Picture: Pexels Picture: Pexels
Picture: Pexels
So, what's the one thing you'd never do when it comes to sex? Having an open relationship tops the list in one recent survey, closely followed by having sex with someone much older or younger than you. However, as we all know, what we say and what we do doesn't always match up and hey, you should feel empowered to do whatever the hell you want. GLAMOUR asked eight women to tell us their own personal sex stories in a liberating series of interviews...
"I often went clubbing with Ellie and her husband Justin. When Ellie didn't want to come, Justin and I still went together. A couple of times Justin wanted to go for a weekend break in Scotland and, because Ellie didn't fancy it, I went with him. She didn't seem bothered. Once, when we were away, he just kissed me. Ellie heard rumours and asked what was going on- we denied it, but she found out the truth and they split. Justin and I were together for 18 months before we came clean to our other friends. I always said I'd never get involved with another girl's man, especially a friend's. I love Justin, but I regret losing the best friendship I ever had. I've been with Justin for four years and I still beat myself up about it. Unbelievably, Ellie's still there for me when there's a crisis. She's one in a million." Emily, 28
"I never understood the attraction of older men, but that all changed one Saturday night when I met Tom in a pub. He was a friendly guy and he kept telling me I had lovely hair and was wearing a great dress. He told me he was 32, but he looked older. When I questioned him, he said, "Why would I be hanging around with lads in their twenties if I'm way older than them?" That made sense. When we all left he grabbed my hand and we started kissing. He asked me back to his and, without really thinking about it, I went. The next morning I woke up, looked at him and thought, 'Oh. My. God!' I found out later that he's 52. That's 32 years older than me and ten years older than my dad. I can't believe I slept with someone who could technically be my grandfather." Lianne, 20
"I'm up for most things, but I always said I'd never sleep with a friend. I was close to Jack for about a year and a half before anything happened, I'd give him advice about girl problems and he'd come out with me and my boyfriend. When he invited me to an after-hours party at his pub one night, I realised I had feelings for him, and blurted it out. Thankfully he felt the same. We were worried about ruining our friendship, but before I knew it we were having sex on table 15. We've been together three months now. Breaking my sex taboo was the best thing I ever did - if I hadn't, I might've woken up at 55 with my old boyfriend, who didn't make me nearly as happy. Taboos are meant to be broken if it means finding the person you've been searching for all your life." Valerie, 25
"I liked Dave the first time I saw him at work. We flirted for about two years and then he separated from his wife. We started seeing each other quite quickly and although he moved out, he kept in touch with his wife. We'd been together for about nine months when he came round to my house and said, "I don't love you, I never loved you. It was a big mistake." The tears just fell out of my eyes. It was only after he dumped me that I found out he'd still been seeing his wife. He'd been cheating on both of us. Deep down I guess I thought he might still be seeing her, but I was in love and didn't want to think about it. I'd never do it again- it destroyed me. You can't help who you fall in love with, but you have to think long term. You're not only hurting yourself, you're hurting other people." Debbie, 32
"When it comes to sex I'm definitely a lights-off person, so I never dreamed I'd have a threesome, let alone a foursome with my best friend Jess, her ex-fiancé Jim and his best mate, Paul. We were all in this pub when the subject of threesomes arose. Jess accused the lads of being all mouth and no trousers, and asked them to prove her wrong. They looked pretty shocked and I was hoping they'd bottle out, but we ended up at Jess's. I couldn't believe what we were doing and I was embarrassed, but it turned out to be a right laugh. Let's just say massage oil and vibrators were involved… Afterwards, Jess and I found it hilarious, but the boys got the hump. Jim was annoyed because he'd seen Jess kissing Paul, and Paul was angry with himself because he had a girlfriend. As for me, I can't believe I was brave enough to do it and I wouldn't rule it out again." Helen, 24
"I met Mel on a new job. There wasn't much to do and we spent quite a lot of time sitting around together, having a laugh. After work one day, we had a few drinks and she just kissed me. I've no idea how it happened. I was so surprised, but despite being shocked I went along with it because it actually felt quite good. Things just led on from there. I didn't think I had it in me and I certainly never imagined I'd sleep with a girl. We met up a week later and just hung out together. We had a giggle about what we'd done and she said she was up for it again, but nothing happened because I had a boyfriend. Mel's moved away now and we're not in touch anymore, but I don't regret sleeping with her. I guess you can't knock something till you've tried it. In fact, I could see it happening again." Shelley, 19
"When I started my first job, there was incredible sexual chemistry between me and my boss. But he was engaged, so strictly off limits - until three weeks before his wedding, when we got drunk and one thing led to another. It was never a full-on affair, but we had sex several times, before and after he married. I ended things with him when he started mouthing off to colleagues, who then made lewd comments about my sex life. Some months later his brother-in-law joined the company. My boss began to worry his wife would find out about us and 'suggested' I find a new job. A few months later there were redundancies and I was out on my ear. Sleeping with a married man is a bad idea, and sleeping with your boss is dangerous. I got my own back, though. I took the company to an industrial tribunal for unfair dismissal, sex discrimination and harassment. I won." Clare, 31
This article originally appeared on Glamour UK.