Chapter 23

The next couple hours went quickly, the girls hurried back to their hotel to pack, lucky in that since they were in an expensive suite the checkout hours were very flexible, and then going down to the hotel office to pick up Penny's winnings check before being taken to the airport in the hotel limousine, another perk from Penny's winning at the hotel casino. So, it was just about an hour before their flight that the three of them found themselves sitting in a little cafe near their departure gate waiting for their flight to announce boarding. Since they had all rushed around to be at the airport on time, this was the first occasion they had a chance to talk about everything that happened that day, however, silence remained their only companion as they all sat around slowly drinking their latte's.

Bernadette being the more outspoken member of the group finally couldn't take the silence anymore, "Penny, you know you are going to have to tell Leonard."

Penny had been battling that same question in her mind ever since she first heard Saturday that she was married to Zack and she was especially cognizant of that subject now that she had completed the paperwork to end what had turned out to be a real marriage. The thing was she still hadn't found a solution, in her mind, to this problem and she desperately didn't want to screw up things and hurt or lose Leonard, she was truly in love with him and this was not like the other guys she had told she loved, this was the real deal. She had even thought of just lying to him by omission, never telling him what had happened and hoping he would never find out, her thinking this way because of her knowing that if things went terribly wrong and they ended up breaking up it would destroy her. So, Penny just looked at Bernadette and said what had been in her mind since she first woke up Saturday morning, "I don't know what to do."

Amy now chimed in, "Penny, Bernadette is right, you have to tell Leonard."

Penny now looked at Amy, both her friends pressuring her like this was really getting to her and making her a little desperate so she just asked the question that had been bouncing around in her mind, "Why?"

Bernadette answered, "Penny, Leonard works a lot of Government projects and has a security clearance, some of them pretty high depending on the type of project he is working on, like that rocket fuel he was working on years ago."

Penny just nodded, knowing all about the rocket fuel and the elevator. "But what does that have to do with me?"

Amy now explained, "I've had a couple Government projects in the years I have been working and some of the more significant security clearances ask about significant others and wives, and one of the questions they ask is if they have been married before."

Bernadette nodded, "If Leonard doesn't know about you and Zack, he will put none for you and when it is found out he lied or didn't know, he will find out you have been lying to him."

Penny buried her head in her hands, thinking how things were now worse, there was now no way she could hide this from Leonard, if she planned on staying with him, and that meant that there was no way to prevent him from taking a negative reaction to it all and dumping her. There was so much swirling around in her head, the marriage that she had with Zack and its annulment, what she would say to Leonard and how he would take it, and the very real realization that she and Leonard may being going their separate ways before this was all over, the possibility of friendship even gone because of her actions. These thoughts again making her feel like one gigantic slut and that, along with the other thoughts made her sick to her stomach and she just felt like she had to throw up.

Penny jumped up from the table, surprising both Amy and Bernadette, "I have to use the bathroom." her only words as she rushed off to the ladies' rest room, leaving Amy and Bernadette just to stare at each other.

"What do you think that was about?" Amy asked her friend

Bernadette just shrugged, "She has a lot to think about now." Amy nodded, but then as if an afterthought Bernadette added, "If she is gone too long, we need to get her." Amy just nodded again.

Penny threw up in the toilet bowl, it didn't really alleviate any of her pain it just acted as a distraction to her tormented mind, giving her a few seconds to think about something else than how her life back in Pasadena could shortly fall apart. Her tears should have been another distraction; however, she had cried so much over the weekend that having tears escape her eyes and run down her cheeks seem natural to her now so she took no notice. She didn't know what to do, really didn't know, she felt so overwhelmed that she couldn't even find the will to leave the toilet stall she was in, therefore it took the announcement over the airport speakers that her flight was preparing to board that finally make her open the door.

Bernadette looked at Amy after hearing the boarding announcement, Penny had been gone for over 15-minutes, worrying them, so the boarding announcement gave them the final excuse they needed, "Let's go get her." Amy nodded.

