I paid $100 to cuddle with a prostitute
Tuesday, May. 6, 2008 @ 1:16 am
My column at The Nevada Sagebrush has been a zany one. This year I proposed to replace the geese at Manzanita Lake with gorillas, endorsed an ASUN presidential candidate for having “very competent breasts” and gave satirical advice on how to successfully have one-night stands (the secret is lots of lying and alcohol). I also took jabs at Davidson Academy children, Coffin and Keys and even God Himself.
Since I’m graduating this month and leaving for Madagascar to teach English for two years, I wanted to make my last column go out with a bang. So I did what any zany Nevadan student columnist would do: I went to a brothel to cuddle and talk about current events with a prostitute.
Why wouldn’t I? Apart from being a funny story, I’d get to learn what goes on inside brothels. Legal brothels, like gambling and quick marriages, are a part of Nevadan culture. They’re a part of our state’s history. Having spent my entire life in Las Vegas and Reno, I was astounded that I hadn’t visited a brothel before.
I grabbed some friends a few weeks ago and drove to Mustang Ranch, a brothel in Storey County a 15-minute drive east of Reno. We walked into the Ranch to find nearly-naked women relaxing in chairs and waiting to chat with customers. “That one’s mine!” one said to one of my friends like a ravenous wolf. “Can I have him?” My friend chuckled nervously.
These women—or “girls,” as they call themselves—were of all shapes and sizes. Big breasts, little breasts. Big asses, small asses. Skinny, thick, tall, short, whatever. Race, too: Africans, Egyptians, Persians, Thais, Latinas and so on. Anything you wanted, they had. They meandered throughout the Florentine-styled lobby in their bustiers and skimpy negligees and flirted with potential customers.
A girl named Persia came to my buddy and me and started talking. She was Persian and wore a bustier that made her breasts the size of bowling balls. She was smiling and batting her eyes and laughing as if I was the funniest guy on the planet. Then she said, “Can I give you a tour? It’s non-binding.”
We went on the tour. The bedrooms were themed and equipped with Jacuzzis, double-fisted dildos, king-sized beds, tantric tables and curtain-less showers “for watching girl-on-girl action.” There were “world,” Italian, Hawaiian, Asian and princess-themed rooms. The princess room had a white bed with frills and pink shearing.
“What kind of customers get the princess room?” I asked. “Female customers?”
“No,” Persia said with a hint of disgust. “Pedophiles, usually.”
We finished the tour and I was ready for my selection. I announced my readiness and sat down in a chair. Suddenly a woman over loudspeakers said, “All girls on shift, line up!” Prostitutes then emerged from a door and introduced themselves one-by-one, “Hi, my name’s Emily,” “Hi, my name’s Cinnamon,” “Hi, my name’s Jade” and so on until there were nine or 10 girls peering down at me with inviting eyes.
I picked the friendliest-looking girl so that when I told her I only wanted to cuddle, she wasn’t likely to get mad and strike me in the temple with a five-inch stiletto. Her name was Toni, a 5’5”, 170-pound girl described on the Mustang Ranch’s Web site as a “black beauty.”
Nevada state law doesn’t allow the prostitutes to discuss prices in public—that’d be considered illicit solicitation for sex—so Toni and I walked into a negotiation room. I imagined it to be like an interrogation room, but it was actually a pleasantly-lit room with beige walls and a sofa. Toni and I sat down and began our deliberations.
“OK,” I said. “This might be a weird request, but I just want to cuddle. I don’t have a lot of money on me, so maybe we could cuddle for 15 minutes or so. How much would that cost?”
“How much money do you have on you?”
”Twenty bucks,” I said.
“Twenty bucks?” she said, surprised. “There’s a $100 minimum.”
This wasn’t going well.
“But I just want to cuddle. I don’t want anything else. Is it possible to cuddle for 15 or 20 minutes or something for $20? I’m a poor college student and I can’t afford much more.”
“Yeah, no, I’m sorry. There’s a $100 minimum.”
I left the negotiation room feeling like a failure. I went to my friends and reported my findings. They offered to chip in for a $100 cuddling session and said I couldn’t back down now. I agreed and went back to Toni in the negotiation room.
“OK, how long can we cuddle for $100?” I said.
“Just cuddling?” Toni said. “Five, 10 minutes maybe.”
“For cuddling?!” For the love of Lord!
“Yeah,” she said. “You get other stuff, too, like intimate kissing, a blow job, a massage.”
“Oh, no, I don’t want that stuff,” I said. “I just want to cuddle. No kissing, no massage or anything.”
“None of that?”
“No,” I said. “Actually, I want nothing sexual with this. All I want is for your head and hand on my chest, and that’s it.”
Toni laughed. “Like spooning?”
“Exactly!”
“Do you want us to be naked?” Toni said. “Or have underwear cuddling?”
“No, no, you don’t have to be naked. We can cuddle just with our clothes on. That’s all I want. I’m keeping my clothes on.”
“Fifteen minutes,” she said.
“Well, since there’s nothing sexual and we’re not going to be naked, can we do it for 20 minutes?”
“We’ll see what I can do,” she smiled. “So why do you want to cuddle? Do you just really like cuddling?”
“I haven’t had a girlfriend in a few months,” I said, faking a sad smile. “I miss the affection. I like the feeling of companionship that goes along with cuddling.”
