The warm breath and his boss's serious stare, combined with the close space of the office to form a sort of prison where everything hinged on Chandler behaving as if everything was normal. He clenched his sweaty palms together, looking like a goddamn cheerleader about to begin a chant.

"You okay there, Bing?"

"Fine, sir, just exceptionally sweaty today." He wiped his hands on his coat, not daring to risk a glance down.

"Well, no need to sweat, you're not in trouble. At least not yet," the man joked with a wink. Chandler fake-laughed until he realized his boss had stopped laughing and was giving him a strange look. He cut himself off and tried to put on a normal-looking expression. "Right… So Bing, you've been one of our top guys..."

Chandler locked his gaze on a small, brown mole just beneath the man's left eye, nodding, while his words washed over him like white noise. All his attention was beneath the lacquered surface of his desk, where a cramped Rachel knocked against his calves painfully, trying to keep upright.

Rachel shifted, and her small hand suddenly grabbed his knee for support. Her fingers pinched his pressure points. The move was so unexpected, and Chandler was wound so tightly, that he let out an involuntary yelp and jumped.

Unfortunately, he was a rather leggy jumper, and he felt it as he knocked Rachel backward, into the underside of his desk, with his knee. She gasped in pain, her pinching fingers sliding off his knee and gripping the fabric of his pants. A loud rip sounded in the room.

"What the hell was that, Bing?!" his boss shouted, leaping to his feet. "I heard something move under there!"

"No! I... sorry, I knocked my knee." The excuse sounded weak, even to his own ears. And as he stood, his boss's eyes dropped to a noticeable rip Rachel had made in the knee of his pants.

All he could do was hope that she was okay, as he smiled and forced his eyes to remain on his boss, mind spinning.

"It's my dog," he said.

"What?" his boss asked, craning his neck in curiosity. Chandler put a hand on his boss's shoulder, stopping him before he saw Rachel's shoe poking out from behind the desk.

"Oh, sir, you shouldn't see her. She's a biter and takes eye contact as a sign of aggression, and she's very...VERY sick."

His boss frowned, pinching the bridge of his nose, when he looked up, his eyes were full of disbelief.

"What made you think you could bring a sick animal to work?" he asked, sounding genuinely appalled. Shit. This was going to sink his career, he could feel it.

"I just couldn't get anyone to take her. The vet says she endangers the other animals," he said, "and all of my available friends can't take the smell..."

His boss stepped backward, away from Rachel's hiding spot, and Chandler saw his future at the company waver.

"Listen, Bing. We have a strict no animal policy on the premises. Now, I'm going to let it slide today," Chandler felt immediate relief spread through him, "but if you insist on bringing animals here, and lying to my goddamn face about it, we're going to have a different discussion. Now get that animal out of here ASAP. In fact, please leave for the day and spare us the puke. And next time, just take a personal day."

"You're absolutely right sir, it won't happen again."

"Now as I was saying, I have a new account for you," his boss said, sitting back down.

"You know the smell, is just...building in here. Would you mind if we continued this in your office?"

"I'm not going to leave that biting dog in here alone. It could chew on anything. Besides, this way you'll be here if it needs you."

"But-"

"Sit down." Chandler sat, rolling back into place while trying to give Rachel as much room as he could.

For all the gratitude Chandler felt for his boss after he spared him for bringing what Chandler had basically described as a puking, rabid animal into the office, the man talked in long, rambling sentences that made Chandler want to pound his head through the wall. He hoped Rachel was somewhat comfortable in the limited space; he couldn't arch away from her any further without calling attention to her. The last thing he wanted was his boss thinking about the "dog" under his desk.

Finally, the man stood. He was still rambling slowly as Chandler escorted him out.

"And that's another thing, Bing, I think we could add a little more color and flare to the team meetings..."

"Yes sir. Maybe I could have someone swap out the pens with crayolas."

