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archershipsSo, a couple of weeks ago ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
eruv posted an article about this Objectivist pimp and his $2000/hr fiancé.
eris_devotee, one of the commenters on the article, said that she had been an escort earlier in her life. Unlike most of the sex workers I've read about, she found her experiences in the industry to be quite positive. She answered a bunch of questions about her career, and she has kindly agreed to allow me to repost them here. The first question is eruv's--the rest are mine.
Did you ever think about killing your customers?
I never thought about killing my customers, but peep show lingerie model stripper clientele (and experiences) are drastically different than my own. I was more of a paid mistress, with a small and well-developed client base. I started off working for someone else who ran a very exclusive agency, and then I went off on my own.
My clients were generally close to Europe, in their 50s, in banking or law professors or the like. They liked that I was smart, they liked to be told they were sexy to a much younger "alternative/hip" chick. They would bring me the playbills from the theatre (to prove to me they supported the arts) and they would look through my CDs with wide smiles.
When I worked for myself, it was out of my own place, and I always had good gin, homemade cookies, and cable with all the sports channels. I love men. And smart, powerful men in their 50s who wanted to adore me, and pay me well, because I told them things I really meant and had fun sex...
I had a few clients, in the beginning, who were less than gracious. They were usually young hot guys who wanted to be abusive but had to play nice with their prudish trophy girlfriends. One of those I walked out on, and the other got the message from the pressure of my teeth.
I knew from the beginning that I had to set the tone for myself, and had to create rules I would always play by. Never allowing myself to be demeaned in any way was rule #1. Fortunately, most men actually love women.
What measures did you take to avoid getting "stung" by a vice cop?
Avoiding a bust isn't so difficult for escorts, at least in Chicago, mostly because the vice cops have a greater public nuisance with streetwalkers.
More than that, though, there is a vetting process that weeds out not just cops, but losers, assholes & wannabes, too. There are escorts willing to deal with men who want to remain anonymoys. I was not one of those types. Among other things, a client had to call from a landline that registered back to the name and address he provided. As well, I would only take cash from repeat clients. All other clients paid via credit card, and needed to show me a driver's license and needed to sign the pay slip.
There are other things, too, but I wouldn't want to screw it up for other girls by giving away our secrets.
How did you find your clients?
Finding clients is a no-brainer. They find you. At first, I had an ad in the adult services section of the Chicago Reader, and then it was the internet. For instance, on AOL -- if you put "escort" into the profession slot in your profile, you'll get IMs the second you log on.
I trusted my instincts about people, and I never accepted clients who tweaked me in any way. I was very very discerning, and I also wouldn't accept repeat business from clients I didn't like.
How did you protect yourself from the possiblity that a client would become violent?
For security, I had a body guard/driver. He was armed, and would bust down the door at any sign of trouble. Plus, I have a fair amount of self-defense training (daddy is a marine, started me on judo at age 4) and I always carry mace.
But -- the thing is, when dealing with clients who passed the vetting process I had established, the only way it was going to get violent is if I won the serial-killer lottery.
Are there any books that you think accurately reflect the life of an escort who likes the work?
I haven't read much whore lit, mostly because you don't get book contracts unless you hated it or are repenting.
I'd imagine that there might be a temptation to lie to your client (to make them feel that you loved them, exaggerate their attractiveness) in order to earn more money.
First and foremost, a call girl's job is to make her client feel good. That's her JOB. Some clients just wanted company, believe it or not, and the sex was almost what they felt they had to do so as not to come off as weird.
My hourly rate was set, so it was never about making more money. I suppose there is a way to angle for tips, but I can't fake it (and I never had to -- I had a big O every time).
If I couldn't geniunely like a client, I wouldn't see him twice. I made my guys feel sexy, cared about, powerful, attractive... because it is always my goal to be the best at what I do. (and yeah, I also care about the, erm, technical aspects, but it helps that I love giving head).
How much did you earn/week? How many hours/week did it take?
When I started, I worked for someone else. I was paid $500, and I kept 1/2. 30% went to my manager and 20% went to my bodyguard/driver. I took one appointment.day Mon-Fri, for a total of $1250/week cash. My expenses, which were mostly grooming related, ran about $125/wk.
