We've all seen Pretty Woman. On its release in 1990, the film's rags to riches tale delighted cinemagoers. It was a fairytale romance, in which a street prostitute, played by Julia Roberts, fell in love with a wealthy businessman, played by Richard Gere. In the fifteen years since it was made, the film has remained a classic chick flick but beneath the film's glossy Hollywood finish, it offers some real moral questions. In the real world, should prostitutes and escorts really mix business and pleasure?

We often hear hapless stories of men who have fallen in love with an escort or prostitute. A recent case, which occurred in Mesa, USA, saw a police officer lose his job after becoming besotted with a prostitute he met via the classifieds website, Craigslist. According to a report on local website, AZ Central, the officer had grown so fond of the prostitute ? who went by the name of Alex ? that he maintained her website and bought her cold medicine when she was ill. The officer told detectives that the pair had a boyfriend/girlfriend relationship and that he loved her. Meanwhile, Alex claimed that she felt obliged to have sex with him, as his status as a police officer would protect her from legal problems.

Despite this tale, it isn't just punters who fall for their ladies. Escorts often fall for their clients too, although the outcome usually proves problematic. If a mutually dependent relationship develops between an escort and client, they will experience a massive power shift. By failing to exchange payment for sex, the client is no longer the dominant party in the relationship. Of course, an escort or prostitute's vast sexual history can also be difficult for their new partner to deal with. Even if a boyfriend had once paid for his girlfriend's services, many men have appalling double standards. One former escort asked for advice on this issue via the LA branch of Craigslist, ?I used to be an escort, and fell in love with a client,? she begins, ?I have stopped working? However, my boyfriend can't seem to forget my past.?

Like their clients, escorts and prostitutes can also suffer from unrequited love. Some of the girls involved in the recent Kiss and Tell scandal with Manchester United footballer, Ronaldo, seemed upset that their evening of passion didn't develop into anything more. In an interview with the Sunday Mirror, one of the girls, from Mckenzies Leeds escort agency, revealed that her colleague, Hannah, was hoping for a relationship with the footballer. She said: "Hannah wouldn't leave Ronaldo - she was obsessed with him - and I don't blame her. She said she was hoping to see Ronaldo again"

In truth, many of the men who go to prostitutes or hire escorts will not commit. Most men who use escorts do so for a reason; they can offer sex with no emotional implications. As Sebastian Horsley - a writer and escort enthusiast ? admits in his article, The Brothel Creeper, "The real difference between sex for money and sex for free is that sex for money costs a lot less."

Ultimately, clients and escorts alike should remember that being an escort or prostitute is just a job. The very nature of escorting and prostitution means that there's a fine line between business and pleasure. To avoid complications, you must never forget that your time together is anything other than a professional transaction. As former escort and author, Amanda Brooks, sums up in a recent interview, "I found myself falling in love with a number of my clients ? during our time together. Once our time was over, I went about my life and they went about theirs."