A/N: Hey, it's been a while.
This is for JayJamie, who has infinite patience.
Sorry about that. I hope it was worth the wait.
It had just turned midnight when Alex paid the driver and stepped out of the cab that had delivered her home from the airport and into the chill of a New York Thursday night. She hauled her bag after her, hefting it onto her shoulder as she looked up at the darkened windows of her apartment. She dug in her pocket for her keys, letting out a quiet sigh.
A trip that was supposed to be of four days duration had morphed into twenty. What had been touted as a brief trip to Paris had turned into an almost three week stress-filled nightmare that had encompassed Antwerp, Berlin, Lisbon and Paris (four times). She was tired, she was irritable and she was so, so glad to be home.
She'd spoken to Piper almost every day whilst she'd been away. Phone and Skype and even email on the days where the time zones and work commitments didn't allow them to speak had enabled them to stay in contact during her extended trip to Europe. She'd still missed her though. Missed her in a way that gave her pause for thought. Missed her in a way that made her think she couldn't carry on like this indefinitely. Missed her in a way that made her think she may need to give some serious consideration to an exit strategy.
(From her career. Not her relationship.)
She'd tried calling Piper from the airport, as she stood beside the baggage carousel waiting for her luggage. It had diverted to voicemail almost immediately. This came as no real surprise. It was late and Piper had been working long hours, tirelessly trying to get her new business venture off the ground. She'd become no stranger to fourteen and fifteen hour days recently – burning the candle at both ends, her mom would have said – and Alex guessed she'd probably be in bed. They'd already arranged to meet up the following day.
One more night, Alex thought as she turned the key in the lock of her apartment door. One more night away from her, then tomorrow everything would be okay again.
She had worked until four. She'd planned to work until midday and had been reminding Polly all week that she'd be finishing early today. By the time four o'clock rolled around and she was still hard at work, uttering another I'll just finish this, then I'm outta here, Polly took action.
She gathered Piper's coat and bag in one hand and the back of her collar in the other. She quite literally dragged her best friend by the scruff off the neck to the door and out into the street. As soon as Piper's feet hit the pavement, Polly pushed her coat and bag at her and told her to go.
"If you set so much as a single toe over this threshold in the next seventy two hours Piper Chapman, so help me I'll..."
Piper clutched her coat and bag against her chest, a look of utter shock on her face.
"Go!" Polly commanded. "Go. Get the fuck outta here. I don't want to see or hear from you until Monday at the earliest."
"B-but, I..." Piper stammered.
"Go!"
And with that, Polly took a step back into the building and shut the door in Piper's stunned face, making a big show of locking it too, as if to cement her point.
It took her a few seconds to recover from the shock of being unceremoniously dumped on the sidewalk, then Piper gathered herself and shrugged into her coat. She cast a glance back at the building as she hurried away, a small smile growing into a quiet chuckle as she headed for the subway. She mentally ran through a checklist of things she needed to do, checked her watch and picked up her pace.
Alex entered her apartment and leaned heavily against the door as it closed behind her. She turned after a moment and made sure it was locked, before flicking some lights on and shrugging out of her coat.
She left her bag in the hallway and threw her coat over the back of the couch before flopping heavily into an armchair and letting out a deep sigh. She pushed her glasses up into her hair and rubbed her forefinger and thumb over her closed eyelids. After an eight and a half hour flight she needed a beer and a shower and probably a couple of Tylenol.
She also needed Piper.
She kicked off her boots one at a time, then dragged her phone from the pocket of her jeans, unlocked it and pulled up Piper's number before dialling. She listened to it ring before diverting to voicemail again. This time she left a message.
"Hey babe. It's me. It's a little after midnight and I just got home."
She leaned her head against the back of the chair and breathed out slowly.
"I guess you're asleep, but I wanted to let you know that I'm back."
Alex paused, listening to the dead air over the line, then spoke again her voice was quiet and heavy with fatigue.
"I missed you, kid. I missed you a lot. I can't believe we're finally back in the same city and I don't get to see you until tomorrow…"
Piper ran to three different stores after being kicked out of work, making preparations for Alex's return. She went for a run, ate dinner, took a bath, packed an overnight bag, then at eleven o'clock climbed out of a cab and let herself into her girlfriend's apartment.