The fact that she then checked my genitals for STDs led me to believe that she thought I would try to turn our cuddling into a bondage-and-domination party or something. She inspected me with gloved hands and sanitized me with a wipe to make sure that “I didn’t have anything that God didn’t put there.” The inspection wasn’t awkward, though: It was like getting a physical at the doctor’s office, except this doctor was probably willing to masturbate in front of me for a certain price.
Minutes later we were in Toni’s bedroom. There were stuffed animals hanging in a net from the ceiling. A boombox on one of her cabinets was blasting Ludacris. I apparently didn’t look like a Ludacris fan, so she changed the music to Dave Matthews Band. Matthews’s bluesy acoustic guitar began as Toni rested her head on my chest.
“So do you want to talk or just sit here in silence?” Toni said.
“Oh, I want to talk!”
“Well, what do you want to talk about?”
Politics. We talked about the grueling contest between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. She liked Clinton, but since she had never seen Obama speak, I told her to look him up on the Internet. “He’s hot,” I said. “You’ll have a crush on him instantly. Hell, I do! I have a total man-crush on Obama!” She laughed.
The conversation turned to Toni’s past clients. Toni said she had a client who paid her to kick him in the testicles for five minutes. Surprisingly, she said he wasn’t bawling or screaming in pain but instead antagonizing her so that she would kick him harder.
“But the weirdest requests I get are the guys who make me put on a strap-on and fuck them in the ass,” Toni said. I asked her if it was awkward to do sexual things with strangers, and she said no. She saw her work at Mustang Ranch as “experiences” instead of sex.
“So in your eyes, you don’t have sex with customers? You have experiences with them?” I asked. She nodded.
I asked my prostitute about the United States’ deteriorating economy. She didn’t know much about the economy, but she said the Mustang Ranch was getting less business than usual.
I told Toni about Madagascar, but she didn’t know where it was. I started tracing Africa in the air with my finger and said the continent was shaped like a shoe. She disagreed and said it looked like a horse’s head bending down for water. She joined me in drawing Africa with her finger in the air—how silly we must’ve looked!
At one point Toni rolled onto her belly, folded her hands under her chin and placed her head on my chest so she could gaze dreamily into my eyes. She remained like that for the rest of our cuddling session.
I looked at my watch some time later and was shocked.
“We’ve been cuddling for 40 minutes!” I said.
“Yeah…?” Toni said, unconcerned. I shrugged and we kept cuddling.
Another 20 minutes of cuddling and laughing went by. I was getting concerned for my wallet’s sake. I said: “We’ve been cuddling for an hour! Are you going to charge me for it? I don’t want to pay for $400 of cuddling.”
“No, it’s OK,” Toni said. “I’m an independent contractor, so I can set my own rate.” Then she playfully jumped to her knees. “Hey, do you want to play a game? Want to play Scattergories?” She pointed to one of her cabinets, and sure enough, Scattergories lay on top. I politely declined.
We started talking about our hobbies. Toni liked to draw. She went to a cabinet and took out her sketchbook. Inside there were rudimentary drawings of Woodstock, Toni’s favorite cartoon character. There was also an angel sitting on a mountaintop, crying, with her head in her folded arms. Underneath it said, “The unloved.”
“Wait a second, is that you?” I asked.
It was.
When she placed her hands back on my chest, I realized that Toni didn’t want me to leave. I came to the brothel to cuddle as a prank—and it was funny that I talked about the Democratic primary and America’s declining economy with a prostitute—but then it turned into a genuine conversation on traveling, Lake Tahoe, Harry Potter and what we wanted to do with our lives.
Toni, “the unloved,” only wanted someone to talk to. In a twisted way, Toni got more love than most people, but it wasn’t the type of love she wanted. The love she wanted was the kind I gave her: platonic and friendly attention. Why else did our 20-minute cuddling session last an hour and a half? Why else was Toni so reluctant to let me leave?
My suspicions were correct. The next evening Toni wrote on the Mustang Ranch’s Web site: “Last night I had a college student I thought you know that he would want what every college student wanted (straight lay). But once we got to the negotiation room to my surprise what he wanted to do is just spend a little time with me an cuddle no sex massage or foreplay. Just lay cuddle an talk we must have cuddled an talked for an hour. It was such a change from the regular straight lay it was so nice.. So if anyone is up for cuddle time I am willing an ready!!!”
And as I think of Toni and all the other lonely and underappreciated people I know, I’m reminded of a quote attributed to Mother Teresa: “There are many in the world who are dying for a piece of bread, but there are many more dying for a little love.”
Let’s solve that problem. Being more loving shouldn’t involve a columnist on his last hurrah, and it doesn’t hurt or cost a thing—at least in most cases. In my case it cost $100.
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© 2008 The Nevada Sagebrush
May 6th, 2008 at 11:46 am
finally you write something cant hate you for. “Go out with a bang” i guess is your philosophy. Its a good read and while i was skeptical at first, because its you, i really enjoyed reading it. Good piece!
May 6th, 2008 at 4:51 pm
I just have to say, i read the sagebrush religiously, every week. But that is the best article i’ve read. It has everything u need, novelty, drama, interest. Its amazing. Thanks for your column and have fun in madagascar!
