Heidi Fleiss Says she has received 500 e-mails from men interested in working at the brothel in Crystal

Her business relationship with brothel owner Joe Richards has come to a premature end, but "the Hollywood Madam" said that won't stop what she considers a well-laid plan to open an all-male bordello catering to women.

Heidi Fleiss announced Monday that she and Richards have parted company, so she will be applying for her own brothel license in Nye County, perhaps as soon as next week.

If everything goes according to plan, by Valentine's Day she'll have Heidi's Stud Farm open on 60 acres she owns in Crystal, the tiny outpost 80 miles northwest of Las Vegas where Richards operates his Cherry Patch Ranch brothel.

"I'm doing it on my own," Fleiss said. "I'm not looking for a pimp."

Last week, Richards sent a letter to the Nye County Commission announcing his intention to add male prostitutes to service women at the Cherry Patch Ranch. He told the commissioners he had hired Fleiss as "hostess/madam" for the new operation.

Richards rescinded those plans Friday in another letter to the commission, which regulates legal brothels in its capacity as the county's liquor and licensing board.

Richards said Monday he and Fleiss have been "friends for years," and he dismissed talk of a falling out.

"We just decided that this would probably be better, that's all," Richards said.

Fleiss declined to elaborate on why she decided to go it alone, but she indicated that the amount of renovations needed at Richards' brothel might have had something to do with it.

"I'm from Hollywood. I need something beautiful," she said.

Fleiss said she has received 500 e-mails from men interested in working at her brothel. She said she plans to employ 20 male prostitutes initially with another 10 "on hold."

Asked how she plans to guarantee satisfaction for her customers, Fleiss name-dropped three popular medications usually prescribed for erectile dysfunction: Viagra, Cialis and Levitra.

Fleiss said her brothel will feature a large parlor where lineups can be held, and "beautiful bedrooms" with vaulted ceilings and fireplaces. The brothel will also have a small spa offering "manicures, pedicures, sex toys and whatnot," she said.

Her land in Crystal is vacant now, so Fleiss is looking at having prefabricated buildings brought in. She said she has also been talking to county officials about water and other services for the property.

Fleiss said she is being backed by some investors, but she declined to name them because she wanted to first make sure they wouldn't mind being publicly identified.

As for whether her chances of getting a brothel license will be hurt by her well-publicized past, Fleiss said at least she can't be accused of hiding anything.

"My background check is more thorough than anyone's. Mine was done by the IRS and the FBI," she said. "They found the guy I lost my virginity with. There is no skeleton in my closet that they don't know about."

But just because Fleiss' life is an open book -- in fact it's called "Pandering," and it was published in 2003 -- that does not mean Nye County officials will enjoy reading it.

"I think anyone who has talked to her, including myself, made it clear that laying her background open for review and scrutiny doesn't mean she will be granted a license," said Nye County Commissioner Joni Eastley. "There are no guarantees that this is going to happen for her."

But contrary to popular belief, state law does not prohibit a felon from operating a legal brothel, and neither does Nye County's brothel ordinance.

Nye County bars bordellos from employing anyone "who has ever been convicted of a felony involving moral turpitude," but it is up to the county's Liquor and License Board to decide whether a felon should be allowed to own and operate a brothel.

The ordinance says only that "the board may refuse to grant a license to any applicant who has been convicted of a felony (or) ... who has been convicted of a crime involving moral turpitude."

Even so, brothel industry lobbyist George Flint doesn't like Fleiss' chances.

"I'm not saying she's not licensable. I think she's got an uphill grind ahead of her," he said.

If Fleiss is allowed to open her Stud Farm, Flint worries that it could lead to the kind of publicity the brothel industry generally tries to avoid -- the kind that could one day lead to the end of legal prostitution in Nevada.

"Her antics weigh on the patience of the people who control the destinies of all of us," Flint said. "We need her in our industry like we need a bad case of the crabs."

Fleiss said HBO is already filming her effort to open a brothel. "It's a great time for product placement. If Posturepedic is looking for some exposure, now's the time," she said.

An HBO spokeswoman confirmed the cable network is in discussions with Fleiss but could not elaborate.

Flint also isn't sold on the idea of a brothel catering to women. "Most normal, healthy women don't need to drive 180 miles round trip and pay hundreds of dollars to be wined and dined and laid," he said.

Fleiss disagrees.

She said she has also heard from a number of women who want to be first in line when the Stud Farm opens, including some "wealthy, beautiful women in California."

"I could be completely wrong. I think it's going to work," Fleiss said. "If anyone can make it work, it's me. Let's face it, no one knows this business better than me."