"Ha ha! You're a funny guy, Bing," his boss said, crossing the threshold. He was inhaling, preparing to launch into another speech, and Chandler smiled, waved, and shut the door.

He turned his back to the door as if barring it, listening for a knock. None came and he breathed a sigh of relief. He checked his watch. Thirty minutes had passed.

"He's gone."

A disheveled Rachel emerged from beneath the desk, like a sexy, pissed-off gremlin. Her rosy cheeks glowed warmly, golden hair sticking to her neck.

"...Are you oka-"

"I am never doing that again," she said, blue eyes flashing. He couldn't help but grin, and her warm cheeks flushed an even deeper shade.

"But you've gotta admit it was pretty fun before we were interrupted." He pictures her, legs spread on his desk.

"Like hell!" she snapped. She raised her slender arms to style her hair with some fashionable claw-like clippy thing that made her "just fucked" hair into "business woman" instantly. He licked his lips.

"Okay, okay. Next time I'll hide under the desk," Chandler said, kissing the sensitive spot behind her ear. She gave a short laugh in spite of herself and stepped away, her smell lingering in the air. His heart gave an odd lurch as she looked up at him. Maybe he should make an appointment with a doctor.

"Damn right you will. And you're buying me whatever I want for lunch. I have the afternoon off." She walked to his office door, her narrow hips swaying.

"Well I don't know about that..." he said. Her eyes sparkled as she whacked his arm. "Okay, alright!" he said, grinning. "Where to?"

"Somewhere expensive," she teased wickedly. Her mischievous blue eyes sparkled, and Chandler felt the sudden urge to clutch his wallet and run.

His eyes widened as he followed her into the dining room of the Fleur de Mont. He didn't know why a place this nice would be open for lunch, but Rachel seemed familiar.

The restaurant was a like a chic, sprawling greenhouse. The air was fragrant and just cool enough to be refreshing. He inhaled deeply and let out his breath in a contented sigh.

"Are you in some secret rich people cult that I don't know about?" he asked as the host seated them at a small table that was covered by an indoor gazebo draped in vines.

The host shot him a look before asking if they had any dietary restrictions and taking their drink orders.

When the host left without bringing them menus, Chandler stood, but Rachel informed him that no one ordered at this place for lunch. Apparently they brought the few select dishes that the chef decided to make to your table, and the menu rotated daily. You rarely saw the same thing twice.

Rachel's face was half hidden in shadow as she snickered.

"Just wait until you see the bill, high-roller," she teased. She really was planning on punishing him for the office ordeal. It was almost worth it to see the full curve of her smug lips tilting toward him.

"Oh, God... wait. Rach..."

Her smug smile quirked. "Thinking of begging? It won't work."

"No that's not the problem." He frowned.

Rachel's smugness faded and her brows furrowed, looking soft and delicate. "What is it?"

"I don't have my wallet on me. I must have left it in the office. Maybe I should go grab it," he half-rose, before Rachel grabbed his arm and pulled him back against her; she dragged her fingers over the outline of his wallet in his pocket.

"You ass!" she laughed, the sound falling like light around him.

He pretended to pout, then smiled back at her from the circle of her arms. Her tiny form was snug against his back, and he tried not to focus on the feel of her figure pressing into him. If he was always trying to get into her pants she'd think he was deranged, or addicted.

That thought made him hum. Maybe he was addicted. He'd enjoyed sex and dating before, but he'd never thought about a woman this much, or wanted to be close to anyone so badly. He couldn't escape the creeping feeling that he was living in some kind of haze, and when it lifted, things would fall horribly apart.

He moved his legs awkwardly around the booth so he could sit up beside her and hold her properly. He gathered her against his side, her soft body molding perfectly to his. She gave a soft little sigh, and he noticed the hem of her skirt hiking up, showing a glimpse of golden thigh. The smell of her honeyed skin and hair clouded his head in the close space, her soft breathing sending goosebumps over his flesh.