When I went off on my own, I took 3 appointments/wk at $400/hr, and after expenses (including ads) my take was about 850/wk cash.
I worked a lot less than many girls, but it was my policy to never see more than one client in one day.
What surprised you about the work?
That there is nothing dark or sleazy about it at all. It's (a) a business and (b) more like being a therapist than a stripper. Most of my clients were nerdy, over 40, and married. They just wanted to be told by a pretty young thing that they were a hottie in bed. They just wanted the girl they couldn't get in high school. And they treated me really really well. I only have 1 negative experience out of about a thousand, and I walked out on that fella.
Assuming you're out of the business, why did you leave?
9-11. The bottom dropped out of the market for almost 6 months. Everyone felt too guilty to spend money on sex, and they were at home with their wives and kids. At that time, my design business started taking off, and my husband and I thought about starting a family. So I went off the pill and stopped escorting.
What advice do you wish you have been given when you started out?
I don't have any regrets, so I really don't know how to answer this question. My experiences were all pretty good. I would tell someone else to always respect herself -- that being a whore doesn't mean you've already given that away.
How did you decide to get into the business?
As soon as I knew what a call girl was, I knew I wanted to be one. The actual decision to go forward with my desire is because I have lupus. My education is comp sci/accounting, and I spent the early 90s freelancing on a per-project basis, as my main goals were performance/art-related. The hours got to be too much for me, and I was trying to find a way to keep my income. After researching the going rate for call girls, this accountant didn't need any more convincing.
How did decide which escort agency to work for? What sort of training did they provide?
I flipped through the Yellow Pages. A full page ad in the Chicago Yellow (at that time) was around $50k. My thinking was that any agency that could afford such an ad was well-established and professional (which ended up being mostly true). I called about 10 different places, and went with the one I got the best vibe from. He wanted college girl types and made it clear that his clients were married professionals who required discretion -- meaning don't show up at their door looking like a hobag. Don't even show up looking like a naughty secretary as the cliché is not only tired, it's a giveaway. Show up looking like a co-ed (of a selective liberal arts college). Wear sexy/girly, not trashy, lingerie. Only wear designer shoes. Always paint your toes. Keep it well-trimmed, but not bald. Smell fresh & clean. Smile & laugh a lot. Flirt. Find something to honestly compliment him about -- his eyes, his teeth, even -- anything that you can say and really mean it. Find his work interesting and then divert his attention to fun. Never ever ever talk about clients to other clients, even in general terms.
But the most important training was this: You are being paid for your time with no implied promises of anything else. That's not just legal discretion, that's how it works when you are working with a good agency. I didn't have to do anything I didn't want to do. I was told from the beginning that walking out on a client wouldn't be held against me. I did it only once, and the ass ended up blacklisted with all the agencies that cooperate with each other (spread the word about stings, borrow girls for special events like private poker matches).
There's a... hierarchy. Where a girl ranks doesn't just determine how much she makes, but how much choice she has in what goes down in an appointment.
What are the advantages of working outcall vs. incall? Why did you ultimately decide to work incall?
I hated outcall. The greater Chicagoland area is huge, and many clients are from the suburbs. You don't have to be too far out from the city before it takes an hour in each direction. Incall just didn't give me more time... I'm a control freak. I like to set a scene, and when it's my place it's my rules. I made it lush and comfy. I had a well stocked bar and all the sports channels.
How often did a typical client see you?
I had a few genuine regulars with set appointments - 2 that were weekly and a few more that were monthly. Everyone else was random, partially because they saw other girls. I would say about 1/2 of the clientele used escorts at least monthly.
Since you worked incall, how did you plan to respond if an angry wife, or a nasty client tried to harass you at home?
Wives don't hunt down hos. Girlfriends make wives angry, sure, but wives are usually more upset about the man having spent the money. It's almost a relief to wives, because a call girl means it really is "just sex".
All that said, I have really good aim (thanks, again, to my Marine-turned-cop step-dad).
Did your neighbor's ever cause you any trouble? If so, how did you handle it?
Never a problem.
What determines your place in the hierarchy?
