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Soft: A Short Story

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She’s ironed in every sense of the word, from her slick golden hair to her white button-down and prim A-line skirt.

The woman across the restaurant counter has flint-gray eyes, chiseled planes for cheeks, and dark hair cut like a boy’s. A key is tattooed on her forearm.

The energy between them is the same every time, electric and undeniable. Painful. But there’s nothing to be done about it. A delicate gold cross hangs heavy around her neck, an ever-present reminder of her husband’s edicts on what constitutes sin. A reminder of her obligation to purity, obedience, and conformity. A reminder that she must always follow the rules.

But, today she will defy life’s rules. Today, a gray-eyed angel will unlock the door to all the things she hides from herself, to a world she’s always seen as inaccessible—forbidden.

Today, she will discover paradise.

20 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 9, 2019

128 people are currently reading
103 people want to read

About the author

Kristen Mae

8 books447 followers
Kristen Mae lives on the Atlantic coast of Florida with her two children and a fuzzy, giant-eared little dog named Gizmo. In addition to being a novelist, she is a classically trained violist and an artist.

For more from Kristen Mae, sign up for her reader group at abandoningpretense.com, and follow her on social media at facebook.com/AbandoningPretense and at Instagram @kristenmae_author.

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Community Reviews

5 stars
54 (31%)
4 stars
59 (33%)
3 stars
36 (20%)
2 stars
16 (9%)
1 star
9 (5%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
Profile Image for Corrie.
1,690 reviews4 followers
July 18, 2019
This was well written and very hot and it makes me curious what else this author has available. Time to head over to Amazon and find out :-)

f/f explicit

Themes: taco shop, her first time with a woman is a quicky against the wall but it sure makes her thirsty for more, very sexy.

4 stars
Profile Image for Meredith is a hot mess.
808 reviews618 followers
August 8, 2019
3.75

Well-done ff erotica. Loved the prose. It had flow, was crisp, and carried the story well. This was really hot and too short - I wanted more. The opening line caught my attention and I couldn't put the book down until I finished. If you don't mind quick ff erotica that doesn't have too much of a plot give this a try; it's free.

I'll definitely be reading more from Kristen Mae.


Profile Image for Michele.
155 reviews31 followers
July 15, 2019
Probably should not have read this book on a 95 degree day. My bad.

Sizzling hot.

Profile Image for Netgyrl (Laura).
625 reviews217 followers
November 17, 2022
sizzling short story

5 stars - sizzling, hot short story about a questioning housewife, getting a taste of the forbidden. Extremely well written. The author has a flair for describing all the emotions that go through your body the first time you experience the touch of your heart’s desire.
Profile Image for Jamie (TheRebelliousReader).
6,886 reviews30 followers
August 11, 2019
4 stars. Damn. I don't even remember how I came across this little short story but I'm glad I did. It's super spicy. 24 pages of wonderfully written erotica and it's F/F and the way that it's told is so interesting. I can't get over how good this was. Not much to say but it's a very sensual read and I thoroughly enjoy it.
Profile Image for Eclair.
37 reviews2 followers
April 16, 2021
Probably the best erotica i have read so far. I love the amount of tension that the author manages to build with such little time. Definitely going to see if this author has other stories i might read because damn this was good.
Profile Image for rikajewellee.
336 reviews44 followers
August 3, 2019
3.5 or 3.75??? (god, i don't know how to rate short stories)
i wanted to try something quick by this author to decide if i'm going to read something else by her and wasn't disappointed.
it is a short story, so there's only sex and that's all, but the writing style is great
also, let's appreciate the fucking cover! it's so stunning!!! lesbian fiction rarely gets beautiful covers, so it's kind of a big deal.
i know i'm dramatic.
all in all, it is very good. you can read it for free and it's super short as well, so i don't know what you are waiting for, honestly.
Profile Image for Meredith Spidel.
Author 6 books44 followers
May 16, 2019
A lovey, sweet and sensual bite from Kristen Mae to tide you over until her next novel!
Profile Image for Leigh.
191 reviews
May 11, 2019
I love the way this story was written, inside the mind of the main character. This stylistic choice allowed a powerful connection for the reader. This story gives a detailed account of how our desires and people's opinions can create such inner turmoil. The feelings we have are greatly influenced by society and that keeps us from being true to ourselves. Although short, this story evoked a lot of raw emotion.

Overall, I recommend this story if you are looking for something believable, emotional, and overall steamy
Profile Image for Alyson Stone.
Author 4 books71 followers
August 11, 2025
Book: Soft
Author: Kristen Mae
Rating: 4 Out of 5 Stars

This is a short story that I downloaded for free from the Kindle store. It’s not a full-length novel, but a short read. Even though this is not a genre that I do venture into too much, I thought it was a solid, quick read.

In this one, we follow two women and a one-night stand. She is ironed in every sense of the word, from her slick golden hair to her crisp white button-down and prim A-line skirt. Across the restaurant counter sits a woman with flint-grey eyes, sharply defined cheekbones, and dark hair cropped short. A key is inked on her forearm, an emblem of something unspoken. The air between them always hums with the same charge—electric, undeniable, and painful. Around her neck hangs a delicate gold cross, heavy with the weight of her husband’s strict rules about sin, purity, obedience, and conformity. It is a constant reminder that she is expected to follow the rules without question. On this day, she decides to step beyond those boundaries. The grey-eyed woman will become the key to a part of herself she has long kept hidden, a world she once believed was out of reach. It is a world marked forbidden, yet it calls to her with irresistible force. Today, she will unlock the door and discover her paradise.

