Chapter 5
Penny stood by the back gate scanning the garden for Leonard. She couldn't wait to see the surprised look on his face when she tapped his shoulder and saw her standing before him. There were so many people milling around the backyard that she couldn't see him. The garden looked gorgeous, filled with flowers and the trees were filled with twinkling lights. The pool was filled will floating candles that were glistening in the moonlight. She was surprised to see photographers there; this party seemed to be a bigger deal than she had initially thought. She saw a tall attractive man wearing a light green dress shirt and tie approach her with a smile.
"Penny?"
"Yes.." she said curiously.
"I'm Leonard's brother Michael. I recognized you from the photos he showed me. Welcome! I thought you were arriving next week?" Michael smiled warmly at Penny.
"Michael! It's so nice to finally meet you!" Penny gave Michael a hug. "I was supposed to arrive next week, but I rearranged my schedule and thought that I would surprise Leonard. He has no idea that I am here in New York! But I really didn't want to miss out on the wedding activities, and especially getting to know Leonard's family."
Michael put his arm around Penny and guided her towards the bar. He saw that Emily had gotten Leonard and was leading him towards the pool house. "I'm so glad you did! Emily and I have been so looking forward to meeting our future sister in law. I could see from the photos that you were beautiful, but you are drop dead gorgeous in person."
Penny laughed and pulled a strand of hair behind her ear. "Oh…aren't you quite the charmer. Leonard hasn't given me the 411 on the whole family yet."
Michael signaled to the bartender. "What can I get you?" he asked Penny.
"Oh a glass of Cabernet Sauvignon would be nice" she replied.
Michael quickly ordered her drink and then leaned back on the bar and grinned at Penny. "So the 411 hey? Well I am Leonard's charming younger brother. The fun easy going one. I'm sure I'll be your favourite" he said mischievously, to which Penny smiled back. "You'll love my fiancé Emily, she's a blast, I'm sure you two will get along like a house on fire. Hayley….ummm….I'm not sure."
"Hayley? Do you think we will not get along?" Penny asked concerned. Leonard had never mentioned anything really negative about his sister before to her.
"I'm sure that Hayley will be appropriate and polite. She's just extremely critical of people…a negative trait that must have rubbed off from my mother. Just don't let her get to you. Leonard is so used to her, he doesn't even see it anymore. You must have noticed how infinitely patient Leonard is…"
Penny smiled as she thought back upon the all dealings Leonard had with Sheldon. She nodded her head. "Leonard is probably the most patient person that I have ever met. Have you ever met his roommate Sheldon? You need a manual to deal with him!"
Michael chuckled. "No I've never met Sheldon. My mother seems quite fond of him though. They seem to speak quite regularly. She says his brain is very special."
Penny smirked while running her thumb along the wineglass. "Oh he's special all right…"
"Well anyways, Hayley is high maintenance, but you'll get used to her. Her husband Nate is a good time, he's really into sports – football, soccer, basketball. They have two kids Phoebe and Daniel. Amazing kids. Em and I just adore them so much. Phoebe's a little dynamo, and Daniel is just the cutest thing. Well….I think I've covered everybody."
"What about your father? Is he here tonight? I've never met him either" Penny enquired.
"Umm…Dad? He's not coming tonight. Let's just say, he lives in his own world most of the time. If you do not have some sort of anthropology slant, he's not that interested." Michael gave Penny a look up and down in her fitted blue dress. "Well…I think he's going to like you though.."
Penny returned a puzzled look. "Ok. Well thanks for giving me the down low. Do you know where Leonard is? I'm dying to see the look on his face when he sees me."
Michael gave Penny an uncomfortable look. "Ummm….I think he is around here somewhere with Ainsley. I saw them speaking earlier. I'm sure its not big deal though… " Michael smiled at Penny. " I'm so impressed with how secure you are. Emily isn't that cool with me hanging out with my ex's" he trailed off.
"Ainsley? Ex? What are you talking about?" Penny said with a confused look on her face.
Michael bit his lip and looked away from Penny. "Oooh…Umm.. this is awkward. I assumed you and Leonard have had the old "ex" talk?" Michael looked at Penny's flustered face. This was going perfectly according to plan.
"I thought we did…" Penny said quietly staring at Michael expectantly.
"Oh….it's no big deal. Ainsley is just Leonard's girlfriend when he went to Princeton. They actually met through Hayley, she is one of her friends. They only dated two or three years? They had a lot in common, the family all thought that she was the one."
