Introduction 1. My Unsentimental Education: Love in Manhattan? I Don't Think So. LOVE AT THE BOWERY BAR, PART I THE HAPPILY MARRIED MAN THE HAPPILY (SORT OF) MARRIED WOMAN THE BACHELOR OF COCO PAZZO LOVE AT THE BOWERY BAR, PART II A LADY'S GLOVE LOVE AT THE BOWERY BAR, PART III THE GREAT UN-PRETENDER NARCISSUS AT THE FOUR SEASONS LOVE AT THE BOWERY BAR: EPILOGUE 2. Swingin' Sex? I Don't Think So MESSY WOMEN; KNEE SOCKS NIGHT OF THE SEX ZOMBIES TALKING DIRTY AT MORTIMERS 3. We Loved a Serial Dater "LIKE DARYL VAN HORNE" FIRST DATE: 44 PERI: SIZE (EIGHT) MATTERS "WE'RE GETTING MARRIED" 4. Manhattan Wedlock: Never-Married Women, Toxic Bachelors THE Mamp;MS KIDS-OR LINGERIE? ROGER'S VERSION GOOD FRIENDS, LOUSY HUSBANDS 5. Meet the Guys Who Bed Models! THE MODELIZERS WILHELMINA GIRLS A MODELIZER GLOSSARY THINGS DISSECTED GET ONE, GET THEM ALL 6. New York 's Last Seduction: Loving Mr. Big TESTOSTERONE WOMEN, FOOLISH MEN MEETING MR. BIG ANOTHER MR. BIG (AT ELAINE'S) 7. The International Crazy Girls 8. Manhattan Menage! Seven Men Pop the Inevitable Question "A SEXUAL VARIANT" E-LOVE IN VAIN "IMAGINE SAYING NO" "IT'S SPORT" "A BAD VIBE" 9. What Has Two Wheels, Wears Seersucker, and Makes a Sucker of Me? A Bicycle Boy MR. NEW YORKER AND HIS THREE-SPEED WHY JOHN F. KENNEDY JR. IS NOT A BICYCLE BOY "A BIG STEEL THING BETWEEN MY LEGS" THE CROTCH PROBLEM 10. Downtown Babes Meet Old Greenwich Gals OLD GREENWICH, NEW ENEMIES "MARRIED SEX" SUBURBAN SURPRISE: BIDET «TM SHAKING" 11. Babes Flee Land of Wives for Night of Topless Fun THE BOLD FELLOW NEWBERT GETS WORRIED A ROLLERBLADE INGENUE BELLE AT THE CARLYLE ALL ROADS LEAD TO BABY DOLL 12. Skipper and Mr. Marvelous Seek Hot Sex in Southampton Hedges SKIPPER'S COLD SHOWER MR. BLATCH IN LOVE SKIPPER BLOWS IT SOMETHING AMAZING HAPPENS OH, MR. MARVELOUS! CELLULAR BREAKDOWN "IS IT ELLE?" THE BOY IN BLUE CHINTZ INDEPENDENCE DAY 13. Tales of the Pretty "LET'S TALK ABOUT SCUMBAGS" DASH AT THE MARK HOTEL "HELLO, KITTY" 14. Portrait of a Bulgy Underwear Model: The Bone Pops Out of His Giant Billboard "YOU'RE GOING TO BE A STAR" AN EASY "A" AN IOWA BOYHOOD "I KNOW I'M NEUROTIC" "IVANA TRUMP'S BUTLER?" 15. He Loves His Little Mouse, but He Won't Take Her Home to Mom "ACTUAL FRIENDS" THEN SHE BROKE 16. Clueless in Manhattan ARABIAN NIGHTS "I HATE MIAMI» PAGE SIX! MR. RESIDUE "HE WAS SO MORTIFIED" 17. City in Heat! Sexual Panic Seizes Mr. Big MR. BIG'S HEAT RITUAL LOBSTER NEWBERT CANNIBALS AT LE ZOO THE BLUE ANGEL THE CRACKUP 18. How to Marry a Man in Manhattan — My Way THREE CASHMERE SWEATERS DWEEBS, NERDS, AND LOSERS COMPARISON SHOPPING I SHOULD LEAVE ELICIT COZINESS 19. Manhattan Psycho Moms Go Gaga for Goo-Goos "ALEXANDRA!" THE NANNY CAMERA "MARRIED SEX" WHAT'S WRONG WITH ME? ROUGH PERSUASION BEHIND THE WALL CATWALK CRYING NONWOLF JACK'S THANKSGIVING "I SUFFER" 22. Bone and the White Mink: Carrie's Christmas Carol THE BONE THE WHITE MINK HI, MOM YOU'RE SO NAUGHTY RIVER'S PARTY 23. " Party Girl's Tale of Sex and Woe: He Was Rich, Doting, and. .Ugly THE TRILBY HAT DUDLEY DANCES 24. Aspen "I'M LOOKING FOR TAIL" PROMETHEUS BOUND CAN YOU KEEP A SECRET? "MY FEET ARE COLD" SHE STARTED CRYING 25. Carrie and the Flowers A RELATIONSHIP? HOW SILLY THE TALKING PARAKEET DON'T GO THERE WHILE BIG'S AWAY “WANT THE TRUTH” "HE'S JUST A CREEP" HOME SWEET HOME 26. Goodbye, Mr. Big! The End of the Affair THIEVES AND BITCHES FRANTIC MESSAGES "YOU'RE OUT OF CONTROL." 27. Mr. Big's Plea: You Love Me, Damn It! "YOU'RE A LITTLE CRAZY." "WHERE WERE YOU?" EATING THE OYSTER THE PRIVATE DICK THE WRONG TRAIN EATING THE PICKLE Epilogue
8. Manhattan Menage! Seven Men Pop the Inevitable Question I'm at dinner with a man. We're into a second bottle of 1982 Chateau Latour. Maybe it's our third date, maybe our tenth. It doesn't matter. Because, eventually, it always comes up. The Inevitable. "Errrrrr," he begins.
"Yes?" I ask, leaning forward. He rests his hand on my thigh. Perhaps he's going to "pop the question." It's not likely, but then again, what is?
He begins again. "Have you ever …" "Yes?"
"Have you ever. . wanted to. ." "What?"
"Have you ever wanted to. . have sex with another woman?" he asks, triumphant.
I'm still smiling. But there it is, sitting on the table like a puddle of vomit. I already know what's coming next.
"With me, of course," he says. "You know, a threesome." Then comes the kicker: "We could maybe get one of your friends."
"Why would I want to do that?" I ask. I don't even bother mquiring why he thinks one of my friends might be interested.
"Well, I would like it," he says. "And besides, you might like it, too."
I don't think so.