They only got half way to the ladies' rest room when they saw Penny walking out, the sad look on her face obvious to both of them, plus the fact that she had only put on the minimum amount of makeup this morning and now her face just look freshly washed. Penny walked up to them saying nothing, her demeanor very much telling the girls she had nothing to say, so the three of them just went to the gate to wait to board, the silence between them so thick you could have cut it with a knife. For the next twenty minutes, while they waited to enter the airplane, nothing was said, and that would continue throughout the flight, since because of their late reservations for seats, each of them was separated from each other in the aircraft cabin. So, for approximately the next hour, Penny just looked out the window near her seat, and let her mind wander to what she expected to be her life be like when she got back to Pasadena.

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Leonard rubbed his eyes; he had been working on his computer for the last 6-hours, ever since he had lunch with the guys, and he would probably be on it for another 2-3 hours before he left. He wanted to get this project report done before the end of the week because that would give him a couple weeks free, where he only had to check up on his proposal for his next project and he could do all that by the internet. He wanted to spend those couple weeks with Penny, take her some places she would enjoy, he already had some ideas to take her up to wine country for a few days, spending their nights in a bed and breakfast and just enjoying the scenery while they could both go tasting different wines at different wineries. He also wanted to spend a few days at the beach with her, he knew she loved the beach so he thought they could just stay at a hotel on the beach and be beach bums for a few days.

Even though Leonard had all this time planned for spending with Penny, in his head, he still was having trouble understanding what happened this weekend and the lack of contract between him and her. He knew it was a girl's trip to Las Vegas and they planned to have fun, but he actually thought she would contact him some during it to just tell him how things were going. Friday night, that seemed the case, but then the rest of the weekend she seemed to be unconcerned about contacting him, even to the point he felt he was annoying her when he sent her a text on Sunday. He knew he always over thought everything and he was really hoping in this case it was just that but it was hard to get over the feeling that something had happened between them and it was something he wasn't going to like.

Anyway, it was getting a little difficult for him to concentrate on his computer screen right now, he kept thinking about Penny returning in a couple hours and wished he had been the tagged to pick them up. He knew he would be working late this week, so when Howard said he would pick them up, Leonard readily agreed, however now he was thoroughly regretting that agreement. He really wanted to see her as soon as possible, he wanted to get some assurance that nothing was wrong between them, but he was just going to have to wait. So, with a faint determination to not waste his time he forced himself to look at his computer and at least try to get some work done.

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Howard reached the arrival area of the terminal at exactly the agreed upon time, proud of himself for correctly estimating the traffic that Monday evening. His reward was to immediately see the three girls heading to his car, each pulling a roller bag behind them and all of them seeming to want to get to him quickly. Everything after that happen very quickly, Howard popped the trunk of the car, as he just gotten out and around to it when the girls arrived, allowing him to quickly put their bags into the trunk while they all got in the car. The efficiency of the whole pick-up impressed Howard and he was about to say something bragging about it, as he pulled away from the arrival area, when the mood in the car suddenly got his attention, the girls having remained silent the whole time.

Howard decided to very cautiously try to find out why they were acting like that, "Did you have a good time?" he asked his wife sitting next to him.

"Yeah, why do you ask." Bernadette responded quickly and curtly.

Howard was a little taken back by Bernadette's response and how brusquely she gave it to him, so again he cautiously asked, "It is just you all seem so solemn."

Bernadette and Amy took a very quick look at Penny and both saw a little panic in her eyes, so Bernadette quickly responded, "Penny isn't feeling well and she has a headache, you know because she started her period, so we are trying to keep it quiet for her." Bernadette knew it was a stupid response but it was all she could think of on such a short notice.

Amy looked at Bernadette and gave her a 'What the hell' shrug, while Penny just stared at her. Penny was relieved that Bernadette came up with an excuse but she wasn't happy that the excuse was her being on her period, especially since that excuse was given to Howard. However, her feelings about Howard and her fabricated period soon waned as her real problems took over her mind again, and how scared she was to see Leonard again.

"Okay, well I guess I can be quiet, too...for Penny." Howard said, though he felt there was something more going on and he hoped Bernadette would tell him when they got home again, alone.

The trip to 2311 Los Robles took way less time than Penny had hoped, and she could barely keep her mind on simple things, like getting her luggage from Howard, after she got out of the car. She barely got out a 'thank you' when Howard gave her the bag and she felt like a zombie as she walked to the door of the apartment building. She was relieved that Howard had driven off before she tried to open the apartment building door, because she couldn't seem to get the key into the lock and she dropped her keys a couple times in her attempts, so there were already tears on her cheeks when she finally got the door open and could enter inside. However, then Penny found she couldn't move, she just stood there in the lobby looking at the stairs, the need to run, take flight from the pain she expected, almost screaming to her by her brain as her feet refused to go any further.