Her phone rang once while she was in the apartment, startling her and making her jump. She grabbed it and smiled excitedly when she saw Alex's name on the screen, but then caught herself and forced herself to reject the call, sending it to voicemail instead.
She checked the phone again a moment later, but saw there was no message. She shrugged off the disappointment and returned to the bathroom. If Alex was calling, that meant her flight had landed. Which meant she had maybe an hour, tops, before she arrived home.
She undressed in Alex's bathroom and changed into the lingerie she had purchased earlier that day. She couldn't recall ever spending quite so much money on quite so little fabric. It was deep plum in colour with lace edging and she figured she'd need most of the hour she had to work out exactly how the suspenders attached to the sheer black stockings she'd also purchased. She carefully applied some light make up, dabbed a little perfume behind each ear, checked her appearance in the mirror, turned off the light then moved into the bedroom.
She sat on the edge of the bed and heard the clock in the kitchen begin to chime midnight. She moved up the bed and reached for one of the satin ties she'd attached to the corner post of the bedhead earlier. There was a tie fastened securely to each corner, the same deep plum colour of the halter corset and panties she was wearing, purchased from the same specialist retailer that afternoon. She'd visited two specific websites and had watched seven videos on YouTube before she'd managed to find the type of knot she needed and she slipped her left wrist through a loop before lowering her arm and feeling the fabric tighten. She lengthened the second tie a little, leaving it loose on the pillow beside her, then turned her phone to silent and placed it on the bedside table before lying down on her back and waiting.
She didn't have to wait long.
A few minutes after she'd heard the chiming of the clock, she heard Alex's key slide into the lock of the apartment door. She instantly flicked off the bedside lamp and then, taking a deep breath, slipped her right wrist into the loop of the remaining tie and pulled her arm towards her. As she did so, the loop tightened around her slender wrist and the more she pulled, the more the knot slid, shortening the length of the tie until she was held securely in place.
Piper closed her eyes, breathed slowly and waited. Listening as Alex finally returned home.
She heard the apartment door open and close, then heard the locks slide back into place. She turned her head slightly toward the bedroom door and the crack of light that seeped through the small gap as Alex turned on the lights in the living room. She tried to picture what Alex was doing as she made her way around the apartment, hearing muffled movements, then a slight creak of leather and a heavy sigh. She heard two quiet thuds, one after the other, then nothing.
Piper lifted her head, straining to hear any more sounds as silence descended in the apartment once more.
She gently lay her head back on the pillow and bit her lower lip as a thought suddenly struck her.
What if she doesn't come to bed?
She bit her lip harder.
What if she's so tired from travelling she just sits out there and passes out on the couch?
She lifted her head and stared at the crack of light again. Listened to the silence.
Oh, SHIT.
In her head, she cursed herself for not thinking this through. For not considering that actually, she might be stuck here all night – and not in the way she'd intended. She had deliberately left securing that last tie until she heard Alex entering the apartment so she wouldn't be stranded here all night thanks to a delayed flight or a missed connection or an accident on the freeway or… or a travel weary girlfriend.
Fuck.
She rested her head back on the pillow and turned her face to the side to look at the tie securing her left wrist to the bed. She knew, because she'd spent so fucking long researching it and making sure it was done right, that there was no way this knot was coming undone without assistance. If Alex didn't find her, she was stuck here.
She was going to have to call out to her. Fuck the surprise, she had to try and catch her girlfriend's attention before sleep enveloped her. Her breathing had already quickened as panic started to creep in and if she didn't let Alex know she was here, this could develop into a full blown panic attack before she knew what was happening.
She lifted her head again and took a breath to call Alex's name, when her phone started to vibrate on the bedside table, taking her by surprise. She turned her head and strained against the ties to try and see the screen, realising almost instantly that whenever she pulled, the satin lengths got a little shorter.
She stopped straining and lay back and a few seconds later, she heard her phone stop vibrating and then the soft sounds of Alex's voice began to drift from the other room.
She lay perfectly still and closed her eyes, concentrating on nothing but the quiet voice. She couldn't quite catch what she was saying. Just odd words, snippets of a one-sided conversation.
"midnight… home..."
"asleep… I'm back..."
