tell me your bad day cure in the comments below and you’re entered to win. If you’re feeling really ambitious, tell me about a recent bad day and how you got over the funk.

I’ll randomly draw a winner on Monday, May 7, 2012 – so hurry, you only have a week to enter!

(Small print: Winner chosen by random.org on 5/7/12 at 10 PM EST. Your comment must include a valid email address. One entry per person. Your entry must contain the bad day cure info to count – other comments on this post will not be counted. Winner must be 18+ years old (21+ in some areas). Odds of winning depend on the number of entries received. Void where prohibited.)

I’ve wanted a set of Ben Wa Balls for a long time, and one of my favorite readers (*waves*) sent me a set from my Amazon wish list a few months ago. I’ve been using them pretty regularly, so I wanted to do a quick review today to tell you all about my Luna Pleasure Beads.

About the Product:

The Luna Pleasure Beads System by LELO (one of my favorite manufacturers) consists of a harness and four weighted balls – two pink (weighing 1 oz each) and two blue (weighing 1.3 oz each). I’m using a stock picture at right because I can’t seem to take a picture that better reflects what the balls are like – they’re basically a small rubber ball jiggling around inside a hard plastic shell. Two of the beads come with a retrieval string; otherwise, fishing them out when you’re done would be awkward and uncomfortable.

They’re available for around $40, which is at the upper end of the price range for vaginal beads. However, they do come with a warranty, and with LELO you know you’re getting a high quality product.

You use them by slipping one or two balls into the girdle. Most people like to work their way up this way:

• One pink
• One blue
• Two pinks
• One pink, One blue
• Two blues

I personally started at the “two pinks” level, but you can start with just one ball instead. The idea is to wear them during the day when you’ll be moving around. Your muscles will clench around them, exercising your pussy as you walk, jog, run, or even swim. You can also use them in your pussy during anal sex or clitoral masturbation.

LELO doesn’t do anything second rate. The balls also come with a pretty satin bag for carrying them, as well as a nice black box for storage. You also get a little lube packet to help with insertion if necessary.

Pros:

Like with all LELO products, you can definitely tell the Luna Pleasure Beads are high quality. They slip into the plastic girdle/harness thingy easily, but are definitely snug so you don’t have to worry about them slipping out and going all AWOL in your vagina. As you move around, you can definitely feel them move around in your pussy. The more vigorously you move, the more you’ll feel them.

Is using them making my muscles stronger or my pussy tighter? I’m not sure. I have noticed that I can clench around Cash’s cock longer when he’s fucking me, so I guess they’re doing something right! I must confess though: I don’t use them regularly every single day, so if you did, I bet you’d see better results.

Cons:

These are called “pleasure beads” but I think they’re more like “va-jay-jay exercising balls.” I’ve used them when masturbating, and while you can feel them moving around a little, it’s not going to rock your world or anything. So if you’re buying the Luna Pleasure Beads for the fun factor, I think you’re going to be disappointed.

The other con is the retrieval string. It’s super thin and looks like the material is absorbent (which means complete sanitation is nearly impossible). You can clean the balls and girdle itself quite nicely, but I’m always looking at the string with suspicious squinty eyes. I wouldn’t use these for anal sex for that reason. If the string breaks while they’re in your pussy, no big deal. You’ll get them out. In your ass is another story.

Conclusion:

My overall conclusion is that yes, you should by the Lune Pleasure Beads if you are looking for a tool to help you with your kegels. If you want an actual sex toy, there are tons of better sex toys out there.

This post is sponsored by EdenFantasys and is in compliance with the FTC guidelines. All opinions expressed are my own and not representative of EdenFantasys or any of their writers.

Every Tuesday I ask a question so we can all answer it! My answer is written in the post, and you can tell everyone your answer with a comment—or feel free to write your own blog post about the topic and link to it in the comments below! Read more Rori Asks posts here.

This week’s question: What was your first kiss like?

I was a late bloomer with this one. It’s still a little embarrassing to admit that I didn’t have a first kiss until I was 18. Well, when I was 7, a boy kissed me on the playground, but it was a complete surprise and I ran across the playground yelling, “EWWWWW!” so that one doesn’t count.

But as far as first kisses go, it was a pretty good one. It was as we were walking away from a party, hand in hand. It was late at night and we stopped under a big tree. I leaned back against the tree and he leaned in and kissed me. It was soft and sweet, and there was no crazy tongue or anything. I later went on to lose my virginity to the same guy, so the passionate kisses came later. But I like remembering our first kiss. It was perfect.

Of course, the one that matter most to me, though, is the first kiss I had with Cash. It was on our first date, after weeks of talking to one another online. We were waiting for the train to go into the city, and he said, “There’s something I really want to do right now,” and he gave me a peck. I was a little shy and not really ready for it, especially in public! But it was a great first kiss, followed up by a lot more at the end of the date.

Your turn! I want to know about your first kiss. How old were you? Was it good or bad? Did you regret it? Do you still think about it? If you’re currently in a relationship, do you remember your first kiss with your current partner?