Yep. He could totally have self control.

Her breath grew a little ragged against him, and his hand began to drift lower.

"The drinks you ordered?" said a cheery waiter, poking his head in to their gazebo with a couple of glasses in his hands. They both straightened, and though they didn't completely separate, Chandler's hand had moved firmly into "neutral" territory.

When they settled back, they resumed their tangled position, but with the waiter's arrival, the heat had gone. In its place was a content, cozy closeness that was somehow more disconcerting to Chandler. He was the one to finally break the silence.

"So... Ross still giving you shit?" he asked. Rachel twitched a little.

He and Rachel hadn't "talked" about Ross. They spoke about him the same way they talked about Phoebe, Monica, or Joey, but they hadn't really talked. They hadn't asked the question: what were they going to do if Ross found out? Should they think about taking a step back out of consideration? Was this a relationship worth hurting one of their best friends?

At least those were the problems plaguing Chandler's mind. He studied the top of Rachel's head. What did she think about her ex? Did she think, like Phoebe, that they were each other's "lobster?" Was part of her expecting to go back to him eventually?

Rachel groaned, turning her face into his chest. He pushed the darker thoughts down and laughed.

"It's not funny." Her words were muffled by his shirt, but he could hear the smile in her voice. She groaned again. "He's still making out in front of me any chance he gets. It's like Amanda all over again, but at least that time I got a good story about Ross the babysitter."

"Well she is a Paleontologist. I don't think those come with a sense of humor," Chandler said seriously. Rachel laughed, snuggling against him.

"Imagine those poor kids. They'd come out clutching fossil brushes," she said with a smile. "Still... I wish I had something I could rub his face in." Chandler tried not to let the tone in her voice bother him.

Dirt on the new girl? Chandler could help with that.

"Well you didn't hear it from me, but I was talking with Joey and apparently-"

"Chandler?"

The feminine, familiar voice made them spring apart from each other. Thank God the gazebo hid how close they had been.

"Hello?" Chandler said. Footsteps made their way to the flowery entrance, and a smiling Kathy stepped into view.

"Hey guys! I thought I heard you," Kathy said, smiling warmly at both of them. "Look who I found," she called over her shoulder, and Joey appeared behind her obviously distracted by their surroundings.

"Hey, guys! Have you seen this place?" he gestured to the gazebo.

"No, they actually walked us in blindfolded as part of the 'Ray Charles special'." Chandler said.

Kathy chuckled, and Joey, smiled blankly, wrapping an arm around her. "Cool. Maybe we can get that next time. So what are you two doing here?"

"We...uh," Chandler glanced at Rachel.

"We both had a half-day, so we decided to treat ourselves for lunch," she said. Even as Kathy raised an eyebrow, looking around at the incredibly decadent, romantic restaurant, Rachel's confident smile appeared to prevent her from commenting.

Chandler tried to absorb some of Rachel's aura, and nodded.

"Yeah *cough* Sorry... thirsty." He reached for his glass.

Instead of radiating Rachel's calm, he knocked over his drink, soaking himself and the table, and dropped his fork on the floor. Kathy quickly moved forward, grabbing a napkin to dry the table and him.

"Well let's eat, I'm starved!" Joey said with a smile, following Kathy into the cool shade of the gazebo booth, crowding the woman against Chandler's side.

"The more the merrier," Chandler said cheerily, though he was pushing down disappointment. He wasn't sure how far Rachel was willing to go in a gazebo, but he now knew that the answer wasn't "nowhere," and that this wouldn't be the afternoon he found out. And Kathy's proximity was going to make any subversive romance impossible.

Thinking it was best to begin the conversation and not draw any questions about his and Rachel's lunch, Chandler turned to his roommate.

"Are we still on for Sunday, man?" he asked Joey.

"What's Sunday?" Kathy asked, and Joey's brown eyes lit up with excitement.