This is a tightly crafted, emotionally charged short story that lingers long after the final line. Kristen Mae delivers a tale that is equal parts tender and intense, following a woman whose perfectly pressed exterior hides a storm of longing and self-denial. The prose is crisp yet evocative, capturing both the charged atmosphere between the two women and the inner conflict that makes their encounter so compelling.
While the story is beautifully written, it is also undeniably spicy and intended for adult readers. Kristen does not shy away from exploring desire in a raw and unapologetic way, making this as much a sensual piece as it is an emotional one. The layered portrayal of repression, temptation, and liberation elevates it beyond a simple romance into something more intimate and thought-provoking.
This is not a story for younger audiences, but for adult readers seeking a brief yet impactful exploration of passion and self-discovery. This is both well-executed and memorable.

Profile Image for Bri.
11 reviews9 followers
May 14, 2019
Have you ever wanted something you couldn't have? Couldn't tell anyone about? Have you ever desired someone or something that the people closest to you told you was wrong? It's a good thing this story was short because I couldn't put it down. Oh, and luckily my dinner plans already included tacos, because if not I was going to have to go in search of some after reading this!

This is a great short story that will hit home for many. I love Kristen's style of writing and always look forward to reading her new material!
Profile Image for Nyki Mancera.
615 reviews2 followers
November 8, 2023
Too quick, too fast

It felt like a case of strangers meeting on several occasions and then finally one day, they take the quick plunge to be intimate. There is no backstory told. It appears that one is butch (the worker) and one is seriously religious and tightly buttoned up and bound, that finally does what is inside her, being with someone of the same sex. By the time you start to try and want to piece things together, it is over.
Profile Image for SplatterGunk.
271 reviews5 followers
January 2, 2025
This is an incredibly well written short story and very steamy too! The present tension is perfect, as is the anticipation. The story gives just enough context to make it interesting without being overbearing.

As I final thought, I usually don’t like (or very easily tolerate) books written in second person POV, but this is a grand exception to the rule. This is written fantastically and the use of second person POV adds another dimension the story - a dimension I wouldn’t change.
Profile Image for Angela.
71 reviews7 followers
May 26, 2019
WOW!

This is a fast, intense, read. It's erotica - and it's hot. But I love that Kristen Mae doesn't leave it there.

It's not just about a steamy encounter, but that build up... The longing, desire, trepidation, waiting... the internal struggle with wrong and right... the guilt over wanting what you shouldn't/can't/desperately want...
Profile Image for Kay.
280 reviews19 followers
March 17, 2023
Evocative, powerful writing. Incredible how intense this was for only about a dozen pages long. The first-person narrative allows us to get inside the protagonist's head and experience the psychic conflict between her fear and her overpowering desire. It's free and only five minutes long, so no reason to hesitate.
Profile Image for Mary Widdicks.
Author 7 books264 followers
May 11, 2019
Delicious and irresistible, SOFT teases out the most taboo of fantasies and desires. Mae has done it again. She's made me want something I didn't even know I was missing. Now somebody pass the tacos.
Profile Image for karin whitehead.
1,010 reviews7 followers
February 2, 2020
Soft

Different from my usual reading material. It's like a fantasy on paper, quick, crazy and startling. It seemed plausable, realistic. A quick encounter in a fast food joint, ironic.
Profile Image for Tiana Clark (tianajclark).
71 reviews4 followers
January 10, 2024
Super quick read. Took me maybe 15 minutes start to finish. I love the cover. This was not the best but also not the worst. The writing style was a little different than anything I’ve ever read before. Overall it was so so. If you’re looking for a quick and spicy FF, maybe give it a shot!
Profile Image for Michele Evans.
1,213 reviews9 followers
June 8, 2019
Love this writer and her stories!

I’ve read all but one book from this author and have loved every one! I will definitely remedy that ASAP and read them all!
Profile Image for ChattyChik21.
2,734 reviews
August 11, 2019
Not what I expected

Well written I just wish it told a different story if that makes sense in any case people wh enjoy this genre will like this I believe
4 reviews
September 18, 2019
Short. Poetic. Beautiful.

A quick 10 minute read so well written it stays with you long after you finish. Erotic with class. Well done.
Profile Image for Audra.
83 reviews2 followers
November 23, 2019
I have never read something that contained so much intensity in so few pages. This is a must read! Definitely left me wanting more!
Profile Image for Connie Charron.
193 reviews1 follower
January 7, 2020
Just not my thing

This is well written but just not my kind of book. I'm sure there's plenty of people who would enjoy this style & genre but it's just not me.
Profile Image for M.T..
Author 13 books175 followers
April 3, 2022
Wow-loved, loved, loved it
Profile Image for Rebecca.
136 reviews3 followers
April 6, 2024
There's not much to say about this one: A small taste of the forbidden, some ranchyness, and a nice writing style.
43 reviews2 followers
August 29, 2024
This is a great, well-written f/f erotica short story! It's a tease in all the best ways. And hot! Definitely hot!

It's the first story I've read by this author and not the last for sure.

Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews

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