The Game

become decisive, to become graceful, to become the alpha male I was never raised to be. I had a lot of lost time to make up for—and six weeks to do it in.
    I bought books on body language, flirting, and sexual technique. I read anthologies of women’s sexual fantasies, like Nancy Friday’s My Secret Garden, in order to internalize the idea that women actually want sex as much as—if not more than—men; they just don’t want to be pressured, lied to, or made to feel like a slut.
    I ordered books on marketing, like Robert Cialdini’s seminal Influence, from which I learned several key principles that guide the majority of people’s decisions. The most important of these is social proof, which is the notion that if everyone else is doing something, then it must be good. So if you are in a bar with a beautiful female friend on your arm (a pivot, as theycall it in the community), it’s much easier to meet women than if you’re hanging out alone.
    I watched the videos Grimble had given me and took notes on each, memorizing affirmations (“if a woman enters my world, it will be the best thing that can ever happen to her”) and patterns. There is a difference between a line and a pattern. A line is basically any prepared comment made to a woman. A pattern is a more elaborate script, specifically designed to arouse her.
    Men and women think and respond differently. Show a man the cover of Playboy, and he’s ready to go. In fact, show him a pitted avocado and he’s ready to go. Women, according to the speed seducers, aren’t persuaded as easily by direct images and talk. They respond better to metaphor and suggestion.
    One of Ross Jeffries’s most famous patterns uses a Discovery Channel show about roller coaster design as a metaphor for the attraction, trust, and excitement that are often necessary preconditions for sex. The pattern describes the “perfect attraction,” which provides a feeling of excitement as the roller coaster rises to a summit and then whooshes down in a rush; then it offers a feeling of safety, because it was designed to allow you to have this experience in a comfortable, safe environment; finally, as soon as the ride is over, you want to climb back on and ride it again and again. Even if it seems unlikely that a pattern like this will turn a girl on, at least it’s better than talking about work.
    It wasn’t enough, though, for me just to study Ross Jeffries. A lot of his ideas are simply applications of neuro-linguistic programming. So I went to the source and bought books by Richard Bandler and John Grinder, the University of California professors who developed and popularized this fringe school of hypnopsychology in the 1970s.
    After NLP, it was time to learn some of Mystery’s tricks. I spent one hundred and fifty dollars at magic stores, buying videos and books on levitation, metal bending, and mind reading. I’d learned from Mystery that one of the most important things to do with an attractive woman was to demonstrate value. In other words, what makes me any different from the last twenty guys who approached her? Well, if I can bend her fork by looking at it or guess her name before even speaking to her, that’s a little different.
    To further demonstrate value, I bought books on handwriting analysis, rune reading, and tarot cards. After all, everyone’s favorite subject is themselves.
    I took notes on everything I studied, developing routines and stories to test in the field. I neglected my work, my friends, and my family. I was on an eighteen-hour-a-day mission.
    When I finally crammed as much information in my brain as it could hold, I started working on body language. I signed up for lessons in swing and salsa dancing. I rented Rebel Without A Cause and A Streetcar Named Desire to practice the looks and poses of James Dean and Marlon Brando. I studied Pierce Brosnan in the remake of The Thomas Crown Affair, Brad Pitt in Meet Joe Black, Mickey Rourke in Wild Orchid, Jack Nicholson in The Witches of Eastwick, and Tom Cruise in Top Gun.
    I looked at every aspect of my physical behavior. Were my arms swinging when I walked? Did they bow out a little, as if trying to get around massive pectorals? Did I walk with a confident swagger? Could I stick my chest out further? Hold my head up higher? Swing my legs out further, as if trying to get around massive genitalia?
    After correcting what I could on my own, I signed up for a course on Alexander Technique to improve my posture