Cathryn Berarovich is something of a renaissance sex worker; she was until recently employed as a stripper but has held numerous interesting jobs in the industry (and she’s currently an excellent columnist on this very website). Each week, she shares her stories in Harlotry.
When I mention I’ve worked as a prostitute, one of the things people ask most frequently is whether I’ve ever had an accidental orgasm with a client. The answer is no.
This may be part of why I was not the best hooker ever, but it’s also what kept me a relatively sane hooker. While on one hand I’m grateful for the fact that I’ve never gotten off with a client, I’m also a little sad. Stories sex workers tell about accidental orgasms are often the most interesting and powerful stories about being a sex worker. It’s like the stories from any line of work: the terrible ones are always the best ones. There’s nothing interesting about a client who is nice, respectful, and easy to satisfy.
The two types of whores I encounter most frequently are the ones like me, who actively avoid orgasms in a professional context, and the ones who actually hope for an orgasm, who try to take genuine sexual enjoyment out of their work. I don’t understand the latter variety at all, though I have nothing but admiration for them.