"you, kid… same city… tomorrow..."
And then, as Piper listened, the voice started to become a little clearer. A little louder. The words more distinct and a little easier to hear as Alex began to move.
She hauled herself out of the chair, the phone still pressed to her ear.
"I'm really tired, I didn't get any sleep on the flight and there was a kid screaming back in economy for at least four hours."
She moved into the kitchen as she spoke and, instead of the beer she craved, drew herself a glass of water. She took a sip as she turned off the living room light and started to move toward the bedroom.
"So I'm gonna go to bed. I want you to know that I've missed you though… I'm still missing you… and I can't wait to see you tomorrow."
Alex pushed the bedroom door open with her shoulder and reached for the light switch.
"Okay, babe. I"ll give you a call in the mor-... holy fuck!"
She'd pushed the door open and flipped on the light in one movement, all whilst holding the glass of water and speaking into the phone. As her body turned from the switch she caught her first sight of Piper lying on the bed.
She felt all of the air rush from her lungs with those last two words as her eyes took in the sight before her.
Initially, she just saw Piper. In a split second her eyes registered the lingerie that she'd never seen before, the suspenders, the stockings, the satin ties that were secured to the head of the bed and looped around her girlfriend's delicate wrists.
"Holy fuck," she repeated, her voice no more than a whisper.
Piper just looked up at her as Alex lowered the phone and held it loosely at her side. Her eyes were fixed on Piper, but she seemed rooted to the spot.
"I missed you too," Piper said, her voice soft. "A lot."
It took Alex a couple of seconds to gather herself, then she moved very slowly around the bed. She placed the water and the phone on the bedside table next to Piper's, then sat on the edge of the bed. She let her eyes drift slowly over her girlfriend, then removed her glasses from her hair and placed them next to the water. She reached up and casually let the backs of two of her fingers slide down one of the satin ties, from the bedpost all the way to Piper's wrist.
"Well," Alex murmured. "Well hi."
Piper looked up at her just in time to see the smirk that started to form on Alex's lips.
"Hi," she breathed. "It's good to see you."
Alex's eyes flicked to Piper's and she held her gaze for a moment. When she spoke her voice was raspy and held a hint of wonder. "You look… you look so..."
Piper held her breath.
"...so vulnerable, Piper."
That wasn't the word she was expecting, but she could kinda see that it was accurate. She forced herself to remain quiet. Waited.
"So open," Alex whispered.
Piper kept very still. Remained quiet.
Alex's voice was no more than a breath. "So… beautiful."
She suppressed a smile, bit the inside of her cheek to keep quiet.
Alex was silent for a few more seconds, her eyes alone exploring Piper's body, still and restrained beside her.
"Why?" She murmured after a moment, her eyes drifting up to meet Piper's.
"For you," Piper replied, her voice quiet but certain. "Because I'm yours."
They'd talked about this during Alex's absence. During one of the late night phone calls that had helped both of them get through Alex's time away. When they talked about things they'd done, things they'd yet to do. Fantasies feeding feelings, words easing the pain of their extended separation. This one had been all Alex. This had been one straight from her wish list and she'd gone into great detail describing to Piper exactly how she wanted her, what she'd do to her, how she'd treat her and tease her and torment her until she was begging for release. The words alone had been enough to leave them both breathless and panting, bodies slick with sweat, temporarily sated and whispering promises to each other across the three and a half thousand miles between them.
Alex held her gaze for a few moments more, then stood. Her eyes fixed on her hand, she slowly trailed her fingers down the length of Piper's outstretched arm, over the satin that covered her ribcage, further, over the bump of her hip before pausing. She slipped one fingertip beneath the elastic that stretched from the bottom of Piper's corset to the top of her stocking, pulling it away from her body. She looked up at Piper's face and raised one perfectly sculpted eyebrow as she removed her finger, allowing the suspender to snap back against Piper's smooth skin.
Piper's eyes closed briefly. A quiet gasp escaped her lips. Her left hand twisted slightly in its restraint, but she said nothing.
A slow smile started on Alex's lips.
"Good girl," she murmured. "That's good."
