Marc
The hotel room closed in on me as my eyes locked onto Ken’s phone screen. The PayPal notification glared back, searing its words into my brain.
PrivatelyYours Invoice 00254-Magic Marco_Premium membership has posted.
Ken stood frozen, a towel draped around his hips. Water droplets glistened on his chest, his face pale as a ghost. “Marc, I—”
“Explain this,” I demanded quietly, holding up his phone. My voice barely rose above a whisper. The man who had been so kind and patient with my daughter, the man who made me feel like love was possible—had kept such a secret from me.
Why would he do this?
“You knew?” I staggered, the wind knocked out of me. “You watched all those videos?”
Ken stepped closer, his features etched with desperation. “Yes, I knew. I—it was before Mia enrolled. I recognized you that day.” He hung his head. “I knew who you were.”
My shoulders sagged under the weight of realization. “All this time, and you didn’t say anything.”
He took a step forward. Grief clouded his eyes when I stepped back. “I never meant to hurt you,” Ken said. “Getting to know you changed everything.”
“Really?” I scoffed, filled with a sense of betrayal. Ken had been watching my online performances, paying for my content, and fantasizing about me long before we met in person. He’d kept all of this a secret from me throughout our entire relationship.
Christ… I never imagined that sweet guy might be one of those faceless men online.
The knowledge left a bitter taste in my mouth. I needed to get out of here.
“Believe me, Marc, I care about the real you.” Ken’s voice grew more fervent, his eyes glistening and brimming with desperation. “Not just the guy I used to watch on my computer screen. You’re so much more than that.”
“Then why didn’t you tell me?” I demanded, fists clenched at my sides. “Why did you keep this hidden?”
Ken reached out, his fingers grazing my arm. “What I feel for you goes beyond anything I ever experienced watching you on a screen. It’s deeper than that. It’s real. You know this is the real thing, don’t you?”
But I pulled away, torn between belief and the fear of being played for a fool. “I don’t know what to think anymore. I thought we had something, but now…” Images from my past flashed through my mind—me naked and dancing, touching myself, spreading my ass cheeks—every inch of me exposed for paying strangers behind screens.
But one of them had been Ken.
Someone I was developing genuine feelings for had seen me like that—and now all I felt was shame.
“We do have something special.” Ken’s voice cracked with emotion. “Please, listen to me. It was never my intent to deceive you. I was afraid of losing you if you found out I was a fan first.”
Blinking fast, I struggled to reconcile what I had heard. The man I had grown to care for stood before me, pleading for understanding. But the trust between us was gone.
As much as I wanted to believe him, the pain was too raw, too fresh. All I saw was the secret he had kept from me.
I wondered what else he might be hiding.
Was Ken truly interested in me as a person, or was he just living out some sick fantasy with the man he’d been watching online?
The room felt suffocating. “I need to get out.” I grabbed my suitcase and yanked the phone charger from the wall.
Ken’s expression twisted, a tumult of confusion and fear. “What are you doing?”
“I can’t do this right now. I have to go,” I replied, barely able to meet his gaze. “We’re done. I don’t want to see you again.”
Ken’s face crumpled. “Don’t say that.”
“No!” I shouted, cutting him off as I opened the door. “Just… leave me alone.”
I raced down the hallway toward the elevators, half-expecting Ken to follow, to plead his case.
