The wine-colored shirt with the button undone on the chest told me this was a hot man. And his relaxed movements on the dance floor convinced him that he was definitely brave and much more confident in himself than everyone else present here.

This means that either he has lost his head, or he is rich and can afford to play around as he wants.

I took the kind expression on his face as a safe sign, the guy is not hiding anything.

And then I saw with him, you know who? That same art director. Without hesitation, my legs carried me to her.

— Hello. Do you remember me?

— Yes. — after a pause, my rather drunk “friend” answered.

— Happy New Year! Glad to see you there!

— Me too! Happy New Year! — the drunken girl was sincerely delighted at my presence — This is my brother Vladislav.

— Nice to meet you.

I went to see my friends, but a minute later Agnes caught up.

— Stop, come to the next photo shoot, there will be a cooler magazine and a small fee. In general, let's go to my table, I'll treat you.

Girls, of course I agreed. There was no doubt about it. My thoughts were purely predatory. It was impossible to miss the moment and not pick up this guy.

— You know, just don’t fall for Vladislav. “He’s a womanizer,” Agnes whispered.

Shock. Pause. Rounded eyes. And again the imperturbable look.

— Don't worry, I'm a grown girl.

Do you know what it was? Manipulation. As I found out later, they are not related at all, and Agnes was looking for a good girl for him. Did I sense a catch then? Undoubtedly. Women feel this way. It is men who do not know how to distinguish women’s cunning, unless they are taught by experience. And women know the full power of the deceit of their fellow tribesmen.

But I didn’t care, it became even more interesting. And I went to dance a slow dance with him. Everything is very easy and without hints of sex. I tried to move at ease, didn’t lead in any way, I’m a girl, I let him completely control the dance, and I won.

As I found out later, it was my obedience that won him over. This is a woman’s trick, to give a man what he wants, power.

I didn’t lose my power and self-sufficiency at all, I just hid it away for a while until he fell in love.

That's why we needed a meeting with Agnes on the set, then a second one in the salon. By gaining the necessary connections and acquaintances, you find what you want.

Would I then be able to conquer Vladislav without chatting with his girlfriend that evening? Unlikely. At the club there was my good friend Nina, a petite blonde half-dancer, whom, as my husband later told me, he was going to pick up.

You see how important initiative and the ability to present oneself are in such matters.

That night I was still scared, how would such an uninhibited thirty-year-old man with a ponytail like a simple, poor student? For the first time in a long time, I climbed deep inside myself and asked: “What will happen if he doesn’t call? Or will he leave you after some time?”

“Then I’ll just forget about him now and let him decide for himself.”

We returned home with a friend, her husband and her husband’s friend. Our yards were two hundred meters from each other. Coming out of the taxi, without recognizing myself, I kissed a guy to whom I had not even given any hints. He was taken aback, but did not resist. The friend and her husband stood in no less shock. And I just cheerfully waved my hand at them and ran home.

Why was this necessary? To stop panicking. The desire to maintain independence.

The next day Vladislav called and invited me to dinner. We talked for hours, he found out in detail my worldview, goals, thoughts. This is how men who want a serious relationship behave, and not just sex for one night.

Now I’ll tell you another funny situation.

On the morning of the fourth, I trudged to work in a terrible state without makeup and with a headache.

And suddenly he calls at lunch and says that he will pick me up after work.

— I can't

— Why.

— I'm not ready to go out. I'm without makeup, you won't recognize me.

— It's not a problem.

— I feel sick, I drank too much yesterday, after work I’ll go home to sleep.

— You just need to go eat hot soup to reduce intoxication.

— (…pause)

— All. I decided. I'll pick you up at six.

He hung up, and I was in horror going through pictures in my head of how I could look at least passable by six.

In due time, having overcome embarrassment, I decided “it’s hit or miss” and proudly got into the taxi.

And you know, there were basically no ratings or comments. My gentleman turned out to be a gentleman. He fed me soup with asparagus, told me some cosmic ideas at that time about his dreams, tasks, goals, business, family. I even forgot for a moment that this was a first date. It seemed like we had known each other forever. And this was just the effect of Vladislav’s use of Alex Leslie’s pickup techniques.

I naively assumed that we were close, and he was simply actively creating the illusion of this.

But I am grateful at least for the fact that there was nothing between us that day. And the next morning he announced that he was flying away.

— How? Where?

— To Krasnodar, my daughter lives there.

— You are married?

— We are divorced, but my parents, daughter and I are generally from there.

— Wow. Are you planning