Secret liaisons, designers shopping trips and expenses-paid beauty treatments are all perks of the job for Zena , a year-old-beautician from Manchester. My date and I picked a quiet corner so we could talk and he ordered a bottle of champagne as usual, while I did a quick camera phone check on my make-up. Even after a year, I still got a thrill each time I saw him and loved getting dressed up for a night somewhere different, somewhere special.
The other two were not my type. That was never my intention. I am a working mum of two children, now eight and four, with two beauty businesses of my own which had already earnt me a fair amount of financial success. But I was β am - ambitious for more. A financial leg up from an attentive, successful man was appealing.
It was a conversation with a school mum in the playground that gave me the idea. I was asking her about her love life, when she leaned in close and explained the real reason for the shiny designer handbag draped across her shoulder: she was a sugar baby. I was less interested in the fancy handbags or Michelin-star dinners β although, admittedly, they were a lovely perk β but more about the prospect of cash injections and advice to push my businesses forward.
One night, when the kids were fast asleep in bed, I registered with the website, www. After the first two disaster dates, I found John and was immediately drawn to his profile picture. He was 6ft with slick silver hair, and a banker. We chatted via the website and he seemed genuinely interested to hear about my life, never boasting about himself or his money.
I was nervous even after spending the best part of the day making myself look immaculate - getting a blow dry and stiletto nails. At the end of the evening, when the waiter came with the bill, I offered to pay half and he was offended.
