Do not own Orange Is the New Black or any of the characters.
Glad to hear that people enjoyed the first chapter. :)
Thanks, fig-aruna for being amazing like always and betaing this!
It was the next day as Piper ventured out of her apartment in search of the bar, Coyote.
After asking a few people on the street, she had finally been able to locate where the bar was. Piper was a fit of nerves to say the least. Not only had she not gotten a very good night's sleep after her interaction with that Alex chick yesterday, but it had been also been a long while since she had applied for any sort of job. Her parents had always supported her during her years in college.
She didn't know what to expect really.
The blonde nervously bit down on her lower lip as she got off the subway and began to follow the directions that someone had graciously drawn out for her on a napkin. She normally would've just Google-mapped the bar, but she had no internet at her apartment, so she had to do things the old-fashioned way and relied on others for the information. She found her heart was beating rapidly with each step she took. She didn't know why she was so damn nervous. She was just merely going to hand in her resume.
That was it.
She wasn't going in for an interview or anything...
But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't keep the butterflies from fluttering in her stomach. She just couldn't shake the feeling that once she entered this bar that something big was going to happen to her. She didn't know exactly what or why. She was only applying to be a waitress, which was hardly life-changing...but it felt like it was going to be. Her life, she felt, was going to change, and hugely. She was both excited and nervous by this, for she didn't know if this change that she sensed was coming was good or bad. She was hoping that it would be for the good.
It was just past five as Piper looked up at the neon sign glowing in the afternoon light. It didn't look like much, she thought as she continued to study the front of the bar. It wasn't one of those chic uptown bars that she was always hearing about but was rather kind of grungy and run-down looking. It looked like any other bar in America. Her mother would hate it, she thought.
A small grin spread across her face at this. And that's why she loved it even more.
Piper continued to stand there looking at the exterior of the bar for a moment before heading inside.
It was now or never, she thought.
"Vause, where were you at last night?"
Alex Vause looked up from where she was opening a box and over to the much smaller woman standing before her. Nicky Nichols had her hands on her hips and was smirking at the tall brunette, which was not at all an uncommon expression for the bushy-haired blonde. She was always highly amused by most things, and this moment was no different as she crossed her arms over her chest and continued to look at Alex. "I was surprised to see Big Boo serving last night and not you."
Alex cocked an eyebrow. "What? I told you I was modeling for Jones's class again."
She studied Nicky's unwavering grin for a second longer before going back to unloading the box of alcohol at her feet.
"Your girl came looking for you," started Nicky, her brown eyes burning into Alex's back.
Alex almost dropped the two bottle of vodkas she held in her hands as she snapped her attention once again onto Nicky. "Are you fucking kidding me?" Her voice was filled with shocked outrage as she gawked at the other woman.
Nicky's smirk just deepened at this. "Nope. Wren came fucking by, looking for you last night."
Alex couldn't help but sigh at this. Wren was her ex-girlfriend and couldn't seem to get over the fact that it was over between the two of them. "That fucking bitch," she swore underneath her breath as she placed the two bottles onto the counter of the bar and bent down for two others.
"Yeah, Pornstache had to throw her out. She started a fight with Tricia," explained Nicky as she recalled the events last night. It had been a pretty busy night when Wren had decided to show up demanding to see Alex. The two of them had broken up over two weeks ago, and it had gone pretty badly.
"Well, if she shows her fucking face again tonight, I'll deal with it," Alex stated simply as she finished unpacking the box and went to get another one.
As the tall brunette headed into the back, the door to the bar opened and a pretty, young-looking blonde entered.
Nicky immediately turned around at this and looked over at the newcomer, who stood hovering in between the tables. Her eyes scanned over the blonde, checking her out. The woman had long wavy blonde hair that fell just below her shoulder, and she was wearing a tight pink v-neck t-shirt, a jean mini skirt, and white Vans. She looked like she was tourist of sorts, thought Nicky.
A hot tourist, though.
"Hey, Blondie!" cried out Nicky, drawing the newcomer's attention to her.
Piper immediately looked over to the woman standing behind the bar. She hadn't noticed her standing there, until now. Her blue eyes widened slightly as she recognized who this woman was. She had seen her just yesterday. She was lion-mane. A small smile crept across Piper's face at this.
"What's so funny, blondie?" Nicky asked with a quirked eyebrow, clearly amused by Piper.
Piper couldn't help but blush. She realized she must look crazy to this woman who didn't have a clue on who she was. "Nothing," replied Piper quickly as she tucked her hair behind her ears and took a small step towards the bar. "I was just wondering if you were hiring... I saw the wanted ad in the paper... for a waitress?"
Nicky, once again had that amused look plastered on her face as she continued to gawk at Piper. She then slowly came around the bar and towards Piper. She was much shorter than the newcomer was, but that didn't bother her. "We just put that in the ad. We are really looking for a dancer. Can you dance?"
Piper's forehead wrinkled in puzzlement at this. She didn't understand. "A dancer?! Like, a stripper?"
A deep, throaty chuckle was resounded from Nicky's throat at this. "Sure. If that's your speciality, blondie. Red's always talking about wanting to change things up around here. I'm sure she wouldn't mind adding a striptease to the program."
