Tale of Romance - He Said / She Said

Here's a spicy story from last March. Alexandra and I wrote it together about a week after meeting, but I've been waiting to post it. Finally, here it is...

DANIEL:
Ever since Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan, it’s been every man’s dream of finding romance in Seattle (ok, well maybe kinda). But when I signed up to lead the Art of Rapport Workshop there, I certainly hoped to give that fiction tale a run for its money. I aimed to create some non-fiction adventures of my own.

As the workshop approached, everything fell into place. Instructors, Workshop participants, hotel rooms, and yes… Supergirls. There was one girl in particular who was planning to sit through the entire workshop. She was so amazed by what we do and how we do it, that she wanted to actually observe the entire process. When she asked to attend, it sounded cool, so I sent her the info. But soon after our email exchange, I promptly forgot that we’d even invited her.

ALEXANDRA:
Thursday night: I was very stressed. My boyfriend of a year and a half tells me that if I attend the Pickup 101 Art Of Rapport class over the weekend, our relationship is OVER! He was begging me not to go. Strange premonition on his part? It shows - don’t focus on things that you don’t want to happen. But here is the truth. This on and off relationship had been on shaky ground for a long time, and it was time for me to move on. I stood there in front of him and thought about it... pickup class or boyfriend? Without hesitation I said, “Sorry, I have too much of life to live and this is something I can’t miss.” I had helped out at the Seattle Art of Attraction a few months earlier, and my desire to go back for a second time was so strong that nothing could have stopped me. The classes are too cool! No turning back now.


Friday morning: I wake up early thinking the class was starting at 10am. I throw something casual on, didn’t think too much about it and was out the door. I arrive to find out, no one was there and the class didn’t start until 3.

I arrive back at the hotel at 2:30, thinking I’ll be early!! It’s always nice to be early, right? No one was there! The class didn’t start until 4:30. It was a long wait. 4:25pm rolls around and all of the students had arrived but no instructors. The students all said, “Well you’ll just have to teach the class!” Would the anticipation ever end?

Prior to the class, I had gotten a heads up that the instructors from the AoA class were not going to be there this time. It was mentioned that some guy named Dan or Daniel would be coming instead. So naturally, I wanted to research this guy and see what he was all about. When I got on the PickUp 101 website... I couldn’t figure out if it was the Dan with the pictures of nude women or the Daniel sandwiched between 3 playboy bunnies. I had no clue which one I was getting.

DANIEL:
Friday afternoon, and start time rolled around. I walked into the conference room and saw the faces of 7 smiling, eager students. Fantastic! And, there she was… one girl. “Oh yeah,” I remembered, “She’s going to be helping us out. Cool.”

She had been hired for our last trip to Seattle. And, when I saw her, my first thought was “Cool… whoever is hiring the girls is doing their job right.” She was hot. Sexy hot. Dark hair, slim body, sweet smile. Her name was Alexandra. Fantastic… the students would be happy to have her around. It was clear right away.

I introduced myself to everyone in the room in quite a hurry to get things set up. There was no time for special hellos for anyone – we had work to do. In the rush, I can’t say that her and I really clicked right away. All I was thinking about was that she’d probably be a real benefit for the students. Her demeanor toward me was nothing special. Polite, sure, but that’s about it. Let the workshop begin!

ALEXANDRA:
The instructors arrived; when I first saw Daniel nothing drew my attention. As a matter a fact, when I looked at all of the instructors sitting there, I thought, “What a duddy group!” Daniel shook my hand in a very nonchalant manner. This is the guy that attracts sexy bunnies?? I see.

There was no spark here.

Daniel starts to give the “Get these guys ready to rumble talk.” What the hell? Maybe it’s just a guy thing, but there he is, in all his glory saying over and over again,
“Are you guys excited?”
“Yeahhhhhhhhhhh!”
“Are you guys pumped??!”
“Hell yeahhhhhhhh!” …as they waved their hands in the air.

I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, and I couldn’t help but think “I’m in for a long weekend.”

