Taylor Tara, 59, (pictured) is a mother-of-three, a grandmother-of-seven and an escort
A grandmother-of-seven who became an escort at the age of 47 because she was ‘fed up’ with the dating scene has lifted the lid on what really happens behind closed doors.
Taylor Tara, from Queensland, started dating again after being single for 10 years – but quickly realised the men only wanted ‘one thing’ from her.
‘I just thought, if they want it, they should just pay for it,’ Taylor laughed as she told FEMAIL.
After flicking through a local newspaper, the curious mother-of-three said she could feel her ‘heart beating fast’ as she dialled the number of a brothel she found in the personal ads.
Within hours, Taylor found herself standing in a room, ‘surrounded by beautiful women’ as she waited anxiously for clients to choose her on her very first night as a sex worker.
‘I was at the point of nausea, it was very daunting. I kept thinking, “Who’s going to pay for me? Who’s going to want me?'” She said.
But much to her surprise, she ended up with three clients that night. And selling sex proved quickly to be a lucrative care as she embarked on the next 12 years of her life working as an escort.
The curious mother-of-three said she decided to call up a nearby brothel – and within hours, she was standing in a room, surrounded by beautiful women as she waited anxiously for clients to pick her on her very first night as a sex worker
The now 59-year-old – who still works as a mature-aged escort – said she offers anything from the ‘girlfriend experience’ and fantasies to ‘mild’ bondage and fetishes.
She said she charges up to $300 per hour and her clients – aged between 18 to their late 90s – have come from all walks of life.
I’ve been booked for the girlfriend experience and for 18th birthdays… my eldest client was 97.
‘Every client is different and they all want different things. They vary in ages, nationalities and professions. They have different tastes, fetishes, fantasies, and bondage – but I only do the mild stuff, not hard core,’ she said.
‘I also fit the age of an old school teacher so I’ve been booked for that. I’ve been booked for the girlfriend experience and for 18th birthdays. My eldest client who passed away now was 97. I visited him in the nursing home.
‘I’ve had adult children who hired me for their dad for his birthday because his wife had been gone for years. I saw a married client whose wife dropped him off outside.
‘I’ve had clients who have been in sexless marriages or they’ve been sleeping in separate beds.’
After meeting a countless clients, Taylor said there were many reasons why people turn to escorts, including sex, – but many times she’s only there to fill the void.
‘I had one client who invited me over to his place so he could cook me dinner, watch movies and then we’d talk, and that’s all he wanted,’ she said.
‘Another client hired me because he just wanted someone to wake up to on Christmas Day – he was divorced and he couldn’t see his kids. He didn’t want to be alone so I spent the day with him and left on Boxing Day.’
She said her family, including her three adult children – aged from 28 to 31 – are incredibly supportive of her profession (pictured with her daughter)
The author of Tara Behind Closed Doors said many of the men she meets are lonely, depressed, suicidal or just want a companion to vent their emotions to following a marriage breakdown.
‘Many men miss the companion. They don’t want a relationship or they don’t have time for one but they just want someone to talk to,’ she said.
My children don’t see it as a problem because I always brought them up never to judge anyone.
‘A lot of the men I see are separated or divorced. One of the biggest issues I’ve noticed these men don’t have access to their children.
‘I have a regular client who didn’t want to complicate his daughter’s life after his wife had passed away. So he saw me a few times because he just needed that affection – and he was still wearing his wedding ring.
‘Usually when I see clients with their wedding ring on, I never ask questions because it’s none of my business unless they open up to me.’
The now 59-year-old – who still works as a mature-aged escort – said she offers anything from the girlfriend experience and fantasies to ‘mild’ bondage and fetishes
Her clients must go through a screening process before she decides whether or not to offer her services.
‘The best thing about being an escort is I don’t need to cater to every service such as extreme bondage. I usually tell them I don’t do that – and they’re usually happy to go ahead with me anyway or look for someone else,’ she said.
‘We get the final call on our clients. No one is holding anything over us because we have the upper hand if we don’t want to do something.’
Taylor said she even carries mental health and crisis support cards to hand out to certain clients because they have said to her that they no longer wanted to live.
Another client hired me because he just wanted someone to wake up to on Christmas Day – he was divorced and he couldn’t see his kids
‘They don’t realise they’ve got a problem and they become vulnerable. I had four clients in 10 days all in one variant that if they didn’t wake up the next day, it wouldn’t phase them.’
Before becoming a sex worker, she was ‘bouncing from one job to another’.
‘I was working as a car retailer, I worked in hospitality and I even had my own business. I worked at a resort for two years prior to sex work,’ she said.
After working as a sex worker for more than 10 years, Taylor said she’s been able to buy three properties under her name – one of which her daughter is renting from.
‘It was very easy at the beginning to waste money but I was able to save up for three properties. It’s a very good income if people do it properly,’ she said.
‘It’s a good feeling you’re not wasting your money. I do fly in, fly out jobs and I’m able to earn a good wage.’
By sharing her story, Taylor said she wanted to break the old-age stigma surrounding sex work
Tara: Behind Closed Doors, New Holland Publishers $29.99 available from all good book retailers or online
As she continues working as an escort, Taylor said she has no plans on quitting any time soon but she’s looking at cutting back on her hours so she can spend more time with her seven grandchildren, who are aged between seven and 15.
She said her family, including her three adult children – aged from 28 to 31 – are incredibly supportive of her profession.
‘My children are 100 per cent behind me,’ she said.
‘I told them six weeks into it. Everything I did, I checked with them first. They understand the need for it and they’re just happy that I’m out there doing it. They don’t see it as a problem because I always brought them up never to judge anyone.’
By sharing her story, Taylor said she wanted to break the old-age stigma surrounding sex work.
‘Basically, I just want people to have a better understanding of the sex industry. This is just a normal job, working with normal people,’ she said.
‘It’s my own choice and it’s a job we do. We don’t always have to like everything.’
Tara: Behind Closed Doors, New Holland Publishers $29.99 available from all good book retailers or online.