Once again I found myself searching the adult ads of The Weekly Planet looking for something else to put myself through. My eyes fixated on an advertisement that read “Male Escorts Wanted” – nothing unusual by the Planet’s standards. What really drew my attention was the line, “Earn $150 to $175 an hour.”

In mere moments, the phone was firmly planted in my right hand, the number dialed. I heard sexually enticing music during the 10 or so minutes I was on hold, which furthered my interest in the position. Putting a damper on my goal was the $80 enrollment charge I would be obligated to pay before joining the online service.Rather than give up, my one-track mind led me to search the Internet for possible local openings. I soon struck gold, finding seven results. Three requested women only and the rest had many other restrictions.

The strangest request was the need for explicit photographs in what could only be described as awkward positions – sorry, not going to happen. But Adult Connect, the service I called initially, immediately set up an interview for Saturday and reviewed just a bit of the information I would need to bring with me, such as picture identification to prove that they weren’t getting ready to hire a minor.

As the door opened, the first images to catch my eye were posters of various models doing some very naughty things to one another. It was unnerving to be surrounded by such graphic art without any concept of what to expect. After what seemed like an eternity of waiting, a petite, well-dressed lady emerged from the adjoining room. She introduced herself as Heather, the hiring agent for the escort service. She asked me to take a seat and offered me water, but I was a bit too nervous to drink anything at the moment.

The question-and-answer session felt more like filling out an online dating questionnaire than an interview to essentially become a male prostitute. Very basic questions about turn-ons, desired physical attributes and personality dominated the 20-question drill. The second part of the interview included a small photo shoot. The first picture was a simple shirtless, boxers-only frontal and the other picture was a profile shot. Afterward, we talked for 15 minutes about what to expect, how the system works and, of course, the pay.

In brief, a client will approach the agency looking for an escort and sort through a book filled with pictures and the interviews to make a decision. Once a client makes their selection, the specific escort is contacted with the information involving the date. The escort is obligated to satisfy the client to the best of their ability, and no, this doesn’t necessarily mean sex. Heather also discussed the normal client, generally a Caucasian woman in her late 40s to early 50s.

The thought of “escorting” a woman of that age sent shivers down my spine. Older women are fine, and while it’s believed that with age comes wisdom and grace, I’m only 21 and not looking to warm up with a lady more than twice my age.

But then the salary was brought up and a smile crept across my face. Call me a glutton for punishment, say I lack moral values and that I should be ashamed to even consider doing such things for monetary gain, but I’m broke with a pocket full of bills.

While I left there without an idea of when my first experience would come, I gleefully await the secretive phone call.

To Be Continued-.