Yesterday, we learned that not all real life 50 Shades Of Grey-esque relationships are as blithely happy as their fictive counterparts. Frankie Santiago, a 27-year-old S&M enthusiast who was a live-in fetish slave to 53-year-old Manhattan investment-banker Edward Sonderling, was charged with stalking, criminal mischief and aggravated harassment after their relationship fizzled out. Santiago talked to the Post more in-depth about their relationship today, and shattered the dreams of 50 Shades fans everywhere: “I’m sure people want so badly to believe that that book is real. I don’t give a s--t,” she said.
Santiago mostly talked about Sonderling, who was known in the BDSM community as King Eddo: “He had this reputation before he dated me—his reputation preceded me,’’ she said. “So when he started coming on to me and pursuing me, I was really flattered." She said that despite their 25 year age difference and the regular morning spankings, they had a pretty normal relationship: “We actually [had] a real life together. We’re friends. We like to wear costumes. We party together."
As for the breakup, she said it wasn't because he was seeing another woman: “I don’t give a f--k about the other women, because there are tons of other women. Tons," she said. “He’s a very successful man. He’s going to have a lot of women.” She didn't discuss the text messages she sent him (including “I hope you and [the new girl] rot in hell"), but she did comment on the car window she is accused of breaking: “OK, we got into an argument. A car window broke. Who cares? it broke,” she admitted.
She noted that the 53-year-old spent much of his time outside of work keeping up his looks: “He wants to...retain his youth,” she said. “[He] wants people to see him as this S&M god, this king...Mick Jagger.” One person familiar with Sonderling said he was a youth-obsessed gym rat: “He’s a pretty boy. All he knows how to do is doll himself up. He’s extremely vain. It’s all about his image, his persona.” But hey, based on the pics above, he's doing something right we suppose.
