"Where from Australia did they pluck you?"
"Sydney, sir."
"Sydney." He rolled the word around in his mouth like he was tasting it. "I've been to Sydney. Beautiful city. Beautiful women." His eyes traveled down her body again. "Like you. Blond, blue eyes, nice little upturned noses."
"Thank you, sir." The words tasted like sand. "If there's nothing else?—"
"There is something else." He patted the empty chair beside him. "Sit down. Refusing my request is rude."
This was getting scary, and she didn't know how to react or what could save her from these immortals.
"I apologize if I gave that impression, but I really do need to get back to work."
"The bar closes in twenty minutes." Bushy Eyebrows checked his watch with exaggerated care. "Sit down."
Mattie glanced toward Anil, hoping for backup, but he was at the far end of the bar, pretending to be absorbed in polishing glasses. Smart man. Getting involved would only make things worse for both of them.
"The glasses need to be sorted and crated," she tried. "The tables need to be wiped down. The floor needs to be swept. It takes a long time to close things here and prepare the place for the next day."
"Then you'd better be quick about your visit with us." He smiled, showing slightly elongated fangs, which was never a good sign. It meant that he was feeling either horny or aggressive, and both were bad for her.
"I really…" she tried again.
"Sit," he barked. "I won't ask again."
The threat in his voice was unmistakable. Mattie weighed her options, and none of them were good. Sitting down was probably less dangerous than continuing to refuse.
She lowered herself into the chair, keeping as much distance as possible between herself and Bushy Eyebrows. "I guess I can sit down for a couple of minutes."
"That's more like it." He draped an arm over the back of her chair, not quite touching her but close enough that she could feel the heat radiating off his skin. "See, boys? She can be friendly when she wants to be."
"Friendly," Yoden agreed, his small eyes fixed on her chest.
Mattie resisted the urge to cross her arms. That would only draw more attention to what he was staring at.
"So, Matilda from Sydney." Bushy Eyebrows leaned closer. His breath smelled of whiskey and something sour underneath. "How long have you been on the island?"
"Seven months."
"Seven months." He whistled. "That's a long time to be away from home. You must get lonely."
"Work keeps me busy."
"I'm sure it does." His arm dropped from the back of the chair to her shoulders, heavy and possessive. "But a girl needs more than just work. She needs to have some fun, especially a pretty girl like you."
Mattie's skin crawled where his arm touched her. She wanted to shrug him off, to stand up and walk away, but doing so would be seen as a challenge. And with men like him, challenges never ended well for the challenger.
"I have roommates, sir."
"Other females." He said the word with contempt. "Is that what you are into?"
She was tempted to say that yes, she preferred females, but it would only make things worse for her. Her best defense was to appear as innocent and as virginal as possible. For some reason, that was the only thing that effectively deterred these immortals. She didn't understand that, but she'd learned to use it as a shield.
"I don't know what you are talking about, sir. I'm just here to work."
"Just here to work." Bushy Eyebrows repeated her words mockingly. "You hear that? She's just here to work."
The others laughed. The sound was ugly.
