I've been spending the winter in Thailand for the past ten years, and also drop by when business takes me to China.

I have never married; partly because I am very independent, partly because I can't be bossed around, partly because I hate lying to women, and partly because I will never be committed to a single person.

Over the years, I have had sex with around two hundred Thai girls, at least 90% of whom were in their twenties at the time, and at least 90% of them were found in the town of Hua Hin - not a major sin city in Thailand, but one where sweet and genuine girls are easy to find.

I also have a good reputation in the town, and when new and frightened girls first arrive at a bar, I am often asked to take care of them, and to make sure that their first experiance of commercial sex (and sex with a foreigner) - is a good one.

Over the years I know I have been the second man in a girl's life on more than a few occasions, and also the third on many more - but until recently, never the first.

An old friend is a lady in the town who runs a massage shop (but strictly not a brothel - if a girl has 'boom boom' with a customer, she will be fired.)

Visiting her shop recently she invited me to try a new girl - just 19, very pretty, and an excellent masseuse - it was very agreeable.

Afterwards she took me to one side and said that one of her girls was still a virgin, and was looking to cash in her assets. This sort of approach is actually quite rare in Thailand - girls do sometimes sell their virginity, but it tends to happen in the villages, and often to settle debts to village loan sharks.

We were sitting inside the shop window, and her staff were sitting round a table outside.

"Which lady?" I asked

"You see there," she said, without pointing directly (which is rude in Thailand) "She 32 years old."

I looked and saw a shy dumpy girl with a very snub nose, a pound or two overweight.

"You sure she virgin?" I asked

"One million percent," came the reply.

"How much she want for virgin?" I said. I was really taken aback by this approach, and was thinking I needed time to mull this over.

"What you pay?"

"I don't know," I said, "How much she want?" The conversation went back and forth a few times, before I decided to pitch low and offer 20,000 baht.

"I talk her," my friend said. "Come back tomorrow."

I did, and by that time had concluded that 20,000 was too low, almost insultingly so; and had decided to raise the stakes.

The negotiations were finally settled; I would have an HIV test, and at the same time, the doctor would check her virginity.

I would pay 30,000 for her mother, 10,000 for her, and 2,000 for the boss for fixing the deal.

I was to come back at 6pm to go to the doctor. I went for a drink.

The more I thought about it, the more my feet got cold. I didn't really fancy the girl, it was probably her only asset, she would probably get fixated on me, as girls often do with their first man - it was not likely to end well.

I'm not in the habit of standing people up, but as I walked back to the massage shop I was thinking of every possible excuse to abandon ship.

I reached the shop and met the boss. "Ready?" she asked.

And then I realised, I'd been looking at the wrong girl!

Not the shy, dumpy, podgy, snub nosed girl, but a very slim petite self confident lass; the sort that has never worn make-up or jewellery because she doesn't need to, and despite being no more than 5ft tall, had the confidence not to wear heels.

Suddenly my thoughts changed completely - I DID fancy this girl, but how could a girl with such self-confidence have remained a virgin to the age of 32?

Was I being set up? The thought kept coming back to me.

At the doctor's my HIV test took about ten minutes, then the doctor wanted to know what I wanted him to do regarding the little lady. My voice dried to whisper as I asked him to check her virginity.

The door closed, and less than two minutes later I was invited back inside; he nodded nonchalantly.

Had he really checked in that time? Or had he merely asked her? The girl seemed totally relaxed and unphased about things, and there was no sign that she had undressed.

Returning to the massage shop, I arranged to come back at 10.30 to collect her. I went for another drink, and changed some money.

Returning to the shop I pondered the possibility that I was being scammed. I decided not to hand over all the cash up front - 50:50 - I thought.

But nothing was said about the money, and after a cheerful send off from her friends, we walked back to my room. I thought she'd be nervous, scared and needing reassurance; but not a bit of it.

I opened the door of my room, let her enter first, then gave her towel.

As she showered, I locked away my wallet.

- Continued soon..!