The Art of Seduction (49 page)

Maria), and the marriage never happened, but Gondomar had done his job.
ever dare set foot in this

place are the steward, who

He did not bribe the duke with offers of money or power—he aimed at
is elderly, and this dumb

the childlike part of him that never grew up. A child has little power to re-
gardener of ours. Yet I have
sist. It wants everything, now, and rarely thinks of the consequences. A
often heard it said, by
child lies lurking in everyone—a pleasure that was denied them, a desire
several of the ladies who
have come to visit us, that

that was repressed. Hit at that point, tempt them with the proper toy (ad-
all other pleasures in the
venture, money, fun), and they will slough off their normal adult reason-
world are mere trifles by
ableness. Recognize their weakness by whatever childlike behavior they
comparison with the one
experienced by a woman

reveal in daily life—it is the tip of the iceberg.

when she goes with a man.

Napoleon Bonaparte was appointed the supreme general of the French

I have thus been thinking,

army in 1796. His commission was to defeat the Austrian forces that had
since I have nobody else to
hand, that I would like to

taken over northern Italy. The obstacles were immense: Napoleon was only
discover with the aid of this

twenty-six at the time; the generals below him were envious of his position
dumb fellow whether they

and doubtful of his abilities. His soldiers were tired, underfed, underpaid,
are telling the truth. As it

happens, there couldn't be

and grumpy. How could he motivate this group to fight the highly experi
a better man for the
enced Austrian army? As he prepared to cross the Alps into Italy, Napoleon
purpose, because even if he
gave a speech to his troops that may have been the turning point in his ca
wanted to let the cat out of
reer, and in his life: "Soldiers, you are half starved and half naked. The gov
the bag, he wouldn't be
able to. He wouldn't even

ernment owes you much, but can do nothing for you. Your patience, your
know how to explain, for

courage, do you honor, but give you no glory. . . . I will lead you into the
you can see for yourself
most fertile plains of the world. There you will find flourishing cities,
what a mentally retarded,

dim-witted hulk of a youth

teeming provinces. There you will reap honor, glory, and wealth." The
236
•
The Art of Seduction

the fellow is. I would be
speech had a powerful effect. Days later these same soldiers, after a rough
glad to know what you
climb over the mountains, gazed down on the Piedmont valley. Napoleon s
think of the idea."
• words echoed in their ears, and a ragged, grumbling gang became an

"Dear me!" said the other.

"Don't you realize that we
inspired army that would sweep across northern Italy in pursuit of the
have promised God to
Austrians.

preserve our virginity?"
•

Napoleon's use of temptation had two elements: behind you is a grim

"Pah!" she said. "We are

constantly making Him
past; ahead of you is a future of wealth and glory,
if
you follow me. Integral
promises that we never
to the temptation strategy is a clear demonstration that the target has noth
keep! What does it matter
ing to lose and everything to gain. The present offers little hope, the future
if we fail to keep this
can be full of pleasure and excitement. Remember to keep the future gains
one? He can always

find other girls to preserve
vague, though, and somewhat out of reach. Be too specific and you will
their virginity for Him. "
• disappoint; make the promise too close at hand, and you will not be able to

. . .
Before the time came
postpone satisfaction long enough to get what you want.
for them to leave, they had

each made repeated trials of

The barriers and tensions in temptation are there to stop people from
the dumb fellow's riding
giving in too easily and too superficially. You
want
them to struggle, to
ability, and later on, when
resist, to be anxious. Queen Victoria surely fell in love with her prime
they were busily swapping

tales about it all, they
minister, Benjamin Disraeli, but there were barriers of religion (he was a
agreed that it was every bit
dark-skinned Jew), class (she, of course, was a queen), social taste (she was
as pleasant an experience
a paragon of virtue, he a notorious dandy). The relationship was never
as they had been led to
consummated, but what deliciousness those barriers gave to their daily en
believe, indeed more so.
And from then on,
counters, which were full of constant flirtation.
whenever the opportunity

Many such social barriers are gone today, so they have to be

arose, they whiled away
manufactured—it is the only way to put spice into seduction. Taboos of
many a pleasant hour in

the dumb fellow's arms.
• any kind are a source of tension, and they are psychological now, not reli
One day, however, a
gious. You are looking for some repression, some secret desire that will
companion of theirs
make your victim squirm uncomfortably if you hit upon it, but will tempt
happened to look out from

the window of her cell, saw
them all the more. Search in their past; whatever they seem to fear or flee
the goings-on, and drew
from might hold the key. It could be a yearning for a mother or father fig
the attention of two others
ure, or a latent homosexual desire. Perhaps you can satisfy that desire by
to what was afoot. Having

talked the matter over
presenting yourself as a masculine woman or a feminine man. For others
between themselves, they at
you play the Lolita, or the daddd—someone they are not supposed to have,
first decided to report the
the dark side of their personality. Keep the connection vague—you want
pair to the abbess. But then
them to reach for something elusive, something that comes out of their
they changed their minds,

and by common agreement
own mind.

with the other two, they

In London in 1769, Casanova met a young woman named Charpillon.

took up shares in Masetto 's
She was much younger than he, as beautiful a woman as he had ever
holding. And because of

various indiscretions, these
known, and with a reputation for destroying men. In one of their first en
five were subsequently
counters she told him straight out that he would fall for her and she would
joined by the remaining
ruin him. To everyone's disbelief, Casanova pursued her. In each encounter
three, one after the other.
•

