WHAT IS A MISTRESS WORTH?

By Bianca Wordley

January 20, 2012

Whenever I’m faced with a moral dilemma I like to put myself in the shoes of those involved.

In this case, the shoes would be a pair of red, patent stilettos or maybe black, thigh high-boots.

You see, if I’d resigned from my lucrative job as an escort and instead taken on one client full-time, was meeting all my performance targets and exceeding in my position as high-class mistress, I’d expect to be shown the money.

If my lover was one of the richest men in Australia, I’d expect that when he died he’d take care of me.

I’d expect a payout, a pension of sorts, in recognition of a job, or “jobs” (in this case), well done.

I would have also got that in writing, I mean, c’mon it’s a working relationship isn’t it?

Except of course, I’m not an exclusive escort, I’ve never been paid to have sex, I’ve never been able to walk in a pair of stilettos and while I loathe to speak ill of the dead, I still have standards.

So, I have Buckley’s chance of understanding what was going through the mind of Madison Ashton (left) when offering up “affection and love” to billionaire Richard Pratt, who died in April 2009.

All I do know is, if in a similar position, I would’ve got a written contract.

It may have resulted in a different outcome for Ms Ashton, who was left empty handed after NSW Supreme Court judge Paul Brereton ruled earlier this month that she was not entitled to a $10 million slice of the late Visy mogul’s estate.

Although Justice Brereton agreed Pratt had told Ms Ashton he would set up trust funds for her two children and provide an annual allowance, the “mistress” arrangement was not legally binding.

Still on Pratt, his other mistress Shari-Lea Hitchcock (left with Pratt) also lost a recent court battle to secure more than $60 million in property.

She too has been locked in a legal tussle with widow Jeanne Pratt to obtain a bigger slice of his estimated $5 billion fortune, on behalf of her daughter Paula Hitchcock, fathered by Pratt in 1997.

In his will, he left them nearly $30 million dollars worth of shares and a number of properties. Evidently, they don’t think that’s adequate.

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18 Responses to this article

Nikki @ Styling You January 20, 2012 Reply

Great post, Bianca. x
Brett January 20, 2012 Reply

Brilliant.
Kelly Exeter January 20, 2012 Reply

Great work as always Bianca
Suzy January 20, 2012 Reply

Does this mean unless you are legally married to him, you should get your inheritance / payment before he dies ?
Just like any other business transaction.

How many women have lived on the promises of a married man.
julie January 20, 2012 Reply

Interesting that there is no comment made in your article about the difference between being a mistress and prostitution. Some mistresses expect nothing and are very aware of their roles as effective sex therapists! Others are out for what they can get. If a child is involved as with Pratt however he did provide for her. Packer paid for discretion.
Joni January 20, 2012 Reply

No, a mistress ( or a prostitute aspiring to be a mistress) should not be entitled to any claim.
Linda January 20, 2012 Reply

Interesting. In any other business transaction ( and yes that is what this is being made into) you get the money and the contract sorted up front. Clearly she need to charge more when he was alive and have it sorted then. If she was going to give up her other clients and become employed but just one employer she has to negoiate her conditions and entitlements up front. If she didn’t consider it a business transaction and is “claiming a love relationship”- I guess it is bad luck if he wanted to leave her money he would have done so like he did for his other mistress.
Annalie January 20, 2012 Reply

So you like to put yourself in the shoes of someone else to try to understand their position.

But you’ve assumed all ‘other’ women in men’s lives are ‘escorts’. Prostitutes. Hookers. Providers of sexual services.

What an incredibly naive view.

But still, I perservered with the conservative bias toward the ‘social norms’ until I got to this paragraph:

“”The mistresses do none of those things, except fulfill sexual desires and even further, boost the egos of men who need to stop leaving their wives to clean up their messes.”"

That is ALL mistresses are about?

What an incredibly naive view.

I’m sure in some cases that quite accurate. However I suspect that many other ‘mistresses’ are very important parts of the lives of these men.

I wonder how many of these women, quite likely beloved partners of these men (as opposed to mere providers of sexual services) are assisting to run and administer businesses, provide advice or their own professional skills.

I wonder how many of these women are providing true friendship, companionship, love, laughter and generosity for a man whose world is likely full of sycophants and opportunists out for all they can get.

