Chapter 10
Tadhg had stood behind Annie as she practiced pouring a pint, his body pressed against her back, his arms around her on either side reaching out to the Carlsberg beer tap. His large hands placed over hers, moving in tandem.
“Hold the glass at an angle and pull slowly gently,” Tadhg murmured in her ear.
“Practice for later,” Annie thought, concentrating on the feeling of him pressed against her back and bum, resisting the urge to move her hips.
“That’s perfect,” he exclaimed happily as she produced her first pint ever and presented it to a customer who was less impressed and was really just happy to have finally been served.
Having quickly mastered the lager taps, the next customer wanted a three pints of Guinness.
“Same way again?” Annie asked, as she grabbed a branded Guinness glass, ready to pour.
“This one is a little more difficult, let me show you first” Tadhg said, warily.
“So you pour it as far as here,” he said as he demonstrated pouring two thirds of the pint, “and then we let it sit for a minute before topping it up slowly. You try.”
Annie took the glass, pouring to where he had suggested.
“How’s that?” she said proudly.
Tadhg hmmed, “that looks like it will have a huge head,” he said, tilting his head and examining the beer settling, the redish liquid turning to black.
Annie couldn’t tell the difference but Tadhg demonstrated again on the third pint, “like this”.
He then topped up the first pint, letting Annie do the second. Tadhg had been right, the head on the pint took up the final third of the glass.
“I’ll drink this one,” he said, lifting Annie’s pint away from the customer and pouring a new one.
The man looked relieved to be getting a properly poured pint and mouthed a ‘thank you’ to Tadhg when Annie wasn’t looking.
“Maybe we’ll leave the Guinness orders to me, just shout when you want one started and you can top them up once they’ve rested.”
Feeling slightly deflated by the Guinness failure they moved quickly through spirits and wines, her speciality, and he showed her how to work the cash register which was fantastically easy, she thought. After the ‘training session’ was over she was ready to take a go at it on her own.
It was definitely something she felt like a natural at; the pouring pints, juggling mixed orders, and providing wine recommendations to boyfriends who weren’t sure what the girlfriends actually drank, and soon she found herself really enjoying it. She might have only had twenty minutes of training but she felt like a professional.
What she enjoyed more though was all the little brushes past Tadhg to get from one end of the bar to the other; the shiver of anticipation she felt when he placed his hand on her hip to move around her, when their hands touched when they reached for the same glass, or the moments when they had caught each other's eye.
More than a few times she had caught him glancing at the back of her dress at her bum, which really did look good, she thought to herself. Or the moments when they had caught each others eye and smiled.
“Pour yourself a drink if you want!” Tadhg shouted across the bar.
“Will you have one too?” Annie asked as she poured a large glass of white wine.
“Go on then, try your skills out on the Guinness again” he said, winking.
Annie readied herself, tilted the glass, poured to two thirds and stopped, letting it rest.
“How’s that pint looking?” Tadhg laughed.
“Like a dream, just you wait and see” Annie replied, sticking out her tongue at him.
After a moment she topped it up. Disaster. Somehow the pint had zero head this time, except for a thin skin of white across the top of the entirely black pint.
“Ah, Tadhg, you might want to pour your own…” Annie said as he came across to her.
“Oh that’s perfect!” Tadhg replied, annimately, taking the pint from her.
“Slainte” he said, clinking her wine glass
“Slainte” she replied, watching him take a huge gulp from the pint with his eyes closed.
“That might be the best tasting pint of Guinness I’ve ever had,” feinting pleasure and making some ‘hmm hmmm’ noises.
“You messer,” Annie laughed back, giving him a playful slap on the arm.
Tadhg put his free arm around her.
“Here’s to the best Yorkshire barmaid the West of Ireland has ever seen!” raising his glass again.
Annie felt the shiver of lust tingle across her body as she felt encompassed by his arm, she looked up into his deep blue eyes again, longing for him. They could have been the only people in the world.
At that moment a shout came from the crowd at the bar.
“Any chance of a drink, you love-birds!?” followed by a few laughs and a round of applause.
“Go on Tadhg, lad!” someone else shouted.
“You’ve scored a good one there, lass,” piped up an old frizzy white haired man propped on a stool, addressing Annie directly.
Once again Annie felt the red rising in her cheeks but Tadhg quickly extinguished her embarrassment.
“Shut up you hound dogs, just because you haven’t seen a beautiful woman in her before!” Tadhg shouted with a wave of his arm and a laugh at the crowd.
“Who’s next??” he asked the baying mass.
As a flurry of hands went up along the bar he gave Annie another wink, “back to work then.”