One of the better ways to do it. Friendship into romance is a fun transition to make, but can get weird. Jumping from a. (acquaintance) to c. (uh... classy dinner?) avoids baggage, and can seem a lot less... disingenuous than pretending like the feelings are there while you 'must' work your way through b (besties).
And... ? Either they're good at what they do or everyone's getting what they deserve, which is less about gender views and more about people and hormones.They really just pick up random girls off the street.
Or, you know, prostitution.