Penny didn't know how long she just stood there or how long she would have continued to just stand there if Mrs. Wilson didn't open the front door, from walking her dog, and stroll right in. "Hello, Penny."

Penny nodded and replied automatically, "Hello, Mrs. Wilson." Leonard and her knew Mrs. Wilson and her yappy dog very well since she lived in the apartment below them.

Mrs. Wilson then looked at Penny in a funny way before asking, "Is something wrong Penny?"

Penny didn't know what to say and as she began to panic, she suddenly remembered the handle in her hand for her rollaway luggage, "No, I'm just a little tired from my trip and I'm trying to motivate myself to carry my bag up the stairs."

Mrs. Wilson smiled, "Honey, why don't you just call Leonard to bring it up for you, after all isn't that what boyfriends are for." Mrs. Wilson had lived in the building since before Dr. Cooper moved in so she knew Sheldon and Leonard very well, she also knew that Leonard and Penny were now living together.

Penny nodded while trying to keep a neutral expression on her face, "I'm not sure he is home, he was planning to work late all this week." she responded, then she realized she had no choice but to move, so she picked up the bag and started for the stairs, looking at Mrs. Wilson over her shoulder and just saying, "I feel better now and it is really lighter than I thought." Penny then quickly made her way up to the third floor.

Mrs. Wilson just watched Penny leave, then as soon as Penny was gone, she just shook her head and mumbled to herself, "That was strange."

Penny soon found herself frozen in front of the door to 3A, her hands now reluctant, as her feet were earlier, to go further and open the door. Again, she had no idea how long she would have stayed there, but the sound of someone moving on the stairs seemed to scare and confuse her again as she quickly opened her and Leonard's apartment door and walked in. She was not prepared to see what she saw when she walked in though, Leonard sitting on their couch looking at her as she walked in the door, it made her want to panic, her flight or fight instinct telling her run, run away fast. The problem was she had no place to run, she didn't have her apartment to hide in anymore, like months before, this was her home now and as she watched Leonard get off the couch and walk to her, she knew she was trapped.

Leonard didn't know what to say, he had expected Penny to come home soon, but he wasn't expecting her to rush in the door then stop to look at him in surprise. He knew he told her he would be working late this week but it was already after 10 PM so she shouldn't be surprised he was home, her whole reaction just baffled him. There was also the weird way her trip seemed to have gone, the lack of text messages passing between them only added to his concern about the way she was acting now, so he cautiously approached her, he didn't really know what say, so he just said something casual. "Hi, you're home."

Penny was about to cry, Leonard looked so innocent and she was just a slut going to hurt him again like she always did, she just couldn't do it, not now, not the way he was looking lovingly at her, but she had to do something before she just broke down sobbing. So again, instinct took over, like so many times before, when she couldn't figure things out and she needed more time so she wouldn't hurt her boyfriend, she turned to sex. Penny took a couple steps towards Leonard until they met, then she threw her arms around his neck while putting her head on his shoulder so he couldn't she how hard she was trying not to cry. "I missed you, Leonard." she then whispered to him.

Leonard was a little surprised at her action, but his feelings were the same as hers about being missed, "I missed you, too" he softly said back.

The way he said it just jabbed at Penny's heart and she knew she would cry unless she did something quick, so she lifted her head off his shoulder till she could look at him, then immediately smashed her lips against his. Every emotion she was feeling was now being directed towards him, her wanting to cry was diverted to kissing him hard and passionately and no sooner than she started she knew she wanted to bed him and show him through her actions how much she loved him. All her movements quickly escalated, her hands running through his hair and her body pressing tightly against his, her hips grinding into his, this being easy for her since they were about the same height.

Leonard's mind went sort of blank as Penny ramped up the passion between them, she always had that effect of him when she was like this, even though they lived together she was still his dream girl, so when she became so passionate with him his mind would lose all other thoughts. It wasn't that she wiped all other thoughts from his mind, it was just that his previous worries now seemed insignificant since she seemed to be very much into him and wanted him. So, he quickly began to reciprocate all Penny's actions as their kissing quickly became more intense and they began to both rub against each other and touch each other's bodies.

