The bare
essentials

Kimberly Grainger came to Washington for the glamour. At first, she thought she'd find it in a job on Capitol Hill.

"I worked there for three years, the first as a receptionist for my home state Congressman, the second as a legislative correspondent and the third as his personal secretary," Kimberly remembers.

One night, Kimberly and the boss worked late. They had a few drinks. She ended up naked on his office couch.

"After that, he started treating me like shit. I lasted three more weeks and quit."

Kimberly found a new job with a trade association on K Street. One night she and some co-workers drank a lot of beer and went to one of the strip joints in Northwest Washington.

"It was amateur night. I'd had too much to drink. At some point, I climbed on stage and stripped. Everybody seemed to like it."

The next day, everybody at the office seemed to talk about it. By noon, her boss had heard and she was back on the street.

"So I went back to the club and asked to audition. They hired me and I was on stage that night."

In Washington, working in a strip club means taking it all off. No g-strings, no pasties, just a garter belt that the patrons can stick paper money into.

"I found out I liked showing off my body in front of people. It was a real turn-on."

That was four years ago. Today, Kimberly dances five nights a week and takes home more than $1,500 a night in tips.

Kimberly is a stunning redhead (and her act leaves no doubt she's a natural redhead) with fiery green eyes and a attitude that says "look all you want because that's all you will get to do."

She's on stage six times a night, weaving to rock music ("I wouldn't call it dancing") until she has taken everything off. A mirror behind the small stage makes sure that patrons don't miss an inch of her body.

"After four years, I haven't lost the thrill. I still get hot every time I dance."

She's a favorite with the Oriental diplomatic types who hang out at the club, stuffing $100 bills in her garter belt and always asking her out.

"The Japanese love to spend money on American women. They have it and they aren't shy about spending it. Of course, they expect something for their money."

And do they get it?

"Sometimes," she smiles. "It depends."

In many cities, the women who work in strip joints are hard looking. Not in Washington. It could be Camelot, Joannas or one of the other spots and most of the dancers are young, fresh appearing and no-nonsense about their jobs.

"Hey, I have a great bod and if people are willing to pay to see it, why shouldn't I use it," says Sharon Wilkenson, who works with Kimberly. "If they want to pay for a few extras, then what the hell?"

Sharon and Kimberly work together and live together, not as roommates, but as lovers.

"You'll find that a lot of dancers are bi," says Sharon. "We give it to men because they pay, but we give it to women because we want to."

For Kimberly, falling in love with another woman shocked her Midwestern sensibilities.

"I fought it at first because it seemed so, well, unnatural. When it finally happened, I thought 'why did I wait so long.' "

Sharon's been bi since high school, when she discovered that sex with other girls was much more pleasurable than with boys.

"Look, when I meet a man who can make me come like a woman does then I'll go straight. Until then, I like things just the way they are."

Not all strippers in Washington approach their jobs with the enthusiasm of Kimberly and Sharon. Some look and act tired or bored. Some have been busted for prostitution. Others admit to drug use.

Kimberly says the strongest drug she has ever used is marijuana and she's quit drinking.

"That's the real irony here," she laughs. "I got drunk, stripped, and got fired. Because of that, I went to AA (Alcoholics Anonymous) and haven't had a drink in 37 months, two weeks now."

"But I also found a job I like, that I'm good at, and where I make more money than I would on the Hill. I'd say life in Washington has been pretty good to me."

--Doug Thompson
Washington, DC