HOUSTON -- Imagine your boss asking you to date a company client. It may sound over the top, but a Houston-area woman said she was not only told to date clients, but to take their money as well -- all in the name of love, the KPRC Local 2 Troubleshooters reported Friday.

People look for love in a variety of places -- online, in nightclubs, in the gym and more.

Paul went in search of a soul mate at a local dating service.

"I was just looking to find someone with an outgoing personality, a good heart," he said. "I figured you would get what you paid for."

He paid nearly $4,000, but said he only got dates with staff members.

"A lot of the ladies said they were almost being treated as escorts," Paul said.

On four occasions, Paul said the company set him up for dinner and drinks at a local restaurant. But he soon discovered that the lady sitting across from him was actually an employee of the service.

"It made me feel, I guess, a little dirty," Paul said.

The Local 2 Troubleshooters interviewed a former employee of Houston Dating Services. The woman, who did not want to be identified, left because she claimed she was forced to go out with clients.

"I couldn't stay there and do it," she said.

The final straw was when she ran into a so-called date in the company hallway.

"He was livid. I was ashamed," she said.

Dan Parsons, with the Houston-area Better Business Bureau, has heard the allegations before. He has received more than 200 complaints on Houston Dating Services in the past year.

"That's bad. That is unethical. That's wrong," Parsons said. "You're one step away from prostitution. You're paying money for dates."

None of the dating services the Troubleshooters contacted would comment on camera.

But Paul is optimistic about other dating companies.

"There are probably some small ones, probably some matchmakers that are truly exclusive, who are truly picking and putting people together," Paul said.

Paul has moved onto another local service -- one he's happy with, so far.

According to the BBB, most of the other complaints they have received regarding local dating companies involve unfair billing practices and running credit checks without a person's knowledge.

All of the dating companies Local 2 contacted stressed that company employees are never encouraged to date clients. But if they do, they said that the company always tells the client upfront that the person he is dating is an employee.