When Leonard and Penny got into the sexual zone, they became so involved in each other's pleasure that things happened without them even realizing it, and their now union, fueled by the emotions of Penny's guilt and Leonard's worry and missing her, was no exception. If they were asked, they would never remember how they went from kissing to being naked in their bed, but there they were nibbling, licking and sucking on each other's bodies until it became too much for either of them as they became completely consumed in their joining, it being extremely intense and actually a little mind-blowing. The quiet time after their love making, while both of them came down from their highs, was when finally, Penny was able to resume her guilt, something she had completely forgotten for a short time as soon as her passion with Leonard had been returned by him.

Penny knew she couldn't say anything to him that night, she couldn't find any of the right words to say and she didn't want to do anything to hurt him. The thoughts of only wanting to show how much she loved him were still on her mind and with those thoughts she made her decision, so she pulled herself closer to him and started to rub herself again against him again. Leonard was pretty good about being ready for seconds after they hadn't done it for a few days but with Penny helping he was ready in no time and what was especially good for Penny was when they were doing it Leonard had learned to keep the talk to the minimum needed.

Their second round of lovemaking was just as intense as the first, leaving them both well satisfied and just clinging to each other at the end. This was one of the things Penny loved about Leonard and made him so much different than the rest, just like the thank you letter he sent he after their first sex, she knew Leonard cherished her, it was more than just sex to him and he would hold her like she was the most precious thing in the world after they were done. The love he felt for her was real and it didn't end after he got his rocks off, it was always there, it was forever and although that scared her in the past, the last few months she had learned to accept it and even crave it. The third time Penny initiated intimacy was a little slower, it didn't have the same intensity as the first two times but it seemed even more loving, she even had to keep herself from crying, not from her previous guilt but because of the love of their joining, it made this time even more special. The fourth and last time they just stared at each other the whole time, watching each ramp up in pleasure, reach the peak and then collapse into the abyss, they were now completely spent and just found themself holding each tightly in the end. They were sweaty and exhausted, both of them too tired to move or even to clean up, each of their minds telling them they just needed a minute before they got up but both of them falling into a deep sleep in each other's arms only moments later.

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The next morning the alarm clock went off making Leonard slowly wake from his deep sleep, and by force of habit, finally finding and turning the offending alarm clock off. Penny woke up too, her laying on Leonard's chest, his movement waking her up from her deep sleep, though unlike Leonard she didn't open her eyes, make a sound, or even move. Her lack of movement worked perfectly, in that Leonard thought her still to be asleep and with the utmost care he slowly got out of bed while trying not to wake her. It was therefore only after she heard the bathroom door close that Penny opened her eyes and sighed in guilt in what she just did to deceive him. She stayed there in bed as Leonard got ready, keeping her eyes closed like she was asleep, whenever he quietly came back in the room to dress, knowing his kind nature to just let her sleep. She continued her little masquerade until she heard the front door close, signaling he left for work, before she rolled over on her back and brought her hands to her face in disgust of her actions. She felt horrible for just lying there and not being with him, eating with him that morning and telling him goodbye, but she couldn't take the chance of him asking any questions so she just did what she felt she had to do.

Penny tossed and turned in the bed for the next hour, unable to rest, much less sleep with all the thoughts going through her head, so she finally just decided to get up and do something to try and get her mind on something else or at least reorganize it. She took her time getting ready and took a very long shower until the water turned cold, getting dressed and having some of the coffee Leonard left for her, her guilt still not allowing her stomach to tell her she needed to eat. Penny knew she was incapable of doing anything today that required thought, her mind was just too distracted right now, so she just decided to drive to one of the Studios that had a casting department bulletin board that listed upcoming movies, that would require extras, to give her something to do. It was really a waste of time and gas, she could almost get all the same information by the internet, but it would allow her to accomplish some mindless action and she thought maybe give her mind a chance to reset.

