I only did this once, 4 years ago.  and I found some providers pretty appealing to me from TER, and now I like to do my 2nd shot.   sent email to a couple agencies, but they just ignored me.  

You're starting from ground zero.  Be prepared to give whomever enough info for them to screen you properly.  There is no way around it.

While it's true that there are agencies and independents who are slow to respond and may not be all that professional, if you submitted a proper request, you should expect to get a timely (24 hours?) reply from the well-reviewed ones (even if it's to say that they're not available).  

Be sure to read their websites and follow their booking requirements. They are more likely to reply to a specific meeting request ("I'd like to meet for incall/outcall on ____ date/time for ___ duration"). Do not make any mention of money or specific services before you are screened.

good suggestions!  appreciate it!  

There was one response half hour ago, asking for verifiable work number.  Is this normal?  I don't like my employer to know this kinda stuff.  Moreover, I work from home most of the time, as I am in consulting biz, and my cell phone is my work phone.

No, they won't out the true purpose of the call to your employer (if asked, they'll just pretend to be a dentist appt. reminder or some such). This works best when your number can be linked to a office. If your employer has an HR department, you can point them there for employment confirmation.  

A lot of members here will scream their heads off about not giving out your real identity to anyone (for good reasons), but you will have to give it to *someone* to get started. You should look into screening services such as DateCheck and P411.

you need to seek out newbie friendly ladies.  On here, that can be a daunting task.  On Preferred411, providers are allowed to post on their profiles if they are newbie friendly.  You will have to give up some personal info to the site, but that's better than handing it out to several  providers.  Gina and her staff will work with you to get you verified.

Remember, be very generic when sending out emails about what you desire like mentioned above.

LLAP,
Swim

END OF MESSAGE

you just have to keep looking for the right girl.

Best of luck!