The Las Vegas Courtesan

It’s seems like it’s more rare for me to be asked something new or to have a call go a different way than the many before. I always like the calls that surprise me and break up the monotony of this job (believe it or not it can get quite boring!) I went on a call in the afternoon at Planet Hollywood. The phone girl had a story before I went in. For the record I don’t like story–telling time before I go on calls because that means there is some excuse or convoluted situation that I have to work around instead of an easy “Here’s the info,” now go upstairs and make money.  The story was the guy in the room does not know I am coming and was booked by another friend as I surprise, but the guy who booked left money in the room for me. Left money in the room for me? Where? How does he know what to leave? I’m assuming he only left the company fee in the room and I’m going on a treasure hunt just to find it. Then this creates an awkward situation for me when I have to explain, “Yea that money your friend left doesn’t go to me, I strip for that, anything else you must pay for,” which sounds like a total bummer of a surprise. This whole mental conversation takes note before I ask the phone girl, “Left money for me? Where? Did the friend know how this works?” She says, “He said he’s been to Vegas before and I have no idea about the location of the money.” See, this is why I don’t like story time before calls.

I go upstairs and knock. Guy has a surprised look on his face, but is on the phone when I come in. He finishes his business conversation while handing me the folded piece of paper marked, “Give this to delivery guy.” Inside is the company fee, nothing more. See, this is what I feared! He finally gets off the phone and I said, “Surprise! I’m your delivery!” he was definitely shocked and yet happy (some surprises have sort of panicked and declined.) He said, “My brother said I had a delivery for my birthday, but I had no idea!” He goes to his computer bag and pulls out a card that says on the front, “Open this when delivery guy gets there.” I cross my fingers that some sort of tip is in there from brother-of-the-year. He asks, “Should I open this now? He said to when you got here.” Yes yes YES! He does, and thankfully a decent tip is in there. Brother scores some points for knowing really how this works and not $30 in an envelope. The now shaking birthday boy says, “Man, I need a drink. So I get to have fun with you now, naked?” Yes, and then some.

Here’s the real surprise to me, this whole time I thought the brother was staying in Vegas as well, but in a different room or different hotel. Come to find out he wasn’t even in the US. The brother had stopped by his house the night before and stuffed the card and message in his laptop bag, then informed him of it later. That was one talented planning job, and probably more than any other call before.

Every so often I get emails, comments on Twitter, or read comments on articles that I was featured in that really come across as hateful or in general sex worker bashing. (Oh, like that’s really anything new.) Of course everyone is entitled to their own opinion of prostitution and I respect that 1st Amendment right, however, it seems that since I am a sex worker then I am not entitled to my own opinion or to share my point of view of my line of work with others. Like I glorify it on here only speaking half truths, and maybe I really must hate myself, have Daddy issues, and was really forced into this line of work. Well, none of that’s true (I know the cynics will be disappointed!)

Since I stay up quite late at night, I typically wake up in time for lunch and sometimes eat out at places frequented by local corporate workers in their lunch breaks. I sit in a booth or table nearby and can’t help but hearing their ongoing, mundane conversations. Sometimes I don’t want to hear them, but that’s just too bad because I will be subjected to the woman bellowing out her latest bellyache about some other female employee or some other random drama back at the office. I sit there and I think to myself, is this what the average, anti-sex worker person wants me to do? Be just as miserable as this woman at her boring, dead-end corporate job? Who can’t even relax at a nice lunch for an hour and talk about anything else, maybe even something that’s nice and pleasant? I mean these people I listen to are average Joe corporate America with a “real” job where they go to some office for a set number of hours a day for a set number of days a week. All they can go on about is how they can screw over their boss or company (or government), instead of relaxing during that one hour off to eat. I sit there and think to myself, “If I had that job I would be so miserable and feel so trapped,” and yet in my current job I don’t ever feel that way. I don’t feel trapped, I don’t feel miserable, and I can’t beat making my own shedule. I know “they” all want me to feel that way, or “they” want me to come out and admit that my life is a wreck, but it isn’t, and I won’t ever let it be that way. Of course I have friends that really enjoy their jobs at corporations and the line of work they are in, and I am happy for anyone else who enjoys their job at the same type of place… It’s just not for me.

