He didn’t say anything immediately.
Instead, he listened as Penny sighed.
“I’m sorry about it.
He’s just —” she started.
He took a step forward and pressed his hand against her lips to silence her.
An unnecessarily intimate move, but Penny didn’t even register that, too busy dealing with her second-hand shame.
“Don’t be,” he said.
“He’s the one who acted like an ass.
He might be your boyfriend, but that doesn’t make you responsible for his mistakes, especially when he tries to pull macho crap.”
Penny took a few deep breaths, her chest rising and falling with the controlled breathing of someone who was managing her anger rather than expressing it.
Her hands were at her sides, fingers curling and uncurling.
“Still, I feel like I’m responsible.
I would understand if you kicked me out.”
“Nonsense,” he said.
“We’re friends, Penny.
I won’t kick you out for it.”
That made her chuckle.
“Friends?
Is that what we’re calling it?”
“Sure.
Friends who starred in a potential blockbuster movie if you want,” he teased her, which made her chuckle.
“God, I should let Leonard watch that.
Imagine his reaction,” she said, her uncharacteristic cruelty showing just how much she was annoyed with Leonard.
Ethan had intervened somewhat, but not enough to actually absolve Leonard’s guilt.
Penny’s anger was well-deserved.
“Anyway, let’s continue with the shoot,” he said.
“We have two more outfits to go through.”
“A good point,” she said.
They finished the headshot, then moved to outfit number one.
“I can leave the house for a moment if you want,” he offered.
“It’s best if we don’t use the bedroom for a while.”
“No need.
Just turn your back, I trust you,” she said, then winked.
“Not like anything you haven’t seen before.”
“Hey, I have seen sunsets before, but I still enjoy looking at them,” he teased, even as he turned his back, while Penny chuckled.
What followed was not that complicated.
They took a few photos for each TV roles, he helped her to dissect the role and talked about how she could sharpen them: a little change in gait, maybe a different way to smile… Her instincts were better than he expected.
Maybe she wasn’t as terrible at acting as he had first assumed.
She still needed to practice, but it was a big first step.
Only when all three sets, the headshot and preparation packages for two roles, had been finished, did they move to his laptop and start checking her pictures.
“Wow, they are much better,” she gasped.
“Better lighting, better lens, and it helps that the photographer is actually not feeling like a zombie,” he said.
“Wow,” she said, fascinated.
“So, when you’re tired, everything you can do suffers except having sex?” she asked.
He met her expression with a mysterious smirk, happy that she had finally opened the topic that he had been careful not to initiate.
“Why do you assume my bedroom activities hadn’t suffered?” he asked.
She opened her mouth, blushed, and closed it back.
He didn’t say anything, waiting for her answer while she pouted with a deep blush.
“Well, fine.
I know it because I had too many orgasms,” she whispered furiously.
“Happy?”
“Yes,” he said.
“Still, that was not my full performance.
Not even close,” he said.
“That’s a lie,” she said, giggling.
“You’re lucky that I’m in a relationship so I can’t test it.”
He smirked.
“Who says that we can’t,” he said.
That made her angry.
He continued without her saying anything.
“I promise I can make you climax without touching any problematic area.”
“When you say problematic?” she asked.
The fact that she actually asked that instead of slapping him showed just how angry she was with Leonard to bend her otherwise solid rule about not cheating.
“Anything in the bikini area is automatically out, so is kissing, or lips in general,” he said.
“You’ll keep your top, but you’ll change into something comfortable rather than jeans.”
“And, what?
You’ll make me climax with just your fingers,” she said.
“That’s absurd.”
“If I lose, I will be your acting coach for six months, two days a week,” he offered, hitting her biggest need.
“Deal,” she said almost automatically before she blushed.
“I mean… It’s harmless, right?”
He nodded, this time not turning back while Penny removed her jeans, revealing her underwear, which was more athletic cut, similar to some kind of low-cut dolphin shorts that covered most of her ass.
“Should I lie down?” she asked.
“No, just sit,” he said, even as he pulled a chair in front of her, took her hand, and started rubbing her hand.
However, as he did that, he maintained eye contact.
“Don’t break your gaze,” he warned when she avoided him.
“That’s part of the massage.”
“Fine,” she said, but her blush was thick and immediate; leaving her even weaker against his greatly improved skills, which allowed him to read her body like a map with Perception, and play like an instrument with his Agility.
It didn’t take long for her expression to shift, realizing that he wasn’t exaggerating his abilities.
Any other time, she would have likely asked him to stop.
But this time, with Leonard having managed to anger her terribly, she decided to be a little less careful about the definition of her loyalty.