"Oh really?" Penny said tensely. "Two to three years?" she muttered under her breath.
Michael put his arm around Penny. "That was a long time ago, don't feel bad. Leonard, is I'm sure, blissfully happy with you. And I'm sure that you two have so much more in common than he and Ainsley ever had. Listen, let me take a look around for that brother of mine. Don't worry, I won't ruin your surprise." Michael backed away from Penny watching the confused and hurt look on her face. Michael headed back towards the pool house. Penny was such a simple little pawn….so easy to manipulate. After Emily was done with her, she would be wishing she had never left good ole Podunk Nebraska in the first place.
Penny watched as Michael walked away. She was stunned at what he had told her. She had learned more about his family from Michael in ten minutes, than she did in eight years with Leonard. First there was the girl on the boat, and now he kept a girlfriend of two to three years a secret? A girl the family all thought was "the one?". She shivered as she looked at the sea of unknown faces surrounding her. She could feel the excitement that she had been feeling start to drain away. Perhaps it had been a mistake to come to New York.
Michael spied Ainsley and Leonard talking behind the pool house. He caught Ainsley's eye and gave her a little wink.
"Michael?" he heard a woman's voice call.
He turned around to see Emily standing beside him, with a smile on her face. "As you can see, I got Leonard and Ainsley talking. How did your talk with Penny go?"
"Oh I think I did enough to get her feeling a bit insecure…and a bit angry at Leonard. I just need you to push her over the edge, so to speak."
"Childs play" Emily laughed. "She's going to feel so insecure about Ainsley, I wouldn't be surprised if she was on the first plane back to LA after this party." Emily looked towards the open back door of the house and Hayley standing there talking to a caterer. "Has Hayley caused any problems? Has she seen Penny yet?"
"No, I don't think she even knows that she is here. Don't worry, I'll keep an eye on my sister. Have you gotten her phone yet?"
"No not yet. I will though. That shouldn't be so hard." Emily glanced out at Penny standing near the bar. "I think it's time I befriend our dear soon to be ex future sister in law. I think we are going to be the best of friends. You keep an eye on your sister, and Leonard and Ainsley. I'm sure Leonard will realize quickly how much better Ainsley is for him." Emily smiled and gave Michael a little kiss on the cheek.
"I'm sure she will" Michael whispered with a smile. He watched his fiancé walk off and approach Penny at the bar. Michael shook his head. His dear Emily, for all her cunning ways, could be a real idiot sometimes. She had not even questioned his plan on why Leonard would leave Penny for Ainsley. Just because they had stuff in common? Hayley had seen through that hole in the plan right away. Hayley, unfortunately, was a little too smart for her own good.
He looked over at Ainsley and Leonard speaking by the pool. Ainsley looked amazing. She had definitely dressed to impress, wearing a tight black cocktail dress that showcased her gorgeous breasts and tight fit body. Her long dark brown hair was curled and was cascading down her back. Her legs looked like they went on for miles. She was lightly touching Leonard's arm and laughing. Michael smiled to himself….Hayley was right, he left nothing to chance. He thought back to the events of the previous week.
"Oh God!" Michael cried out as his body convulsed. He lay there with his head on the back on the couch for a minute not able to think, move, breathe. After a minute, Ainsley got off her knees and walked over to his desk and poured herself a glass of water. She was only wearing a pair of black lace panties and stiletto heels. Michael gazed at her mostly naked body for a minute before pulling up his pants.
"I must say Ainsley…you are a very talented…lobbyist. I think I'd hand you over my first born right now, if I had kids." Michael panted, gesturing Ainsley to return to the couch to him. She obliged and returned to Michael straddling his lap. He gently ran his hands along her breasts. She smiled and gave him a light kiss on the lips.
"Well, this is a mutually beneficial relationship. When you become senator, I want to be able to count on your vote for a number of key groups I represent. If you can do that, then I'm more than happy to help you out. I can't believe you want me to seduce Leonard" she laughed.
"I don't care what you do with Leonard, I just want Penny out of the picture." Michael said softly while kissing Ainsley's neck.
She laughed. "You do know I have like a thousand ways to blackmail you now Mr. Future Senator."
"And you know I have you on tape, Miss Professional Lobbyist giving me a blow job for political favours. You ruin my career, I ruin yours." Michael said kissing down her chest.
"Touché Michael. Touché. I'm sure we can work something out." Ainsley moaned as Michael was kissing his way down her stomach.
