Sugar daddy dating sites - where young, attractive women can find themselves rich, older men who will pay for their companionship - have soared in popularity over the years.

SugarDaddyForMe, the largest network in the world, boasts 45 million users, and, according to Femail's interviews with more than 20 of its female users, enables women to earn more than $60,000 a year, as well as endless perks – and a handful of surprisingly substantial relationships with their sugar daddies.

Many of the women who use the website have a great deal in common. They were almost all 'skeptical' of the concept at first, and, while their biggest fear is still being judged by society for what they do, every single one of them insisted that there is a very clear distinction between prostitution and being paid to date a man – even when they have sex with them.

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Perks: Denise, a 30-year-old patient care manager from San Rafael, California, describes sugar daddy dating 'more as going out to dinner and spending time together than just having a sexual relationship'

Karlie is a 21-year-old stay-at-home mom from Pensacola, Florida, who traded jobs in dog grooming and selling cupcakes for sugar daddy dating, which helps her to support her kids.

If a wife is not working, is being paid and supported by her husband, and they have sex, does that make her a prostitute?

'You don't have to have sex,' insists Karlie, who bears chest tattoos which read 'loyalty' and trust'.

'Sure, they want it eventually, but only after you build a relationship and get to know them. I don't see it as being much different than being in a normal relationship with a man of more wealth than you, except you can date more than one at a time!'

Denise, a 30-year-old patient care manager from San Rafael, California, has dated four sugar daddies in the last four years.

'Many women including me do not want to start a family,' she says. 'I’d like to keep working for as long as I can and make my money while I’m still young and beautiful.'

The slim blonde describes sugar daddy dating 'more as going out to dinner and spending time together than just having a sexual relationship'. Indeed, she once dated a client for less than a month, never slept with him, and yet still managed to score two new pairs of Christian Louboutin shoes worth $2,500.

Career change: Karlie is a 21-year-old stay-at-home mom from Pensacola, Florida, who traded jobs in dog grooming and selling cupcakes for sugar daddy dating, which helps support her kids

Emma, a 24-year-old nanny earns about $1,000 a month, 'with gifts on the side', from her current sugar daddy (she's dated five overall).

'Sugar daddies don't want prostitutes,' she says. 'They really do want to get to know a woman and not just have a one night stand with just any random girl. You end up having mutual respect for one another.'

Alison, a 22-year-old cell phone rep from the Carolinas who makes 'at least $2,000 a month', says she finds it 'rather insulting' when people confuse sugar babies with prostitutes.

Karma, a 29-year-old paralegal from, Houston, Texas, agrees.

'A prostitute is about her money and time,' she says. 'She doesn't need to know your name and she sure as hell doesn't care about your day.'

Lucrative: Emma, a 24-year-old nanny, earns about $1,000 a month 'with gifts on the side' from her current squeeze, and says, 'sugar daddies don't want prostitutes'

All of the women I talked with stressed that these arrangements weren't 'hook-ups', they were ongoing relationships with wealthy men – many of whom simply don't have the time or inclination to date in the standard fashion.

One of them actually proposed on our first date

For the most part, it seems that dating the sugar daddies almost entirely for financial support, means that few of these women ever get emotionally needy or attached.

Some men are effectively buying their way out of the 'drama' that exists elsewhere.

Of course, feelings can sometimes blossom. Rachel, a 32-year-old author's assistant has only had one sugar daddy. The pair became 'attached', she says, and were both 'happy about it'.

'Honestly, I don't think it's any different than a marriage with a house wife,' Rachel explains to Daily Mail Online.

'If the wife is not working, she is being paid and supported by her husband, and of course they have sex. Does that make her a prostitute?'

Got serious: Rachel, a 32-year-old author's assistant has only had one sugar daddy. The pair became 'attached', she says, and were both 'happy about it'

Offensive: Alison, pictured left and right, is a 22-year-old cell phone rep from the Carolinas who makes 'at least $2,000 a month', and says she finds it 'rather insulting' when people confuse sugar babies with prostitutes

One sugar baby revealed that she actually plans to marry her sugar daddy; Erin Oden, a 29-year-old magician's assistant from Dallas, Texas, who has dated 50 of them, says she 'fell in love' with her first sugar daddy, and the pair are now all-but engaged.

