SamanthaEvans

Good point! I might consider using something about stimulating the economy in an advertising campaign...

I agree absolutely. The phone number isn't the determining factor. Very few single things are deal breakers. All have to be considered in context. What's most important is to pay attention to wherever and whenever the client balks and to think as objectively as possible about why that might be. Wonderful men who have never seen a paid companion and who will treat you like a queen will make mistakes. Some nightmares look like a playful picnic in the park. We have to pay attention to everything we've got. It's better to turn down someone who would be a teddy bear who leaves a nice tip than to invite the wrong guy to meet you in the wrong place at the wrong time. Unfortunately, most women get into this profession because they're in dire straights. When you're facing having the hydro disconnected just before you're evicted from your home and you fear that your kids may be apprehended by social services, becoming one of us can be a legitimate career move. If you're very, very careful, if you really enjoy what you'll be doing, and if you're very good at it, this is a way out of that terror. But only if you can keep your head on straight and think clearly.

Ulixes, here on the West Coast, we really need one of those. Honest. We really, really need one. Ottawa is full of pervy stuff already. I mean, look at the House of Commons! But here in granola land, there are just far too few swings. I am centrally located in Vancouver, so of course this is the place....

I agree that we can't expect that knowing a phone number is going to guarantee safety. It won't. Of course the client can use a pay-as-you-go phone, too. But if the guy won't reveal his number, it does raise a red flag. He's about to meet you. Most of us do incalls in our homes, so he may be coming to your house or apartment. He's going to have a wealth of information about you when he has that address and even more once he sets foot over the doorstep. As I always say: No matter who the client is, the companion is the one who is taking the greatest and most serious risks, always. He knows that blocked and private numbers are unacceptable to nearly all of us. He's read the ads. He's spent a lot of time on CL before he contacted you, even if you're a high-end companion who doesn't advertise there. He does know the way things work. If he won't reveal his phone number he's asking for special treatment while he withholds one more way to set your mind at ease about him. For me, that's a screening fail, though YMMV.

Oh, no! That's horrible, Anita! I'm so sorry! I guess you can complain to the owners of the advertising site. They're usually very helpful and they don't like this stuff, either. But what a headache to have to go through all of that! Hugs,

sigh... The revolving imports and the bait and switch operations give prostitution a bad name! LOL :evil: Seriously.... while several of my clients have said that they'd tried one or two of these, none have admitted returning. I think the key is the kind of experience the client wants to have. I insist on spending at least an hour and a half with a new client. Most of my returning clients see me for just as long, often longer. I have very few one-hour meetings, and those are only with clients who've visited me before. We go out to lunch or dinner. We go shopping. We go to the art gallery (a great place for seductive murmuring and other lovely things while looking at the Dutch masters). No car dates, but there have been a few limousines. We spend hours in bed, too. Often. The point is: if you want a leisurely, sensual encounter, I'm a great bet. I do give a wonderful blowjob, if that's all a client wants. For some reason, that's rarely enough. The Asian houses and the bait-and-switch folks are no competition to me. We're offering completely different things.

