There are two sides to this story. The person who purchases, and the person who sells. This is about the seller. An Escort, or “Call girl” by definition, is a sex worker who (unlike a street walker) is not visible to the general public, nor does she usually belong to an institution like a brothel (although she may be employed by an escort agency).

Call girls may work either incall, where the client comes to them, or outcall, where they go to the client. Escort services have made it a common practice to screen call girls to eliminate women with obvious drug problems (such as needle marks from injecting drugs) or those who have arrests for street prostitution or other types of crimes (using criminal background checks). They also attempt to employ women with pleasant personalities and those who are more skilled, attractive, educated, well-groomed and youthful.

Non-sex work

While sexual contact usually plays a prominent role in a call girl’s work, not all clients hire call girls exclusively for sex, or for any sex at all. Some simply do so either for social reasons (e.g. attending a party) or for companionship (e.g. someone who feels lonely may hire a girl to provide companionship missing in his or her life). Other call girls may specialize in domination, or other fetishes which do not require intimate sexual activity.

Companionship

Elderly and/or widowed men sometimes hire call girls for companionship, simply to enjoy the company of an attractive or intelligent woman. Escort agencies try to determine if this is what a client wants and if it is, the agency will try to send their most educated and polite women to the client. It is not unusual for these “chat” call girls to receive big tips or even bequests from clients.

Social settings

Instead of sex, the client may simply desire to impress his or her peers by having an attractive woman as his or her date, or even pretend girlfriend or wife. The client may, for example, be attending a high school or college class reunion or an office social event. Clients seeking this service will tell the escort service what their intention is. They may specify what kind of woman they seek to play this role. The client may meet with the woman beforehand to evaluate her level of intelligence, education, manners, speech, and ability to execute the pretense, as well as to judge her appearance. They would go over his or her past, her (pretend) past and their feigned relationship, in order to successfully carry out the pretense.

Income and commission

The amount of money that is made by an escort varies with many factors, such as sexual attractiveness, competition from legal and illegal sources, and the commissions to be paid to the agency. Typically, an agency will charge their escorts either a flat fee for each client connection or a percentage of the pre-arranged rate. According to police in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, the high fees charged by escort agencies may make escorting less lucrative than street prostitution, especially since agencies often also deduct the license fees directly from earnings.

Independent escorts may have differing fees depending on the season, or whether the client is a regular or semi-regular customer. Independent escorts may tend to see clients for extended meetings involving dinner or social activities whereas escorts who work through agencies generally provide only sexual services.

In New York City, escort services charge anywhere from $200 to $1500 or more per hour. The level of rates is usually determined by the attractiveness of the escort and her or his popularity with clients. However, it is not the case that the best looking women or men always command the highest rates. In many cases, the level and intimacy of the service can justify higher rates.

Interview

So what inspired me to do this story? A friend of mine. No, she did not become an escort. She changed her number and that number had belonged to an escort. She kept getting random phone calls from people asking for Allison, so she finally snapped. She tracked the number down and landed on an escort service website. The number belonged to a girl named Allison. She sent me a link to the girl’s profile so I can see for myself, and there it started.

I spent a couple of hours on the site. I was intrigued! I had no idea how the industry works let alone knowing that there was a Web site for it. I had questions, a lot of them. I contacted a couple of girls but no one responded. Finally, one did. Her name is Lucy Lin and this is our interview:

Neave Online (NO): What was the thought-process that led to your current occupation?

Lucy Lin (LL): I got into the business because I was burnt out from dancing for sixyears. [Working as an escort] is straight to the point and no b.s. I was laid off from my nine-to-five job as an LVN about three months ago and my residency had expired. (I’m a Korean citizen, although I came to the States at age 2 and grew up here). It’s been difficult ever since renewing [my residency] because I’m waiting on the government, and that’s like trusting a lawyer: you never do it. So I needed to do something for work, but I was not going to go back to dancing. I wanted to work very little so I could have time to go back to school and finish my undergrad. I have two years left. I got introduced to the [escort] business when I started dancing… they’re similar, but completely different. And the dancing started by waitressing at a strip club – it’s the oldest joke:

“What’s the difference between a waitress and a stripper? Two weeks and the uniform.”

NO: What else do you do for work? How long do you see yourself in this industry?

LL: I have no other jobs as of now. Occasionally I will work at the strip club, but rarely. I am a student so that takes up [a lot of] time also. I see myself in this industry until I’m comfortable… finish school, but maybe even after that… clear some debt… help my family… meet someone and fall in love? Who knows…

NO: Is it difficult to have a love life in your line of work?

LL: Having a love life can be difficult. I rarely meet men (outside of my work) or date. I’m actually very private. A relationship can work if you’re honest. I let guys know that I’m a part-time entertainer, but again, I rarely date. For now, no love life. Some men say they can accept [what I do for a living], but I’ve never met anyone who lives up to [that promise]. The ones that can are usually super freaks or pimps.

NO: Describe a normal day for you.

LL: A day out in my everyday life consists of class, studying, checking my site and e-mails, maybe seeing a friend for lunch (though I’m usually eating alone), working out, doing laundry, going to Borders, hanging out with my family, or wishing I had a dog (my damn apartment doesn’t allow pets).

NO: Do your family and friends know what you do for a living? If so, how do they feel about it?

My family and friends have NO idea. Well, literally 2 friends know, and I want to keep it that way.

NO: Do you find your job to be sexually stimulating or have you become rather desensitized?

