In what could turn out to be the hottest adult industry contest of 2004, Maria Menendez received the super VIP treatment Thursday night and Friday morning during a hazy, 12-hour journey to the "world famous" Kit Kat Guest Ranch.
VCA Pictures and WantedList.com sponsored the Misty Beethoven: The Musical contest, which generated over 3,000 entries for a chance at the grand prize: a fantasy evening at the Kit Kat hosted by the AVN Hall of Fame performer Sunset Thomas, and the busty Rebecca Love.
"What made it worthwhile is that Sunset stars in Misty Beethoven The Musical, so we wrapped it around her life and her surroundings to promote the movie," Ahn Tran, co-owner of WantedList.com, told AVN.com before the trip. "So the Kit Kat Ranch got on board and it's the perfect market for them — adult consumers."
Tran said WantedList.com came away satisfied with the response to a contest that couldn't be promoted in certain media outlets because of the nature of the top prize. He said there was an original winner who had to bow out for that reason.
"I'm a big fan of porno and wantedlist.com, and giving up this prize was the hardest thing I ever had to do," the anonymous original winner said in a statement. "I tried to think of any possible way that I could accept this prize without it affecting my job and my relationship.
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"In the long run, one great night of fun wasn't worth ruining my future. I wish that our society wasn't so down on adult entertainment, but that is the state of things. I will regret not taking this trip for the rest of my life."
But Maria Menendez, the 20-year-old talent manager of Monarch Models, gladly accepted the invitation, hopping into a stretch limousine at Reno Airport along with WantedList co-founder Danny Ting for the 40-minute drive to Fantasyland.
The Kit Kat left nothing to chance, sending VIP Host Jack Ellis along in the limo to escort us to the property.
Menendez and Ting break open a bottle of champagne for the ride some thirty miles south of Reno in Lyon County. The 5-foot-8 brunette moved to Porn Valley from San Diego just over four months ago, and it turns out she is a former punk-rock girl who shaved her head as a teenager.
I find out that her favorite band is Guns 'N’ Roses, her favorite album is Appetite for Destruction, and she moved out when she was 16.
Menendez, wearing black sunglasses, faded jeans, a baby blue t-shirt and a black leather jacket, is strikingly good-looking. She is also not wearing a bra tonight.
As we continue to pour drinks, Ellis announces that we're "about three or four miles away" at 10:33 p.m.
"I'm going to a whorehouse, a House of Sin, a cathouse," Menendez says breathlessly.
"And they're all waiting for you," Ellis replies.
The lights of Reno barely become visible as Ellis offers us the "two-dollar tour."
"There's the Moonlight Bunnyranch," he says, pointing to our left. "That flashing red light is [Dennis Hof's] place. Ellis tells us there are actually two other brothels, the Bunny Ranch 2 and the Sagebrush, and a strip club called The Squeeze Play – all on Kit Kat Lane.
The bright neon orange Kit Kat sign lights up the desert sky.
"Open 25 Hours," it says.
"But the Kit Kat has the best girls, believe it or not," Ellis assures us as we round the final turn.
"This is the best day of my life," Menendez says, as she and Ting empty the bottle.
As soon as we arrive, I notice I have no cell phone reception. I'm not wearing a watch and there are no clocks, but it doesn't matter since Ellis is returning with the limo at 6 a.m.
Sunset Thomas greets us at the door wearing a denim miniskirt and a white lace top that reveals her famous cleavage. Rebecca Love, decked out in a black pinstriped outfit, hugs Menendez as the crowd inside parts and we make our way to the dance floor, where Madam Ivana calls for the "lineup."
After we check out and are introduced to the dozen or so girls who are working and snap a couple of pictures, Thomas and Love lead us on a tour.
Everything inside the Kit Kat is upscale and tasteful, and much of the Ranch is trimmed in red. Hundreds of framed pictures and posters and various memorabilia adorn the walls. Several of the girls have their own picture areas.
Thomas leads us to the lavish Jacuzzi Room, which features a leopard theme and could only be compared to the honeymoon suite at a luxury resort. She shows us the patio deck that overlooks the pool, where a live band plays every Saturday and girls skinny dip under the stars.
In addition to an in-house maid, there are a full-service kitchen and a cook who prepares three meals a day for the girls.
Of the numerous VIP rooms, Thomas points to one that is particularly popular, the "Champagne Room." It has a private Jacuzzi, a plasma TV and an overall executive theme.
"It's like a Presidential Suite," Thomas said. "They can spend the night in here."
There is even a friendly toy and novelty seller named Cindy, who displays a table covered with sex products in the kitchen.
After the tour, Menendez settles into her second or third shot of Wild Turkey while sitting with Love, Thomas and Ting at the back of the bar. Ting, who once worked at Oracle and Arthur Andersen, where he met Tran, is on his second or third Red Bull and vodka from April, the bartender.
"I've got men down pat, but when it comes to women, I still get nervous," Love tells Menendez.
Love says that this location works well because it attracts skiers from Lake Tahoe in the winter and golfers during the summer.
"We constantly check on each other," Thomas says, adding that a panic button is discreetly positioned in every room. "The Madam knows everything. We get a lot of couples. It's like the girl’s first time having her husband or boyfriend fuck another girl."
Thomas said she has a regular of six years who watches her have sex with her husband and who never participates.
"Once in a while she'll grab his balls," during the sex, Thomas says. "If we're not fucking, she will yell at us."
The girls at the Kit Kat Ranch must be tested for STDs and HIV on a weekly basis, Thomas says. Condom use is mandatory.
"It's all about customer service, it's not just about the sex," contends Thomas, who is wearing a 3-carat diamond ring. "It's all about the party."
"Sexuality is so interesting," Love adds. "Any way to get someone off…."
Thomas mentions that everyone did their own singing in Misty Beethoven The Musical. Menendez, meanwhile, admits that she has never had sex with a girl, that she "freaked out" when she met Skeeter Kerkove, and that she has an affinity for sex toys.
Thomas scans the room and whispers to me, "That guy over there was staring at Maria. I think he's wondering if she's working."
Love says that once she finds out that a client is a "brothel virgin," she asks if the person would like to fly "economy or first class."
"Would you like the all-inclusive party where you'll be sure to have a good time or the express service," she says is her introduction.
"This is the best night of my whole goddamn life," Menendez tells me, just before jumping into the hot tub with Love.
Later, I grab a seat at the bar with Kit Kat owner Jack Caramella, who tells me that the ranch was founded in 1950 and has been significantly remodeled in recent years.
"We wanted to make it a first-class place," Caramella says. "Our only rule is that the employees can't play with the girls."
Caramella tells me fellow Kit Kat honcho Frank Leonardi is celebrating his birthday today, and then points to a poster promoting the second annual Kit Kat Ranch Golf Tournament on September 20.
I find out later that Menendez masturbated to Gina Gershon in Bound and that she has a "Martha Stewart fantasy" before she and Love disappear to the Jacuzzi Room for a continuation of the hot tub party.
Meanwhile, Ting and I decide to meet the rest of the talent, including Sophia, a hard-bodied Italian vixen who also does modeling and goes to college in San Diego.
Following a quiet, dizzy limo ride back to the airport, Menendez calmly finishes her fantasy evening by vomiting in the first ladies room she sees.
