This story was originally published on August 1, 2014.
Orgasm can be an elusive goal for many women. Some research suggests that many as one in three of us has difficulty achieving orgasm during sex. That figure jumps to 80% when "sex" means intercourse alone. And, while orgasms are by definition pleasurable when we do reach them, they're not all made equal: Some are unforgettable. To celebrate the diversity of the female orgasm, we asked 13 female-identified people to share their most memorable stories of climax. Click through for settings from a late night at the office to the hood of a car. While more than one of these orgasms was achieved with chemical assistance, sometimes the "wow" factor came from an unexpected place. Enjoy!
"It's a tie between a) accidentally orgasming on my bike at age 10 (I kept riding down the same hill for months trying to replicate it, unsuccessfully) and b) my first orgasm from a female partner. I was in my 20s and had been having orgasms for a decade-plus (see bike story), but had never gone 'all the way' with a girl. I expected it to be a huge light-bulb moment that would somehow define my sexuality — that it would either confirm me as straight by being underwhelming, or as gay by being so great that I'd never look at a man again. Funnily enough, lady-sex turned out to be amazing, intimate, and HOT. But, not more or less so than other truly great sex experiences I'd had previously or would have in the future, regardless of the gender of each partner. Moral of the orgasm story: I guess I've been lucky — and bisexual — all along."
Illustrated by: Elliot Salazar.
"Several years ago, my then-boyfriend and I went to Montauk for a night. It was off-season (October) and during the week, so it was pretty quiet. On a short, wooded walk (to see the lighthouse, I think), we decided to get it on. We figured we didn't have much time since we were in a public, outdoor area in the middle of the day, so I quickly dropped my jeans to my knees, placed my palms on the tree in front of me and bent over slightly, while I waited for him to penetrate me.
"I came in about twenty seconds, at which point he withdrew, adjusted his clothing, and grabbed my hand to hold after I had fixed my own pants. We continued walking casually on the path and were soon joined by others. We smiled over our shared secret moment; he was so happy and proud of himself the rest of the day and didn't care at all about his own lack of climax. I'm not sure why he was so surprised at my speedy orgasm, however — since in those days, I'd get wet when he touched my knee. I think he was attracted to the part of me that was like, 'Here? Now? Like this? Sure...'"
Illustrated by: Elliot Salazar.
"My partner and I have been dating for over four years at this point, and though he's my first boyfriend...it wasn't contrived or nervous. It was immediately comfortable, just like our bedroom manner. We tell each other what we like, what we don't, what we want more or less of, and often talk about different positions and trying new things, just to see what piques each other's interest.
"A few months ago, we were making love and as he was on top of me he gently rubbed over my eye to open it. He was staring so sexily and intently at me...it was very intimate and special. After we were lying in post-coital bliss, he told me that he sometimes can't achieve climax if he's not looking at my body or in my eyes...so he feels connected. I have never felt more in tune with him than that time, and after that, it's been amazing. We barely close our eyes —and I think that's really special."
Illustrated by: Elliot Salazar.
"I tried acid/LSD a few times, and each time I made love to my partner while intoxicated/high. Some people say, 'If you do it while you're on drugs, sex will never be the same,' and I didn't believe them at all — but it's kind of true.
"One time (that we took drugs), this past Fourth of July, my partner and I went back to my place, peeled each other's clothes off tiredly, and took a shower together. Any other time we'd rush to get out of the shower to really get down to business — but we took our time and kissed places we'd never seen before, like discovering each other's bodies all over again. Then, as we lay naked in the come-down of our high, we started to make love and it was ever-so-soft, passionate, emotional, and hypersensitive. Even now, we're taking that lesson of hyperawareness with us to enjoy and induce when we're not on drugs."
Illustrated by: Elliot Salazar.
"I was dating this guy dramatically on and off for a while. At this point in the ‘relationship' when we were ‘on,’ 75% of our time together was spent fucking. When I say ‘dramatic,' I mean it wasn't a healthy relationship — there were a lot of trust issues and insecurities, and as most women will know, that makes it hard to orgasm with that person. So anyway, we were off but turned up at the same party unplanned. He was sober at the time, and I was not at all. He was also a very jealous person, so he decided to take me away from any drunken flirting opportunity and take me home.
"The ride home was pretty tense because he was mad at how drunk I was, and I was mad that he took me away from the party, and we all know what angry sex is like...I actually am not a drunk sex kind of person, never was, so I was not expecting to fuck when we got home at all. The orgasm actually happened when he went down on me… The only thing I can try and compare it to is orgasming with a vibrator. I remember being so shocked that I was able to orgasm with this dude. I think that was the moment I 'fell in love' with him, maybe…maybe."
