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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Ex sex worker, past is still haunting me. Can you give it to me straight about this situation.

212 replies

BadPastBrightFuture · 06/12/2020 13:46

NC for obvious reasons but I'm a regular poster. I'm donning my hard hat for the inevitable pile on, but I need to be told straight how it is so I'm ok with that.

When I was in my late teens I was a sex worker, I was pushed into it by the abusive arsehole I was with at the time who used to beat me and made me pay his way.

One of the men who would 'book' me (single man in his late 40's, not married) became a regular client and something of a friend. I say friend, that's what he said he saw me as and he much kinder to me than most of the others.

Eventually I managed to get out of the abusive relationship and was able to stop the sex work (it was never something I wanted to do in the first place)

The man I mentioned above stayed in touch and when he wanted to see me I explained why I'd stopped doing it and told him that I was coerced in the first place.

Despite that, he wanted to continue coming to see me so after a year or so of him getting in touch I agreed to see him (and only him) on a paid basis again as I was desperate for money and was starting from scratch in an expensive city, lodging with a relative and I had nothing.

I would see him every so often and the money was helpful so I'd paint on a smile and get on with it, except I was no longer getting the amount I used to get as he assumed that because he was travelling further to see me it would be ok to pay me for an hour of my time and have me with him all evening. I didn't feel able to say much about it because I wasn't 'working' properly anymore, despite him seeing multiple other sex workers and paying them their going rate ph. He insists we're great friends.

To cut a long story short I don't want to do it anymore. I have alot of unprocessed trauma from the sex work, mental health problems, so seeing him and doing these degrading roleplays makes it all worse.

I'm starting to emerge from the FOG amd accept that a true friend wouldn't dream of paying a vulnerable woman for sex and degrading them. All of this mushy 'good friends' talk is just something he tells himself to justify what he's doing.

If he truly gave a shit about me and wanted to help me then he'd do so without expecting sex wouldn't he?

As for what I want from the thread, a proverbial kick up the backside and to tell me how it is, to confirm my gut feeling and give me the push I need to stop this once and for all.

Despite knowing in my heart of hearts that I'm being taken advantage of, I've been reluctant to just block and cut him off because he insists he cares about me so much because we're good friends.

Ok mumsnet.. over to you Sad

OP posts:
HeelsHandbagPerfumeCoffee · 07/12/2020 07:18

Christ no don’t lie by saying you’re dating a police officer. Daft suggestion,very
He’ll know you’re lying

babbi · 07/12/2020 07:30

Just say firmly that you are not seeing him again ever and block .
Don’t enter into any further discussion with him. He is manipulative and you are vulnerable.
Seek professional support as others have said and given links .
Should he come to your house and refuse to leave call the police immediately.
They are there to protect you not judge you.
As calmly as you can explain that you need their support to keep yourself safe .

I wish you the best of luck going forward .. you’re very brave .
Be kind to yourself. You have a lot of healing to do .

dannydyerismydad · 07/12/2020 07:32

You are a wise woman. You see the situation exactly for what it is.

You also seem like a kind and lovely person. Still bothered about the feelings of others rather than your own.

You matter. Your feelings matter. It's ok to walk away.

Europilgrim · 07/12/2020 07:36

I hate him on your behalf OP
This. You were in an abusive relationship with this man. How many of us have been in that situation? The sex work is almost incidental. He is not your friend and he does not have your best interests at heart. Please find a way to safely get him completely out of your life. And don't beat yourself up about it. Manipulative bastards are good at manipulating! Good luck. Flowers

LastTangoInBodmin · 07/12/2020 09:22

I am disgusted by this man. Even when you were going through serious mental and physical health issues, he still expected you to “perform”. And he wouldn’t even pay you properly! And I agree with PP who said any decent person would have backed off as soon as you said you were being coerced into the sex work, not expect you to continue to do it.

He is not a friend, as he has shown no concern for your health or your feelings. He is vile, vile scum.

Please don’t see or speak to him ever again. You owe him nothing. If he threatens to release any photos he has of you, phone the police as this is classed as revenge porn and is a crime.

Big hugs Flowers

BadPastBrightFuture · 07/12/2020 12:15

I'm glad you all think the same as me, it has made my decision to stop seeing him alot easier.

I'm racked with anxiety today, I'm able to pin point that to discussing/processing this situation I'm in with him. Usually I'm on autopilot and try not to think too much into it, and just get it over with. Self preservation.

