The excitement of being in playboy.com continued. And I was so happy with all the new invitations. It was the middle of May, and I got another invitation, this time from a girlfriend not knowing exactly what it was all about. I was just game to find out what my next venture would be.
To my surprise it was a Playgirl strip off.
My friend gave me all the details and said she would be there. It was Tuesday May 21st, 2002 and I was going to The Great American Male Strip-Off at Graham Central Station. It was filmed for National Television. Over thirty of the top male strippers from around the United States competed for the national title, with proceeds from the event going to benefit Breast Cancer research and treatment AIBA Arizona Institute for Breast Health.
I walked in the door wearing one of my new Playboy shirts. I was about an hour early mainly because I was excited to go and didn’t want to be late, and there was no traffic. No one else had arrived including my girlfriend. I had to get out of the heat so I decided to make my way in past the door personnel when I was approached by the owner of the club. He said “Oh, I’m glad you are here.” I said “Thanks” He told me that I could have all the free drinks I wanted and could set up in the VIP room. A little caught off guard I said “set up what?”
He said, “Aren’t you one of the Playboy judges tonight?” I said, “Well, I have posed for Playboy, but no I didn’t know I was chosen to judge the event tonight.” He then informed me that Brande Roderick and the Bentley Twins were judges tonight but one of the twins had come down with a terrible cold and they needed a replacement for her and was hoping I could help out. I said, “Sure, no problem.” Next thing you know I was the judge for the National Strip-off and put up on stage to be danced on top of by one of the guy strippers. Brande seemed pretty nice, but the one Bentley sister was very bitchy. She was so rude and refused to engage in eye contact with me. Her boyfriend was there filming every aspect of the entire event. I asked him if I could get a copy of the film, and he agreed in the presence of the Bentley girl. Of course, I never did see the tape. Brande gave me her email address, and I sent her a copy of all my photos from that night. She kindly emailed me back a pleasant thank-you.
*****
After the party at the Mansion, I needed to retreat back to my “real life” and spend time with Bruce and my family. I found myself spending more time with my grandma, and she
“My life is an open book with illustrations.” Hugh Hefner
96 could not believe I did not sit right down with Hef at the birthday party and show him the pictures of my photo shoot and tell him why I needed to be in his magazine. Still today she says that to me when I see her.
Sometime after that first visit, she wrote this letter which she finally gave me a month later. When she handed it to me she begged me to send it to Hef. This is what it said.
May 24, 2002 Mesa, Arizona Dear Hugh Hefner,
I enjoyed being at your birthday party; Thanks for inviting me and for agreeing to pose with me. The picture turned out good. I would’ve liked going over my photos with you, but figured you didn’t want anything like that during your party.
I go to Los Angeles quite often, on buying trips for my store. I am the owner of “Name Brand Exchange,” in Mesa, Arizona. I’d like to talk with you sometime when I’m in L.A. Please let me know if that can be arranged.
You can be reminded of who I am by going to www.playboy.com, etc. Please don’t let my age stop you, as I’m sure it wouldn’t matter to your readers, as I certainly don’t look my age, as you will see. I would enjoy being in your magazine.
Enclosing a newspaper photo from when my local paper ran an article on me and my store.
Hoping to hear from you.
Sincerely,
Jill Ann Spaulding
I never did send the letter, but I thought how sweet it was for my grandma to take the time to try and figure out how to get me into Playboy! Something I will cherish forever!
As far as Bruce and I go, once I got the tape Inside the Playboy Mansion, Bruce and I watched it repeatedly for hours dissecting every scene. We were so shocked to hear that Hef himself says on the tape,
“There’s room for one more.” It seemed he was speaking to me! I couldn’t believe it! How did I not hear that! How did I miss that opportunity! I guess I was just so excited and there was so much going on around me…
Bruce and I actually studied the tapes together, discussed what I was going to do and, amazingly, he said that he didn’t want to ever feel he held me back from my dream. He would be sad and miss me, but he would supervise the stores, the house and everything while I was gone. He knew I was the little girl who wanted all the glitz, glam, and excitement and he didn’t want to stop me.
I also knew that with an all-girl staff between the ages of eighteen and twenty-four working for me that they would keep him busy. Our relationship was strong enough that the opposite sex was never an argument or a problem, and we really trusted each other. Not that we actually ever were out of each others sight, which I think was a great reason the relationship worked well. It is like the movie stars running off with their co-workers. We had worked side by side through most of our relationship, so I think this helped with the temptation problem and that we were each other’s costar so there was no one spending more time with one of us then each other.