Illustrated by: Elliot Salazar.
"I was dating this guy, and we used to go out and pick up women together. We became pretty fond of a BBW lady and would get busy together. I'd say the orgasm [I had with this threesome] was the best because it was exciting! I was discovering the joys of anal sex while she used a Hitachi with me. I've never been so sweaty!"
Illustrated by: Elliot Salazar.
"It started out as a harmless flirtation, but turned into a full-blown affair with my boss. I was in long-term relationship and the first time [my boss and I] hooked up was a late night working. We didn't even have sex, but it was very intense. I think a lot of it had to do with the shame involved, which made it exciting."
Illustrated by: Elliot Salazar.
"It wasn't my best orgasm, but it was one of the weirdest. It was probably one of the first 10 I ever had in the presence of my boyfriend (and in my life, since I'd barely ever orgasmed before I met him). Anyways, at that time I didn't really know what to fantasize about to get off, and so my mind would go between blank concentration and strange, random imagery.
"This one time, I realized I had been thinking about tiki huts the entire time. Like weird, fake, crappy Florida Keys resort tiki huts and patio accessories you get from Party City. Not erotic at all; I have no sexual associations with tiki huts, but that's just where my mind went in that moment. Not sure what it says about me."
Illustrated by: Elliot Salazar.
"My boyfriend and I have been playing with control and orgasm denial recently. He had me on my back at the edge of the bed. I asked, 'Can I please come, sir? Please?' He said, 'No.' Like a good (occasionally) submissive partner, I forced myself not to orgasm. I'm not entirely sure how long I was obeying, but once he said, 'Now you may come,' I lost complete control of my body.
"Outwardly, I was arched with the top of my head on the bed. My mouth was open; I was probably screaming. I'm not sure what my limbs were doing, mostly because I couldn't feel them.
"Inwardly, I had a mild out-of-body experience. Have you ever gotten really stoned and become completely absorbed in discovering the stars and forgotten about your body for so long that when you come back down, your fingers are blue and you remember that it's cold outside? Or, have you ever taken a hallucinogen, closed your eyes, and joined the cosmic oneness? That's what that orgasm was like. It was sudden, overwhelming — and I, for a moment, was fully submerged in the cosmic, universal energy."
Illustrated by: Elliot Salazar.
"It happened at the very beginning of my most recent relationship. We were dating long-distance, using Skype to communicate with each other on an everyday basis while traveling to see each other as often as we could. The first sexual experience we ever had together was through 'Skype sex,' which is basically just phone sex with the addition of a visual component.
"The first time we ever engaged in Skype sex, my partner told me an erotic story involving us and what our first in-person sexual contact would be like. The story evoked such a desired and realistic picture in my imagination that I achieved orgasm without any masturbation or any other physical stimulation. It also was one of the most intense orgasms I have ever experienced. While I've tried to orgasm in this way since, I have never quite been able to match that feeling."
Illustrated by: Elliot Salazar.
"Don't laugh, but I tried a pot brownie for the first time and had a panic attack. The guy I was hooking up with 'suggested' that having sex might calm me down. He went down on me, and I don't know if he's just that skilled or if being so high made it feel that much more intense, but I still replay the memory of that orgasm in my head months later. But, now I'm scared of edibles forever."
Illustrated by: Elliot Salazar.
"A few months after we started having sex, my college boyfriend and I began smoking a little pot before having sex almost every night. I hadn't yet had an orgasm at this point, and I quickly discovered that the tactile sensations and deep concentration I got from getting high helped me to have them.
"One night, a few weeks into our pot/fucking experimentation, we had slow, drawn-out sex while listening to our favorite Radiohead album. When I finally came, I had the most intense orgasm I think I've ever had; I don't know how long it lasted, but my mind went blank, I forgot who I was, and I became completely aware of every inch of my body. I felt I was being lifted off of the bed and into outer space. I've had some good sex since then, but the intensity of that night will always stick with me."
Illustrated by: Elliot Salazar.
"It was the end of June, and my boyfriend and I were visiting his family in Vermont. We didn't want to have sex in his parents' home, especially considering how thin the walls were. So, we got creative. We took a drive around the town, and he showed me all the most memorable spots from his childhood. We ended up in a field that he had played in as a kid. What started as stargazing on the hood of the car turned into one of our most passionate, desperate hook-ups; I think it was the combination of the summer air and the feeling of being high-school kids getting away with something. Out in the middle of that field, I felt so free and limitless. I haven't had as loud an orgasm since then, that's for sure."
Illustrated by: Elliot Salazar.Like what you see? How about some more R29 goodness, right here?
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