Oscar Wilde was seated next to an elegant lady at a dinner party. The conversation became animated and contesting, and Wilde asked the women if she would go to bed with him for one million pounds.
The woman was flustered, but upon consideration said Yes, she probably would.
Wilde then asked if she would go to bed with him for five shillings.
The woman exclaimed indignantly, “Of course not! What kind of woman do you think I am?”
Wilde replied: “We’ve already established that, madam. Now we’re just haggling over the price.”
Lesson 1: If you’re a prostitute, your price doesn’t matter fundamentally. Once the principle goes, that’s it.
Lesson 2: On the other hand, there’s an honor in one’s sexual favors being worth a million. One must have something special and be something special to the person willing to pay.
Lesson 3: If one is going to be a prostitute, a million goes a long way to covering the psychological costs.
I’m reminded of the 1993 movie Indecent Proposal, with Robert Redford, Demi Moore, and Woody Harrelson, which explores those issues as well as effects on third-parties involved.