On Sunday morning at 2.30am a couple hailed me in an exclusive beach side locality. The fella opened the front door for the attractive woman, wearing a denim mini skirt and travelling alone.
Before we departed he asked for a cigarette. ‘There’s some in my bedroom’, she told him, then requested I take her to Kings Cross. Given she carried a large tote bag I fixed her for a sex worker...
She asked how my shift was. ‘I’m not really into it tonight’, I replied, ‘ I should be working in the City but I’m sick of the traffic and the drunks’. ‘I couldn’t do your job’, she said, ‘carting drunks all night’. ‘Well, it’s like any job’, I explained, ‘you learn to adjust for it...what do you do ?’.
She hesitated, ‘Umm...I’m a businesswoman’. ‘Yeah, okay’, I laughed, ‘but what else ?’. ‘On the weekend I’m a dancer and an escort girl’. ‘Well, I couldn’t do your job either’, I told her, ‘just the danger of disease would be enough...’. ‘Oh no’, she interrupted, ‘I can tell a person’s hygiene just from shaking a clients hand. If I don't feel right I'll refuse them'. This was hard to believe, as bad hygiene doesn’t necessarily equate to sexual disease.
We stopped at a red light and I had a good look at her. Even in the dim light I could tell she was a true beauty with longish brunette locks framing a clean Mediterranean complexion. She was petite with good posture, her hands resting on bare tanned legs. She looked fit, in good health and presented soberly and certain in conversation.
‘How long have you been doing escort work ?’, I asked. ‘About a year’. ‘How old are you ?’. ‘Thirty six’. This surprised me as I’d assumed she was much younger. ‘How come you started escort work so late ?’. ‘Previously I was married for eight years’, she explained, ‘and only got into after that. Now I work hard through the week and on the weekends I work for pleasure’. It appeared she had it all worked out.
She freely revealed the sex was more than just a job, it was a real desire for her. ‘If I couldn’t participate fully with a client I wouldn’t be doing it. I only ever have sex at work, never in my private life. It makes me a better worker’. Whilst this sounded truly professional, I was still puzzled.
‘But what about your partner back there ?’, I asked. ‘Nah, that’s my brother. I tried girls and other guys but decided it was best to save myself for escort work. It’s weird though, when I was married I would never have believed I could have sex just for money. And I guess I still can’t, which is why I enjoy escort work so much. That’s why clients always ask for me’. I wanted to question her further but we’d reached Kings Cross and run out of time.
Earlier in the evening I’d chatted with a former madam at a top class Sydney parlour. She insisted that the best girls could earn $1000 per client, their cut from a $2200 job, from memory.
I thought about this watching my passenger disappear through the late night throng. Many were beautiful young women on a Saturday night clubbing binge of alcohol, drugs, dancing and hopefully finding a match to complete the night. But they weren’t earning $1000 for pleasure. Though I suspect few would choose to, even after a failed marriage.
I couldn't do her job either Adrian. "45 seconds of sheer bliss" doesn't look so hot on your business card does it? I'd have to charge a massive hourly rate just to pay my weekly beer bill!
Posted by: Gibbo | December 04, 2006 at 08:22 AM
When I was managing a motel up north, I had a woman who regularly booked in twice a month. She travelled up from Brisbane through to the north and back monthly. On her first stay she said she was in the sales/marketing side of the hospitality industry...(not far from the truth as it turned out). After a while, I became suspicious and as is my way, I decided to ask her upfront was she a 'working girl', to which she humbly apologised, saying, she had wanted to tell me the truth and intended doing so, because I had been nice to her throughout her visits and she didn't like her lie.
She was an attractive, articulate Philippine woman in her early forties, always well-dressed, driving a brand new car. I asked her why she chose to do what she did. Her reply was she had two teenage children she was putting through school and university and until she had successfully done that, she would continue plying her trade and then would give up. I asked if her children knew what she did and she said "No." I also asked how she coped with her job. She told me she was quite discerning with whom she dallied with and she insisted her clients showered before sex and she carried with her a multitude of deodorants, perfumes, men's colognes etc. My housekeepers told me her room was always immaculate and in the bathroom there were rows of colognes etc. We talked at length...but I, myself, still find it difficult to understand women who go to these lengths...but each to their own, I guess.