Repeat business. The more a girl was asked back by men she's already seen, the greater her value to any agency.
How often did you work with other women (like at poker parties and such)? What sorts of conflicts (if any) did the women have with each other?
I did work like this often, because I was the head-ho-in-charge. I organized most of the parties. I did a number of "2 girl" dates, but my specialty was married couples. Girls wouldn't have any open conflicts - we were all in it together. Sometimes girls who were social together might have some personal drama, but if I knew that was happening I wouldn't schedule them to work together.
What percentage of the women do you think liked the work overall vs. those who found it aversive?
Most of the women I worked with liked it, and the only thing bad was knowing how other people would think of you if they knew. Which is why I tell everyone. I am the face and voice of a proud unrepenting whore, because the only real dangers of the job would disappear if it were legal. I'd say about 20% hated it, 30% didn't mind, and the rest of us thought it was a swell way to earn our keep.
Did you ever consider starting your own agency? How much do you think the agency was making?
Admitting to prostitution is a misdemeanor. Owning an agency gets the IRS interested. And that's my answer to this question.
What do you think the median income of your clients was?
Median, in this case, is difficult to estimate, as I have no idea what the ceiling was. But, if I were to assess their cars, clothing & careers, I'd put the "mode" at the 100k mark.
Did you know anyone who got "stung"? If so, were they convicted? If so, was it because they did something dumb, or is it just a hazard of the job?
It's just a job hazard. It happens. Sometimes it's stupidity and sometimes it is unavoidable. Unfortunately, a conviction is considered a "sex crime" in most states, and will bar a person from working with children, adopting or fostering, etc.
Did you ever do related work (adult , film/modeling, etc.)? What do you think of that kind of work?
I've done modeling and live action, but that was with friends and very, erm... "art porn", so it was awesome.
Did you ever run into one of your clients outside of the context of your job? How did they react?
It's happened a few times. Usually, I give them a little smile to set them at ease and let them know I won't blow their cover (but that it wold be ok if they said "hello"). I've been introduced as a boss's daughter, the sister of a college roommate, etc.
How did you get paid? In cash? Did the clients pay up front? Or after each session?
Clients paid up front. Cash only from repeat business (but a repeat could be on referral from another agency or independent). Otherwise it was credit card. When I worked for an agency, the cash/credit would usually balance out so that I would keep the cash and the agency's take would be about the credit card tally (and we'd even up when it wasn't).
How do most working girls handle taxes? Do you they report their earnings from sex work as income? If so, how do they report it?
Most of that depends upon the agency a girl works for and whether or not she'll end up with a 10-99. And we're entertainers, dontcha know?
Did you date during this time? How did your SO handle your work?
I was dating and then married during that time (and still am married to the same person). We're both pragmatists, and he never blinked an eye at either my desire to be a call girl, or my actually being one.
How did you handle friends and relatives who asked you what you did for a living?
My family assumed I was still freelancing. Everyone else knew the truth. I've never been ashamed. In fact, just the opposite -- I was good at it and I am proud of that. I feel I provided a necessary social service and got paid according to my skills and the market.
Why did you limit yourself to one client a day? How many clients did a typical girl see per day?.
2 showers a day is enough for me. I'm not naturally a girl who likes to primp and fuss and put on makeup and do my hair, so the prep would wear me out some days. And not showering in between clients is just fucking rude, in my opinion. I mean, c'mon-- nasty, right?
I would say most girls saw 10 clients/week, and the busiest saw twice that.
How did you find your driver?
When I worked for the agency, one was assigned to me. When I worked from home, a friend would camp out at the coffee shop across the street. He had keys and would come in when the hour was up unless I called him (never needed, though -- so he made $50/hr to drink coffee).
Speaking of hygiene, what precautions did you take to avoid pregnancy/STD's?
I am a condom connoisseur. Some clients would offer more money to play without one, but I never accepted and that was a really really big deal at my agency. If a girl was known to be having unprotected sex with her partner, she'd get put on notice and possibly fired. Keeping the girls and the clients free from disease is a really big important deal, because it would spread around so quickly as to destroy both the supply and the demand.
I also had norplant at the time, to make absolute certain that I wouldn't get pregnant.
