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• Sex and OUR city

(Photo provided by HBO)

Sex and the City: The Movie" hits theaters May 30. The wildly popular HBO show chronicled the lives of four professional successful, personally frustrated women in New York City. For the first time on TV, young women were portrayed more as sexual predators than prey -- using men as needed, and satisfying each other's emotional needs amid piles of overpriced shoes and handbags.

The show had a trickle-down effect on young professional women, perhaps mostly in the form of credit-card debt, but we learn best from mistakes, right? In honor of the film's release and Indy.com the magazine's sex issue, my new editor charged me with the task of offering tips to aspiring Samanthas out on the town. What follows is a dark look into the mind of a predator.

1. Relax

Clean up, but don't overthink it. Dress to flatter your form but don't spend hours worrying about it. Guys care less about your appearance than you do. Frankly, most men relax their standards to warm and breathing when it comes to meaningless sex.

2. Shoot in your range

Stay within yourself. Most hookup failures occur because people swing outside of their strike zone. You know the girl who always says she could do better? She can't; otherwise she'd be doing better instead of talking about it. Why swing for a home run and strike out when a double gets the job done?

3. Strike a balance or strike out

Make it obvious but don't be desperate. The direct approach has its benefits, but if you're too forward, you will scare away your prey. You have to communicate interest and availability without raising concerns that taking you home will result in months of crazy phone calls and rodent carcasses left on the front step.

4. He might be just 'not that into you'

Be honest with yourself. When a guy says he doesn't want a relationship, he isn't playing hard to get. If you can't handle the empty feeling that follows casual sex, don't play the game.

And remember, men are open to sexual advances anywhere at any time. See a guy you like while getting coffee at 10 a.m. on a Tuesday? You could be enjoying that afterglow cigarette before lunch. Trust me, guys will make room in their schedule for what you're offering.