Scratching the Itch

"No problem. White glove treatment all the way, I swear," I assured Tammy. She gave me an affectionate hug, not sexual, but like I really was her brother. It made me feel good, and I squeezed her back.

"Thank you. I promise, you won't regret doing this for me." Tammy pushed me out the door. "Now go wait by the pool. Go!"

* * * * * * *

I iced up a cooler chest, stuffed it full of drinks and put it out on the patio. Then I plopped myself down in a chair and waited for the next chapter in this mystery to reveal itself. It was a beautiful early summer's day, warm with just a hint of clouds, and I decided that it was a good omen.

After a few minutes, I heard a car pull up in the driveway out front, and heard Tammy's voice greeting David and Priya. I hoped that Priya was at least halfway decent looking, and I rose out of my seat as I saw the three of them walk out on the patio.

"Priya, this is my brother Chris," Tammy said. She giggled. "It still sounds a little weird saying that. Chris, this is my friend, Priya."

My mouth hung open for a second, and I saw Tammy give me a sly wink. Priya was more gorgeous than I could have possibly imagined. She was petite, almost to the point of being tiny. She stood no taller than 5' 3", with flawless dark skin that perfectly offset her shy smile. Her jet-black straight hair framed her face and fell down over her graceful neck, past her shoulders. She had a gymnast's body, slender but firm, and I could see the definition in her legs as I followed them up from her sandals to the bottom of her denim cutoffs. She was wearing a tight olive-green long-sleeve top with a scoop neck that clung to her curves and showed just a hint of cleavage. Priya wasn't stacked by any means, but her tiny waist perfectly accentuated the bust and hips she did have.

But what really took my breath away were Priya's eyes. They were wide like saucers, and so dark that I couldn't see where the iris ended and the pupil began. She seemed to hardly blink, and I couldn't move my gaze away from them. Finally, I snapped out of my reverie.

"Hi, Priya, nice to meet you," I said, extending my hand. She shook my hand lightly, dipping her head modestly.

"Hi, Chris. It's nice to meet you finally. I've heard so much about you, I feel like I know you already."

I cocked an eyebrow at Tammy. "All good things, I hope."

"Of course!" Priya said, laughing. She brushed my arm with her hand, and I felt my heart skip a beat. Tammy took Priya by the arm and pulled her up the stairs to the sliding glass door to the living room.

"Come on, baby. Let's go upstairs and change. I want to show you my new bathing suit." The two of them disappeared into the living room, whispering and giggling the whole way.

"Something to drink?" I offered to David, as we sat down. "Coke, Diet Coke, iced tea, water?"

"A Coke is fine, thanks." I tossed him a can, as he eyed my new look suspiciously.

"Dude, I take it you didn't dress yourself today," David said. "I mean, all you're missing is the tennis sweater over the shoulders, you know what I mean?"

"Umm, yeah. This is Tammy's idea. I'm clueless. Care to fill me in?"

Despite my sarcastic comment to Tammy earlier, I really did like David. He was a little shorter than me, about 5' 9", with dark curly hair that came down to his collar. Unlike me, he was dressed comfortably in a plain white t-shirt and baggy cargo shorts. He had just graduated from St. Paul's, the all-boys Catholic school that was affiliated with St. Agnes, which was how he and Tammy met.

The first thing that struck you about David was how smart he was, so it was no surprise that he had gotten accepted to Yale. Whatever the subject was, David was familiar with it and could add to the conversation. But I liked him because he was totally laid back, and he managed to mellow out some of Tammy's hysterics. Also, frankly, he knew Tammy much better than I did, and I often relied on him as my jungle guide in dealing with my new stepsister.

"Sorry, boss. Tammy's got me in the dark too. She told me I was like that guy in the Transporter movies. I'm just supposed to deliver the package and not ask questions." He gave me a funny look. "What happened to your eye?"

"Don't ask." I took a sip of my iced tea. "Tammy's acting all weird today, telling me to be a gentleman."

David nodded sagely as he eyed me up and down once more. "Ah, now the yacht club look is beginning to make sense."

"Care to share the wisdom with me, sensei?"

"Priya's boyfriend just dumped her. Big football star at my school. Don't know the particulars, but I'm told it was harsh." David paused for a moment. "Tammy said he actually called Priya a ball and chain to her face." He shook his head. "What an asshole."

"So she's not seeing anyone now?" The hope in my voice was obvious.