Did you make your clients shower beforehand?
The sort of men I saw were the sorts to understand good grooming habits. I know some girls complained about some stuff, but I like a natural human smell (not BO, of course, but sweat doesn't scare me away and I'm not a fan of cologne).
How much turnover is there in the business?
With girls? Oh, lots. Some girls decide they don't like lying to their families & friends. And it's not a forever sort of job under any circumstances. I mean, I am speaking directly to being able to work for a top agency, and being one of the better paid girls. Youth is fleeting, and financially rewarding.
What percentage of women start out working for agencies, and then go freelance?
Lots of girls try to go it on their own, but the flaky factor is very high. Unfortunately, many girls try to start off on their own by stealing clients from the agency (undercutting the prices, too). It's not the stone ages, so no one will get hurt or anything, but a gal who does that will not only get blacklisted, she'll lose all rank (meaning the only agencies who would work with her are ones who are less discriminatory about their girls and their clients... meaning fetish stuff, kink, and a generally more "dirty girl" feel -- think pay-by-the-hour motels. not rough trade, but definitely edging into the demeaning category)
What did you think of your agents personally? Would you work for them again?
I loved my manager. He was a really great guy. When he found out I could program and that I understood the internet, he let me take over that part of the business and let me keep all I earned in return. He bought us girls birthday presents, and took us out to the city's most swank restaurants. It wasn't about sex for him because he was a flaming queen. After a 15 year battle with HIV, he died of leukemia in 2004.
How did the agency handle women who were flaky, had drug/alchol problems, etc?
Again -- that's part of the "hierarchy". If you are a flake, you get kicked down the ladder (and make less money and see a less polished clientele). Part of who gets what is because wealthy powerful men have something to lose, and they go to certain agencies and pay a premium for guaranteed discretion. It's a common enough adage -- wealthy men don't pay women to have sex, they pay them to go home and forget their names.
eruv posted an article about this Objectivist pimp and his $2000/hr fiancé. eris_devotee, one of the commenters on the article, said that she had been an escort earlier in her life. Unlike most of the sex workers I've read about, she found her experiences in the industry to be quite positive. She answered a bunch of questions about her career, and she has kindly agreed to allow me to repost them here. The first question is eruv's--the rest are mine. Did you ever think about killing your customers?
I never thought about killing my customers, but peep show lingerie model stripper clientele (and experiences) are drastically different than my own. I was more of a paid mistress, with a small and well-developed client base. I started off working for someone else who ran a very exclusive agency, and then I went off on my own.
My clients were generally close to Europe, in their 50s, in banking or law professors or the like. They liked that I was smart, they liked to be told they were sexy to a much younger "alternative/hip" chick. They would bring me the playbills from the theatre (to prove to me they supported the arts) and they would look through my CDs with wide smiles.
When I worked for myself, it was out of my own place, and I always had good gin, homemade cookies, and cable with all the sports channels. I love men. And smart, powerful men in their 50s who wanted to adore me, and pay me well, because I told them things I really meant and had fun sex...
I had a few clients, in the beginning, who were less than gracious. They were usually young hot guys who wanted to be abusive but had to play nice with their prudish trophy girlfriends. One of those I walked out on, and the other got the message from the pressure of my teeth.
I knew from the beginning that I had to set the tone for myself, and had to create rules I would always play by. Never allowing myself to be demeaned in any way was rule #1. Fortunately, most men actually love women.
What measures did you take to avoid getting "stung" by a vice cop?
Avoiding a bust isn't so difficult for escorts, at least in Chicago, mostly because the vice cops have a greater public nuisance with streetwalkers.
More than that, though, there is a vetting process that weeds out not just cops, but losers, assholes & wannabes, too. There are escorts willing to deal with men who want to remain anonymoys. I was not one of those types. Among other things, a client had to call from a landline that registered back to the name and address he provided. As well, I would only take cash from repeat clients. All other clients paid via credit card, and needed to show me a driver's license and needed to sign the pay slip.
There are other things, too, but I wouldn't want to screw it up for other girls by giving away our secrets.
How did you find your clients?
