'Who's the best fuck you've ever had?' asked Samantha dreamily.
We were lazing in bed together, her head sharing my pillow and nuzzling up against my neck, so that when she spoke, it tickled my ear. The sun, peeking through the crack between the curtains, spilled a lemony shaft of light onto the bedroom walls. I remember how happy I felt, wrapped up in the warmth of our post-coital embrace.
'I don't know,' I said impatiently. Why should I want to think about past lovers at that moment?
'Go on,' Sam persisted. 'Who d'you think?' Her breath ruffled wisps of my hair, teasing my neck as softly as her kisses had done a little while before.
'Present company excepted?' I asked, reluctantly being drawn into her debate.
'Well, what we do isn't fucking, is it? Not technically.'
'Technically!' I laughed. 'Maybe not, but it's very nice.' I squeezed her breast which was temptingly exposed above the duvet. The nipple was still hard from my earlier attentions.
Sam giggled throatily. 'Mm, isn't it just?' As I've said, I love it when she laughs. It sounds so carefree, and sexy too. It brightens the whole room.
'I suppose it depends,' I said, giving her original question more serious consideration than I thought it merited. 'Do you mean fucking or lovemaking? Being in love is best, isn't it?'
'Yeah, of course. But who do you think -- you know, of all the men you've been with -- who's been the best?'
'There haven't been that many!' I protested and pinched her nipple. She let out a little yelp of surprise. 'You make me sound like Madonna or someone.' Sam's eyes were big and blue, and the scattering of freckles across her nose were the same shade. In the early morning light, her muddy blonde hair was streaked in yellow and brown, like a cornfield, and she had never looked lovelier.
For a moment we were silent and then she said out-of-the-blue, 'Mark was good, wasn't he?' The question surprised me because I had been thinking about him only the day before. I could feel my face reddening.
Mark had been good. Very good. But we didn't go out for long. Mark didn't have relationships, he had encounters. He had encountered me one night in Zebras, a nightclub in town. We chatted and, as we did so, I knew exactly what was going to happen. Because it was all there in his eyes, in the way he moved against me when we danced and in the way he held me as he guided me from the dance floor. He had me on the way home -- up against the bandstand in the park. I sucked him off, and then he fucked me. I hadn't done that with anyone before, not on the first night (not even on the second or third), but Mark was different. We went out for about a month and during that time we seemed to spend almost every moment together fucking. Eating, drinking, sleeping and fucking -- that was my life with Mark. And, while it lasted I supposed I enjoyed it because, as I say, he was good. Very good indeed.
It was only later I found out that Sam had known him too, a year before me. Needless to say, we have exchanged notes about his performance.
'What made you say him?' I countered.
'I saw him yesterday,' she replied nonchalantly. I must have looked shocked because Sam put her arm around me and pecked my cheek reassuringly. 'He was in the supermarket.'
'Did you speak to him?' I wanted to know everything, despite myself.
'Yeah.'
'And?' I tried not to sound too curious.
'He asked how you were.'
'What did you say?'
'I said you were fine.'
'Good,' I said. 'I am fine. With you.' I stroked her breast, my fingers caressing the stiff little nipple. 'Is he seeing anyone?'
''Didn't say he was,' she answered.
'What's he like these days?'
'He's just come back from Italy,' Sam said. 'He's been working there. Now he's back for good.' Then she added, 'Actually, he looked really fit. Very fuckable.' Then she gave her dirty laugh again.
I lay quietly brooding on this news. By now my hand was idly stroking Samantha's thigh. She has gorgeous legs, long and slim, and I love to stroke them, slowly sweeping my hand upwards from the backs of her knees to her ever-so-cute bum.
Sam looked into my eyes. 'He's the best fuck I've ever had,' she said decisively, and, after she said it -- before I could reply -- she kissed me full on the mouth, and her tongue slid between my teeth and, finding my own, pressed hard until I had to break off for breath.
I didn't want to think about Mark any more. I wanted to do all those things that weren't possible with him, the things that I had discovered with Sam. But mostly I wanted to make her cum again. And then she would make me cum. And afterwards we could sleep and forget this conversation ever happened.
But, as I leaned into her face to kiss her, Sam pulled back and said, 'You know I do love you in my way, don't you?'
'Yes,' I answered, 'and I love you too. Always will. Until we're toothless old hags. Remember.' It was a promise we'd made to each other -- our private joke.
'You're good to me,' she said. 'The way you still let me have boyfriends.'
'It's alright,' I replied. 'I know what you're like.' I would have preferred it if she didn't, of course, but then, it's probably best that she has her little diversions. It makes her appreciate me. Sad, aren't I?
Then she announced, 'Well, I want to fuck Mark again.'
I must have looked astonished.
'Not just me. You and me together.'
I stared at her blankly. I've never had a threesome, never even wanted one.
Before I could say a word, she continued: 'Just think how cool it would be. He could watch us, and then I could watch you two -- and then .... It would be brilliant.' I looked into her eyes. They were huge and wild. And, just as I had known what was going to happen from Mark's eyes, I was certain that if Samantha had her way, she and Mark and I would soon be sharing a bed and each other.