It almost worked, it was bad enough when she went to the apartment parking lot and saw Leonard's SUV, it just reminded her that she had been driving it almost exclusively, since he convinced her to take it because she had a longer drive and he didn't want to worry about her. So, she had to fight the terrible guilt about driving it now, how she was deceiving him after he had been so good to her, but with her last piece of mental strength she managed to not cry and start it up and leave. She didn't make it too long though, the next thing that happened broke her, Leonard had synced her phone to the car so when the text came it immediately showed up on the screen in the middle of the dash.

Morning Sunshine, I'm sorry I didn't get to talk to you before I left but I hope you have a wonderful day. XXX L

It was after 11 AM, of course he would wait till then so he wouldn't wake her up, he was always that way, sweet and so considerate of her and it broke her heart. Penny pulled off the road and into a parking lot, putting the SUV into park before the tears came, the guilt was now back in full force, the thoughts of her being married to Zack and what it would do to Leonard quickly coming back to her after seeing his text. He was such a good guy and she knew he really cared for her, while she was nothing but a slut, always hurting him and breaking his heart. So, she sat there and cried, she didn't know how long she stayed there but after a while she heard a taping on her window, only to see a woman in her 50's looking at her concerned.

Penny opened the window about halfway down while keeping the doors locked, then just looked at the woman before asking, "Is something wrong."

The woman gave her a small smile, "I was going to ask you the same thing...Are you okay dear?"

Penny took a big breath then looked down at her hands, the truthful answer was of course 'NO' she hadn't been okay since she had woken up Saturday morning, but what did she tell this stranger, "No" she said softly without even thinking, maybe it was because it was a stranger, she felt she could be honest.

"Is it a boy?" the woman gently asked, Penny only nodded.

"You love him don't you." the woman stated and again Penny nodded

"And he doesn't love you?" she now asked

That question was far from the truth and Penny couldn't let her think that of Leonard even though she had no idea who he was, "No, he loves me very much, he is the best guy ever."

The woman now had a confused expression on her face, "If you love him and he loves you, what is wrong dear."

Penny didn't know why she said it like she did, maybe she just wanted punishment for all that was happening, she didn't know but she just looked the woman straight in the eyes, "I'm married, but not to him."

The woman's eyes got wide, this was not what she expected, she had traditional values and this young woman seemed to be in love with someone who was not her husband, so she got much more serious, "You need to tell your husband." she said abruptly

Penny nodded, "He knows, we are getting an annulment."

The woman now just wanted to leave, silently admonishing herself for even getting involved with this young lady, "Well you are doing the right thing." she then quickly looked at her watch, "I have to leave, good luck." she then quickly turned and disappeared.

Penny was socially savvy enough to know the woman just wanted to get out of there after Penny told the woman her story and honestly, she couldn't blame her, who could hear that story of what she did and then feel sorry for her. Penny couldn't even feel sorry for herself, so she didn't expect some stranger to feel something that she didn't about herself. She just found herself sighing in defeat as she turned her head to look at the screen again, on the center dash, that still had Leonard's text message, the one she knew she needed to provide a reply. She knew she was lucky because if he had known she was awake this morning and said that to her in person she would have probably broken down right in front of him, though that didn't give her much solace since she knew it was just delaying the inevitable. Those thoughts still didn't help that she now had to respond to his message though, something she found she was having a hard time doing because everything she could think of text messaging back would just be a lie and those lies just seemed to be building up between him and her. However, as she thought about him, she did think of one thing she could send to him that wouldn't me a lie and she quickly typed it on her phone and hit send.

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Leonard told himself that the reason Penny hadn't responded was that she was either still asleep, in the shower or she probably just left her phone in its bedroom charging cradle while she was drinking her coffee in the kitchen. He told himself that thinking otherwise was just his insecurities and he was not going to let them have their way with him, he did trust Penny, so he needed to be the man she wanted and needed, and that meant he needed to be less of an insecure nerd for her. Those thoughts didn't however not make him quickly grab his phone off his desk when he heard the text notification with the hope it was Penny.

He smiled as soon as he saw the text was from Penny and smiled more after he read it:

I love you, Leonard. XXXXX P

Penny's text message and the passion they shared the night before only made Leonard feel ashamed about how he acted about her lack of contact that weekend and made him even more determined to take control of his insecurities and not let them to continue to influence his relationship with Penny. He did trust her and he reminded himself again that she had never done anything to not trust her whenever they were together, even this past weekend, where both Amy's and Bernadette's text messages to Sheldon and Howard did not even hint of Penny doing anything wrong except maybe drinking a little too much. He knew it was all in his mind and none of it was Penny's fault, only his, and he also knew it was his job to make it better.