May 6th, 2008 at 6:31 pm
Jordan, you saved your best for last. Considering how lackluster a lot of your columns had been so far I expected something decent from you, but this was damn good. Great work.
May 7th, 2008 at 12:13 am
Jordan, you’ve really and truly outdone yourself.
May 7th, 2008 at 12:37 am
this is so fucking Excellent. congrats. :)
May 7th, 2008 at 9:41 am
I laughed, cried, and came away feeling like I had a better understanding of the world.
May 7th, 2008 at 2:35 pm
I loved this article! It’s nice to hear there are some boys out there that are just willing to cuddle! Amazing writing!
May 8th, 2008 at 3:24 pm
This is a great article and insight to a very taboo subject. Good work!
May 8th, 2008 at 4:38 pm
What a nice girl. I feel bad for her - there’s probably a lot of prostitutes and other women similar to them who are really lonely at heart.
Great article!
May 8th, 2008 at 4:52 pm
I don’t remember me ever leaving a reply or a comment on anything I’ve read online, ever!!
But this really touched me; sceptical at first but amazingly beautiful in conclusion.
Thank you!
May 8th, 2008 at 6:19 pm
I hate to sound hokey (stumbled here, btw) but it’s amazing what a simple smile can do.
May 8th, 2008 at 9:29 pm
I’ve never read your column before today. i found it using stumble. i liked what you had to say. and i hope that it truly changed your perspective on people. its a shame that so many people are stigmatized because of their life circumstances. i feel bad for Toni, and i hope one day she’ll get out of that situation of hers. But i’m glad you were able to see that those girls aren’t there because they love to “get down” . best of luck in Madagascar-
May 8th, 2008 at 10:23 pm
awesome post, very interesting subject matter, good luck in Madagascar.
May 8th, 2008 at 11:57 pm
This was a really nice article–great change of pace from the usual stuff you find in a student newspaper. I don’t even go to UNR! I just stumbled upon it and it was a really nice read.
May 9th, 2008 at 1:06 am
Do you know how hard it is to keep a pot head’s attention? That was amazing, touching, creative, unique, insightful and everything else that makes reading the exciting thing it can be. I loved your perspective and conjuring of images and relatability. Thanks for the read!
May 9th, 2008 at 1:33 am
ur ghey….haha, nah….great piece. I have wondered before what would happen if u just wanted to hang out with a hooker, but I would probably end up having sex…..haha
May 9th, 2008 at 1:33 am
I’ve never read you before, I stumbled upon this, and it kind of made me choke up a little. So many people just want the little things, and so often we loose sight of what constitutes the “real” human experience. Congrats on an authentic and touching human relationship, and giving someone what they needed (although I realize that probably wasn’t your intent, that’s the way I prefer to view it).
May 9th, 2008 at 3:23 am
Like some of the other commenters, I stumbled here (I think through Reddit), and if it weren’t for the title I would have closed the tab (I have too many tabs open as it is).
I was thinking to myself, “yeah, right” but the story sounds quite credible, and more importantly, human. Of course, the skeptic in me had to confirm Toni’s post on the Mustang Ranch Forum (sort of NSFW: http://tinyurl.com/5kya6u).
As far as I’m concerned, you could have consummated in other ways, as long as both of you are consenting adults and you don’t demonstrate hypocrisy like, say, some politicians who say one thing and do another. Either way, the important lesson for me was that there were two real human beings at both ends of the deal.
I read a lot of disappointing (political and economic) news every day, but it makes me feel good to know that there are people out there–living, breathing beings with lots of heart.
I’ll be sure to tell Toni that the next time I visit Mustang Ranch to bang the hell out of her.
I’m only kidding folks; please don’t get upset…
:-)
May 11th, 2008 at 10:29 pm
Jordan,
once again you have captured my heart.
Tellin about our adventure I’m thankful for an it’s lets other people know that I’m not just a hooker or working girls whatever you want to call it I am a human an i do have feelings
Best regards
Toni from the Mustang Ranch
May 12th, 2008 at 7:27 am
Since this will be my last semester at UNR, it was a pleasure to see an article in the Sagebrush like this one. Good luck in Madagascar!!!
May 12th, 2008 at 10:06 am
Jordan, this the first article of yours I have ever read. It really made me smile. So often girls [especially in college] are used just for sex, but sometimes we just want to cuddle and just talk. I wish more guys would do what you did. Hell, I’d do it for free!!!
May 12th, 2008 at 11:19 am
I think Jordan may be misinterpreting his time with the prostitute much like other men have been fooled by the gaze of a hooker or a stripper who says, “No no, you’re special.”
Just like she has done countless times in the past, Toni simply gave the customer what he wanted, which was the feeling that he was interesting enough to touch the heart of a woman.
A good prostitute knows how to effect the ego of the customer, and this story doesn’t appear to show anything different. She simply made Jordan feel like he mattered. Prostitution isn’t just about sex, but also psychology.
Toni admitted that business was slow and I believe that Jordan was just a time filler.
I wonder if we are all correct to assume that the life of a prostitute is lonely and meaningless?
May 12th, 2008 at 1:48 pm
I was using stumbleupon, just sitting home in a bad, lonely mood and found this, it makes me a little wistful, but I like it, and I’m feeling much better, it’s sweet, and I feel for poor Toni, I know what it’s like to want somebody to cuddle but not have anybody to, usually..