I had talked previously in a post about the dark side of prostitution and how it sickens me what people to do others with trafficking. There definitely are girls that need to be helped and pimps that need to be prosecuted for forcing anyone into prostitution. Yes, there is a dark side to this business, but there are dark sides to a lot of other businesses too. I recently read somewhere in a news article that the “happy hooker” is just a myth and it’s all a lie. No matter what we are all “victims” of “the game” (I really hate that term!) Sorry, but the girls I know are definitely not a myth and are not miserable. So please go help those who need the help (I would even like to help too), but don’t group us all into the category of being trapped or wanting out. I’m happy right where I am for now, and I can do whatever I want when I so chose.

So late last year I had posted an article that went over STD’s and ways that they are transmitted and how you can prevent contracting one yourself. During my most recent round of testing and my annual exam with a new doctor, I learned a lot of new information about testing and transmission of HPV and herpes type I and II and wanted to share it with my readers.

First of all I wanted to update on the information about HPV and how important it is for everyone to be screened. There are over a 100 different types of the virus and over 30 of them can be transmitted sexually. Even though the newest Gardasil vaccine has been approved by the FDA and recommended for teenagers through 26 year olds, my doctor still told me I am not too old to receive the vaccine. Yes, it is more effective for people in this age group, but she said they are currently trying to get it recommended for ages up to 40. Apparently the current age group is the easiest for drugs to be approved for and takes longer for them to be approved for the 40 year old category.  The one down side to the Gardasil vaccine is that it only prevents infection from HPV types 6, 11, 16, or 18, and like I said earlier there are far more types than the four listed. These types are just the most common that are currently being targeted. The testing for HPV has become more readily available and more affordable according to my OB/GYN. I was informed that the newer tests are much more accurate at finding abnormal cells located in a smaller area on the cervix while normal paps smears are a broader survey of the health of the cervical cells and can return false negatives. The one downside to the newest HPV tests is they do not recommend testing until the patient is 29 or above. I was confused as to why they would wait so long to give patients these tests, but was explained that people in their mid-20’s or younger often times get HPV’s that their body naturally combats and the doctor ends up “chasing a red herring”, as she said, with over medicating. By the time the patient is in their late 20’s-early 30’s, the tests are more accurate at finding HPV types that have started to damage the cervical cells and the body hasn’t been able to combat.

Now with herpes type I and II, I also found out new information and how testing has changed recently that greatly aids in the identification of these two specific virus types. Previously when I was visiting a clinic for my exam I had asked about herpes testing and was informed that if I had ever had the chicken pox virus or mono as a child then I would automatically test positive for herpes (even though pox is type III and mono is type IV). Testing just wasn’t easily accessible or cost effective to offer until now. Now you can be tested for the specific types of herpes instead of a broad test that was previously offered. It’s around $100 and is offered even at Planned Parenthood (though Clark County currently doesn’t offer it in their series of testing at the Health District.)

Before both tests I was warned about the odds of testing positive for herpes type I or HPV. My doctor explained to make me feel at ease, “Now if I went out on the street and pulled random people and tested them for type I herpes, 1 out of 4 would have it.” She went on to explain, “but either way it’s good to know because honestly, 30% or so of the genital outbreaks that I send off to the lab to be tested have come back as type I but in the genital region, which means it’s oral to genital contact mostly.” “Wow”, I thought. She went on to explain how easily it’s transmittable. “You could have shared a drink with someone when you were a teenager and gotten it”, she said.  Also she warned me with the possibility of testing positive for HPV since there are so many forms and how my pap smears could have been normal all along but still could have had HPV. Also when reading up on these diseases did I start running across in several places how doctors are currently researching the connection between type I herpes and Alzheimer’s disease. Even more scary. I definitely held my breath for both tests after her discussion and the statistics.

Luckily everything, even type I, came back negative. Now I definitely will stay cautious in my sexual practices, even though I get complaints about my short list of rules, since it has paid off for my health.