Two things happened at half past nine. One, ladies' night really did turn into ladies' night and two, happy hour began. Piper was two tequila shots, a glass of wine and two margaritas into the evening and was already feeling it. As Richard had predicted she had had a few admirers lingering around her, some Richard had tried to ward off until he got distracted by some pretty young men who had managed to worm their way into ladies' night. However, Piper held her own pretty well, most of the women who approached her seemed to sense the unsure vibes leaking from her pretty quickly which generally made them back off almost instantly. Just as she was being applied with her third margarita of the evening she felt a cool presence brush beside her when she looked up she was very grateful she had not taken a sip of her drink right away, because she definitely would have choked. The woman standing next to her wore a tight black pencil skirt and silk blouse which accentuated her amble bosom, her dark hair tumbled down her back and was effortlessly pinned and styled at the front. She wore black secretary glasses with bright red lipstick and winged eyeliner. Her skin was pale but flawless and she was tall. Really tall. She looked as though she had just stepped out of a 1960s pinup magazine and she was looking right at her with her bright green eyes and an amused expression.
"Perfect weather for a margarita huh kid?" Her deep gravelly voice did something to Piper. She looked around briefly to check she wasn't talking to someone else which made the dark haired women's smile turn into a grin.
"Hey! Vause! Paws off my gayby!" Piper's heart leapt and she want thankful for Richard stepping in so that she could stop making quite such a fool out of herself by staring. She looked down at her drink and felt a slight blush coming to her cheeks. She dared to look back up to see the dark haired woman's shit-eating grin being directed at Richard, then back at her.
"Aw, come on, don't be a Dick, Dick. I was just complimenting this lovely lady on her drink choice is all." Piper blushed a little harder and her heart fluttered upon hearing the word 'lovely'. Richard fixed the older woman a look.
"I assume seeing as you're here my bar maid should be arriving about now? She's only fifteen minutes late…" Richard sighed heavily.
"Yeah she gave me a ride… She's coming over now. She just got a bit distracted." Richard rolled his eyes and sighed again looking over at Piper.
"Word of warning if you ever open a gay bar, never give a horny lesbian the ladies' night shifts." Piper smiled politely and began sipping her drink, not wanting to make a fool of herself in front of the beautiful stranger beside her. To Piper's great joy said stranger grabbed an empty bar stool and dragged it along to sit next to Piper. A little closer than perhaps most strangers would.
"So Rich. Who's your friend?" the stranger asked, turning her attention to Piper once more and not so subtlety checking out her legs. Richard narrowed his eyes.
"Put it back in your pants Vause. This is Piper and it's her first time in a gay bar." He emphasised the words 'first time' to drive his point home. The woman laughed and sent Richard away to get her a beer while he was gone she turned her attention back to Piper, this time with a much softer smile.
"You can relax kid; I was just winding him up. I'm Alex by the way. What brings you here?" Piper wasn't quite sure how or why, but she instantly relaxed at Alex's words and tried to form an answer in her head without sounding like a complete idiot. This was easier said than done when she was as tipsy as she was. She shrugged and said
"Well, sometimes you just need to try something new."
Alex threw her head back and laughed, which drew a genuine grin to Piper's lips.
"You're not wrong kid. You're not wrong." Alex replied, never once taking her eyes off Piper, even when Richard handed her drink over. Piper met her gaze steadily, only breaking when their attention was turned to a pair of voices behind the bar.
"Tell my Nicky, what exactly does quarter past mean to you?" Richard was questioning a short, slim woman with masses of strawberry blonde hair, a gun's n roses t-shirt and think eyeliner. The woman reminded Piper somewhat of a lion. A lion with a thick New York accent.
"It couldn't be helped boss! I lost my keys and then there was traffic and I realised my watch batteries had died and my phone needs charging so I couldn't call you – speaking of which I'll just plug this baby in now…"
"And do prey tell explain to me what you've been doing for the past five minutes over by table nine?"
"Ok. Let's be fair here. The brunette with the red lips? Super-hot. Come on. I've been dying of thirst for the past two weeks."
Alex butted in on Richard and Nicky's back and forth at this point.
"Hah, you wish two weeks Nick. It's been more like two months." Nicky looked pointedly at Richard.
