How do you screen your clients? How do you know they are legit? How do you know you’ll be safe? Questions that always seemed to be asked of me when providing the services of a Pro-Domina was my main stay.

It wasn’t old hat from the get go, but let’s just say that it certainly didn’t take long! In the early days of using the phone, long before pagers and cell phones, yes I am going back a bit, security was of the utmost of importance. It wasn’t because I was reading horror stories of folks going missing because of sex work, it was because it made COMMON SENSE!

In my beginnings we were reading stories about Ted Bundy, Jeffrey Dahmer, The Zodiac Killer and Clifford Olson, just to name a few. Why in the neighbourhood I grew up we had the Scarborough Rapist who turned out to be Paul Bernardo a certified nutcase who partnered up with Karla Homolka to commit their heinous acts all in the name of love. Difference with her was she was smart enough to manipulate the system to get a plea deal to get off by hiding evidence! BITCH!

Answering machines were expensive back then and a little known company had just started offering an answering service to several classifications of sexual practice, preferences and availabilities. The MANLINE, although geared for men in it’s early inception, offered everything for everyone of legal age. To register you had to give proof of age through verbal confirmation which they recorded. Once in, you had a multitude of options to begin posting your ad. Of course those of us offering “services” of a different kind were relegated to the section that required a fee and a special numbered access for  paying members. In my case the “trans” or as I like to call it Gender Variant classification didn’t exist, just happy old “transvestite”.

I had to be creative when placing my ads so that those brave enough to call would get the full picture and leave a message. Yes leave a message, you heard it, because to reply to that message left for me they had to leave their number. That began the thought process for knowing what to ask when I did call back.

“Hi I am returning a call to a message left to box number 6969, how can I help you? What are your interests? When are you thinking? What are you thinking of spending?”

Basic questions, but questions that could get a voice on the other end to react, and react they did. For the most part it was all positive as only the serious callers were the brave souls, and when the phone services began to grow, so did advertising avenues for the Manline. Which led to the assholes. I have no other way to describe these individuals, except as assholes calling in to leave messages that were more than offensive, but down right cruel. Generally you didn’t respond, but I for one couldn’t wait for Ma Bell to release “I-dent-a-call”, call display and call waiting. Now I was into the new age, wow, not only could I put a call on hold, but I could get that number and call back a jerk and play ball.

That didn’t last long as phone customers could soon buy into blocked call displays!!  Assholes! What I did learn was to listen to fluctuations in voice, breathing, pitch, and of course ask questions, ask lots of questions and don’t be shy to do so.

Like riding a bike to get from point A to B. Tips that can be applied to all folks that answer phones for any reason, work or personal.

Transferable skills! No?