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Penny sat on the couch waiting for Leonard to walk in the door, she had planned everything almost to the minute, getting some of his favorite takeout food for him as soon as he notified her, by text, that he was leaving his office to come home. Since he would probably be walking in their door any minute, she had the food already on their kitchen island under covers to keep it warm as she stood waiting, rehearsing in her head what she planned to say and do to him that night. She still didn't know how to tell him about Las Vegas and Zack, so she decided after her short breakdown that afternoon in the parking lot that she would try and stall, doing her best to keep the night away from any questions that would make her have to lie to him. She really didn't want to hurt him and she really did love him, however that train of thought was quickly driven out her mind as she hear keys being inserted to the apartment lock.

Leonard unlocked the door and stepped quickly into the apartment, putting his keys in the bowl on the stand near the door and then taking a couple steps towards his desk to deposit his shoulder bag while his eyes scanned the apartment interior and settled on Penny. She was standing behind the kitchen island looking at him and he couldn't help but smile, "Good evening pretty lady."

Penny forced a smile, she was really happy to see him in one way but in another she was scared something would happen to ruin the night, like him asking questions about the weekend that she knew she couldn't lie to him about. So, she decided to distract him the best way she could and then take over the conversation, she just stood at the kitchen counter and hoping he would quickly notice the beginning of her seduction, her acting training allowing her to put on a genuine looking large smile while she stood and answered him saying "Hey you."

Penny being there, after him working long hours, and greeting him with a big smile was something he had dreamed of all his life and something he had never thought he would experience until recently when he moved in with Penny. The joy he felt when he was around Penny was like a drug to him and for that moment there was just her and him, the rest of the world not even existing. So, it took him a few moments to notice, compounded by the fact that most of what she was wearing was between him and her, but finally spotting that her shoulders were bare which made him look closer at her. It was then her whole wardrobe hit him, because all he now saw on her was a full apron and nothing else.

Penny was happy she when she saw his jaw drop, she had been paranoid about anything that could go wrong that night, she was hoping feeding him and then her appearance would keep his mind off everything else, so she quickly went to her next step, "Sweetie, maybe you should eat before your food gets cold, then I can give you a special desert."

Leonard wasn't thinking straight at the moment being still a little stunned at her appearance, "Special desert...You made dinner?"

Penny forced a fake frown, "Why do you say that, you don't think I can make things." she wasn't really angry she was still just trying to control the conversation that evening so she was even going as far as making him sensitive to anything she said, to not make her angry, it was a little cruel, but it did give her the some of the leverage she needed.

"No, not at all, I'm just...just surprised that you had it ready exactly at the time I came home." he quickly defended, forgetting for a moment that all he could see Penny wearing was an apron.

"Well to be honest, I got your favorite burger and fries of In-N-Out Burger." she confessed, "But I did get it so it would be here for you hot when you came home." she quickly added

Leonard smiled, "Thank you, that is so sweet." then he had a sudden thought, "Did you go out and get it dressed like that?"

Penny could barely keep it together, she wanted to both laugh and cry at the same time, this was typically very sweet of him and it melted her heart at his sincere happiness at this little thing she did, it also stabbed at her heart at the thought of Zack, bringing up everything she had previously thought about how it would be for him when he found out. Nevertheless, she needed to keep up the charade because she was not ready to confess it to him, so she smiled and shook her head, "No sweety, I put this on just for you."

Leonard just mindlessly nodded, "Oh...okay." he was still too stunned to really think too clearly.

Penny slowly walked from behind the kitchen island, swaying her hips slightly as she walked towards him, taking away any doubt that she was only wearing an apron like he first thought. Leonard's nervous gulp was very noticeable to Penny, just about as she reached him and gave him a peck on the lips, before she took his arm and led him to the kitchen counter and his dinner, taking a little happiness at how he couldn't take his eyes off of her. She then quickly uncovered his food and got him eating, eating a small burger herself, even though she had not been hungry all day, just to make sure it didn't seem weird to him her not eating.