It has hit me like a ton of bricks actually facing and accepting the fact that I'm still being abused.

I'm planning on composing a message to him outlining exactly what I have here and saying that I don't wish to see him again, at all. I'm also going to tell him to delete all photos he has of me because I'm closing the book on that chapter for good.

Thank you all x

OP posts:
Onadifferentuniverse · 07/12/2020 12:44

Oh op I’m so sorry you’ve found yourself dealing with this 😥.

He’s saying you’re his friend to be manipulative. I would use this actually, to end it with him.

‘I think since I’m such a good friend and how much you care about me, we could practice just being friends from now on without anything attached, it feels weird to be taking money from and having sex with someone who cares about me so much as a friend. I hope you understand but it’s making our friendship too complicated’

I wouldn’t mention the pictures at all because once he knows you’re uncomfortable about him having them, he will use it against you.

Onadifferentuniverse · 07/12/2020 12:44

Don’t give him ammo to hurt you op x

Onadifferentuniverse · 07/12/2020 12:47

I know you’re not comfortable him having them but unfortunately even by asking him to delete them, he may not even do it. You’ll never know if he has.
It’s illegal to distribute them and he could land himself in a lot of trouble if he does, especially for manipulating you into having sex with him when you didn’t want to.

Anothermother3 · 07/12/2020 12:52

OP I’m so sorry that you have had such a shit time of it. He’s no friend and you’ve managed so much. I hope you have some real life supper to help process the trauma otherwise please follow the advice to access some. I wish you all the best. There are decent people out there. Flowers

CoffeeSTAT · 07/12/2020 12:59

I am so ANGRY at this horrible, pathetic, disgusting excuse of a man for treating you the way he has. No decent person would ever behave the way he has and continues to. How dare he act in that way and make you feel like that. He is no friend, he degrades and exploits you (and presumably others) and he doesn't care one bit.

I'm crossing everything for your future, your life has already been so difficult, you deserve the bright future you are working so hard for.

picklemewalnuts · 07/12/2020 13:41

Would it be worth taking legal advice about getting the images back? I know it's not straightforward. Perhaps womensaid could advise.

I can't help worrying about them causing you trouble in the future, when all this is behind you.

What kind of work are you going in to?

NotPrude · 07/12/2020 14:33

I've already posted but I've read your posts again.

I am genuinely in awe of your strength and your tenacity. I really hope you continue to heal and recover from this.

Sending you so much positivity and best wishes.

PullTheBricksDown · 07/12/2020 14:42

I would say whatever will close this down as quickly and quietly as possible. Something like: you have been offered a job some distance away so you'll be moving to take that up. It won't be practical for you to meet anymore. You wish him all the best for the future.

I know confrontation would be in many ways more satisfying but I would give yourself the easy way out here.

BadPastBrightFuture · 07/12/2020 15:15

Oh thank you all, you're very kind.

I don't work in a sector that is likely to fire me if he contacted them about my past, my manager is very worldly and I don't think she would pay it any attention. That being said I would bet money on him not doing anything purposefully malicious. I may be giving him alot of credit here, but I think he'll be sad more than angry. As I said before he's that engulfed in the world of sex work he's probably got a great deal of cognitive dissonance going on and probably does think we're friends in some way.

I'm not sure he'd buy it if I were to say I'm moving away for work as I have solid roots here now and have only been in this job for several months.

OP posts:
BadPastBrightFuture · 07/12/2020 15:18

He did say once that if I ever met somebody I wanted a relationship with and thus didn't want to see him again then I could let him know.

Perhaps that's something to consider.

I must admit, he knows I use mumsnet and I'm half wondering whether he'll come across this thread himself as he's very interested in my social media posting. He follows me on Twitter and I know he has searched me up on Facebook as he kept appearing in my 'people you may know' so I had to block him there as I have my family on it.

I think if I were him and I read this, it would probably serve as a wake up call.

OP posts:
picklemewalnuts · 07/12/2020 15:23

I think he'll think he's special though.

Perhaps say you are settling down and want a 'respectable' life with no ties to the past. He should understand that.

BadPastBrightFuture · 07/12/2020 15:24

I found this open letter written by an ex sex worker to her punters and she explains it very eloquently, I toyed with the idea of sending this to him but decided against it. I'll paste it below. It is spot on and exactly how I feel.