This is a good thread, Emma. Here are some of my thoughts: Have a website You can make one yourself if you can't afford a designer, and there are lots of places that offer very inexpensive hostlng. Use one of the hosting firms that offer unlimited bandwidth. If you advertise very much at all, you'll get a lot of traffic very quickly. Websites make it easier for clients to find out about you and what you have to offer. Read a lot of escorts' sites and you'll see what we've found we need to be telling clients ahead of time. Provide a contact form on your site for the clients to use to contact you. Require them to fill in the blanks about their name, their age, how long they want to meet, and so on. This isn't foolproof, but if they're not willing to give you some basic information, they're not serious. They fail the screening test. Get a pay-as-you-go cellphone You can use this for calls to/from clients without being concerned that you'll be identifying yourself accidentally. These plans usually will cost you more than signing up for a two-year plan with one of the big guys, but there's readily available software that makes it easy for anyone to search cell phone numbers to find out who owns the number and the address and contact information they gave when they signed up for the contract (I didn't know this until a client showed me!). Pay-as-you-go is anonymous. Don't give out your address Use a two call system. In your e-mail or phone conversation, say which major intersection is closest to your location. Ask them to call you when they get to that intersection for directions to where you are. Don't take calls from blocked or private numbers. Guys who say they won't or can't reveal their number to you fail the screening test. If you're meeting at a hotel and you've booked the room, don't say which one when you set up the appointment. I always register in my real name because the hotel won't give out the name of the occupant of room #1217; and if the client calls and asks for Samantha Evans' room, the hotel won't have a record of it. Have the client call your cell number at a specific time (half an hour to an hour before the meeting). Tell him which hotel you're in, then. Have him call again when he gets there; that's when he gets the room number. If he refuses to go through these steps because they're cumbersome, inconvenient, etc., he fails the screening test. If you're meeting at a hotel and he's booked the room, ask for his first and last name when you set up the meeting. If he tells you to call his cell phone when you arrive, explain that for your safety, you need the name in which the room is booked. Call the hotel and verify that John Smith is staying there. If the client objects to this for some reason, again, he fails the screening test. Book and visit high-end hotels only until you're comfortable with everything. If you use hotel rooms as incall locations, find a nice, less expensive but still very elegant boutique hotel for days when you see returning clients. Four and five-star hotels have the best security. The no-tell motel is cheap and easy to get into and out of without being detected. That's why they're such great places for crime scenes in movies and on TV. Also, for crime, period! Cover anything that goes into your body You provide the condoms, the lubricant and the gloves. Always. You'll know what they're made of and how they've been handled. Have gloves available, but make your own call on whether to require use. You need to avoid even minor scratches which can easily become sites of infection. Cover penises, for sure, but also cover toys. It makes clean-up easier and you never have to worry about whether you should use the dildo if you dropped it on the floor. Be cautious about what you drink This is a judgment call. I never drink alcohol with a client if the meeting is less than an hour and a half long, unless I'm in a restaurant. I provide wine and spirits in my home, along with coffee, tea and soft drinks. I accept gifts of wine and spirits, but I'm careful about using them. Never drink from a bottle that's been opened before it got into your hands. Homemade wine is often very nice, but you don't know what went into that bottle, do you? Remember that you're in charge This is a hard one for new companions who tend to be warm, loving, affectionate and sometimes overly submissive women. Everything that happens has to be on your terms, without coercion or pressure of any kind, period. Don't give in or compromise even in your early contact with the client. Some guys think that if you'll give an inch here, a few centimeters there, they can have the whole continent. Trust your intuition No matter what, no matter how much you need the money, no matter how many cancellations or no-shows you've had recently, no matter how nice the guy is on the phone or in e-mail, no matter who he is on a public board like this one or in public life, if you have the slightest doubt about him, he fails the screening, always. Your comfort, your safety, your health and your security come first, always. A good client knows without being told that if you're safe and secure, he is too.

I wouldn't turn down a meeting like this! Watching porn isn't something I offer, but if the guy wants to watch the hockey game, as long as he understands that I'd consider it my professional responsibility to ensure that, after a certain point, he won't be able to see straight or remember which team he's cheering on (heck, he shouldn't be able to remember his own name), no problem!

Hear, hear! :lol:

I'm daydreaming here, but... What if we did something very different for a change? Suppose we got a number of us together in, say, one of the Gulf Islands resorts--the ones with separate cabins, maybe--for a long weekend. We could invite clients to come and see us, all of us, for one, all-inclusive fee? They'd need to book in advance, and, depending on how many ladies are there, they'd need to book meetings with each of us (each man might meet with one of us on Friday evening, three on Saturday, one or two on Sunday or something). We could throw in some social time, be available for conversation and canoodling over dinner, drinks, meals, etc. And everyone could play. A lot. It wouldn't be like a stag party or frat house event. Unless some folks wanted to do that and some of the ladies were interested in it, that is. We could make it as up-scale and exclusive or as moderate as we like. We ladies work hard doing what we do best. The clients get to spend time with more than one of us. We all get along nicely.... If it's done right, we could easily skirt any legal headaches. Swingers' clubs do this kind of thing all the time, after all. It would be expensive. To take full advantage of it would probably require some planning for most, but still..... What do you think?

Thanks, everyone!

Thanks, everyone!

ATH, I think there's something wrong with my thermostat--it got really hot in here very suddenly. Couldja take a look and see if it needs repair? :twisted:

I'm in Vancouver, too. Lately, most of my new clients have been visitors from out of town.

Judging from my clients, it's not about whether they could find a partner for an intimate encounter. They could, most of them, easily. It's more about finding the right person for the kind of experience they want to have without having to deal with the expectations and complications of having a "relationship" outside their marriages. The few single men I've seen seem not to have time for an ongoing relationship, but they do want company and very good sex without having to "audition" for it with a lot of dating or courtship-type things that they're not interested in. Sometimes, I think it's also that older men with disposable income, whether they're single or not, are pragmatic about doing the math. As one of my regular clients likes to point out, he can spend $500-$600 with me, once a month, and know he's going to have a very satisfying experience in all ways. I'll invest a lot of time and energy in planning in our engagement. If he dates someone, he'll spend a lot more money and may get a much lower return on his investment, so to speak. If he's looking for someone to settle down with, dating or having an affair is a good way to find out what the reality of an ongoing relationship can be like. But he's not. And so I'm a very good deal! :wink:

What an interesting topic! At some times in some cultures, courtesans were valued members of society and there was a lot of competition to be particular courtesans' patrons. Some women were considered to be quite powerful, or influential, in their own right because of the company they kept. Even so, courtesans were never entirely respectable. Things have changed. Marriage is understood differently from the days when it was seen as an arrangement that was more about social class, property and money than today's ideal of a loving, sustaining intimate relationship. As things stand, this industry thrives on secrecy, for good or ill. While some women may be less upset with their spouses engaging the services of paid companions than they would if they were having an affair with someone, lots of others would say that making distinctions is just splitting hairs. Speaking as a courtesan/companion, it is hard, sometimes, not to be able to tell a close friend about an incident that encourages me to see myself, another person or life differently--the very things I may want to talk over with someone I trust. Fortunately, CERB is a big help in that respect. Even so, I can never, ever tell anyone who my clients are or have been. I think that, if one isn't comfortable with being and keeping a secret, this is a very, very difficult career.

I reach orgasm easily, but I actually prefer to wait for it a lot of the time. I can have an easy one, soon, but if things are right, I'll have a good, hard one if I can keep getting close, backing off, a little closer, slow down, just a bit more... you get the picture. I never fake them because I don't have trouble having them. Situations where I might be tempted to fake an orgasm are with guys who really don't care whether I have one or not. No need to fake it with them!

I think it's a good idea, Tigerclaw. There are several ways to do it, I'm sure. I'm taking a few days off--a real holiday for a change! I will think about this while I'm gone. Mod's opinion is important, too, of course! What do you think, Mod?

I think it's a good idea, Tigerclaw. There are several ways to do it, I'm sure. I'm taking a few days off--a real holiday for a change! I will think about this while I'm gone. Mod's opinion is important, too, of course! What do you think, Mod?

Thank you all for your participation in and contributions to this thread. That we can have a sensible discussion about things that affect all of us is one of the very best things about CERB. However, I must say, with all due respect, friends, that if everyone really knew the things we've pointed out here and elsewhere, a lot of the discussions I was grumbling about wouldn't happen, or perhaps wouldn't be so long and involved. For example, with no offense meant to anyone, I'd like to point to the discussion about what a client should do with his wallet when he visits a companion. Everyone should be careful with their valuables wherever they are. That's axiomatic, I think. But the long discussion in that thread largely revolves around the false assumptions that not only is the client the one who has the most to lose and who is at greatest risk when he sees a companion, but also that companions are likely to be thieves. Unsubstantiated, anonymously-made allegations about unnamed companions are cited as evidence or proof that the concern is legitimate and pressing. Of course, not everyone is honest. It's true that some people may not resist the temptation to take what doesn't belong to them, given the chance. It's also true that people are sometimes negligent and misplace things, even though they're sure they haven't. (I've returned a couple of watches and a cell phone in the last few weeks.) Maybe some of the suspicion and at times thinly-veiled hostility that runs through the threads I've referred to is a product of a society that considers sex to be wrong, dirty or sinful. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that most of our clients are married men and quite a few of them feel guilty about what they're up to. It could be something else. My point is that I'm not really preaching to the choir. These topics are under discussion because some of us need to report on the things that have happened to us, often with clients whom we've screened the best ways we know. On the other side, clients also want to report experiences they've had where they felt they didn't get what they expected. If we all had the same expectations and assumptions, our experiences would be more alike and we'd have less to complain about.

Thank you all for your participation in and contributions to this thread. That we can have a sensible discussion about things that affect all of us is one of the very best things about CERB. However, I must say, with all due respect, friends, that if everyone really knew the things we've pointed out here and elsewhere, a lot of the discussions I was grumbling about wouldn't happen, or perhaps wouldn't be so long and involved. For example, with no offense meant to anyone, I'd like to point to the discussion about what a client should do with his wallet when he visits a companion. Everyone should be careful with their valuables wherever they are. That's axiomatic, I think. But the long discussion in that thread largely revolves around the false assumptions that not only is the client the one who has the most to lose and who is at greatest risk when he sees a companion, but also that companions are likely to be thieves. Unsubstantiated, anonymously-made allegations about unnamed companions are cited as evidence or proof that the concern is legitimate and pressing. Of course, not everyone is honest. It's true that some people may not resist the temptation to take what doesn't belong to them, given the chance. It's also true that people are sometimes negligent and misplace things, even though they're sure they haven't. (I've returned a couple of watches and a cell phone in the last few weeks.) Maybe some of the suspicion and at times thinly-veiled hostility that runs through the threads I've referred to is a product of a society that considers sex to be wrong, dirty or sinful. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that most of our clients are married men and quite a few of them feel guilty about what they're up to. It could be something else. My point is that I'm not really preaching to the choir. These topics are under discussion because some of us need to report on the things that have happened to us, often with clients whom we've screened the best ways we know. On the other side, clients also want to report experiences they've had where they felt they didn't get what they expected. If we all had the same expectations and assumptions, our experiences would be more alike and we'd have less to complain about.

