We all know that the road to a lasting sex life is paved with -- among other things -- oral sex. But most of us could use a few pointers on how to sharpen our oral skills.

Oral sex is always grounded in preparation: You want to be enthusiastic and passionate about giving pleasure to your woman, and give her all the pleasure you can. That way, you can virtually guarantee that she'll want to go down on you as well.

That said, here are 14 ways to enhance your oral expertise.

1- Start slow
Kiss your way down her body and tease her thighs and buttocks for a while before you make contact with any part of her genitalia. This will turn her on before you start the real action. Get close so that she thinks you're going to zero in on her at any second, but don't give in immediately.

2- Warm her up
Before you remove her underwear, breathe hot air through it against her genital area. Breathe softly but warmly for short bursts at a time. You can alternate between doing this and kissing her thighs and stomach.

3- Don't dive in
When you begin to kiss and lick her vulva, work your way in slowly from the outside. Start by licking the outer edges of the outer lips (labia), then very slowly spread them, and lick and kiss the inner lips, and around the vagina. Do this gently, as though you were still teasing her. You'll work your way up to more intense action eventually.

4- Wait for the clitoris
Try to hold off from coming in contact with her clitoris for as long as you can, even as you kiss her labia and vagina. When you do begin to lick it, do it softly, and focus on the clitoral hood (just above the clitoris), since most women prefer indirect clitoral contact before they're fully aroused.

5- Lick the alphabet
If you're not sure which strokes are best to approach the clitoris, try Sam Kinison's famous suggestion and lick the shape of every letter in the alphabet as a means of offering a wide variety of approaches. Make them wide from time to time to cover the whole genital area, and make them small at other times, centering on the clitoris itself.

6- Suck it up
As she becomes more aroused, you can gently suck her clitoris into your mouth and flick your tongue over it. This combines suction with a much faster rhythm. Women like that.

7- Listen for her reaction
Listen carefully to what she says and the sounds she makes. If she sounds excited, keep doing what you're doing for as long as you can. When she seems to respond less, it's time to try a new stroke.

8- Hum
You've heard of fellatio being called a "hummer," but it works just as well if you close your mouth and hum against her clitoris every once in a while too.

9- Grab hold
Hold on to her thighs or her backside so you can rub yourself against her well. From there you can also reach up and caress her breasts or, if she likes, place your hands near her mouth so she can suck on your fingers.

10- Get your whole face into it
Someone once said that if your eyelids aren't sticky after giving a woman oral sex, you didn't do all you could to please her. Use your nose, cheeks and chin (clean shaven; no one wants sandpaper down there), and move them around. Even if you're just using your mouth, shaking your face from side to side and up and down will enhance friction in a great way.

11- Use your fingers
Penetrating your woman with one finger and making a "come here" motion is a great way to locate her G-spot, which will raise the ante of her orgasm. Even if you don't know where her G-spot is (it's good to have some experience with it beforehand), just penetrating her as you lick her. You can also alternate between penetrating her with your penis and pleasuring her orally.

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