Piper forced herself to remain quiet. She watched in silence as Alex straightened and began to slowly unbutton her jeans, deliberately taking her time. Leaving them open, she then grasped the hem of her t-shirt and pulled it up and off over her head, discarding it with a flick of the wrist. Piper's eyes dropped to the swell of Alex's breasts, contained within a simple black cotton bra. Her tongue darted out and she wet her lips, but still she said nothing.
Alex moved up close to the bed again. Her fingers immediately moving to the suspender stretched on Piper's thigh. After snapping it gently, she allowed her fingers to trail down the outside of Piper's right leg, sliding over the silk that covered her skin. When she reached Piper's ankle, she took it in her hand and leaned down to place a gentle kiss on the sole of her foot.
"You're all wrapped up," she murmured. "Like a gift."
Piper swallowed, but didn't speak.
She kissed the inside of Piper's ankle, then lowered her foot back to the mattress as she knelt on the end of the bed. She leaned forward, planted her hands on the sheets either side of her girlfriend and began to crawl, tantalisingly slowly, up the bed.
"I'm going to enjoy unwrapping my gift," she murmured, before pressing a gentle kiss to Piper's skin, just above the top of her stocking. "My beautiful, delicate gift."
Piper's hips jerked involuntarily and she pressed her lips together in a thin line to ensure she remained silent. She made a conscious effort to press her hips back against the bed and focused on controlling her breathing.
Alex watched her do this and gave her a small smile of admiration, before placing another kiss on her lover's thigh, then another, on her lower abdomen, millimetres above the lacy edged waist of her panties. She felt Piper's muscles twitch under the gentle touch of her lips and continued, placing small, soft, delicate kisses over her skin.
Piper twisted her hands in the restraints, pulling against them as Alex peppered her abdomen with kisses. She remembered too late that the restraints shortened with increased tension and felt her arms moving further away from her as they were held marginally tighter. She let out a fast heavy breath and Alex lifted her head for a moment to look up at her.
Piper's head was pushed back, her blonde hair splayed over the pillow. Alex watched her throat work as she swallowed again, composing herself, slowing her breathing.
Smiling, Alex dipped her head again and placed another kiss on Piper's belly, then another at the bottom of her corset. She kissed a slow lazy trail up her body, lips dragging on the silky material covering her torso, then onwards, kissing the soft curve of the top of her breasts. Her hands found Piper's hips, pushing her down, keeping her still against the bed as her lips followed the flush on her girlfriend's skin, as it moved from her chest and up her neck and finally seeped into her cheeks.
Alex took her time, savouring the touch and taste of her lover's body. She moved her lips slowly over her skin, using her teeth and tongue to draw quiet gasps from Piper, feeling her tense and relax with each tiny bite. She grazed her teeth over Piper's pulse point and felt her hips jerk in response. As she dropped soft kisses up the side of Piper's neck, she was aware her girlfriend had turned her face toward her. She placed a lingering kiss below her ear, inhaling deeply as she did so, breathing in the mixture of perfume, shampoo and Piper that made up the unmistakeable scent of her girlfriend.
She let her nose run along Piper's jaw, her mouth open but not quite touching her skin. She held onto her hips, keeping them pressed against against the mattress as she changed course slightly and moved the tip of her nose across Piper's cheek. The blonde turned her head, her lips parted, seeking contact with Alex's mouth but she kept just out of reach, denying her the kiss she'd waited twenty long days and nights for.
"Alex," she breathed. "Al..."
"Shhhh," Alex responded, pulling away and pressing a finger to her own lips. "Patience."
Piper groaned quietly, but acquiesced. Alex leaned closer again and brushed her lips over Piper's cheekbone, her eyes drifting up to the tie around her wrist as it shifted slightly, the tension increasing. She moved close again, their mouths open against each other, lips almost touching. Alex tilted her head slightly then pulled away every time Piper thought she was going to give in and kiss her.
"Can you move?" Alex murmured, breathing Piper's breath.
Piper gave a tiny shake of her head and pulled slightly on the ties that bound her. "Barely," she whispered.
"Good."
Alex pressed her lips to Piper's cheek and then pushed up and moved away. Piper stretched up as far as she could, straining to kiss her as she moved away, but without success. She let her head and shoulders fall back on the bed in frustration.