Finding clients is a no-brainer. They find you. At first, I had an ad in the adult services section of the Chicago Reader, and then it was the internet. For instance, on AOL -- if you put "escort" into the profession slot in your profile, you'll get IMs the second you log on.
I trusted my instincts about people, and I never accepted clients who tweaked me in any way. I was very very discerning, and I also wouldn't accept repeat business from clients I didn't like.
How did you protect yourself from the possiblity that a client would become violent?
For security, I had a body guard/driver. He was armed, and would bust down the door at any sign of trouble. Plus, I have a fair amount of self-defense training (daddy is a marine, started me on judo at age 4) and I always carry mace.
But -- the thing is, when dealing with clients who passed the vetting process I had established, the only way it was going to get violent is if I won the serial-killer lottery.
Are there any books that you think accurately reflect the life of an escort who likes the work?
I haven't read much whore lit, mostly because you don't get book contracts unless you hated it or are repenting.
I'd imagine that there might be a temptation to lie to your client (to make them feel that you loved them, exaggerate their attractiveness) in order to earn more money.
First and foremost, a call girl's job is to make her client feel good. That's her JOB. Some clients just wanted company, believe it or not, and the sex was almost what they felt they had to do so as not to come off as weird.
My hourly rate was set, so it was never about making more money. I suppose there is a way to angle for tips, but I can't fake it (and I never had to -- I had a big O every time).
If I couldn't geniunely like a client, I wouldn't see him twice. I made my guys feel sexy, cared about, powerful, attractive... because it is always my goal to be the best at what I do. (and yeah, I also care about the, erm, technical aspects, but it helps that I love giving head).
How much did you earn/week? How many hours/week did it take?
When I started, I worked for someone else. I was paid $500, and I kept 1/2. 30% went to my manager and 20% went to my bodyguard/driver. I took one appointment.day Mon-Fri, for a total of $1250/week cash. My expenses, which were mostly grooming related, ran about $125/wk.
When I went off on my own, I took 3 appointments/wk at $400/hr, and after expenses (including ads) my take was about 850/wk cash.
I worked a lot less than many girls, but it was my policy to never see more than one client in one day.
What surprised you about the work?
That there is nothing dark or sleazy about it at all. It's (a) a business and (b) more like being a therapist than a stripper. Most of my clients were nerdy, over 40, and married. They just wanted to be told by a pretty young thing that they were a hottie in bed. They just wanted the girl they couldn't get in high school. And they treated me really really well. I only have 1 negative experience out of about a thousand, and I walked out on that fella.
Assuming you're out of the business, why did you leave?
9-11. The bottom dropped out of the market for almost 6 months. Everyone felt too guilty to spend money on sex, and they were at home with their wives and kids. At that time, my design business started taking off, and my husband and I thought about starting a family. So I went off the pill and stopped escorting.
What advice do you wish you have been given when you started out?
I don't have any regrets, so I really don't know how to answer this question. My experiences were all pretty good. I would tell someone else to always respect herself -- that being a whore doesn't mean you've already given that away.
How did you decide to get into the business?
As soon as I knew what a call girl was, I knew I wanted to be one. The actual decision to go forward with my desire is because I have lupus. My education is comp sci/accounting, and I spent the early 90s freelancing on a per-project basis, as my main goals were performance/art-related. The hours got to be too much for me, and I was trying to find a way to keep my income. After researching the going rate for call girls, this accountant didn't need any more convincing.
How did decide which escort agency to work for? What sort of training did they provide?
I flipped through the Yellow Pages. A full page ad in the Chicago Yellow (at that time) was around $50k. My thinking was that any agency that could afford such an ad was well-established and professional (which ended up being mostly true). I called about 10 different places, and went with the one I got the best vibe from. He wanted college girl types and made it clear that his clients were married professionals who required discretion -- meaning don't show up at their door looking like a hobag. Don't even show up looking like a naughty secretary as the cliché is not only tired, it's a giveaway. Show up looking like a co-ed (of a selective liberal arts college). Wear sexy/girly, not trashy, lingerie. Only wear designer shoes. Always paint your toes. Keep it well-trimmed, but not bald. Smell fresh & clean. Smile & laugh a lot. Flirt. Find something to honestly compliment him about -- his eyes, his teeth, even -- anything that you can say and really mean it. Find his work interesting and then divert his attention to fun. Never ever ever talk about clients to other clients, even in general terms.
