男仆租赁：200美元/小时租个帅哥

在美国，你一小时花200美元，就能租到一个帅哥做你的“男仆”。这是一家中介机构的业务，他们提供“绅士出租”的服务，这些绅士不但长得帅、聪明，而且还多才多艺。很重要的一点是，根据合同规定，这些帅哥不能和客户发生性行为。

该中介机构声称旗下的男士来自各个行业，有当过足球运动员的，有职业扑克牌玩家，有国际模特，有DJ，甚至还有老师、教授和航空航天工程师。

女性可以雇佣这些男士来做几乎任何事情，他们可以帮忙整修房屋、照看小孩，也可以做婚礼陪客，或教弹钢琴。

这家机构在美国12个州都有业务，并且一开业就极受欢迎。虽然200美元一小时对于大多数人来说可能是很离谱的价格，但也有一些女士觉得这个钱花得很值。

While traditional male escort agencies have been around a while, Rent a Gent is a new offering with a twist; the men on its books are contractually obligated not to have sexual encounters with clients.

Operating in 12 states from all corners of the US and gaining fast popularity, the men on the Rent a Gent books are all deemed handsome, intelligent, and multi-talented, and you can hire them as companions for $200 an hour.

To investigate the Rent a Gent concept, 32-year-old writer Melanie Berliet, based in New York, booked Anthony; an actor and fitness instructor, for a three hour liaison. 'He was, without a doubt, a true gentleman, and a naturally amiable, well-educated guy,' she tells MailOnline.

Anthony wasn't an easy choice. Rent a Gent boasts men with a staggering range of professional offerings; from ex pro-football players to professional poker players, international models to DJ's; even teachers, professors and an aerospace engineer.

Company founder Sara Shikhman tells Miss Berliet that she has women hire men for almost every purpose; from home-improvements and babysitting to wedding plus-ones and piano lessons.

In the end, however, given the price tag, Miss Berliet opts for Anthony and doubles the date up with a one-on-one fitness session at the gym.

With a serious bout of 'anxiety-induced cottonmouth,' she met Anthony dressed in her workout gear at the New York Health & Raquet club.

In an account she penned for Thought Catalog, Miss Berliet wrote: 'I’m grateful that Anthony takes charge from the outset by guiding our conversation and instructing me where to go.

'He's done this before, I can tell, and he’s a natural conversationalist. Though I can’t seem to wipe the stupid girlish smile off my face, his presence puts me at ease.'

And Anthony's high-caliber modus operandi comes as no surprise. Of the thousands of men to audition for a coveted spot on the Rent a Gent books, only one per cent make it through the stringent screening and interview process.

Within minutes of her appointment, Miss Berliet finds herself shoulders-deep into a sweaty workout. 'Anthony is stretching me out on a mat, positioning my body with the authority of an expert, but also with the tenderness of a quasi-boyfriend,' she writes. 'In between exercises, we chat casually about our lives.'

To follow up the session - which Miss Berliet is reluctant to refer to as a 'date' - the pair enjoyed cocktails at a nearby bar.

'I was impressed,' she tells MailOnline, adding that attractive as Anthony was, it was easy not to fall too hard. 'There was an underlying flirtatious element to our interactions, but it would be a serious stretch to say that I developed any sort of a crush on the man,' she explains.

'The predetermined boundaries kept whatever connection existed between us at bay.'

When she asked Anthony just how strict the Rent a Gent no-sex rules were, he remarked that because all men sign a contract vowing not to sleep with clients, it would be 'foolish,' to do so, since 'all the power lies with the woman' to report it to his boss.

Despite anticipations of a very awkward farewell, Miss Berliet was surprised by how she felt walking away from her Rent a Gent experience.

'I feel liberated,' she writes. 'I don’t have to worry about whether he’ll text me within the next few hours, or whether he expects sex the next time I see him. Overall I feel in control, if a bit broke.'

And while the $200 per hour price tag may sound outrageous to some, Miss Berliet argues that it can actually be worth it, if you keep an open mind.

'People spend the equivalent on a host of other mood enhancing services; from therapy to impromptu shopping excursions and yoga classes,' she tells MailOnline.

'As long as you can keep your head on straight throughout and remember that the experience is not essentially romantic or designed to lead anywhere but the here and now, it's a healthy way to let loose and have a little fun.'