Alex stood beside the bed and pushed down her jeans, stepping out of them and leaving them where they fell. She turned back to face Piper, now wearing just her underwear, and smirked as she saw Piper's eyes roving over her almost naked body appreciatively.
"See something you like?" she purred.
Piper looked up at Alex's face on hearing her speak and held her gaze for a couple of seconds.
"Please kiss me," she said, her voice quiet but earnest. "I've waited so long for this. Please, Al. Please kiss me."
Alex's face seemed to soften and she moved back to the bed. She sat on the edge and slowly leaned down, eyes fixed on Piper's as she moved ever closer. Piper strained up against her bonds, stretching her neck and shoulders to meet Alex's lips. Her eyes fluttered closed a moment before their lips were to touch and then she heard Alex's voice breathe in her ear. One word.
"No."
As she felt the warmth of Alex's body move away from her, Piper let out another groan of frustration and fell back against the mattress again.
Alex sat a little further down the bed, level with Piper's hips. She looked up at her girlfriend and smiled at her obvious frustration, then reached out and snapped the elastic of her suspender again without warning, making her jump.
"I haven't unwrapped my gift yet," Alex said, a playful tone to her voice.
"I haven't kissed you in three weeks!" Piper exclaimed, starting to sound a little desperate.
Alex turned her face away to hide a grin, then snapped the suspender again. "Patience, babe. All in good time."
Piper pinched her eyes closed and shook her head slightly, but said nothing else. As the elastic of the suspender snapped loudly against her thigh, with more of a sting this time, she looked up at Alex again. As she watched, Alex unhooked the suspender from the front of the stocking covering her right leg and leaned closer, pressing her lips to the reddened skin of her thigh.
As Alex soothed the tender skin with her lips and tongue, Piper was acutely aware that her girlfriend's right hand was moving slowly to the inside of her thigh. She let her breath out quietly as she felt Alex's fingers brush gently over her satin panties, moving upwards and pausing on her mound before sliding down again at the same agonising pace. She repeated this movement four times before Piper couldn't take it any longer and moved her hips up, pushing against her girlfriend's fingers, increasing the pressure of her touch.
The instant she pushed against Alex's fingers was the instant Alex stopped and pulled away.
Piper groaned, realising her mistake immediately.
Alex stood and flicked her hair behind her shoulder. She looked down at Piper, then walked around the bed. Piper followed her with her eyes and watched as Alex took a hair tie from the drawer in the bedside table and pulled her hair into a messy ponytail.
"If you do that again," Alex started, not looking at her girlfriend as she searched through the drawer again, "I'll go and sleep on the couch and leave you here."
She straightened and looked Piper in the eye. "Are we clear?"
Piper swallowed thickly before nodding her head.
"Yes?"
"Crystal." Piper's voice was tiny.
"Good."
Alex dropped two small sachets of lubricant onto the bed beside Piper as she spoke, then moved back around the bed to her right side. She slipped her hand under Piper's knee and lifted slightly, making her girlfriend bend her leg. She slid her hand up the back of her thigh and deftly unfastened the remaining suspender with one hand, pulling it a little before allowing it to snap backwards against Piper's thigh.
She knelt with just one knee on the mattress and reached for the top of Piper's thigh, slipping her fingertips under the lace edge of the stocking. Piper watched in silence as a look of concentration settled on Alex's face and her tongue darted out to wet her lips.
"Time to unwrap my gift," she murmured, her eyes not leaving the top of Piper's stocking.
Piper lay as still as she possibly could while Alex began the process of removing the silk stocking. She didn't think there was a way her lover could have conceivably done this in a less hurried manner. Her fingernails dragged against Piper's skin as she slid the smooth material down, past her knee and then pausing briefly. Alex leaned in and pressed her lips against the inside of Piper's knee almost as soon as it was revealed, before continuing down, pulling the stocking over her calf, then her ankle and finally her toes.
Alex let the stocking fall to the floor as she moved to kneel on the end of the bed, cradling Piper's ankle in her hand. She lifted Piper's foot higher, before gently kissing the sole of her foot. She felt her girlfriend flinch and almost pull away at the contact, but a moment later felt her relax again. She dipped her head again and kissed each of Piper's toes in turn, taking her time, moving slowly but surely from one toe to the next. She shifted position slightly and kissed the top of Piper's foot, then returned her attention to her toes, pressing her lips first against the bottom of her big toe, then the next, then touching the space between them with the tip of her tongue.
