The One With The Indecent Proposal
By: Jana~
Chapter Five
*****
--They stepped inside, immediately greeted by a large elegant foyer, with incredible marble floors, a statue of some half-naked woman, and two winding staircases that led to the same landing upstairs. Tapestries adorned the walls, and fresh flowers filled the large vases strategically placed throughout.
"Good Lord, Chandler! Do you live here alone?"
"Some of the time," he answered. "My friends stay over a lot, but they usually just stay in the guesthouse that's on the property."
"You have a second house on the property?"
Laughing, he shrugged, "Yeah, and servant quarters, but those aren't being used. I have a couple gals come in once a week, and a gardener-slash pool guy that comes twice per week, but they don't live on site."
She shook her head in astonishment. "One could get lost in here."
"I have," he chuckled with embarrassment. "When I first moved in. But I know my way around now, no problem. So," he asked, "Ready for the grand tour?"
She smiled. "Lead on."
They started upstairs, where eight grand bedrooms and no less than four bathrooms were located. The rooms were huge, with four-poster beds and a fireplace in each one. Three of the rooms had attached bathrooms, the other bathroom was only accessible from the large corridor, which seemed to be guarded by an empty suit of armor.
Tapping the hollow metal chest plate with her knuckle, she asked, "Really?"
With a sheepish smile, he started to explain, "My friend Joey-"
"Talked you into it," she interrupted, finishing the sentence for him. "Of course he did," she said with a smirk. "How old is Joey, anyway?"
"Um, thirty-two," he answered. "Why?"
"The way you talk about him," she shrugged, "I would've guessed he was much younger."
"Yeah, he's like a little kid at times," he agreed, then quickly changed the subject. "You're a chef," he announced, "I bet you'll really appreciate the kitchen."
--The kitchen was amazing, and larger than any kitchen Monica had ever seen before.
"They say you could cook a meal for over one-hundred guests in here," he said as she looked around in awe, "But I've never tested the theory."
"Is this why you bought the place?" she asked, "Cause, it would sure be one of the deciding factors for me!"
"Actually, no," he told her. "I'm saving the best for last."
"What could be better than this kitchen?"
"You'll see," he said with a smile, then gestured towards a door at the other end of the kitchen. "Through that door is the formal diningroom. Big room, big table, lots of chairs," he summarized. "You know, typical diningroom. And this way," he added as he steered her towards another door, "Is my game room."
The room was huge, and was filled with arcade-style games of all sorts, plus a pool table, air-hockey table, foosball table, and a ping-pong table.
"It's like Disneyland, without the rides!" she exclaimed, her eyes wide as she took it all in.
"Well, we have a roller-rink," he offered, "If that helps."
"A roller-rink?!" Her tone mirrored her expression of utter amazement.
"Well, I think it used to be a ballroom," he explained, "But when am I ever going to have one of those, right?"
"You use a ballroom as a roller-rink?!" she asked incredulously.
"Yep. Or sometimes we just glide across in our stocking feet," he added with a laugh.
"So, winning that money was like a way for you and your friends to revert back to childhood."
He wasn't sure whether that was meant as an insult or not. "Well, what's the point of having all that money, if you don't have fun with it? Put it in the bank and watch it sit there? Where's the fun in that?"
"Good point," she conceded, meandering towards the foosball table. She patted it a few times, smiling over at him. "You any good?"
"Not as good as Joey," he grinned back, "But I can hold my own."
"Maybe we can play later," she suggested. "You know, after the grand tour."
"You any good?" he asked.
"I've been known to kick a few butts," she replied confidently.
"Hmm, a challenge, eh? I accept."
She smiled as she gave a nod. "Ok, so, what exactly is the feature of this castle of yours, that convinced you to buy it?"
"Ah, the piece de resistance," he announced with just a hint of a French accent. "Oui, oui. Come this way," he directed as he gestured for her to follow him.
All the way to the far corner of the game room, he stopped and pushed, what looked like ornate accents on the sconce. When he did, the ordinary looking wall inched open, like a door on a hinge, and he pushed it to reveal a dark corridor, lit with authentic looking torches.
"Not real flame," he said as he grabbed one off the wall, to help light their way. "Rechargeable battery-operated." He signaled for her to follow him, and reluctantly, as the wall automatically closed behind them, she did.
Up till that point, he'd given her no reason not to trust him, but as they walked further and further down the long passageway, she started getting a bad feeling.
"Ya'know," she said nervously, "I'm not sure I want to see the piece de resistance this badly."
He laughed. "It's just a few feet further," he assured her. "The rest of the corridor leads to the guest house on the property."
Within a minute, they reached a door; all wood with metal rings for handles, and as large as it was intimidating. Pulling the ring, the door clicked open and, with only a slight amount of effort, he pushed it to gain entry.
She stepped in after him, her eyes growing wide at what she saw before her.
The room had more light than the corridor they had left, but that was of zero comfort.
Shackles hung from the stone walls, and a large human-sized cage with a very menacing medieval-style padlock hanging from it was built-in, inside a cave of sorts.
Her blood instantly ran cold.
She stammered her words, asking, "Is that- Is this, a… dungeon?"
Chandler turned around, with a smile on his face that, with the shadows casting across him, looked almost ominous.
Before he could answer, another voice broke in.
"Hey, Chandler! This must be the woman you told me about."
Monica spun around, to be met by a man with dark hair and dark eyes, staring back at her as he entered the room.
The room started spinning as darkness enveloped her.
TO BE CONTINUED…
Please review! I need them! Like we need air to breathe, and like I need Matthew Perry to come to my home, take me in his arms, and smother me in kisses as he…
Oh, wait, that might not be a need so much as a want.
Anyway, please review! Thanks, and MTLBYAKY
P.S. – MTLBYAKY = May The Lord Bless You And Keep You