Sheldon has never been good at keeping his mouth shut.

He watched her as she browsed through the stacks of books. He had been meeting with her three times a week for two weeks now. At first he had thought that he was wasting time. Then two days ago Seibert had stopped by his office.

"Dr. Cooper, I just had the most interesting conversation. Dr. Stephens told me that you and he were discussing the last faculty meeting. He was wondering if you had recently had a stroke."

Sheldon frowned. "Why on earth would he think that?"

Seibert grinned. "Because you were polite." Seibert moved back to the door. "I don't know what you are doing, Cooper, but whatever it is, good job. I'll see you at the fund raiser."

Penny moved further away and he twisted a bit to keep her in his line of sight. She kept coming at him. She wouldn't let him rest. Every time he adjusted his comfort level, she pushed against it, moving it further. Sheldon watched her eyes light up as she found what she was looking for. She moved to the register and completed her purchase. He gave a sigh of relief. She had made him volunteer his services at a kiosk owned by a friend all morning. He knew absolutely nothing about selling phones, but he spent 3 hours doing just that. Why? Penny said it would be helpful to deal with customers, politely and respectfully. He had gritted his teeth and done it, but only because she expected him to try.

She was congratulating him on his patience when he noticed the man sitting in the chair by the window. The man stood as they neared and Penny nodded to him with a warm smile. "Hello, Bo. I'll be with you soon." She unlocked the door and he walked inside. Sheldon stared at the small paper bag the man carried with him.

Penny turned to him and gave him a soft smile. "Sheldon, I'm very proud of you. You handled the kiosk with more patience and grace than I had anticipated. I'll see you on Friday, okay?"

Sheldon nodded and took a step back. Penny turned and walked into the apartment and closed the door. He slowly walked down the hall and entered the elevator, his mind focused on that small bag.

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He stood outside her door and took a deep breath. The door behind him opened and Raj stepped out. He smirked when he saw Sheldon. "I don't know whether to feel bad that all you guys I see traipsing in and out of that apartment are having to pay for it, or curious as to how good a piece of ass she really is to have so many keep coming back."

Sheldon glared at him. "She is a therapist. I come here for therapy."

Raj laughed loudly. "Call it what you want, buddy. I have no doubt you "cum" here for something."

Sheldon clenched his hands at his side in frustration and watched the man walk away. After he was gone Sheldon let out the breath he was holding. He reached out and knocked softly. After a moment she opened the door and waved him inside with a smile.

"Hello Sheldon. I wasn't expecting you for another hour." she said as she moved around the room to adjust his chair.

Sheldon stood by the small table and clasped his hands behind his back

"Is Bo your boyfriend?" he asked as casually as possible.

Penny looked at him closely. "He is a client. Why do you ask?"

Sheldon felt his stomach clench tightly. "A client like me?" He hated the way his voice cracked, not quite hiding the question he didn't have the courage to ask out loud.

Penny looked him in the eye. "Do you want me to answer your actual question or your implied one, Sheldon?"

He cringed. "I just don't understand why you …do that with men you aren't involved with."

Penny sighed and took a seat at her desk. She pointed to the chair in front of it and Sheldon sat down. This was different from their more casual sessions. He once again felt like a kid sent to the principle's office.

"Sheldon, sexual therapy is not about getting laid. It's very rarely about sexual satisfaction at all. I have been a practicing surrogate for 4 years. In all that time I have had many clients with a myriad of problems. Impotence, hang ups, phobias, even fetishes. Some people have come to me because they need help maintaining a healthy relationship. Some because they need help overcoming abuses, a few for medical problems. But no one comes to me because they just want to fuck." Sheldon blushed a deep red at her matter-of-fact way of speaking.

She pulled open a drawer and retrieved a folder inside. She slid it across the desk toward him. "Sheldon I want you to take this home and read it. It will give you a better understanding of the services I offer. And before you ask, or insinuate, 'coitus' is not one of them."

Penny stood and moved around the desk. Sheldon stood, holding the folder tightly. "Now, I think it would be best if we canceled today's appointment. Don't worry, I won't charge you for it. I think you need to make up your mind how you feel about my profession before we go any further. I realize your fund raiser is this weekend. If you would like, I can make an exception and see you on Saturday around noon, but only if you want to. Give me a call once you have decided and let me know."

Sheldon nodded jerkily and hurried to the door. He paused for a moment and turned back to face Penny. She was watching him calmly. He opened his mouth for a second, and quickly closed it. He opened the door and left silently.