This morning while I drink my coffee and read the boards here, I?m struck by how many complaints we have about the guys who take advantage of some aspect of our services and then treat us badly. There are active discussions about men who: Try to negotiate or bargain clearly-stated non-negotiable fees Try to pay less than the agreed fee after they arrive Try to get services that were not agreed on before the date Complain about our screening questions Don?t bother to take a shower, brush their teeth or trim their nails before seeing us Assume that we're likely to rob them Threaten to write bad reviews and/or aren?t believed when they write good ones Insult us, our need for safety and even our looks when we don?t give in to what they demand No one is forced to read our ads and websites, look at our photos, contact us, discuss our services with us, or meet with us. It?s all voluntary and initiated by the client. The client has needs, feelings, preferences and curiosity, but why do so many refuse to take responsibility for themselves? What they express as anger, self-righteous indignation and personal entitlement is really projected self-hatred. I want to sit these men down and say: If you don?t want to see a paid companion, don?t do it. If you decide to seek out a companion, that's your decision. What you want is not what everyone else may want. That?s usually a wonderful thing. Recognize that we?re not like cheap candy that you can buy daily. We?re more like fine dining to be enjoyed occasionally. Plan accordingly. If someone?s prices are too high for you, either wait until you can afford her, or find someone else. Meanwhile, don't blame her for your lack of funds. Recognize that she charges what the market will bear. That means that there are plenty of others who can afford to see her. Always be polite and considerate. No matter what. Even if you feel confused, disappointed or insulted, be polite. Remember that companions are human beings, just like you. We have needs, desires, dreams and things we?re worried about or afraid of, just as you do. We will protect both your health and our own. Fair is fair. If you're worried about your safety, know that she's concerned about her safety, too. No matter who or how important you are or think you are, the one who is taking the most risks is always the companion. Always. Relax.

This morning while I drink my coffee and read the boards here, I?m struck by how many complaints we have about the guys who take advantage of some aspect of our services and then treat us badly. There are active discussions about men who: Try to negotiate or bargain clearly-stated non-negotiable fees Try to pay less than the agreed fee after they arrive Try to get services that were not agreed on before the date Complain about our screening questions Don?t bother to take a shower, brush their teeth or trim their nails before seeing us Assume that we're likely to rob them Threaten to write bad reviews and/or aren?t believed when they write good ones Insult us, our need for safety and even our looks when we don?t give in to what they demand No one is forced to read our ads and websites, look at our photos, contact us, discuss our services with us, or meet with us. It?s all voluntary and initiated by the client. The client has needs, feelings, preferences and curiosity, but why do so many refuse to take responsibility for themselves? What they express as anger, self-righteous indignation and personal entitlement is really projected self-hatred. I want to sit these men down and say: If you don?t want to see a paid companion, don?t do it. If you decide to seek out a companion, that's your decision. What you want is not what everyone else may want. That?s usually a wonderful thing. Recognize that we?re not like cheap candy that you can buy daily. We?re more like fine dining to be enjoyed occasionally. Plan accordingly. If someone?s prices are too high for you, either wait until you can afford her, or find someone else. Meanwhile, don't blame her for your lack of funds. Recognize that she charges what the market will bear. That means that there are plenty of others who can afford to see her. Always be polite and considerate. No matter what. Even if you feel confused, disappointed or insulted, be polite. Remember that companions are human beings, just like you. We have needs, desires, dreams and things we?re worried about or afraid of, just as you do. We will protect both your health and our own. Fair is fair. If you're worried about your safety, know that she's concerned about her safety, too. No matter who or how important you are or think you are, the one who is taking the most risks is always the companion. Always. Relax.

I don't like it, either. A site that begins by insulting the women it shows encourages others to insult and degrade them, or worse, as well.

...applauds Mod! Hear, hear! Ava, I'm astounded by what you report. I've had a bit of that, but not often. I'm a big girl, myself. I don't apologize for it. I tell the truth on my website and in my advertising, like you do. Whatever these guys are upset about, it's not us. I think they're projecting their own self-hatred. Angeleyes it sounds like you've been handling those jerks very well. I've never had that problem, but I'm beginning to think it's just luck.