Sam and Clara from Clearwater Beach, Florida, have been together for months now. Sam first noticed Clara was lying out on the beach when she had forgotten her sun tan lotion. Sam just so happened to have sun tan lotion handy. He offered it to her and she accepted. However, they both went their own ways that day because Sam simply walked away.

“At first, I suspected he just wanted to see if he could pick me up,” admitted Clara, “but, when he made no big deal about giving me his sun tan lotion and left, I could not stop thinking about him… I offered him a Snapple the next time I saw him. Now he is actually applying the lotion.”

Sam scored big time by genuinely offering to help her. There were no strings attached to his generosity and that bought him credibility. A lesson wel learnedl.

Alfred and Tiffany found flirting bliss at a community conference on racial understanding and tolerance in Baltimore last year. They more than “tolerated” each other; they ended up flirting during the entire daylong event and have since shacked up together.

“I sent just about every sign to Alfred that I was available,” Tiffany recalls. “I dropped my pamphlets three times next to his chair before he finally wondered why this clumsy girl was sitting next him.”

We applaud Tiffany for using “clumsiness” to her flirting advantage. It can be a powerful weapon in anyone’s flirting arsenal, especially if you are keen to flirt with someone that likes to help others. The helpful types are suckers for slips, spills and flying folders.

Mary and Cole, both Georgia Tech alums, found each other at a sports bar in Atlanta, each with a large group of rowdy football friends. Cole employed the “wingman” technique whereas he had a friend lag behind him to spot any babe that might be checking him out as he made his way to the bar for a bucket of cold ones.

“Being in my early thirties,” he laughed, “I felt a little silly doing something like this involving my friend… However, I would feel worse if I was in my later thirties and was still single.”

Mary was the lucky lady that couldn’t keep her eyes off him and when they talked, they were peas of the same Georgia Tech Yellow Jacket pod (or honeycomb we should say). The rest is flirting history.

Jack and Jill went up a hill to flirt. Jack came down without a frown and Jill without her skirt (Okay, pathetic — we know).

Seriously, Jack and Jill of Andover, Maryland, meet at a company picnic last year. They were both coming off long-term relationships that left both a little cold. In addition, they each worked for the same large consulting company and Jill had no idea exactly what Jack did and he likewise.

“I didn’t’ want to ask him what area of the company he worked in,” she said, “Because I think it would put him on the spot. Rather, I asked what he would like to be doing aside from working here.”

He said he would like be skiing. A week later, at a Pocono’s Mountain Resort, Jill could not agree more.

The key for Jack and Jill was to focus on what they liked to do and not what they were doing. Keep this in mind and this flirting technique can work for you. Whether she came back without her skirt, we will never know.

Annie and Dick met each other at a suburban megachurch outside of Jackson, Miss. Both are very serious about their beliefs that people should strive to be pure, spiritual and wealthy.

Dick made masturbation signs during the old pastor’s sermon that had Annie nearly rolling on the floor with her church donation envelope. Both virgins, they were naturally awkward to the idea of flirting.

“Yes, I vowed to save myself for the right person,” joked Dick, “but I didn’t want to wait for an eternity…. I got tired of the porn sites and wanted the real thing.”

Their union would never have been possible were it not for Dick’s flirting skills. He recognized a like-minded spirit when he saw her. They were in their element and now can release all that pent up spirituality together. You go dick!

Gretchen and Bill spend each Tuesday mimicking Dancing with the Stars. They have been together for almost a year now and describe their chance encounter at a nightclub last spring, as an example of flirting done right.

“I desperately wanted to get his attention,” Gretchen recalls fondly. “But, I was with three of my girlfriends. So, I had to go off on my own and make myself available for Bill.”

She slowly drifted off to a corner by herself while her friends danced with each other. Bill agrees her strategy worked to perfection.

“Being a guy, I would not have been able to sort her out from the rest of her friends. However, when she started dancing alone, I know this was my chance.”

Availability is what worked for them. Gretchen smartly sent the right signals that she was there for the taking. Bill used his well-attuned flirting skills to swoop in for the prize.

Caleb and Muriel met at the movies in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Both were attending the matinee showing of Wedding Crashers. They are both huge Vince Vaughn fans.

“Even though the theater was nearly empty, we ended up sitting two seats apart and we couldn’t help but look at each other, laughing, when something funny happened…. Like the part where Owen Wilson…”

(Okay, saw it already. Don’t need a recap.)

Caleb and Muriel deserve credit for having the inner confidence to go the movies alone. Nowadays, it is more and more common to see singles at to the movies. Our advice is simple: Lights. Camera. Flirt!

Kathy is senior at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. She met Bob online at Myspace.com, where he would admire the scantily-clad pictures she posted of herself. He used Myspace’s search preferences to find a girl who was a little wild and liked to mix it up with others every so often.

Compounding Kathy’s parent’s worst nightmare, now Bob is in those provocative pictures on her myspace profile too!

Online services exist to help match people of like-minded habits, hobbies or sexual preferences, like Kathy and Bob. Usually such online flirting begins with an email or a request to chat.

Give it a try and maybe you could be in a Myspace profile too. But don’t loose your shirt over it (like Kathy). After all, this online thing is not for everyone—just asks Kathy’s parents.

Jennifer and Marvin are interns at a Washington, D.C. government agency. Recently, they have begun seeing each other seriously after endless lunchtime flirts at sidewalk cafes.

“What did it for me is that Jennifer was not afraid to be herself when flirting,” Marvin said. “She would tell me all about her problems at home because that is what was really bothering her. Some guys might have been put off by that. Not me.”

Jennifer appreciated Marvin for taking the time to listen. “One day I thought I went on too much about my sister and thought, oh boy… I did it again… He will never want to talk to me again. I was wrong.”

Jennifer’s honesty attracted Marvin. Marvin’s listening skills did it for Jennifer. Both traits make for great flirting as both Marvin and Jessica can attest.