The One With The Indecent Proposal

By: Jana~

Chapter Seven

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--Monica looked around the large room as she drummed her hands on her thighs, waiting for Chandler to return, wondering where Joey had gone to, a feeling of anxiousness washing over her.

She wanted to believe that she had misjudged the situation, but the more she allowed her mind to mull it over, and replay the scene, the more she worried about what was to come.

Chandler appeared from out of the kitchen, with Joey by his side, which caused Monica further concern, since he was supposed to be in his room changing, and his room being in the other direction.

"Here's your glass of water," Joey said as he approached and handed her the glass. "I'm just gonna go now," he informed, then extended his hand to shake hers. "It was a pleasure meeting you."

"Likewise," she returned with a forced smile. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight," he said cordially, then turned to Chandler. "Have fun, man."

Joey gave him a friendly pat on the shoulder as he crossed away from him, heading for the secret tunnel that led to the guesthouse by way of the game room, leaving the two of them alone.

"So," Chandler started, "Your phone conversation go ok?"

"Yeah. Rachel said no problem to me moving back in with her."

"Well, that's good then," he muttered, sitting beside her on the couch. "So, are you feeling any better?"

"Yes, thank you. I'm fine," she said with a short chuckle, "I'm actually embarrassed about it," she added. "So silly."

He smiled in return, but a skeptical look remained. "Sticking with the, I got dizzy spinning around too fast, story?"

"What- what do you mean?" she stammered nervously.

"Monica," he sighed, "I know the real reason you fainted. It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure it out."

"I- I don't know what you're, um, talking about," she stuttered, feeling the need to escape growing.

"Have I given you any reason not to trust me?" he asked seriously.

She dared to make eye contact. "No."

"Have I done anything or acted in any way inappropriately?"

She shook her head, "No."

"Then why did you faint?"

"I thought you said you knew."

"I do," he informed her. "I'm asking you to tell me."

It was a strange exercise of some sort, put forth to test her, or establish trust or something. She could sense that much, and didn't feel like she could or should lie to him.

"Well, Joey startled me. I wasn't expecting him to be there at that moment."

Chandler nodded. "What else?"

"I saw the dungeon, and I had this- this horrible vision of me being locked in that cage, or- or chained to those shackles, and, I sorta got, freaked out."

Again, Chandler nodded. "I have no intention of locking you in a cage, Monica. I don't even have the key for the padlock."

"Why take me down there?" she asked. "Why would you buy this place, because it had a dungeon?"

"That's not the reason I bought the place," he told her. "We didn't get to the piece de resistance. You passed out before we got there."

"Oh…" she muttered, trailing off.

"If you still want to see it," he told her, "Then, we'll go later. That is, if you trust me."

She smiled, but didn't exactly answer.

"First," he said, brushing past the awkward moment, "I wanted to give you something." Standing, he went to a nearby closet and produced a bag, then returned to sit beside her. "We guessed at your size," he told her, "So I hope they're ok."

Monica reached into the bag, retrieving an article of clothing. A dress, soft white cotton, very casual. The price tag caused her to gasp.

"This is way too much," she complained, handing the item and the bag back to him.

"No, no," he assured her, "I want you to have them. So you're comfortable. There should also be some PJs in there."

She peeked into the bag, spotting a comfortable flannel pajama set, along with other items she didn't remove.

"Thank you," she whispered, then placed the bag by her feet.

"Are they the right size?"

She nodded, "Close enough."

"Good," he said with a smile. "Why don't you go get comfortable, then, if you want, we'll finish the tour. Ok?"

Hesitantly, she nodded. "Where should I change?"

"I'll show you to your room," he offered, then stood, extending his hand to help her up.

Calling it a guestroom just served to minimize the expectations. The room was grand and large, with an attached bathroom and a beautiful stone fireplace. The bed had a four-poster canopy, with silk sheets and a million pillows, some of which were also silk, as well as velvet.

"I can't stay here," she told him, backing away from the doorway. "It's too much."

"Didn't you say you lived with Pete?" he asked rhetorically. "He didn't live in a shack, did he?"

"Well, no," she explained, "But he didn't live grandly, either. He didn't spend his money on stuff like this."

"What did he spend his money on? He obviously spent a lot, since he is struggling so bad now."

"Weird stuff," she answered. "Like, video phones for his home and office. Course, no one has those, so he bought one for all his business contacts, and for his mom and a few other family members and friends. Then, he went and did some Ultimate Fighting Champion thing."

"That kill or be killed wrestling match thing?"

"Yep. Lost miserably, every time. But he kept going, till he was almost killed one night. It finally knocked some sense into him."

He nodded, then looked back at the room. "This is the guestroom, Monica. It would be disappointed if it didn't have guests using it."

She smiled. "Ok," she relented, "I guess I can stay in here, though it'll feel weird, since it's so grand."

With just a hint of a grin, he asked, "Can you find your way back, or should I wait for you?"

A little unnerved by the idea of him standing outside while she changed, she answered with, "I can find my way back. I'll only be a few minutes," she added as she took a step inside the room.

Nodding genially, he excused himself and started down the hall towards the stairs, and back out to the livingroom.

As she changed, she wondered briefly if she was being watched somehow, like through the eyes of the paintings on the walls, or through some secret hole or something. Though Chandler, and even Joey didn't seem the type to be involved in anything bad, she couldn't shake the feeling that she wasn't going to walk away from this estate at the end of twenty-four hours.

The pajamas were very conservative, and very comfortable, and she opted for wearing them, along with a matching robe that was also in the bag.

A little confused at first, she eventually found her way back to Chandler, who was sitting on the couch, skimming through the very magazine she had used to give Rachel the address of the place earlier on the phone.

He stood as she entered the room, and a smile crossed his lips when he saw her attire. "Joey always goes for comfy," he said with a chuckle. "You look great in pink and purple plaid flannel," he complimented her, and she grinned in response.

"Joey picked this out?" she asked, curious.

"Yeah. I called him from the snooze-fest and asked him to pick up a few things for you."

"How did you know my size?"

"I didn't. I told him you were a bit smaller than our friend, Phoebe, and to ask her what size she was, then go one smaller."

She gave a nod, smiling. "Clever."

"Yeah, well, that's me," he joked, then gestured for her to link arms with him. "Ready to finish the tour now?"

"You promise I'm not about to be locked in a cage?"

"If I were going to lock you in a cage, I wouldn't be above lying," he told her in all seriousness, "But, if it'll make you feel better, I do promise you, I will not do you any harm of any kind."

She seemed leery, and he offered her a reassuring smile.

"Remember when you agreed to this," he asked her, "And you said I seemed trustworthy? Nothing has changed. I'm still that guy. And I'm asking you to trust me."

After first taking a deep breath, she linked her arm with his, holding eye contact with him for several intense seconds. She wondered if he could feel her trembling.

"After the tour," he said softly, "We'll have some wine. Help settle your nerves."

He could feel her trembling.

TO BE CONTINUED…

In the next chapter, Chandler shackles her to the wall and leaves her to die.

Well, he will, if you don't review. See how mean I can be?

So, review please!

MTLBYAKY