May 12th, 2008 at 4:28 pm
Wow, I have tears in my eyes after reading this. Good for you mate, I’d go back when you get back from Madagascar and see if she’s still working. You may get your next cuddle session for free :)
May 13th, 2008 at 11:14 am
Everyone needs and deserves love.
May 13th, 2008 at 1:26 pm
This was such a great article. You’ve no idea how much I enjoyed it. I write for our paper but in its entirety it does not even come close to the depth that this one article holds.
I commend you and hope to someday be able to write with such attentiveness to life as a whole.
May 13th, 2008 at 2:01 pm
Aw thats such a sweet yet sad story. I do feel for Toni and what a nice thing you did, all she wanted was a cuddle and attention. :)
May 13th, 2008 at 4:13 pm
This was a much more heart-felt touching article than I thought it would be. You are a great writer and I hope your trip to Madagascar goes well. I’m sure you’ll do great! I wish my school newspaper here at SUNY New Paltz was as good as yours, But I suppose not everywhere can be as interesting as Reno.
May 13th, 2008 at 8:04 pm
Hey,
As a fellow college newspaper person, I have to say, great column! If only my paper would allow such things to be written about. We are only allowed to write news columns according to our EIC. Cutesy columns are the best! Good Luck graduating and teaching in Madagascar!
Sincerely,
Alison
May 13th, 2008 at 10:14 pm
your columns are always my favorite
May 13th, 2008 at 11:02 pm
From one college newspaper writer to another, that was an incredible article. Good work.
May 13th, 2008 at 11:16 pm
Great article.
Id recommend getting a website of your own, chronicling your time in Madagascar and the lemurs!
Good article… but, I would have at least got a blow job out of the deal!
I kid! kinda…
May 13th, 2008 at 11:56 pm
I stumbled here and frankly wasn’t expecting much… but wow. I’m surprised and amazed by how touching this piece was. What a fantastic article, and a great message. Be more loving.
May 14th, 2008 at 5:35 am
I want to cuddle and shoot the shit with a prostitute! That sounds like great fun
May 14th, 2008 at 7:50 am
I’m really impressed, I’m even a poorer unemployed person. $100 to cuddle is up there, but you had real guts to do what you did.
I’m in Ontario Canada. We have very little “services” like vegas but what we do have is not of high quality. I guess the main concern is STD’s etc.
If I was in your position, I would have cuddled with Toni and I would have asked her about her job as well. I curious if you would go back to her? maybe offer her a lunch date. I know there isn’t much a future in it but you never know maybe she’ll be looking for work somewhere else.
Great article!
May 14th, 2008 at 11:37 am
Ok, call me a bitch, but I can’t help but have a little tear in the corner of my eye for Toni. Nice article kid…
May 14th, 2008 at 12:54 pm
t is in spanish springs..
May 14th, 2008 at 2:01 pm
The experience was interesting enough, but certainly not very original. Your introduction showed very little maturity and your style turned me off by the third paragraph. Its as if you’re trying to be ‘edgy’ but it comes across as more of a goofy little boy who tries too hard. Bowling balls are never objects that you can compare to breasts in a serious or professional way. I am glad your career will be teaching english (far, far away) and not going into journalism.
May 14th, 2008 at 2:22 pm
Goddamn, stumbleupon, you really let me down on this one. I hate you Jordan Butler.
That girl is so super lucky to have been treated to an hour ofyour decency and life-affirmation. Blech. Stop trying so hard, dude. You grew up white and middle-class. Your mom loves mayo and you love sushi. Go home.
May 14th, 2008 at 3:08 pm
This was a really well written article. It gave the women in brothels a sort of human side that many people assume isn’t there.
Thanks Jordan, it really was an awesome read.
~Gina
May 14th, 2008 at 3:16 pm
You’re awesome dude!
May 14th, 2008 at 3:53 pm
I’m also a columnist for my student paper, and I must say bravo, good sir.
May 14th, 2008 at 4:31 pm
That is awesome man. Very interesting observations. I agree with you, love is the movement, love is the revolution. Stumbled onto the piece, and think it’s great. Blessings on the Madagascar trip, spread the love there brotha.
May 15th, 2008 at 12:59 am
You should be embarrassed you paid for your writing degree. This is awful - especially for something so potentially interesting.
May 15th, 2008 at 4:59 am
Very inspiring, man. I live in Holland and have wanted to interview a prostitute for as long as I can remember. Not ‘interview’, but more of an exchange of visions on the world. The only way I see one can go about it is exactly like you did it. Show up while they’re working, pay them, talk.
Although now I might not have to do it any more ;-) Good post!
May 15th, 2008 at 12:16 pm
This is truly fantastic. Thank you for doing this.
May 15th, 2008 at 3:16 pm
Truly touching.
It’s nice to read that there’s someone who can feel empathy out there.
May 15th, 2008 at 6:19 pm
Thoughtfully provocative. Insightful in a way I had not expected. I just happened up this site and read somewhat critically but found myself impressed. Well written.
May 16th, 2008 at 12:39 am
Prostitutes are F-ing Awesome. Too bad they’re illegal here, or I’d go cuddle one right now.
May 16th, 2008 at 1:54 am
Awesome.
