Mixing Business with Flirting Situation

[Marcopolo]

I got into an interesting situation online today, nothing serious, just playing around really, but I am interested what people on here would do in a similar scenario. Here is what happened-
I am a photographer as well as an artist and I have a bunch of my photographic images displayed at this online gallery site that sells prints to people over the internet. The artists and photographers can email each other and stuff onsite. I was browing some of the different artwork and I came across this one chicks artwork and I thought she was really hot in her photo, so I clicked the link to her website and a different really hot photo of her was on there, and she liked to paint some of the same kind of subjects I like to photograh, so I sent her a flirtatious email (no other way she could have interperted it), and complimented her on her work.
She sends back an email saying she is flattered and tells me how much she loves my stuff to, and how she was just out at Point Reyes(where some of my photos are from) and how much she loves it there, etc.
The twist on this is that she asked me if she could use some of my photos as a reference (which are copyrighted of course) for some of her paintings. She apparently is a well established professional painter and has some of her stuff in some top galleries in SF, LA, and elsewhere, so it isn't like a student asking me, it is business. My dilemma is that I dont' want a woman to take advantage of me becauser she knows I like her, at the same time I am not sure if I wanna play hardball because I would rather flirt with her than negotiate money stuff with her. On the price, if she just wants one time use as a reference for her paintings it is really no skin off my back, but if she wants exclusive future use, the particular images she wants are good money makers for me and I will not give them up without a hefty price and serious negotiation. So, don Juans, how would you handle this situation?

 

[Marcopolo]

For some reason it keeps kicking me out when I try to edit this thing, but I just wanted to add the she lives about 50 miles away, so it can be more of a relationship than just internet BS, which is why I contacted her in the first place.

 

[gmillar]

Well you're obviously a lot older than me, but for what it's worth I'd say meet her for coffee to talk "business" and go from there.

 

[Marcopolo]

Perhaps I can invite her to some activity next time I am in or near San Francisco, but since I live in Sacramento I cannot justify it business wise to make a special trip out there. We are talking hundreds of dollars at most, not thousands of dollars(unless she wants exclusive use) so I would not recover the expenses doing that just for a "business" meeting with her. This kind of stuff is typically done over the internet for just that reason. If I were to meet her for coffee next time I am convieniently in San Francisco, it would be after all the "business" is over and done with. I am thinking give her a fair deal and then make a move when that is all taken care of.

 

[Marcopolo]

Well I made the sale turns out she has a boyfriend of course. She didn't tell me this I got curious to see if she had a Myspace site, which she does. She had this guy and her plastered all over the photos section, saying how much she loved him, blah blah. Now this woman is beautiful, I even made the suggestion of modeling in exchange for the images(no x rated modeling for those whose mind is in the gutter, I don't do that).
It is true I like her, but I am not supplicating because she really would make an excellent model for the style of photography I have in mind. To me she looks like the archtype of my imaginary perfect woman in an artistic sense. And I would make money with her model released images, regardless if she liked me back in the romantic sense. What really surprised me about her boyfriend and is actually the reason I am writing this is that he looks like a geek. The only thing he has going for him is that he is tall, he is also skinny, long face, small chin, glasses, sorta looks like a cross between Lyle Lovitt and Bill Gates.
And I doubt he is rich either, I also checked out his page since it was at the top of hers, and apparently he is the co-ownder of an "environmental" house painting company. Sure it could be a major corporation, but I checked out their website to see and it looks like it is a two man job, they just go around painting houses, nothing wrong with that, but my point is I don't think the guy is filthy rich either. So I am left wondering if this guy just has great game, or is he an AFC that she uses while she screws other guys on the side. thoughts?

 

[tobby]

If she's a really successful painter, then the guy she's with probably has something else that she may just admire him for besides his looks. Sometimes HB's like guys that don't care about how HOT they are or she may admire his painting skill, passion, etc.

Sometimes women persue guys for security. If she's just OK, she may "upgrade" in a sense to a guy who's not rich, but doing really well so at least she has some support.

Never mind all this stuff, that was just to answer basic questions. You'll only get the answers you want when you make a move. If you ask for her number, ask her out, ... and she's avoidant or makes excuses then you know that you can leave her alone.