DANIEL:
We started the class, and it came time for introductions. When Alexandra’s turn came around, I listened to her story and started to see that there was a lot going on with this girl. Not only did she believe in helping other guys, but she also saw the potential to help and improve herself. Very cool. I liked hearing her attitude, and actually began to see how she was really a very gentle and sensitive woman. A woman with her own journey in life, and her own stumbling blocks and her own strengths. It may sound cheesy, but I actually felt a lot of connection in that introduction, that in a lot of ways my life wasn’t so different from hers.

At that point I started to think that we’d probably make a good couple. And, that she would certainly be thrilled about me. I started to plot how I might make my moves on her. It wouldn’t be easy because we were in these quite unusual work conditions, and I had a very involved job to do. Not to mention the fact that she knows what I do and was inevitably going to call me on it.

ALEXANDRA:
I was sitting there off to the side when the introduction was finished, and Daniel came over to talk to me. I felt like he was coming over to try and figure out more about me. We made very casual conversation, he bantered with me once in a while and I just bantered back. I couldn’t tell if this was pickup technique or just being natural. (You never know at a pickup 101 class.) In the back of my mind I was wondering, “Is this person for real?” It’s actually a true worry of mine. You picture these guys traveling from city to city picking up 10 million girls and the only logical thought is, “It’s just a game for them.”

DANIEL:
It’s funny because guys ask me all the time “what happens if you get caught? What if they find out what you’re doing?” And the simple answer is “Whadya mean? If she catches me being my super fun sexy self?” The point is that tricks and tactics are really useless in the long game of life. It’s situations like these where you are tested to really be yourself without any charades.

So, what did I do? Well, mostly, I just kept doing my thing and having fun. While there was one thing I was paying attention to: Kino. I started putting my arm around her shoulder, arm on her waist, playful touching. And, of course, the usual banter and teasing that I give to every girl. I looked around and noticed that I was really the only guy kinoing her much at all. And, I was also testing to see what I could get away with. How would she respond? How could I figure out what she was thinking about me? Pay attention to what her body communicates.

ALEXANDRA:
I’m on to these guys. I have read all of the books, listened to the David D. and Mystery interviews, read all of their blogs, watched the videos and there is only one concluding thought, “I better be one up on them.” I hate playing games, but I have to admit, I just played dumb like I had no idea that they have used the same line or technique on those 10 million other girls. Of all of the places not to meet a guy it would be a pickup class, let alone falling for the pickup instructor!

So there I was, in the same room with the famous Daniel Johnson. The day was half way over, and the students were making real progress. I must confess I was warming up to Daniel. Just a little... very little, but I was warming up none the less! I was intrigued by his natural ability to lead the class and his charismatic nature. Daniel really knew how to captivate an audience. He had genuine interest in helping each of the students.

Then suddenly this thought slipped into my head, “That’s kind of sexy.”

We continued to talk here and there and got to know each other little by little throughout the day. When the end of the day came, I remember he gave me a huge hug. He hugged me, and just kept squeezing me! I didn’t know why this guy was giving me such a friendly hug. I didn’t even know him. We hadn’t really built any deep connection, but there he was, not letting go.

DANIEL:
To top it off for Friday, I invited her out for drinks with all the instructors at night for some “teambuilding.” But, by the end of Friday’s class, there were still no signs that this was going anywhere, and she declined the invitation to the afterparty. Really, she was nice and all, but she wasn’t responding much. I knew that part of it was her apprehension to get involved with an instructor. I was sure that she’d be holding herself back so as not to risk looking like she’s throwing herself at us. I didn’t know where any of this would lead, but I did decide to tell the instructors that I kinda liked her – so no one would be stepping on each others’ toes.

So, no response - no worries. Seattle’s a great town, and the weekend was off to an awesome start. The students made a lot of progress with the rapport on Friday. And, by the end of the deep rapport story exercises, I was proud to see how much they had committed to the process. After finishing Friday night the instructors and I walked down the block for a drink and I flirted with the cute waitresses.

Saturday morning: we came back in, starting to feel a little “sleepless” after the travel and teaching of Friday. But, it’s exciting because Saturday is when we start the daygame fieldwork. So, I start the day with a pep talk. It’s exciting stuff, and knowing how much fun I have meeting women in everyday life, anytime, anywhere… I also knew how much the students would get out of the day’s activities. It’s such a good feeling when simply leaving the house becomes fun - a trip to the grocery store becomes fun, and seeing a woman walk by becomes an opportunity (not a frustration.)

