Delusional (1)

The drunkard nodded in agreement to Mr. Long and leered smugly at Emma. He was obviously expecting her to be reprimanded. Emma wanted to strangled both of them. Her fingers flexed in as she tried to contain her anger and indignation.

Emma followed the two men silently, as they left the VIP area and headed down the long corridor leading towards Mr. Long's office. Mr. Chen and the two subordinates followed close behind.

Just when they were about to enter the office, Mr. Long stopped, holding up a hand.

"Chen."

"Yes, boss."

"Take this gentleman away. Make sure he is... comfortable."

"Right away, boss."

Mr. Chen snapped his fingers, and the two subordinates each grabbed one of the drunk man's arms and half dragged, half carried him away down the corridor. The man looked a bit confused, but let himself be led away, Mr. Chen leading the way.

Emma looked after them in confusion. She though Mr. Long was going to sweet talk the man, or at least force her to apologise to him or... something. The little entourage dissapeared around a corner and Mr. Long and Emma were left behind in a tense silence.

Mr. Long opened the door to his office and gestured for Emma to go inside. Emma gritted her teeth in annoyance at his arrogant behaviour, but followed him to his office.

As they entered the office, Mr. Long turned slowly to look at her with an intense expression in his eyes that Emma couldn't read. He took a step towards her, and she backed up not wanting him too close to her.

His expression darkened, but she lifted her chin up at him defiantly. She hadn't done anything wrong, and so she stood up straighter, meeting his gaze dead on.

"I'm sorry for causing a disturbance, Mr. Long," she said in a clipped professional tone. Then started turning towards the door. "I should get back to work. It's a very busy night."

An arm came up to block her way, the palm smacking loudly into the wall.

" You are not going anywhere," he growled.

Emma stood stiff and straight-backed, and cast him a furious look.

"I have done nothing wrong," she hissed. "That drunk idiot harassed me, so I slapped him, and then me slapped me back. But he started it by grabbing me in an inappropriate way. So I'm not apologising!" She spat out the last words, no longer able to contain her anger.

If he wanted to fire her for slapping a customer, that was fine by her. Her nerves where already freyed thin with everything going on lately, and at that moment she didn't give a damn about her need to earn a living.

Mr. Long stepped close to her, and her back hit the wall with a thud as she tried to back away.

He lowered his head down, so that their eyes were on a level. It was quite a way as he was more than a head taller than her. Despite herself, Emma couldn't help but swallow nervously when faced with that icy stare.

"Where did he touch you?" he growled.

Emma blinked, surprised at the question.

"Wh-what?"

"Where. Did. He. Touch. You." Mr. Long hissed, emphasizing each word.

"He- I- What?" Emma was so stumped by his behaviour that she seemed to have forgotten how to talk properly.

Mr. Long raked his eyes up and down her body, then let his eyes longer on her swollen cheek.

"He dared to slap you. For that I'll break his arm." His voice sounded low, and deadly. "But you just said that he grabbed you in an inappropriate way. What did he do? Where did he touch you? Tell me exactly what he did and I'll make sure he pays a thousand fold."

Emma simply gaped at him. "You... You want to hurt him, because he touched me?"

"He dared to touch what belongs to me. So he must pay." His words were spoken with a finality that made it seem like it was all perfectly logical to him. Emma looked at him in alarm. Then the full meaning of his words sank in.

"What do you mean by 'touch what belongs to you'? I don't belong to you! I don't belong to anyone but myself!" She tried to duck under his arm, and to get away from this delusional man, but he grabbed her roughly by the waist and pulled her back, digging his fingers into her flesh painfully.

"Ah!" she shouted in pain and shock. "What are you doing? Let go!" She grabbed onto his wrists, trying to pry his hands away from her waist.

His expression was thunderous as he looked down at her, holding her firmly pressed against his body. He looked utterly terrifying, and Emma felt herself beginning to panic. She was highly aware of their bodies pressed together, and she found the close contact utterly repugnant.

"You are mine," he growled.

Suddenly, His eyes flashed gold, and for a moment the image of another man was conjured forth, superimposed on his form. Emma saw a dashing man, clad in black robes embroidered with a golden dragon. He sneered at her arrogantly and uttered those words again.

"You are mine."

The words seemed to reverberate in her soul. She felt a sudden heat surge through her, like a fire erutping in her heart. It fuelled her fury and gave her strength.

"No!" Her shout cracked like a whip through the air.

The words seemed to reverberate around them. She pushed hard at the black robed man's chest.

The illusion shattered.

Emma saw Mr. Long being thrown backwards, staggering away from her and almost loosing his balance. Steadying himself by grabbing the wall, he looked up at her, wide-eyed. They stared at eachother for a moment, both stunned and confused.