Piper could feel her cheeks flushing again at this. Was she being serious? she thought. What kinda place was this? It just looked like a normal bar to her as her eyes swiped over the interior of the room. It was filled with ten or so tables and five booths that ran along the far wall. There was a pool table and an old jukebox. There was no stage or anything like that, so she didn't know where this dancing would take place.
"I'm sorry. I think I have the wrong place," Piper murmured quickly as she began to turn on her heel to leave when she felt someone grab her wrist. She immediately turned to lock eyes with Nicky again.
"I'm just fucking with you, blondie," clarified Nicky as she dropped her hand from Piper's wrist and smiled widely at her. "We are looking for a waitress. But Red's the person you want to talk to. Let me get her." Nicky grinned at Piper before leaving her standing at the edge of the bar while she made her way into the back.
Piper just stood there dumbfounded, clenching her resume and the napkin in her hands. She couldn't believe this was happening. That lion-mane worked here. She wondered if that meant that Alex worked here too?
Piper didn't have to wait very long to find out as Alex entered the room from the back, where the Nicky had just disappeared to.
Alex almost dropped the box of liquor she was carrying as she looked at Piper. Nicky had told her that there was a hot blonde that she needed to check out at the front, but she hadn't expected to know her already. A toothy grin spread across Alex's face as she locked eyes with Piper.
"Piper!" she spoke in that raspy voice of hers, caressing each syllable slowly against her tongue.
Piper just stood there frozen to the spot as she watched Alex place the alcohol onto the surface of the bar before coming towards her. Her heart suddenly began to race as she continued to gawk at the brunette. Again she couldn't believe what was happening. This was the very last thing she expected when she walked through the door just a few moments ago. She smiled nervously underneath Alex's gaze.
"What? No hi?" teased Alex as she adjusted her glasses on her nose and smirked at the blonde.
"Hi," whispered Piper shyly after finding her voice.
Alex's smirk deepened at this. She was just a mere foot away from Piper now, and her green eyes stared intensely into Piper's. She hardly knew anything about this blonde, but that didn't matter to her. Alex didn't need to know every little detail about someone to know whether she liked them or not. She felt an immediate attraction to this Piper girl. And she had a pretty good feeling that Piper felt the same way by the way she blushed and looked away shyly from her.
The two women stayed like this for a second before Alex reached for the paper in Piper's hand. She assumed it was her resume.
Piper blinked in surprise at this. "Do you own this place?" she asked as she self-consciously crossed her arms over her chest and watched Alex's eyes move across her resume.
Alex couldn't help but huff at this. "Hell no!" she replied as she looked up at Piper again. "This is Red's place. I'm just the fucking bartender," she said, gesturing to the shelf of various organized liquors behind her.
Piper nervously nodded her head in understanding at this. She bit her lower lip as she realized that Alex still held her resume in her hands.
"Piper Chapman," read Alex out loud. "A Smith grad..."
Piper blushed again at hearing her full name on Alex's lips.
"With excellent listening skills. Passionate about making diners feel good. Mmmhm, seems kinda dirty..." Alex cocked her eyebrows at Piper at this and continued to smirk at the blonde. "Safe, clean and careful when handling food and drink..."
Piper immediately snatched her resume away from Alex before she could mock her even further. Yes, the resume was filled with bullshit, but she really needed this job. Plus, everyone fibs a little on their resume, she thought defensively.
Alex couldn't help but let out a raspy chuckle at this. Her green eyes gleamed with mischief as they continued to peer over at Piper.
Neither woman said a word for a second as something passed between them.
"I like that in a woman," Alex's voice was a little lower now. Gone was the playfulness of her tone and replaced with something else. She liked Piper, she thought to herself as she continued to stare into those bright blue eyes of hers. And she wanted her to get to know her more.
Piper felt the back of her neck begin to sweat a little as she continued to get lost in those green eyes of Alex's. Never before had she felt so instinctually drawn and attracted to a person than she did at this moment with the woman. The blonde slowly licked her lips as she tried to think of how to respond.
But before she could, they were interrupted by Nicky and an older woman coming into the room.
"So! I hear you're looking for a job, blondie!" stated the older woman in a Russian accent.
Alex and Piper immediately turned their attention to the newcomers in the room. Piper nervously swallowed as she looked at the spiky-haired woman whom she could only assume was Red.
"Yes, I am," Piper answered, her voice coming out a little shaky at first. She was still trying to get over her encounter with Alex from just a mere moment ago. Piper could still feel Alex's eyes burning into her back, but she fought the urge to look back as she tried to lock her eyes on Red.
Red didn't say anything as her eyes swept over Piper from head to toe for a second before holding out her hand.
Piper hesitated at first, not exactly sure what Red meant by this gesture. It then dawned on her that the Russian wanted to see her resume, so she quickly handed it over.
A deafening silence fell over the room as Red read over the sheet in her hand. Unlike Alex, Red didn't read out loud from it or mock it in anyway, instead reading every word carefully and seriously. She didn't hire just anyone to work here. She had a special group of girls who worked for her. It was like family here. Everyone was carefully selected by her.
