We all know them. Those women who fake a migraine or stay in the bathroom long enough for their husbands to fall asleep. They are masters of sex all right, masters of getting out of it. But why? According to Denise A. Donnelly, an associate professor of sociology at Georgia State University, who studies sexless marriage, an estimated 15% of married couples haven’t had sex with their spouse in the last 6 months to one year. Isn’t that strange? We live in America, the land of the free, and of hot Hollywood sex. We are a sex-craved culture. So, what’s up? It seems that even singles are affected wanting less from partners, preferring to hookup rather than to build a relationship. But interestingly, hooking up is on the decline as singles choose virtual relationships, flirting via phone or computer with no intention of meeting one another. It’s true hearts are unreliable; but are humans going through a metamorphosis, evolving into beings that don’t need intimacy? Can we really protect ourselves from the fact that someone could stop loving us, leave us (emotionally or physically) or they could die? In the Showtime series Masters of Sex, and in actuality, Bill Masters and Virginia Johnson pioneer studies in human sexuality, devoting their lives to sex research. But their real life story feels like a cautionary tale. Virginia Johnson gave up her dream of getting an education to work with Masters. She submitted to a sexual relationship with him as part of her job; and ultimately, she married him. Only to be left years later when he fell in love with someone he knew from his youth. The lesson to be learned seems evident: You can’t be left if you leave first, or if you abstain, and never show up in the first place. Sure it’s scary to connect deeply with another person; but maybe then engaging becomes worth it. Sex therapist, and author of Passionate Marriage, David Schnarch, helps partners maintain a connection during sex. Read an interview with Dr. Schnarch who says that good sex is not about elevating your heart rate; it’s about elevating your heart. Quickies, sexting, hookups and sex with your eyes closed keep us from emotionally attaching and being vulnerable. Now that’s what I call safe sex.