Bryan, 26

How long have you been in DC?
Two years. I'm in the military. I was stationed in California before that. 

Is it hard to meet women while in the military? Or easier because you have the uniform?
I'm not usually in uniform when I'm out and about. So I have to use my own swagger. 

Do you think military men make good boyfriends?
Well, the military is so diverse. I'm a laid-back guy, but the next one you meet might be crazy. If women are looking for stability and are willing to travel, it's a steady paycheck.

What's your philosophy on dating?
I put my whole heart in everything. So if I'm going to date, I'm going to do everything in my power to make the relationship work. Being in the military makes it hard to maintain that. I deploy a lot. Not necessarily to the sandbox, but I do deploy a lot, and it's hard to give her what she needs when I'm doing my thing.

What was your best experience with a girl?
I was deployed to Singapore. My friends and I had just gotten off the boat, and we went to a bar where some girl caught my eye. I started talking to her — I'm pretty proactive about that — and when you're on vacation, you sort of cut loose. I don't want to say I pulled her, but it was pretty easy to hook up. We went back to the hotel and had a pretty good night. But when I woke up, she was gone.

Any terrible experiences?
I was in Guam, and I was pretty drunk. My friends decided to play a prank on me and they hired a cross-dresser, a really, really good-looking cross-dresser. I started talking to her and I was drunk, but I wasn't that drunk. So I kept noticing her height and the deeper voice and the Adam's apple. It didn't really go anywhere, but if it had, that would have been a bad night.

 

Jessica, 28

Would bad style get in the way of your attraction to somebody?
Definitely. I have dated people who were a little preppier, and I've tried to tweak their style. I can't force you to get a tattoo, but I can try to get you to burn your polo shirts. 

What type of guy are you attracted to?
The rock-'n-roll tattooed bad boy. They're limited in DC. At the same time, I'm also getting a little sick of that. They're not as bad as they think they are. And sometimes they're bad in terms of the way they treat women.

Any crazy ex-boyfriends in your past?
Oh yes. One who was very verbally abusive when he was drunk, and he was a raging alcoholic. Endless phone calls, threats to put up a video that we made on the internet. I had to put a block on my phone and my email.

Was the video sexy?
It was just a blowjob video.

But were you doing a good job?
Of course! I always do a good job. 

Any tips you'd like to share with women who need help in that department?
I feel like it's an innate skill and you've either got it or you don't. I guess I can only say that practice makes perfect. 

Any sexual pet peeves?
Excessive talking. Dirty talk's okay, but with the last guy I dated, there was a lot of "Oh baby, oh baby." When they're trying to be romantic like, "It's all for you!" then it's... no. Another guy I was with a few years ago kept saying I was a good girl. That was pretty creepy. 

Do you have advice for the men in DC?
Lighten up! But unfortunately, they have the market cornered. There are so few straight, good-looking men in this city.

Maybe you should be addressing men outside of DC.
Please, other men, come from Philly, come from Brooklyn. Get down here. There are a lot of women who are desperate for somebody who is not conservative and doesn't work in finance and isn't just another button-down-shirt type of guy.

 

Mr. Mink, 28

Are you single?
I'm in an open relationship. 

How did you two meet?
She was a receptionist in the tattoo shop I was working in. But that shop closed and now she works at a strip club.

How did you arrive at an open relationship?
That was the deal right away. I've slept with some of her friends, she's slept with some of my friends. We've slept with some of our friends together.

And how do you make it work?
Both people have to understand exactly what it entails. Someone may enter into an open relationship with another person just because they want to be with that other person, but then they get jealous and it doesn't work. It's important to sit down and talk.

Do you have a favorite memory together?
We went to a burn together in Delaware and it was the first time she'd ever done anything like that. It's like Burning Man. It's a gifting community. It's not for profit. Everything's for trade, for free love. Basically it's hippies who like electronic music. 

Does she ever dance for you or is she too tired after work?
No, she doesn't dance for me. I don't like strip clubs. I think the girls are brilliant for doing it because sure, take those guys' money, they're idiots. I think it's a smart job even though there's a lot of stigma attached to it. But it's not really a turn-on for me. 

Have you had any disastrous sexual experiences?
There's been the occasional time when I don't perform. It happens! Like girls say, "It happens to all guys." But it does, unfortunately. I hope so at least, because it's happened to me. 

That's not really disastrous.
It is in my mind!