I think it's possible for men and women to be just friends.
I agree, throughout my life I have had lots of very close women friends.
Of course, I wanted to have sex with every one of them!
I didn't let that be known or it would have altered the friendship, which I valued. The women, I am sure never knew, (or do not currently know).
I can't speak for all men, but those who I have spoken to about it agree, more or less.
SWMBO had this old married male friend, who she spoke to nearly daily on the phone and would meet for lunch every couple of weeks. She knew his wife and they were friendly, we all did things socially together. But J and SWMBO had this long standing relationship apart from this. SWMBO was convinced that J was not into her romantically, I was certain he was.
Before I came along he was the one that would spend a Saturday moving her from apartments or would drive her to get her car serviced or help put up a Christmas tree. Once I was on the scene, I did all that, but they regularly got together. Usually when I wasn't around.
I trusted her when she said that they weren't fooling around, because he really wasn't her type and she genuinely believed he had no romantic feelings towards her, even at fantasy level.
I bit my tongue because I'm not about to limit what friends she can or cannot have and he was a nice enough guy and had known her for 25 years.
Ya know what? When we had Davy he never sent a gift, or a card, never responded to his birthday party invitations or to Christmas greetings. She hasn't had a postcard, email or phone call from him in over two years! There was no falling out. It just stopped.
I think he had this fantasy about her all of those years when she was single and depending on which jerk she was running around with (me or the others) he kept his distance, but stayed "friends."
But now that she has a committed relationship and a Child, I think he has given up and went away. She is sad and bitter about it, embarrassed that maybe his "true feelings" were less honorable and lurking beneath his friendliness through the years.
I think sex is always there at some level in a male/female relationship. I just don't think it's a bad thing. It's just an element of attraction to another person and is a stone in the foundation of friendship.
I want to have sex with all of you! Well, one at a time...maybe two...
David C