"See Dick. Come on. You can't blame me." Richard rolled his eyes.
"It's hardly my fault that you have slept with almost every single girl that frequents this bar Nichols." Nicky rolled her eyes and then grinned when her sight set on Piper.
"Well. Not all of them. Are you lost sweetheart? Because if not I can give you a great introduction to the world of-"
"Annnnd that's enough of you Nicky. Go forth and serve" Richard interrupted and pushed his bar maid towards a group of girls. She seemed more than happy to oblige.
"Jesus." Commented Alex "It's no wonder she hasn't been laid for weeks." Piper was unsure what to say so she simply finished off her drink to which Alex eyed her with a slightly impressed smirk and followed suite with her beer.
"Two more margaritas over here Dick, and start up a tab would you babe?"
The pair fell into an easy conversation, which flowed between home life, childhood, travel and funny stories, regularly interrupted by sarcastic comments or pouts from Nicky and 'gabysitting' from Richard. The hours passed and the drinks slowly carried on until both women were at that lovely stage between tipsy and drunk. Alex had been studying Piper for a while, her eyes narrowed and a smile adorning her lips. They had gradually come closer together and were sitting so close at this point that Piper was almost on Alex's lap.
"So. Piper Chapman. 22. Smith graduate, literature lover and possible raging lesbian. What are you really doing here?" Piper giggled and pushed Alex's shoulder slightly, her hand carelessly dropping to the other woman's knee. She kept it there.
"Well Alex. 25. High school graduate, book store manager and definite raging lesbian. I am avoiding a sticky situation." Alex grinned playfully and rested her own hand on Piper's knee. Ghosting up slightly further. She raised her eyebrow and seemed to come impossibly closer.
"Oh? I love a sticky situation personally." Piper giggled at her insinuation, her throat catching slightly and her stomach constricting with desire when she met Alex's eyes. She was all too aware of where her hands were and where Alex's were. Her eyes briefly fluttered shut when Alex's thumb circled the inside of her knee all whilst staring intently at her face. She smiled wolfishly when she saw her reaction. Piper drew in a shaky breath.
"Not quite what I meant. What happened was… Well I've got myself caught in a lie gone wrong. I'm not quite sure how to fix it." Alex said nothing, but squeezed her knee gently as if urging Piper on.
Piper found herself explaining everything to Alex. Her parent's expectations, her own expectations, the frustration her parents and shortly Polly would undoubtedly feel with her, the desperation to separate herself from her family and make it on her own. Her lack of experience with everything. The lie she had told her parents which lead up to her predicament and how she was currently solving it. Telling someone about it truly felt like a weight lifted off her chest. After she was done she glanced nervously at Alex, hoping she didn't think too poorly of her. Alex's face was hard to read but after a moment she whistled.
"Jeez kid, you're lucky you're so freaking hot because there is a whole load of crazy going on up there." Alex leant forward and tapped the side of Piper's head, then broke into a grin and laughed. Piper's heart swooned at the compliment and the fact Alex was clearly joking.
"Lucky for you I think that just makes you more interesting." At this Piper shoved Alex's shoulder before continuing to rest her hand on Alex's leg, their eyes joined and hands began exploring each other a little more boldly.
"Hey ladies" Richard broke the spell the two women had been under. Suddenly the loud drunken voices around them came to life a little more, as did the roar of Nicky's laughter in the background.
"It's last orders." Richard fixed Alex with a knowing look. "Do you want anything?" Alex smiled sweetly at Richard.
"Well, that's a rather vague question isn't it Richard? I don't want another drink, but I wouldn't say I don't want anything." She eyed Piper and winked at her. Richard rolled his eyes, but judging by the blonde's clear attraction to the brunette he refrained from commenting.
"How about you Piper?" Piper leaned into Alex a little further.
"I think I'm ok thank you Richard, I don't think I'll be feeling thirsty much longer." The look that Piper gave Alex could only be described as a smoulder. Alex's face was a picture. Richard tried to refrain from his laughter, usually Alex took total control. Seeing her fall apart under the influence of his new found gayby was delightful to him to say the least. After gaping for a few moments. Alex regained her cool.