Piper flinched again, her foot jerking backwards before the hold on her ankle tightened, keeping her in place. Alex raised her eyes and looked up the length of Piper's body. Her girlfriend's head and shoulders were raised from the bed as she watched, trying to anticipate Alex's next move.
Alex allowed her a small smile a moment before she parted her lips and slid them over Piper's big toe. She pressed her tongue against the bottom of her toe and tightened her lips as she sucked gently. She watched as Piper dropped back against the mattress, her eyes closing and a small, quiet moan escaping her.
With one hand still holding Piper's ankle tightly, Alex's other hand began to massage her girlfriend's foot, fingers gently stroking the top while her thumb pushed hard against the sole, stroking a line along the centre. Her mouth didn't move from Piper's foot as she continued to kiss and suck and lick, noticing the definite change in the blonde's breathing every time she swirled her tongue around her toe.
Piper twisted her hands in the ties that still anchored her to the bedhead, trying desperately not to pull against them, but finding it increasingly difficult to keep still. Every time she chanced a glance at Alex, she was met with a pair of green eyes that appeared almost black with desire staring back at her, seemingly burning a hole into her as her lips and tongue continued to work on her toe, sucking and licking and exposing Piper to a whole new realm of pleasure. This was a first for Piper and not something she'd ever envisioned happening, but holy hell, she wasn't complaining.
She was surprised at her body's reaction to this, surprised at the goosebumps that sprang up from her skin, surprised at warmth she could feel pooling between her legs, surprised at just how sensuous she found it.
"Foot-sex," she breathed.
"Mmm?" Alex asked, her mouth still firmly fixed around Piper's big toe.
"God, Alex. You're making me like foot-sex. What the hell?"
Alex couldn't help smiling broadly, releasing Piper's toe as a consequence. She placed another kiss on the sole of her foot before lowering Piper's leg back to the mattress. She planted her hands on either side of her girlfriend's legs and began to very slowly crawl up the bed.
"You're just filthy," she murmured, lowering her body as she moved closer, dragging her nose along the inside of Piper's thigh.
"No," Piper whispered.
A kiss, soft against her skin, a breathed "No?"
"No, just..."
A touch, delicate, nose brushing against the satin covering Piper's centre. A whisper, "Just?"
Piper couldn't contain the moan that fell from her lips at Alex's touch exactly where she wanted her. She pushed her hips hard against the mattress, mindful of the brunette's earlier threat to leave, and pulled hard against the ties around her wrist instead. As soon as she did this, she felt the burn in her shoulders as her arms were pulled ever farther apart and she only just caught a quiet cry before it escaped her.
Alex lifted her head and looked up at Piper, her chin resting just above Piper's clit. They both knew this wasn't a coincidence.
"Just?" she asked again.
Piper breathed slowly, breathing through the pain across her shoulders and breathing to compose herself before replying. She lifted her head and looked down at Alex, taking in the sight of her almost naked girlfriend on hands and knees above her, face agonisingly close to her centre, hair falling forward in a loose ponytail over her shoulder as she waited for a reply.
She wet her lips, then spoke softly, holding Alex's gaze. "Just completely in love with you."
Alex dropped her gaze almost shyly, turning her head away for a moment. When she looked back, Piper let out a fast and heavy breath at the predatory look she saw in Alex's eye.
Alex moved her hands to the base of Piper's halter corset. She released the remaining suspender, then watched her own hands as her fingers carefully unhooked each of the delicate fastenings on the corset, moving gradually up Piper's torso. When she unfastened the last one, the corset fell open revealing Piper's lightly tanned unblemished skin. She pushed up on her hands, looking down at Piper's exposed body, letting her eyes drift over the woman beneath her, lingering on her breasts for several seconds.
Without warning, she dipped her head and closed her lips around Piper's right nipple, flicking the taut bud with the tip of her tongue and sucking it hard. Piper let out a quiet gasp, quickly followed by a small cry as she pulled against her ties and tightened them even more. Alex moved her right hand to Piper's left hip, pressing her down against the bed as her other hand closed around her small breast, fingers caressing and kneading the skin as her mouth continued to draw small moans of pleasure from her girlfriend.
