The lady with the extravagant makeup and well-endowed upper torso, partially covered by her fur coat, invites her guest with a come-hither stare to enter her room.
"How much in euros?" he asks.
"Fifty," replies Sylvie without a moment's hesitation.
Several weeks before the Jan. 1 entry of the single European currency into general circulation, Sylvie and other prostitutes working the streets of the Saint-Denis quarter of Paris have already adapted their trade to the new money.
"The girls worked it out together," she said.
"Fifty euros -- that makes 328 francs, 28 francs more than we charge now. We weren't about to convert to two figures beyond the comma [decimal point]," snaps her colleague.
"We're not shopkeepers. We're not peanut vendors."
Fifty euros equals 327.979 francs.
On Rue Blondel, where men in suits loiter outside sleazy bars that line the street, none of the prostitutes complains about the proposed conversion rate.
"Prices haven't gone up in 10 years. So we have no problem with rounding up our fees," said one woman.
But on Rue Saint-Denis, in territory worked by the most experienced prostitutes, concern is expressed about the new prices. In this part of town, bargaining starts at 200 francs, or 30.49 euros.
"We're going to try to get it up to 35 euros but if the client balks we'll come back down to 30," said one 60-year-old -- "20 years in the business."
Some clients, regulars for the most part, prefer to pay with euro checks made out to the last cent. But they are rare.
The euro was officially adopted by 11 members of the EU on Jan. 1, 1999 and since then has been available for use in the form of checks and credit card payments.
Greece joined the zone this year, and on Jan. 1, 2002, euro notes and coins -- cash -- will begin to be accepted as legal tender in the 12 states. At present most customers pay for their pleasure with French franc bills, with the sex workers shunning coins.
Coins are seen as "a sort of devaluation," according to Frederic Labich, an official with an association working for the re-integration into society of people in financial or other difficulties.
"The girls love round numbers. It provides them with banknotes, which are easy to hide," he said.
Security is another big worry, with many women fearing they will be "ripped off" by the euro.
Associations working with prostitutes have stepped up information campaigns, putting up posters about the euro.
"We also have artificial bills to get them used to the euro," said David Malaquin of the group Aux captifs, la liberation (freedom for the captives). "The French women may still be a bit uncomfortable, the foreigners are already used to dealing with other currencies."
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