I laugh in return. “No, it was nothing like what you do. You follow through sometimes. She never did. Like, there were so many occasions when she would just randomly run her nails down my back.”

Ashley giggles and takes a hit off of her cigarette. “You know, it’s better to scratch up the back instead of down.”

“Is it really? I always thought it was just equal for up and down.” I say.

“Well I could always show you.” She tells me with a seductive smile.

All I can do is smile back. The thought of her actually doing it is causing little goose bumps to rise on my skin. I change the subject. But way too soon, we both finish our cigarettes. She pulls me close to her. “On your stomach” is all she tells me.

I can’t help but oblige. She moves my hair to the side and places her knee between my legs. She leans close to my neck, presses her lips against my skin as she presses her knee into me and glides her nails – not down, but up – my back. I am stunned into a puddle of uselessness. I can hardly move.

When I do finally move, I am moving toward her with a smile, wrapping my arms around her. “I got you” She tells me with a laugh.

“Yeah, but you know I can get you so much worse.” I tell her.

“Oh I know you can.” She responds. I place my lips over her neck, sucking gently, using my nails against her back.

Okay, so the intentions were to just tease her in return. But as I pulled myself away from her neck, I wanted more of her. I needed more of her to satisfy that incessant craving. I kissed her. I had to kiss her. What would anyone do in that situation other than kiss her?

My nails worked at her back and sides, using the technique that she so wonderfully taught me. My hand moved to her left breast as my lips glided easily with hers. Unlike the night before, this was gentle. We weren’t rushing and we weren’t drunkenly trying to get into each others’ pants. Though my intense desire is what was driving me, it wasn’t controlling me.