Hands trembling, Joanna Whiteley nervously took a sip of wine from her glass. She hoped it would calm her nerves as she waited in a bar for her first date with Steve, a thirtysomething IT consultant.
What if he was anti-social, self-obsessed or - perish the thought - unattractive in the flesh, she thought. Worse still, what if there was a mutual dislike between them?
Fortunately for her, Joanna needn't have worried. Within minutes of Steve arriving for their date, she found him to be charming, articulate and handsome. But then he should be, given that Joanna was paying £350 for his company.
The 36-year-old interior designer from Winchester, had chosen to "hire" Steve, a male escort, to accompany her to an important business ball that evening.
"I wanted to go the ball, but certainly not alone," recalls Joanna, whose marriage to a chartered accountant - with whom she has two children - ended six years ago.
"As a successful single woman, I've found social occasions difficult."
It was a conversation with a group of girlfriends that prompted Joanna to choose this controversial solution to her social quandary.
"One of my friends had read something about high-flying women hiring male escorts to chaperone them to parties and business events. We were all giggling about the idea of paying a beautiful man to grace your arm, but quietly I started to think it actually wasn't a bad idea."
Adamant she would never pay for sex, Joanna was about to give up when she happened on a website which advertised one of the few strictly non-sexual agencies - and which claimed its 1,000 or so female clients are predominantly successful career women aged 30 to 55.
Joanna's criteria for a male escort were simple enough: a man of similar age who would engage in intelligent conversation and social repartee while being convincing in his role as her "old friend".
"When he led me to the dance floor, I could almost feel the envy emanate from other women as this handsome and sporty man twirled me around.
"In the three years since her first foray into male escorts, Joanna has hired them frequently, citing her children and career as the reasons she has little interest in conventional dating practices.
She says: "I can't be bothered with dating, as it's fraught with complications, and lots of men don't like an Alpha female who concentrates as much on her business as I do.
"men - and in her lack of embarrassment that she cannot attract a man.
Cultural anthropologist Jean Smith isn't surprised by the trend for successful, well-paid women hiring male escorts.
"Men have done it for hundreds of years, and women are finally getting in on the act," she suggests.
"The trend stems from women's growing independence. They're increasingly successful in professional life, and they're now taking control of their relationships, too.
"More of them are hiring chaperones who ensure they get all the benefits of male company without having to complicate it with sex and love, or rowing over who puts the rubbish out."
Jennifer Hallam, 36, is a management consultant with a transatlantic remit, which means numerous business trips. Six weeks ago, inspired by a girlfriend who hires escorts, she paid £400 for the company of a man named James.
"I was in Newcastle on business for a few days," she says. "I've never been to the city, didn't know anyone, and the prospect of watching TV in my hotel was depressing."
Jennifer wasted little time in calling a local escort firm she found in Newcastle. Its website states that sex with the escorts is forbidden.
"James sounded perfect - 30 years old, over 6ft tall, fit and educated," Jennifer adds. "I hired him to show me the sights of the city.
"I was nervous about hiring him, of course, but only because escorting has such a seedy stigma and I would never pay for sex. That would be far too humiliating.
"But at the moment I really don't have time in my life for complicated relationships with men. Did I get a kick out of being with a gorgeous man? Of course I did. It was a lovely way to spend what would have been an otherwise dull few hours...
So there you go Lads - had enough of being a hooker with a keyboard - how about a more rewarding and exciting career as Just A Gigolo ?
What if he was anti-social, self-obsessed or - perish the thought - unattractive in the flesh, she thought. Worse still, what if there was a mutual dislike between them?
Fortunately for her, Joanna needn't have worried. Within minutes of Steve arriving for their date, she found him to be charming, articulate and handsome. But then he should be, given that Joanna was paying £350 for his company.
The 36-year-old interior designer from Winchester, had chosen to "hire" Steve, a male escort, to accompany her to an important business ball that evening.
"I wanted to go the ball, but certainly not alone," recalls Joanna, whose marriage to a chartered accountant - with whom she has two children - ended six years ago.
"As a successful single woman, I've found social occasions difficult."
It was a conversation with a group of girlfriends that prompted Joanna to choose this controversial solution to her social quandary.
"One of my friends had read something about high-flying women hiring male escorts to chaperone them to parties and business events. We were all giggling about the idea of paying a beautiful man to grace your arm, but quietly I started to think it actually wasn't a bad idea."
Adamant she would never pay for sex, Joanna was about to give up when she happened on a website which advertised one of the few strictly non-sexual agencies - and which claimed its 1,000 or so female clients are predominantly successful career women aged 30 to 55.
Joanna's criteria for a male escort were simple enough: a man of similar age who would engage in intelligent conversation and social repartee while being convincing in his role as her "old friend".
"When he led me to the dance floor, I could almost feel the envy emanate from other women as this handsome and sporty man twirled me around.
"In the three years since her first foray into male escorts, Joanna has hired them frequently, citing her children and career as the reasons she has little interest in conventional dating practices.
She says: "I can't be bothered with dating, as it's fraught with complications, and lots of men don't like an Alpha female who concentrates as much on her business as I do.
"men - and in her lack of embarrassment that she cannot attract a man.
Cultural anthropologist Jean Smith isn't surprised by the trend for successful, well-paid women hiring male escorts.
"Men have done it for hundreds of years, and women are finally getting in on the act," she suggests.
"The trend stems from women's growing independence. They're increasingly successful in professional life, and they're now taking control of their relationships, too.
"More of them are hiring chaperones who ensure they get all the benefits of male company without having to complicate it with sex and love, or rowing over who puts the rubbish out."
Jennifer Hallam, 36, is a management consultant with a transatlantic remit, which means numerous business trips. Six weeks ago, inspired by a girlfriend who hires escorts, she paid £400 for the company of a man named James.
"I was in Newcastle on business for a few days," she says. "I've never been to the city, didn't know anyone, and the prospect of watching TV in my hotel was depressing."
Jennifer wasted little time in calling a local escort firm she found in Newcastle. Its website states that sex with the escorts is forbidden.
"James sounded perfect - 30 years old, over 6ft tall, fit and educated," Jennifer adds. "I hired him to show me the sights of the city.
"I was nervous about hiring him, of course, but only because escorting has such a seedy stigma and I would never pay for sex. That would be far too humiliating.
"But at the moment I really don't have time in my life for complicated relationships with men. Did I get a kick out of being with a gorgeous man? Of course I did. It was a lovely way to spend what would have been an otherwise dull few hours...
So there you go Lads - had enough of being a hooker with a keyboard - how about a more rewarding and exciting career as Just A Gigolo ?
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