Although i still would have nailed her afterwards…
May 16th, 2008 at 5:29 am
It seems that you have had a remarkable learning experience regarding human relations. I expect, on some level, you’ve also had a study in your own biases. From your initial expectations, it seems you assumed the prostitute would be nothing more than exactly that. What you found instead was a human being, with wants, desires, needs, and hope, just like everyone else. Congratulations. You should be proud. Money well spent.
May 16th, 2008 at 6:04 am
Hey..pretty interesting article. I think a lot of people are out there doing things and pretending to be a certain way…but deep down, they’re just longing for some attention.
Nice last article, my friend.
May 16th, 2008 at 10:15 am
Gee, those Davidson kids ain’t got shit on you!
May 16th, 2008 at 4:45 pm
I think the whole thing is sad, really (for them, not you.) And despite your description, I can’t imagine anything other than those places being really scummy.
Do they have male bouncer-tough guys? I would imagine so. I would also imagine they have hidden cameras in the rooms in case someone got too rough or did something illegal. Maybe even to check up on the girls and their wage reports. I wonder about the details legalities of what they can do to you?
How young were you at the time? Were your a virgin? Are you still one if that was the case? Just wondering why anyone would turn down a blowjob? I guess they really go by the money, though.
Also, were some of the women so repulsively scummy that you weren’t interested at all? Were there older women with cakes of makeup on?
I once saw a TV piece about a brothel worker who had a “normal” family including husband and she made $200,000 a year.
I don’t know, really nothing attracts me to Nevada. I used to gamble until I realized how stupid it was and had to go bankrupt because of it. Oh well, how else is a desert state going to make any money?
May 16th, 2008 at 5:20 pm
Ironically your column ended with a bang but your trip to the brothel didn’t.
May 16th, 2008 at 6:06 pm
just stumbled on this; loved it. Good luck in Madagascar.
May 16th, 2008 at 7:26 pm
Nice writing, but I *don’t* really think you can do much to help people who’re dying for a little love. At least like that.
Some days, the ‘unloved’ will enjoy a cuddling session. If friendly attention and comfort was what she was looking for, she wouldn’t have been doing what she’s doing. Not that I’m saying she’s bad or what she does makes her horrible. She’s disillusioned. She needs to wake up, and sentimentalized cuddling sessions or friendly attention etc can’t solve her — or just about anybody’s — problems.
Just my tuppence.
May 16th, 2008 at 8:34 pm
this is one of the most touching stories Beautiful touching and lovely
i am going to make a concious effort to love more in my life !!!
Thank you for your story it has made me a little stronger in a certain aspect of my life !!!
All we all need is more Looove <3
as a girl i completely understand that feeling that she has not all of us need physical satisfaction but heartfelt hug or a loving attention
THANK YOU
it was LOVELY <3
May 17th, 2008 at 4:41 am
Get off the human interest soap box.
The fact a prostitute has the same fundamental wants and needs as most human beings isn’t news.
May 17th, 2008 at 9:23 am
Jordan, your story was very touching, but . . . .
You were with a “professional” that makes her livelihood using other people and telling them what they want to hear.
Your experience sounds more like a seasoned pro making the easiest $100 of the day from a naive kid, and she didn’t even have to get screwed, although you did.
May 18th, 2008 at 3:42 am
Hahaha…this was a very humorous story but truly encapsulated a thoughtful ending. Well done and best of luck in Madagascar.
May 18th, 2008 at 7:05 am
A great piece of writing. The story isn’t so sweet as it could be and also not so stereotypical. I like it:)
May 18th, 2008 at 4:21 pm
WOW. Interesting life.
You just described a good movie there.it would’ve been nice if she found someone though
:]
May 19th, 2008 at 8:59 am
you rock.
May 19th, 2008 at 12:17 pm
That’s adorable.
Will you marry me?
May 19th, 2008 at 3:20 pm
I really enjoyed this a lot, what a wonderful, charming, sad, yet uplifting story. Just great! Thanks.
May 19th, 2008 at 9:05 pm
This is amazing.
Funny how we forget even prostitutes need love too.
You rock homie.
May 19th, 2008 at 9:23 pm
I’m glad I stumbled here, because this is a great and interesting read.
May 20th, 2008 at 8:52 am
Wow. I found this through StumbleUpon and it’s made me nearly cry (hard deal for a tough english girl). It’s really moving, and makes me sad for people who so desperately need this kind of love and attention and don’t get it. Very thought-provoking. Thanks.
May 20th, 2008 at 2:30 pm
Thats the best way for a satisfying relationship.Thats the Indian way.Sex with a prostitute is like consented rape. Also the void of companionship doesnot get filled with plain sex.It better starts with acceptance of friendship ,falling in love and streamling your diffirences over a long period of time…until one misses the other in prolonged moments of separation.Then comes that hug the warmth and the love which is made. But then life moves on but now with a companion.
May 20th, 2008 at 11:17 pm
Twice in my life I’ve hired a ‘lady of the night’. Both times for the exact same reason as you … some cuddling, some conversation, someone female who would treat me like a decent human being for a little while.
Here’s a thought: you were a decent human being for an hour and a half. Try to see how far you can stretch that.
I Stumbled in. Now I’m going to Stumble on out.
