Chapter 25

AN: Thank you for the reviews! Here's to Penelope, for finding—and keeping—her groove...

Penelope stood there, rooted to the spot, digesting what these women had just said. A lot of conflicting emotions rolled over her—mostly anger, embarrassment, and…shame.

Penelope was angry—very angry—that these women felt they'd had the right to discuss Derek like he was a piece of meat, some brainless hunk to be volleyed about between sleazy, hard-up women. He'd been polite, kind, and personable to them, and they dared talk about him like that? They were blind; he was so much more than that. He was wonderful, fantastic, warm, supportive, and—most importantly—the best friend she'd ever had. He was an innately good person, deep in his soul, a person everyone liked right off the bat. Derek was the kind of man who offered his jacket if he thought someone was cold, even though he was chilly himself.

She was embarrassed, too. Listening to them talk about her D, and listening to them rip on her, was disheartening. Penelope was her hardest critic. She knew exactly what was "wrong" with herself—she'd heard it enough from other critics over the years. She was a little loud, a little geeky, and a little chunky. She was flamboyant and colorful, and she used to wish she could be a lot like Keira—beige clothes, perfectly coiffed hair, the most Stepfordy of the Stepford wives. No matter how hard she had tried, she'd known that wasn't the way she was. She never would be, and those that loved her didn't want her that way.

And she didn't want to be that way, either…not anymore. Derek had helped her with throwing that feeling away a long time ago, loving her for being herself, not despite being herself.

That lead her to feeling ashamed. She used to think exactly like these Barbies™, with their manicures and frosted highlights. In fact, it was the only thing she had in common with them: a terrible prejudice that men like Derek needed perfection.

She'd thought the same thing: Derek should be with a supermodel woman that rivaled his looks. She'd treated him him like an object needing his matching bookend, without thought or care for what he'd wanted. He'd hinted at wanting her for so many years, and yet she'd never listened. She'd confused fact with stereotype, and in the process had done him a grave disservice. Somehow, she'd thought Derek couldn't be allowed to pick whom he really loved.

Because if there was one thing she was certain of, one thing she would bet her soul on…it was that Derek loved her.

She'd been wrong, dead wrong, to think that way for so many years. To never think she'd had a chance, because of what she'd thought he'd needed. He wasn't bigoted over her appearance, or her crazy, fun, somewhat proud to be geeky nature. He loved her for it, and she'd dismissed him. She'd thought he'd never fall for her, with her eccentricities and eclectic style. She'd had confidence, but not when it came to him. Only recently had she realized; it had nothing to do with him. It had been all about her own self esteem, that she herself hadn't felt worthy of him.

It had taken a month of Derek's love and lovemaking—Derek hadn't been the only slow moving cog in their relationship!-but she'd finally realized the truth. It was about damned time that she no longer had such silly qualms. Now she needed to buck up and go show these women exactly where Derek belonged...

With her.

"Excuse me," she said, stepping around them, a bright, unaffected smile on her face.

They turned and stared at her. Two looked surprised and somewhat nervous, whereas one sneered, continuing to look down her nose at Penelope.

Penelope walked to her car, a bouncy strut in her step, and removed the pink negligee for the nice lady in the house. Then she stepped up to the gaggle of gaping gossipers and met them head on.

"Having a good night?" she asked, that chipper look still in place.

"Umm...yes," one of the women replied suspiciously.

"Good!" Penelope answered, beaming. She took another step closer and put her hand on the doorknob, but then turned, narrowing her eyes at the bitches on the step.

"By the way," she said, glancing at each woman as she put her chin up. "I overheard every word you all said about Derek and I..."

Two of the women paled, and one gasped. They looked like they wanted to wet themselves, they looked so uncomfortable. Penelope smiled internally. Good. They deserved to be busted! They already looked miserable, but she was no where near done with them yet.

Perhaps she'd go home and delete their credit histories, too...

"...and since you were on such an interesting topic, I would be more than happy to answer any questions that came up," she added, her ire raised beyond the stopping point now.

"We…I…we," the first woman said, stuttering the words.

"Of course," Penelope drawled, "if you are too chicken to ask me, or to say the words to my face, I completely understand."

Another gasp came from the second woman."We didn't—"

"You know, I've been a target for nasty things before in my life, and I've always walked away from it, not giving it a second thought. I'd never thought of defending myself…although now I realize I probably should've."

