The One With The Indecent Proposal
By: Jana~
Chapter Six
******
--The voices sounded far away as her head started to clear, and she fought to understand what was being said when she realized the conversation was about her.
"I'm telling you, she seemed fine a few minutes ago."
"Well, maybe she's a delayed drunk."
"There's no such thing, Joe. And she stopped drinking, like, over an hour ago at least."
"Maybe she's sick. Or maybe she stood up too fast."
"She hasn't been sitting since we left the limo."
"What else is there, then?"
The groan that escaped her was involuntary, and the two men stopped talking instantly at the sound.
"She's waking up."
Slowly, she opened her eyes, seeing Chandler kneeling beside her, the other man standing about a foot or so away. They both looked concerned.
"Are you alright?" Chandler asked, helping her into a sitting position.
"I think so," she answered, groggy.
"What happened?" the other man asked, and Chandler nodded along.
"I'm not sure," she half-lied. "Just, felt dizzy, all of the sudden. Maybe it was from spinning around so quickly."
"Can you stand?" Chandler asked. "We can help you to the livingroom, so you can rest on the couch."
She nodded, allowing them to help her up. "Why do you have a dungeon?" she asked, surprised at herself for braving the question.
"We think the original owner built it, to do low-budget porno movies," Chandler answered. "Pretty creepy, eh?"
She scoffed, as if that was an understatement. "Yeah."
"This is Joey, by the way," Chandler said, introducing his friend. "Joey, this is Monica."
"A pleasure," Joey cordially replied as he slipped under her arm, helping to support her while she walked, with Chandler doing the same on her right side.
***
--They helped her to the couch, but she felt odd about accepting their assistance. She actually felt fine, and not in need of the aid they were giving her. They easily believed her when she said the fast spinning movement caused her to become dizzy and faint, but in actuality, that wasn't the reason she passed out.
It was fear that created the reaction she'd had, because she saw the dungeon. Because the look that briefly crossed Chandler's face, was almost villainous. Because a man she didn't know startled her at just the wrong moment. Now she was feeling embarrassed over her response, though she was still leery of the two men and the situation she was currently in.
"I'm gonna go get her a glass of water," Joey told Chandler after they helped her to the sofa.
Chandler gave an upnod, "Thanks, Joe." He faced Monica, offering her a small smile, "How are you feeling?"
"Oh, I'm fine," she insisted. "But, if I could maybe use your phone?" she asked. "I should really call my friend Rachel and let her know I'm moving back in with her, so she'll be expecting me, and my stuff from Pete."
"Oh, sure. Of course," Chandler said as he turned to snatch the phone from its base. "I'll just go and get out of this monkey suit," he added, gesturing to his tux, "And give you some privacy."
With a smile, she thanked him, waiting for him to leave the room before dialing the number.
"Hey, Rachel, it's Monica."
"Hey, Monica! What's up?"
"Oh, man, it's been an eventful day, let me tell you."
"Oh yeah?"
"Yeah," Monica returned with a sigh. "First off, Pete and I broke up."
Rachel gasped, asking, "Why? I thought you guys were happy together!"
"We haven't been happy for a while now. We were just going through the motions."
"Aw, Mon, I'm sorry."
"It's ok," Monica assured her before asking, "So, would it be ok if I was your roommate again?"
"Absolutely!" Rachel exclaimed. "You don't even have to ask! It was your apartment first!"
"Thanks, Rach. Listen," Monica said, her voice dropping, her tone turning serious, "I can't really go into it now, but, I went home with a guy from the party thing Pete dragged me to."
"So soon after Pete?" Rachel asked, surprised by her friend's actions.
"It's not like that," Monica explained. "I can't go into detail now, but I'll fill you in tomorrow, ok? Look, here's the thing, when I first agreed to go home with him, I trusted him, but now, I'm a little weirded out."
"Why? What did he do?"
"Well, nothing, exactly, but, he was giving me the tour of his place, and he takes me down this dark corridor, and through some huge ancient wood door, and inside, was a…" she looked behind her to be sure Chandler wasn't back yet from changing, "Dungeon," she whispered sharply.
"What?!" Rachel whispered back. "A dungeon?!"
"Rachel," Monica whispered, "You don't have to whisper, I do."
"Right," Rachel agreed, returning her tone to normal. "What kind of dungeon is it?"
Monica looked around her again before answering. "Like a cave, dark, a large cage with a medieval looking padlock, with shackles hanging from the walls! It was creepy! I swear, I literally passed out!" she exclaimed in a hushed tone. "I was half expecting to be in the cage when I came to."
"Oh, God! Well, what did happen when you came to?"
"Nothing. Him and his friend just helped me up and out to the couch."
"His friend?"
"Yeah. He was part of the reason I fainted. I'm standing there, seeing this dungeon, and then this guy just pops up out of nowhere! Freaked me out!"
"I can imagine! Mon, I think you should just get out, before something does happen."
"I can't."
"Why not?"
"I really can't go into it now. I'm pretty sure I just overreacted," Monica reassured her friend, "But just in case, I wanted to give you the address. If you don't hear from me by tomorrow night, send help."
Rachel agreed, and grabbed a piece of paper and a pen from her purse to jot the information down as Monica read the address from off a mailed magazine sitting nearby.
Unbeknownst to Monica, she didn't have the privacy she thought she had. Joey, when coming back from the kitchen with her glass of water, overheard almost the entire phone conversation between Monica and the woman she called Rachel.
After she hung up the phone, Joey quietly crept back into the kitchen, clicking the intercom button to signal Chandler in his room.
"Yeah?" Chandler asked through the system.
"Dude," Joey said quietly, "Meet me in the kitchen, I have something to tell you."
Chandler scowled. "What's wrong?"
Shaking his head, Joey replied with, "Just do it, k, man?"
"Ok, ok," Chandler conceded, "I'll be there in a few minutes."
Quickly, he stepped into his pants, his t-shirt already on, and headed through the hidden passageway towards the kitchen.
--Chandler entered the kitchen from out of the wine cellar, startling Joey.
"You get me with that every time," Joey complained, his hand to his heart as he attempted to calm his breathing.
"Sorry," Chandler apologized with a hint of a smile. "So, what did you need to talk to me about?"
"Dude," Joey began, "I just overheard a phone conversation that Monica had, and I think there's something you should know."
TO BE CONTINUED…
"Remember when you were a little kid, and your mom would drop you off at the movies with a jar of jam and a little spoon?"
No? Just me? Ok then…
Oh, and, please review! Or I'll fling jam on you with my little spoon.
What do they call those little jam spoons, anyway?
MTLBYAKY