Our roving reporter got up close and personal with the still-taboo world of gay escorting as he met with escorts and agencies to find out more about selling sex in the City of London.

London is a great city and because of this it plays host to a range of businessmen (Ka-ching!) and tourists, which makes escorting all the more profitable.

The capital can be a lonely city, if someone comes over for a weekend they might want someone to accompany them to the theatre or, more likely get down and dirty under the covers. Most, but not all, clients are married men having a fling while away from their doting wives. You could say escorts are like menus. Eat what you can afford.

For one escort who (it's still a taboo subject) didn't want to be named, it begins with a phone call. We'll call him Mike. “The phone rings when I'm in the bath. It's a foreign number so I know it's business. I feel that when I receive a call, I'm playing a role, and should be awarded an Oscar for it!”

This pretence is bending to the client needs. Seldom do they want to talk politics because every second is costing them dearly.

“Because they're married men most of them want to get out of their as soon as they shoot their load. I can easily earn anything up to £300 for sucking someone off. Isn't that what most people earn in a week?”

In this line of work, safety and common sense are paramount so it's best to meet clients in a pblic place like a train station or shopping centre.

“One man I met was a bit weird but if they're using an escorting service I think they're not very stable to begin with.”

This might be true but what do clients request from 'call boys', and is it as weird as you'd presume?

“I've had to wear a leather body sock before, which was a bit strange. It's a funny when a man of 60 has to wear a cock ring because he has certain problems. I had to keep a straight face.”

Mike goes on, “I'm only human so of course I am occasionally worried, but whether I walk from a hotel room, nightclub or Winnebago, I still have a wad of cash grasped within my fist.”

Timo, the Webmaster of a popular gay escorting site, believes that escorting will always be stigmatised, although it's more lax in European countries. He also believes his escorting agency is one of the safest on the Internet as the clientele and escorts have to email across copies of their passport.

"We have a monitored feedback system and block all users that are reported for illegal activities."

Timo might say the stigma isn't as prevalent in Europe, but I beg to differ. When asked for her opinion on the matter, the owner of one agency in London said "I'm not going to answer any questions, as people just keep on dragging mine and other escorting agency's names through the mud". That woman was either suffering from an inflated state of self importance or she had something to hide.

It can be a hard nut to crack but it's an easy way to make money and there are a whole host of agencies out there, be it gay, straight or roly poly. Just make sure you are no shrinking violet and can hold a light-hearted conversation. It is, after all, better than selling windows for a living.