"Hell yeah! Jet's game," Joey said, smiling widely and high-fiving Chandler. "Not as exciting as the Nicks, but we take what the seasons offer us."

"50 yard line tickets, but mostly we go for the tailgating," said Chandler, already smelling the greasy food.

"That's… football?" Rachel asked, squinting. Joey and Chandler locked eyes and groaned. Rachel blushed, frowning.

"Hey, I keep up with basketball, I can't be expected to know all of the sports," she protested. Chandler grinned and leaned against her while Joey laughed. His arm went around her shoulders, in "friendly" territory. She was so cute when she was embarrassed, or felt out of her depth, the pink in her cheeks making the blue in her eyes stand out. She folded her arms across her chest.

"You try and you try, but some people don't want to learn," teased Chandler. She scrunched her nose and stepped on his toes. He leapt with a yelp and retracted his arm.

"You say so much, I'm forced to tune you out," she shot back, and Chandler gasped. Joey laughed.

"They're doing way better than last season," Kathy quipped.

Joey raised his eyebrows in appreciation.

"See," he gestured to her, "the perfect woman!"

Chandler would have to agree to disagree, giving Rachel a wink. She elbowed him, probably because he was being too obvious, but it was Joey for Christ's sake. He was oblivious and wrapped up in Kathy.

In fact they'd started staring deeply into each other's eyes and baby-talking. Joey seemed truly smitten, a pink blush in the brunette's cheeks as he smiled at his girlfriend.

Chandler felt something beneath the table. Rachel had slipped her small, soft hand into his. Suddenly, the gazebo felt silent as he laced their fingers together. He met her aqua eyes with his own, breathing more deeply. It was one of the more innocent things they'd done, it was nothing, really, but he felt like Rachel was his sun, and he was spinning around her.

"Can she?" Joey asked, pushing Chandler's shoulder, and the moment passed.

They chatted about sports for a short while, then switched to movies. He loved Joey, and Kathy was turning out to be Chandler's favorite of Joey's long list of girlfriends. She was funny and thought he was funny, so that was more than most of Joey's conquests. Rachel stole the night, as gorgeous as ever, warm and kind, she drew the light to her. He couldn't keep his eyes away.

…

"Noooo…" Chandler moaned.

"Are you still thinking about lunch?" Rachel asked. She'd bought their drinks all evening, and was sitting beside him in a bar looking way too tempting. Joey and Kathy were getting the next round.

He thanked God for his recent promotion, there was no other way he could have shouldered the bill. Rachel smiled a little guiltily. To be fair to her, she hadn't known Joey would show up, and Chandler's lunch bill would be doubled. Chandler suspected Kathy had picked the place, and Joey would have been happy to pay and simply not eat for the next few weeks while he made the money back acting. Chandler couldn't do that to his friend.

"Hey," Rachel whispered, her lips touching the curve of his ear. "There is something good that came out of that lunch."

His gaze dropped to her pink lips, then back up to her startlingly blue eyes. She was bending toward him in the dark, golden hair falling against honeyed skin, shirt gaping away from her chest, and the alcohol in his system making it nearly impossible for him not to close that distance right away. Her eyes were foggy with the same heat he felt.

"Is that so?" he said softly, watching as her tongue darted out over her lips, her eyes having fallen to his mouth.

"Yes," she breathed. "I think that gazebo was the perfect aphrodisiac." That caught his attention.

He snuck a glance over at the bar where Joey and Kathy were, Kathy had been insistent on following them all afternoon, and pushed Rachel back toward the edge of the bar. They were beside a small alcove where a broken juke box was stationed, and there was just enough room and cover for two. He pushed her up against the wall, and the heated look she threw up at him almost made him growl. He dropped his lips to hers, sealing their mouths together. Rachel was melted under his mouth, her nails raking through his hair, feeling pleasant against him. He slid his hand up her waist and cupped her breast, palming it through her shirt, while her own hand drifted lower down his back, making him shiver. He moved his mouth to her neck, tasting her. She was like honey and strawberries on his lips.