But the most important training was this: You are being paid for your time with no implied promises of anything else. That's not just legal discretion, that's how it works when you are working with a good agency. I didn't have to do anything I didn't want to do. I was told from the beginning that walking out on a client wouldn't be held against me. I did it only once, and the ass ended up blacklisted with all the agencies that cooperate with each other (spread the word about stings, borrow girls for special events like private poker matches).
There's a... hierarchy. Where a girl ranks doesn't just determine how much she makes, but how much choice she has in what goes down in an appointment.
What are the advantages of working outcall vs. incall? Why did you ultimately decide to work incall?
I hated outcall. The greater Chicagoland area is huge, and many clients are from the suburbs. You don't have to be too far out from the city before it takes an hour in each direction. Incall just didn't give me more time... I'm a control freak. I like to set a scene, and when it's my place it's my rules. I made it lush and comfy. I had a well stocked bar and all the sports channels.
How often did a typical client see you?
I had a few genuine regulars with set appointments - 2 that were weekly and a few more that were monthly. Everyone else was random, partially because they saw other girls. I would say about 1/2 of the clientele used escorts at least monthly.
Since you worked incall, how did you plan to respond if an angry wife, or a nasty client tried to harass you at home?
Wives don't hunt down hos. Girlfriends make wives angry, sure, but wives are usually more upset about the man having spent the money. It's almost a relief to wives, because a call girl means it really is "just sex".
All that said, I have really good aim (thanks, again, to my Marine-turned-cop step-dad).
Did your neighbor's ever cause you any trouble? If so, how did you handle it?
Never a problem.
What determines your place in the hierarchy?
Repeat business. The more a girl was asked back by men she's already seen, the greater her value to any agency.
How often did you work with other women (like at poker parties and such)? What sorts of conflicts (if any) did the women have with each other?
I did work like this often, because I was the head-ho-in-charge. I organized most of the parties. I did a number of "2 girl" dates, but my specialty was married couples. Girls wouldn't have any open conflicts - we were all in it together. Sometimes girls who were social together might have some personal drama, but if I knew that was happening I wouldn't schedule them to work together.
What percentage of the women do you think liked the work overall vs. those who found it aversive?
Most of the women I worked with liked it, and the only thing bad was knowing how other people would think of you if they knew. Which is why I tell everyone. I am the face and voice of a proud unrepenting whore, because the only real dangers of the job would disappear if it were legal. I'd say about 20% hated it, 30% didn't mind, and the rest of us thought it was a swell way to earn our keep.
Did you ever consider starting your own agency? How much do you think the agency was making?
Admitting to prostitution is a misdemeanor. Owning an agency gets the IRS interested. And that's my answer to this question.
What do you think the median income of your clients was?
Median, in this case, is difficult to estimate, as I have no idea what the ceiling was. But, if I were to assess their cars, clothing & careers, I'd put the "mode" at the 100k mark.
Did you know anyone who got "stung"? If so, were they convicted? If so, was it because they did something dumb, or is it just a hazard of the job?
It's just a job hazard. It happens. Sometimes it's stupidity and sometimes it is unavoidable. Unfortunately, a conviction is considered a "sex crime" in most states, and will bar a person from working with children, adopting or fostering, etc.
Did you ever do related work (adult , film/modeling, etc.)? What do you think of that kind of work?
I've done modeling and live action, but that was with friends and very, erm... "art porn", so it was awesome.
Did you ever run into one of your clients outside of the context of your job? How did they react?
It's happened a few times. Usually, I give them a little smile to set them at ease and let them know I won't blow their cover (but that it wold be ok if they said "hello"). I've been introduced as a boss's daughter, the sister of a college roommate, etc.
How did you get paid? In cash? Did the clients pay up front? Or after each session?
Clients paid up front. Cash only from repeat business (but a repeat could be on referral from another agency or independent). Otherwise it was credit card. When I worked for an agency, the cash/credit would usually balance out so that I would keep the cash and the agency's take would be about the credit card tally (and we'd even up when it wasn't).