'He doesn't know I still have other sugar daddies,' she admits, adding that she earns around $60,000 annually, 'in addition to trips, clothing, dining out and gifts'.

He began to talk about meeting my family, and about me falling in love with him. It was way too much for a first meeting

In fact, while a lot of men clearly aren't looking for serious relationships, it is quite surprising how many of the women are able to share stories about men who are.

'One of them actually proposed on our first date,' Karlie reveals. 'Needless to say I took that back route out from the bathroom.'

Karma has one such story.

'He began to talk about meeting my family, and about me falling in love with him,’ she recalls. ‘It was way too much for a first meeting. He then started to get too grabby.'

Found love: Erin Oden, a 29-year-old magician's assistant from Dallas, Texas, who has dated 50 sugar daddies, says she 'fell in love' with her first one, and the pair now plan to marry

Tracy, a stunning 22-year-old student based in the U.K., reveals to Daily Mail Online: 'One particular guy, a married man, requested I meet him in the U.S. so that he could impregnate me. He told me to look for five-bedroom houses here, which he would buy for me to live in with his child.'

Tracy, who has the looks of a Victoria's Secret model but chose not to have her photo published, says she is paid £200 ($300) per 'meet' for one day' and makes an average of £800 ($1,200) per month.

As for the horror stories, one 21-year-old student from South Bend, Indiana, who once made $700 for a single date, was dismayed when the 'man' she thought she was meeting turned out to be a woman.

Another, who sometimes makes $500 a week and sometimes that amount per month, reveals that one date actually turned out to the husband of her high school principle.

'My heart was in my toe!' she recalls.

Oops: This 21-year-old student from South Bend, Indiana, who once made $700 for a single date, was dismayed when a 'man' she thought she was meeting turned out to be a woman

Horror story: Bianca, a 21-year-old nursing student from New York, had one bad encounter with a man who locked her in a hotel room and became enraged when she wouldn't engage in 'sexual acts'

The scariest story about the sugar daddy dating world comes from Bianca, a 21-year-old nursing student from New York.

He started getting very angry. I told him I was not a prostitute, but he wouldn't take no for an answer

He started getting very angry. I told him I was not a prostitute, but he wouldn't take no for an answer

'He wanted me to meet him at a hotel for the first date,' she recalls. 'I dumbly agreed and it turned out he was just looking for sexual acts.

'He had locked the door so it wasn't easy for me to leave. As I was trying to get out, he started getting very angry. I told him I was not a prostitute, but he wouldn't take no for an answer.'

Bianca did end up getting out untouched. Despite this being her first encounter, she continued to meet men, and later found herself a string of 'amazing' dates.

Another surprising aspect of the sugar daddy dating scene is that the women don’t have to be particularly young.

Gianna Phoenix, a 43-year-old Arizona widow and mother-of-two, had her home partially purchased for her by her sugar daddy, and makes $60,000 a year from her 'allowance'.

'Have you been out there in the conventional dating scene?' she asks. 'It’s a nightmare! I've had grown men asking to borrow money from me! Dirt bags.'

More mature: Both Gianna Phoenix (left), a 43-year-old Arizona widow and mother-of-two, and Kitty (right), a 40-year-old from Portville, California, prove that sugar babies aren't always young by default

The mom, who is currently working towards a masters in medical massage, added: 'You can marry a man who provides the basics for you, while you devote your life to him, wreck your body giving him children, and he'll still cheat on you.'

Every man wants a hot chick for a toy

The 'wonderful' sugar daddies she's met, Gianna says, have 'changed her life' and that of her children.

'Every man wants a hot chick for a toy,' says Kitty, a 40-year-old from Portville, California, who makes between $400 and $600 a week.

'It depends on the daddy, and how special and grateful he wants his sugar baby to be for him,' she explains.