Hey, I am addicted to fucking as much as the next guy, but someone should have told his guy about sex travel. Sheesh! 500,000 pounds is almost equal to 1 million US. Some highlights:

"Married dad-of-two Peter Lee's travel business crashed because of his obsession particularly with a £1000a-night hooker known as 'Sultry Tia'."

"The 51-year-old spent almost £500,000 on sex sessions and gifts for Tia, including a BMW car, exotic holidays, furnishings and cash."

"'He blew the biggest part on £1000a-night sex sessions. He even took her on holiday to Bali with one of her friends."

"'At one time, he was a successful, happily married family man with two kids. Now he's ruined and, depending on the way the judge looks at the case, he could go to jail.'"

"When Lee's wife Ann discovered his double life last year, she moved out of the family home in Bishop Auckland, County Durham,with her children."

"Lee had built up his business from scratch along with his business partner of 14 years, Eric Bowerbank."

"Eric was one of those left jobless when the firm, which turned over £4.6million in 1999, crashed."

http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/content_objectid=13993508_method=full_siteid=89488_headline=-BOSS-BLOWS--pound-500---000-ON-HOOKER-AND-LOSES-170-JOBS-name_page.html

Yeah, but can we get a link to the hooker?

More from the article:

"London-based Tia is described on her website as being in her mid-20s 'of Scottish, Portuguese, Caribbean and Native American origin'.
"The description goes on: 'She is genuinely bisexual and can be visited at her luxurious premises for a deep sensual massage or a hot encounter with one of her friends."

Sounds like some of the garotas I know in Rio (except for the deep sensual massage, I never got around to that)."

It would have been a lot cheaper to go to Rio and LOS (for the masseuses), bring a few choice ones home, and install them in an apartment nearby. And probably better.

The guy got "addicted" (whatever the term really means in psychological circles, I think it's fair to say he was close to that kind of behavior about this one woman). I think there's a moral lesson here, and not just the obvious one.

The obvious one: don't trust high-class call girls, they only want you for the money. And when they say they really like you, they're only saying it to please you in order that you pay them more. When dreadful things happen in your life, they'll only help in so far as it means ... you guessed it ... more money for themselves. Gee what a surprise.

A less obvious one: some dudes are totally losers who are simply incapable of controlling themselves around call girls, high-class or not. If he'd known more about mongering, he probably would have realized he could have saved money, his reputation, his career, even his marriage, by doing some internet-based research.

An even less obvious one: some people get what they deserve. If you're in it for the quick and easy gratification, and you don't do the groundwork, you may find it's neither quick nor easy, REGARDLESS of whether it's getting married, getting a mistress, getting a high-class call girl, or getting a career, not to mention, getting a happy life.

Monopoly is the main "bug" in free markets. Never let a provider be the only one. All you need is another provider to bring things back to market value. There is a reason for imposing anti-trust laws over an otherwise self-regulating concept as the free market.

He could have flown to Brazil, Philippines, Thailand once a month for a few days or longer and still saved money

Probably could have found a business excuse for the travel.

He could have done a lot different with that money. Did he really lack SO much intelligence? Geez. He should have called me up. For a nominal sum (say, $100,000.oo, at $2,000.oo a night, one Thursday a week for 50 weeks) I would have sat next to him and told him he was doing a really good job as he surfed to the thirty or so monger-related internet sites I introduced him to.

Hmm ... that's a thought ... hmm ...