After agreeing, I was told that I could do what I liked for the next few hours, so long as I was showered and dressed in something clean before dinner, which would be served at seven. Then, realising that I had no way of telling the time since he'd taken my phone, Vic handed me his watch.
My first thought was to go back to what Vic had labelled as my room, and test out the shower in the bathroom off of it. So, I worked my way back up to the top of the house, coming across locked doors and wrong staircases until I eventually managed to get to the right place.
Once inside the room, I saw a simple grey shirt and black jeans combination was set out on the dresser, with some highly polished shoes in front. There were towels laid out on the foot of my bed. I was really being looked after well, considering he had essentially kidnapped me.
I quickly stripped off, and took the towels through to the bathroom. Once in the bathroom, I spotted an array of shampoos, conditioners and shower gels set out on a shelf inside the actual shower area.
I switched the shower on with the external button, and programmed it to a good temperature of water. This was honestly the best shower I'd ever had the chance to use, certainly the newest model. This gave a precise temperature of water, unlike the one in my apartment which gave within about five degrees, and had a dial which you manually changed instead of the buttons.
The shower itself was powerful, and I felt as though I was in heaven when I was underneath it. But then I remembered why I had access to the shower and the feeling left straight away. I guessed I could deal with a month of it though. It could have been worse.
All too soon, I was done in the shower and got out. The towels were huge and really soft, unlike the little scratchy things I'd made do with back at the apartment.
Back in the bedroom, I rifled through the great chest of drawers until I found myself some clean boxers, which I quickly pulled on. Then I scoured the room for deodorant. Once again, Vic had provided a range of expensive labels I'd never had the money to buy, a clear divide between classes showing for the millionth time since I had woken up.
Soon I was dressed, and checked the time on the expensive looking watch Vic had lent me. It was half five, meaning that I had left myself an hour and a half to explore in.
I had an idea that I should find the dinning room first, so that I could be sure I knew how to get back there.
It only took fifteen minutes to find it, poking my head round various doorways until I found it.
There were a selection of doors off the same corridor, so it felt right that they should be the first rooms I investigated. Behind the first door I opened was a sitting room, with a panelled section of wall on hinges, which revealed a TV when I pulled it open. The sofas facing each other were in the old style, and surprisingly comfortable.
The next door was locked, evidently either leading into the entrance hall or a room Vic didn't want me in. There were just two doors left. I tried the one on the other side of the corridor, and opened it.
The room was huge, walls lined with gold. The floor was a dance floor, which spread out across the entire expanse. There were small ledges sticking out of the wall every so often, I assumed these were to put drinks on. By my guess, this was a ballroom.
Looking at the watch, I had about three quarters of an hour left before dinner was served. Just as I turned to leave the room, Vic appeared in the doorway.
"You found the ballroom then? I think we'll have to make use of this. I enjoy traditional dancing, and the idea of holding a ball... Well, lets say that this had to be in the design when I commissioned the house. I haven't had a chance to use it yet. Finding and getting you kind of took up a lot of time. But we will use it, maybe at the end of the month." I was starting to get an image of Vic in my mind, that he was a hopeless romantic, stuck in an era long gone.
"I've never learnt to dance."
Vic walked further into the room, took his phone out, and fiddled about with it. Soon, a melody was playing softly, and he placed his phone on the nearest ledge.
"I'll teach you then. First, we bow." I watched as Vic bent down into a deep bow, and then attempted to do the same. He must have looked up, because he was soon adjusting my position, and gentle hand on the small of my back moving me further down, the other showing where to hold my arms.
"Hmm, that's better. You can stand up now." I stood upright again, and turned to face him again. He moved his hand onto my waist, and took my hand with the other. "Hand on my shoulder, then you can stand on my feet for the first time."
I did as he told me, and suddenly we were moving around the floor in small circles, even if the movements were a little jerky from where he was lifting both mine and his feet. It was kind of fun, though the proximity to Vic made me slightly uncomfortable. I barely knew him, and yet here I was in his arms, something most would find awkward before the fact he basically kidnapped me was brought in.
Soon, the song ended and I was released from his hold.
"Come on, we should go and wait in the dining room. Won't be long until dinner now. Mike, Jaime and Tony aren't back yet, so just the two of us tonight. It will be quite a bit, they tend to enjoy going out on an evening. But they will join us when they are here, obviously."
We left the ballroom and went back to the dining room, taking seats opposite one another at the end nearest to the kitchen once again .