"Ah, so you like what you've seen so far?" David said, laughing. "Far as I know, she's available. I can tell you that Priya's a total sweetheart. She lives up the street from me and I've known her since the sixth grade. She's hot, but there's not a mean or bitchy bone in her body."

David pulled a package of LifeSavers out of his pocket and offered me one. "Hang out with Priya, and you'll see what a cool girl she is. Then reflect on what kind of a douche would dump her just as the summer is starting." He lowered his voice as we heard the girls' voices as they came back downstairs. "Then, just be the anti-douche." David said. He reached over the table and high-fived me. "Seriously, I think Tammy's just handed you your senior summer on a silver platter, man."

Tammy and Priya emerged from the house into the bright sunlight. Tammy had changed into a skimpy white bikini that perfectly played up her tan, long legs and flat stomach. Priya was in a much tamer black one-piece and a black and white print wrap, but it was all I could do to stop staring into her eyes as they walked toward the patio. Her graceful motion, as her lissome body glided toward us, transfixed me. She saw me staring and gave me a timid smile, seemingly embarrassed by my attentions.

"Priya was just saying she accepted a scholarship to Boston College for the fall," Tammy said as the two girls sat down at the table. She turned to Priya, and wagged her head in my direction. "My stoner brother here managed to get accepted at Boston University."

Priya's eyes lit up. "No way! Oh, Chris, we have to hook up once school starts. It'll be so cool to know at least one person around there."

Tammy caught my eye and smirked ever so slightly, as I began to understand the audaciousness of her craftiness. I reminded myself never to doubt Tammy again.

"Chris, why don't you keep Priya company while David and I get lunch ready," Tammy said, as she and David got up and went into the house.

Priya looked at me with those dark unblinking pools, as I felt my heart skip another beat. "What happened to your eye?"

"Tammy's beating on me again."

Priya smiled. "She can be a tough cookie. Sometimes I wish I were as tough as she is."

I nodded to the pool. "Feel like taking a swim?"

"Maybe I'll just dip my toes in," Priya said shyly. We got up and kicked off our shoes, and walked to the edge of the deep end. Priya kept her wrap firmly on her body, but I could still see the outline of her shapely bottom as she glided along the water's edge. We sat side by side, and gasped in unison as we put our feet in the water. It was still early in the season, and the water was cold. In the house, I could hear Tammy's bedroom door slam shut.

Priya and I made small talk as we splashed our feet in the water. Inside the house, I could hear rustling noises coming from Tammy's open window. Soon, shriek after shriek of passion echoed across the patio. David must have been jackhammering Tammy, the way I knew she liked it. After one particularly loud outburst, I turned to Priya.

"Ummm...it sounds like lunch may not be for a while. Do you feel like taking a ride?"

Priya laughed as Tammy's screams reverberated across the patio again. "Yeah. Let's get out of here before the cops show up."

I walked her into the garage, where the Mustang lay hidden under its cover. "Here, take an end," I said. From opposite sides, we peeled back the cover to reveal the gleaming black car underneath.

"It's awesome," Priya exclaimed. "It looks brand new." She looked at me suspiciously. "You won't get in trouble for taking it out?"

"Nope. My Dad says I'm half owner, because of all the work I put into it. Sweat equity, he says." I patted the shining flank of the Mustang. "Besides, he knows I'd never do anything crazy with it."

I put the top down and opened the garage door. "Come on, let's get some ice cream."

* * * * * * *

As we cruised to the local Carvel, I looked over at Priya. Her silky black hair was whipping in the wind as she held her arms up over her head. She was mouthing the words to some cheesy tune on the AM radio, as she swayed her lithe body back in forth in time to the music. Her back was arched, pushing out the small, firm roundlets of her breasts. From the corner of her eye, she saw me watching her, and covered her mouth in embarrassment, but then laughed and boldly vamped her way through the rest of the song as I kept one eye on the road and one on her. As we pulled into the Carvel, she smiled over at me and pinched me on my side.

We grabbed a picnic table outside the store and I went up and ordered a couple of sundaes and a package of Flying Saucers to take back to the house.

"So how's having Tammy as a sister treating you? Is she really beating you up?" Priya asked, as I sat down.

"She's the sister I never had, or even wanted," I teased, drawing a shocked giggle from Priya. I laughed. "No, it's been great. I mean, sometimes, we do want to kill one another, but mostly we get along fine. It's new for both of us, so I guess we're figuring it out. But our parents are really happy, so that makes it easier."

