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One Touch

Penelope worked for a secret government organization. It was highly classified, well hidden, and extremely selective. They recruited their employees straight out of high school, not wanting to waste any time in getting them trained. They came to Penelope claiming that she scored exceptionally high in all subjects and saying that her impressive manipulation skills would come in handy. They hadn't told her the full extent of the job, but she was all in.

The initiation process- which had happened before they told her anything about the actual job- was brutal, to say the least. She was isolated for months and put through extensive testing and what she would describe as torture. She was one of the three out of a hundred to make it into the program. Even then, she trained for about a year before she was told anything more than the bare minimum. Now, three years later, she was a high-level operative with level seven- out of nine- security clearance. She was a highly valued operative in a highly discrete and protected organization that was extremely selective with the people allowed to even know its name- ARK.

This was why Penelope was so surprised to find the same brunette she had seen in the Passion Nightclub only a week prior sitting cross-legged on the commander's desk in the middle of ARK's most secure building.

Penelope froze, staring at the girl. She was standing, holding the door open with one hand while carrying two coffee cups in the other. The girl didn't notice her, she was completely enveloped in whatever book she was reading. Penelope glanced down at the book only to find that it had no title on its cover.

"Penelope!" a voice shouted from behind the girl. She turned around to find her boss, Lizzie Saltzman, standing behind her with furrowed eyebrows. "What's the hold-up?" she questioned.

Something clicked in Penelope's mind. Lizzie was one of the girls the brunette girl had been dancing with.

"Sorry, Liz. I was just surprised to see someone other than me defying your 'no feet on the desk' rule," Penelope explained, tilting her head towards the girl on the desk who was now looking at them.

"What did you just call me?" Lizzie asked squinting at the shorter girl.

"Liz," Penelope answered, grinning at the girl. "Would you prefer Princess?" she questioned.

Lizzie practically growled at the other girl. "Give me my coffee," she demanded, holding out her hand for the beverage.

Penelope obliged, handing the girl the cup and letting her push past her. Lizzie walked behind her desk. Penelope followed her into the office, sitting in a chair on the other side of the desk and propping her feet up on the desk, trying her best not to stare at the girl that was still sitting on the desk.

"Penelope, this is my sister Josie. Josie, this is my asshole agent Penelope," Lizzie introduced as she sipped at her coffee.

Penelope took the opportunity to look the brunette over again. "Nice to meet you," she said curtly, smiling at the girl.

Josie smiled back but didn't speak to her, asking her sister a question instead. "If she's an asshole, why don't you fire her?"

"Because she needs me," Penelope answered quickly, wanting the girl's attention to stay on her. "I'm good at what I do."

"I don't need you," Lizzie argued. "My life would just be a lot harder without you," she said, finishing her coffee.

"She needs me," Penelope whispered to Josie, covering the side of her face closest to Lizzie with her hand as she spoke.

Josie giggled softly, smiling at Penelope. "I'm sure she does," she said, addressing Penelope directly for the first time.

Penelope couldn't help but smile, both at the other girls laugh and at the small victory of getting her to speak directly to her.

"Was there something you needed?" Lizzie questioned, pulling Penelope's focus away from Josie.

"No," Penelope chimed back, smiling brightly at Lizzie before returning her focus to Josie.

"Why do you always come here when you don't need anything?" Lizzie asked, clearly annoyed.

Penelope hesitated, turning back to the blonde. "Well, you see, my friend Milton has to come in here every day at five. You're always really grumpy when he comes in and you usually yell at him. So, I come in every day at four-thirty and give you coffee so you won't yell at him," Penelope explained quickly, barely taking a breath.

"That's really sweet," Josie commented, resting her hand on Penelope's shin.

Penelope froze, her smile disappearing, and her eyes snapping towards the hand touching her.

Lizzie stiffened, waiting for Penelope to snap or push Josie away.

Penelope never liked being touched. No one was allowed to touch her. Not her family. Not her friends. Not her colleges. Not even the people she had sex with were allowed to touch her without permission. It was one of her unspoken rules, and everyone followed it. But, instead of wanting to push Josie away, she wanted to pull her closer. She wanted Josie to touch her more.

It was then that she realized she was obsessed with this girl. She could chalk looking for her every night for a week up to a crush on someone she knew nothing about. She could not, however, even try to claim that she was okay with a girl she didn't know touching her without permission because of a crush.

Shit.

"Uh," Josie spoke.

Penelope's eyes snapped to Josie's face, finding concern and uncertainty etched in her expression. The brunette was looking back and forth between Penelope and Lizzie, confused as to why they were acting so strangely. Penelope didn't say anything.

"I'm sorry, did I do something wrong?" Josie questioned, pulling her hand away from Penelope's leg.

"Penelope?" Lizzie called carefully, ignoring her sister.

"You didn't do anything wrong. I'm just not used to people touching me," Penelope said, answering Josie's question.

Lizzie raised an eyebrow at Penelope. "You don't have to spare her because she's my sister," she said. "You have every right to snap, and even if you had no right I'd be surprised if you didn't. I am surprised that you didn't."

"I'm fine, Elizabeth. Really," Penelope said, sipping her untouched coffee.

"If you say so, Park," Lizzie retorted snarkily.

"I'm confused, what would you snap about?" Josie questioned.

"She's more than not used to being touched," Lizzie explained, smiling when Penelope glared at her. "She doesn't allow anyone to touch her without permission. The last person who tried ended up in the hospital for a week."

"It was three days, and he was fine," Penelope argued. When she saw Josie's apologetic expression, she scrambled to assure her it was okay. "Oh, it's fine. Don't worry about it. I've been trying to be more open to people touching me anyways," she explained.

That was a lie. She hadn't been trying to be more open to anything.

Lizzie raised an eyebrow at Penelope but didn't say anything.

"Oh. Okay. That's okay, then," Josie said, letting out a sigh of relief.

"Great! Leave now, Penelope," Lizzie demanded. "My sister and I have matters to attend to."

"Do I have to?" Penelope questioned. "I'm really enjoying myself."

"Yes, you have to," Lizzie answered.

"Fine, but I'm coming back with MG at five. I'm feeling extra annoying today," she explained before standing up and leaving the office, smiling.

For the rest of the day, for the rest of the week, all Penelope could think about was Josie's hand on her leg.

One touch wasn't enough.

She needed more.