July 13th 2022

3 Weeks later

They were still trying to find the drug dealers, they narrowed the search to just looking for Felix in hopes he'd cooperate and give up Hectors whereabouts. It was like they fell off the face of the earth.

Joe was in the locker room changing to head home and then head out for a drink with Angelina. A couple more officers who were done for the day came in to get changed. Brian was one of them.

"Don't hold me up man, I gotta very important date tonight." Brian told another officer, Trent who was blocking his locker on purpose to be funny.

"Yeah? You proposing or what?" Trent asked laughing.

"Fuck no, it's the 3rd date." He said bragging, the rumble of guys ooglying over it was immature.

"Hey don't forget the glove dude." Another guy said followed by a fist bump/handshake thing followed by laughing.

"That's funny, you know I don't wear that shit." He said getting dressed.

"Nah dude, it's a no glove no love for me bro." Trent added laughing.

"No fuck that." Brian shook his head.

"What if she says no?" Joe said calling him out interrupting the laughter.

"Well unlike you saint Joe I actually know how to work a women, I'm quite irresistible in the bedroom if I'm being honest with you youngster." Brian said confidently.

"You think pretty highly of yourself I see." Joe said finishing up getting dressed.

"Just spitting facts" Brian held his hands up in surrender. Joe wanted to punch him in the face again so bad. What a man whore.

"Alrighty then. See you guys later, have a good night." It took all Joe had to leave being the bigger person. But, he did, he got his stuff and left.

Joe wasn't always the "perfect gentleman" when it came to women, he's had his fair share of one night stands but he wasn't an animal about it. He couldn't stand guys exactly like Brian, who openly talk about it to whoever's around to listen.

———

A couple hours later

Joe was sitting at the bar, waiting for Angelina. He was still trying to work through the breakup with Kelsey, he thought about her more often then he thought he would. Just hoping she's being looked after and taken care of, and that the baby's growing healthy. He tried to give himself grace still, he originally thought he was going to be a father. That's a big rug to pull out from underneath someone.

"Can I get a martini? I'm at table 3." A familiar female voice called out. Joe turned to see.

"Hey." He called out to Taylor.

"Oh hey." She was surprised seeing him here.

"Hope you got someone paying for that." He said meaning the drink she was ordering.

"Ha, I will, he's not here yet." She said looking around for her date.

"Alright well you let me know." Joe winked with a laugh.

"Will do…you meeting Ang?" She wondered.

"I am, she always run late or am I just early?" He asked with a laugh.

"Ha! Oh yeah, she's so scatterbrained, you'd think she was blonde." Taylor told him laughing.

"Oh great." Joe laughed back, got her drink and left to go back to her table with it. He watched her walk away with another sip of his beer. There was just something about her.

He heard the door open and looked to see Angelina, he waved so she'd see him.

"Hey, you been here long?" She asked sitting with him.

"Not at all." He said joking but she didn't get it. It had been about 30 minutes…

"Good! Okay, what are we drinking?" She asked.

"Whatever you want." He said, she looked good, she had a very tight low cut black leather dress on, it was hard not to stare. The bartender came over and she told him what she wanted, Joe got distracted by the guy coming in the door. He watched him walk over and greet Taylor at the table she was at, they hugged and sat down together.

It was Brian…Joes blood boiled, and he turned back around before they saw him looking.

"Joe?" Angelina questioned.

"Hm? Sorry, what'd you say?"

"I asked if you had anything going on later tonight." She said.

"Oh, no? Did you have something?" He questioned confused.

"Well I'm staying at the Bogart tonight…up to you if you want to keep me company?" She seductively asked, slowly outlining the edge of her low cut neckline with her finger. Joes curious eyes followed.

"Ha alright, well should we get some dinner first?" He asked beings he was starving.

"Yeah yeah!" She said and opened the menu.

They ordered some food and then Joe excused himself when he saw Brian leave Taylor at their table to go to the bathroom.

"Hey. Can I talk to you?" He asked Taylor trying not to freak out.

"Um I'm kinda on a date…!?" She said.

"Well that didn't stop you couple months back." He said shrugging. She couldn't help but shake her head and laugh at the encounter back then with Kelsey in the hallway outside Joes place. She got up and followed Joe.

"Where are we going?" She asked when he took the back exit door that lead outside to nothing but the dark night.

"I don't want any interruptions." He told her.

"Um okay well make it quick, I don't want him to worry…" Taylor said crossing her arms.

"Right, um, so Brian? Really?" He questioned.

"Joe what is this?" She crossed her arms feeling attacked.

"I'm looking out for you."