"She really likes you." Priya smiled. "The minute she found out I got dumped, she was telling me I had to meet her new brother." She looked at me, the smile wavering, then flickering out. "I guess Tammy told you about that, right? About me getting dumped?"

"David, actually. He didn't tell me much. Sorry. It sounded ugly."

"I locked myself in my room for two days and just cried," Priya continued. Then she smiled. "When Tammy found out, she drove up to his house at 1 AM, screaming about how much of a bastard he was until every light on the street came on. Then she came over my house with a half-gallon of Haagen-Dazs and a big bag of Gummi Bears and wouldn't leave my room until I came out." She looked up at me again. "I'm sorry. I'm sure you don't want to hear this."

I shook my head. "It's OK." Truth was, she looked so adorable as she leaned her face closer to mine, she could have been reciting the phone book, and I still would be held in rapt attention.

"'Ball and chain,' that jerk called me. You know what he said? Too many pretty girls wanted to be with him this summer for him to be tied down." Priya stared sadly into her melting sundae. "Blondes with blue eyes, probably," she said mournfully. "I dated him for over a year. He was the only guy I'd ever been with, you know?"

"Well, you're better off without him," I said. "Besides, he must be an idiot if he can't realize that you're beautiful, not pretty."

Priya's eyes brightened, then narrowed at me. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"I think I've said too much already," I laughed. "We should probably head back, before Tammy and David get started on Round Two, or else we'll never eat."

We got up and started walking back to the car. Priya wordlessly slipped her hand into mine. It felt small and delicate, and I held it softly, our fingers gently entwining. I looked down at her and gave her hand a tender caress. She kept her eyes straight ahead, but I could see her smile as she gave me a squeeze in return.

* * * * * * *

"Where did you two run off to?" Tammy called out, as Priya and I came into the backyard from the garage. David had burgers and hot dogs going on the grill, and Tammy was putting out paper plates and plastic forks and knives on the patio table. She had changed out of her bikini into shorts and a button-down shirt, probably one of David's, knotted up at her waist.

"We went to get dessert," I said, brandishing the sleeve of Flying Saucers. I stepped into the kitchen to put the ice cream into the freezer, and Priya went upstairs to Tammy's room to change back into her top and shorts. By the time Priya came down, we were ready to eat.

We ate by the pool, and then lounged on the grass in the backyard afterward. Tammy gently kneaded David's shoulders, rubbing her breasts against his back, while Priya lay on her side across from me. I could tell Tammy was getting herself worked up again, and so I wasn't surprised when she got up and grabbed David by the hand.

"Come on, David. Give me a hand with cleaning up." She led him into the house, and it wasn't ten minutes before Tammy's cries of passion were ringing out across the backyard. Priya and I rolled our eyes at one another, and lay back on the grass.

"They're like rabbits," I said, as Priya playfully covered her ears in mock embarrassment. Priya came over and sat next to me, leaning her body against mine.

"What did you mean before about the difference between pretty and beautiful?" she asked. Priya's dark eyes shimmered as they reflected the sunlight dancing on the ripples of the swimming pool. I tried to hold her gaze, but it was like she was looking right into me. My eyes darted away, staring into the grass in front of me.

"No, really," Priya insisted, grabbing my arm. "You said it. What did you mean?"

"I can't explain it," I pleaded. "It's not logical, like an algebra equation or something." Priya clung onto my arm, and I knew she needed a better answer than that.

"It's just something a guy feels. It's like..." I searched for the right words, but they weren't coming easily. "OK, it's like when we were in the car before. Someone sees us and says, 'Oh, that guy has a pretty girl with him.' But I see you singing and bopping to the music, making goofy faces at me, and I think, 'I have a beautiful girl with me.'"

I shrugged my shoulders. "You can see pretty. But you can't see beautiful. A guy can only feel that." I turned back to Priya, meeting her gaze full on now. "Does that make sense?" I asked.

Priya nodded her head, and then tenderly placed her lips on mine. We kissed softly, then she laid her head on my chest as we stretched out on the grass, watching the diaphanous clouds drifting past. I wanted her so badly, but I knew that I'd lose her if I pushed it. I had to let her come to me when she was ready.

After a while, I lifted my head and kissed the top of her head. Priya purred softly.

"Hey, do you want to go inside for a bit? I can show you my snake."

