The Professionals

Last week I was having a much long overdue conversation with a good friend who is a retired writer for a big network about writing.  I am terribly honored and grateful to have this friend, who believes in me and my work.  We were discussing the former play and the subject turned to the oldest profession and his idea came in the form of a character for the play.  My response, 'her name is Sally.'
I like to call them "The Professionals."  Now, they vary in services and terminology, but ultimately, there is a form of dating going on and sometimes what they are looking for is a little less love and a little more tangible, economically.  When I did the interviews for the Dating Pool, one of our subjects was a former escort.  'Sally' was also a former dancer, in the non-ballerina kind of dancing but more pole persuasion.  And while she implied that she did not actually exchange money for more intimate aspects of her company, she would be a rare spot in that business.
So in her participation, we got some extra insight into the world of professional dating.  Which leads me to a great article that I just saw on The Good Men Project about the 'sugar-daddy syndrome.' A much more formalized approach to the pay to play world of escorts and more of an ongoing relationship.  Sugar Daddy & Sugar Baby Blog, Seeking Arrangement all getting some mainstream attention to this type of "dating".   Are these a more carved out explanation of arrangements for a relationship, including financial compensation, or is this the oldest profession in another disguise? 
It doesn't help me as a writer to offer judgements about people about "what they're doing."  Instead, I think that these are all a part of a very human experience in this life.   There are many reasons people do things.  It's better for me to put myself in someone else's shoes than offer reasons why in my morality, something is right or wrong.  I believe I come to a greater understanding of humanity that way.