Leonard's mind was still trying to understand what was happening, his beautiful girlfriend just having an apron on exposing different parts of her body as she made any move was extremely sexy and seductive making Leonard a little bit of a bumbling mess. He could barely think of food much less eat it and he couldn't really think of words to say as he stared at the blonde goddess across the kitchen island from him who looked back at him as she slowly ate her burger in the most seductive way, he had ever seen her eat. It was then that Leonard's mind caught up and he realized he was not having a dream, Penny was actually eating across from him and she was nude under that apron, so as soon as he was done eating something was probably going to happen, he was going to very much like and enjoy. So, with that thought Leonard started to eat seriously, not specifically because he was hungry for food but because his girlfriend's comment about desert came back to him and he wanted to know what that desert was about as soon as possible.

They cleaned up quickly after they ate, since it was basically just burgers and fries, Penny accidently on purpose dropping one of the wrappers then slowly bending down to pick it up, her naked backside to Leonard, which resulted in an audible gasp from him. She had decided to distract him physically because she knew him well enough that he loved her and would never turn down her advances especially undressed like she was, so after all the trash was thrown away, she just turned to him and smiled. "I guess I won't be needing my apron anymore and I promised you a special desert." Penny then very slowly started to undo the straps of the apron, rotating her body as she reached back to the straps making sure at least one of her breasts became exposed as she turned, watching Leonard as he just stood there in silence.

Penny felt bad manipulating him like this, but she rationalized it in that she was not ready to tell him yet and it was better for him if it was delayed to when she was ready because when she told him then, she could lessen the pain for him. She was also getting a little turned on herself, she loved Leonard and loved teasing him this way because she loved making him happy and she had found out making him happy made her happy. So, continuing with her plan, as soon as her apron fell off to the floor, she softly said to him, "See anything you want." in a tone that made it clear what she expected to happen next.

Penny always though he was so cute when he would suddenly tense from arousal and let out a small noise whenever she was so obviously coming on to him like she was now, and she knew if she took it slow, he would just wait and receive her advances until she got them both going. She always made sure she didn't giggle when she noticed him getting like that, the strong urge to make him happy now driving her as she brough herself closer to him so that she could open his belt and drop his zipper. She could actually feel his body movements during this whole action indicating his surprise, but she quickly released him and brought her head and mouth down to him before he could say a word, quickly silencing him with her actions.

It was just over two hours later, after their second time in the bed, their first time being in the living room, neither of them was going to be doing a third round, Leonard was obviously wore out, him having to use his inhaler after they just finished and Penny was feeling weak, too. She also knew them both being in this state, coming down from their high and just lying there, was the perfect situation for Leonard to want to talk and that was her greatest fear and something she was not prepared for, so she put the end of her nights plans into effect. Penny cuddled next to him and went silent and motionless, hoping to give him the impression she was asleep.

Leonard was tired, even though he enjoyed himself immensely, especially when Penny was so affectionate, he couldn't get the feeling he was in some kind of training after the last two nights and he thought maybe he should say something to Penny. However, when he looked at her laying against his side, he noticed she wasn't moving, he was surprised that she seemed asleep, it wasn't really something he hadn't seen before from her when she was really tired, she could just lay down and immediately fall asleep. So, after quietly whispering her name and getting no response, he figured she was exhausted from their night and their love making and subsequently, with a little bit of smugness that he could tire her out like that, he carefully left the bed to use the bathroom and clean up.

Penny quickly grabbed a couple tissues and cleaned up as best as she could, so she could still faint sleep and not feel so yucky that night, quickly getting in a position with her back to his side of the bed that looked like she had just rolled over. Then she just laid there motionless again as she heard him come back in their bedroom, turn off the light and get back in bed with her, then going stock-still for a couple seconds before she felt a soft kiss on her head and his whisper ever so softly, "I love you." He then moved against her very gently, she knew he was trying not to wake her, and put his arm over her to cuddle her, it made her feel so loved and happy that her back was turned to him so he couldn't see the tears running down her cheeks.

Wednesday morning was just like Tuesday morning, Penny faked still being asleep and Leonard, as quietly as he could, went to work without disturbing her, the feeling again of guilt making her have to try hard not to just grab him and just confess everything. So, it was about 9 AM that morning, while she sat like a zombie just drinking her coffee and thinking, that she almost jumped when her phone rang, finally calming herself to cautiously look at it to see who it was calling her so early. Before she was telling herself that it wouldn't be Leonard, but fear still totally gripped her as she turned over the phone, feeling a strong sense of relief when a picture of Bernadette came up on the screen.

