"Don't panic, don't do anything stupid" She said to herself, obviously already panicking.
She had just been spending time by herself in the lobby, saying goodbye to the ushers who were walking out from downstairs at their Christmas Party. She had promised the House Manager that she would attend but it was too many people in one space and she had to retreat upstairs.
An usher, an older lady who lived in her old building and she playfully called "Chanel Lady" because she was always wearing Chanel earrings and a purse, had come upstairs with her date and was clearly drunk. CL walked right up to her and said "What are you going through? I can tell these things, what is making you sad?"
She was taken aback by the question, as she was pretty content. "I'm fine, thank you. I'm really okay."
"You need a hug" CL decided, and before she knew what was happening, her entire face was now covered by the fur coat CL was wearing. She was hugging her tightly and she was having trouble breathing.
Don't panic.
She kept her grip and told her that she knew something was wrong, so she was going to "pray with her" and started babbling vaguely Christian things about how Jesus sees her and wants what was best for her. It felt like CL was raping her with her religion.
Finally after what seemed like forever, she let go. She just said "Thank you, I just felt like hugging someone." and finally left.
She felt incredibly violated in her own workspace, and left shortly after. There was a two week break just after this that made it easier to forget and be able to get back to work without it feeling like a place where she didn't want to be any longer. She reported the incident to the big boss and to HR who found it to be harmless, which only made her feel worse.
