What Escort Means

An escort is someone who accompanies another person, for protection, guidance or company. As a profession, an escort is a paid companion who goes with a client to dinners, events and trips.

That's the dictionary definition, and it's still the job. As the cliché would suggest, I escort people to events.

The word picked up a second meaning along the way, which is why so many people look it up. So here's what it means, from someone whose job title it is.

Is an escort the same as a prostitute?

Not in my case. I'm booked for companionship, not for sex. I can only speak for myself, not for everyone who uses the word.

The law draws that line too. In California, prostitution includes "any lewd act between persons for money or other consideration" (Penal Code 647(b)). Paid companionship that isn't sexual is generally legal. My FAQ has more on where that line sits. This is general information, not legal advice.

The nature of my job is to not kiss and tell.

You'll also see labels like GFE ("girlfriend experience") online. They come from a different side of the industry. I'm booked for companionship.

Where does the word escort come from?

"Escort" entered English in the 1570s as a military word for an armed guard. It came from the French escorte and the Italian scorta, which literally means "a guiding," from scorgere, "to guide" (Etymonline).

The social meaning came later. In the 1930s, an escort was also the person who went with you to a social occasion: your date to the dance, more or less. In the 1970s, the word also started being used for someone hired for sex.

Dictionaries list all of those meanings today (Dictionary.com). Hold on to the first one, though. Protection is still most of the job.

Other things called escort

In case you're in the wrong place, these are escorts too (the car's dates are from Wikipedia):

• A police or military escort: people, or ships, that travel with someone for protection.
• A hospital or patient escort: someone who takes a patient where they need to go.
• The Ford Escort, a car Ford sold in Europe from 1968 and in North America from 1981 to 2003.
• Escort radar detectors. Different industry entirely.

None of those is me. I'm the social kind.

What does an escort actually do?

I get hired for social events. For status, which I still don't fully understand. For the atmosphere, and to make things more fun.

In practice, that's dinners, conventions, games and trips. One of my long-term clients brings me along to his industry's big convention in Las Vegas (The Courtesan Never Left). My favorite San Francisco dinners are in my San Francisco story.

There's more to a date than the physical. Quite frankly, if it were only about the physical, the client wouldn't need me. What you're really booking is someone who can anticipate what you need. My goal is to make sure you have a seamless evening, or a seamless trip.

Who hires an escort?

More people than you'd think. Married, single, lonely, bored, or just going to something alone. There's a gap in the market for exactly that, and it's a legal one: someone to go with you, as the cliché suggests.

I know what you want before you say it

My girlfriends who aren't in the business are disgustingly jealous. They think I have some magical way with men. I do. It came from over a decade of pattern recognition.

The way you dress, the colors you wear, how you sit: I file it all very quickly and run it against the many people who've done exactly the same thing before you. By the time you speak, I usually know what you're going to ask.

By the second date, I can usually tell what you'd like me to wear. It's in how you sat in the booth or on the couch the first time, how you lean, whether you spread your arms, how you talk, and above all the colors you wear. They tell a story about what you want to see from me.

The courtside outfit

The Steph Curry game makes some people think, oof, she's too high-end. I am. I'm reputable; there's no denying that.

Before you tell me you want me dressed provocatively courtside, trust me, honey, the outfit is already laid out.

That's what happened at the Warriors game in March 2024, the one that made me briefly famous (TMZ, New York Post). My client may think he chose that low-cut blouse. It was planned before he said a word. I knew from the way he talked about work: he didn't feel appreciated, so naturally I knew he'd be drawn to the spotlight.

I'd argue the moment created a little too much spotlight, but that was all him. I advised keeping my jacket on. He asked me to take it off.

Now notice everything else I did, the part that fits the oldest meaning of the word.

You didn't see the officers scanning the crowd as we left the arena, did you? I did. So I took the drink out of my client's hand and hid it under the jacket he'd asked me to take off.

The math was simple. Which of us was more likely to get in trouble? Him. He was from out of town and might not have known California's open container rules, and officers are more inclined to give a woman in a low-cut blouse a pass. If anyone was going to take the penalty, it was going to be me, not him.

Why I wear block heels

You'll notice I choose Christian Louboutin block heels over needle-thin stilettos. I need to be able to carry you if you fall. Yes, that actually happens. Men fall. Women too. I need to stay upright, with all my strength available, in case something happens.

While you're busy watching the game, I'm scanning for who's watching us. Then I decide whether to boost your social potential based on your vibe, or keep things quiet and intimate because your clothes told me you'd rather go unnoticed. We can go high voltage or low. I'm ready for either, because I've spent over a decade preparing for it.

My goal is to keep you safe.

It happens all the time

Courtside makes it sound like an edge case. It isn't. This happens all the time, in my own life too.

My dad loves to yell at my mom for not handing him the right utensils for his meal. I don't blame him. My dad works his ass off. The least anyone can do is recognize the subtle signs of a gentleman sitting there needing something.

My mom can't. I find it hilarious, but she literally cannot tell what he needs, so I get up and get it myself. He's used his napkin; he needs a new one before he asks.

Why does that matter? Because my father is tired, and he's even more tired of repeating himself for 38 years. He comes home and wants things handed to him. To me, that isn't a fault. It's an entry point.

I want you to be needy. It gives me a place in life.

These days my parents invite me to just about everything, because historically I've been the reliable one in their lives, the one who de-escalates. If my own dad says something silly, I'm right there to notarize it, and ten years of marketing will spin it into something worth trademarking.

I don't fluster easily. My favorite IPO founder once told me, reluctantly, "You're good under pressure." Hell yes. Hand me the pressure.

The terms nobody writes down

Some of my terms aren't written anywhere. They're what have kept me in business for over a decade.

You do the stupid stuff on your night off. I professionally take the consequences, so you can have fun, whatever that looks like for the occasion. If we're confronted, I take the penalty, not you.

I may go to House of Prime Rib before our date and grease a few palms so you have a table.

If your wife calls, I protect you.

The media can ask me your name. People can ask about my client list. Your wife, your daughter and your girlfriend can all press me for information. I won't crack.

Whatever you hand me is handled legally and securely, from what people can see to everything in the digital pipeline.

The one thing I won't protect

The only time I won't protect you is if you're breaking the law to make your money. I should say this up front, because it has happened, and it's far from hypothetical.

If you're doing shady, illegal things for your money, please don't contact me. Financial records can be traced, and I don't want to be on record taking money from you. If the government subpoenas me, our terms are out of my hands. In the past, I have not pleaded the Fifth. I can't take illegal money.

What not to put in your email

If sex is mentioned in your email, I won't respond. It tells me you're not taking data privacy or my reputation seriously. I don't want to be booked for sex, and if you make that explicit, you'll be filtered out.

Google sees everything, and I can't hide anything to save my life.

Write to me the way you'd write to anyone you want to meet: the date, the city, how long you'd like, and your screening details. A P411 handle is the fastest way through screening, and the other options are in my FAQ. When you're ready, inquire here.

What are you paying for?

My time and my company. One hour is $2,000, and longer bookings, overnights and travel are on my rates page.

Nothing to scrutinize

Escort started out as a word for a guard. After more than ten years, that's still the job: getting you there, reading the room, taking the fall when there's one to take, and getting you home safe. It's nothing to scrutinize. Believe me, I'm not that interesting.