Alex sat at an enormous vanity with an out-sized oval mirror attached to the back – a vintage piece from the WWII-era that she loved. Perched on a bench topped in plush and vivid red velvet, she was carefully crafting how she'd present herself to the world. A small but powerful WiFi speaker pumped out Uh Huh Her's "Explode," bathing her bedroom in sound.

"I wanna touch you, slowly
I'm a lonely girl
Come on, you want to …"

Alex applied black liquid eyeliner across the edges of her eyes. She had an expert touch, drawing the line straight and practically flawless. She curled the edge up past her eyelid to give her a slight cat's eye look. She passed a brick red lipstick tube across her mouth – the finishing touch. She pressed her lips together, then stood and took a long look at herself.

She smoothed her favorite black dress down across her stomach, a low-cut number that hugged her curves just right. She turned to look at herself from behind in the mirror, glad to have the details of getting ready for a night out to distract her from thoughts of Piper that had intruded on her constantly since the day before.

Though most of the day, she'd had to remind herself that it wasn't a date – well, maybe it was partially a date, but mostly it was about business. Alex's internal monologue went something like this: Yes, this woman is beautiful. She is smart and didn't buckle under my smartass comments. She has some snap. And I'm very attracted to her. But what's important is my business – that's the reason why we are having dinner. Of course there's nothing wrong with mixing a little business with pleasure - being a drug smuggler has its perks. But she will just be a toy.

And there was no reason why it had to turn out the way it did with her last plaything – the pretty but dim Vanessa, who traipsed all over Asia for Alex, but who could never quite give up her ex-girlfriend. The thought of it still made Alex angry, but it was over now and she'd moved on a bit wiser.

For now, Alex was in the zone – all focused on expanding her business tonight, on thinking about what she would say, how she would make her pitch. Golden-haired, sweet-voiced Piper Chapman would be the best mule she'd ever groomed.

Alex winked at herself in the mirror before turning on her heels and making a beeline for the door. She had just enough time to get to the restaurant; she hailed a cab and hoped for light traffic.

It was 7 p.m. and Piper's eyes were closed. Scudding light and strangely shaped blobs swam in front of her eyelids, which another time might have concerned her but for now helped distract her as she tried in vain to calm her heartbeat. She cracked an eyelid open, saw the clock advancing and swallowed.

She'd been ready for dinner for at least an hour, and had been sitting on the couch in the apartment she shared with three friends trying to figure out why she was so nervous. What was her problem? It was just a dinner date. She'd gone on a million of them, with men and women, so there wasn't anything shocking here.

But there was something about Alex she couldn't put her finger on. She'd never been so undone by someone so quickly. When Alex had been standing so close to her outside the bar, she really thought she might faint, blood rushing to her head, heart pounding, lost. And when Alex took her hands, Piper was the last one to let go. God, she hoped she hadn't noticed that. Alex … she was smart, unusual, exciting, mysterious, hot.

Piper was still ruminating when one of her roommates slammed through the front door. Piper startled and looked up.

"What's up with you?" said her roommate, another blonde-haired sorority type. She tossed her keys into a basket on the coffee table. "You look weird."

Piper tried to laugh it off. "Yeah, I was just … falling asleep."

"Falling asleep? In that hot dress and stilettos? Looks like you've got somewhere to be," her roommate said.

"Yeah - a date."

"Must be a real hot date if he inspires you to nod off beforehand."

"Ha, ha," Piper said, giving her a slow clap.

"Well, who is it?"

"Alex," Piper said. "We met in a bar last night."

"Alex," the roommate said approvingly. "He sounds like a hottie."

"SHE is a hottie," Piper said. A sly smile crept across her lips.

The roommate shook her head as if she'd been down this road before. "Is SHE single this time?"

Piper made a face. "What time is it?"

Piper checked her phone, then stood. There was no more time to navel-gaze about why the butterflies in her stomach had turned into elephants. She had to go.

Alex sat on a raised platform in the middle of Marrakesh, a Moroccan restaurant whose specialty was a leisurely, decadent 7-course meal with a side of belly dancers. Alex had tipped the host an obscene amount of money to ensure that they got the very best table, and the very best service.

The platform was elevated above the rest of the tables, quite literally in the center of the entire restaurant. A ring floated above the platform, with a drape attached that could be lowered for privacy. Right now the drape was lifted, and Alex was basking in the attention of the room. She waited, stretching her long body across several pillows, giving the appearance of a powerful, sexy, black-maned lion waiting to be presented with her prey.

Alex took a sip from a glass of deep red cabernet, idly smearing a lipstick smudge off the side of the crystal. She looked up from the goblet just in time to see Piper walk through the door of the restaurant. She was wearing a low-cut, flirty red cocktail dress with impossibly high stiletto heels. She was dressed to kill.

God, she was radiant tonight. She took a minute to look Piper up and down, needing to drink her in as if to satisfy a desperate thirst. This had to be enough to hold her for the entire night – she couldn't be too obvious once Piper got closer.

The host spoke with Piper briefly, and as they turned to approach the platform Alex caught Piper's eyes. Alex fixed her with a steady gaze and watched every step Piper took as she ascended the two steps up to the platform.

The host bent down and lit a candle between them, then backed away quietly down the steps.

"Piper," Alex said, smiling. "I'm glad you came."