Taking someone’s virginity is no joke. When it comes to sex and virginity, every experience is different. Some people are fine losing it to a one night stand. Some need a long-term relationship before doing it. Some want a long-term relationship after doing it, even if they weren’t in one first. Some are surprised by their own emotions afterward.

So if you’re the person doing the virginity-taking, you absolutely need to approach the situation with sensitivity. I love this video advice from Davey Wavey. He’s talking about taking a man’s virginity, but I think what he says is relevant whether you’re gay or straight.

And if you’re a virgin, I have a little extra advice for you: before you have sex, make sure you know what it means. If it’s a one night stand, be honest with yourself about it. If it’s a relationship, be aware that you might feel differently about your partner in the morning (most couples feel closer, but that’s not always the case). No matter what, be prepared to deal with your own emotions the next day. Like I said, every person has a different reaction, and it’s hard to predict beforehand how you’ll feel.

It’s really hard to stop thinking about someone. Until it isn’t.

I think we’ve all had those people in life – people that we just can’t seem to get over. People who we crushed on so hard or fought for with all our being… an when things became apparent that they wouldn’t work, we were devastated. And we couldn’t imagine not thinking about that person.

For a while, a good long while, it stings. Then it slowly hurts less and less. But they are always there in our hearts, reminding us of a failure.

Until one day they aren’t anymore.

Earlier today, I logged onto CollarMe. Unlike Fetlife, CollarMe is more about pure dating, so I don’t keep an active profile on there anymore. I have Cash, so the last thing I need is to get a bunch of messages from dudes who want to date me. But I had uploaded a picture there that I didn’t have on my computer anymore (it crashed a few months ago), so I wanted to find the image and save it.

And then I remembered that it wasn’t so long ago that I was completely a wreck over a boy I had met there last fall. Y’all may remember me mentioning him in passing. I didn’t talk about him much, but for a time, I was completely gaga over him, even though he would disappear for weeks at a time. I used to check CollarMe every day to see if he had logged on and messaged me. I couldn’t imagine not doing that. But here I am, six months later, and I haven’t even logged into CollarMe since…early February? Maybe even before that. I just don’t think about this guy anymore. It’s nothing personal. I’m just over it.

And realizing that reminded me of a few years ago, that dark winter I had when The Cowboy left me completely in the dust. God, I haven’t thought about The Cowboy in forever, and there was a time I thought of him all the time, the moments of my day consumed with talking to him on the phone or wondering what he was doing or hoping he would call again soon. I can’t tell you the last time The Cowboy even crossed my mind, yet I wouldn’t have believed you if you would have told me I’d feel that way back when I was obsessed with him. He changed me, he affected my life, and he made me a stronger person. But I don’t think about him anymore.

As I think about the men who have been in my life in my past, I realize that I’ve done this often. I’m an anxious person by nature, so it seems like whenever I like (or love) a boy, I start obsessing over him. That makes me sound crazy, but I can’t think of a better word. I make my life about this boy, and I feel upset when I don’t know what is up between the two of us.

But I don’t think about any of these boys anymore. And I don’t think about Cash either.

Well, I do think about Cash of course, because I miss being with him, but this time, things are different. I don’t spend every waking moment obsessing about him, wondering what he’s doing or when he’s going to call or whatever. I don’t have to. Because what Cash gives me that no one ever has before is complete security. I feel so safe with him. I don’t have to obsess over him because I know that he isn’t someone who is going to abandon me or otherwise hurt me. Being with Cash doesn’t make me feel anxious like I’ve felt around every other man who’s even been in my life. I know I am loved. I know I am enough. I know I am his and he doesn’t want any other girls.

And I fully love this guy in a way that is completely different from the love I’ve felt with anyone else, ever. Each love is different, no matter what, but before it’s been this passionate, exploding, joyful, stress-inducing love. Loving Cash is….easy. The passion is there, but it isn’t a fiery type of passion. It’s…adult. Growing, blooming, embracing.  And it’s so much better.

Best of all, I feel healthier than I ever have before, mind and body. I’m getting my physical health back on track. I still (and always will) have the ups and downs of depression, but I feel like I can cope with them 100%. I feel organized and clear with my work. I feel creative again.

Cash is my medicine. I don’t want to jinx anything…but y’all? Is this what it feels like when people say they’ve met “the one”?

(I know, gross.)

I love browsing Reddit and helping people as I can, especially when they have BDSM-related questions. Earlier this week, a question caught my eye, and the poster graciously agreed to  me posting it here so I could give it a proper answer (and have all of you weigh in, too).

Help with new GF, I know shes into at least some BDSM, but I dont know where to start :/

Hi all! As the title says, I met a wonderful girl, started dating her, and we are wonderfully in love with each other.

Now, this is the first girl that i’ve had a very active sexual relationship with, as i was a way-too-into-it christian for much of my life. Over the past few years, that has changed, and now i enjoy my sex nice and guilt free. The GF has been AMAZING with this fact, our sex started off meh but with some decent communication and lots (:)) of practice, it’s great now!