I decided to call Jenny at the mansion and try to get some information about how I could be a girlfriend without coming right out and asking.
“Hi, Jenny it’s Jill Ann Spaulding calling. I sent Hef a letter and was wondering if he had said anything about it.”
“What did you expect him to say?” she asked.
“Well, I mentioned that I would like seeing him sooner than the next party.”
“He’s a busy man. If you want to see him sooner than the next party, pick a time that you are going to be in the area and tell him about it,” she offered.
I thanked her for the information and began to write Hef another letter. I didn’t have a trip coming up, so I choose a few days that a good poker tournament was going on, and it would keep Bruce busy if I was lucky enough to be asked to come up to the mansion. Bruce and I discussed the possibility of my not coming back for a few months or more, and we agreed that if I were asked to move in that I could and I would.
However, I still needed a response from Hef first! So I took my best shot:
Dear Hef,
I want to be with you. I know you do not have a lot of time to give, and I understand this up front. I am going to be in California from June 5 to 10. I would love to stay at the Mansion, if possible, during this time. Maybe I could watch old movies with you, your girlfriends, and others. You would have a chance to see the genuine warmth, compassion, and honest attraction I have for you, and we might hit it off. I am willing to commit myself only to you and do nothing else for the time that you give me in your life.
With love, Jill Ann
I couldn’t help myself, I used the exact phrase that Katie Lohmann said in the Inside the Playboy Mansion video. When she met Hef, she let him know right away that she wanted to be with him.
It was around June 1st, a few weeks after I sent the letter, and I had no response of any kind from anyone. I was sure he wouldn’t respond when suddenly the phone rang. It was a security officer from the Playboy Mansion confirming my arrival from June 5 to 10. I couldn’t believe my ears and thought he was kidding and said, “Really?”
“Do you mean to tell me that no one has called you about this?” he replied.
“No, no one.” I said sincerely.
“Well, it’s on my log that you will be staying in the guest house on those dates. Hef has asked you to accompany him and his girlfriends Wednesday the 5th and Friday the 7th.”
“I really get to go?” I really couldn’t believe this. “What do I wear?”
He said, “Wednesday is club wear. Friday is, too, but dressier.”
I thanked him and then he advised that they don’t often take care of transportation to the mansion but that if I needed to be picked up he would need 24-hour advance notice. I let him know I would be driving my own vehicle, and he was glad to hear this. He told me to give my name to the guard at the gate when I got there, and someone would help me with my bags.
I don’t think it sunk in right away, but it didn’t take long. Now that it was really happening, I was very nervous and excited at the same time. A million things went through my head. I was spinning. What would I bring, what would I wear, how would I act? I started packing immediately trying to prepare. I started selecting nearly everything I owned. Then I settled down a little and sorted out half a dozen jackets; a dozen pairs of shoes—including my sexiest, several of my favorite outfits, jewelry, my pillows, and even my
makeup tape to be certain I had it just right. I packed enough clothes to stay a very long time. Bruce offered to send me clothes from the store so I could have new outfits when I was there if I was asked to stay on. He said he would take a plane home if I stayed since he had his own vehicle at our house. He was so amazing!
Now, I need to remind readers that, on my end, I thought this was part of the illusion of Playboy.
Look, if you are a Playmate, you can be 50, 60 someday and still look back and say, “I was one of the women
98 in Playboy.” It was a dream of perfection and beauty. Part of that included keeping up a pretense and illusion as one of Hef’s “hutch” of bunnies. That was all I thought it was.
Bruce and I drove to L.A., and I dropped him off at Commerce Casino but not before going to the room and redoing my makeup so that it was fresh and perfect for my big entrance.
Now, just to let you know what a remarkable man Bruce is, I don’t want to give the impression that he was thinking anything would happen sexually at the mansion. He supported my dream, but he knew me—the real me. He knew that it was several dates before I even let him kiss me when we first got together, and it was six months before we slept together. He knew that my core values were rock solid, and we truly trusted each other.
Bruce drew me a map with directions and the exits I needed to get there. I had discussed with Bruce that I might get homesick right away and have to leave. He was supportive, as usual, and told me I would be fine.
Even with Bruce’s directions, I still got a little lost and ended up at the back gate of the mansion. The gates are very high with beautiful wrought iron doors at the entrance. It’s like driving up to a castle. I told the uniformed guard my name and, after making a call to verify, he said he would help me get to the front gate.
The security guard jumped in his car, and I followed him to the front gate. He pushed the button to open the automatic gate. The gate was thick with plush greenery surrounding the outer edges of it. I couldn’t believe I was in the middle of the city with the forest like atmosphere that surrounded the entrance, including tall ferns as big as trees. In the rearview mirror, I could see the security guy starting to walk up the path to the mansion.