How do most working girls handle taxes? Do you they report their earnings from sex work as income? If so, how do they report it?
Most of that depends upon the agency a girl works for and whether or not she'll end up with a 10-99. And we're entertainers, dontcha know?
Did you date during this time? How did your SO handle your work?
I was dating and then married during that time (and still am married to the same person). We're both pragmatists, and he never blinked an eye at either my desire to be a call girl, or my actually being one.
How did you handle friends and relatives who asked you what you did for a living?
My family assumed I was still freelancing. Everyone else knew the truth. I've never been ashamed. In fact, just the opposite -- I was good at it and I am proud of that. I feel I provided a necessary social service and got paid according to my skills and the market.
Why did you limit yourself to one client a day? How many clients did a typical girl see per day?.
2 showers a day is enough for me. I'm not naturally a girl who likes to primp and fuss and put on makeup and do my hair, so the prep would wear me out some days. And not showering in between clients is just fucking rude, in my opinion. I mean, c'mon-- nasty, right?
I would say most girls saw 10 clients/week, and the busiest saw twice that.
How did you find your driver?
When I worked for the agency, one was assigned to me. When I worked from home, a friend would camp out at the coffee shop across the street. He had keys and would come in when the hour was up unless I called him (never needed, though -- so he made $50/hr to drink coffee).
Speaking of hygiene, what precautions did you take to avoid pregnancy/STD's?
I am a condom connoisseur. Some clients would offer more money to play without one, but I never accepted and that was a really really big deal at my agency. If a girl was known to be having unprotected sex with her partner, she'd get put on notice and possibly fired. Keeping the girls and the clients free from disease is a really big important deal, because it would spread around so quickly as to destroy both the supply and the demand.
I also had norplant at the time, to make absolute certain that I wouldn't get pregnant.
Did you make your clients shower beforehand?
The sort of men I saw were the sorts to understand good grooming habits. I know some girls complained about some stuff, but I like a natural human smell (not BO, of course, but sweat doesn't scare me away and I'm not a fan of cologne).
How much turnover is there in the business?
With girls? Oh, lots. Some girls decide they don't like lying to their families & friends. And it's not a forever sort of job under any circumstances. I mean, I am speaking directly to being able to work for a top agency, and being one of the better paid girls. Youth is fleeting, and financially rewarding.
What percentage of women start out working for agencies, and then go freelance?
Lots of girls try to go it on their own, but the flaky factor is very high. Unfortunately, many girls try to start off on their own by stealing clients from the agency (undercutting the prices, too). It's not the stone ages, so no one will get hurt or anything, but a gal who does that will not only get blacklisted, she'll lose all rank (meaning the only agencies who would work with her are ones who are less discriminatory about their girls and their clients... meaning fetish stuff, kink, and a generally more "dirty girl" feel -- think pay-by-the-hour motels. not rough trade, but definitely edging into the demeaning category)
What did you think of your agents personally? Would you work for them again?
I loved my manager. He was a really great guy. When he found out I could program and that I understood the internet, he let me take over that part of the business and let me keep all I earned in return. He bought us girls birthday presents, and took us out to the city's most swank restaurants. It wasn't about sex for him because he was a flaming queen. After a 15 year battle with HIV, he died of leukemia in 2004.
How did the agency handle women who were flaky, had drug/alchol problems, etc?
Again -- that's part of the "hierarchy". If you are a flake, you get kicked down the ladder (and make less money and see a less polished clientele). Part of who gets what is because wealthy powerful men have something to lose, and they go to certain agencies and pay a premium for guaranteed discretion. It's a common enough adage -- wealthy men don't pay women to have sex, they pay them to go home and forget their names.
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Date: 2007-04-06 02:23 pm (UTC)meaning fetish stuff, kink, and a generally more "dirty girl" feel -- think pay-by-the-hour motels. not rough trade, but definitely edging into the demeaning category
I'm not sure why fetish and kink is demeaning.
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Date: 2007-04-06 02:38 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-04-06 03:02 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-04-06 03:10 pm (UTC)I meant the specific kink where the point is to be demeaning to the girl, because the book by the LJ author which was referenced was this sort of sex work and might be why she was jaded enough to desire killing her clients.