LL: Dancing desensitized me, not the sex. I do get stimulated when I encounter a man. I personally have learned to appreciate intimacy and sex more while being in the industry compared to when I wasn’t. It’s dealing with assholes b.s.-ing me that has made me jaded. And it’s not just men; it’s women too. I saw the darkest side of human nature when I became a dancer. [That world is filled with] people who lie, cheat, steal and fuck you over. Both men and women.

NO: Real life rarely plays out like a Hollywood movie and men in need of pay-by-the-hour sex rarely look like Richard Gere. How do you handle the inevitable encounters with repulsive clients? In what circumstance would you refuse service?

Hopefully you know how to screen and check out a client before you see them so you can avoid such circumstances, but in those cases, the money is not worth the b.s. to me, personally. I just won’t put up with it. Like they say, there’s plenty of fish in the sea, and I’m not your bitch, so cut the b.s. and let’s talk business. We’re adults.

NO: As far security goes, what do you do? What are some precautions you take before meeting a client? If you screen your clients, what is the process?

LL: Security. I always make sure someone (both of my good friends) knows what I’m doing when I leave town and give them a list of the clients’ names, e-mails, phone numbers, and stay in a large hotel, if possible. I do screen the men beforehand and that consists of them either being an active member of an escort review site or contacting girls that have worked with them previously to check and see if the client is legit. Most men want to be very discrete.

NO: Where do you conduct most of your business? How many days/nights do you usually work?

I work between Dallas and L.A. There is more money in L.A. for me. I work in Dallas maybe two to three times a week if I’m lucky and maybe dance once a week if I have to. It’s different in Dallas and the website I’m on doesn’t seem to have a huge following in the area. I go to L.A. and stay for about five days and will see eight to 10 clients, or more.

NO: What is the freakiest, most off-the-wall act a client has asked you to perform?

LL: Freakiest… I had a guy who said he wanted me to throw up on him. It never happened, though I would’ve done it. That’s about as far as I’ll go. I’ve never done it ,but I would because it sounds so degrading for him. (Haha) The freakiest I’ve ever done is a d.p. (double-penetration). I also had a guy once that wanted to do oral to another guy with me. That was weird and cool.

NO: What is your most memorable encounter?

LL: My most memorable encounter is the one where I was falling in love with [a client]. We had seen each other for a few months, about two times a month. It never went anywhere beyond that. I still wonder if he thinks of me.

NO: Are you hired more for sex or companionship?

LL: It can be both sex and companionship, or just sex, or just companionship. Some guys will just pay you for your time. They just want genuine attention, and I think I have a gift to sense that and give it. Companionship is a gift when you can give it genuinely without judging.

NO: Do you think that the country-wide legalization of prostitution would be beneficial? Why or why not, and in what ways?

LL: It would totally benefit the country if prostitution was legal. It is what it is, and I don’t sugarcoat. I could, but why? Call it what you want, but it would be beneficial for the girls’ safety and it would be great [for the government where] taxes are concerned. Legalize medicinal pot while you’re at it.

NO: More often than not, do you feel a) empowered or b) degraded?

LL: More times than not, I feel neither degraded nor empowered… unless the man asks to be degraded, and then I feel empowered. But other than that, it’s work.

NO: What is the most money you earned for one job?

LL: It was about one and half or two hours at most [and I earned] $2000.

NO: Is there a refund policy?

LL: No refund policy; money first. Money is always first, and the client should never have to be told. The girl should never have to ask. No money, no time.

NO: Are you happy?

LL: Am I happy? No. I’m content but I’m nowhere near where I’d like to be in my life right now. I’d like to be done with school and feel more accomplished. It’s always in progress though (happiness, that is) but I am thankful for what I have: my family, my opportunities, being single and independent. At least I know I’m not co-dependent on anyone. My mother was very co-dependent on my father growing up and put up with a lot of shit just so she could have him there to take care of the family. I could never fully depend on a man, so I hate asking for help and plus, I have no one that could offer it.

NO: What is the average age of your clientele? What do most of them do for a living?

LL: Average age: 30 to 55, so 40-something. Most of them are super busy guys that just need that get away: business owners, attorneys, professionals, et cetera.

NO: Is there anything you?d like to add?

LL: I hate it when people talk about escorts in a negative manner. They could argue and say “If it’s such a decent profession then why don’t you own up to it openly?” My answer: because that’s just making yourself a target. That’s kinda stupid. It’s like posting you’re an abortion specialist. It’s a get-away for the clients, and it’s a job for us. It’s a service, and it’s not for everyone.

Privacy is important. I never feel cheap or used. That only happens if you fuck up and don’t get paid or you get fucked over; that’s not good. Would I want my daughter to do this for a living? No, but hopefully she’ll never have to. We’re normal people with normal lives. We have families and friends and feelings, and no one should ever judge. It’s worse to steal money from middle class America through fraud and 401k money laundering. Insurance frauds, whale hunters, people who wear fur, doctors that neglect, teachers who don’t give a shit, MADOFF… all that shit is criminal. I don’t take advantage of anyone and no one is taking advantage of me. Clients see me because they want to. I don’t steal or cheat or lie. I don’t take from others. I simply provide a service that I happen to be good at, where men don’t mind paying for it because they can, and what’s wrong with that? Maybe people think that in my industry there is little or no faith, but I believe in God and only God can judge me. Because in the end, if we believe, he forgives us all. Will he forgive you? That’s what people need to worry about.

Photos:

http://mikeypphotography.tumblr.com

http://iamjeffharmon.tumblr.com/

• Kiss & Tell