"I couldn't resist," Piper said, settling herself on a set of pillows across a low table from Alex. "This is quite a place!"

Finally settled, Piper looked down at the table, noticing a glass of wine had already been poured for her.

"Oh, you ordered wine for me," Piper said, impressed.

"I figured you'd need … a ... drink," Alex said as she watched Piper down practically the entire glass in one swallow.

"Impressive," Alex said.

Piper set the empty glass back down on the table and laughed, embarrassed. Nervous energy danced between them, both of them excited but a little apprehensive about how the evening was going to go.

"I like a woman who can hold her liquor," Alex said.

"Don't congratulate me just yet, the night is young," Piper said, lifting her eyes. Alex was smiling, her eyes dancing, and it took all of Piper's self-awareness not to just stare at her mouth.

"I hope so," Alex said, letting her comment hang in the air for a minute as she refreshed both of their wine glasses.

Piper looked flustered and Alex knew she'd almost let herself go just a little bit too far. She needed to rein it in, so she changed the subject quickly.

"So … how's job-hunting going?"

"I've been turning down a lot of offers because they just aren't creatively right for me. You know, I'm not sure I can adequately practice my craft at Chili's." Piper lifted her glass to her lips and took a more normal sip.

"Your craft," Alex said, deadpan.

"Right. I like to call it artisanal table service."

Alex could tell Piper was relaxing a little now that those first awkward moments had passed, and the very attentive serving staff had started bringing their food. Piper let Alex pick their courses – they were all entrees she'd never heard of, and she was happy to have her guidance. Not long after they had started eating, the house lights went down, Moroccan music started playing, and a belly dancer emerged from a door in the back of the restaurant.

Alex and Piper both took in the scene – the woman was a long-haired beauty, wearing the traditional outfit that jingled as her hips moved. She undulated her way through the restaurant, but when Piper looked up she saw Alex wasn't looking at the belly dancer at all. She'd been watching Piper.

"Don't you like the belly dancer?" Piper asked, with just a hint of coyness.

"I like what I see," she said, holding Piper's gaze. She saw Piper inhale, lips slightly parted, and all of a sudden Alex felt flush, like hot molasses was coursing over her body.

Alex didn't dodge, blink or even try to look away. Shit – Alex knew she couldn't duck this one. She let herself go for a second and got busted. But as irritated as Alex was with herself, she couldn't deny the truth – she wouldn't have cared if an army of belly dancers was within arm's reach, she only wanted to look at Piper.

Caught red-handed, Alex just pulled the drapes down. They were for all intents and purposes alone, despite the din of the other diners outside. The flickering candle made silhouettes on the purple fabric as Alex slid over closer to Piper. She put her arm behind Piper's back to hold herself up.

"There," Alex said lamely, seeming a little bit at a loss for words. Alex could smell the honey scent of Piper's hair, and she reached out to brush a stray strand away from her face.

Piper moved her cheek to graze Alex's fingers; her skin was soft, warm, and she wanted more. But first she had to know. Piper narrowed her eyes and pulled back slightly, for once feeling like she had the upper-hand on her cool customer.

"So you never did really tell me what you do, Alex," Piper said. It was as much a challenge as a question, and Alex knew it was time to pounce.

"I'm an importer." Alex looked down at Piper, eyes twinkling. Time to bait the hook.

Piper's expression suggested self-satisfaction, as if she thought she'd finally figured Alex out. "That'd explain the travel. So you're like a buyer for stores?"

Alex couldn't keep herself from smirking. "Something like that. I'm more of a logistics person. I connect the dots. I need people to transport items for me almost constantly, all over the world – that's what almost all of my employees do. You'd be perfect at it."

"That actually sounds like fun," Piper said. "So what was all that business at the bar? Were you just trying to impress me?"

"What do you think I import, Piper?" Alex said, amused.

"Alex, give me a break – I'm not falling for that one again."

Feeling bold, Piper leaned over and kissed Alex's neck just under her jaw, then pulled back to see Alex's expression.

Now was the moment. She'd hooked Piper, wined and dined her and poured on the charm. It was time for Alex to make her proposal. Piper's lips were hot on her skin, and when she pulled away she felt an intense wave of desire. Alex opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out. She felt flushed, daring, off-script. Alex reached for Piper's hand and began tracing lazy circles on her palm.

When Alex finally started speaking, what came out was not at all what she'd planned.

"Piper, let's get out of here," Alex said.

"Where?" Piper lifted her head up; she was inches away from Alex's face. Close enough to feel the warmth of her body, close enough to feel her breath. She felt faint again.

"No idea – but let's go. I need to go." Alex tossed several bills down on the table, then grabbed Piper's hand, this time in a grip much firmer than before. Parting the drapes to their private enclave, Alex led Piper carefully down the steps and out into the night.

Moments later, they were in a cab. Alex felt like she was dangerously close to completely losing control, and she couldn't explain why she had choked up just a bit ago. But she knew she needed to regroup, so she decided to steer them to a club where she'd been set to meet up with her friends after dinner.

Alex told the driver an address Piper didn't recognize at all, but she didn't care. Piper looked over at Alex, then ducked her head again with a smile.

"So, where are we going?" Piper finally asked.

"You'll see. Somewhere fun," Alex answered cryptically.

The cab sped on, its two occupants high on each other, aware of nothing but the delicious uncertainty that lay ahead.