One night stands are like when the stars align for that one time and that is the only time it works.
1
My first one-night stand as a virgin was after months of a girl watching me at workouts. She had a boyfriend. One night he was out, we hooked up and I went to her place and we started off watching TV, then we necked for a bit, then headed off to bed, where she gave me the most amazing BJ (how could I know there would be anything better, I was a virgin).
So, it being the first time and me simply not having the birds and bees talk or knowing the mechanics of how appendage A fits into part B, plus being nervous and not being able to stay hard, the act of sex was unconsummated.
Anyways, her boyfriend comes home. She shoo's me out the basement window, I'm barefoot so I hide outside under a van. My shoes are left behind by the front door. My watch is left behind in the living room.
The boyfriend is suspicious, so she keeps him busy. I sneak back to see if I can retrieve my shoes and watch, and that is a no-go. I peek into the window and they are banging away. I walk back home about 5 miles barefoot.
The next day I collect my watch and shoes from the girl, and the non-conversation was so incredibly awkward, we never see each other again.
But, consolation prize, I bang her best friend and have proper first-time sex. She also gave good backrubs, but not good blow jobs.
2
The next one-night stand I remember in my early 20's a house party this cute tall random chick I was sitting next to we started drunk-necking in front of everyone, and quickly retired to the nearest bedroom of my buddy and we had bad sloppy drunk sex that was good, then returned to the party. My buddy complained about the crusties I left on his bedsheet.
I saw the chickyboo once more and we had car sex, it was awkward and awful. When our paths crossed later and she saw me at a bar she was upset that I ignored her. I discovered I didn't like chain smokers, I almost threw up kissing her in the car.
3
I met a girl in a bar the day before she was to be married, we didn't have sex, but it was the most amazing connection, she was so free and could not get enough of each other. Never got her name or number. I don't remember her face either, it was just the incredible euphoric feeling, likely infatuation. The buddy I was with, he got ignored.
4
Another girl who had a casual thing with a guy I knew got jealous when she was feeding me at the dinner table, flirting, I jumped on her at a hotel bedroom, and we played but didn't have sex. So, a really good connection but it didn't lead to sex. She had giant tits, so my buddies were envious she took a liking to me. The casual dude she was seeing was pissed off though, finding out she had such a good connection with me but not him.
5
Ho'ing around is a variation on the one-night stand. Some hookups are really great and memorable, but after the 2nd or 3rd time, it becomes old hat and there is little in common and realization that continuing is pointless.
With the odd girl, there is really good sex, and each succeeding time it just gets better. No amount of time can pass to dull that. There are some girls I've known for over 10 years. However, despite that, they are definitely not relationship material. Conversation remains somewhat superficial. Cash exchanged can be optional and variable.
Then there is the best of both worlds, good connection, good sex, definitely relationship material, but the reality of a paying for it and the thought of transitioning to anything longer-term would wreck it. The "real life" in those cases is usually left out of the equation, so just the thought of crossing that boundary would wreck things. That is probably what married people that have affairs are like.
One night stands are like having your first Vanilla ice cream, which is "all one needs in life". Then, you discover peanut butter chocolate, and Vanilla is like old news. Then it's delicious OMG black licorice ice cream which is WAY better than all other ice creams before it.
Then there is steak, and ice cream becomes just desert.