I am confident in my ability to please her, and we are usually very open about what we want/need to get off. However, I know (from some clandestine search bar autofill slips) that shes at least slightly into BDSM. I brought this up with her, and her response was “I dont want to have to tell you what to do”.

I can understand how that might take away from the experience of da kink, so im asking the BDSM community for some “starters tips”. Keep in mind that, while new to alot of this, i am very open minded. I just, honestly, have no idea where to start. Any advice, in general, or about this specific issue, is more than welcome. Thanks!

Every Tuesday I ask a question so we can all answer it! My answer is written in the post, and you can tell everyone your answer with a comment—or feel free to write your own blog post about the topic and link to it in the comments below! Read more Rori Asks posts here.

This week’s question: What smells attract you most?

This week’s question might seems like kind of a funny one, but think about it for a moment. Scents are extremely powerful. They make us remember our childhoods. They make us remember traumatic events in life. And yes, they attract us.

I have a specific smell that’s always attracted me. Irish Spring soap.

I know it’s weird, and things are about to get weirder when I tell you why I’m attracted to that smell: Growing up (and still to this day), my father used Irish Spring soap.

Now, I don’t have any weird daddy issues. My father and I have a great relationship. In fact, I’m close with my whole family. The connection isn’t so much sexual as it is about comfort.

I associate that scent with comfort and happiness. My father would do anything for his children. I feel completely secure that my father (and my mother) love me. Not sexually, of course, but they love me. I never have to question that.

And that’s what I’ve always wanted in a relationship: Security. Comfort. Happiness. The knowledge that the person I love is going to love me back. I feel all of those things when I smell Irish Spring soap.

The weirdest thing in the world, and I swear I’m not making this up…Cash uses Irish Spring soap. I’m not really a girl who believes in “signs” but if there is such a thing, I think this is one of them.

Okay, so now it’s your turn: what smells attract you most? Answer with a comment!

Picture via Dwight Burdette.

Do you have a case of the Mondays? Hopefully we can get you through it here at Between My Sheets! Every Monday, I’ll post hot porn clips to make the first day of the work week considerably more fun.

This week’s Masturbation Monday features the lovely Krissy Lynn who gets tied up and fucked by a group of horny men at a neighborhood sex shop. Who wouldn’t want to join in on that fun (or, if you’ve like me, be in Krissy’s place)? Click on the picture (or here) to get six FREE preview videos from this Public Disgrace shoot – and if Krissy doesn’t float your boat for fap fodder (say that five times fast!), check out past Masturbation Monday posts here.

Bliss [Middle English blisse, from Old English bliss, from bliths, from blithe, joyful; see blithe.] n.
1. Extreme happiness; ecstasy.
2. The ecstasy of salvation; spiritual joy.

The past week has been pure bliss. It’s not a term I use lightly. I just spent a week with Cash and it felt like all those things listed above. Extreme happiness and ecstasy, of course. But beyond that, the ecstasy of salvation and spiritual joy both describe how I felt this weekend.

All my life, I’ve been looking for a man who just loves me. Who doesn’t make it hard, doesn’t make me feel like I’m not good enough, doesn’t wait for me to do all the work. Did D love me? Absolutely. Did I have boyfriends before that who loved me? Absolutely. But with Cash, it’s a completely different kind of love.

It’s salvation.

Salvation: preservation or deliverance from destruction, difficulty, or evil. That’s what Cash is to me. In the past, when I have been loved, it’s always been difficult, even to the point of destruction. I would do anything for the man I love, and I feel like past boyfriends have put that to the test time and time again.

Love me even though I cheat on you. Love me even though I don’t love you back in the same way. Love me even though I take advantage of you. Love me even though I’m not willing to work as hard at our relationship as you are. Love me even though it will destroy you.

With Cash, it’s just love me and I will love you back.

It’s easy, it’s free, it’s happy, it’s bliss.

I don’t feel like I have to walk on eggshells. I don’t feel like I have to be girlfriend of the year. I don’t feel like I have to buy him things. I just exist and he loves me.

And I think that’s how it should be. I feel like I don’t have to do anything to make him keep loving me. I don’t feel obligated to do anything at all. So the things I do for him? It’s because I love him back.

Maybe that’s what I’ve been missing in the past. With MM, the feeling was similar, that I didn’t need to do anything to make him want to be with me…but now I’ve found that with someone who wants to be completely and 100% mine, not with a married guy who can’t love me because he refuses to figure things out with his wife. Cash loves me.

I’ve spent every day this past week (over a week actually) with him, first a weekend here, then a few nights at his place, then more time at my house. It’s been wonderful.

Cash is the man for me. I know that not every moment will be bliss. There will be times when we’re mad at each other and upset about things and whatnot. But for the first time, I feel like I’m with someone who will weather it side-by-side with me, loving me through it all, rather than just saying, “I quit.”

We have a tough road ahead with his work obligations, which will put us on the other side of the world from one another for a long time. The waiting? It will be worth it. I just know it.