May 21st, 2008 at 8:56 am
that is realy sweet
May 21st, 2008 at 10:44 am
I expected to read something very different. This is a very well written touching piece about the human condition. Congratulations, you really managed to surprise me and that is not something that happens a lot. Thank you. V
May 21st, 2008 at 7:28 pm
I stumbled this, and I really liked it. It was fascinating, sweet, and sad. Thank you for writing it.
May 21st, 2008 at 10:20 pm
Great story.
May 22nd, 2008 at 12:39 am
To simply put it….
Wonderful.
May 22nd, 2008 at 9:44 am
This was so awesome. Seriously.
May 22nd, 2008 at 12:42 pm
Wow
Everybody seems so touched and moved.
I feel disappointed.
You entered into the deal, no risks to your image , “all I want is to cuddle”, so you could already feel morally superior and righteous.
You so astutely observed the most cliche and predictable “human condition” in a prostitute’s life, that what she really wants is “love”, or “platonic and friendly attention”. Give me a break. Where was your edge? Where was your risk? “she didn’t want me to leave” You are so generous, I can’t help but think of.. oh no, wait, you actually brought up Mother Theresa yourself… how convenient.
So, instead of most johns, you paid to get off on feeling generous and saintly. It would be different if it stopped there, but no, in addition, you get to use the material for your column.
So she wrote about it… your suspicions were correct, my ass. I am not surprised that a working girl wrote about how much fun it was, and encouraged more guys to come cuddle with her. Come off it.
Ok, maybe some folks still need the age old lesson that hookers are people, too. This column was interesting, but pretty self righteous and god awfully cheesy. The humanity was predictable, mundane, I am left with the feeling that you got exactly what you expected from the experience.
May 23rd, 2008 at 8:51 am
Wow, surprised at all the negative comments. The writing degree one was a bit wrong. I liked the article, I like how it fit your memory of the emotion from a prank to something poignant. Very cool.
May 23rd, 2008 at 4:00 pm
Wow! This is the first time I have ever seen your blog and I like it. I’ll be looking forward to your experiences in Madagascar. I stumbled. You now have another fan!
May 23rd, 2008 at 10:10 pm
Wow, what a great story, and I believe every bit of it too, everybody needs love.
I had a similar experience during a bachelor party in Lake Tahoe about 33 years ago. Sometime after the party started, and the booze was flowing (I don’t drink), someone decided the “we” should go to a brothel, so over the hill we went at 10 pm on a Friday night to the Moonlight Ranch. We all gathered at the fenced gate talking and joking, but no one was going in and eventually some of the “girls” started coming out to talk to us. At first they wanted us to come inside for a “party”, and a couple of the more intoxicated one’s did just that. I caught the eye of a blond beauty and once she realized that I wasn’t coming in, we must have talked for an hour with the chain link fence between us (it was a slow, hot, sultry night). We talked about all manner of things, but it always came back to our lives, and how we both wanted Love more than anything else. I’ll never forget her, hoping that a “prince charming” would find her, and take her away to happiness. We all need Love!
May 23rd, 2008 at 11:36 pm
Jordan, that was very, very, very well done. Congratulations.
And best of luck to Toni, too.
May 24th, 2008 at 1:30 am
Signs entering Nevada should all say: “Nevada: Where prostitution is part of our culture.”
I doubt it will work as well as the Dominican Republic’s, or better yet Puerto Rico’s, “Cockfighting is part of our culture” nonsense, but hey, if it attracts dirty prostitutes for over-privledged white people to make fun of and then realize that it’s all not so funny, well, all the better.
Good luck in Madagascar, I think you’re going to need it.
May 24th, 2008 at 5:28 am
Great piece, no pun intended. You are very insightful for a young guy. I respect the fact that you didn’t use your experience as a way to get cheap laughs at the young ladies expense. You’ve learned a lesson that I’m sorry to say took me much longer, that being to give a person a chance to show you who they are . It served you well here, as it will for the rest of your life. You are a good egg and I wish you a safe journey.Keep writing, you tell a good tale.
May 24th, 2008 at 8:30 am
Despite the fact that your story seems a little “Pretty Woman”-esque, I love it. It’s beautifully written and heartwarming, nice work. Good luck in Madagascar Jordan!
May 24th, 2008 at 10:47 am
It seems strange that there are several people who have commented that she was making an “easy” $100 rather than being sincere. I’m not sure how the business was doing that day, but it seems like it would have been rather more profitable to just have him out the door in 20 minutes and continue about her business, especially if he admitted he was going away for two years. Not like you can really expect him to be a repeat customer.
May 24th, 2008 at 12:01 pm
I started reading this thinking it was going to be some serious bunk, but it ended on a really thought-provoking note. Kudos!
May 24th, 2008 at 2:46 pm
[...] weeks ago I published a column in my university newspaper entitled, “I paid $100 to cuddle with a prostitute.” The 1,800-word column received lots of attention from bloggers and Internet users. At the time [...]
May 24th, 2008 at 6:41 pm
This article was not quite what I expected. You are a wonderful writer.
May 24th, 2008 at 7:31 pm
[...] possibility Posted in Alex’s Random Links | Trackback | del.icio.us | Top Of [...]
May 24th, 2008 at 9:28 pm
i cried a little.
