Five classic fairy tales reemerge as deliciously dark erotica stories with a BDSM twist. These stories describe the many diverse faces of bondage, discipline, sadism, and masochism in sexy encounters ranging from haunting to healing, and painful to playful. You'll discover .how a witch really likes to punish naughty interlopers, why Beauty might love her beast more than the prince, how to produce handy bruises when a pea just won't do the trick—and more. Ranging from present day to "once upon a time" settings, each story offers a fresh perspective to both legend and BDSM. Many people know that today's idea of fairy tales is a far cry from the darker, original versions. Like a Thorn explores this underbelly of the fairy tale through the many faces of BDSM. Far from run-of-the-mill handcuffs and dungeons, this diverse palette of tales features BDSM as a vehicle for unorthodox moods, relationships, and dilemmas. Mari Ness' haunting "Cinder Feet" tells us just how high a price Cinderella might have had to pay for not making it home by midnight, yet how worthy that price might be. Next up is "The Princess and Peony" by Mercy Loomis, a charming romp between a princess and her part-time maid, full-time lover who plot to produce princess-ly bruises with a sexier method than sleeping on a pea. Kieran Dewhurst's "The Last Mistress of the Chatelaine" tells of the sweeping yet down-to-earth romance between the dread Bluebeard and his seventh wife, who uses spunk and sense to help her husband face his sins head-on with a deliciously brutal punishment. "That Wicked Witchcraft" by Sunny Moraine follows, a present-day story in which a modern witch discovers two teenage thieves in her house—and comes close to eating them for dinner after she ties them up. Finally, Shanna Germain's lyrical "Skin Deep" tells of a controversial Belle: one who didn't go to the beast as his saving grace, but to revel with him (and often over him) in the darkness of the enchanted castle and the painful price he must pay for her affections. These imaginative retelling captures the complex psychology, emotion, and harmony between pleasure and pain present in every BDSM encounter—and every tale is titillating enough to become any grown-up's first choice for a bedtime story. Includes the stories: Cinder Feet by Mari Ness The Princess and Peony by Mercy Loomis The Last Mistress of the Chatelaine by Kieran Wyn Dewhurst That Wicked Witchcraft by Sunny Moraine Skin Deep by Shanna Germain