By ANDREW HANON, SUN MEDIA
Myths, money keep women trapped in lifestyle Sex trade booms despite deaths Drivers play backup role
Amber knew something was wrong when her phone didn't ring all night.
As one of the hundreds of licensed escorts in Edmonton, Amber, a tall, strikingly beautiful woman in her late twenties, had an income that allowed her to drive a Lexus and live in a spacious, luxury condominium.
But on Friday, June 27, no calls came in.
"I just had a bad feeling," she recalls. "Something was going on out there."
On Monday, Amber's worst fears were confirmed.
Another escort, 20-year-old Chantel Robertson, had been strangled early Saturday and buried in a south-side backyard. Matthew Todd Barrett, 24, was charged with first-degree murder.
A nauseating wave of fear and repulsion swept over Amber.
Robertson worked for a different agency, but they had a passing acquaintance.
This wasn't supposed to happen in the escort business.
Working "inside" was supposed to be safe.
Unlike the street sex trade, escorts and their agencies are licensed and regulated.
Clients are screened, addresses are recorded and escorts are driven to appointments by someone who stays nearby in case something goes wrong.
Escorts aren't supposed to die.
Robertson wasn't the first inside girl to die this year. Brianna Torvalson used to work on the streets, but had reportedly started meeting her clients over the Internet.
Her body was found in February in a Strathcona County field.
It was too much for Amber.
"I called my boss and quit right then and there."
Then the next wave of fear swept over her. What now? Amber had been in the sex trade for nine years - she didn't know anything else.
Now she's starting from scratch. Amber's in college learning a new career.
Gone are the Lexus and condo. She moved back into her parents' home and rides the bus to school each day.
Click here to find out more!
"It's so hard," she says.
"But I realized I hated what I was doing. I loved the money - I still miss that -- but I want to do something I'm proud of. This is what I want. I have to keep telling myself that."
LILLITH
Like Amber, Lillith is in school. But the single mom moonlights as an escort to pay for her education and feed her two kids.
"This is just a business opportunity," she says. "As far as I'm concerned, I'm contributing to the economy."
Lillith says her client list includes lawyers, judges and even a few cops. She estimates 60% are in committed relationships.
"I don't feel bad about that," she says. "They're the ones stepping out on their wives."
Lillith admits she was coerced into the business. She was a stay-at-home mom when her husband abandoned the family, leaving her on the verge of financial oblivion.
"Then I got involved with a psychopath," she says. "I was just his ATM."
The boyfriend stole money from her and pawned her possessions. He "borrowed" money and when none was left, manipulated her into thinking the only solution was to work as an escort.
"He told me what to wear, when to work and how much money we needed."
She eventually came to her senses and threw him out, but continued to work as an independent escort.
"I make a liveable amount of money," she says. "And it's all mine. I have flexible hours and I can be there for my kids."
Besides, she adds, what she's doing isn't that different from dating, anyway.
"When you go out on a date, he buys you dinner and drinks and if you hit it off, you end up in bed. I just get the cash up front, so who's the idiot?"
http://www.edmontonsun.com/News/Edmonton/2008/11/02/7280646-sun.html
Myths, money keep women trapped in lifestyle Sex trade booms despite deaths Drivers play backup role
Amber knew something was wrong when her phone didn't ring all night.
As one of the hundreds of licensed escorts in Edmonton, Amber, a tall, strikingly beautiful woman in her late twenties, had an income that allowed her to drive a Lexus and live in a spacious, luxury condominium.
But on Friday, June 27, no calls came in.
"I just had a bad feeling," she recalls. "Something was going on out there."
On Monday, Amber's worst fears were confirmed.
Another escort, 20-year-old Chantel Robertson, had been strangled early Saturday and buried in a south-side backyard. Matthew Todd Barrett, 24, was charged with first-degree murder.
A nauseating wave of fear and repulsion swept over Amber.
Robertson worked for a different agency, but they had a passing acquaintance.
This wasn't supposed to happen in the escort business.
Working "inside" was supposed to be safe.
Unlike the street sex trade, escorts and their agencies are licensed and regulated.
Clients are screened, addresses are recorded and escorts are driven to appointments by someone who stays nearby in case something goes wrong.
Escorts aren't supposed to die.
Robertson wasn't the first inside girl to die this year. Brianna Torvalson used to work on the streets, but had reportedly started meeting her clients over the Internet.
Her body was found in February in a Strathcona County field.
It was too much for Amber.
"I called my boss and quit right then and there."
Then the next wave of fear swept over her. What now? Amber had been in the sex trade for nine years - she didn't know anything else.
Now she's starting from scratch. Amber's in college learning a new career.
Gone are the Lexus and condo. She moved back into her parents' home and rides the bus to school each day.
Click here to find out more!
"It's so hard," she says.
"But I realized I hated what I was doing. I loved the money - I still miss that -- but I want to do something I'm proud of. This is what I want. I have to keep telling myself that."
LILLITH
Like Amber, Lillith is in school. But the single mom moonlights as an escort to pay for her education and feed her two kids.
"This is just a business opportunity," she says. "As far as I'm concerned, I'm contributing to the economy."
Lillith says her client list includes lawyers, judges and even a few cops. She estimates 60% are in committed relationships.
"I don't feel bad about that," she says. "They're the ones stepping out on their wives."
Lillith admits she was coerced into the business. She was a stay-at-home mom when her husband abandoned the family, leaving her on the verge of financial oblivion.
"Then I got involved with a psychopath," she says. "I was just his ATM."
The boyfriend stole money from her and pawned her possessions. He "borrowed" money and when none was left, manipulated her into thinking the only solution was to work as an escort.
"He told me what to wear, when to work and how much money we needed."
She eventually came to her senses and threw him out, but continued to work as an independent escort.
"I make a liveable amount of money," she says. "And it's all mine. I have flexible hours and I can be there for my kids."
Besides, she adds, what she's doing isn't that different from dating, anyway.
"When you go out on a date, he buys you dinner and drinks and if you hit it off, you end up in bed. I just get the cash up front, so who's the idiot?"
http://www.edmontonsun.com/News/Edmonton/2008/11/02/7280646-sun.html
