THIRTY-ONE
The Femme Fatale Handbook
Part Two: Putting all of this to use
Chapter Twelve: The Art of Subtlety
Seduction is a game, as I have said before. It is the art of getting what you want from someone who doesn’t realize you’re playing him. He gives willingly and freely, never aware of the fact that you’re playing him, that you’re in control. One of the best ways to ensure you win this game is to make him think he’s the one calling all the shots. It’s important to remember that people, in general, hate the idea of being manipulated. If he catches on to you, he will reject you because he will hate the idea that he was making decisions that he didn’t want to make. The key here, then, is to make him believe that he’s doing things and acting in ways that are according to his own self-interests. You have to make sure he never realizes that you’re the one who’s really at the wheel.
So how do you do that? First, you have to understand the ins and outs of mastering the art of subtle persuasion. Subtle persuasion is the act of dropping hints and ideas into the minds of others in such a subtle way that they mistakenly believe these thoughts are their own. They don’t realize that you’re the one orchestrating, that you’re the puppet master to their puppet. Think of it like you basically duping him into believing that whatever it is you want him to do is something he wants to do.
Now, before you start thinking I’m talking about hypnotism or something like that, I’m not. You drop these subtle hints while he’s awake so, no, this doesn’t require a trip to the local psychic or hypnotist. What you must do is start thinking in terms of being discrete, speaking in imprecise ways, dropping hints rather than coming right out and saying what you want. You have to create your own language of veiled meaning, unclear comments and indefinable suggestions that will penetrate his mind later. Insinuation is something that doesn’t work right away—it’s something that needs to sit in the subconscious for a little while. It’s something that needs to build in the back of his mind before it moves to the forefront.
The power of suggestion is much more potent than directness, and it will work on a much grander level if you allow it to. All you have to do is plant the seed and his mind will take care of the rest.
Subtlety looks like this—dropping small offhand remarks about some emotional topic, maybe something that is lacking in your life or his. Think of some unfulfilled wish or desire of his or yours. When you first make a remark about whatever it is, the subject won’t be important enough to be discussed at the moment. But, later, when you’re apart, it will come back to visit him, and he might even be surprised by it.
The key is to figure out what it is that’s lacking in his life. Is he bored? Speak in the subtle language of adventure. Is he stressed out? Speak the language of relaxation, of calmness. Learn to speak whatever language it is that he needs to hear. And when you speak this language, bring up subtle suggestions or ideas that you just as quickly abandon.
The key time to make these comments is when he isn’t paying attention—when he’s thinking about something else or he’s not aware of where the conversation is headed. Then, in a very offhand manner, you just drop a little carrot which appears to be forgotten but is later picked up on. And don’t only rely on your spoken language. Use the language of your body to get your point across as well as the language of words.
Seduction is the art of mystery. Remember that most people are predictable and boring. They say exactly what they think and feel and you can figure them out in a day or two. Femme fatales are the opposite. They speak their own language of insinuation and suggestion. They speak of things that are, as of yet, unfulfilled. They are never straightforward. Remember to always think of seduction as a game. He will be in the position of guessing what all your hidden remarks, subtle suggestions and veiled hints mean.
Remember, it is always easier to catch flies with honey than it is with vinegar. And the same applies with men. Rather than hitting them over the head with your wants and needs, be subtle. You will find it will get you much further.
***
DEREK
I couldn’t remember ever being this angry before. After Nikki finished telling me how that asshole Beau had forced his hands on her, even after she’d told him to stop, I wanted to go pay him a visit myself. And, yes, I’d had to swallow down my jealousy at the thought that she’d willingly had sex with such an asshole in the first place. Especially when she wouldn’t give herself to me and I would never treat her in such a despicable manner.
“Let me walk you to your room,” I said as she clung to me, shivering in the cold night air. I’d already taken my jacket off and wrapped it around her shoulders, but the poor thing was still freezing.
“No,” she insisted as she obstinately shook her head. “I don’t want to see or talk to anyone right now.”
“Well, you can’t stay out here, Nik,” I pointed out the obvious.
“Can I come back with you to your place?” she asked, momentarily shocking me until I realized she wasn’t trying to come on to me. She just really didn’t want to go back to her own room. I took a deep breath and considered her request for a second or so, just to make sure I could really act the part of the gentleman and be the friend she needed.
“Of course you can,” I said as I started toward the Bronco and opened the passenger door for her. “I have a guest room you can stay in.”
“Okay,” she said with a smile, the only one I’d seen from her so far this evening. “Thank you, Derek,” she finished with a sniffle as she buckled herself in and then smiled at me again. “I really appreciate you being there for me.”
