Nothing provokes speculation more than...

Dear Kate,

Yes, take advantage of these young men! If they want to buy you a drink who are you to argue? You are a capable, competent, self-sufficient young woman. You don't need these men to buy you drinks, its just an added perk to being a confident, out-spoken, intelligent lady.

I, myself, feel no shame accepting a drink from a young man. By doing so you are in no way leading them on, they are choosing to buy you a drink. Nothing provokes speculation more than the sight of a young woman enjoying herself. And why not invite a little speculation into your life?

Also keep in mind that its not just a one way street. Feel free to extend the same courtesy to a man once in a while. If you are chatting with a fellow, enjoying yourself, and you happen to notice is drink is dry, order one for him. You should have already taken note of what he was drinking (these things are very important), so it makes a good impression if you can order his drink correctly for him. It works the same way when he's ordering for me. Its a couple marks in the "pros" column if a man can correctly order my whiskey for me.

Enjoy yourself,
Molly