Can Men and Women Just Be Friends? Let's See What Sam Says...

by Tawny

I am so happy to welcome a great author and a good friend to the Lair. I remember reading Samantha Hunter's debut book, VIRTUALLY PERFECT. I loved that book! And then, after I'd sold to Blaze and got to know her, I loved Sam :-) Samantha is not only a great writer, a 2009 RITA finalist and a fun gal - she's one of those people whose always there to help out, offer advice or support. I was so lucky to work with her on the DRESSED TO THRILL series, and will get to have just as much fun soon when we work on a 24 Hours: Blackout series together. And now she's here with us to chat about whether or not men and women can be JUST friends.

Check it out...

Can Men and Women Just Be Friends?

I love friends-to-lovers romance, so much so that I have written two in a row, my current release, MAKE YOUR MOVE, and my upcoming Christmas Blaze, I'LL BE YOURS FOR CHRISTMAS. I was watching NCIS the other night, my current obsession, and the characters were having the age-old debate: can men and women just be friends, with no sexual overtones or temptations at all?

My personal feeling about it is yes, they can. Absolutely. My husband has female friends and colleagues, and I have male friends whom we have known for ever, some from before we met, and it's never been an issue.

However, of the people I know who have suffered adultery in their marriages (and this includes me, from my first marriage), it was usually with a friend of their spouse, or a common friend. So. . .it does start to make you wonder.

I know the opposite is true with my husband and myself -- we were never friends, we were lovers from the start, and once, when we almost broke up, and I mentioned staying friends, one of the best things he ever said to me was "no, we could never just be friends." (Makes my heart go pitter pat to think of it -- and this was way before Spike ever said the same on Buffy, though we do love that speech). In MAKE YOUR MOVE, while Jodie and Dan have been friends for a long time, the truth is that they have always been more than that, and it just takes some time to realize it.

When men and women are attracted to each other as friends, is there really more riding under the surface, but they just have the self-control to ignore it? Can women and men view each other completely without any thought about sex at all, or is there always some kind of sexual tension between the sexes, no matter what? Have you ever had a sexy friend, or a friend who mistook your friendship for something else?

What do you think? Share your thoughts, and I'll pick a winner tonight to receive a copy of my March '10 Blazing Bedtime Stories and my new book, MAKE YOUR MOVE, along with a bookmark and a designer chocolate bar.