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Date: 2007-04-06 03:36 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-04-06 04:41 pm (UTC)Now that she is older, Nina Hartley does more fetish videos because young is still the cultural idea of beauty.
Fetish
Date: 2007-04-13 09:14 pm (UTC)Re: Fetish
Date: 2007-04-13 11:29 pm (UTC)Yes, some people have fetishes that I think are gross. Just say no, nicely, the same way you'd say no to anyone who wants you to do something you're rather not do. Some people think spanking is gross. Whatever.
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Date: 2007-04-06 03:32 pm (UTC)She may be right that wives don't care much about hookers as a relationship threat. However, a wife who wants a profitable divorce, would regard a bank statement of payment to a prostitute as extremely useful.
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Date: 2007-04-06 03:37 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-04-06 03:46 pm (UTC)$500 charge to "Exclusive Services Limited" written off as a business expense?
Not much to prove there. Even if you look up ESL and find that it's an escort service, perfectly legitimate businesspeople hire escorts not only for themselves, but for business associates and clients. Every now and again an escort will be hired to greet guests at an exclusive event, hang on a businessman's arm in front of clients, etc. Obviously ESL is a fake name but there are hundreds of discreet billing names out there.
My question would be, "How often did you get a client who hired you to work without any sex?"
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Date: 2007-04-06 04:58 pm (UTC)Seriously, a bank record gives an basis to ask, under oath, whether sex occurred in relation to that payment. At this point the husband has to perjure himself, or go on record as a man who frequents prostitutes. Moral rules are much slacker than they used to be; but I think there are still social and business consequences to that kind of reputation.
In a custody dispute, having proof one's husband consorted with prostitutes, is probably very helpful.
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Date: 2007-04-06 05:13 pm (UTC)Perhaps, what you don't consider, is both the power of libido and ego.
Do men get busted -- they sure do. But mistresses get them busted far far more often (and they also cost money)... I wasn't about to call him at home, y'know...
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Date: 2007-04-06 07:15 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-04-06 04:14 pm (UTC)Fascinating! What a phenomenal interview she gives.
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Date: 2007-04-06 06:58 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-04-07 03:46 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-04-08 08:55 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-04-08 09:41 pm (UTC)What I should have said is that once above, say, 200K, I have no real way of assessing how much anyone is earning/worth without really looking into it, so I can't really estimate how many are say, above 250K. That is the ceiling to which I refer -- my ability to quantify above and below, in order to determine where the middle is (and not the ceiling of the highest salary)...
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Date: 2007-04-10 06:43 am (UTC)Unfortunately for my previous comment I did misunderstand what you meant by ceiling.
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Date: 2007-04-06 07:27 pm (UTC)What measures did you take to avoid getting "stung" by a vice cop?
You know, I can't say how it is in Chicago or NY or any of the cities big enough to actually have dedicated vice teams, but I am learning that most police work is complaint-related. If you dont' do something to draw attention to yourself to the point where someone complains about you (like a lot of traffic in and out of a residence by loud people who piss off your neighbors) the cops are never going to bother you. I'm sure there are escort services even in a town this size, but so long as nobody complains, cops just *don't care*. They're too busy with "real" crime to care.
Wives don't hunt down hos. Girlfriends make wives angry, sure, but wives are usually more upset about the man having spent the money. It's almost a relief to wives, because a call girl means it really is "just sex".
I could totally see this. I have often said that if I should soemday decide I am comfortable with the idea of John having sex with someone else, it would be paid professionals, under my direction. Because I don't have the slightest feelings of insecurity about him paying a pro for sex, whereas I would have concerns about emotional attachments if it was some random chick we picked up in town.
This chick sounds like a smart one who looked at it from a straight business perspective and thus did well with it. I'm told you can make good money if you're not spending it on drugs, and if you're careful about the tax man.
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Date: 2007-04-13 11:34 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-04-13 11:37 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-04-09 01:04 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-04-06 11:31 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-04-15 06:49 am (UTC)book
Date: 2007-04-17 04:18 am (UTC)