2021
After five years of marriage to her wonderful and laidback husband Miles, Rosalia final comes to terms with her bisexuality. She doesn´t want to just fantasize about being other women, but wants to actually do something about it. After declaring her desire to experience a threesome, Rosalia and Miles agree to a set of "rules" for her first same-sex encounter: she wants her husband in the room with them at all times, but not to touch the other woman or have sex with her; and they agree that the focus, at least for this first time, needs to be on her. In addition to aroused and thrilled at the prospect of fulfilling her fantasy and coming out of her bisexual closet, Rosalia also doesn´t quiet know how to process the surge of feelings coursing through her. If she is with another woman, is that still considered "cheating"? How does she reconcile adoring her loving spouse while at the same time being sexually attracted to other women? If this threesome happens--when it happens--will Miles get jealous?
Shortly after this opening to Jade Makes Three, the debut erotic novella by Alexandra Dominique, we watch with sympathy and humor as this married couple attempts to find their unicorn on an online dating site. For anyone who has experienced the apps (especially how unreliable or wishy-washy most of the people on them can be), readers will laugh in identification with how the author depicts these scenes. After a number of disappointments, the couple abandons the online approach; why is this all so much work for something seemingly so simple? But the initial enthusiasm for having a threesome begins to fade, and Rosalia wonders if perhaps her attraction to women will always remain in the realm of fantasy, at best something she and her husband can talk about once in a while to spice up their own sex life.
But then Dominique introduces the book´s titular character, and Jade Makes Three quickly gets hotter. Jade and Miles are both part of an amateur theater troupe, and one night he brings her home to run lines for their upcoming play. Rosalia is immediately attracted to the young woman, but are the feelings mutual? Dominique skillfully depicts Rosalia´s awkwardness and arousal, with details that feel true to life. For example, one night Miles & Jade "catch" Rosalia watching the 1998 film Wild Things; and later, when Rosalia goes to the theater to watch a dress rehearsal of the upcoming play, we feel her sexual tension just from sitting close to Jade. We also chuckle over her jealousy about Jade´s interactions with another woman, until Rosalia discovers that this is the director. Dominique takes her time getting into the sex, providing just enough details to make each of these characters in Jade Makes Three truly multi-faceted. All of them possess confidence, vulnerabilities, quirks, foibles. These are the kinds of passions one finds in real life with adults, but (sadly) not as often inside the pages of contemporary erotic fiction.
But make no mistake: Jade Makes Three contains numerous sex scenes, too. Not only are each of these scenes exceptionally hot, they´re also fresh and imaginative. Jade and Rosalia´s first encounter happens while Miles is out of town on work, a scene that is both incredibly racy as well as one that upholds her "rules" from the beginning (well...mostly, anyway). The inevitable threesome scene is also fresh and authentic, showing all three of their interest in "getting it on" as well as shy about making the first move. The stalemate is broken by another clever idea from the author which I also don´t want to give away (here´s a clue: it has something to do with what´s on the cover).
Alexandra Dominique´s approach to erotic fiction is substantive: she goes deep into the characters´ psychology before getting into their pants (or beneath their skirts, as the case may be). Jade Makes Three is a confidently-written debut, and promises sexiness, candor, and humor in equal proportions. Check her out!
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