This interview was originally published in The Dark Highlander excerpt booklet printed by Bantam Dell in 2002

Want to know what the hero of THE DARK HIGHLANDER really thinks about romance, sex and love? We asked renowned author and sex therapist Tracey Cox to sit down with Dageus MacKeltar. Cox not only posed questions to our sultry leading man, but also evaluated him from a professional perspective to see what—and how much—he knows about women. Quite a lot, as it turns out... His answers alone may make most
women swoon.

TC: Why are bad boys so good in bed?

Dageus: Och, that's an easy answer, lass. With me, a woman can be as bad as she wants to be, because no matter how bad she is—I'm worse. And if she wishes, she can blame it all on me, I doona mind. Women have long been held to rules of conduct that are contrary to their nature. I celebrate a woman's nature, every facet of it. There is only one rule in my bed—there are no rules. Anything a woman wants. Anything at all.

TC: And therein, Dageus, lies part of your tremendous appeal. The freedom to let our hair down, kick our heels up, and unleash our down-and-dirty side (because even the "nicest" girls have one). Far from judging us, you've given us official permission to let loose. I'm starting to realize why...

TC: Once a woman has been with you, she's ruined for all other men. Come, on, let us in on your secret. What do you do that other guys don't?

Dageus: 'Tis not any one thing, but a combination of many, and with each woman 'tis different. I listen to my lover, both in bed and out, to discover her deepest desires. I adore women, everything about them. I learn what pleases her, then I take control in bed. I suspect it doesn't hurt—though women are politic enough to claim size doesn't matter—that I am exceptionally well-endowed.

TC: You've hit on the two crucial ingredients of a good lover: recognizing that what worked for one woman won't necessarily work for another, and recognizing that although mouths are good for lots of things in bed, their most important function is for talking and telling each other what feels good and what doesn't.

TC: What about in reverse: what's the sexiest thing a woman had ever done for you?

Dageus: The sexiest thing a woman can do for me is let me see how much she needs me. It makes me wild to fulfill her desires. Nothing shatters my control more completely than a simple glance across a crowded room that says "get me out of here and make love to me now." I am that woman's willing slave.

TC: I wish I could make women the world over read that answer and absorb it completely. You have no idea the number of women who tell me they're too scared to appear too eager for sex in case he thinks she's a "tart" or a "bad girl" for wanting it as much as he does. The fact is our libidos are equally as high as men's are. And they always have been. I think this fact just got buried beneath the nappies and washing up.

TC: If you had to seduce a woman using just one technique, what would it be?

Dageus: Seduction begins with the promise of touch, not touch itself. The deliberate withholding of it until the moment is exquisitely right. I've been known to devote days to heightening the tension to the perfect pitch. To seduce a woman using just one thing? My mouth, I confess, for selfish reasons. I adore slow, hungry kisses, trailing them over every inch of her body. Where sex with me can sometimes be demanding, my tongue is always gentle. Relentless, but gentle.

TC: Blimey! You know all those cloning experiments that are happening at the moment? Well, I don't suppose you'd consider volunteering, would you? Just a thought... Anyway, where was I? Once again, you've managed to pinpoint the secrets to female sexuality: Tease us. Let our imaginations go into overdrive; for most women, this is the best bit of sex. Reality tends to fall far short of the expectation. You being the obvious exception, of course—and any other man who makes a concerted effort. (We're not that difficult to please, guys, really! All it takes is reading a few books and asking us what we like.)

TC: What's guaranteed to make you weak with desire?

Dageus: The sound my woman makes when I touch her. That's it, lass, roar.

TC: I agree! There's nothing sexier than making love to someone who so obviously enjoys what you're doing to them. And on that subject...

TC: What's the quickest, most effective way to give a woman an orgasm?

Dageus: Och, there are a thousand ways, but the important thing a man must remember is that with each woman, 'tis different. 'Tis my preference to be with one woman for a long time so I can discover everything about her. Och—you said the quickest? Quick and effective have no place in my bed, wench. The best is slow, and not always easy. However, I doona stop till she's been completely sated. Till she's weak and drowsing like a purring kitten in my arms.

TC: If you could give women one piece of advice on how to be irresistible to men, what would it be?

Dageus: Three words: confident, unashamed desire. Nothing turns a man on so much as a woman who knows what she wants and isn't afraid to tell him. And though I am aggressor to the bone and prefer the dominant role in bed, I find it fascinating when a woman attempts to dominate me. Given my proportions, 'tis far from easy for a lass to manage it.

TC: Hear! Hear! Women would be far better off worrying less about being seen as "easy" and more about being seen as "boring". Bravo for being one of the many men who celebrates a sexually assertive woman and doesn't find her scary. Still, it makes sense for real men to adore real women. And you are very obviously a real man. And how!

TC: While we're on the topic, why do you think women find you irresistible? Apart from the blatantly obvious, of course.

Dageus: I suspect a large part of that goes back to the bad-boy question. Women sense that they can do or be anything with me. They sense that not only will I not tolerate inhibitions, I will strip them away one by one. 'Tis not merely in bed I seduce a woman, but out of it as well, into being the woman she's always wanted to be. Women crave such freedom.

TC: You've obviously got bucketloads of charisma, and with all that sexual expertise and such an exquisite understanding of female sensuality, you'd have them queuing up around the block. Add the freedom to let go and be forced to drop all our hang-ups and most would be feeding you peeled grapes as well!

TC: What's your favorite part of a woman's body and why?

Dageus: The sleek curve of a woman's naked back where it widens into her hips. Why? I have no bloody idea. It's delicate, yet strong, intensely erotic to me. It's where I love to grip her with both hands when I drive into her. It makes my knees go weak and makes me hard. Dinner in a romantic restaurant with a woman who's wearing something backless is sheer torture for me.

TC: Yet another thing which should score you huge points: Women are used to being admired for their obvious bits (like breasts or bottoms). A man who admires our less obvious sexy parts—like the small of our back—wins every time.

TC: Which is better sex, the first night with someone you've lusted after for ages, or sex within a great, long term relationship? In other words, can love stop you from giving into the temptation and undeniable erotic appeal of a new body in your bed?

Dageus: I'm a man who has sated his every fantasy, Ms. Cox. A man who has denied himself nothing. Hence I know how empty fantasies are, a moment of physical release, nothing more. 'Tis not only a woman's body but a woman's heart that I need. I've had sex with more women than you would care for me to count...yet I've not found the woman with whom I can make love.