FOR YOU, WHO BUY SEX
By Tanja Rahm

Dear sex customer,

If you think that I ever felt attracted to you, you are terribly mistaken. I have never had any desire to go to work, not once. The only thing on my mind was to make money, and fast. Do not confuse that with easy money, it was never easy. Fast, yes. Because I quickly learned the many tricks to get you to come as quickly as possible, so I could get you off of me, or from under me, or from behind me.

And no, you never turned me on during the act. I was a great actress. For years I have had the opportunity to practice for free. Actually, it falls under the concept of multitasking. Because while you lay there, my thoughts were always elsewhere. Somewhere where I was not confronted with you sucking out my self respect, without spending as much as ten seconds on the reality of the situation, or to look me in the eye.

If you thought you were doing me a favour by paying me for thirty minutes or an hour, you were wrong. I would rather have had you in and out as fast as possible. When you thought yourself to my holy saviour, asking what a pretty girl like me was doing in a place like that, you lost your halo when you proceeded to ask me to lie down on my back, and then put all your efforts into feeling my body as much as possible with your hands. Actually, I would have preferred if you had gotten down on your back and had let me do my job.

When you thought you could boost your masculinity by getting me to climax, you need to know that I faked it. I could have won a gold medal in faking it. I faked it so much, that the receptionist would nearly fall off of her chair laughing. What did you expect? You were perhaps number three, or number five, or eight that day. Did you really think I was able to get turned on mentally or physically by having sex with men I did not choose myself? Not ever. My genitals were burning. From lubricant and condoms. And I was tired. So tired, that often I had to be careful not to close my eyes for fear of falling asleep while my moaning continued on autopilot.

If you thought you paid for loyalty or small talk, you need to think again. I had zero interest in your excuses. I did not care that your wife had SPD, and that you just could not go without sex. Or when you offered any other pathetic excuse for coming to buy sex with me. When you thought I understood you and had sympathy for you, it was all a lie. I had nothing but contempt for you, and at the same time you destroyed something inside of me. You sowed the seeds of doubt in me. Doubt as to whether all men were just as cynical and unfaithful as you were.

When you praised my appearance, my body, or my sexual abilities, you could just as well have vomited on me. You did not see the person behind the mask. You only saw that which confirmed your illusion of a raunchy woman with an unstoppable sex drive. In fact, you never said what you thought I wanted to hear. Instead, you said what you yourself needed to hear. You said that, which was needed to preserve your illusion, and which prevented you from thinking about how I had ended up where I was at twenty years of age. Basically you did not care at all. Because you had one goal only, and that was to show off your power by paying me to use my body as it pleased you.

When you came with objects, lingerie, costumes or toys, and wanted erotic role-play, my inner machine took over. I was disgusted with you and your sometimes quite sick fantasies. The same goes for the times when you smiled and said that I looked like a seventeen-year-old girl. It did not help that you yourself were fifty, sixty, seventy, or older.

When you regularly violated my boundaries by either kissing me, or inserting our fingers into me, or taking off your condom, you did it knowing perfectly well that it was against the rules. You were testing my ability to say no. And you enjoyed it when I did not object clearly enough, or when I too often would simply ignore it. And then you used it in a perverted way to show how much power you had and that you could cross my boundaries. When I finally told you off, and made it clear that I would not have you as a customer again if you could not respect the rules, you insulted me and my role as prostitute. You were condescending, threatening and rude.

When you buy sex, it says a lot about you, your humanity, and your sexuality. To me, it is a sign of your weakness, even though you confuse it with a sick sort of power and status. You think you have a right. I mean, the prostitutes are out there anyway, right? But they are only prostitutes because men like you stand in the way of healthy and respectful relationship between men and women. Prostitutes only exist because men like you feel you have the right to satisfy your sexual urges using the orifices of other people’s bodies. Prostitutes exist because you and your peers feel that your sexuality requires access to sex whenever it suits you. Prostitutes exist because you are a misogynist, and because you are more concerned with your own sexual needs than the relationships, in which your sexuality could actually flourish.