And I just got more frustrated with the use of language as the article goes on:

* philanderers
* get a real job
* cheating

Life is so much more complex than that. Perhaps it’s love, perhaps it’s an arrangement, perhaps it’s a combination of that and more.

I somehow feel that out in the real world, where people have marriages, lovers, friends and confidantes – and sometimes all at once – that at the heart of it is human emotion and need.

I don’t think we have any real idea of just how many people are living this way but I suspect it’s far more than we think and they’re not all mega-rich.

Apart from perhaps the wealth of some of them, I bet they’re just like you and me. And the ‘other’ woman in their life is probably NOT a former escort or prostitute, just a woman. Like you. Like me. Like your neighbour.

Do you really have any idea what your neighbours, friends, family members are doing in their private lives?

No. You don’t. You’d be amazed if you did.

You tried to include some sensible information in this piece but failed.

All you managed to do was perpetuate a stereotype when in fact the everyday lives of other people are far more complicated, difficult, fabulous, painful, colourful and wonderful than you seem to be able to imagine.
- bigwords January 20, 2012 Reply
  
  I really appreciate your views on the article. It is a really tricky topic to tackle. There are many differing approaches and circumstances. Not all “other women” are just mistresses, but that wasn’t was I was writing about. Maybe some of these men just shouldn’t marry.
  - Fotini January 25, 2012 Reply
    
    Or maybe women shouldn’t be with married men? Unless they are their wife. Finding it difficult to believe someone got on the moral high-horse to declaim negative language used describing people who have morals loose enough sleep with a married man… The irony is overwhelming.
Jillli January 20, 2012 Reply

She was an employee.

I don’t expect my boss to leave me provided for if he dies. If only.

She got paid for services rendered and should not be entitled to more simply because they were sexual services.
angela catterns January 20, 2012 Reply

Didn’t have my glasses on and thought the headline was “What is a Mattress Worth?”.
Mine cost almost 3 thousand bucks and it’s boiling hot.
I know my sweatiness has something to do with you-know- what, but this is ridiculous. It was pitched to me as solid latex but I think it’s solid foam with a latex topper.
Sorry to be off-topic here, but would love a Hoopla discussion on good mattresses for women with broken thermostats. xxx
- bigwords January 20, 2012 Reply
  
  Great idea! Fingers crossed I get the opportunity to tackle the topic of mattresses next. Oh wait, maybe I have already? I am so confused!! x
- Joni January 25, 2012 Reply
  
  We have a latex mattress and it is very hot – I am dreading the onset of menopausal hot flushes……..
- TreesRGreen January 28, 2012 Reply
  
  Oh Yeah, the mattress thing. Ours can do everything but stay cool for nearly $5K. Latex schmatexx. Angela, Dianne, where is Di Fisher when you need her?
  Ps clicked on Di’s comment from the home page as thought we were talking mattresses!
MadamBipolar January 20, 2012 Reply

I don’t want to talk ill of the dead but he was not the most attractive man, so you would want something out of it. It is official – I am going to hell.
Dianne January 27, 2012 Reply

Talking about mattresses – when I was looking for a new one I very nearly was talked into spending thousands for a latex mattress. Glad I didn’t as I too Angela have the dreaded flushes and am constantly complaining about the heat.
Paul Sharpless April 27, 2012 Reply

My experience with Justice Paul Le Gay Brereton as my presiding judge was totally horrific. A deal had been done with the other side with the assistance of former Chief Justice Spigelman to cover up too many illegalities. As such i found Justice Brereton to be totally corrupt in his dealings and he perverted the course of justice many times lying and knowingly deceiving in his judgement. This he then changed three times after his initial judgment. Each of these judgements was different from the former. Justice Brereton also said he would hold his judgement ( the one he changed three times) in case i should appeal his decision. No appeal was possible though.

I therefore feel sorry for everyone who comes before Justice Brereton and am waiting for the day a plaintiff says they cannot trust Justice Brereton to do the right thing at LAW given his past criminal performances.

Justice Breretons criminal actions are covered up and protected by the NSW Judicial Commission. Former Chief Justice Spigelman was head of the Judicial Commission and the new Chief Justice Tom Bathurst is now head and no different.

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