Author's Note: Welcome to my entry in Blackrandi1958's
Wicked Games
story event. Being this event is launching on St. Patrick's Day, how about a story about a family pub, some bawdy Irish toasts, plenty of drinking, and a sexy redheaded milf who's ready to get lucky? Enjoy. LC68
Chapter One
"Hey, let's hit the Black Sheep," Jeff suggested when Sean took the exit. "Heard they have good wings and there's a classic rock band playing tonight."
"I don't know," Sean shrugged while turning onto Westminster, the narrow one-way street that led into the heart of downtown Providence.
"What's to know?" Jeff asked. "Food, music, girls, and lot of hot older women from the offices head down there after work." He made an awful attempt at a Tiger's growl. "Cougars on the prowl for some young studs!"
"Leaves you out," Sean grinned as he saw Jeff flip him off out of the corner of his eye. "You wouldn't know what to do with one."
"Like you would?" Jeff paused. "If you did, you'd be doing more than drooling over the only cougar you ever look at."
"She's not a cougar, she's a Milf," Sean corrected him. "Cougars are women who never had kids, Milf is a mother I'd..."
"Okay, porn boy, I know the difference," Jeff sighed. "Hey, Black Sheep is that way."
"I know," Sean took two sharp rights while thinking, 'Here it comes.'
"Come on man, really?" Jeff protested. "Finn's Pub? Again?"
"I like it there, and I'm driving," He glanced over at Jeff, a smirk on his face. "And paying."
"Yeah, you're right, beggars can't be choosers, but it's the only place you ever want to go."
"It's a cool place, they have drink specials, good food, music, and the crowds a little more laid back, not a lot of jack ass frat boy goons go there."
"Because not a lot of hot girls go there."
"It's a bar not a nightclub," Sean explained. "Besides, it's an Irish pub, I'm Irish and St Patrick's Day is tomorrow."
"Hmm, I think you left out the main reason we keep going." Jeff grinned.
"Whatever. You want to go somewhere else when you're buying, we will, but if it's my treat, it's my say. Cool with that, or should I drop you off on the corner?"
"No need to get hostile," Jeff put his hands up defensively. "All I'm saying is since we turned twenty-one and could hang out in bars, you only want to hang out in one bar."
Sean pulled into the parking lot behind Finn's Pub, and carefully backed his father's massive F350 into a spot, using the act as an excuse not to reply to his friend.
"Then you won't admit why it's the only bar you want to go to."
"I like it here," Sean threw the truck into park and shut off the engine. "Why try other places, when you find one you like?"
"Because it's just about the only place you've tried, so how do you know there's not better?" Jeff laughed while he opened the passenger door to get out. "Going by that I'd have only had sex with one girl, instead sampling a few."
"That's because you're a jack ass," Sean told him, hopping out and slamming the door shut. "There's something called loyalty, you know."
"Like Missy Teague was loyal to you?" Jeff met him at the back of the truck.
"Watch it with that," Sean glowered down at him from his impressive height of 6'4". "Just because that bitch cheated on me, doesn't mean I need to do it to someone else."
"Hey, just saying being dedicated to one thing isn't always the best way to do things, you end up getting hurt sometimes." Jeff told him. "What's Prof Williams always saying, 'Teachable moments?'
"I don't think a pub is going to betray me," Sean muttered.
"No, but the reason you keep coming is keeping you from getting back in the saddle and having some fun."
"You going to do this shit in there?" Sean asked as he brushed past him to walk towards the side of the building that led to the front entrance. "Sound like an old lady, and talk about my life?"
"Hey, if there was a chance, it would be cool, Sean. But you come here and just stare and get these crazy ideas that something's going to happen, and..."
"Jeff?" Sean's fixed him with a hard stare.
"Right, shut up." His friend nodded.
"Don't have to do that, just find something else to talk about."
"Okay, think they'll have those two dollar draft specials tonight?"
"They usually do." Sean shrugged.
"Know what band is on tonight?"
"Nah, didn't bother checking."
"Who do you think the hostess is tonight?" Jeff quickly darted out in front of him, laughing while he ran ahead of him.
Sean shook his head as Jeff vanished around the corner. He shouldn't get mad at him, because he was right, why did he keep doing this to himself? But on the other hand, he genuinely liked Finn's Pub.
Founded in the forties by his friend Connor's great grandfather who he was named after, it wasn't just a classic Irish Pub in design with its old-fashioned wooden bar, visible beams and mixture of paneled and stone walls, but once the original Connor began making money, he made it truly authentic.
Traveling back to Ireland once every few months he brought back wood and other items from the original Finn's started by his father but closed down due to hard times. The heavily scarred bar was from there as were the oak shelves that held the bottles of liquor on the wall behind it.
Many of the wooden handled taps were close to a hundred years old at this point, as were several of the stools. The masterpiece of original craftsmanship, however, was the stone hearth which they still lit every night during the winter.
Finn's Pub was usually dimly lit, other than the area where they had the two pool tables and obligatory dart boards because what was an Irish Pub without darts?
But the soft light made the old-fashioned wood shine due to it being cleaned and oiled on a weekly basis. In addition to the feel of the old country where Sean's own grandparents came from, the Pub's pricing was the cheapest around.
The reasoning, as Conner explained it, was not just about the philosophy that by being less expensive, you may make less per drink, but served a lot more drinks, and it drew people in.
But mostly they believed in people being able to afford to drink and have a good time because fun-and drinking-was what their culture was all about. The small cozy stage in the corner was host to bands who played current music, as well as traditional Irish bands every Saturday night, and there were always people out on the dance floor enjoying both equally.
The food, like the alcohol, was priced less than the bars in the same area who took advantage of the fact a lot of people from surrounding offices made good money, and also surprisingly good.
There was plenty to like about Finn's Pub, including the fact it was family owned and not part of a chain or owned by someone with enough money looking for a business venture or hobby.
The pub had been passed from OG Connor, as his friend called him, to his son Clancy who still bartended right up until he passed of a heart attack at the age of eighty two, then to his son, Connor's father, William.
William had made the pub more modern-and had joked probably made Clancy roll over in his grave-by gutting the several rooms above the pub that were for boarders back in the day and converting it into an open hall to book for parties and events. Such as Finn's annual St Paddy's Day party tomorrow night.
Connor had been working there bussing tables and washing dishes since he was fifteen and was now one of the bartenders while studying business management in preparation for the pub being his one day.
Keeping it in the family had extended to the customers, many of whom were descendants of the original Finn's crowd and made for a fun friendly environment full of people as genuine as the owners.
As he'd told Jeff, Finn's didn't cater to the drunk frat boy type, the high rollers in their thousand dollar suits or women wearing Prada heels. The crowd was mostly working class and some of the mid-level office types who were still real people who wanted to drink and hang with other real people, not elitists.
Finns was run by working people for working people, and it was Sean's type of crowd. There was never any drama or trouble, just a place where people gathered to get away from the stress of everyday life and felt welcomed by both the owners and fellow customers.