It was hard to get Maitresse Susanne-D’Arcy to set aside some time to talk. On Thanksgiving morning, she was going to a far-off suburb to pick up her mother; on Friday morning, she was going to a far-off suburb to cut down a Christmas tree. But we managed to have a conversation the night before Thanksgiving while she puttered around the kitchen. She was making gingerbread. “I’m an excellent cook,” she said.
Best of Chicago voting is live now. Vote for your favorites »
D’Arcy began her career as a “sex worker” 18 years ago when she became a prostitute. Now, however, she’s at a point in her life when she would prefer “not to be touched sexually.” Her customers “can kiss my hands and feet but that’s it.” She says she’s always had requests for domination; she thinks about 75 percent of men are into it.
“Domination is a head game,” she says. “I don’t whip that hard. It’s not about how hard. It’s a buildup process. And it’s nonsexual.” Her clients are free to go into the bathroom afterward alone, however. “It’s fine with me,” she says.
“I’m very good at [taking control]. It doesn’t hurt and I don’t leave marks. I don’t leave scratches of any kind. There’s just a lot of pressure. Other people may tell [my clients] they’re sick and warped and that it’s awful and ugly, but it’s not. The words ‘sadism’ and ‘masochism’ are emotionally charged. I like to use the words ‘sex magic’ or ‘power’ and ‘trust.’ There’s a psychic interplay, a clicking between a dominant and a submissive, a ‘ritual’ aspect which I like a lot.”
According to D’Arcy, her work provides an emotional release for people who live with a high level of tension, who internalize the stresses of everyday life. She says she creates “an explosion” for them so they can continue handling what’s going on in their real lives. “They can have this fantasy woman standing over them, who you can fantasize you can’t stop–but you really can. You get an adrenaline high and afterwards you feel cleansed and relieved.”
