Between disastrous (or dead-end) dating app experiences, romance scams, and the constant risk of ghosting, dating right now is no easy feat. It’s no wonder, then, that statistics show Gen Z are dating less than any generation before them, citing the lingering impacts of the pandemic, financial stress, and difficulty maintaining a work-life balance as their reasons for taking a step back from romantic pursuits. When it comes to sex, Gen Z apparently aren’t having much of that, either. A 2021 survey revealed that 62% of Gen Z said they don’t commonly have one-night stands, while only about 23% admitted to casual hook-ups. For those who do manage to make it on a date, there can often be another hurdle to sex: the outdated, misogynistic idea that you ‘shouldn’t have sex on a first date’. “The idea of chastity being equal to purity is rooted in misogyny,” says Annabelle Knight, Lovehoney’s resident sex and relationship expert. “If you feel comfortable with a first date and you’re hitting it off, and — most importantly — there is full consent from both parties, then there’s absolutely no shame in having sex on a first date.” The significance of a spark also shouldn’t be overlooked. “People talk about the ‘mythical’ spark, but it’s very real,” she continues. “If you feel energised and excited talking with your date, then you are probably compatible.” And why not test that out in the bedroom? So, if you’re feeling down about your dating life and the never-ending barrage of doom-and-gloom stats, we’ve got something for you. To prove that the spark can still indeed spark on dates, here’s 10 women on their sexiest first date stories — from sex in a pub toilet to making out at the cinema to… a little fisting at home. Strap in. “I was on a first date with a guy I’d met on Hinge, and it was going really well — I fancied him, he was funny, we were getting on. It all felt very easy, and the drinks were flowing. About three pints in, and for reasons I cannot remember, I suggested we... go to the toilet to fuck. After some back-and-forth about logistics, we’d made a plan. There was only one cubicle in the men’s, so we decided it would be more inconspicuous to choose the women’s — that way, if anyone caught us coming out, it wouldn’t be so obvious that it was from the same cubicle. So, into the women’s I went, and he snuck in after me, careful not to be seen. Barely 30 seconds after we’d started to get into action in a cubicle, someone walked into the toilet and we froze in panic. We stood deadly still, trying to contain our laughter, until the person finished up and walked back out again. Safe to say, it killed the mood, so we gave up and sheepishly returned to our table. A good icebreaker nonetheless!” — Ella*, 28 ‘I cuffed him to a chair’ “I dressed him up in my clothes, cuffed him to a chair, and masturbated on the bed in front of him. It was a wild first date.” — via Reddit ‘We had a full-on sex marathon’ “I was in my mid-20s, just got out of a long and serious relationship with very little to no sex for over a year. Tinder was fairly new at the time, and I hopped on, thinking ‘whatever’. I matched with someone who lived a few blocks away from me. We spent a week or so texting, and it got very spicy. We ended up getting each other so flustered that we both took a day off work, and I came over to his on a Thursday, and stayed to have a full-on sex marathon in every room and on every surface of his flat until Sunday. There were probably about eight to 10 hours of fucking each day. It was all the sex I didn’t have in my previous relationship, condensed into what felt like one long fever dream. I have no idea how I didn’t end up dehydrated. Or without internal bruising.” — via Reddit ‘She ended up staying for days’ “I had a first date with a girl, and she ended up staying for days. Like, several days. We basically morphed into the same person as she had to borrow all my clothes, including my underwear, while she was at my place.” — Gianna*, 32 ‘He fingered me at a museum’ “I’ve only ever been on one first date. He fingered me in a stairwell at a busy museum. Probably not my finest moment but we’re still together eight years later.” — via Reddit ‘15 minutes into the movie, we’re heavily making out’ “I went on a movie date with a guy friend, and we were the only ones there. Like 15 minutes into the movie, we’re heavily making out, and I’m jerking him off. I was too afraid to go further than that in the cinema, but we rushed out of there, parked behind some stores that were closed in the shopping centre, and had sex in his car!” — via Reddit ‘He left his stuff at mine, and then… nothing’ “I went on a first date with a guy I’d met at a festival, and it was perfect: he was a total gent, paid for my drinks, even made me breakfast. It went so well that I invited him to stay over again the next night. He said yes, but already had plans with friends during the day, so he left his stuff at mine and promised he’d be back later. Then… nothing. Radio silence all day. I wasn’t bothered about seeing him again, but with his stuff at my flat, I was annoyed not knowing when he’d turn up. I carried on with my plans and went out that night — where, by complete chance, an old uni fling I’d always fancied slid into my DMs asking if I wanted to go clubbing. Obviously, I said yes. We had a wild night and ended up back at his. Cut to 9am the next morning: I’m naked in his bed when my phone pings. It’s Festival Guy. First message: “Sorry, I ended up crashing at a friend’s last night.” Second message: “I’ll be at yours in 20.” 20 minutes! I’ve never moved so fast in my life — threw on last night’s clothes, smeared make-up, contact lenses stuck to my eyes, and bolted while Uni Guy was still in the shower. By the time my Uber pulled up, Festival Guy was waiting outside. I let him in to grab his stuff, claiming I’d crashed at a friend’s after. Did he buy it? Who knows. I still felt bad… but not that bad. I guess he was probably out doing the same thing.” — Astrid*, 25 ‘We ended up at a porn theatre’ “Somehow we ended up fucking at a porn theatre. I seriously can’t even remember the chain of events that got us there.” — via Reddit ‘He fisted me, then we fucked’ “I was staying at his place [after our first date], we got drunk and fell asleep. When we later woke up, we started kissing. While he was undressing me, I told him that I was on my period. I expected him to, you know, be like most guys and send me to a tent in the woods or something. But instead, he went down on me, fisted me, and then we fucked.” — via Reddit ‘He told me about his kink, and I went along with it’ “I went on a Tinder date with a guy who was quite a lot older than me. We ended up going back to his place and he told me about his kink, which wasn’t too intimidating so I was happy to go along with it. I basically spent the rest of the night smoking cigarettes out the window with my top off, while he watched and got hard over it.” — Harlow*, 27 *Names have been changed. Some responses have been edited and condensed for clarity.