May 24th, 2008 at 11:11 pm
amazing, you’ve put me in a thoughtful and serene mood - which is very hard to get for someone like me
thank you
i’ll probably get an epiphany tonight
=)
May 25th, 2008 at 8:16 am
I downloaded stubble-upon yesterday , which is a mozilla add on and it came forward with this page. I have to say your article is great and funny in a strange way cause it makes you think about how people nowadays really feel alone and unloved. well my english aren’t good enough to say what i want so i’ll just say . Congratulations. :)
greetings from Greece xD
May 25th, 2008 at 9:16 am
[...] Read more here. [...]
May 25th, 2008 at 12:27 pm
This is one of the best articles I’ve read recently. Most of these professional ladies are so far removed fromlove that they cherish the little that they get. Good stuff.
May 25th, 2008 at 2:29 pm
That’s one of the best things I’ve read. (period)
Which is to say I find way too few things which are genuine.
Maybe not as good as Dostoyevsky, but Way good.
May 25th, 2008 at 5:25 pm
Lame.
May 25th, 2008 at 6:58 pm
Awww… this was SO sweet. Feel free to cuddle with me when you’re back from Madagascar! :)
May 26th, 2008 at 7:48 am
wowwww.. this really inspired me. :)
May 26th, 2008 at 10:35 pm
Jordan I came across your article from a website I frequent linkswarm.com.
I want to congratulate you on the article and ask if at all possible could you please send me an email or post your email. I’d like to get into in regards to the two years in Madagascar. I am a engineering major and would love to take off to some exotic local to teach English. I graduate this month any info would be greatly appreciated
May 27th, 2008 at 2:24 pm
Hi,
Stumbled here,
Thankful I did,
And thank you too, for a nice piece of writing…
May 29th, 2008 at 1:47 am
Very typical to feel this way about a stripper/prostitue. They all try to make you feel this way.
May 29th, 2008 at 8:07 am
Wow, just Stumbledupon this…and its one of the best things I’ve read in a long while! I didn’t think an article on prostitutes could be worth reading…but damn was I wrong. Way to make a difference in someone’s life, man…and I share that man-crush on Obama! lol
May 29th, 2008 at 10:01 am
hey,
After reading your article and all the gushingly caring and pseudo-analytical psychology in the comments…I have but one thing to add:
You. Got. Robbed.
Dude, you just paid 100$ to listen to a girl’s problems. It would have been cheaper to take a girl out on a date to a decent restaurant. You would have a least had a good meal.
May 29th, 2008 at 1:58 pm
That’s really sad! Interesting, though.
May 29th, 2008 at 3:36 pm
Jordan sir, this is one of the best articles I’ve seen in a long time. Great job my friend.
May 29th, 2008 at 10:32 pm
This article made me wish I were a man so I could go cuddle with a prostitute.
May 31st, 2008 at 7:18 pm
Lovely article! And definitely a wonderful read. Thanks for the willingness and honesty.
June 2nd, 2008 at 10:03 am
[...] C. Butler wrote I Paid $100 to Cuddle With a Prostitute at The Nevada Sagebrush. When she placed her hands back on my chest, I realized that Toni didn’t [...]
June 2nd, 2008 at 1:25 pm
Even though it cost you $100 I bet she will never forget you. How sad she must be! I bet she’s not the only one.
June 2nd, 2008 at 4:39 pm
man, i’ve lived my life in vain.
June 3rd, 2008 at 3:34 pm
English Teacher? You should be a famous journalist for the rest of your life. Good job on the article, and good luck overseas.
June 3rd, 2008 at 4:27 pm
I think this is an amazing piece. It touched my heart.
June 3rd, 2008 at 5:56 pm
CUSTY’D
June 3rd, 2008 at 8:05 pm
I, like many others, stumbled here, and also don’t often leave comments, but it is a great piece of writing and shows that you really can’t put a price on having someone to be there to just listen to you and just be interested in you for you, not for what you do in life.
Good luck in Madagascar!
Neil
June 3rd, 2008 at 8:23 pm
Thats a pretty sick experience to say you’ve had.
June 3rd, 2008 at 9:14 pm
Great story. I do think that Charlie may have been right there, but I think we can all agree that there is nothing wrong with believing that someone just wants to be loved. Also Charlie, hate to break it to ya but there is a need and a place for everyone. Who are you to judge the value or character of someone you don’t even know and a job you obviously know nothing about. The prostitute was once considered a respectable and important role in our society.
June 3rd, 2008 at 10:16 pm
You’re a good person. :)
June 3rd, 2008 at 10:18 pm
humph. ( a good one, more like a interested sigh) . I agree with Mother Teresa
June 4th, 2008 at 6:10 am
I thought the mustang ranch was closed permanently by the u.s.gov’t and the irs several years ago. Conforte owed backtaxes so the irs seized the property and put it on the open market but it is my understanding that no one bought it so it has remained closed indefinitely. Back in the 90’s, I loved to go there. I mainly went to give oral sex to the working girls there…they always tasted so juicy.
June 4th, 2008 at 11:03 am
Dear Jordan,
I have to say that you did very well in what would have been considered a prank as you say, in being able to turn it into something a lot more meaningful. I am exotic dancer of about seven years, and I have noticed when it comes to prostitutes, dancers and other entertainers, that much is taken for granted with what is expected. I have heard many, many customers say, “I can’t believe what you can get for a dollar. or Is that all I get for a dollar?” It does go to show with comments like that, that a lot of women in the entertaining business either have to sacrifice some of their morals and values to be able to make more money; if they don’t then they don’t make as much as their professional and legitimate efforts are worth.