Maybe it was my morning pep talk, or maybe it was a good night sleep, but after I finished and broke everyone up into exercises I gave Alexandra a big hug. I didn’t expect much, but in that hug I knew that it was on. She squeezed back in a very loving way, and I felt the warmth in my body. I liked this girl.

ALEXANDRA:
Saturday morning: Something was happening. The morning classes progressed and Daniel’s personality was becoming more and more attractive to me. I liked how he took charge of things, how he randomly gave me hugs, put his arm around me once in a while, and told me interesting stories. He seemed genuine, warm, sincere, polite, and fashionable.

It takes a lot for someone to catch my attention and it’s very rare that I meet someone I am attracted to. Without a doubt Daniel held an incredible aura and I was fascinated. It made me want to learn more about him. Right before my eyes he was becoming more attractive as the afternoon went on. Was this possible? Thoughts of spending time together and getting to know this guy would not leave my head. At the same time, this gnawing thought was still there. He is a nationally renowned pickup instructor. This is so wrong!

I was fighting with myself. Don’t do it... don’t do it Alexandra, you know better than this. And then you think, yeah right, like he really likes me. Yeah, I think I’m a real catch. But all these guys write about are hot babes coming down escalators and how easy it is to approach any one of them at any time. Here I am, he didn’t even have to find me on an escalator. I walked right into his lair.

I always wonder, after he meets these 10 million women, what kind of woman is really going to stand out to someone like Daniel Johnson and make his heart thump and make him think, “This is a girl I would like to date... or maybe marry one day?” Who would that person be? At this time in his life is he just trying to find the next hot girl of the day? I don’t want to be that to somebody. I’m too quality for that.

The reason I think all of this? Because I’m the female version of Daniel. I have a million guys running after me, and I’m always wondering, “Who is going to stop me in my tracks?”

This sudden revelation hits me as I’m watching Daniel in action teaching his class, “This guy is at the same level of confidence, charisma, intelligence and life experience as me.” I have always been the leader in a relationship, always the one to bring in the excitement, fun, and crazy adventures, the business plan. I have never met the man that could show me and lead me. This is what would stop me. By meeting Daniel, I finally have been stopped with the realization that there is someone out there who can do this for me. I don’t want to be in control, I want someone to share it with me equally. I didn’t know this was possible.

DANIEL:
The kino started to get more intimate from there. And, it was especially apparent in contrast to everyone else in the classroom that Alexandra and I had a special vibe.

The sexual tension began to build, and we were flirting in a very fun way. It would only be a minute or two at a time whenever I had a break, but it kept things interesting. And very soon, it was time for field work. I assigned the groups and told her that she’d be tagging along with me and my students. (Oh, I’m a sly little devil - The benefits of being in charge.)

ALEXANDRA:
Field work time! Daniel is assigning groups of students to instructors. The last words that come out of his mouth were, “And Alexandra, you are coming with me.” He said this with such assertion, I couldn’t say no. I wouldn’t have wanted to say no.

DANIEL:
I love having a girl with me while I teach. Mostly I just ignore her while I do my thing with the students. It’s the best scenario for everyone. She sees me living with confidence and passion while I help men improve their lives. The students get all the value of the workshop with the bonus encouragement of a supergirl. And when I occasionally give her one-on-one attention, it’s all the more special for both of us. And, on top of all that, the students get to see how I banter and flirt in real life.

ALEXANDRA:
We walk around all day, hand in hand, his arm around me. We laughed, talked, very casual. We had fun. There was tension, sexual tension, something was happening. I couldn’t keep my hands off of him! What a fantastic feeling, it felt genuine.

DANIEL:
Things went well during the field work. She gave some awesome feedback and encouragement to the guys, and altogether it was a success. The flirting between us was getting stronger, but still hadn’t really become physical.

It’s funny because at this point, we had been around each other for about 12 hours or so, but the total amount of time that we’d actually talked to each other one-on-one was probably less than 30 minutes. That’s the tricky part while working, there’s no time to be alone. Mostly we’d just gotten to know each other by watching each other in interactions with other people.