Priya jerked her head up with a start, looking at me with arched eyebrows. "Excuse me?"

Flustered at my unintended double entendre, I gave her an abashed smile. "No! I mean, we can go inside and I can show you Sam, my pet boa constrictor. You can see my room."

Priya pinched me. "You really have a pet snake?" she asked with a suspicious tone.

"Serious. Let's go," I said, as I stood and then lifted Priya to her feet.

* * * * * * *

"Sorry about the mess," I said. I had forgotten what a shambles Tammy had left the place, but Priya didn't seem to care. She wandered around the disorder, like a detective looking for clues. She paused in front of my Boy Scout awards, which hung on the wall over my desk.

"You were a Boy Scout?" she asked, somewhat incredulously.

"Why is that so hard to believe?" I teased back. "I'm trustworthy, loyal, clean, brave and reverent. I can tie 30 different kinds of knots, always know which way is north and can start a fire by rubbing two sticks together." I gave Priya a wink. "I even help little old ladies cross the street."

Priya tilted her head at me and smiled. "Have you done your good deed for the day?"

I looked her dead in the eyes again. "I'm working on it."

I opened the top of the big terrarium where I kept Sam, and took hold as the snake gently coiled itself around my hands.

"Here," I said to Priya, holding Sam out toward her. Sam's slender tongue flicked rapidly as the sunlight glistened on the twisting form in my hands.

"Oh my God," Priya said nervously, as I draped Sam onto her shoulders. "He feels so cold." She gave me a desperate look. "He's not going to choke me to death, is he?"

"She," I corrected. "Sam is short for Samantha. No, she just likes you because you're nice and warm." Priya's smooth dark skin was warm from lying in the sun, and Sam immediately wrapped her tail around her Priya's right arm while the rest of her wound over her shoulders. Priya squealed as Sam slithered across her shoulders to her other arm, squeezing gently as she went.

If the Mustang was seduction, then Samantha represented temptation, just like in the Garden of Eden. I never understood it, but whenever I laid Samantha onto a girl, it had some kind of subconscious effect. Maybe it was because it took them outside their comfort zone, or maybe it was just the sensuous feel of Sam's cool, dry skin winding around them, seeking warmth from their bodies. All I knew was that as Priya stood there biting her lip in anxiety, I could see the round buttons of her nipples stiffen and rise from her pert breasts.

"Had enough?" I asked. Priya shivered as I took Sam from her shoulders and put her back into the tank. As I turned back, I saw that Priya had quietly shut the bedroom door. She strode over to me and pressed her body against mine, as if she wanted to recapture the warmth which Sam had stolen from her. I wound my arms around her back, and then slid my hands up the sides of her body, each hand cupping a perfectly shaped mound, which swelled into my grasp. Priya had unbuttoned her denim cutoffs, and now she wiggled them over her hips and let them fall to her feet.

I took a step back, peeling off my shirt as Priya took off her top. She stood there, silhouetted by the sunlight from the window at her back, her white bra and panties offsetting her smooth caramel skin. She had a look of uncertainty on her face as she offered herself to me, as if she was afraid I might reject her. I smiled as I considered how ludicrous that was, and Priya's expression shifted to one of expectation as I swept her into my embrace and led her over to my bed.

Priya seemed small and delicate beneath me as we began kissing; I felt overbearing as my mass hovered over her fragile body, casting her in shadow. Shifting my weight, I laid myself at her side as she turned herself toward me and wrapped her arms around my neck. Priya's kiss in the backyard had been a tender, wispy thing, but now she launched herself against me with an assertive determination, her petite body betraying athleticism as I felt her firm ass and thighs grow taut as she pressed herself against my loins. I fumbled with her bra strap, and Priya giggled as she reached behind and undid the clasp. She shrugged her shoulders slightly and the bra tumbled to the bed, exposing her stiff chocolate brown nipples. She smiled at me as she lay back on the bed, her gorgeous dark eyes inviting me to take her completely.

Now that I knew that Priya would let me have her, I took my time, enjoying every taste and touch. I heard a catch in her soft breathing as I began licking her nipples, and then a small gasp as my right hand glided over her white panties and began to massage her tiny, exquisite mound. Priya arched her back as my caresses continued, nestling her pussy in the palm of my hand like a small, delicate bird. Her head was thrown back, her silky black hair spread out on the pillow, and soft moans escaped through her open mouth.