“I’m your friend, Nik, it’s what I’m here for.”
She nodded. “I just want you to know how grateful I am for you.”
I didn’t say anything because I suddenly felt uncomfortable. Why, I wasn’t sure. I just wasn’t good at this nice guy stuff. Yes, of course I valued our friendship and I cared about Nikki more than I’d cared for any other woman save my own mother, but there was still something that just felt wrong about this. The more I thought about it, the more I realized exactly what it was. I was taking her back to my place. That was the thought that was causing me some level of concern. Why? Because whenever I took women back to my place, it was for one express purpose.
Well, you’re not going to have sex with her, so get those thoughts out of your head, asshole! I said to myself and instantly felt ashamed for having even thought them in the first place. What kind of selfish prick was I that Nikki was coming to me for support and all I could think about was getting her into my bed? God, I was such a piece of shit.
“Derek?” she asked, pulling my attention away from my inner diatribe.
“Yeah?”
“Do you think badly of me?” she asked, her eyes still glassy with tears. Her mascara and eyeliner had smudged all over her eyes and upper cheeks so she looked like a raccoon. I smiled at her because to me she looked cute as hell.
“Badly of you?” I repeated, clearly at a loss. “Why would I think badly of you?”
She shrugged as she dropped her attention to her hands which were clasped in her lap. “For giving Beau another chance, I guess.”
“No, I don’t think badly of you,” I answered. “But I want to kill him.” And that was the truth. In fact, the more I thought about his hands on her, the more I made up my mind to pay him a visit. He needed to learn a lesson the hard way—that when a woman, and especially Nikki, tells you to stop, you stop. “And you shouldn’t think badly of yourself either, by the way,” I added as I eyed her pointedly. “None of this was your fault.”
“I just,” she started as she sighed and shook her head. “I just feel like I brought this on myself.”
“No, you didn’t,” I insisted. “No means no, Nik. It doesn’t matter if you guys dated in the past or had sex or what. No means no.”
She didn’t respond as I pulled up to my house and parked just out front. “Don’t even think about opening your own door,” I said as I unbuckled myself and jumped down to the pavement, slamming my door shut as I hurried to open hers. Once I did, I noticed she’d taken her shoes off and was now holding them in one hand, her purse in the other.
“Come here,” I said as I held my arms out and motioned for her to loop her arms around my neck.
“You’re going to carry me?” she asked with a little, surprised laugh.
“Yeah, you don’t have any shoes on and I wouldn’t want you to stub your toe on the uneven sidewalk,” I answered, even though the truth was more along the lines that I just wanted to feel her in my arms again.
She didn’t respond, other than to wrap her arms around me, and then I lifted her up, kicking the door closed before I turned around and carried her up the cement stairs and down the walkway to my front door. I hadn’t bothered to lock the door when I’d left because I’d been in such a hurry to get to her. I turned the knob, kicking the door open with my foot before I carried her over the threshold. And, yes, the irony there wasn’t lost on me.
“So this is my place,” I said as I set her down on her feet and watched her take stock of her surroundings.
“I like it,” she said as she nodded and then smiled at me. “It’s very masculine, just like I figured it would be.” With the dark leather sofas and the equally dark wood table, coffee table and side tables, she had a point.
“The guest room is down that hall, next to the bathroom,” I said as I pointed it out. “Do you want something to sleep in?”
She nodded. “Can I borrow a T-shirt?”
“Sure,” I answered while I watched her start for the hallway. I couldn’t help but notice that she’d certainly dressed up for Beau. She was wearing a short and flowy black skirt with a rose-colored halter top. The resulting wave of jealousy that crested over me caused me to gnash my teeth. I didn’t like feeling like this one bit. It was new and it was foreign and it sucked. As soon as I pictured his hands all over her, I felt my jaw go tight.
The hallway suddenly lit up when she turned the light in the bathroom on. “Oh my God,” she said in what sounded like mortification. “My makeup!”
I couldn’t help laughing. “Well, luckily for you, it all washes off,” I said as I started for my bedroom. I pulled open the bottom drawer of my dresser and reached for a blue T-shirt. Then I carried it into the living room and headed for the hallway. “Are you decent?” I asked before I reached the bathroom.
“Yes,” she answered as she poked her head out of the door and smiled at me. She’d washed her face and pulled her hair back into a high ponytail. I handed her the T-shirt with a quick smile.
“You know, you don’t need to wear makeup,” I said as I looked at her. “You’re beautiful enough that you don’t need it.”
“Well, you’re nice to say that,” she started as she shook her head. “But we will have to agree to disagree.”
“I mean it,” I insisted with a shrug.