"Just play up all the stuff you and Leonard have in common. I think that's their weak point." Michael reached down and slipped off Ainlsey's panties. He kneeled on the couch in front of her. "This time I'm asking you for help, I think it's only fair that I return the favour."
"Oh really…OOOOH..yes Michael. You are nothing, if not….Oh God….fair!" Ainsley purred as she clenched the couch with her hands.
Michael gazed back at the pool house at Leonard and Ainsley. God, she looked so hot. Leonard would be an idiot NOT to hook up with her given the opportunity. To think Hayley had accused him of not caring for his brother. He got Ainsley to willingly offer to sex him up…and if that wasn't brotherly love, then he didn't know what was.
Emily spied stared at Penny standing next to the bar with a sad look on her face. She looked Penny up and down. She was a beautiful girl, with very nice shoes. She was sure that she could get Penny to bond with her, rather than Hayley. She was the fun one after all. Emily confidently walked up to Penny and held out her hand.
"Hi Penny! I'm Michael's fiancé Emily. It's so nice to finally meet you!"
Penny shook her hand and smiled warmly back. "Emily. It's so nice to meet you also!" Penny looked Emily up and down. She was a small slender girl, with dark auburn hair and bright green eyes. She was admiring her Gucci romper. "I'm sorry, but I have to say, that is the most amazing outfit. I just love it."
"Oh aren't you the sweetest thing ever. I was just admiring your shoes. Are those Jimmy Choo's?"
"Guilty! I have a bit of a shoe addiction." Penny laughed.
Emily gave her a big smile. "Oh me too! You should see my closet! Shoes just seem to follow me home! Oh Penny, it's so nice that we are finally meeting. I've heard so many wonderful things about you. You might think I sound crazy, but I feel so connected to you. Maybe because we are both marrying the Hofstadter brothers? I feel like I have an instant sister. A sister with great taste in shoes!" Emily laughed.
Penny smiled. "That's so nice. I've been looking forward to meeting you also. Everyone has been so nice. I just met Michael earlier. I guess we have another sister too – Hayley?"
Emily frowned and sighed. "Yes, there is Hayley….but personally I don't think we are going to bond with Hayley like sisters do.."
"Ummm…Michael did mention something about her being a bit difficult." Penny stated.
"Well Michael is being nice, because that's his sister. Listen, just between us…Hayley is a total nightmare. She's cold and aloof like Beverly, but add to that bitchy, mean and critical. And the way she treats Phoebe and Daniel….it makes me want to cry."
"What do you mean?" Penny asked concerned.
"Well first she's like an absentee parent most of the time. But maybe that's a good thing. When she's there, she's so hyper critical of everything they do. Poor Phoebe is so wound up all the time about being perfect in front of her mom that I swear she's going to have a nervous breakdown soon. Daniel is a bit too young, but I'm sure he's going to follow in the same path as Phoebe" Emily said shaking her head.
"That's terrible. Doesn't their father step in?"
"Oh Nate does try. He really does. Hayley is just very domineering. Well…you'll see when you meet her."
Penny gave Emily an empathetic look. Poor Leonard had grown up in a critical environment, and from what Emily was telling her, Hayley was ten times worse. She hoped that Leonard and her would be able to do something to help those poor kids. Hayley didn't sound like a very nice person at all. Penny scanned the backyard again for Leonard….where could he be? There was someone else she was very curious about.
"Tell me about Ainsley. You know her right?" Penny said abruptly.
Emily smiled. It appeared that Michael had done his job well. Penny appeared to be a bit tense about Ainsley. Time to gently push her off the edge.
"Ainsley? Oh did you meet her? Well she's a long term friend of Hayley's. I think they went to high school together or something. She's changed a lot over the years. She was always a pretty girl, but now she's just gorgeous. I swear she could be a model if she was taller. I guess some people really do blossom later hey?" Emily laughed.
"I guess…" Penny said softly.
"Well, she went to Princeton and majored in Political Science. Very smart, graduated top of her class. She works in Washington DC as a lobbyist. She's a bit of a do-gooder for the environment. Plays the viola. Oh but her hobbies…she's a bit of a nerd that way. Totally into science fiction and fantasy. She's actually a really good artist. I remember Hayley saying that her and Leonard locked themselves in her dorm room for an entire weekend and they created a Lord of the Rings type story which they wrote together, and she illustrated. She said it was actually quite good."
