Missed another good thread. Lot's of good info above though that I can agree with. However, as I often tend to do, I'd like to point out that there can be a middle ground to some views.
For instance, I gave up mountain biking when I blew out my knee but I still enjoy a bit of suspension, even for pavement. Bare in mind though that here, pavement is rarely smooth and often covered in a frequent pebbles and small stones. Also, I'm betting that there are probably some really nice unpaved, but extremely well maintained, to the point of nearly flat, off-pavement trails around your area if you check around.
The disadvantage, as I can't see where anyone explained it yet for you, is that with suspension if you are pumping hard to go fast or maybe get up a hill, that some of the downward pressure you put into the peddle is lost in pushing down the suspension instead of going into torque. This is mostly minor though, depending how soft the suspension is. Admittedly, it can be nagging if working Really hard to climb a hill.
The front only suspension on my Opus hybrid is tune-able. You can make it hard and able to peddle more efficiently on pavement or you can soften it up if I go on some rougher stuff. Honestly, I mostly tend to just leave it at mediocre and run with it.
On another note, the disadvantage of the hybrid tire with thin solid band around the tire causing slippage in certain conditions can be overcome by deflating the tire down to a softer air pressure, allowing the knobs on the side to take more hold.
It's not perfect and depending how low you go, a less pressurized tire will be more tiresome to peddle on the pavement but doing this allows your hybrid to be exactly that, a hybrid. It's not meant to be great at going fast or insane trails but it does allow you the choice of a bit of both worlds.
For you, who has expressed that you will be paved surface only, I agree that you really don't need suspension. Might as well get as much out of your cadence as possible. Just don't test drive one with suspension or you may get addicted to the smoother ride.
On the other hand, test drive as many bikes as you can. Comfort is key or you won't want to ride it and it will gather dust. Used is a great way to go. Unlike a car, it's pretty easy to tell if a bike is in good working conditions. And remember, if you love a certain bike but the seat is killing you, you can easily replace the seat.