Penny gently sighed then hit accept on her screen. "Hello Bernadette"

The voice on the other end sounded full of sympathy, "Hi Penny, how are you doing." Since she had not heard anything from Penny for the last two days, she thought maybe Penny had already told Leonard and was now needing some friendly sympathy.

Penny shrugged before realizing Bernadette couldn't see her and she needed to respond, "Okay I guess, but I'm still scared what he will think."

"Wait, you haven't told him yet!"

Bernadette's tone had changed so fast that it actually surprised Penny, "No, I don't know what to say, yet."

"Penny you have got to tell him, now while it is fresh, the longer you wait will only make it worse."

"Why are you rushing me!"

Bernadette knew shouting about it to each other wouldn't do any good so she quickly decided on something else, "Penny, we need to have a girl's night tonight."

"I don't know, I really don't feel up to it." Penny really didn't, she didn't have time and she still had to figure out what she was going to do with Leonard tonight, she thought.

"Penny, we need to talk, just have Leonard go up to Sheldon's apartment and play games, I'll have Howard and Raj do the same thing and I know Amy can convince Sheldon. Hell, tonight is even comic book night so they might just read together. Then you, me and Amy can talk."

Penny didn't really want to talk but the idea that Leonard would be busy the night until it came time to go to bed satisfied her need to not have him ask any questions that night. She quickly decided that she rather take the girls wrath that have to answer questions from Leonard about the weekend, it would give her another day, so she knew her answer, "Okay." However, after their short conversation and as soon as she hung up the phone, she knew she was going to regret ever agreeing.

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Leonard was surprised when he got the text from Penny about her and the girls having a "Girls Night", what confused him was not that they were having one but that they were having one just a couple of nights after they spent the weekend together. It just seemed unusual for all of them to have it now, because he wondered what they had to talk about that they didn't already talk about while they were together all weekend in Las Vegas, then it hit him, unless they needed to talk about something that happened in Las Vegas. That made Leonard's overactive mind start to overthink again, bringing back how strange Penny was while gone, not texting him, and now with the girls wanting to talk, it was not hard for his mind to wonder if something happened that Penny wasn't telling him. He let his mind wander on that thought and after about 20-minutes of just sitting there he shook his head to clear his thoughts, as he admonished himself for even thinking something was wrong and not trusting Penny. He again reminded himself that she had never given him a reason to not trust her and their relationship seemed to be going on better than fine, so he just put his concerns as part of his insecurity and reminded himself that he needed to take care of the demons in his head to make his relationship with Penny continue to be a success.

It was later that day, just about a half hour before Howard was to meet with Raj and head over to the comic book store, to begin his evening with his friend, when the phone rang in his engineering lab. Howard knew it wasn't his friends because they would contact him on his cell so he actually thought of not answering the unexpected call to be safe and make sure it wasn't going to upset his plans for the evening. However, he had one problem, NASA had been calling him off and on the last year, ever since he went to the space station, and he knew if it was them, he needed to take the call, so with reluctance and dread he picked up the receiver, "Cal Tech Engineering Labs, Howard Wolowitz speaking, Can I help you."

Howard's eyes went wide as the person on the other end identified himself, "No Thomas, you are not bothering me." he quickly responded.

"Yes, I remember telling you about him." Howard then just listened for a couple minutes, "Really, Dr. Hawkins wants to offer the slot to him!" Howard was surprised but happy, "Sure I can tell him." Howard then grabbed a piece of paper and a pencil and started writing the information Thomas was telling him, repeating phone numbers and other information back to make sure he had it rightly written before he finally responded, "Friday, yes I understand, you need an answer by Friday, I will let him know." Howard then listened for a couple of seconds more before, "It was good talking to you again too, Thomas, and I will make sure you get your answer by Friday, Bye."

Howard just sat there for a couple moments after he hung up the phone looking at the paper, before shaking his head and smiling, then saying to himself, "Damn, Leonard is going to be surprised by this." He then looked at the clock and decided it was close enough so he closed up the lab and went looking for Raj for his ride to the comic book store.