Penny bit her lip and looked down. "Oh really…"
Emily reached out for Penny's hand. "Oh Penny, I hope me talking about Ainsley isn't making you uncomfortable. I mean, it was so long ago, and everyone has moved on. I'm sure Leonard has told you all about her before. It's just weird meeting her in person isn't it?"
"Yeah…you could say that." Penny cleared her throat. "Why did they break up again? I can't recall that part of the story."
"Oh Ainsley, got a job offer to intern at the United Nations. So she moved to Europe. She ended things with Leonard before going. I heard he was quite heartbroken, and moved to California shortly after. Later, she got a really good job offer in Washington DC, so she moved back to the US about five years ago."
Penny stood there frowning staring at the ground. She felt like Leonard had this whole life that he had never told her about, and now she was finding it all out from a relative stranger.
"Penny?" Emily said gently. "I get it. I hate hearing about ex's. It just stirs up weird emotions. Listen, this was all a long time ago. I'm sure you and Leonard have so much more in common than him and Ainsley ever did. Why don't we go find Leonard. You'll feel better once you see him. I thought I saw him near the pool house."
"Ok, I think that is a good idea. I really want to see him." Penny said coldly.
Emily smiled to herself as Penny and her walked together across the backyard. It was almost too easy. Penny bonded to her – check. Penny wary of Hayley – check. Penny upset with Leonard – check. Penny insecure about Ainsley – check. She was such a pawn, easy to manipulate. Emily knew that she was the queen, and in control of the board. Once she got Hayley out of the picture, it should be an easy checkmate.
"Leonard you look just amazing. It is so good to see you again after all these years." Ainsley said smiling as she sat down on the patio furniture behind the pool house. They had sat down there because it was so much quieter, and they could have a decent conversation without interruption.
Leonard smiled at Ainsley. "You are the one that looks stunning. It looks like life has treated you well."
Ainsley laughed and touched Leonard's arm. "Oh I can't complain. My career really took off when I went to Europe. I made so many important connections." She smiled at him sadly. "I missed…home. That's why I returned to the US. I'm still the same girl you knew though…"
Leonard laughed. "Somehow I doubt that…"
"I'll prove it to you! I'll give you one guess on who showed up at the United Nations dressed like Galadriel only to discover, that Halloween is not such a big deal outside of North America! I felt like such an idiot!" Ainsley laughed.
"You didn't?" Leonard laughed.
"Oh I did…my coworkers took way too many pictures as proof! I used to always dress up for work for Halloween" Ainsley smiled.
"I remember…you love Halloween." Leonard reminisced.
"I'm so jealous of you living in California, home of ComicCon. Tell me all the costumes that you and Penny dressed up together as?" Ainsley asked.
"Oooh…well Penny is not that into Sci Fi or Fantasy or Comic Books. I went with the guys the other year. We went as the crew of Star Trek Next Generation. Well we almost got to Comic Con before our car got stolen.."
"Stolen…oh my God! That sounds like a story you need to tell me. It's too bad that Penny isn't into the fantasy world. I know how much you love it. It was so fun when we did that stuff together." Ainsley smiled sweetly at Leonard.
"It was fun wasn't it? " Leonard said with a far away look. "Anyways, I'm so sorry Emily is trying to rope you in on working on this presentation with me. You really don't have to, I'm sure I could handle it on my own. It's kind of a lot to ask."
"She wants a PowerPoint presentation of her and Michael's story told in fairy tale style…with hand drawn pictures..in one week…professional quality. No, that's not a lot to ask…" Ainsley said laughing. "Emily can be a piece of work. Listen, I've seen you draw…you need my help. Desperately!"
"My drawing skill is not that bad….oh ok…you are right. I need your help. I just feel bad about wasting your time. This little project will probably be time consuming to put together"
"That's ok, I have nowhere to go this week. I'm on vacation."
"I guess it works out, Penny isn't arriving til right before the wedding. I have the time now." Leonard said happily.
Ainsley touched his knee. "I'm so glad. I think we can make a really great presentation, we were always a great team. I really missed you Leonard. It will be so nice to catch up."
Leonard smiled, he was about to reply when he heard someone coughing behind him. Ainsley and Leonard slowly turned around. He was not quite prepared for what he saw before him.
A/N: The plot thickens! Thanks for reading, and I really appreciate reading your thoughts on the stories in the reviews. Thanks again! Cough cough…review please! = )