Chapter 2: Show bidness

Sharon told Marilyn, “As you can see, we do a lot of social science research into sex. We do, however, have some registered Erotic Therapists in the team.” Besides using bonobo-inspired methods to reduce the sexual tensions among people, the team also developed tailored pornography to let people explore tensions and fantasies. A given porn or webcam session might be preamble to a psychotherapy session. Millie and Max both are erotic therapists and trained in dance and theater.

“We think that some forms of erotic performance are good laboratories for us. Things can range from stripping to videos to online cam work.”

Millie and Max

Sharon introduced, “Meet Millie and Max. They’re married, of course openly. She came to the profession from physical therapy, but also is formally trained in dance and is a certified athletic trainer. He’s one of the relatively few erotic therapists from a nonmedical background, in his case, theater arts although they met in dance. There, he was a paramedic and assistant trainer. Both are great at therapeutic and sensual massage.”

Millie Damico, Mediterranean-complected with short black hair, was slender and flexible, as befitted a trained dancer. Routinely, she wore leotards and tights molded to her body. They varied in appearance from routine opaque black to lacy, semitransparent, and boldly cut to show off her body.

Sharon continued, “As you’ll learn later, their performance experience tied in with that of Gerri, whom you’ll meet.”

“Marilyn,” Millie told her, “Let me be frank. Our theater backgrounds include the erotic, and sensual, utterly consensual porn. We were impressed by an interview with Ellen Stagg, an erotic photographer:

I think it’s about trust and communication. When you find a model, let them bring something to the table that interests them and shoot them how they feel sexy. Once you have worked with them once or twice and feel out what kind of person they are, then you can suggest other projects with them. And technically you just have to understand that naked bodies have their flaws. Embrace them or retouch them.

Ellen Stagg

“After talking with Ellen, we clarified our thoughts about BDSM. For us, it’s a variation, not a lifestyle. Sometimes we like Mexican food and sometimes German, but neither as a steady diet. We can feast on BDSM and then go off to do something quite different. Some of the BDSM clothing turns us on -- that’s fetish more precisely than BDSM.

“But if BDSM things are part of a client’s thoughts, we can be responsive. We try to support all sorts of fantasies and role-playing. I note that bonobos don’t understand dominance.”

She grinned. “It’s warm in here.” Both had been wearing long lab coats. Under his, Max Jaeger was wearing black leather, but which looked incredibly soft.

Millie was also in black. “I probably should have hose other than this tan, but I wanted to pass when you could see my legs under the lab coat. The shoes have to change.” She sat to put on laced, high-heeled, above-the-knee boots, sharing a style with a leather bustier with many laces and cutouts. “Do realize that our outfits suggest lifestyle, or just fetish, not necessarily a role. We can switch for BDSM, or just enjoy fetish looks. When we are doing therapy, we may not do exhibitionism or voyeurism to the extent that we like personally.

“For now, though, do think of us as dressed for play. We also like toys a great deal. Shall we try some first bonobo style? We literally are here for your pleasure, which gives us pleasure. That can just be some enjoyable touches to get to know one another. It can also be fun to direct us, or be directed, in posing, which we will photograph if you like.”

“We’re also doing some webcam porn, as outlets for some of us to be exhibitionistic, if that’s part of healing. When need be, because we produce it, we can do a lot to make it hard to recognize the performers -- not impossible.”

“We do enjoy performing ourselves, and thought we’d demonstrate to you, and perhaps let some of you try, if only just a recording that we might delete. This room has been set up for a performance, but with a space for a learning audience, the technical director, and crew. In other words, it’s more like a set for a full feature than an individual cam session. What we’re going to do is have Max play the customer. He won’t show, but if someone pays to eavesdrop on the session, they can hear him. He’s going to play a sensual dominant that gets me to pose fetchingly, do some toy play, and be his masturbation fantasy. All of you get into those nice loveseats and enjoy the scene. Bonobo styles first -- we all touch and enjoy while taking positions. Afterwards. Millie asked, “What have we learned? Did you notice that without a director, I had to drop out of scene every so often for logistics? Not the end of the world. But what we want to consider is how to do this therapeutically. What sort of experience could one get as the performer? As the client? We could have performances with 2 or 3 people. What’s the therapeutic advantage, say, to being watched in a threesome than just going to a bedroom and doing it?

Sharon told us, “I learned a lot about porn-specific performance from Audrey, who gave some informative interviews, “Otto taught me what it meant to be a professional. Anyone can just show up and have sex on camera but to be good at what you do meant being prepared. Not only do you know your own lines but the entire concept and story of what the movie is about long before you ever show up on set. In addition, always show up prepared with your own makeup case, a few extra consume and shoe choices just in case and a selection of sex toys doesn’t hurt either. Most of the times these things are provided for you on set, but you just never know when something will happen. That is where the real pros shine. They have what they need. No need for long delays on the set while costume problems are addressed.

Gerri

Evan was thoughtful on hearing that. “Staying with me, rather out of the way, is my cousin Gerri vanden Heuvel. She was attacked, more physically than sexually, by a street gang. Before the attack, she was a stylist, model, and producer. I should be more precise. First, she is academically trained in theater, having studied at Smith College for her academics and then Juilliard. Her family is wealthy so she could follow her muse. She did some film and video at UCLA. With that, however, her focus was on erotica, and bringing production values to outright porn. She split her time among an experimental theater, a porn producer, and occasional porn acting. Sex was part of her art, but she definitely liked it the time.

“Surprisingly, one of her responses, after physical recovery, was to become more sexual. We have a tentative neurological explanation for that. That could be dangerous for her in the outside world, but here, she’s safe to experience it. She takes pleasure in this situation. We think there are bonobos that also are sheltered and cherished.”

The neurologists think that it triggered some periodic phenomenon, as she will be quiet, even withdrawn, then get increasingly excited. Episodic hypersexuality has been associated with temporal lobe epilepsy.

One sign is that she will test things with her mouth. That’s a sign of a rare neurologic disorder Klüver–Bucy syndrome (KBS), maybe with some aspects of temporal lobe epilepsy. Gerri is aware of that, so has adapted by making up her mouth very carefully but boldly, and visually seducing people in the room. She became more and more sexually overt, which would have been a problem in general society. What’s the quote -- when you’re poor you’re weird, when you’re middle-class you’re experimental, and when you’re rich, you’re eccentric?
The society generally frowns on that, but it may be reasonable for her at this point in her life. This environment could offer her protection.

In a serious voice, George told us, “we’ve found that we can bring Gerri to sharp focus, for a little while, with stimulants. That seems to reinforce her for a while. She then will get episodes of hypersexuality, which seem to energize her, and perhaps improve her mental status. She definitely gets energy from being taken passively--I’d question that for anyone else, but it works for her. Millie and Max help a lot here.

Both Gerri and Marilyn had found that hypersexuality could be a pleasant and safe place, but for Marilyn, there were too many other things in her life to live there. Gerri had fewer ambitions, and with the support here, she just might be able to live there.

Gerri plays

Gerri licked her lips with apparent anticipation. Her eyes focused with concentration. “Sometimes, it’s hard to think, but with enough sex, the fog goes away. Evan tells me I’m too overt for daily life in the wide world, until I heal more and am more suspicious. He’s told be about bonobos and I think I’d like to be one, with the caveat they apparently aren’t into fashion. Sure, I made a good living in fashion, but to be honest, it was best when I was helping people -- including myself -- to be happily provocative rather than of the latest trend.” Solomon, who we would learn was incredibly empathetic, hopped into her lap and purred.