"Alex," Piper breathed. "Al..."
"Mmm?"
Piper didn't add anything further, but squeezed her thighs together and Alex noted the tiniest rocking movement that came from her hips. She continued, focusing on Piper's other breast for a few seconds, allowing the small movements coming from Piper's hips.
"Al," was breathed into the room again and this time Alex pulled away, much to Piper's frustration.
Alex pushed herself up and shifted position until she was sitting on her haunches above Piper's hips. She smiled down at her girlfriend and tilted her head to the side.
"Think I could do it?"
"Do what?"
"Make you come by just doing that."
"Probably," Piper reluctantly admitted.
Alex smirked. "Almost did just then..."
"Please don't, Al. Please."
Alex looked down at Piper and pulled her bottom lip between her teeth. She released it after a moment and Piper instantly noticed the change in her voice when Alex spoke again.
"No? Then how about like this?"
As she spoke she reached around her back with her right hand and unfastened her bra. She let the straps slip forward down her arms, then tossed the bra carelessly aside allowing her breasts to fall free. She kept her eyes fixed on Piper's as she placed her hands on her own hips and moved them slowly up over her skin. Her hands coasted over the swell of her breasts before cupping them and squeezing. She allowed her eyes to fall closed for just a moment as she pinched one of her nipples tightly between her thumb and forefinger.
"OhgodAlex..." fell from Piper's lips, carried on a swift exhalation of breath.
Alex looked back at her girlfriend and pressed her hips down, keeping Piper's still. Her left hand continued to knead and pinch her own breast, while her right moved up over her chest, then throat, then into her hair. She pulled the ponytail free and shook her head, allowing her dark hair to fall over her shoulders, contrasting sharply with her pale skin.
Alex wet her lips as her hand began to make its journey south again, pausing to caress her breast again before continuing, long fingers stroking over the skin of her lower abdomen before pushing their way beneath the waistband of her panties.
Piper's eyes widened as she watched and her mouth fell open slightly. Alex allowed her fingers to slip deeper into her panties.
"I bet I could, Pipes. I bet I could make you come without even touching you."
Piper seemed to have lost the power of speech, so Alex continued. She pushed her fingers between her folds, unsurprised by the slickness already there. She rubbed the pads of two of her fingers over her clit, slowly at first but picking up a faster rhythm quickly. Her other hand continued to squeeze and knead her breast with a roughness that caught Piper by surprise and her hips began to move in time with her hand, buried inside her panties.
"Fuck, Piper," she breathed, her voice rough and heavy with desire, eyes still fixed on her girlfriend.
Piper looked up, her eyes flicking between Alex's panties and face. Her eyes were wide as she watched the brunette above her, pushing herself closer and closer to the brink. She'd heard Alex getting herself off before, quite a lot over the past few weeks actually, but she'd never actually seen it and she had had no idea that seeing it would be quite so fucking hot. She couldn't tear her gaze away from Alex's, she didn't want to tear her gaze away.
As Alex's fingers continued to rub her clit and her breathing became noticeably faster and more ragged, Piper tried to move her own hips, tried to gain some kind of friction from the woman above her. She stretched her fingers, strained against her bonds, pointlessly trying to reach out and touch this woman who was driving her crazy with want and need and desire.
"Alex, Alex please..." she pleaded, shifting her legs as much as she could, trying to squeeze her thighs together and apply pressure to her clit.
As she watched, Alex's mouth fell open and she raised herself up a little higher, the muscles in her thighs and abdomen tensed and she stopped moving for just a moment before hunching forward, her hair falling alongside her face, her hand falling from her breast to brace herself against the mattress, her other hand still thrust into her black cotton panties as she came, her whole body shuddering.
She remained in this position, leaning forward, head down, eyes closed for just shy of thirty seconds. Piper lay beneath her, silent and unmoving, watching as her girlfriend came down from her high.
"You fail," Piper finally said, a smile in her voice.
"Huh?"
"I didn't come. You did. You fail."