I came back and told Robbie (our San Diego instructor who had also flown up to help us out) that I thought it was pretty much on, but I didn’t know for sure. But, there were no worries, and no hurry. I’ve got my job to do, and I came to Seattle to teach.

We came back from the field work and I led the classroom activities late into the evening. As we went, I knew that she was watching me every step of the way. She saw me build the guys enthusiasm, she watched me talk about the ultra-powerful movie moment technique, and she listened as I talked about what women really mean to me. It was all powerful stuff that I tell the guys in every workshop. I didn’t change a thing for her, but I couldn’t help from thinking that every word must be landing on her ears somehow.

For the last exercise on Saturday, I finally got a break as I let Robbie lead the activity. I took the chance to sit next to Alexandra with my arm around her. She warmly leaned into me back. It felt great. I wondered if the guys in the classroom felt the tension. It wasn’t blatant, but it was there.

That night, she agreed to come out with me and the boys. We wanted to check out the nightlife of Seattle. But before we left, I got her alone for one minute - Finally, our first opportunity completely alone together. I knew what I wanted; I wanted to kiss her. The tension had built too high. So, I went for it. She ducked away. Wow. I was kinda amazed. The intimacy we had reached with the kino and flirting had been far more intimate than just a kiss already. I knew that she wanted it, and she said that she wanted it, but she was holding back. It’s funny because I saw how the kiss was more than a physical thing; it was a symbol to her. It was a symbol that she had fallen for a pickup artist. She didn’t mind the indescript and undefined sense of intimacy. But, the kiss was something hard and concrete that couldn’t be argued and I think that scared her. Of course, after this moment, she kept grabbing me all over trying to make sure I wasn’t mad – but she probably doesn’t remember that part.

ALEXANDRA:
He went to kiss me, I told him, “Sorry, I can’t do that.” He tried again. Same reaction from me. I didn’t know if I could trust him. I didn’t want him to see me as just another girl. I thought if there was something really there, there was plenty of time later. I just wanted to get to know him.

DANIEL:
It wasn’t a big deal, but honestly, at that moment, I almost gave up on her. Not because she wouldn’t kiss me, but because I didn’t want to play those games. She may have needed more comfort, but to me all I felt was the barrier that she had put up, and that turned me off. I noticed that she wasn’t allowing herself to surrender to her desires, and I lost my attraction a little.

So, I decided to just go out and party and have fun and not think too much (it’s always a good idea to not overthink things.) She was wearing a tight t-shirt that was just way too sexy, and these jeans that had strings instead of a zipper – reminiscent of a chastity belt. Way hot. Like grrrrrrrrr hot. And, sure enough, when we made it to the bar, she was all over me again. She still didn’t want to kiss, but we got to the dance floor and it was great. We were by far the sexiest people on the dance floor, and later I even told her that we were the sexiest couple in the whole bar. She agreed completely.

ALEXANDRA:
I loved how even though we were out with the other guys, he was still by my side the whole evening. What really impressed me was how with not even one drink in him, he led me to the dance floor and started dancing when no one else was dancing. At the exact second of 1:15am, the romance was on. I didn’t say anything to him, I still didn’t kiss him, but at least now I was thinking about it.

Another thing that really attracted me that night was watching him show the other guys how to pick up women. He was so smooth, polite, witty, and easy going. He had perfected his craft, even though it’s a never-ending journey. I was very impressed that he was able to do the exact thing that I’m able to do.

DANIEL:
There could be no doubt what was going on between us. Really, the rest was inevitable. I could tell that she was still nervous about hooking up with a pickup instructor. I could tell that she was still hesitating. But, there was nothing that was really going to stop her.

ALEXANDRA:
I get a million compliments a day from men in particular, and it really has no meaning to me. After someone tells you that you are cute, hot and gorgeous for the 500th time... it rolls right over your shoulder. You think, “Yeah , yeah, yeah.. what else is new?” I just want someone who is really crazy about me, who is really interested in me because of all of my crazy interests. I want to be equally crazy about him, someone who I can look up to and admire. It’s nice to give someone all of the hot, cute and sexy compliments, it really can make someone’s day. At least with me, Daniel did it in a different way.
Maybe this is just his “technique” but if it is, then he’s really good.

