Married Man, Bored, Seeks Sex Kitten

It's flirtation that can make someone feel validated if they're unhappy in their marriage.

IF YOU WANT it, it's out there -- even if you have a spousal impediment. The Toronto based Ashley Madison Agency (www.ashleymadison.com), which uses the come-on "When Monogamy Becomes Monotony," is one of the more specialized entries in the Internet dating category. Developed exclusively for people who want to have extra-marital affairs, the site hosts around 60,000 profiles from members across Canada. Company founder Darren Morgenstern, who bears a disconcerting resemblance to Tom Cruise circa Magnolia, says the site also gets traffic from spouses who suspect their partners are getting some on the side.

"We didn't invent philandering," he says, citing statistics suggesting half of all married North Americans are unfaithful. "We're not of the mind to glorify it, either. It's a need in the market that we're trying to fill. Our customers don't even have to meet each other -- it's flirtation that can make someone feel validated if they're unhappy in their marriage. And you can be whoever you want -- younger, happier, fitter."

Although membership skews heavily toward men (about 90 per cent), Morgenstern plans a series of paperback romance novels to lure female users. They'll go on sale on the site and on Amazon.ca before the end of the year. For Morgenstern, marketing to the female sensibility is paramount: Ashley Madison, a name that recalls the jodhpurs, deep tan and dangly earrings of a Jackie Collins character, is a fiction meant to intrigue women. The same goes for the novel's lead character. "She's hip, brash and sassy," he says. "She's like the Sex and the City girls, only classier." And if she happens to get married, that won't mean she'll stop fantasizing -- or more.

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