(The Frisky) -- I am officially, unofficially implementing a new rule for coupled people everywhere: please, if you are spoken for, you must mention it within five minutes of having a flirty conversation with me.

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I am forever meeting men in social situations (I'm sure ladies do this too, so feel free to chime in, guys) who will sit and talk to me for 15 minutes, a half hour, sometimes even longer, will go so far as to get my number or give me theirs and wait until the very last second that we're saying goodbye to inform me that they are in a relationship or even married.

On occasion, these guys have neglected to mention said girlfriend/fiancée/wife until our first -- of what I believed to be -- date! Come on now, people! Not cool.

Out of respect for me, the single woman who wants to meet an available, unattached man, and your significant other at home, have the decency to let me make the right choice. Let me walk away (or at least keep the conversation on the innocent, friendlier side) after five minutes when I find out you have a wife and two kids waiting for you at home.

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A conversation with someone outside of your relationship is not considered cheating and it certainly doesn't hurt anyone; however, there is a general assumption that if you are getting into a long, intense, flirtatious conversation with someone of the opposite sex, you are assessing them as potential dating material.

All I am asking is for you to be above board and tell me about your fiancée before we start making eyes at each other. This ensures that I will be nothing but appropriate and I'll expect the same in return from you.

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We can even be friends. Nothing wrong with that. I just want to know your Significant Other exists. And I'm sure your SO would want me to know she exists too.

What do you think your partner at home would think of watching our two-hour flirt fest without the merest mention of her name? It's not right and you know it.

You have five minutes to do the decent thing. The time starts now.

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