He didn’t say anything, just moved from her hands to her feet, then climbed up slowly.
Twice, he stopped to focus on her neck and collarbones, priming her for it … then he touched her inner thighs, which broke her resistance, and she started shuddering.
[Achievement complete.
Tempt Penny into an erotic massage with a happy ending while she’s in a relationship.
Challenge: Hard]
[+10 Attractiveness
1 Random Gold Skill
1 Random Gold Reward]
[Bonus achievement complete.
Netori effect in play]
[+10 Intelligence
Matching skill found.
Upgrade Intermediate Cello
1 Random Gold Reward]
Choices were easy.
He selected attractiveness from Penny, while Leonard’s assist went to Cello.
[Adept Cello Expertise]
[Uncommon Skill: You are fairly skilled in handling the cello, enough to work as the third chair of a major orchestra, or the first chair of a minor one.]
Penny blushed, not saying anything for a moment.
“I guess you win,” she admitted after a pause.
Then, she pulled her jeans back on and coughed.
“I better check Leonard,” she said as she did, only to return with a frown.
“Good news or bad news?”
“Start with the bad,” he said.
“Well, Leonard will continue occupying your bathroom for a while,” she said with distaste.
“Good news?”
She sighed.
“He’s a very tidy drunk.
There’s no need for any deep cleaning.”
He nodded.
“That’s good news,” he said.
“Now, what do you want to do?” he asked.
She sighed.
“Ordinarily, I would have called the girls and gone for a club, but I know that if I do that, Leonard will … well, he’ll be sad, and he’ll make sure I know it.”
“Why don’t you bring him with you?” he asked.
“Well, any other day, at least?”
She sighed, then looked at him.
“You clearly have something to say,” she said.
He smirked.
“On the contrary, I very carefully don’t have anything to say, not unless you have specific questions,” he said.
“I find giving unprompted advice about other people’s relationships doesn’t really work that much,” he said.
“And if I ask your opinion explicitly?” she said.
“Then I’ll give it,” he replied.
“That’s why I don’t recommend it,” he said.
He was being honest, because he knew that in a situation like this, it was the most devastating weapon.
She gulped, realizing his seriousness.
“Maybe I shouldn’t,” she said with a nod.
“I should just drag Leonard away instead.”
“Leave him there and let him finish,” he said.
“He’ll just make a bigger mess otherwise.”
“Good point,” she admitted.
“What can we do?”
“How about you show me the outfit for the indie movie,” he offered.
“Just because the invitation is bogus doesn’t mean the script is bad.
We can practice,” he said.
“Unless…”
“Unless what?”
“Unless you’re ready for another bet,” he said.
She blushed, the desire in her gaze apparent.
“No.
I think I gambled enough for a day,” she said.
“Now, turn your back.”
He did, but the rustling of fabric was tempting, especially since she moaned a few times, clearly deliberate to make him pay for earlier victory.
He shuffled, exaggerating his reaction rather than hiding it.
After all, only by letting her know she was having an impact, she would be encouraged to push more.
Technically, he could just be more aggressive, but the current approach was fun without risking scaring Penny away.
The perfect balance.
“You can turn now,” she said.
He did, only to pause.
She actually managed to surprise him because she was wearing a black lace underwear set, complete with fishnet stockings.
She even wore tall stilettos, enhancing her beauty even further.
He didn’t bother hiding his appreciative gaze while he tried to remember the script.
He recognized it soon.
There was only one scene the female main character was supposed to be wearing fishnets, though there, notes made it clear that she also needed a miniskirt and a leather jacket.
He doubted she had skipped them accidentally.
“How do I look?” she asked, her voice trembling.
“Spectacular,” he said.
“Of course, the true question is different,” he added.
“What’s that?”
“Are we just doing a costume test, or are we playing the scene?” he asked.
She gulped, then exhaled.
She exhaled.
The nervousness didn’t disappear, but it receded enough to let something else through.
Desire, mixed with just enough anger, the source clear by the glance she threw at the bedroom door.
“The role,” she said.
“Page forty-two.”
The seduction scene.
Where the female character had to seduce the bouncer to enter the backstage of a concert.
He wasn’t surprised by her reaction.
Their relationship had just begun, but Leonard was already proving to be a worse boyfriend than she had expected.
She expected a good man, but she got a ‘nice’ man, the distinction clear.
Ironically, for all his faults, Leonard was a good man and a good friend.
He was just a shit boyfriend, mostly because every moment, he felt like he had acquired something impossible and needed to perform perfectly to keep it; which destroyed the foundation of the relationship before it even began.
Without that insecurity, they would have made a good couple.