Alex let out a quiet laugh. She pushed herself back up to her position on her haunches and looked down at her girlfriend. Piper was flushed, her breathing was rapid, she was wearing one stocking, satin panties and was lying on a matching corset. Her wrists were encased in silky binds and her arms were stretched so far apart it was clear they couldn't be pulled any farther.
"Trust me, from where I'm sitting, it doesn't feel like I'm failing right now."
Before Piper could reply, Alex moved her hand behind her back and down, trailing a finger over her girlfriend's panties.
She raised an eyebrow. "Wow Pipes, they're pretty wet."
Piper blushed and averted her eyes.
Smiling, Alex leaned forward again and placed a gentle kiss on Piper's cheek. Then another on the front of her throat. Then between her breasts. Then above her navel. Then on the waist of her panties.
Piper raised her hips slightly at the final kiss and let out an unsteady breath.
"Want something?" Alex murmured, looking up.
"You know what I want," Piper replied.
Alex's mouth moved to the space between Piper's legs, her breath was hot as it ghosted over the soft satin material of her panties. Piper instantly opened her legs wider, opening herself up to Alex, showing her in the only way she could just how ready she was for her. How much she wanted her.
Alex lifted her head briefly and looked up the length of Piper's body. Her lover's arms were still spread and held securely, she grasped the edge of her bottom lip between her teeth, her eyes were dark, all pupil.
"Whore," Alex rasped.
Piper held her gaze, released her lip and breathed "Your whore, though."
Alex felt an immediate rush of heat to her core on hearing Piper's words. She tugged roughly at the satin that covered her centre and immediately dipped her head, dragging her tongue from Piper's opening to her clit and back again, relishing the familiar taste of her girlfriend, repeating the sweeping motion with her tongue, feeling Piper's body react beneath her.
Alex shifted closer, lifting Piper's still stocking-clad leg and draping it over her shoulder. Changing the angle changed the access Alex now had and she wasted no time in thrusting her tongue inside her girlfriend. Piper's hips moved against Alex's face and a string of expletives fell from her lips. Alex curled her right hand around Piper's left thigh, holding her firmly in place. She moved her mouth to Piper's clit and flicked it repeatedly with the tip of her tongue before closing her lips around it and sucking gently. Piper's arms twisted in her bonds and she breathed Alex's name, her hips jerking as the other woman pushed two fingers deep inside her. Piper's muscles clamped around Alex's fingers and her hips jerked violently as Alex thrust her fingers repeatedly inside her, her mouth still focused on her clit, drawing quiet groans of pleasure with every touch.
Moments later, Alex felt the familiar shift in tension in Piper's body as she crept closer and closer to the edge of all reason. She tightened her hold on her girlfriend's thigh and pushed her tongue hard against her clit, feeling the fluttering of her muscles around her fingers before she fell, crying out, tumbling over the edge into an oblivion where the only things that mattered were Alex, and Alex, and Alex.
She lay still, between her girlfriend's legs, her head resting on her abdomen. Two minutes of silence passed before Alex spoke.
"Piper?"
"Mmm?"
"My gift is beautiful, wrapped or not."
Piper smiled, but remained silent.
Another minute passed.
"How are your shoulders?"
"Seized. Dead. Dislocated. I don't know. On fire. Definitely on fire."
Alex pushed herself up to sitting, then moved to unfasten the ties from the bedhead. Piper pulled the fabric from around her wrists and rubbed them both in turn as Alex clambered onto the bed behind her and began to slowly but firmly rub her burning shoulders. She leaned down and placed gentle kisses along the top of her shoulders as she did so. Piper turned her head, twisting towards her lover.
"Kiss me," she breathed.
This time, Alex did. Unlike the sex, the kiss was soft and slow and tender. Their lips moved together gently, Alex's fingers sliding into Piper's hair. Their tongues touched and the kiss deepened, but only for a moment until Piper pulled away.
"Alex?"
"Yes babe?"
Piper raised the two sachets of lube that Alex had dropped onto the bed earlier. "What are these for?"
A slow smile started on Alex's lips. "Ah. Ah yeah. I might've brought us a little gift back from Europe."
Piper raised her eyebrows. "One that we need lube for?"
"Mmhmm."
"A little gift?"
"Uh, well maybe not so little. I think, maybe, I should top first, last and always."
Piper grinned. She could live with that.