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9. “I always went with the most powerful force governing my life at the time,” says Dauphine. What
are the powerful forces governing Dauphine’s life when we first meet her? How do they affect her
life? By the end of the book, how have those forces shifted?
10. The first time Dauphine sees Cassie at Ignatius’s, Cassie gets Mark Drury’s phone number with an
ease and confidence that impresses both of them. Have you ever seen a similar example in your
life, when someone pulled something off that you couldn’t dream of doing? When Cassie then
visits Dauphine at the Funky Monkey, how does she establish trust?
11. Before Dauphine decides to tell Cassie that she is interested in pursuing S.E.C.R.E.T., she asks
her why she thinks fulfilling wild sex fantasies will fix everything. Cassie explains that it won’t
fix everything but that it will create a “cascade effect” in her life. Do you agree that this is how
change can occur? Is there any one thing you would like to change that might create a similar
cascade effect in your own life?
12. When Dauphine meets the S.E.C.R.E.T. committee at the Mansion, she makes a list of rules for
herself from which she won’t budge: no flying, no lights on, nothing to do with beaches and no
water. She breaks every one of her rules. What rules would you have if you were to take the
S.E.C.R.E.T. Steps? Which ones might you consider breaking under the right circumstances?
13. What surprised you about Dauphine handing her completely empty fantasy folder over to the
Committee, telling them, “surprise me”?
14. Cassie has Mark’s phone number yet she hesitates to call him. What holds her back? Do you think
there remains a general perception that women shouldn’t call men? Why? Or why not?
15. Both Cassie and Dauphine hesitate before joining S.E.C.R.E.T. But Mark’s reaction to being
recruited into S.E.C.R.E.T. is different. According to Cassie it “required no preamble … no
psychic obstacles, [or] social conditioning to fight against; [it] didn’t cause him to question
everything he was taught about his role in society or his sexuality.” Do you think when it comes to
men, women and sex, that there is still a double standard?
16. During Mark’s training with Angela, Matilda explains that making a woman feel desirable is the
greatest aphrodisiac. Is that true for you? Angela instructs Mark to smolder, not smile, to take his
time but not to be too deliberate and to maintain eye contact. Would you find this sexy? Are there
are behaviors you would like a man to exhibit to make you feel desirable? What do you make of
Mark’s training session? What would you have done differently? What did you agree with?
17. In Buenos Aires, Dauphine trusts her instincts when she meets Pierre Castille and refuses to take
the Step with him. What was it about him or that situation that made her feel unsafe? Do you have
a reflex that allows you to protect yourself when you feel unsafe?
18. The theme of sexual rebirth is prevalent throughout the book. In addition to her fantasies,
particularly the first one where she is submerged in a river, what are some other firsts in the book
for Dauphine? What about Cassie?