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He laid the final paper back into the folder and closed it. Much of the information inside he was already familiar with due to his initial research. But there were special forms inside that detailed exactly what services Penny offered and the detailed descriptions of how those services were performed. She did not offer intercourse. At all. But she did offer sessions on learning how to withhold orgasm, classes for learning how to practice safe bondage/dominance, and taught techniques for overcoming impotence or sexual anxiety.

He had assumed that as a sexual surrogate, Penny would offer intercourse as many did. Very few rejected it's use as an effective tool. He had allowed his discomfort for coitus to color his view of Penny and her profession. He would need to apologize to her.

He reached for his phone and dialed her number. It went straight to her message service. He made the appointment for Saturday and tried to decide what he would say to her.

A knock on his door drew his attention. Sheldon walked over and opened the door. His eyes grew wide. "Missy?"

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Sheldon handed Missy a teacup and sat down in his chair. "Why are you here?"

Missy rolled her eyes and sipped the tea. "Can't a girl visit her twin without there being some mysterious reason?"

Sheldon nodded. "Of course. Why are you here?"

Missy sighed and leaned her elbows on her knees. "Momma. She keeps trying to get me married off. In the last month, she invited over the new bag boy at Food Fairway, the Deacon's nephew, Old Mrs. Grundy's ex-son-in-law, and the new mailman. Who happens to be 56 and balding." She looked at Sheldon pleadingly. "I just need a break. Please, Shelly? Just for a week or so?"

Sheldon gestured around the room. "I have limited space, but there is a second bedroom. It is very small, and I had intended to use it for storage."

Missy nodded quickly. "I don't mind, Shelly. I just really need to be somewhere Momma isn't."

Sheldon could understand that. He loved his mother, but she could be hard to deal with sometimes. Missy settled back on the couch and looked at the papers on the coffee table. She frowned and leaned forward again. Sheldon reached for them quickly but Missy was closer. She picked them up and scanned them.

Her eyes were wide as she looked at him. "Shelly, are you seeing a sex therapist?"

He scowled and snatched the papers away. "No!" He blushed and sat back down. "Well, yes, but not for any... physical issues." He shoved the papers back into the folder and sighed. "I am seeing her for help learning to be empathetic and non-abrasive. It is for my job. My boss says I am insulting at social gatherings. He says I would be banned from the upcoming fund raiser unless I learned to "play nice" with the donors."

Missy looked surprised. "But she is a sex therapist, right?"

Sheldon nodded uncomfortable. "Technically yes. She does not offer actual coitus in her therapies, though."

"Then why do you have all these papers about sex stuff?" Missy asked.

Sheldon blushed slightly. "I was uncomfortable with what I assumed were aspects of her therapy methods. She sent these home with me to reassure me of what she does."

Missy was getting more and more intrigued. "What does she offer?"

Sheldon's light blush deepened and he cleared his throat a few times. "She deals with abuse victims, helps with mental and emotion problems that result in impotency and helps couples learn to be more open and accepting. She also handles many problems like mine. People who find it difficult to relate to people."

Missy set her teacup down and tucked her legs up underneath her. "Is this helping you?"

Sheldon nodded. "I was skeptical at first, but recently I spoke to President Seibert and he informed me that others had noticed a shift in my personality that made speaking with me more pleasant. I have a session tomorrow, and then the fund raiser is Sunday." Sheldon looked at Missy in an appraising manner. "Would you care to accompany me to it? You might find it interesting. There is dinner and dancing, and you could meet some of my colleagues."

Missy grinned widely. "Shelly, do you intend to use me as a shield?"

He nodded calmly. "Absolutely."

Missy laughed and shook her head. "I'll need to get a dress. I didn't pack for fund raisers." Missy took their cups into the kitchen. "You have an appointment tomorrow? I'll drive you. While you are therapizing I will go shopping. Then we can have something to eat after you are done."

"Therapizing is not a real word," he said sternly. "You may take my credit card, since you are accompanying me."

Missy walked over and bussed his cheek, making him jerk away and glare. "Thanks, Shelly. Now, I'm going to take a shower and get ready for bed. I drove 19 hours straight."

Sheldon nodded and went to wash the cups. His phone rang and he reached for it. He quickly answered when he saw it was Penny. "Hello?"

"Sheldon, I received your message. I will see you at noon tomorrow. Please dress casually in something you don't mind if it gets stained. Goodbye."

He hung up and stared at the phone in horror. Dear lord. What was she planning?