When they reached the bar Sheri immediately ordered water.
She places her hands on her cheeks and massages. "Ugh my cheeks hurt from smiling so much during all those interviews."
"Then stop smiling. It's not like someone making you smile. You don't have to smile anymore." Mark taunts.
Sheri smiles off of everything so this made her smile even more.
"You're still doing it. I thought you said it hurts. I'm I making you smile Sheri? Do I make you smile?" Mark admired her dimples as he continued to tease her.
Sheri giggles softly at him.
"Can I get two shots of peach ciroc?" Sheri asked when the bartender made his way to her again.
"Oh no I don't want anything to drink." Mark nervously interjected.
"Oh well these are both for me... My chaser to my shot is another shot." Sheri clarified smugly.
This turned Mark on and tempted him all at the same time. He reached in his pocket to squeeze his small AA tension ball. As a recovering alcoholic, Mark hadn't had a drink in two years, and by the way Sheri seems to drink he was tempted to indulge with her.
"May I see your ID?" The bar tender asked pleasantly.
"No ones under age here, she's good." Mark said.
Sheri smiled as the bartender filled her order without her credentials. As he did so, she couldn't help thinking about her Goddaughter Julisa. She felt like Julisa was starting to get into underage shenanigans.
Julisa was barely sixteen but had the body of a woman in her twenties, and she was beautiful too. She was the spitting image of her mother, just a couple shades darker.
The last time Sheri seen Julisa, was when she went to help Jill get settled in her new home. It was a bad thunderstorm and Sheri couldn't see much. She ended up making a wrong turn a block away when she saw Gino's red Cadillac Escalade. Gino is Jill's ex, the one that left over eight months ago. She was even more shocked to see Julisa jump out the truck. When she made her way into Sheri's car, Sheri drilled her about what she was doing with Gino alone. Julisa claimed he saw her walking in the rain and gave her a ride home, and didn't want him to drop her off in front of the house because of the way things ended with her mom.
That all made sense to Sheri since she could justify that if it was her ex's child that was caught in the rain she would probably offer them a ride home too. She could also see Julisa sparing her moms feelings by not having her ex pull up in front of their new home. Knowing Jill that would not have ended well.
But still Sheri couldn't help but wonder if there was more to it than what she was letting on. With the thought, Sheri decided to text Julisa. She also took her ID out.
"Hey it's all good you don't have to show ID." Mark reminded.
"I know but nothing wrong in helping him enforce rules. Call it a good faith measure." Sheri smiles sweetly.
"Is that how you look when instructing teens to follow rules in school?" Mark chuckled.
"More or less." Sheri said before she downed her two shots without wincing.
"Two more please." Sheri said before turning her attention to her cell phone.
Mark was squeezing his AA tension ball so hard, he wasn't sure it would regain its form again.
Sheri was texting Julisa letting her know that her mom wouldn't be home but auntie is just a phone call away if she needed anything. After the text was sent she downed her newly presented shots one right after the other.
To try to take his mind off of drinking Mark said, "So to whom am I in competition with for your attention at this moment?"
Sheri feeling a little buzz says, "Mmm is someone jealous?"
"Only if I have to be..." Mark said, liking this side of Sheri. Who knew she could be more captivating.
Sheri softly giggles, but admits, "It's actually my Goddaughter, I'm checking up on her. Well, Jill's kid, I mean... " Sheri shook her head. "Isa, Isa Rae Mendoza. Yeah,her kid."
"Jill blew her cover the moment she met me." Mark laughed. "But I didn't realize the hologram gave out middle names too."
It was Sheri's turn to laugh. "Actually." Sheri said in between giggles. "She added that one herself." Sheri gave Mark a brief story on when Jill met Anthony and how that went down.
Mark was cracking up as Sheri relayed the story. He's known Anthony since high school and he has always had that effect on women.
They talked for a few more moments about other things. As they talked, Sheri reflected on the last time she had a genuinely good time, in another man's presence. She always felt like they were nice enough, but she couldn't truly say she desired them. This always made it easy to play on Jill's antics without care.
When Sheri was younger a lot of them would try to put her in her "place" like some little girl, this was because of how young she always was compared to them. She never felt respected or equal to them.
What she found in Mark was something she's never experienced in her 28 years of existence. He looked at her directly like he was searching for answers. Like he was always gauging her responses. If he noticed something made her smile or bust out laughing he would want to try to do it again. Her reactions and feelings to what they talked about seemed to be the only thing that mattered.
"So tell me more about yourself." Mark was so intrigued by her. "Like were are you and your family from?"
A look of distress flashed across her face.
"Honestly I just don't want to answer another question. I'm interviewed out for the night." Sheri said wearily.
"Fair enough." Mark held his hands up in a surrendering motion. He felt like he unintentionally hit a soft spot.
Changing the subject, they chatted for a few more minutes enjoying each other's company when Sheri yawned.
"Oop, someone's sleepy." Mark noted.
Sheri looked at her phone. "Oh wow it's already 12."
"Can I walk you to your car?" Mark asked. He was itching to get away from the bar. Between the sounds of clinking glasses and Sheri's sweet alcoholic breath, Mark was getting ready to cave.
"I used the valet service so..."
"Well yeah you could wait your turn over there..." Mark pointed to the crowed waiting their turn for the valet to bring their cars around. "Or you can head straight to the garage and be out."
Sheri agreed.