Could he lay those down, intervene, and put their relationship on a healtier base … maybe, but that would be a favor to Leonard, and not Penny, who had a brighter future without Leonard, at least that was what he believed.
So, Ethan said none of them, and instead turned to the page, and read the scene again.
“Where do you want me?” she asked.
“Start by the window.
You need to start with a seductive walk,” he said.
She nodded and started walking.
Her walk was sexy and alluring … also completely wrong.
“Stop,” he called.
“What’s wrong?” she asked.
“You’re doing your sexy Penny walk, the kind of woman who wants to make everyone in the club look at her,” he said.
“The character in the script is different.
She is a femme fetale.
Her allure is sharp and incisive.”
She nodded, surprised by the correction rather than letting the situation play as an excuse to flirt openly.
He still planned to do that, but there was no harm in actually giving an acting lesson in the process.
“Any recommendations?”
“Look at the window first; let your expression sharpen before starting to walk.
Sharp steps, sharper movements.
Don’t forget, you’re not flirting for fun.
Your beauty is a weapon, and you use it to destroy.”
She nodded and looked out.
“You’re not just standing.
You’re displaying your treasure,” he added, followed by a few corrections, his Photography skill allowing him to pace her perfectly.
“Now turn back.
Slowly.
Look like you have found a victim.”
She did, then walked.
He had some more corrections, choreography helping him to correct her walk.
Seeing her getting frustrated, he grabbed his camera, and recorded the last one, and let her watch.
She must have been annoyed at her display not breaking his mind, because she sat on his lap rather than on the seat next to him.
Then, she watched it, and that detail went forgotten.
A gasp escaped her mouth.
“It … it doesn’t look like me,” she said.
“It’s my face and my body.
How the hell she doesn’t look like me,” she said.
“Franky, I’m a bit surprised as well,” he admitted, even as he put his hand on her thigh, squeezing.
The intimate seating contrasted with the serious talk.
Ordinarily, Penny wouldn’t have accepted such a touch, but since they had been in bed just a few days ago, she seemed to accept it as a casual interaction.
Or, it might be about the orgasm he had given her earlier by just giving her a massage.
Hard to tell.
“When I heard you were trying to become an actress for four years with absolutely no success, I assumed that you had no talent.”
“Hey—” she said with a playful exclamation.
He interrupted her.
By slapping her ass.
“Let me finish,” he said.
“However, the speed at which you improved in ten minutes shows that your talent is not a problem.
The direction is.
First, I don’t know where you’re taking your acting classes, but drop it.
I don’t even need to see them to know they are hacks ruining your talent,” he said.
She wasn’t an acting genius that would suddenly start playing Hamlet in the West End, but considering she was trying to break into TV, it wasn’t necessary.
She was already beautiful, decent acting talent and strategic auditioning were all she needed to have a chance.
Especially if he helped her a bit to avoid tripping over the shadier stuff.
“They are nice… niceish…” she muttered, stopping once he glared at her.
“Fine.
I know they are not the best, but they are all I can afford with my pay.”
“Then you self-study.
Get books, watch videos, find a few serious acting partners to practice for free.”
She paused.
“I don’t think I can handle the self-study,” she whispered.
“I’m not … smart. This chapter was taken from g.com without permission.
Not like Sheldon or Leonard.”
He sighed.
“Penny, that’s just silly.
Yes, in terms of pure IQ, you can’t match Sheldon and Leonard, but who can?
It’s like telling you’re bad at basketball because you can’t win against Michael Jordan in a pickup game.
You’re more than smart enough to handle it.
There’s only one question that you need to answer.”
“What is that?” she asked.
“That whether you want to continue on the same path to total failure until the end because you are in a comfortable rut, or finally, you take responsibility for your own success and actually work for it.”
“Hey, I work hard.”
“I have no doubt,” he said.
“But, you need to be more proactive.
Acting is a difficult industry to break into.
You won’t succeed if all you do to listen to others, even if the others in question aren’t a third-rate agent and a fourth-rate acting teacher.”
She shuffled, thoughtful, which contrasted greatly with their position.
“Thanks,” she muttered almost two minutes later, still on his lap, still wearing fishnet and underwear, contrasting greatly with her sincerity.
“Everyone either praises me for great acting, or talks condescendingly at me like acting is a silly hobby I need to drop and grow up.”
Then, she hugged him, which he accepted without pulling any naughty tricks.
From the show, he knew that she had always been sensitive about her acting career and tended to act aggressively when others gave opinions … but he also knew their horrible timing helped.
He still remembered one scene where Leonard explained to Penny how unlikely it was for her to become a star because she asked … right after they had watched a show for her scene, only to see that it had been got cut.
