Holding Hands

So, the debate continues on. Can men and women JUST be friends? A certain significant other of a certain sibling on mine insists that men have two types of girl friends... ones they've fucked and ones they have not fucked yet.
I think that perhaps he has a point. Time and time again I am convinced that ALL men think that they are, regardless of shape, size, looks, age, or employment status, the most desirable creatures in the universe and all women will, at some time, want to drop trau for them.
Take for instance a situation I was privy to on a recent outing with a group of friends.
I witnessed a reunion of two old friends, one a man the other a woman. They chatted for a bit and it was obvious that they were faint acquaintances. As the evening progressed the man reached out and caressed the womans' hand, to which the woman looked a bit taken aback and then completely shocked and uncomfortable as the man went further and began to hold her hand.
The woman laughed nervously and on several occasions found some way to remove her hand from the clammy clasp of her predator only to have him pursue the hand holding with greater determination. Hell, I felt uncomfortable for the poor gal!
How the evening ended for these two reunited souls, we will never know, but it does add fodder to fire of the "friend" debate.
What is a girl to do when faced with an aggressive pursuer to whom one does not wish to seem rude? Should she have jerked her hand away and shouted "what the fuck?"
I kinda wish she would have because it would have been a lot more fun!
What goes through a mans' mind when he knows a girl IS just his friend, has a boyfriend, and has in no way given any indication that she wants to fuck him, let alone hold his greasy paw?
Perhaps men and women cannot just be friends or, perhaps its just men who have the issue with delineation between friendship and fucking.