Finally, the abbess, who
she hinted she might give in—perhaps the next time, if he was nice to her.
was still unaware of all
She inflamed his curiosity—what pleasure she would yield; he would be
this, was taking a stroll one
the first, he would tame her. "The venom of desire penetrated my whole
very hot day in the garden,

all by herself when she
being so completely," he later wrote, "that had she so wished it, she could
came across Masetto
have despoiled me of everything I possessed. I would have beggared myself
stretched out fast asleep in
for one little kiss." This "affair" indeed proved his ruin; she humiliated him.
the shade of an almond

Charpillon had rightly gauged that Casanova's primary weakness was his
Create Temptation • 237

need for conquest, to overcome challenge, to taste what no other man had
tree. Too much riding by
tasted. Beneath this was a kind of masochism, a pleasure in the pain a
night had left him with
very little strength for the

woman could give him. Playing the impossible woman, enticing and then
day's labors, and so there
frustrating him, she offered the ultimate temptation. What will often do the
he lay, with his clothes
trick is to give the target the sense that you are a challenge, a prize to be
ruffled up in front by the
won. In possessing you they will get what no other has had. They may even
wind, leaving him all
exposed. Finding herself

get pain; but pain is close to pleasure, and offers its own temptations.
alone, the lady stood with

In the Old Testament we read that "David arose from his couch and
her eyes riveted to this
was walking upon the roof of the king's house . . . [and] he saw from the
spectacle, and she was
seized by the same craving

roof a woman bathing; and the woman was very beautiful." The woman
to which her young charges
was Bathsheba. David summoned her, seduced her (supposedly), then pro-
had already succumbed.
ceeded to get rid of her husband, Uriah, in battle. In fact, however, it was
So, having roused Masetto,
she led him away to her

Bathsheba who had seduced David. She bathed on her roof at an hour
room, where she kept him
when she knew he would be standing on his balcony. After tempting a man
for several days, thus
she knew had a weakness for women, she played the coquette, forcing him
provoking bitter complaints
to come after her. This is the opportunity strategy: give someone weak the
from the nuns over the fact
that the handyman had

chance to have what they lust after by merely placing yourself within their
suspended work in the
reach, as if by accident. Temptation is often a matter of timing, of crossing
garden. Before sending him
the path of the weak at the right moment, giving them the opportunity to
back to his own quarters,
she repeatedly savored the

surrender.

one pleasure for which she

Bathsheba used her entire body as a lure, but it is often more effective
had always reserved her
to use only a part of the body, creating a fetishlike effect. Madame Re-
most fierce disapproval,
and from then on she

camier would let you glimpse her body beneath the sheer dresses she wore,
demanded regular
but only briefly, when she took off her overgarment to dance. Men would
supplementary allocations,
leave that evening dreaming of what little they had seen. Empress Josephine
amounting to considerably
more than her fair share.

made a point of baring her beautiful arms in public. Give the target only a part of you to fantasize about, thereby creating a constant temptation in —GIOVANNI BOCCACCIO,
THE DECAMERON
, TRANSLATED

their mind.

B Y G . H . M C W I L L I A M

Symbol:

The Apple in the Garden

of Eden. The fruit looks deeply

inviting, and you are not supposed to

eat of it; it is forbidden. But that is pre-

cisely why you think of it day and night.

You see it but cannot have it. And the

only way to get rid of this tempta-

tion is to yield and taste

the fruit.

238 • The Art of Seduction

Reversal

The reverse of temptation is security or satisfaction, and both are fatal to seduction. If you cannot tempt someone out of their habitual comfort, you cannot seduce them. If you satisfy the desire you have awakened, the seduction is over. There is no reversal to temptation. Although some stages can be passed over, no seduction can proceed without some form of temptation, so it is always better to plan it carefully, tailoring it to the weakness and childishness in your particular target. Phase Two

Lead Astray
—

Creating Pleasure and Confusion

Your victims are sufficiently intrigued and their desire for you is
growing, but their attachment is weak and at any moment they could
decide to turn back. The goal in this phase is to lead your victims so
far astray
—
keeping them emotional and confused, giving them plea-
sure but making them want more
—
that retreat is no longer possible.
Springing on them a pleasant surprise will make them see you as de-
lightfully unpredictable, but will also keep them off balance (9: Keep
them in suspense
—
what comes next?). The artful use of soft and
pleasant words will intoxicate them and stimulate fantasies (10: Use
the demonic power of words to sow confusion). Aesthetic touches and
pleasant little rituals will titillate their senses, distract their minds
(11: Pay attention to detail).

Your greatest danger in this phase is the mere hint of routine or famil-
iarity. You need to maintain some mystery, to keep a little distance so
that in your absence your victims become obsessed with you (12: Poeti-
cize your presence). They may realize they are falling for you, but
they must never suspect how much of this has come from your manipu-
lations. A well-timed display of your weakness, of how emotional
you
have become under their influence will help cover your tracks (13: Dis-
arm through strategic weakness and vulnerability). To excite your vic-
tims and make them highly emotional, you must give them the feeling
that they are actually living some of the fantasies you have stirred in
their imagination (14: Confuse desire and reality). By giving them
only a part of the fantasy, you will keep them coming back for more.
Focusing your attention on them so that the rest of the world fades
away, even taking them on a trip, will lead them far astray (15: Isolate
your victim). There is no turning back.