I had a few experiences with 'working girls' booking in but found a way to stop it as I really didn't want the motel used that way...one of my reasons being I felt it was a danger to my housekeepers. I told them, my house girls, to be careful when cleaning their rooms when stripping the beds and cleaning out the waste bins...never to just plunge their hands in, in case there were used syringes...to always use rubber gloves and to wash immediately afterwards with Dettol. Around 2am one morning the 'night bell' went off, so I threw on a robe and went down stairs to the reception. Three girls stood there and I immediately knew what they did to earn their money...so I told them I only had one room left and put them in that...thinking that would dampen their actions! Later that morning, they came to the reception...one was booking out and the other two wanted to stay...taking separate rooms. I asked them straight out if they were 'working girls' and they, to their credit, admitted that they were. I said pleasantly to them that I would prefer it if they went elsewhere, which they did. I knew from my actions the 'bush telegraph/tomtoms' would go full beat and the word would pass around to other girls...and after that I didn't have any further 'problems',
I've said before I'm not a prude, but I didn't want the motel, when I was managing it, to become a hookers' hangout...I saw some of the men patrons and each time I saw them come and go...it angered me so it was better that I put a stop to it...and I did.
Posted by: Lee | December 04, 2006 at 09:27 AM
Did you get her card????
Posted by: Anthony | December 04, 2006 at 09:40 AM
No, Anthony...I had no use for it!
Posted by: Lee | December 04, 2006 at 11:17 AM
Adrian, what an interesting post! Personally I don't know if I could do this job. Of course, I am a married 36 year old Mother of three. That's not to say I couldn't. I am fit, attractive and don't look my age either. It's just the whole idea of "just the sex for money" bit and being married.
What I find interesting is how she was honest about it. Outlined what she did and wasn't ashamed to admit it. To her it simply is a business and she treats it that way.
I cannot imagine how much money she must make!
Again, love the blog.
Posted by: Sheri | December 04, 2006 at 11:49 AM
Here in Canberra the industry is reasonably well regulated - with almost 30 percent of the workers university students. This fact may reflect the high cost of tertiary education these days! I believe the the strongest minds prosper - and those workers that don't have a strong emotional handle on themselves are the ones that end up coming out of the industry worse off...
Posted by: AG Canberra | December 04, 2006 at 02:34 PM
Lee, I meant did Adrian get her card. Anyway I was joking.
I used to live in St Kilda in the early 90s. Very handy spot - about 2 mins walk to Acland St. From my first floor window I had a nightly close-up of the goings-on in the street. Quite an eye-opener. The most often-repeated phrase was "I can't do it for less than 70". The girls would even have to say this to men driving Rolls Royces. And there were a lot of very expensive vehicles cruising.
I met a few of the girls - often I'd be parking my car and they'd jump straight in. "Umm, I live here," I'd say. They were invariably apologetic, but it was no biggie. All of them were junkies of course, and a couple of girls were found murdered in my street. I guess they were doing it for less than 70.
Posted by: Anthony | December 04, 2006 at 02:54 PM
Oh! Sorry, Anthony...so was I...being female, I wasn't interested! The junkies were my concern, too...hence my warnings to my housekeepers and my want of ridding the motel of their clientele and operations. I could envisage far too many problems.
Posted by: Lee | December 04, 2006 at 03:06 PM
I know that this has been going on forever, "the oldest profession", but when I read this story it just made me feel sad. We live in such a wealthy and well educated country, but there are still many dark corners of the big city that we don't see.
Once again, Adrian thanks for giving us a peek into the shadows.
Posted by: PQ | December 04, 2006 at 09:41 PM
Nothing sad about making 5 grand a week. My little sister is a social worker. It's her job to take Children away from their families. And for that she earns less than 1k a week.
If I had a choice I know what I'd rather do. There are lots of shit jobs out there, prostitution might not be your cup of tea but it's certainly not the worst job I could think of.
Posted by: Yobbo | December 04, 2006 at 10:37 PM
So, Yobbo, money is all that counts ? Is that it ?
Posted by: Dicko | December 05, 2006 at 03:54 PM
Can you read?
Posted by: Yobbo | December 05, 2006 at 05:38 PM
adrian i guess from driving a cab in sydney you know picking up working girls is not a unusual fare,i don't get so many as i use to but i reckon this is because a lot of the girls and brothels use the same drivers for the jobs and just ring them on there cell phone or over the trunk radio network.you know what i do find weird is though,when you pick up a girl and they kiss their partner/husband goodbye and you know too well what is at the address you take them to.had one last monday she kissed the bloke holding what i suppose was their baby goodbye.
Posted by: george | December 05, 2006 at 07:49 PM
George,
why is it so surprising or weird that they have kids or kiss their boyfriends goodbye?
Hookers are just people like everyone else, albeit doing an unusual job.
They still have families, friends etc..
Posted by: Trent | December 09, 2006 at 05:03 PM