and I don’t mean to say I did anything with Steve, but I sure thought about it. I don’t like to admit it, but if he’d asked, I’d have said yes.”
“Why? What is it about Steve that makes him so irresistible?”
“I don’t know. He’s really good-looking.”
“So you’d have sex with all really good-looking men if they asked you?”
Lorraine laughed. “No.”
“Then it must be something else.”
“Okay. The way he looks at a person. It’s like, uh, I don’t know. It’s like he sees right inside me.”
“Great. He knows how to focus. Have you slept with every man who focused solely on you?”
“No. But that’s mostly ‘cause no one ever has. Not like Steve.”
“I admit, being paid attention to is flattering, but it’s no reason to drop your drawers. What else?”
“I don’t know. I swear. It’s just a combination of things, I guess. The way he walks and smiles. When he comes into my office, I can hardly breathe. It’s like he’s magic or something.”
“He’s not magic. He’s just self-assured. He knows he can make women swoon, so he does.”
“I’ll say.”
“Here’s the thing, Lorraine. If you wanted to sleep with him, far be it from me to tell you what to do. Go for it. If you don’t want to sleep with him, don’t. But don’t lie to yourself and say you were seduced. There’s no such thing. Seduction is an excuse for behavior you know is inappropriate.”
“It’s a pretty damn good excuse.”
Now it was Jamie who laughed. “Just be strong. Know you have a right to choose. Tell the truth to yourself and you’ll be fine.”
“So, you’ve never been seduced?”
“Nope. I haven’t. Not even once.”
Darlene got a little shiver, and said, “You don’t think chemicals have anything to do with it? Pheromones? That a woman can get swept away?”
“No. Absolutely not. I do think there can be a chemical connection between people, and that attraction exists and can be very strong. But the idea that a woman is helpless to fall into a man’s arms is ludicrous. Relationships, even brief ones, should be about making choices, and about honesty.”
“And you don’t think falling in love could just happen.”
“No, I don’t. I think that’s one of the biggest myths in our culture. Lust can happen in an instant, although it doesn’t have to be acted upon. Love only comes with time and work. It’s a woman’s choice whether she wants to have sex or not, whether she’s married or not. It’s your body. Respect it. Take care of it. Give it a treat now and again. And if you don’t have anyone to help you, do it yourself, with or without help from toys. I’ll bet there are a lot of married women out there right now who wish they’d listened. Who waited to see if the man who seduced them was actually a man they wanted to live with forever. Given the dismal marriage statistics, I’m willing to wager that for at least fifty percent of the women, they didn’t look before they leaped.”
Darlene felt those hairs stand on the back of her neck again. She had it. The perfect article. The perfect hook. “Let me get this straight. You’re saying that no man, no matter who he is, can seduce a woman?”
“That’s right. Not if a woman is honest.”
“No amount of charm, charisma, sex appeal could have any effect?”
“Not if a woman doesn’t want to be seduced. Have you ever looked up the word? I have. According to the dictionary, seduce means ‘to induce to have sexual intercourse.’ What I’m suggesting is the idea that no one can be induced. If it’s forced, then it’s rape. If it’s consensual, it’s not seduction. It’s an excuse, nothing more. No woman can be seduced without her permission. Period.”
Darlene closed her eyes for a second, just to calm herself. “How would you like to put your money where your mouth is?”
Jamie’s brows came down. “What do you mean?”
“Exactly that. You say no woman can be seduced without her permission. I say fine. Prove it.”
Jamie laughed a little. “There’s no way to do that. Every woman has to come to that decision for herself.”
“But there is a way to prove it.” Darlene’s heart hammered in her chest. This was so great. “Here’s what I want to do. I’m going to set you up with a man who’s seduced his fair share of women. More than his share. You two are going to spend time together. He’s going to lay on the charm. And then we’ll see what happens.”
“I’ll tell you exactly what will happen. Nothing.”
“I don’t think so.”
“It’s ridiculous. There’s no way I can be seduced.”
“You’re on. I think you don’t know what you’re talking about. And we’re going to see who’s right.”
“Hey, yeah, Dr. Jamie,” Lorraine said, reminding Darlene that she was still on the line. “That would be so cool.”
“What would be cool?”
“Well, like, for you to show us. To prove it.”
Darlene held back her whoop of joy. This was even better than she could have hoped for. “Right. Walk the walk instead of just talking the talk.”
“Hold on.” Jamie looked at her with utter exasperation. Darlene didn’t give an inch. Jamie turned back to the mike. “Lorraine, I wish you luck with your guy, and thanks for calling.” She punched line two. “This is Dr. Jamie. Did you have a question?”
“Yeah,” a deep baritone voice said. “I think you should do it. And I volunteer to be the guy. I could seduce you, baby. And it wouldn’t take no two weeks.”
Darlene leaned back. This was great. Just great. The article would write itself.
Jamie shook her head in disbelief as she pressed the next button. “How about line three. Pam from Chelsea?”
“Come on, Dr. Jamie. You could report every night. You know, give us an update. A blow-by-blow. Tell us what it’s like out there in the real world. We could all learn something. You’re always telling us to go for it. Now it’s your turn.”
“Thanks for sharing.” She punched the next button so hard it almost broke. “Debbi from Yonkers. Do you have something else you’d like to talk about?”
“Uh, well, yeah.”
Jamie’s shoulders relaxed. “Great.”
“I think, you know, that you shouldn’t be the one to give the nightly reports. The guy should. Or you should do it together.”
