SEVENTEEN
The Femme Fatale Handbook
Chapter Four: The Actress, Cleopatra
“She was in the prime of life, and had a delightful voice.
Caesar was spellbound as soon as he set eyes on her and she opened her mouth to speak.”
–Dio Cassius describing Cleopatra
We already met Cleopatra earlier in this handbook, and if you recall, I used her as an example to prove the fact that you don’t have to be beautiful to be a polished seductress. If you remember, Plutarch said her beauty wasn’t obvious.
So the message is pretty clear, right? Cleopatra’s allure had less to do with her physical appearance and more to do with her character. Another thing to consider is this—two of the highest ranking Roman leaders fell for her, which makes it fairly obvious that Cleopatra possessed more than just a pretty face or a sexy body. After all, don’t forget the quote: “Show me the hottest woman in the room and I’ll show you a man who’s sick of f#$king her.” So, first point to comprehend is that it wasn’t beauty alone that placed Cleo in the annals of the most successful of female seducers. So what was it? Read on to find out!
Cleopatra was well gifted in the arts of artifice. And this was the secret to her ability to enthrall not only Caesar, but Antony as well. She was, first and foremost, a performer. And it was this flare for the theatrical that imbued her with a sense of the magical and mysterious. Cleopatra was not only the queen of Egypt, but she was also the queen of making entrances. Take, for example, her first meeting with Caesar. As the legend goes, Caesar was in Egypt, meeting with his generals, when he was interrupted with the news that the Egyptians wished to welcome him with a gift. Caesar, apparently being one for surprises, quickly agreed, and in walked a man carrying a rolled carpet over his shoulder. The man untied the rope around the carpet and out popped a half-clothed Cleopatra. Caesar was instantly captivated by her.
So what can we learn from Cleopatra? A lot.
- Remember that you never get a second chance to make a first impression! Granted, you probably won’t be able to interrupt any meetings in a rolled-up rug, but think in terms of making an entrance. Think of using the power of unpredictability and surprise! Most people are boring and predictable. Cleopatra was neither, and neither should you be. Instead, you have to stand out as something rare in a world overflowing with boring people who all do and act the same.
- Learn how to constantly change your appearance. Try to put forward the notion that you supersede who you are—there are so many sides to you that you appear almost to be more than just one woman. Cleopatra was adept at the game of unpredictability. She provided her lovers with constant variety through her various costumes, makeup looks and frequently changing hairstyles. She was larger than life—not one woman but all women.
- Have the self-confidence of a goddess. In order to borrow Cleopatra’s theatrical approach to sensuality, you must think about yourself along the same lines that Cleo thought of herself—as limitless and undefinable. You cannot and will not take no for an answer. If you worry that you do not have that self-confidence now, don’t worry. We will get you there in time!
***
NIKKI
Together, we did an excellent job of dressing Dani up. After six different wardrobe changes, we settled on black, ankle-strapped pumps paired with my navy blue, form-fitted sheath dress that expertly highlighted every flowing curve of Dani’s body. With her busty Cs peeking out from the V neckline, I was sure she’d send Robin Hood into cardiac arrest.
“You are rockin’ it in every way, girl!” I beamed, feeling undeniably proud.
“You’re not going to hit on me again, are you?”
“Maybe, unless you get out of here and attend to your assignment,” I finished as I swatted her butt while she walked past me. She was already pacing the room.
“I’m so nervous.”
“You’ll do great. Just ask for some help finding a book or something,” I offered. “And just as soon as you have his attention, dismiss him! Tell him you’ll get someone else to help you and then walk away, but remember to always keep your cool. Even if he doesn’t react the way you want him to, don’t get angry.”
“Simple enough.”
I nodded because it was. “More than five minutes is too long; got it?”
“Got it.”
“Okay, girly,” I said with a broad smile. “Do your thing!”
Dani opened the door and started out into the hallway.
“And don’t forget to use those hips of yours!”
***
Twenty Minutes Later
“Oh, my God, you were so right!” Dani gushed when she returned to our room. “I walked into that library like I owned it!” she continued, her exuberance infectious. I found myself smiling broadly and hanging on her every word. “And when I found the circulation nerd, I rendered him utterly speechless. His mouth literally hung open as soon as he saw me. I did exactly what you told me to and he was tripping on his words left and right! When I told him I could find someone else to help me, he actually got up from his desk and told me I wouldn’t have to!”