The one who had looked arrogant before laughed nervously. "Really, we were joking—"

Penelope glared at the woman who dared to speak, silencing her immediately, and then continued, "But when it is my best friend you are discussing, you'd better be ready for a fight."

"We didn't…"

"I know what you said, and I am appalled. However, I'm not going to waste my breath cutting you down to size. The fact is, I really don't need to defend Derek. He can make his own decisions about who he wants. He is a big boy…" She looked down her nose at them, before adding saucily, "In all ways—the only fact you ladies got right!"

Red faced, the arrogant one began to speak. "You are really blowing this out of—"

Penelope didn't allow her to finish. "So instead of speculating in your puny little minds, why don't you ask Derek himself why he loves me? Because he chose me," she said, pointing at her chest.

They simply stared at her in shock and outrage.

"Do you know what the best thing is?" she asked, arching a brow like Derek would. "I chose him right back."

She thought about what she'd just said, and a pleased smile full of love graced her lips. "If that isn't a perfect match, I don't know what is."

Not bothering to wait for their response, she barged right past them and headed back into the house.

Derek was a little worried about Penelope. She was quiet the entire ride home, although he chit chatted like normal.

"I'm glad to be out of that place," he'd remarked.

"Mmmhmm," she'd answered in a somewhat distracted tone.

It was true. Keira, her cloying perfume, and her maneater cronies gave him a solid headache. He'd had enough of women like that in his life; he was so glad to have someone good, honest, and real, like his Penelope.

As they walked into his house, she was still quiet. He started worrying that he'd done something wrong.

"Baby Girl," he said, kicking off his shoes.

"Yes?" she answered, sliding her shoes off.

"You know I didn't know we were going to Keira's, right?" he asked. "I wouldn't have gone if I had known she was going to be such a pain in the ass."

"Sugar, I know," she said, sliding off her earrings, and then her bracelets.

"And I don't want anything to do with her," he said, watching as she unzipped her skirt and let it fall to the floor.

"Mmmhmm." She pulled her shirt off, and then stood in front of him in just her bra and little thong.

Damn, she had it going on! Her ass, cute round globes, jiggled perfectly when she turned around. He wanted to fall to his knees and kiss each cheek.

She lifted her hair. "Undo my necklace, angel boy."

He leaned forward and placed a kiss on her neck, and then started working the fastening. "I love you," he murmured, his hands shaking from arousal while doing the task. She had the power to do that to him—made him go from zero to sixty in a breath's space. Since day one, if he was being honest with himself.

"I know," she said. "Bra clasp, too, please…"

"Sweet baby, I—"

She turned in his arms before he could finish and put her fingertips on his lips. Her eyes were full of love and promise as she looped her arms around his neck.

"Derek, you worry too much."

He gave her a bemused grin. "Really?"

"Yep," she said.

"How's that?" he asked, running his fingertips lightly over the bare curves of her bottom.

"Some things don't even need to be discussed." Her eyes were dark, sultry, and filled with warmth and affection as she gazed up at him through her lashes. "They're cut and dry."

He ran the palms of his hands over her smooth skin, cupping her bottom, tracing the curve of her hips, before settling on her waist. "Care to educate me?"

"It's so simple. I love you, and I know you love me," she murmured, raising on her tiptoes to kiss him quickly. "Nothing to worry about."

"That's true," he said, looking into her eyes and falling deep, like he always did.

"We started out as best friends, and we became lovers," she remarked, her sweet, familiar voice deepening to a purr that caused his heart to beat faster, exactly like it had every time she'd flirted with him for the past six years. "I think we were always meant to be lovers."

"Hell, yes," he growled, kissing the side of her neck again, right below her ear. He loved that little spot. Come to think of it, he loved all of her spots...

She leaned her head back to give him better access. "We are a perfect pair, love bug; no ex-girlfriend of yours or ex-boyfriend of mine is going mess that up." She met his gaze again, straight on. "Not in a million years."

He leaned back, looking at the confident, beautiful woman in front of him, and then he scooped her up in his arms, giving her another kiss. "You talking forever, Baby Girl?"

"Mmmhmm," she murmured, looping her arms around his neck. "I think I can do forever..."

"Even longer than that...if I can have it my way," he said with a brilliant smile, carrying her down the hall to their happily ever after.