I'm pleased to announce that AskFannie will be a weekly staple on belowthebelt.org. Check back every Wednesday for more fabulous Fannie fun:
Wednesdays with Fannie, putting the hump in hump day.

Part II: Doing the Deed

This is a continuation of last week's post concerning the wonderful world of commercial sex work. I highly recommended checking out the last post before taking a look at this week's column in case you haven't done so already.

So... you've set up your internet ads, you have a few prospective johns who have e-mailed you about your services. What to do now? The first thing that you should do is decide what criteria you will use for charging your clients. Some sex workers charge per sex act, i.e. X amount of money for a blowjob. Others charge per hour. It all depends on your own experience, and which is most cost effective for you. If you know that you give a killer blowjob and can get the job done in 20 minutes time, it may be advantageous to take that route. However, it is more typical, especially among more professional sex workers, to pay for time rather than service.

When meeting up with a john, whether at your place, his, or another location (sex club, public bathroom, saunas, xxx cinemas, hotels) it is important to have a contingency plan. Make sure you have a group of friends or support group to call as a safety net in case anything goes wrong. Also, make sure that your john knows that you have such a system in place. Try and keep a close friend aware of your location and your schedule in relation to your sex work. Have a system of calling your friend before and after meeting a john. These times should be prearranged so that your friend can know if anything is up. In addition, give your friend a detailed location and contact information of your john, that way, in the event of an emergency, you can be located.

Also, be fully aware that sex work can be a very psychologically taxing occupation. If you are considering doing any sex work you should be prepared. Sex work is best for people who are able to have anonymous sex with a variety of people. And remember that sex work is still work. While it can be highly satisfying and gratifying, it can also REALLY be something you just have to suck up and plow through.

In terms of dealing with clients, johns tend to fall into roughly four categories: easy trade, hard trade, rough trade, and heaven trade.

Easy Trade: These are johns that are your prime clients; the clients you want to maintain for the long run. They are regular, respectful, and easy to please. These men usually aren't in top physical condition, but are reasonably attractive and servicing them isn't particularly difficult. Keep these johns near and dear, because they will be your bread and butter. If you can get a steady line-up of easy trade, you won't need to go trolling around for new clients, which can be difficult and unsafe.

Hard Trade: These johns are usually the ones you service once and will try and avoid in the future. These clients tend to be unattractive, disrespectful of the trade, or generally undesirable as sex partners. This can prove especially difficult if you intend to perform a sex act that requires sexual arousal, like fucking. Hard trade sometimes becomes a necessity if you're running low on easy trade clients. I would advise performing quick easy sex work (i.e. handjob/blowjob). Go in, do the work, and get out. Easy as pie.

Rough Trade: Avoid at all cost. While many sex workers specialize in kink and can be very rewarding and liberating, rough traders tend to take kink to the next level, often without consent or pre-agreement. Physical violence, rough treatment of the sex worker, etc., is emblematic of rough trade. You should be able to weed these clients out, and they also tend to prowl primarily for street sex workers. But avoid at all cost. If you ever feel in danger or compromised, get out and fast.

Heaven Trade: These clients are a sex worker's dream. Think Pretty Woman… these men are beautiful, successful, respectful… someone you would have sex with outside of work. While heaven trade is a sex worker's dream, they can also be your worst nightmare. Namely, it's very common for a sex worker to fall for heaven trade, but you will always be a sex worker to them (unlike in the movie). It's important to really treat these clients as work, and not allow yourself to become emotionally attached.

That's all for now folks! Have a good Wednesday and happy humping!

++
fannie

send your questions to askfannie@gmail.com