“Well, thanks,” she said as she motioned to the shirt in her hand and pulled her head back into the bathroom as she closed the door behind her.
“Let me know if you need anything else, Nik,” I called out as I headed for my bedroom again. “I’m just down the hall.”
“I will, and thank you!”
I walked into my bedroom and took off my T-shirt and pants, draping them over the chair back. Ordinarily I slept in the buff, but I left my boxers on just in case Nikki needed anything. Then I faced my oversized, king bed and, pulling the grey and white striped duvet cover back, I was about to hop in when I heard a tentative knock on the door behind me. I turned around and found Nikki standing there, wearing my blue T-shirt, which did little to hide the swells of her nipples or her long legs. It hit her at the tops of her thighs. She was nothing short of exquisite, and I felt myself swallow hard.
“Hi,” she said.
“Hi,” I answered, sounding confused and frustrated all at the same time. In fact, I couldn’t continue looking at her because it was doing something to me. Looking at her made me feel depressed, disheartened, and disappointed. I didn’t like it. “Did you need something?”
She dropped her eyes and took a deep breath, looking flustered. “No,” she said. Then she glanced back up at me and I could see her cheeks coloring. “I wanted to ask you if I could … could I sleep next to you, in here?” she finally blurted the words out as if she were completely embarrassed to do so.
“Oh,” I started as I wondered if that was a good idea. Seconds later, I realized it wasn’t. In fact, it was the worst idea she’d ever come up with. I didn’t know how I could possibly have her in bed with me and not try to have sex with her. Fuck, why did this have to be so hard?
“I just, um,” she started. “I know this sounds dumb, but I just wanted to, uh … to feel your arms around me,” she finished and then immediately added. “But it’s totally not a big deal if that’s too weird since we are just friends. I’m fine sleeping in the guest room, really I am.” She took a breath and then started talking again, manically. “And I don’t want you to think I’m asking too much because maybe I am. And I’m sorry if I’m coming off that way because I don’t intend to. And I really really appreciate your hospitality in letting me stay here so I’m sorry if I …”
“Stop,” I said as I held up a hand and she immediately choked on whatever had been about to come out of her mouth. “Fuck, just listening to you is making me nervous.”
“Oh, I’m sorry,” she said as she dropped her attention to her fidgeting hands and smiled in an embarrassed sort of way.
“And if you say you’re sorry one more time, I’m going to pick you up and deposit you outside where you can sleep with the woodland creatures for the rest of the night.”
She glanced up at me then and smiled as a laugh escaped her mouth. “I won’t say I’m sorry.”
“Good, because I can’t fucking take it,” I answered as I shook my head. “First things first, you’ve got to stop acting like a virgin on prom night,” I started as she laughed more loudly. “And second, yes, you can sleep next to me, silly,” I finished, secretly loving and hating the idea that I was going to feel her body next to mine all night, that I was going to smell her and listen to her breathe.
“Thank you,” she whispered.
“Don’t thank me yet,” I started as I crossed my arms against my chest.
“Why?”
“Because I have to warn you that even though we are friends, it’s not going to be easy for me to have you half naked in my bed all night. So if you roll over and you feel something sticking you in the thigh or the ass, that’s just what happens, so don’t be offended.”
She laughed again. “I won’t be offended, Derek.”
“Good,” I continued with a quick nod as I backed up and held my arm out, signaling that she was okay to proceed to my bed. She started for the bed and I held the duvet out as I watched her climb into the king-size bed which dwarfed her. She was careful to keep my T-shirt pulled down so I wouldn’t get a glimpse of anything I shouldn’t.
“Comfy?” I asked once she was under the covers. She just nodded with a wide grin as I chuckled and walked around the bed, pulling the duvet out from the other side. I never slept on this side of the bed because I had a bad shoulder and it could be painful to sleep on my left side. I didn’t say anything to Nikki, though. Instead, I climbed in next to her and pulled the duvet back over us both as she scooted up next to me and put her head on my bare chest. I wrapped my arm around her and ran my fingers up and down the smooth skin of her back, feeling little goose bumps crop up immediately.
“Nik?” I started.
“Yeah?” she whispered, her voice heavy with exhaustion.
“Don’t ever let any man talk to you like that again, okay?” I asked as I continued to stroke her and she nodded against my chest. “You are a prize and any man would be lucky to have you,” I continued, thinking it was important that she hear and understand me. “And none of what that stupid fucker said is true,” I continued. “You were and you are worth it.”
“Thank you, Derek,” she whispered, her breath tickling my stomach. I pulled her into me even closer and then leaned down, giving her a kiss on top of her head.
“Good night, beautiful.”
“Good night, Derek.”