Black Valentine's Day

This tale is submitted for the Valentine's Day Story Contest 2023.

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Reilly's Bar was fairly quiet when Ashley, a college student who had just finished her beer, spoke up from the end of the bar, "How come it's so quiet here? Why isn't anyone celebrating Valentine's Day?"

What little murmuring conversation heard previously fell off as the bar became suddenly quiet as a tomb. Everyone glanced quickly at the barkeeper Connor, waiting for an expected explosion.

Instead, they heard the quiet but stern response, "My dear, in this establishment on this day we do not speak of the 'V' word nor do we allow anything that might remind us of the 'V' word. If'n you find that unacceptable, please remove yourself from the premises. Otherwise, we will be forced to remove you ourselves."

"But, it's such a wonderful tradition..."

"Lass, you've been warned once, now twice. Please don't be an eejit and make me remove you by mentioning it once more," he said to her in a low but serious brogue.

"OK, OK, I understand. Phew. Uh, may I still order another drink?"

"Why, yes, you may. What'll it be?"

"I'd like to try a Guinness, please." "Some black stuff, eh? Small or regular size? If'n you've never had it before, I recommend the small for starters."

"Yeah, OK, that'd be great. Thank you."

Once the beer was brought to her, she got up and went over to an empty booth near the end of the bar. There she pulled out her phone and started to review her text messages. She sighed quietly upon realizing Jerry had sent her none all day, indeed for the past several days. He had been her boyfriend until a week prior when he suggested they take a break from each other, see other people and then maybe in the summer touch bases again. She realized he was trying to ease the shock by pretending there'd be a future, but she honestly knew better: He was done with her.

On this night she simply wanted to be with other people and decided to go to Reilly's Bar which was located on the ground floor of her apartment building. Little did she know a tradition called Black Valentine's Day was when Reilly's became a refuge from all the red and pink roses, heart-shaped boxes of candy and cute little cards. Halfway through her Guinness she went to the bar and ordered a bowl of nuts. Once she had finished both, she went up to settle her bill with Connor.

"That'll be fourteen for the two drinks and the nuts."

"Sure, thanks," she said while throwing a twenty on the counter. "Keep it and consider it an apology for my, uh, well, my inappropriate remarks earlier."

"Don't worry, Love, now you know. Thanks for the tip."

"I'm allowed back?" she asked with a smile on her face.

"Of course, Love, anytime. You live nearby?"

"You could say that. I'm on the third floor."

"Lookin' forward to seeing you again."

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In spite of her uncomfortable first visit to Reilly's, Ashley found she really liked the atmosphere and the convenience of the bar two floors below her apartment. Over the next few months, she went in occasionally for a quick drink after classes but before tackling dinner. If Connor wasn't too busy, he would engage her in light and sometimes more serious conversation. She found herself liking him and wondered if he might be available but all conversations designed to tease out his status were met with vague answers, if any answers at all.

By late spring she had finished her fourth year of college and received a degree in small business management. She realized, unfortunately, the degree was nearly useless. Accounting and finance, well those could lead to jobs but business management was pretty much useless. She applied for numerous positions only to hear she needed 'more experience' or a more specific degree, if she heard back from the interviewer at all. To keep the rent paid and food on the table, she returned to her old standby as a barista. Although she enjoyed meeting the customers, she felt it was ultimately a dead-end job so she kept looking for 'real' work where she could use her education in the business world.

After several weeks at the espresso stand and more job rejections, she found herself sitting at Reilly's bar in a rather sour mood. She figured out later it must have shown as Reilly walked over to her and laid a small beer in front of her.

"Here ya go. Looks like you need it."

"Uh, yeah, thanks. Do I look that bad?"

"Not bad, just down in the dumps. What's wrong, anyway?"

"Can't find a job. Spent all this money for a college degree and it's wasted. I'm using my skills to make cute little designs in the foam of espresso drinks over at the Naked Bean."

"Ouch. What's your degree?"

"Small business admin. People want accountants or investment gurus, not someone who runs small businesses."

"Maybe there's something else to do with your life. I know I found something."

"Yeah? What?"

"You, my dear, are looking at someone who has a master's degree in oceanography."

"Oceanography? You're shittin' me," she laughed.

