Legislation that would have banned legal prostitution in Nevada did not pass in this latest session. At the Mustang Ranch in Storey County, that was cause for celebration.

"We all cheered for a couple of weeks, we all celebrated immensely," said Madam Tara Adkins. "It was terrifying for all of our ladies and our staff who have been with us for years; it was very scary for everybody."

Dennae, who as been a Courtesan there for three years and in the industry for more than a decade, says the Mustang Ranch is the best place she's ever worked.

"I should have come here years ago," she said. "I would be heartbroken if it closed; it's so much more than just sex here, we're caregivers. We touch so many lives and I love this job."

Sponsors of the bill say brothels breed sex trafficking. The women here say that's not an issue.

"That's absolutely false," said Erica, a Courtesan. "You never see anything like that all all. Of all my years in the business I've never experienced that here."

"Everybody chooses to be here," Dennae said. "They come here for one reason or another - a lot of us have nursing backgrounds, CNA's, caregivers -  we love to be here. Everybody knows what I do, my whole family knows where I work. I'm not ashamed of this job and I love where I work."

Adkins says they take measures to prevent any kind of criminal activity.

"We get FBI background checks on everybody here," she said.  "I don't know what the other brothels do but we take that extra step to make sure everybody is clear. We don't want any trafficking, we don't want any organized crime so as soon as they get here, that is our first step. Then they see a doctor and they get a work card with Storey County."

Some of the women here have experienced the other side of the industry.

"I came from a sex escort business, illegal industry, so here is so much better," said Courtesan Ayana. "I dealt with it probably for close to ten years, on and off - that's a long time - and it's a very scary situation when you don't know what you're walking into and you just pray to God you live through it. Here, we have security, regulations we have to follow. By law we have to have testing every single week for STD's and once a month for HIV."

Without a legal option, some here say they wouldn't know what to do.

"It was very scary for the girls because at the end of the day, we're going to be handing all these ladies out to the predators and everyone is going to have a larger problem," Adkins said. "This is a controlled, safe environment for them to choose to work at."

"I feel extremely safe working here," Erica said. "They take every precaution and we have good security, which is important. This is the only way to go and I love being here, it's like family."

Adkins says it's a conversation they'd all like to continue and the doors at the Mustang Ranch are always open.

"Come check us out," she said. "All the bad stigma that is out there, we love to invite anyone to come take a tour and talk to us and put all the rumors to rest."