Let me start by setting the scene: I was very very tired. I'd done an all-nighter to get work done the night before (Thursday night) with only 2 hours sleep. A few good friends were travelling through the Melbourne airport and asked me to come have a meal with them at the airport on Friday morning. I did. But I still hadn't finished my work, so I brought my laptop with me and worked on the bus and then ended up back in the city after the meal still without my workdone. I thought, "ah I'll find a cafe and set up shop". But it was prime lunchtime on a Friday in Melbourne and all of my favourite spots were packed out.
Finally I find a place kind of down an alley (very common in Melbourne). It's more of a lounge-bar but they served coffees so I got myself settled there. The place had one beer on tap and it was one of my favourites (Kooinda black IPA) so I thought to myself, "I deserve a beer after all of my hard work, why not!?"
So I order the beer and the bartender/barista guy, who I later learn is named Rob, brings it over to me. He looks me up and down and says, "I love that dress". I was quite proud of this new frock of mine so I said back proudly, "oh thank you" with a smile.
'Rob' keeps looking at the dress and goes on, "the material is so nice, what is that material?"
I'm no fashion diva, so I have no clue but I thought it was just cotton so I say "I think it's just cotton, what do you reckon" and I hold the bottom of the dress way out to him to examine.
However, 'Rob' opts to examine the material upon my thigh instead and rubs my thigh. This I had not expected and I looked down at his hand almost quizzically, very confused and perplexed. Staring at his hand (which in retrospect, I should have smacked away), I see it has dirt all over it as if the man hasn't washed his hands for days.
Rob begins trying to have a bit of a conversation with me but I'm a bit freaked out by the impromptu and unsolicited thigh stroke so I say, "I really need to get this work done" and sink my head into my laptop, distracted, but working.
I work work work for a while. I finish my beer and think, "I should get out of here, this guy's a bit creepy." So I start packing up my stuff and Rob asks me, "you want another beer".
"No thanks" I respond.
I'm a real sucker for good free beer though and find this new offer too tempting to turn down so I agree to have one more and continue my work. Rob brings me my beer and says "wow I can't believe how hard you're working". "Yep" I say and get back to it.
Maybe a half hour later, Rob asks, "want to come do a shot with me?".
"No thanks" I respond.
But Rob somehow convinces me (through, 'it's on me' and 'you're going to make me do a shot alone' type arguments) that it's a really good idea. But...then he says, "oh there are cameras here we'll have to go in the kitchen" which was dark but attached by open plan. I go in and take the shot and go to leave and Rob says "Come here, come here" and tries to keep me in the kitchen and bring me further into the darker areas of the kitchen. At this stage I'm starting to freak out. I ask for some tea and say "I must get back to work" and do so.
I'll spare you the full details of how the saga continued but basically I ask 'Rob' to put toilet paper in the loo and he pretends to be confused, asking me to go and show him where and keeps trying to trick me into going into dark & seperate rooms with him (I told him he could figure out on his own where the toilet paper belongs). When not talking I work away and he just leers at me. I text my boyfriend to tell him where I am and the situation in case I go missing!
Eventually I finish my work, go to pay my bill and 'Rob' has gone without saying goodbye or any last minute sleazy phone number requests (surprisingly). The new bartender that has arrived is grumpy that 'Rob' has ran a tab for me without writing a thing down and asks if "he always does that for you". I respond "No I've never met the guy before" and leave the place. Work done but creeped out.
