CONFESSIONS OF A HIGH CLASS SEX WORKER – as told to Deborah Bennett
Most people’s getting-ready-for-work routine is a shower, sensible work clothes, a piece of toast and a ride on public transport; while mine couldn’t be further from that.
After a shower, shave and douche, you’ll find me sorting through my overflowing collection of lingerie, pulling on silk stockings, applying make-up and a gentle spritz of Lady Million by Paco Rabanne; then I’m ready to greet my client who has been booked and screened prior to his arrival.
It takes just an hour to transform from Pippa: the girl who was educated at an exclusive Lutheran college and grew up in the leafy greens of Adelaide, into Grace Bellavue: high class sex worker.
I meet my client at my city apartment with a kiss, we chat, have a drink and I lead him to the bedroom where my workday really begins.
But my business wasn’t always this way.
When I chose to become a sex worker at 17 years old, things were different.
I was underage with a fake ID, and every weekend I’d go to a brothel and lie to my parents, telling them I was going to a party.
When I finally told my family I was a sex worker, they kicked me out, although I think they secretly knew what I was doing all along.
What I was doing was being paid $35 for 15 minutes and seeing around 8-13 clients a night.
When I broke it to them, Dad cried, Mum vomited and they gave me an ultimatum, but I had made up my mind – I wanted to be a sex worker.
At the brothel, I worked for a manager whose face was tired from years in an unforgiving industry.
This inspired me to choose the name Grace, because Grace was a nice name and I wanted to be a nice hooker.
My first time was horrific; I was pounded for 40 minutes by a hairy, sweaty business man who grunted on arrival and snorted on departure.
I sat in the toilet swabbing the blood and nursing my dignity when one of the old girls came in and said, “Honey, you don’t have to let them do that, you know. You’re in charge.”
That’s when it changed and I started directing my own show.
My business is my baby and I have built it from the ground up; I love my job and I can’t imagine doing anything else.
Through sex work I have met some incredibly inspirational people, had some remarkable experiences, and have been lucky enough to travel.
Recently I took some time off from work for personal reasons; I had become depressed and I got quite lost so my holiday in Africa is a chance to get Pippa back after a difficult six months.
Sometimes my Grace persona creeps into my Pippa-life which makes it difficult to switch off; the phone is constantly ringing for bookings and enquiries, emails are nagging at me and occasionally the costume I wear starts to become heavy.
As Grace, I have to look good all the time which means Pippa can’t be lazy very often.
It’s hard to turn off the sex, especially when I’d only had sex a couple of times before I worked in a brothel, so my entire sexual life, aside from those few experiences, has been in performance mode.
The sex I have with my clients, though in abundance, is all partner focussed which means often I spend so much of my time pleasing others, I forget to please myself.
I can count on two hands how many times someone has made me orgasm despite having had over five thousand partners
I rarely fake an orgasm, though, because it would be an indication that someone is doing something right when they’re not and that defies the purpose of my job.
Often men come to see me for guidance and education so if I’m giving them fake responses, they’re not learning anything and I am not doing my job as a sexual mentor.
An orgasm, for me, is also an emotional response so I can only really climax with someone I am in love with but there’s not much room for love with my job and I would find it difficult to give up my job for a partner.
I am often asked if my world is as glamorous as Pretty Woman or Secret Diary of a Call Girl and at times, it is – I received gifts, wear gorgeous lingerie and have sex with incredibly wealthy men.
But the main difference is the hard work that goes into making a client happy so they can leave knowing they have had the experience they paid for (around $800 an hour).
And yes, I kiss! It seems strange to me that kissing would off limits when anal sex is not!
Despite the stereotype, I didn’t go into my industry because I needed quick money to feed an addiction or keep debt collectors at bay.
I chose to have sex for a living because I was young, curious, and horny and I loved being Grace Bellavue.
These days, I’ve developed my business to a point where I can pick and choose when I work, who I work with and where I work.
Sometimes I take Grace on tour where I travel to different cities and spend my holidays in the bedrooms of some of the best hotels with the most beautiful views in the country.
Sometimes I work with other sex workers and sometimes, like this year, I take some time off to travel or rest; but it’s always on my terms and I’m not sure I would ever want to change that.
Every day is different in my job and I have the pleasure of sleeping with some beautiful men and women.
I have a lot of regular clients who I have developed a good relationship with and who I have grown very fond of; my youngest client has been 18 but my oldest client is 83.
My married, or attached, clients come to see me because it’s a non-judgemental space and they can give over the desires they can’t necessarily communicate to their partners.
It’s far more discreet and less stressful than an affair.
Sometimes men have a fantasy in their minds that they’d love to play out but know their partner would be against it; that’s where I come in.
A lot of my married clients prefer to come to me to live out their sexual fantasies rather than put their partner in an awkward position, or jeopardise their marriage or partner’s trust.
Some of my clients come to me when they are tired, stressed or in a slump and they treat our time as they would a psychologist’s, but with less psychobabble and more stimulation; I listen, understand and give them a chance to just be free for the duration of our booking.
I see many couples who come to spice up their relationship, live out a fantasy or treat each other to a sexy weekend, which I love because I am very attracted to women; and sexy play with couples is always a lot of fun.
My life as Grace Bellavue is beautifully chaotic and I wouldn’t change any of my experiences for anything, but it has been an incredible journey to get to a stage where I can proudly call myself a sex worker with the support of my friends and family, and know I am a business woman who has built a company from the ground to the success it is now.
