I started laughing then. Really laughing. I couldn’t stop. I was pretty sure it was from hysteria.
Tiff looked at me with concern. “Are you alright?” she asked.
“Did you just call me a sweet young thing? My god, lady, get a clue.” I calmed myself down with effort. “I don’t care about any of this, just so you know. Your plan didn’t work.”
Tiff was starting to look panicked. “I just told you he’s still stripping. He’s still taking money from women for his body. How can you be okay with that? What’s wrong with you?”
I shrugged indifferently. “Different strokes for different folks I guess. I’m not sure how I feel about all this, but I do know I won’t judge him for it. Lots of people do sex work for good reasons. I’d like to hear his side before I make decisions about our relationship.”
Tiff opened her mouth and closed it. Then opened it again. She looked positively bewildered.
“Now I think it’s time for you to get the fuck out of my house. Get the fuck out of my town. And don’t contact me ever again. Or Robert. You can go to hell you sad, psycho bitch,” I growled.
Tiff straightened her shoulders. “You’re the biggest idiot I’ve ever met. Pathetic woman with obviously no self-esteem. You and Robbie deserve each other.” She turned on her heel and stomped out the door. When she was out on the porch she turned as if to say one last thing, but I closed the door in her face before she could speak.
I leaned back against the door once I heard her car pull out of my driveway, sagging to the floor. I buried my head in my arms and started to cry. I wasn’t even sure why.
A cold nose nudged my hand and I looked up at my big, lovely dog looking at me. I held out my arms and he pushed himself up against me. I cuddled him on the floor, taking all the comfort he offered.
**
A few minutes later I stood up and wiped the tears from my face. I was still holding the flash drive. I thought about throwing it out, not giving that awful woman the satisfaction of my watching it.
But curiosity won out.
I should have remembered that curiosity killed the cat.
I walked back to my office and sat down at my desk. I flipped the drive over and over in my hand debating what I should do.
I should talk to Rob first. Get his side of the story.
I inserted the drive into my laptop and clicked on the file.
The video loaded and the sound of thumping club music flowed from my speakers. I’d recognize Rob’s body anywhere now that I knew it so well. I noticed he obscured his face. He slightly blurred his chin, but he also was careful to keep the camera trained from the neck down.
I recognized the room as the one in his house with the tripod and ring light. The room where we had sex for the first time.
God, I felt a little ill.
I watched as my boyfriend began to move his body in ways I had never seen him do before. He was good. Really good. He ground his hips and ran his hands down his oiled skin. He thrust his groin in time with the beat. I couldn’t look away. I was horrified. I was mesmerized.
I knew that skin. I had kissed that mole above his belly button. I had run my tongue down the center of that chest. I had felt those hands on my body. I felt a tear slip down my cheek.
He was wearing a pair of boxer briefs I had seen on him before. After a few minutes, he hooked his thumbs in the elastic and slowly, in time with the music, slid them down his hips, over his thighs, until he was naked in front of the camera.
He reached down to his cock and started stroking, making loud moaning noises as he jerked himself off.
And that’s when I couldn’t take it anymore. I closed the video and took the drive from my laptop, throwing it in the drawer.
I covered my face with my hands.
What was I going to do?
Was this a deal-breaker?
I had to admit that watching Rob dance like that had been a huge turn-on. I was aroused whether I liked it or not. I had to know why he was doing it. I needed to hear from him.
But it didn’t change the fact that he had lied by omission. We had been together long enough that he could have told me about this.
Maybe he was scared I’d leave him because of it.
That hurt just as badly. That he thought I’d judge him for this. He should know that wasn’t me. I wasn’t that kind of woman.