"Are you fucking kidding me?" Jess looked directly at Joe, waiting for him to answer.
"Uh, what?" Joe wanted to tread lightly, however, he had no idea what exactly Jess was mad at, so he went with the safest response.
"You went down on a woman the same fucking day you met her?"
Joe was careful not to answer too quickly. He looked at Jess and was honest with his answer. "There was something about being at the resort combined with me thinking we were broken up and I met someone I connected with."
Joe continued, "I know it's not like me, but I've never met anyone like Ava before."
Tears filled Jess's eyes again. "She brings a different side out of you. A side I've never seen."
Joe looked at Ava as the tears fell from Jess's eyes. Ava felt uncomfortable listening to the conversation between Joe and Jess. Now Joe was looking at her. Only this time, there was more to the look. It wasn't the hungry horny look she knew from their week together. Or the lusty look she got from him when she arrived at his apartment this morning.
This new look was lust mixed with longing and guilt. She wasn't upset about the look. She wished it wasn't in front of Jess. Ava lowered her eyes. She knew Jess was staring at her hoping to catch her eye.
Jess wiped her tears and cleared her throat. "Joe, why did you need to tell me this now?"
Joe deflated, knowing he would have to explain the timing eventually. "I got an email this morning from an anonymous sender. It was pictures of Ava and me in a private cabana by the pool. We thought we were safe, but someone was watching and taking photos."
Jess nodded her head and then looked at Joe. "You were never going to tell me, were you?"
"If you hadn't gotten that email this morning, would you have told me about this?"
Joe dropped his head. He took a deep breath and looked up at Jess, then to Ava, and back to Jess. "No, Jess. I wasn't going to tell you."
It was quiet for a long time. Jess would sniffle quietly every few seconds. Joe broke the silence. "Jess?"
"What, Joe?" Jess wasn't sure if she should be happy, he spoke first or nervous.
"What did you do on your girls trip to Florida?"
Jess blinked a few times as she took in the question. He threw her off her game and she was struggling to balance. Joe and Jess met when they were 12. He knows when Jess is mad, there's little she won't do to get even or make herself feel better.
"What do you mean? It was a girls trip. We went to Disney, got drunk every night, and went to the beach."
"Did you go to any bars or clubs?" Ava thought Joe's question was innocent until she saw Jess's eyes narrow as she stared at him.
"Possibly one or two nights we went out and visited a bar, maybe two. Also, found our way to some dance clubs and one strip club."
Ava watched intently as Joe asked Jess questions. Jess seemed annoyed as Joe's questions got more specific.
"Tell me about the night you went to a dance club, Jess." Joe was suppressing a grin.
Jess took a deep breath and sighed. "We went to a club having a salsa night."
"And did you dance with anyone at this club? Better yet, did anyone buy you a drink?"
The volley of question and answer had been slow at first and was speeding up quickly. The more Joe questioned, the faster Ava's heart would beat. 'Can Joe get to the damn point?'
"A couple guys bought me shots or a drink. I can't remember how many." Jess waved it off like it didn't matter.
Joe wasn't backing down. "What about the dancing? Did you dance with anyone?"
Jess picked at her nails, shifting her weight back and forth from one foot to another. "I danced."
Joe waited for more. "And...?"
"I danced with some people."
Joe let a big grin spread across his face. 'Checkmate.'
---
Ava, feeling bold, spoke up. "What does dancing have to do with this?"
Joe, still smiling, answered Ava. "When Jess drinks at a dance club, she's going to get drunk and kiss someone. Usually, the person she enjoys dancing with the most. There's a reason Jess doesn't go to clubs without me."
"Jess, if you thought we were still together while on a break, why did you drink at a dance club? Also, if you thought we were still together, why didn't you text or call me during the trip? I texted you when we made it to the resort and you didn't respond until I got back home."
"Because, I wanted to get back at you!" Jess was breathing heavily. She must be ready to burst!
"For what?"
"For not stopping me from leaving your apartment that morning. Leaving on your trip knowing things were not okay with us. For not asking me to clarify what a break meant. Joe from three years ago would have made things right before he left. He would have asked about the break and even if I said we were broken up, he still wouldn't have hopped in bed with the first chick he met at the fucking hotel bar!"
"Jess, I" Jess interrupted Joe. "I'm not finished!"
"The Joe I fell in love with wouldn't have hid what he did on that trip. He wouldn't need me to ask."
Joe didn't know what to say. He opened his mouth twice, but nothing came out. He had no response.
"I think I need to go." Jess walked to the living room to grab her purse. Joe and Ava followed.