"F" is for Flirtatious

And now a word about flirting and bad influences...

My friend Piper is not a good influence.  Not at all.  She has a way of bringing out my mischievous side and she is not afraid to push my buttons.  She instigated quite a scene with a waiter when we went out to eat recently, and although it was humorous, at the time I was not nearly as amused as she was.  She got all dolled up to go to dinner with me, and then proceeded to flirt shamelessly with our waiter.  He played along fabulously with her, and I enjoyed seeing her put on the charm.  The problem was that he kept forgetting what I had ordered while she was casting her spell...is it that difficult to remember what kind of shrimp I wanted? 

Now I know from talking to at least one male friend of mine who used to wait tables that a little bit of flirting -- or a lot, can go a long way towards a bigger tip, as long as you provide excellent service to go along with it.  And why not?  It's harmless flattery for the most part, as long as you don't cross that line into seduction.  At a graduation party over the summer, a male friend I hadn't seen in about twenty years paid me a compliment, and I called him a shameless flatterer; it was a total confidence booster.  Who doesn't like to feel good about themselves?  If you disagree with me here, go quickly and get someone to check your pulse and make sure you're not dead.

Yet while flirting seems benign, the element of seduction lurks underneath and it can be too easy to unwittingly cross that line.  Some people have no trouble distinguishing between the two and can safely stay on their side of the fence.  Others take it too far and find themselves in hot water in more ways than one.  I don't know who to peg as the guilty party in this scenario: the one who took the flirting too far and led someone down the path of seduction, or the one who let that person lead them.  If it is not mutually agreed upon, then restraint is the best course of action in my humble opinion.

I distinctly remember calling the bluff of one such individual (who will remain nameless in order to protect his reputation).  He had baited me repeatedly and made blatant suggestions more times than I cared to count regarding what he would do to me under the right circumstances -- or even the wrong ones.  Finally one day, I came to the end of my rope.  I channelled my inner goddess (What would Venus do?) and said, "Okay, let's go.  Right here, right now."  He followed me into an empty room and things started to get hot and heavy quickly.  I'm pretty sure he thought he was going to have his way with me.  When he was sufficiently turned on and in a compromising position, I stopped and looked at him.  I told him that there was no way that he was going to get what he wanted, and I left him that way.  I didn't get any more innuendos from him after that -- I wonder why.

So by all means, flirt with me and pay me compliments.  I love it!  Just don't cross that line and toy with my emotions.  You may find yourself in an empty room with your pants around your ankles wondering what just happened.  Can't say I'll be sorry if you push me that far...

So here's a fun little tune for when you have that feeling about someone and want to cross that line from flirtation to seduction -- from one of the original kings of sexy, and one of my favorite Michaels.  Go on, George!

Theme Song #9: Too Funky by George Michael   http://youtu.be/JQ2DVwSVIIo

Wink, wink,
Selina