Allow Me

Teenage Fever

Mercedes' POV

About a month later

I sat in my seat at the bar and tried to smile slightly bringing the glass of tequila to my lips. I looked around and couldn't see my lovely husband around so I enjoyed my old drink of choice.

"Hi Mercedes, how are you?" I heard Josh, one of Jeremiah's colleagues coming up behind me.

I instantly put on the biggest smile I could and tried to seem as friendly as possible. "Hi, Josh! I'm great how are you?"

"Just fine. Are you enjoying yourself?" he said motioning to the company Christmas party.

"I am, I always do," I lied through my teeth. All I really wanted to do was go home, take off my shoes, and watch the latest episode of Wags. "How are the kids?" I continued, trying to seem engaged.

"Oh, you would not believe how big Joseline is getting," he started before he gushed for a while over his two girls. I smiled and nodded when necessary as I paid minimal attention to him.

"Well it was nice talking to you," he said, as I smiled and reciprocated. He walked away and I again took my seat at the bar, finishing off my glass of tequila.

I sat there for maybe another hour smiling and talking to people when necessary. Jeremiah used to really show me off whenever the opportunity presented itself so my face was common amongst his team.

I sat at the bar, watching the news that was playing at the TV above me, before I heard behind me, "what are you doing?"

I turned to see Jeremiah scowling at me. "I was just waiting for you to be done."

"Are you drinking?" he said, as his eyes skimmed the cup.

"Um yeah," I replied, as my eyes found the floor, his presence instantly making me feel like a kid who just got caught in the cookie jar

He snatched the cup from me and sat it next to me, before grabbing my hand and pulling me with him. The party had definitely cleared out for the most part, so he just said goodbye to the last few people standing around before he practically dragged me outside with him.

We made it to the car and he finally let me go, and we both got in. He immediately backed out of his space and started on the way home. We sat in complete silence and I just felt the storm coming.

He stopped at a light before I heard him speak. "When I bring you to company events, the purpose is for you to play networker. In case you forgot, your entire purpose is to work the room and talk to people. I did not bring you so you could sit at the bar all night and get fucking plastered."

I looked over at him before saying really softly, "It was just one drink."

"I don't give a fuck if it was ten. You know what you are there for and you know how you get when you drink. Last time I checked, you and I both came to the conclusion that you wouldn't drink anyway."

"I said I would limit how much I drink, yes because I know your wife getting sloppy drunk is bad for your image. However, I am still a grown ass woman and if I wanna have a glass of tequila I can."

"Not with my fucking image on the line. Do you know how fucking embarrassed I was when the guys approached me to tell me that my wife had been sitting at the bar drinking all night?!"

"I was babysitting the same cup Jeremiah!"

"That's beside the point! Jesus, why don't you get it."

I just sat back in the seat and tried to contain my tears. I didn't want him to hear my voice crack because I just knew tears were coming.

He pulled up at the house and I immediately got out and walked to the door, unlocking it. I ran upstairs to my home office and locked it, before I finally let the tears fall.