"Well thanks, but I am a big girl you know. I know him well enough to know he isn't gonna hit me. We've gotten really close working this case, I like him. Besides it's our 3rd date." She assured. It was like a knife through his heart, he was taken back they'd been out a couple times and he had no idea. Then he remembered all the immature things Brian said back in the locker room at the end of tour.

"I don't think he's good for you." Joe told her.

"Your gonna try and tell me what's not good for me?" She questioned with a raised brow.

"He's a fucking animal! He just wants to fuck around with you, that's not what you want!" He got defensive. He regretted getting Brian on this case with her, if it wasn't for that they'd of never met.

"Who said that's not what I want!? Or are you just assuming that?" She was being smart with him.

"Is that all you want?" He asked.

"Of course not, I'm joking! He's a cop, just like you, he can't be that bad!" She argued.

"He's nothing like me. You should hear him in the locker room with all his buddies, maybe then you'd think we were different." Joe said in defense ready to leave the conversation, it irritated him he couldn't get through to her.

"You and I were just friends Joe, we were barely involved, if anything it was mostly booty calls. Why do you care about me so much?" She wondered bringing the heat of the conversation down.

"I don't know." He couldn't look at her, he regretting putting them in this complicated predicament. This would just make things awkward now.

"We ended things..." Taylor reminded him, knowing he was acting on jealousy.

"No. You ended things with me." He could look at her now, she seemed hurt.

"I'm sorry. Neither one of us were looking to be serious, my ex was, so I chose him. I'm sorry." She tried to explain with a shrug.

"Yeah whatever, I'm just really pressed it's him you chose now."

"I could say the same thing about Angelina! You go from Kelsey to her…!?" Taylor said.

"What's wrong with Angelina!?"

"Gee I don't know, it's only one of my good friends!"

"I didn't know that when I met her! She's just helping me get over everything with Kelsey."

"So you're just using her?" She crossed her arms.

"No! Not like that. Just a distraction." He said.

"Mhm…okay. Does she know that?" Taylor asked cocking her head.

"No, she doesn't need to. She'll go back to North Carolina in a couple weeks and that'll be the end of that." He said.

"I see how you work. I'm gonna get back inside to my date who actually is interested in more then sex." She snipped back before heading back in.

"Yeah you keep telling yourself that!" He said back and the door shut in his face.

"That went fucking perfect." He said to himself sarcastically taking a deep breath, before heading back in. He was not a fan of this one bit was he that jealous? Would he be this jealous if it was another guy or is it just the fact it's Brian?

——

He got back to Angelina and there food came out. Before they were even done eating he saw Taylor and Brian leaving the bar. Taylor didn't even look at him, and Angelina was so clueless she didn't even know Taylor was here.

Joe still couldn't stop thinking about everything Brian was saying in the locker room earlier. The fact he was referring to Taylor just made it worse.

"Alright wanna get out of here stud muffin?" Angelina flirted and ran her hand over his bicep as he finished up his beer.

"Sure, I guess." He didn't really like this nickname she gave him, and he didn't really want to be with her anymore tonight. He was preoccupied, hung up on Brian's horny ass intentions.

He pulled his wallet out to pay the tab, Angelina got up and fixed her appearance. Pulling her dress down from riding up, running her fingers through her hair as a comb and then her earrings. What was Joes problem? She was beautiful, nice, a little dumb but overall a good person. He has to at least try, and maybe this would be a good distraction for awhile.

——

Once they got to the hotel, they got a little further then the last time they were together. Losing a couple more articles of clothing.

She got in his pants the first time too, which he wasn't really up for tonight. He was too distracted with everything going on earlier.

He had to stop her mid blow job, she kinda sucked at it anyway, too teethy.

"Angelina stop." He nicely pushed her away on her shoulder.

"What's wrong?" She asked sitting up.

"I can't do this."

"Why?" She wondered.

"It's just not who I am." He excused, standing to pull his pants back on.

"You've had sex before…right?" She questioned.

"Yeah, I just…not tonight alright?"He asked.

"Okay..." She was understanding.

"I had fun tonight still." Joe told her, worrying about how this affected her self esteem, who the hell stops a blowjob and calls it a night?

"I did too. Maybe we can do all this another time." She told him and got there couple pieces of clothes back on.

"Sounds good. I'm gonna head out." He said pointing to the door behind him with his thumb.

"Alright, thanks for dinner!" She enthusiastically said after getting her shirt.

"No problem." Joe said and left. He pulled his phone out like he was expecting a play by play of what Taylor was up to but he had nothing too look at other then the damn time and a weather advisory.

He went home and tried to get some sleep with his heavily distracted mind.

———

Welp, Joes had better nights then this, that's for sure! What should he do??? He's still recovering from Kelsey using Angelina but too hung up on Taylor to even try and enjoy her. Leave your thoughts.