"Nope. Got it at Downstate U, worked in it for a few years before I came in here to have a cold one several years ago. Got to talking with the owner who was looking to retire. He liked me and offered the place to me for an amazingly good price. Could hardly turn it down."

"Wait! So, you're not Irish?"

He looked around quickly to make sure no one was watching before answering, "Swear you won't tell anyone? Well, the answer is 'no', I'm not Irish. Well, I'm of Irish heritage but never even been there."

"Your accent?"

"Fake," he whispered.

"Really?" she softly giggled, "So, you're a total fake!"

"Yup. No don't you go telling anyone, Lass, you hear me," he said as he resumed his brogue.

There was something about the quick conversation which boosted her spirits. Maybe she needed to try something else, something which didn't require her specific degree though she could use it to show she was a capable, educated person. Over the next few weeks her mind wandered as she doled out lattes and cappuccinos. What could she do? Where was there an opportunity? Were there any new businesses or occupations to consider?

Early one afternoon, after pulling an extra-busy morning shift at the Naked Bean, she dropped by Reilly's to relax, though she certainly didn't want a beer so early in the day.

"How's she cuttin'?

"I'm fine and, Connor, you can drop the fake brogue since I'm the only one here," she teased.

"Aye, but if'n I did, I might forget to pick it back up when the next lonely heart comes by."

"What makes you think I'm a lonely heart?"

"Beautiful lass never been seen with a fella, that's what."

"Maybe I keep him away from fakes like you," she giggled.

"Likely story. I keen see it in your eyes."

"Yeah, you're right. My love life is in the crapper, ever since, uh, uh, around that day in February when I first came here."

"Black Valentine's, eh? I remember it well."

"You do? Really?"

"Not every day a bonnie lass comes in and offends everyone in the place."

"I know. I know it now, but I didn't have a clue then. Uh, why do you do that Black Valentine's thing anyway?"

Connor paused and she noticed a frown creased his brow and a darkness sank into his eyes. "Uh, look, you don't have to tell me anything personal. I was just curious."

A long, slow sigh escaped from his pursed lips as he looked directly into her eyes. Dropping his brogue, he spoke quietly but with obvious pain in his heart. "Seems you and I both have had bad experiences around that day."

"I'm sorry..."

"Not your fault. Was hers. Ah, shit, I might as well tell you. You know how I ended up owning this place, right? Well, it seems my fiancée wasn't too excited about being with a barkeeper, at least that's what she claimed. Once she dumped me, she hooked up with a rich investor type. Turns out one of his buddies was in here several months later and spilled the beans: my ex and her new guy had been doing it for weeks before she dumped me on Valentine's Day. So, for the past two Valentines, I've offered Reilly's to those who want to avoid anything to do with love, hearts, candy or roses. Helps me get through the day."

"That sucks! I've never understood cheating. If you want to split, then split. Cheating is, well, it's..."

"Shitty, that's what. Look, you interested in a drink?"

"Ah, kinda early for beer. Got any soft drinks?"

Back came the brogue, "Aye, I have some minerals for ya here. Coke?"

"Sure. Thanks."

Connor began to wipe the top of the pristine bar as if it was dirty until Ashley piped up. "Not very busy, eh?"

"Nope. Usually picks up at lunch for an hour or so and then it gets super busy around four when people are leavin' work."

"If you're not very busy then, why do you open so early?"

"Well, my rent costs are the same no matter if I'm open or not. A handful of visitors during the day helps a little. Otherwise, I'd just sit in my place and do nothing. At least this way I'm on my feet and pretending to be busy."

She finished her coke leaving several dollars on the counter and took the stairs up to her apartment. As she'd been at work since five a.m., she took a quick nap after her modest lunch. Stretched out on her favorite recliner chair, she read a novel on her e-book until dinner time. As she prepared the modest meal, she kept thinking about Connor. He was an attractive guy, probably six or so years older than she was. For a barkeeper he sure seemed to have a nice bod. No flab or beer gut on him and when he turned away from her earlier, she noted his jeans seemed painted on his tight ass.

'His fiancée was an idiot,' she thought to herself. 'Nice guy, attractive, smart and even successful in his own way. Ahh, maybe she wanted the big bucks.'