Giving advice after helping her improve markedly was different.
He waited until she stopped hugging him.
“Perfect,” he said as he slapped her ass again.
“Now that we resolved your professional crisis, run it again.
This time, show me how well you can improvise.”
Her eyes widened as the implication hit her.
“Improvise,” she muttered.
“Yes, improvise,” he said.
“I’ll play the sleazy security guard, and you’ll play the femme fetale.
Red is the safe word,” he said.
She caught the implication, and he could see that thoughts were dancing behind her gaze.
She didn’t cheat on her partners, which was an issue of pride for her.
Yet, they would just be practicing for the role.
It wouldn’t be cheating…
Technically.
She stared at him.
Then her posture shifted, subtly but significantly; showing that she decided to accept that technical distinction.
She walked back to the window, took a deep breath and … shifted.
Suddenly, her aura had changed completely.
Her acting wasn’t just passable, but actually good.
Apparently, in her attempt to trick herself, she had just achieved an epiphany.
One that deserved a remark.
[Achievement complete.
Assist Penny in having a major breakthrough in her acting skill as a side effect of seduction.
Challenge: Hard]
[+10 Attractiveness
1 Random Gold Skill
1 Random Gold Reward]
[Bonus achievement complete.
Netori effect in play]
[+10 Intelligence
Improve Skill Novice Chess
1 Random Gold Reward]
He picked Attractiveness.
He was also tempted to add Intelligence, but he decided to go with Gold Reward.
At this point, he had the luxury of taking a bit of a risk to understand the rewards more.
[Rare Comic Pack]
He hummed, a touch disappointed despite the ease of getting it, but he wondered if there was a thematic relevance between the reward and the target.
Possibly.
Then, Penny started walking toward him, each step sharp, alluring, and utterly different from her usual sweet seduction.
He put the camera on the side and left it recording.
It would be excellent study material.
A little steamy, maybe, but considering they already shot a literal homemade porn, not exactly an issue.
She climbed onto his lap, grabbed his chin.
“Hello, handsome,” she whispered.
“I need a little help.
I’m lost,” she whispered with a mocking sweetness.
“Can you help me find the way?” Then, she kissed him, passionate and aroused, her hips moving hard.
“How about it?”
“Maybe,” he responded as he grabbed her ass, playing along, even changing his accent to a fake Russian one.
“It depends on whether you can show how much help you need.”
“Oh, I can show it,” she whispered, the words turning into weapons in her tone.
They kissed while she gave an incredible lap dance.
For five minutes, he received an incredible lap dance.
Then, she pulled back, and from her eyes, he could see that she had stopped playing the character.
She was Penny once again.
“More,” he ordered.
She still followed.
She slid down, pulled his pants, and wrapped her lips around his erection.
She was good.
He grabbed her head, pushing her down, and she accepted it with a happy moan, her hands already on her breasts.
It was when Leonard chose to return.
The door to the bedroom opened, and Penny stiffened.
“Calm down, he can’t see,” he whispered, still keeping her down.
Penny stayed despite her wide eyes, unable to process the sudden shift, so her body moved automatically.
He pushed her even deeper, her throat feeling amazing.
Then, he turned to Leonard, who was still drunk and dazed.
“Hey, man, feeling better?” he asked
“Y-Yeah,” he stammered.
“Where’s Penny?”
“She went for a run, something about trying to deal with anger and disappointment, I suppose,” he said with a smirk.
“I dropped the ball, didn’t I?” he asked with a whimpering tone.
He pitied the guy … just not enough to stop Penny.
“Sorry about it, but you did, buddy,” he said.
“I warned you that it’s a heavy drink, but you insisted on showing off.”
“Y-you did,” Leonard admitted.
“I just—” he added, then stopped.
“Oh god, again,” he whispered, and retreated to the bathroom.
Only then, he look at Penny, who looked shellshocked.
“I …” she whispered.
“It was…”
“Just acting.
We’re still playing the role,” he whispered like the devil.
He smirked.
“Would you like to finish?”
“T-that…” she whispered.
That was the last thing she said before she lowered her head, attacking his shaft with renewed passion, but this time, she took him deeper herself, almost as if she were punishing herself.
His reward was a spectacular night.
Penny pulled back after swallowing.
“Nothing happened,” she declared.
He nodded.
“I … I should go,” she whispered.
He nodded again, saying nothing as she dressed quickly, fixed her makeup, and even dragged Leonard out.
Technically, it could be framed as interruption, but he was happy with the results.
[Achievement complete.
Seduce Penny into a blowjob while her boyfriend is in the same room.
Challenge: Daring]