Music is blaring. Dancing in his own little world, Ryan Adams is making a very important decision. What shoes should he wear? The black shiny loafers or the brown boots? He is meticulously putting together his outfit for his date tonight. He must look good because this date will be the determining factor of his financial status for the entire month.

Like many young adults, Adams is struggling in this rough economy. But he has found a solution - going on dates. It may be an extreme way to rake in extra income, but for him, it works. With tonight's date, Adams may find his next sugar daddy. And he needs this date to help him get by. "I've come to rely on dates for even dinner," says Adams.

Adams, a twenty-year-old retail salesperson, collects older men like trading cards. His sugar daddies take care of his main expenses. Often, it is not difficult for him to catch a daddy. With his sparkling blue eyes, fierce attitude, and boyish good looks, he is the ideal sugar baby. He goes on dates with the main goal of seeing how much an older man is willing to spend on him.

The first sugar daddy date is always a make-it-or-break-it situation for Adams. He says he looks for signs to distinguish if the sugar daddy is worth the dating game. "I will wait and see: What car does he pick me up in? What restaurant does he take me to for dinner?" explains Adams. "I never decide things like that, he should decide. And what he chooses is kind of like saying 'how much am I worth?'"

Some of the men Adams has dated include a well-known comedian who has been featured on Comedy Central and ABC, and several real estate agents.

The stereotypical "sugar daddy" image often includes a naïve young woman dating an older male who spoils her with cars, diamonds, and clothes. But sugar daddy dating is also an established practice in the gay community, with an older male caring for his younger mate.

Adams' income fluctuates because of the line of work he is in. His retail work schedule is not always set, so some weeks he is working twenty-five hours, while others he is only working ten. But his job gives him the skills he needs to play this sugar daddy dating game. "Its like selling clothes to these people," Adams explains. "They're materialistic and impulsive- they're like impulse shoppers."

Adams also notes that he would never refer to the men he dates as sugar daddies to the men themselves because to them, it is disrespectful. Richard Aviles, who answered a Craigslist advertisement posting looking for sugar daddies, echoes the same sentiment.

"I provide for my girls, but I would not refer to myself as a sugar daddy," says Aviles, a forty-five-year-old investment broker living in San Francisco. Aviles explains that he travels a lot so he does not have time for a committed relationship, but he craves companionship. He has no family and says he likes to have the feeling that he can take care of somebody else, which he gets from his sugar daddy/sugar baby relationships. "I happen to be attracted to younger women," Aviles says. "They happen to have something I want, and I have something they need. I feel like I benefit from these relationships, and so do my girls."

Adams sees his situation as similar to Aviles. "I am very susceptible to getting involved in relationships with older men- not particularly for the "sugar daddy" aspect, but simply because I'm attracted to older men," says Ryan. "They just happen to pay as well." Adams explains that he is not a typical sugar baby. "I'm different in these sugar daddy dates," he says. "They are only dates. I will not get into a relationship. I'm not vindictive. I'm not vicious. I'm not out to hurt them."

He too is just looking for companionship, but he also is able to get something more, so he has taken advantage of the situation. "What do I get out of it?" Adams ponders. "I get to live a lifestyle out of it, at least for a minute. I get to live a life I wouldn't normally be able to afford." [X]