Tell a Friend

I told a friend that I'm a prostitute.

Bailey (not his real name) isn't just any friend -- he's one of my best friends, on the same level as Rebecca. It's ironic that I was the one who became an escort and not him, because he's actually better looking than I am. He has that doe-eyed Abercrombie & Fitch look, like he should be frolicking on a lake in upstate New York with Bruce Weber behind the lens.

He came over to my place after breaking up with his girlfriend. They'd been fighting for weeks, with her accusing him of infidelity when all Bailey did was attend a party with me. Glad as he was to finally end the relationship, a few days after he said he felt adrift, like he didn't know what to do with himself without his girlfriend at his side.

I told him to come over my place, that we could have a few drinks and catch a movie or something.

We were on the patio of my apartment when he looked me in the eye, much like I did to Rebecca.

"How do you afford this place?" he asked.

"Freelance work," I replied. "Why work 9-5 for a yearly salary when I can go from project to project and charge my own rates?"

"I don't buy it, Julian. Be real with me."

"Bailey," I said, "I'm telling you the truth. I go from client to to client and charge them for my... services."

His face went red as he realized what I was saying. Then, a smile spread across his face. He laughed aloud, looking down at the ground and then back in my eyes.

"You're serious, aren't you?"

"Please don't tell anyone," I said. "No one knows except you and Rebecca."

"You... you just started having sex for a living?"

"I started full-time last summer. Since then, I never stopped."

"And do you work with...?"

"Women only. The only time you see 'gay for pay' is in porn, and I have no interest in that world."

"Really?" Bailey asked. "Aren't porn and prostitution basically the same thing?"

That was a common question. The only way I can explain is that porn is full of drugs, thieves and liars, many of whom have criminal backgrounds and any number of Sexually Transmitted Diseases. Gay porn is the worst -- a cesspool of illness and narcotics, where kids as young as 18 (and in the case of Brent Corrigan, sometimes younger) are brought in and exploited until there's nothing left of them.

"Plus," I added, "there's no digital trail to haunt me for the rest of my life. Escorting is discreet and that's why I like it."

"Well, it sure as hell explains a lot," Bailey said. "Thanks for telling me."

"I wanted to do it for awhile. I knew I could trust you."

"Okay, now that sounded gay."

"Yeah, I know. Didn't your ex accuse us of having an affair?"

Bailey laughed. "Yeah, she did. Good fucking riddance."