In theory one should never mix up work and romance, but in reality most people meet their partner at work and huge nos of flings go on. Where I work no one is bothered about liaisons between colleagues who are peers, and various men where I work have married former clients. It is quite easy for me to approach my peers because I just ask them in a friendly colleague way (nothing ever happens and I ask myself whether they refuse because they have just not got the hint because I was too indirect, they are working all the time, they don't like me even as a friend, or they don't fancy me). But I think their attitude might be different if I as a woman started seeing clients. There is one client whom I quite like but whom I would never want to lose as a client because he is so good at his job and sends me great work. So, I am just being friendly to him and last time we spoke, happy new year, how were the holidays chat, I said we must have lunch some time, and he agreed in a friendly way, however, this does not mean anything beyond work. But there is another client who, frankly, sends me not very good work and I would not mind losing him as a client, although he works with my friend. Both of them call me often and are friendly and praise my work, but I genuinely do not know if this is appreciation exclusively for my brain, and nothing more. What is the discreet way to proceed with these two possibilities?