We got back to the hotel. We stood in the parking garage. He begged me to spend the night. He tells me I should “Just do it!” I told him no, I had work that I needed finish up at 3 am! I actually did have stuff I needed to do for work.

DANIEL:
At the end of the night, I invited her up. I’m sure she wanted to come, but really it would’ve been a bad idea anyway. I had to get some sleep.

ALEXANDRA:
Sunday: I decide to dress up a bit today in my usual style.
I bought this dress especially for the class. I went into Nordstrom’s (where I never shop) and told the sales girl I needed a dress for PickUp 101. I told her, “Not too sexy, I don’t want to be intimidating, but something elegant and fun to show my personality.”

I showed up at 10 am wearing the dress. Before I looked up, I heard Daniel say to the rest of the guys something like, “Now there is the type of hot girl that you all should flirt with.” I walked over; he acted very casual, like nothing was out of the ordinary. One minute later, he told me to step over to the side with him. I don’t remember what he said, but I do know he brought a huge smile to my face.

DANIEL:
When Alexandra walked in Sunday morning, it was clear that she was my girl, and we spent the whole day getting more intimate still. She was wearing a really nice dress and some wicked high heels that actually made her taller than me. Mmmmmm…. Tall chicks… *drool*.....

ALEXANDRA:
Supergirl practice started, and supergirl had a meltdown (ME). In the middle of the movie moment practice, one guy just totally brought out sad emotions in me that I didn’t even know were there. Daniel calmed me and then I got some hypnotherapy from Brian (one of the other coaches). Normally I’m not the type that has a meltdown, but whoa... the movie moment is a deadly weapon. It really works; it just brought every emotion out in me.

We went out again for fieldwork and today we had the most incredible time together. I felt comfortable with him, more trusting. Our personalities came out and we enjoyed each other. I regret not showing him more of my wacky sense of humor. He was so funny and wacky that I was amazed that someone else was behaving in the fun, unusual way that I normally do. Usually I’m so witty, and I’m the life of the party, but here was Daniel taking the lead and doing it so well that I just let him. It was so refreshing. I loved it! The wackier he got, the more entranced I became!

In the evening, during the free seminar to potential clients, I was very impressed by his public speaking skills. I truly appreciate a fine public speaker.

So... he pulled me behind the presentation screen after most people had left... we giggled and then kissed. It was so unexpected and spontaneous. What a glorious moment! One I couldn’t deny myself. This set the precedence for what ever might come in the future for Daniel Johnson and Alexandra.

DANIEL:
I told her we were being “schmutzy” because on every break we would sneak away for a hug or some flirting. And, of course eventually we were kissing too. As she watched me wrap up the class on Sunday, and give the intro seminar at night, it felt great to have her support. I love having a girl with me while I teach. I think it helps me focus, and helps the guys understand that women LOVE what we do.

ALEXANDRA:
That night, we had a nice dinner and came back to the hotel. We decided to go swimming. I didn’t have a bathing suit, but his boxers and t-shirt worked perfectly. It was super romantic. I told him I was hoping the rather large man sitting at the front desk at 3 am eating a donut wasn’t watching us via the camera in the corner of the pool area. Lucky him if he was. I assure you that Pickup 101 will be welcome to rent their conference room anytime..
*Special note to Lance- Maybe you can now ask for a special discount! Ask for Bill*

DANIEL:
As I said goodbye on Monday morning, she asked if I was going to write about all this and put it on my blog. I said I’d like to. But, what I’d prefer is if she writes her perspective. She thought it was a cool idea.

ALEXANDRA:
At first I was not at all at all attracted to Daniel, I thought he was a bit cocky. The black platform shoes were a total turn off. My belief has always been, that I know if I like someone from the first second I meet them. If I don’t feel an attraction to them right away, then there will never be one. Daniel has 100% proven me wrong. His natural, sincere nature and his love for life outweighed everything else. I’m just telling myself right now, don’t think too much about this. What ever happens, happens. Surely life will go on and I’m having a great life without him in it. But wouldn’t it make life that much more outstanding with someone like Daniel.