I have to say thank you for succeeding in making those of us in the entertaining business more human than the more negative views society in general has for us.
June 4th, 2008 at 1:09 pm
What a nerd……………………a lovable, funny, romantic …………..nerd……………loved the story
June 4th, 2008 at 5:59 pm
Oh, StumbleUpon. The things you find me.
Awesome article. Keep cuddling those prostitutes.
June 4th, 2008 at 8:25 pm
what a waste of money, I would have made her kick me in the testicles for that much
June 4th, 2008 at 8:28 pm
Gotta say, unless this is a prank, that is truly a special moment. It is in some ways an inspiration and I would never have known unless stumbleupon lead me here. Strange how life has those twists where you intend for one thing and yet something better happens as a result. Kudos for you for what you did (bringing a little light to her day) and everything.
June 4th, 2008 at 11:08 pm
STUMBLED :). funny I am a introverted person so i get lonley somtimes. i always wanted to take a prostitute to dinner and to just talk for a haour or so. I think my next trip may be to nervada :) great article. trick d ur a dirtsack. was this article made for edge? it was a experiance not a novel.
June 5th, 2008 at 2:29 am
Wow.
June 5th, 2008 at 2:34 am
Jordan, this is a lovely piece. It’s easy to judge someone by a label. Thank you for showing the world the gifts they may overlook should they continue this tragic practice.
June 5th, 2008 at 5:48 am
Stumbled here and it’s a great post. Really touching story, and I know there are reasons to be skeptical of Toni, but I think there’s a lot of truth here, and that it was probably a time where she really was herself with someone else. Prostitutes and other women who use their bodies as their career often have interesting stories to tell, and many would have similarities.
June 5th, 2008 at 8:50 pm
Jordon:
I’m surprised no one asked these two questions:
(1) What did your mother say about this?
(2) What did you REALLY want?
See you at the party!!
June 6th, 2008 at 12:59 pm
….. nice, …. really nice…..
June 6th, 2008 at 2:49 pm
That was beautiful.
June 6th, 2008 at 7:02 pm
You’ve watched Young Guns, haven’t you?
June 7th, 2008 at 10:58 am
Great article, man! Found you through StumbleUpon. Excellently written too. Thanks for sharing this insight and experience. I’ve reposted your article on my blog, with proper credit and a link back here, of course. :) Keep writing, you’ve got a gift man.
Peace,
David
June 7th, 2008 at 4:23 pm
When I stumbled upon this article, I saw the length of the page and said to myself that there was no way I was gonna read the whole thing. Low and behold I started reading for the title intrigued me. Before I knew it I had read the whole story. What a wonderful story. I was once married, and my wife and I would cuddle everynight. I loved it. I have since gone through divorce and am with someone different now. Her and I don’t cuddle… at all. It’s kind of depressing. The only time we have any sort of human contact is the occasional kiss, sometimes a hug here and there, and sex… which doesn’t happen very often either. I miss cuddling with somebody that loves me. So I end with this, thank you for writing such a detailed and intriguing article that I actually felf like I was there with Toni. Keep up the good work.
June 8th, 2008 at 11:54 am
nice. from brazil.
June 9th, 2008 at 1:32 pm
No sh**!!!
Prostitutes have thoughts, feelings and emotions? I don’t know what most people here were reading but this article is mindless, stuck-up drivel.
I pity you more than the prostitute to be honest, the thought of your little experiment and then feeling like you did some good for the world through your hard hitting report.
Going by the comments, it seriously looks like a lot of very sheltered people are reading this.
Really, really sad. But unfortunately not for the reasons you intended.
June 12th, 2008 at 7:21 am
Would have been a whole lot more touching if she hadn’t taken your $100. She didn’t just want to be loved, she wanted to get PAID.
June 23rd, 2008 at 11:20 am
This was the saddest thing I have read in my life.
July 1st, 2008 at 1:31 am
talk about wasting $100….next time wear rubber and be a man.
July 4th, 2008 at 4:49 pm
You are a _.
July 12th, 2008 at 9:20 am
Well, I guess the message that prostitutes are human beings still needs to be spread.
I can’t argue with the number of posts (and assume so many that don’t post) of people who say they are touched by this article.
“WOW! Hookers are people, too!? How poignant!”
If it reaches people, it’s worthwhile, right?
Have fun writing for the masses, Jordan.
@petey pie: I’m a dirtsack?!!? You fantasize about paying a woman to go to dinner with you. Does that make you more noble than a john who wants sex???
Good luck with that.
I am sure the hooker would much rather have sex (easy) and be on her way than have to fake a human relationship (difficult)
I am just someone who seems to think that it is not all that groundbreaking to realize that the woman you pay for (anything) is a human being, with the full spectrum of reality and feelings that EVERY human being comes with.
July 23rd, 2008 at 5:26 pm
Oh, well done.
August 2nd, 2008 at 9:25 pm
Darling story. As a working girl myself, I can say in all honesty that I’ve never had the pleasure of a client who only wanted to cuddle for $100, so I find your sweetness really hard to believe. Anybody interested in a sex worker’s daily life you can read my blog.
August 22nd, 2008 at 3:49 pm
Reads like a ’shocking expose’ from a Tyra Banks episode.