Today I received a phone call from a man looking for an escort. This is actually the third time this has happened in recent months, but the first time that I actually took the call and didn’t just laugh at a voicemail.

It was very confusing. The guy told me he was interested in my “services,” to which I replied that he had the wrong number. He asked if he’d dialed the digits he meant to, which he had. That was my phone number. He then asked if he’d reached Electrolicious, which of course he had. I have a business license under the name Electrolicious (makes it easier to file my taxes for my freelance work, bla bla bla), and I made the mistake of listing my cell number as my business number. I’ve gotten telemarketer calls for Electrolicious, but never someone looking for an Electrolicious escort.

Once we’d determined that he’d reached Electrolicious and that this was indeed my phone number, he wouldn’t give up. “I’m really interested in your services!” he insisted.

“Dude, I’m a copywriter,” I said.

“Ooh,” he replied flirtatiously. “You mean you read books and stuff?”

I was like, “No. I write business copy for companies and websites.”

He was like, “Are you suuuuure?”

I was like, “Yes, I’m sure. In fact, where did you get this number?” He said he’d found it in the phone book. WTF? My number isn’t in the phone book.

Then asked if he could give me his cell number, so that I could perhaps call him back “later.” You know, later. At that point, I got sick of playing and just said NO and hung up.

Now, however, I’m sort of confused. How is my number and business name somehow being circulated as an escort service? And why couldn’t this guy take no for an answer? It’s like he thought I was playing some escort role-playing game where-in I pretend to be an irritated dotcom worker dismissing him on the phone. Is that game fun or sexy in any way? WTF?!