Thinking about him, the bar and money got her mind to drift. 'Maybe there's a way he can expand his hours and get more customers into the door,' she mused before realizing he was probably up by nine a.m. and in the bar by ten and didn't close things down until midnight or so. She wondered about him expanding his hours but with another barkeeper, but she knew from her business economics studies an employee early on could cost a fortune, a fortune he probably didn't have.

Suddenly, she thought she had an answer. Well, not an answer, but at least an idea. Maybe she could offer herself and her knowledge to do a business analysis and see if there was any way he could improve things. She could do this as a favor, a freebee and if it helped, then maybe, just maybe she could offer consults to other small businesses. Over the next hour she typed up a proposal for her idea to present to him the next day.

Come morning, she hopped out of bed early, showered, had a coffee and went downstairs to visit Connor. After she rapped softly on his apartment door, he opened it wearing nothing but a towel around his waist. His hair was still wet from the shower and she could smell the hint of tangy aftershave.

"Oh, hey, Ashley. What's up?"

Ashley gulped quickly, looked away and stuttered out, "Oops, sorry Connor, I can come back later..."

"No, no, it's OK. Come on in. Let me get something on. Wait right here."

She followed him into the modest but clean apartment and sat in a comfortable chair as he went back into what she figured was the bedroom. She was stunned as she watched him head down the hallway. Connor was gorgeous. He sported a nice, lean torso with not a hint of flab and his ass was so yummy looking under the towel. 'Oh, my God, what a hunk!' she thought to herself.

A few minutes later he came back in to the living room wearing a snug tee shirt which emphasized his torso and a pair of tight, faded jeans. "So, what's on your mind so early in the morning?"

"Uh, Connor, I, uh, have to apologize for coming down here so early. Sorry..."

"No sweat."

"I, uh, I wanted to discuss a proposal, uh, I mean a business proposal."

"What? You're kidding, right?"

"No. I mean it. Look, I know I'm right out of school, but in my classes we had to do a lot of analyses of businesses, you know, to try and help improve them. Things like advertising, cost control, improving services were all included. My senior thesis was to go into the field and do an actual analysis of a business and present it to my prof before giving it to the business."

"Businesses actually let you do that? I mean, look at all their records and shit?"

"Well, yeah. They benefit because they get an analysis that's been cleared by the prof for free and some businesses have done pretty well as a result."

"I see."

"So, what I'd like to do is the same thing for you, for free. If it goes well, maybe I could get you to recommend me to other businesses and I could make a career of it." She smiled hopefully at him as he held her gaze.

"Ah, well, there's not much to look at. The books are pretty straight forward, costs are pretty much fixed and, well, you know."

"If that's the case, you'd be doing me a big favor letting me get my feet wet."

"OK, I'll do it. What's involved from my end?"

"Oh, thank you, thank you. Great. Uh, I'll start by looking at your financials for the past three years. I'll need all your receipts, bills, tax forms, you name it. OK?"

"Sure," he chuckled, "But you won't find a whole lot on those tax forms. I'm not making a ton of money here but I'm happy. Well, maybe I could be a tiny bit happier with a little more cash."

"OK, well, I guess we have a deal. I'll come back tomorrow and maybe in the meantime you can pull your records together. Uh, I'd kinda think it'd be a good idea for me to review things here and not drag them up to my place. Do you have an office?"

"Yeah, right here through this door on the way to the bar. Kinda small, but it's got a desk, all the records and even a clunky old computer."

"Oh, that's OK. I'll use mine but I promise I'll keep your name and any identifying info off of it. Once I finish my report, I'll erase it. Promise."

"OK, great. And, uh, Ashley, thanks. Maybe you can help me a little."

"I hope so. See you tomorrow. When should I drop by?"

"Oh, the same time, I guess."

"OK. See you then," she smiled as she turned to leave. All the way upstairs her mind raced between the excitement of having a new project and the image of that tight, lean torso which had greeted her. And maybe she'd get to see him again wearing nothing but the towel!

It was not to be. When he came to the door the next morning, Connor had on a pair of tight jeans but, fortunately, he was still without his shirt, causing Ashley's heart to go pitter-pat. "Here for your first day?"

"Yup. I should be able to get a lot done today. Tomorrow I'm back at the Naked Bean for another five or six days. I'll try to work a little in my off time..."

