“Zack, think about this,” John said. He sounded like he was talking to an unruly child, and it made the rage in Zack’s chest bare its fangs and roar. “We have a good thing going here. Don’t throw it away because of one disagreement. Now that we know where we stand, we can go back to normal.”

“Oh, I see!” Zack was suddenly shouting. “Now that I know you’re cheating on me, you don’t have to hide it anymore! You can do it out in the open! Hey, maybe next time, you can fuck me while you’re on the phone with him!”

“That’s not what I—”

Zack laughed bitterly. “You know, I used to think I was the slow one in this relationship. Did you really expect me to stay with you after this? You hid things from me, you lied to me, and no matter how you try to spin it, you cheated on me. What did you think I was going to do? Hop back on your dick after you’ve made it perfectly clear that I’m not enough for you?”

“That’s not fair,” John argued. “I never said that.”

“You didn’t need to,” Zack said, turning away. “This was nothing more than another fantasy to you. I bet you loved the idea of getting to fuck your favorite sex worker, just like the good old days of banging your parents’ employees. You told me yourself: you love doing the wrong thing, and I’m as wrong for you as it gets.”

He headed for the door but stopped before he reached it. “And you know what really pisses me off about this? I thought you were different. I thought I’d finally met a guy I could trust with my heart. But now I see I was delusional. I’ve been mistreated by plenty of clients, but I’ve never had one make me feel so used.” John had turned red. Zack couldn’t tell if it was anger or embarrassment, and he didn’t care. “Congratulations. This was the longest, most involved role-play I’ve ever had with someone. And now it’s over.”

With that, he left the room. John didn’t call after him.

Zack managed to stumble out of the house, slam the front door, and make it to Marilyn before he started crying. He threw himself into the driver’s seat and fumbled with the keys, blinded by tears. He brushed them away and took a few deep breaths until he felt calm enough to drive. The last thing he needed right now was to wreck his car. He turned the key in the ignition and backed out of the driveway.