Yes, sleeping one off

It had been a few years since Brenan had been in this particular establishment, but he had been in a hundred other bars just like it over the past few years. The little light in the bar streamed in from the open windows and doors facing the harbor. The further back you went the darker the room got. A set of stairs lead to the second story and a open walkway circled the main hall from above. Most of the rooms upstairs would be used by the whores that frequented the tavern, often they would be used several times the same night by different clients, each time the inn took a cut of the payment.

In the early afternoon the lunch hour crowd had departed so the tavern was nearly empty. Three sailors (drunk already) were swapping stories of bad officers and worse jobs. Julien was sitting at the corner of the bar nursing a foaming mug and ignored Brenan as he stepped into the dark room. The only other people in the room were two armored men playing dice near the door, these two could be hired by the inn or they could be trouble.

The single barmaid on duty slipped off the bench at the far end of the bar and walked towards Brenan putting an extra swing in her hips as she walked. Her bodice was tightly laced pressing the swell of her breasts temptingly out of her top. Nowhere near as pretty as either Red or her niece, but pretty enough to make Brenan take notice of her implied invitation.

"Do you want a drink to cool your throat sir?" and after a suggestive look "Or something hot and spicy to get your blood flowing?" It must be a slow day Brenan decided if a cold blooded killer like him could attract the barmaid's attention this easily.

"A mug of beer lass, to start." Brenan told her as he found a seat with his back to the wall not too far from the stairs. Brenan watched the girl's skirt swing as she walked back to the bar and admired the curve of her ass as she stretched over the bar and filled his mug from this side. "Xeltan's Flaps, I need to get laid before I ship out with this crew or I will make an ass of myself." The thought crossed Brenan's mind, but he pushed it away as the barmaid returned. The girl bent a little more than necessary when she placed the beer on the table and almost like she was reading his mind she asked again."

"You sure you wouldn't like something extra, it's not much more, and will put your mind at ease for any business you have coming up tonight." Brenan smiled and patted the seat by his side as he placed a silver crown on the bench next to him. The maid sat and smiled at Brenan expectantly.

"I'm looking for a woman" Brenan started, but before she could tempt him Brenan continued. "A particular woman, a red head" he added as he casually rolled a second crown between his fingers. "Could you help me out?" The girl placed her hand over Brenan's and he could feel the warmth of her fingers as they covered his.

"You're wasting your time with that one. She had half the men in the bar falling over themselves last night trying to get into her jeans, but ended up drinking herself into oblivion. Unless you are a ship captain, this one isn't likely to put out."

"Is she still here?" Brenan asked and the girl sighed and shook her head sadly.

"Why is it always the red heads?" she asked and then smiled at Brenan, she's upstairs. If you pay off her room for the night she's all yours. “But she is still sleeping off her drink” she added, “are you sure you don’t want to spend a little time with me first?”