That was when I noticed the book clutched beneath her armpit. “You actually walked out with a book?” I asked with a laugh.
“Yeah, that was the one part you overlooked,” she answered, her eyebrows drawn in disapproval. “So I had to make that part up on the fly.”
“What book did you say you were looking for?”
She shrugged. “Any books he could recommend on the Civil War.” Then her eyes went wide again. “I can’t believe it actually worked! He’s usually so rude!”
I nodded because I could believe it, because I’d also seen it happen for me. “In honor of you acing your first assignment,” I started with a laugh. “We are going out.”
I turned back toward the mirror to finish applying my pink lipstick. My face reflected a warm, healthy glow that matched the feelings that surged inside me. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d felt like this—even before my breakup with Brandon.
“But …” Dani started, shaking her head as doubt captured her. She deposited her Civil War book onto the desk and faced me with concern.
“No buts,” I demanded. “We are both riding a high and we should celebrate.”
“So this outing won’t be a further assignment, then?” she asked. “Because, if it is, are you sure I’m ready for this?”
“Why wouldn’t you be?” I asked over my shoulder as I grabbed both of our purses and started for the door.
“Well, it hasn’t been that long since I broke up with Craig.”
“And?”
“And I’m not ready to be out and talking to new guys … I mean, I don’t know, I just … the thought of that is making my stomach turn …”
“Tell me, did you think about Craig at all in the last thirty minutes?” She looked at me quizzically before shaking her head as I continued. “Exactly, and how did you feel after you left the library?”
She followed me to the hallway and moved out of the way as I turned the lights off in our room and then locked the door behind her.
“Well, yeah, it was pretty awesome,” she admitted as I handed her purse to her.
“See? So all I’m saying is that we are now going to celebrate so you can tell me all about it. You think you can handle that?”
“That’s all we’re doing?” she eyed me narrowly as I nodded. “Okay, I thought we were going to a club or something.”
“God forbid if we found ourselves at a club on a Friday night!” I muttered back to her as we started down the stairs and into the main hallway that led outside. “And, coincidentally, that’s exactly where we’re going—to Hardigan’s.” Hardigan’s was the happening spot on the north end of campus. It was the place to go if you wanted to see and be seen.
“But there will be guys there, and I’m not sure I want …” Dani started as she began to lag behind me. “I’m just not ready to flirt yet.”
“Where’s your sense of fun, Dani?” I demanded as I turned around to face her, plopping my hands on my hips while I started forward again, this time hurrying my steps. I figured the farther we got from the ZTS house, the less likely she was to turn back around. “Are you going to willingly allow Craig to keep you captive, stuck in this stupid house because you’re too afraid to go out?” I demanded as she chewed her lower lip. “Do you think Craig is staying home and feeling sorry for himself?”
And that was the question that did it, because Dani’s eyes immediately narrowed as her jaw clenched and an angry rose hue washed over her cheeks. “He definitely is doing anything but,” she answered in a soft voice.
“My point exactly,” I responded as she caught up to me and we both walked outside the front door and into the crisp night air.
“Would you slow down a little bit?” Dani insisted. “These shoes are new and I haven’t broken them in yet.”
“You should have worn my black ones,” I grumbled as I waited for her to catch up to me and then extended my elbow so she could hold on to me while she walked, which would hopefully hurry her ass up.
“Why are we in such a rush?”
“Two reasons. First, I wanted to get out of the house before one or more of our sisters invite themselves to come with us.”
“And the second?” she asked.
“I’ll tell you when we get there.”
Dani frowned at me. “Why are you always doing that?”
“Doing what?”
“Starting a list and then teasing me with the last item, and leaving me dangling.”
I shrugged. “String theory.”
“Haha, Nikki,” she grumbled. “But isn’t the point that we’re supposed to do that to guys, not each other?”
“Turns out, it works on everybody,” I answered with a knowing smile as we reached the end of our street and hung a left.
When we arrived at Hardigan’s, there was already a line out the door and around the side of the old brick building. “Ugh,” I grumbled in response. “This is why I was in a hurry.”
“So now that we’re here, what was the second reason you were in such a rush?” Dani asked as we found our place at the end of the line.
“I didn’t want you to lose your nerve,” I calmly replied, even though I’d started tapping my right foot, a sure sign that I was anxious. I just hated waiting in lines. Especially when it was cold outside and I was wearing next to nothing.
