Jillian Lauren fell into a life of escorting rather accidentally.
After dropping out of NYU's Tisch School of the Arts after six months at 18 years old, she began stripping at a club in New York. One day, she was told about a rich businessman in Singapore who was paying "pretty American girls" US$20,000 each to be full-time party girls for a two-week stint, entertaining men overseas.
Jillian jumped at the chance to audition.
She passed – and at barely 18, Jillian found herself playing courtesan to one of the world's richest men in Brunei.
It was where she'd stay for 18 months, one of many girls in the harem of Prince Jefri Bolkiah, the Sultan of Brunei's youngest brother – and renowned playboy.
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She knew early on that her job was essentially to be "some kind of prostitute", she shared on the What It Was Like podcast, with host Julian Morgans.
"I was being invited by the younger brother of the richest man in the world who was the Sultan of Brunei at the time," Lauren explained.
"Prince [Jefri Bolkiah, the former finance minister] was his youngest brother – the playboy brother of the family – and he got a little taste for American girls and ordered up a couple.