"Chandler," she breathed, and he felt a quiver of something shoot through him. What was that?

It freaked him out, so he sealed his mouth over hers again, taking her words and her moans, loving the feeling of her needy and warm against him. She was so responsive, arching under his touch, melting. He pulled back to look at her, waiting for her dazed, foggy eyes to focus on him, her swollen, kiss-bruised lips and tousled blonde hair against tan skin, and gaping shirt, almost enough to make him toss her over his shoulder and take her home.

"Yeah," someone grunted, and Chandler looked to his left, realizing someone had been watching them. Someone with his hand down his pants.

"Hey!" he said, pushing Rachel behind him and back toward their friends. The guy continued as if he hadn't said anything, staring at them. Chandler cursed, looking back at Rachel's confused expression. He walked her back to their friends praying the dim lighting would be enough to hide any suspicious flushing on either of their parts. Once Rachel was beside Joey, he felt comfortable enough to leave and grab the bouncer.

He felt, rattled.

The bouncer kicked the guy out, and he was able to rejoin his friends without further incident, but on the walk back to the table, he still felt… off. It wasn't the pervert, or rather it wasn't just him. Something was growing inside him, something he didn't recognize. He was tying himself to Rachel, he could feel it. Already his world was off-kilter, sliding her into the slot that was once filled by gravity. He was spinning out, and he wasn't sure he could stop it.

But why would he want to stop it?

Kathy was smiling when he got back to the table.

"Where's Rachel and Joe?" he asked.

"Joey wanted to kick that guy's ass after she told him what he did, so she's calming him down. You know Joey."

"Yes I do," he said fondly. The over-protective side of Joey was one of the things Chandler appreciated about his roomie. He'd wanted to kick the guy himself, but that was a sure-fire way to get them all thrown out. "He's got a big heart."

"Yeah, he does," Kathy said fondly.

"So how's that going?"

"Um…"

"Sorry, are you not allowed to talk to me about that, as the boyfriend's best friend?" Chandler asked.

"No, I don't mind," Kathy said with a shrug and a blissful smile. "I like him."

"I have a question for you," Chandler said suddenly. "What does that feel like?"

"Hm?" Kathy said, raising her dark brows and spinning her straw in her drink. Drink! Chandler scanned the table, saw the new one Kathy and Joey had bought him, and picked it up.

"Liking someone, enough to date and, presumably, keep dating." He took a swig.

"Well," Kathy shrugged, "it feels awkward at first, and kind of breath-taking. For me, it's really about personality match. When someone does something thoughtful for me, I really go wild for them."

"And that feels like…?"

"I guess I'm not sure what you mean," she said, frowning.

Chandler shook his head.

"Hey, strangers," said Rachel, sliding her hand across his lower back. Chandler couldn't stop the shiver up his spine. He handed Rachel's drink to her with a grin.

"Welcome."

"What a creep," Joey mumbled. His expression was dark, he was obviously still thinking about that weirdo.

"Yeah," Chandler agreed. Rachel was so beautiful. So, so beautiful beside him. He brushed some hair back from her cheek, watching the strands that stuck to gold skin with sweat against her neck. Her eyes turned to him. He could stare into those for hours.

"Dude, are you okay?" Joey asked.

"He's had a lot," Kathy said with a giggle, revealing that she too, had probably had a bit too much. Joey stood and came to stare into Chandler's face. He was an expert at reading alcohol levels. He turned and looked at Kathy as well. "Yep, I'd better get all of us home."

All Chandler could think about was how much it sucked that he would be unable to take Rachel back to his bed with him. He leaned his head on her shoulder while Joey called a cab. Rachel stroked the back of his neck, her nails skating along, sending shivers all through his body. The woman was addicting.

Whatever was happening to him, it probably wasn't healthy.