"You don't have much experience," stated Red as she peered at Piper over the rims of her glasses.
Piper nervously bit on her lower lip again at this. That was true. She didn't have much experience with waitressing. "I'm a fast learner," she stated in hopes of persuading Red to give her a job.
Red looked from Piper to the resume and back. She was a pretty girl she thought. The customers would like her. They always seemed to like fresh meat in the joint. She was quiet as she pondered this for a moment longer.
"Please. I really need the job..." Piper didn't usually beg, but it was true. She desperately needed this job. Any job for that matter. Her blue eyes pierced into Red's, pleading with her silently to give her a chance, at least.
"O.K." stated the Russian woman as if reading Piper's thoughts.
"What?" asked Piper in shock.
"O.K.," stated Red again as she handed Piper back her resume. "I'll give you a chance, blondie. You start tomorrow night at 8."
Piper's face broke out into a wide smile at this. She was overcome with joy at hearing this news. "Thank You! Thank You!" she cried as she suddenly threw her arms around Red. "Thank. You. So. Much!"
The usually very serious Russian couldn't help but smile slightly at the blonde's reaction. Never before had someone been so happy to work for her. She patted Piper lightly on the back before pulling away.
"Don't be late," murmured Red, once again drawing a serious expression on her face.
"I won't. I won't," promised Piper quickly to Red. She wouldn't dare to be late, she thought. "Thank you again! You won't regret this!" She smiled again at Red before waving goodbye and rushing out of the bar.
The trio of women just stood there dumbfounded for a moment before reality once again came crashing down around them.
"What are you two staring at? Get back to work!" cried Red as she addressed Nicky and Alex. The Russian woman stared intently at them before heading towards the back and to her office.
Alex and Nicky watched her go before turning to each other and smirking.
"Well, things just got fucking interesting around here," Nicky commented as she wagged her eyebrows at Alex and grinned.
Alex couldn't help but nod her head in agreement. It would be fucking interesting to have Piper around now, she thought to herself as she brushed her hair off of her face. Red didn't like her staff dating each other, but there was no real rule about flirting, she thought. She would enjoy very much having Piper around. She was suddenly overcome with excitement to be working tomorrow night.
This wasn't something that Alex Vause was often used to feeling.
It was late at night as Piper lay out on the fire escape in nothing but boy-shorts and a loose tank top. It was humid out that night, and she couldn't sleep.
Not only was it too hot, but she couldn't seem to shut her mind off despite her trying to. She was so ecstatic at the moment knowing that not only had she gotten the job, but she was also going to see Alex tomorrow. She wasn't sure exactly what she was feeling for the brunette. She wouldn't say it was a crush, necessarily, but it was an intense attraction of some sort. She had felt this before for guys but never for another girl, at least not that she could remember.
Sure, Piper had always found girls attractive in an aesthetic way, but what she was feeling for Alex was different, she mused. It was strong, whatever it was. Just thinking about it now gave her butterflies.
She couldn't help but grin as a warmth spread through her entire body.
To say she was looking forward tomorrow was an understatement.
She couldn't fucking wait for tomorrow night.
Just then her cell-phone began to go off, and her ear was filled with the familiar sounds of Hot Child in the City. Piper glanced at the display before answering it. It was her best friend, Polly, calling her.
"Hey," whispered Piper into the phone as she pressed it to her ear and sat up from her position on the cold iron flooring of the fire escape.
"Hey, stranger," replied back Polly.
"I know. I know. I forgot to phone you back last night. I'm sorry," apologized Piper as she rubbed the side of her face with her free hand. After returning home from the figurative class last night, she had forgotten to call Polly. She had been too flustered from her meeting with Alex.
"It's okay. I understand. You have this glamorous New York life now," Polly began with an undercurrent of sad bitterness.
"Pol, it's not like that. I've just been busy settling in and trying to find a job. Which I did by the way," Piper couldn't help but smile as she thought about this fact.
"Yeah?" Polly asked more perkily. "Where?"
"I'm the newest waitress at Coyote," Piper answered proudly.
"A bar?" Polly didn't sound too thrilled by this as Piper was. "I dunno... That doesn't sound very promising."
"What? I just need to make money. I'm not going to make a career out of it or anything like that."
"Yeah, I know. You're going to be a famous artist."
"God, you sound like my fucking mom," Piper hated how much flack she was getting from both her mom and her best friend over going into the art field. "Plus you're one to talk. It's not like you have such a great career. You're a fucking receptionist."
Piper heard Polly's distinct sigh over the phone. She could perfectly picture her best friend rolling her eyes at her. This wasn't the first time that the old friends were having this discussion.
There was a moment of silence between the two of them before Polly changed the topic. "So have you met anyone yet?"
Piper felt her face once again turning up into a smile as she thought about Alex. She debated whether or not to tell her best friend about her. Polly wouldn't exactly flip out at Piper if she mentioned her. She just wasn't sure if she was ready to spill her feelings. It was still all new to her too. But she knew that she couldn't lie to Polly either.
"Well, there is someone," she replied slowly. "But I only just met them..."
Thanks for reading and don't forget to review!
Julie