"Hey Rich. Quick question, do you guys still need extra bar staff?"
"Ah, yes we do actually. Ever since Julia took off it's been a little tight around here. Especially seeing as some members of staff seem to believe turning up on time is optional..." Nicky just happened to be passing and she scuttled off in the opposite direction upon hearing the end of her boss' speech. Much to amusement of Piper.
"Well, how would you feel about adopting a new recruit?" Alex shoved Piper's shoulder a little, she looked a little alarmed. Richard scoffed.
"Pfft. Look, she's cute Alex, I get it. But come on. I bet I could count the amount of times she's got herself a drink on one hand..." Piper began to scowl and was about to protest when she felt Alex squeeze her thigh. Suddenly she turned to mush.
"Hear me out Rich… She's been to college so she's a fast learner, she's free, young, hot. The lesbians will want to fuck her and the gays will want to be her gay best friend. You were practically falling over yourself fawning over her this evening. I've never seen you follow something that closely that didn't have a dick." Richard began to protest but Alex simply held up her hand to him, as she continued.
"Think of the tips Rich, she's chatty and polite, not a walking stereotype" she jutted her thumb in Nicky's direction and was met with an indignant 'hey!' "Also you like her well enough and she's clearly too much of a good girl to not follow the rules. What do you say? You could just put her on trial for a couple of weeks?" Richard paused a moment mulling over Alex's suggestion in his mind and not immediately scoffing. Piper was staring at Alex in awe and Alex was wearing a slightly smug 'you know I'm right expression'. Eventually Richard turned to Piper.
"Ok. You start with three nights a week; we don't open on Mondays. I expect you here at 1PM this coming Monday so I can show you how to prepare every drink, how to clean every surface. You will make no complaints and you are not allowed to pout if this doesn't work out. You got that blondie?"
Piper couldn't quite comprehend what was happening.
"Are you serious?" she asked, just to make sure.
"Sure. Why not. If it doesn't work out, you can agree to spend money here drowning your sorrows. Deal?" Piper grinned and threw herself across the bar to hug Richard.
"Yes! Thank you! I mean yes I would love that! Should I get your number or what do you want me to do?"
Nicky made some smart ass remark to Alex this point to do with handcuffs and roleplay. Alex batted Nicky round the head and told her to shove her fantasies up her ass. More teasing ensued whilst Piper sorted times, numbers and arrangements with Richard. Whilst Piper was busying herself with her phone Alex leaned over her shoulder.
"Don't suppose I could get a copy of those digits?" she asked smoothly. Piper smiled and asked for Alex's phone. She quickly entered her number and sent herself a text to ensure she had Alex's number too.
"I think it might be about time we left." Piper stated abruptly. "It was so lovely to meet you Richard… And Nicky" she added as the wild haired woman winked at her and made some obscene gestures towards Alex. Alex hadn't noticed this however as she was a little surprised by the blonde's statement. Sure she had flirted with her all night but she hadn't genuinely expected much more than the blonde's number and maybe a quick kiss. She just thought she'd double check.
"We?" she asked looking directly to Piper. The blonde grinned and slowly took Alex's hand, twining their fingers together. She waved at the bar staff (her soon to be colleagues) and dragged Alex with her towards the door. When they reached the cool air outside Piper shivered a little and moved closer to Alex. She had sobered up slightly and eyed the row of cabs pulling Alex towards them. Alex stopped for a moment.
"Piper… What are you asking for here exactly?" Alex asked, eyeing her curiously. Piper moved closer to Alex still, close enough to keep eye contact, but so she could hear her murmuring.
"Well. It's just all this flirting this evening has caused me to get into another sticky situation Alex…" The brunettes stomach dropped at her words "and honestly, you helped me so well out of the last one I would love it if you'd help me out just once more this evening." Alex swallowed, her eyes darkened and her lips twitched into a smirk.
"I think I could manage that." Alex whispered in her ear, placing a gentle kiss on the blonde's neck and running her fingers up and down her goose-pimpled arms. The blonde buried her head into Alex's neck, then in voice as smooth as syrup said:
"Good, because I'd like to show you that I'm not always a good girl." Alex's last thought before their lips met was 'well fuck me'.