The Problematic "Deal" Smart Women Should Never Make With A Man

You'd be better off making a deal with the devil before agreeing to this.

By Michael Griswold — Last updated on Aug 24, 2023

Photo: Sayan Puangkham | Shutterstock

I met the beautiful blonde Katie in a yoga class. She was fun and funny, and we instantly connected. Unfortunately, she was also dating someone else at the time, so my hopes of taking our downward dogs any further disappeared down the drain.

Years later, she had broken up with the other guy, and her mom had died unexpectedly. Since I had gone through something similar when my wife died a few years earlier, she called me up and we started dating. But that was a mistake and it ended up costing us our relationship.

When I say she made a mistake, I do not intend to blame her because the problem is one with men and not women. This is something a lot of women do because it sounds like good advice. But many hearts have been broken and many relationships have ended because of it.

Here's what happened. We started seeing each other casually. We were wildly attracted to each other, but she made a rule: no sex until we were exclusive. Don't ever, ever, ever make this deal.

Trust me, it will be the ruin of your relationship, at its core this is an indication he might have a problem respecting boundaries.

I'm going to tell you something that sounds kind of embarrassing, but it's absolutely true. When you make a deal with a man like that, here's what happens. In his head, sex with you becomes the goal. And if your relationship is already charged with electricity, he will do anything required to have sex with you.

Here's the deal. He won't know sex is what is motivating him. And neither will you. Intoxicated by my own overwhelming desire to have sex with her, I agreed to this exclusivity. But I wasn't ready for that. I didn't even want it.

I was in a single phase, where I wanted to date, but not get serious. The ultimatum allowed me to convince myself I was ready and I wanted a serious relationship.

As soon as we had sex, I regretted it. With my desire satisfied, my eyes opened to what I really wanted. It's kind of like this: Have you ever been really hungry? Say you're on a road trip, it's the middle of the night and you're in the middle of Kansas. You haven't eaten since Louisville and the only thing open at that time of night is the Wendy's drive-thru.

Usually, you'd never compromise and eat at some fast food joint, but you are about to gnaw off your own forearm. So you take the exit and order the triple stack burger.

That's what an ultimatum is like for a guy. When a girl makes an ultimatum, his goal switches from winning you to conquering you, your objections, your reservations.

All guys? Of course not. Some guys will take your ultimatum and allow you to set the rules.

Don't set up any rules of when you have sex with him. Be clear about what you want: if it's casual sex, do that. If it's a real relationship, hold out until you see evidence that he's committed. Most importantly, before you have sex with him NEVER tell him what the requirements are for you to have sex with him.

If you do, you're setting yourself up for disappointment, especially considering his overwhelming desire for you—an overwhelming desire that must be properly directed.