I backed up and asked if he wanted a lift up the drive. He smiled and got in, but right before I asked him, I couldn’t resist, to take a picture of me entering the famous gates. I had butterflies in my stomach, and my heart was hammering.
The front gate was similar to the back gate with a grayish wrought iron tall fence and doors. A large mirror was placed on the outside of the gate to make sure you could see cars when you were leaving from the mansion. At the front it seemed there wasn’t a place to announce yourself, but it was merely hidden by a huge rock from which came a voice where they had hidden the speaker system to make it look more realistic
instead of an official entrance. The fence was curvy with spikes swiveling like snakes at the top. An American flag hung to the left. To the left of that was a heater to keep some of the security people warm.
Farther to the left were two small statues that were quite feminine and placed about eight feet apart from each other. The statues were against a cement wall that was covered with ivy to cover the color, and it made it look like a green fence. Ivy was cut away from the middle to show a museum-like plaster of many of women from the early 1900s with more full-size bodies, almost religious looking as if they were flying. The path all the way up the curvy driveway was thick with many different types of trees, bushes and plants. I couldn’t believe how dense the greenery was. It was grown in completely thick and lushes, but you could tell it was still trimmed and in perfect order. Just like a forest. I passed a huge government-size yellow sign on the way up the driveway, which read “Playmates at Play” I became even more nervous as it was scary and thrilling at the same time.
Once I arrived at the front door, I was shown where to park my car, and a guy came out to help me with my bags. I noticed right away that this guy wouldn’t give me much eye contact and didn’t really seem to want to help me with my bags. It seemed like I had carried almost everything, and he seemed not to notice.
We walked to a small house, like a perfect little guest cottage, and went through a wooden door with a French Country feeling. I opened the door to a nice little living room with a couch, TV, and computer. He showed me to my bedroom. I tried to tip him, but he said he couldn’t accept it. Shortly afterward he came back and gave me a key to the door. The room was great. I immediately felt comfortable. I looked out the windows. Two of them faced a tennis court, and the other two looked over the grounds, where I could see blooming flowers, lush foliage, and a rich green lawn the color of emeralds. I assumed they had a small army of groundskeepers to maintain the place to its impeccable condition.
Then I focused on my new living quarters and started by unpacking my things and settling in. I put away all the clothes in the closet and realized I still had to go back out to my car for more things—I hadn’t traveled light! When I walked through the door, I noticed a picture of Marilyn Monroe on the wall in the
entrance. It was the image of her in a gold dress with a plunging neckline and her hands on her waist. I knew Hef was a huge fan of hers and had published very famous photos of her which actually was in the first
publication of Playboy and was the real launch of the Playboy magazine. The wall to the left had a very sexual picture of a man that looked like it could have been Hugh Hefner performing cunnilingus on a naked woman bent over backwards. I could see the man’s private parts hanging downward based on the women leaning so far back. I couldn’t see the face well, but it had his look.
The room also had a VCR, radio, and CD player. There was a chest of drawers and a lovely vanity chest to put little items in. On both sides of the bed were small tables. One side held a telephone with a list of phone numbers for anything I needed from the mansion: room service, laundry service, maid service—
everything. The other side was an old-style pull-down desk and, when I lifted the cover, I found a printer underneath. No computer, though. It had a fairly roomy closet. There were many other pictures on the walls and two chairs. The most wonderful thing was the bed. It was so luscious with its white fluffy down comforter and down pillows, so luxurious you sank down into them, and the whole ambiance of the bedroom was warm and wonderful. They were perfectly clean as well and smelled delightful. Not overly used and abused, but like they had just been unwrapped from their bag and opened out especially for me.
I was very excited and feeling so happy, I decided to call Bruce and tell him I had made it safely. I then proceeded to tell him all about the trip and my room so he could experience it all with me. He thought it sounded great. Then I called my mom and my grandma to tell them as well. For some reason, I felt at home right away. I think it was the feeling one gets when the dream starts moving toward reality. I sat in the bed and lay back feeling like a princess. The room was so comfortable. I turned the TV on and tried to let it all sink in.
While relaxing and looking around I noticed a shelve high up full of books. I looked at the titles from a distance. I was a little antsy so I decided to set up my makeup for easy access. I lined up all my shoes. I then wandered into the bathroom. I could tell right away that I would be sharing it. Someone had all of her
personal belongings set up and was definitely unpacked to stay. On the other side of the room from where I
personal belongings set up and was definitely unpacked to stay. On the other side of the room from where I