When you buy sex, it reveals that you have not found the core within your own sexuality. I feel sorry for you, I really do. That you are so mediocre that you think that sex is all about ejaculating into a stranger’s vagina. And if one is not handy, it is never further away than down the street, where you can pay an unknown woman to be able to empty yourself into a rubber while inside of her. What a petty and frustrated man you must be. A man unable to create profound and intimate relationships, in which the connection runs deeper than just your ejaculation. A man, who expresses his feelings through his climaxes, who does not have the ability to verbalise them, but prefers to channel them through his genitals to get rid himself of them. What a weak masculinity. A truly masculine man would never degrade himself by paying for sex.

As far as your humanity goes, I believe in the good in people, also in you. I know that deep down you have a conscience. That you have quietly wondered whether what you did was ethically and morally justifiable. I also know that you defend your actions and likely think that you treated me well, were kind, never mean or did not violate my boundaries. But you know what? That is called evading your responsibility. You are not confronting reality. You delude yourself in thinking that the people, you buy, are not bought. Not forced into prostitution. Maybe you even think that you did me a favour and gave me a break by talking about the weather, or giving me a little massage before you penetrated me. It did me no favours. All it did was confirm to me that I was not worth more. That I was a machine, whose primary function was to let others exploit my sexuality.

I have many experiences from prostitution. They enable me to write this letter to you. But it is a letter, which I would much rather not have written. These are experiences I wish I could have avoided.

You of course you thought of yourself as one of the nice customers. But there are no nice customers. Just those who confirm the women’s negative view of themselves.

Take my hand and see me for the person I am on the inside. Let us go together to make a difference in the future. Let us raise our voices to our friends, our girlfriends, our business associates, our bosses, our politicians, and last but not least, to the prostituted. Let us raise our voices together and say that sex is private. Let us shout that sex is not a product on a shelf, but that it can cost dearly if it is treated as one. Let us scream to the world that money and sex do no belong together, and that sex belong to all together different and mutually reciprocal relationships. Because in this case, you will re-concur my respect and I will see you as the person you are, and not just as a buyer of sex, seduced by an illusion.

Yours truly,
Tanja Rahm

OP posts:
PlanetSlattern · 07/12/2020 15:30

This man thinks he is nice because he is not confrontational or violent (yet). He is not a nice man, as others have said.

He has manipulated you, humiliated you, cheated you out of funds. He has not charitably funded the deposit for your flat.

I think you should state the truth, explaining that you are moving away from your old life and will not be providing these services in the future. He will go out of his way to prove he is not a nice man – guilt-tripping, gifts, maybe even tears or tantrums – but do not engage. You must block him, and return all further gifts to sender, unopened, with a note saying, "Unknown at this address." He's not your friend; he'll get over it.

Think of yourself, one year from now, thinking, "Thank GOD I broke free from that situation." Think of how relieved you will feel, how free and full of promise the world will seem.

ClumsyAnnabel · 07/12/2020 15:43

I've had some lovely one night stands and fwb in the past and some very sordid stuff bordering on sex work tbh but whilst it served a need at the time, after a while they left a bad taste in my mouth (no pun intended) and I backed away and settled into family life. Men can be extraordinarily persistent. Even now 6 years on I get hopeful messages looking for another hook up. I bet they'd travel for it, pay for it and tell me no one else understands them etc and given the time I've known them it is weirdly almost like old friends. So I absolutely have a little insight into your dilemma although you've been through much worse love. With this guy you're just going to have to be very persistent and see the shared history not as friendship but as something else. Maybe it doesnt have a name. Punter might not sum it up but friends you are not. Stay strong and keep going forward positively and healthily. The past is the past.

picklemewalnuts · 07/12/2020 15:54

You are a very powerful woman, OP. Keep on working on freeing yourself from a past you never chose.

LibrariesGiveUsPower45321 · 07/12/2020 15:57

He is not your friend. He’s an abuser who has been taking advantage of you for years. He’s Manipulated you and gaslighted you into thinking he’s a friend.

Friends do not pay for sex or ask for payment in sex.

Well done in getting as far as you have, keep building to your brighter future.

GlamGloria · 07/12/2020 16:04

This is horrible for you and he sounds disgusting. He is not your friend. Block him. Ghost him. Look after yourself and focus on your emotional health. X

SweetGrapes · 07/12/2020 17:40

So many wise women have already said this... he's an utter, predatory sleaze-ball.

He is NOT a friend. No effing way. If you had a little sister in this scenario - would you agree that he was her friend?

Please cut him off and work on yourself. Flowers

CoffeeSTAT · 07/12/2020 17:50

That letter is absolutely extraordinary. Flowers