Free Weapons of Mass Seduction by Lori Bryant-Woolridge Page B

and revealing clothing says less about you being a powerful, sensual woman and more about you being sexually available. Be clear what message you are trying to send.
    â€œ DON’T BE UNKIND : If someone you are not interested in approaches you, act appreciative and polite. Smile, ask his name, and thank him for coming over before gently discouraging further contact. Let him leave with his pride intact. Other men are watching to see what you do. If you laugh after he leaves or show visual disapproval, you are lessening your chances of anyone else approaching you.
    â€œNow if you would please split into teams of six, we’re going to do a little flirtatious role-playing in preparation for tonight’s field trip.”
    As the groups divided up and began practicing making eye contact, smiling with sincerity and listening with rapt attention, Pia excused herself. Walking down the hallway toward the ladies’ room, she could feel her entire body tighten up. Tonight’s activity terrified her. These past five years of sitting at the singles bar of life, sipping a no-sex cocktail, had definitely taken a toll, and what used to come so naturally now felt like speaking a foreign language.
    Damn, how does one say, “disaster waiting to happen” in Embarrassed Jackass?

Chapter Eight
    F lorence tapped softly at the door of room 1011, waited, and tapped again. Rebecca arrived and the two women stood several more minutes before a visibly flustered Pia, still in her short silk robe, opened the door.
    â€œDarlin’, since you’re our team fashionista, we thought we’d come up here for inspection before headin’ off to the cattle call.”
    â€œUh, okay. Come on in. I’m having a little trouble deciding what to wear myself, which is ridiculous because this is just some flirting exercise and not the real thing,” Pia rambled on.
    Entering the room, it was apparent that a worry bomb had gone off. Clothes, shoes, and accessories were haphazardly strewn all over the place. Flo and Rebecca stepped through the modish land mines and migrated over to the small sofa while Pia fussed with her hair in the mirror.
    â€œSo what do you think?” Becca asked.
    â€œWell, let’s see,” Pia murmured while conducting inspection. Becca, with her hair pulled back into her regulation ponytail, jeans, a white blouse, and a purple cardigan, looked like a perfectly cute, absolutely forgettable collegiate wallflower. And there was absolutely no hope for the shoes—matronly black pumps that in attitude would go fine with a grandma bra, but not with some fire red push-up. And Flo, in her blue knit dress and tan jacket, looked like she was running for PTA president. Her two-tone Ferragamo slingbacks were passable, but that colorful polka-dot scarf tied in a big bow around her neck and huge tote bag had to go.
    â€œBe honest. I’d rather
you
tell us we look silly than some man we’re supposed to be flirtin’ with.”
    â€œNothing that a little adjustments couldn’t help,” Pia said as she walked over to the dresser and retrieved her jewelry pouch. “Flo, great basics, but together they scream ‘Excuse me,’ not ‘Meet me,’ so off with the blazer.” Flo removed her jacket to reveal a blank navy blue canvas on which to create.
    â€œPerfect dress. The cut on you is fabulous. Now let’s take this off,” Pia said, confiscating her scarf, “and replace it with this.” From her pouch she pulled a chunky bone necklace with a large silver disc and fastened it around Flo’s neck before handing her a sterling cuff bracelet and tasteful hoop earrings. There was nothing she could do to Flo’s sprayed-in-place hair, so she just smoothed her hands over it and let it go.
    â€œHmm, you smell great,” Pia commented, sniffing Flo’s new perfume.
    â€œWhoa. And look about ten years younger,” Becca said, impressed by