“Well, I guess it worked, ’cause you got me here,” Dani answered as she wrapped her hands around her arms and shivered.
“This sucks!” I grumbled.
“Yeah,” Dani started to shift her attention before she snapped it back to me. “Why are we waiting in line, anyway?” she asked. “I can’t imagine a seductress waits for anything?”
Hmm, she had a good point. I glanced behind us and noticed two other couples had joined the line, which meant if my attempts to get us in got shot down, we wouldn’t be that much worse off when we got back into line. “Come on,” I said as I grabbed her hand and started for the front of the line, where a burly bouncer was sitting on a barstool.
“Hi!” I greeted him with a huge smile. He glanced over at me and frowned. “How’s your night?” I asked, still maintaining my happy candor.
“It’s going,” he responded as he motioned to two girls at the head of the line and they approached him, immediately handing over their drivers’ licenses so he could inspect them underneath his flashlight.
“If you don’t mind,” I continued as I sidled up closer to him. “We wanted to wait up here because it’s freezing in line.” I purposely wrapped my arms around myself and shivered. Dani nodded as she stood close beside me, wrapping her arms around me.
“We didn’t exactly dress for the cold,” she added as she motioned to both of our outfits. The bouncer glanced at us for a split second and looked completely uninterested as he allowed both girls whose IDs he’d just checked inside. Hmm, this wasn’t going so well.
“I don’t see how it’s any warmer up here,” he muttered.
“Well, can’t you feel the heat every time the door opens?” I asked with a smile. I was seconds away from reaching inside my purse and slipping him a twenty so he’d let us in. But then I decided that was absolutely unseductress like. Nope, better to do it the way Jane intended for us to.
“Not really,” he answered as he faced the next people in line and motioned for them to come forward.
“Would you mind if we just huddled next to you?” I asked as I smiled at him and shivered again, hoping he might feel sorry for us.
“As much as I’d like that,” he started as his eyes finally met mine. “I don’t want to get in trouble, so you girls just go inside and stay warm.”
“Thank you!” I said as I reached in and hugged him, mainly because I couldn’t control my excitement. Dani did the same.
“Yeah, yeah,” he muttered as he patted our backs and motioned for our IDs. We each handed them to him and smiled as he gave them back and pointed us forward, into the club. The doorman got the door for us and then the bouncer leaned back in his chair.
“Theresa!” he called at the girl who was directly inside and charging an entrance fee.
“Yeah, Bud?” she responded.
“I got these two!” he yelled back as he glanced at Dani and me and nodded briefly.
“Oh my gosh,” Dani started as she smiled at him.
“Thank you,” I finished.
He didn’t say anything but nodded again as we walked inside and Theresa stamped each of our wrists and bid us a good night.
“I can’t believe what just happened,” Dani said as she beamed at me. “That was all kinds of awesome.”
“Yeah, it was,” I answered with a quick nod. “We need to remember to thank him on our way out. What a nice guy.”
As we entered the club, I noticed that pretty much all of the tables surrounding the dance floor were taken. Not that I was surprised. Those were always the first to go. So it looked like it would be loitering at the bar for us. We walked around the dance floor and headed for the bar.
“So, was that all you wanted to tell me about the scene at the library?” I asked as the bartender made her way over to us to take our order. Dani ordered a Captain Morgan and Diet Coke, while I ordered a vodka soda.
“Yeah, basically,” she answered as she scouted the surroundings. “It just felt really good.”
“Why?” I asked. “What part made it feel so good?”
She shrugged. “Just the sense of power I had, maybe? I felt like I was unstoppable, you know?”
“Yep, I do,” I answered as I held my drink up and we both cheered each other before downing our first sip.
“I almost feel like doing it again,” Dani announced guiltily.
I instantly beamed at her. “There’s my girl!” I took another sip of my drink and faced her again. “So, do you have your eye on any potentials?” I asked.
She shrugged. “Not sure, but it appears that the three guys across the room have spotted us and are now making their way over here.”
“Hmm, park it and they will come,” I said as I started to turn around to see who she was talking about. I immediately spotted the three guys who were in the process of making their way toward us, and my heart dropped.
“Mmm, they are all hot,” Dani whispered.
“Yeah, except the one in the middle,” I grumbled in response as I took a deep breath and suddenly wished we hadn’t come.
“What’s wrong with you?” Dani asked as she faced me with a frown. “He’s probably the hottest one.”
“Yeah, and he’s also Derek Anderson.”