"Hey, take your time and don't kill yourself. Head on in there and I'll be there in a sec to show you the files."

Once she found the tiny office, she set up her computer and reviewed her senior project outline to remind herself of areas she should work on. A few minutes later Connor showed up, though wearing a shirt, much to her dismay. He pulled out his files, showed her his accounting program with all of his financial records and gave her his WiFi password. "That should get you set up. I'll leave you to it. What time should I bring you lunch?"

"Lunch? Oh, Connor, that's not needed. I'll run upstairs and grab a sandwich."

"Nope. I insist on feeding the lady. So, what time...?"

"Around noon, I guess. I didn't know you had a kitchen in the bar."

"I do, but it's kinda dated and I don't have much time to cook meals for customers with it being just me here."

"Uh, if you don't mind, can I take a look?"

He showed her the kitchen which was small but well laid out with a large oven in one corner next to a large gas stovetop. Although the counters and sink appeared dated, she noted the appliances were relatively new. "You know, this is actually a pretty nice kitchen. Have you ever thought about hiring a cook?"

"Yeah, but extra hands cost a ton of money. They want to be paid from day one even if they aren't earning their keep yet. And then there are taxes, fees, issues with time off. The list goes on and on."

"Yeah, you're right. Well, let me get going and I'll see you in several hours."

She was startled out of a pile of paperwork when he brought in a wonderful grilled cheese sandwich with a crisp salad for her lunch. "Mmm, this is good. What'd you put in the sandwich?"

"Uh-uh. Secret recipe. I swore to my mom I'd not give out her secrets."

"Well, tell her it's great the next time you talk with her."

"I will, but I doubt she'd remember. Her mind is kinda..."

"Oh, sorry to hear that. Where's she live?"

"With my dad upstate. I don't know how he puts up with it but he still does. He's the one who found her private recipe book and sent it to me."

"You gotta thank him for me. Now, I think I'll get back to work."

By five pm she was exhausted. She had gone over the books in detail finding only a few tiny areas where he might have a chance to improve things. But the big issue was his overhead and his inability to use the space longer hours of the day. The kitchen was underutilized and she kept thinking somehow there had to be a way to use it to his benefit.

After grabbing a glass of wine from the bar ("Tis on the house, Love."), she went up to her apartment for a bite to eat and to think about the situation downstairs. She had to go to bed early as she was on opening shift at the Naked Bean the following morning and while she snuggled down into the covers, her mind drifted back to Connor. God, was he good looking. She'd seen him two mornings in a row wearing nothing above the waist and she liked what she saw.

As visions of him danced through her mind, she realized she was getting fairly horny. She had not slept with anyone since right before Valentine's Day and her only release since had been polishing her pearl. She let her hand slip down her belly to her trimmed muff, part the hair and pull some of the wet, slipperiness up to her clit. Within a few minutes she was racing to a quick climax, all the while imagining what Connor could do for her and to her.

The next morning came far too soon. After her little sexual solitaire the night before, she slept fitfully with dreams of Connor flitting through her brain. When her alarm woke her, the most recent dream of him dragging her through some underbrush and having his way with her on a deserted beach had seemed so real she almost called out in frustration. Finally, a hot, sexy dream and her alarm had to ruin it! Not to be denied, she decided to stay in bed for another ten minutes enjoying a little 'me time.' Once she had taken care of things, she dragged herself to the shower, dressed and headed out to work.

"Hey, Ash, you look a little out of it this morning," one of her coworkers said during a brief pause in the morning's steady business.

"No, I'm good. Didn't sleep too well, I guess."

"Someone keeping you up at night?" she giggled.

"No! And I wish that was the reason."

"How long's it been, anyway?"

"Too long. Since early February."

"Really? Oh, God, I'd go crazy if I had to wait that long. Have you even slept with BOB?"

"Bob?"

"Yeah. Battery operated boyfriend."

"You know, I don't have one but I have to admit," she chuckled, "I can still do the two-fingered tango just fine."

"Ooh, Girl, the tango's fine but let me tell you, get yourself a BOB and you'll never look back."

"I might need to but I'd rather go for a real Bob, you know, nice mop of hair, cleft chin, six pack abs and a generous friend downstairs."

"Girl, you're right about that. But good luck finding one in this crazy town."