Another Rated R chapter, so if you're underage, please stop reading now. Also, I forgot to mention that I do not own any of the characters in this story. If I did, they would have sex in every episode. These women are too hot for words.
In mid-May, the women had an eventful string of days, all of which deserved major celebration. Alex had her ankle monitor removed and was free to travel wherever the hell she chose, so they planned a trip to the Virgin Islands where she could get her hands on whatever money awaited her. She also had several meetings with her editor to get her book into ship shape. The most pressing questions were if Alex wanted the book to be fiction or non-fiction, and if she wanted to use a pseudonym. She had a meeting scheduled with a lawyer to figure out the repercussions of writing such a book if she used her real name, though both Kubra and Fahri were now in prison, so the threat from the organization was less than it was months ago. She was still working on a deal with George Manning, but she was confident that one would be forthcoming before the first of June. George had promised her no less than $3,000 upfront, and depending on sales, residual checks could range from $1,000 to $50,000 per month. The women refused to think about the high end of that possibility—they remained grounded and still a bit uncertain about the financial rewards of publishing a book.
Piper was in talks with Harrods department store in London to move their products overseas. Again, she and her partner refused to get ahead of themselves by thinking about how lucrative such a deal would be; however, they began considering a bigger warehouse/office if the deal went through. The other major consideration was their current studio apartment. It had been fine as a starter home for both women, but with the success of Poppy, the potential gold mine of Alex's book, and the money in the offshore account, they could now afford a larger space in the heart of Manhattan. Their lease was up in four months, so the time was ripe for a serious discussion.
Alex's final shift at Vera's happened on a Friday, but there wasn't much time for a going away party. She took the Subway home after receiving a cryptic text from Piper: "Please come home as soon as possible. Good news to share."
Alex jogged up the three flights of stairs and entered their apartment a little out of breath. "I got your text. What's going on?"
Piper had a bottle of Veuve Clicquot in one hand and two champagne flutes in the other. "Pack your bags, Al." She sauntered over to her lover. "We're going to London."
Alex took the glasses and set them down on the counter, mouth agape. "No fucking way!"
Piper nodded and hugged her partner tightly, still gripping the neck of the bottle with one hand. "I got a call from Mr. Al-Fayed an hour ago. His assistant booked two first-class tickets and a suite at the Savoy."
"Holy shit!" She pulled back and regarded her lover. "Pipes, this is really fucking huge."
"Hence the Veuve," she agreed.
"Let's pop this baby open." Alex removed the champagne from her hand and popped the cork, letting it fly across the room.
Piper was reminded of the time many years ago when Alex had hosted an oysters and champagne party in her old loft. She recalled how turned on she was when Alex opened a bottle of Chandon and licked the overflowing liquid off the neck with her tongue. Memories like this surfaced often, but she compartmentalized them so as not to allow the fear of what happened to their relationship then affect her attitude and hope for the future now.
Piper pushed the flutes towards her, and Alex filled them to the brim after taking a long swig directly from the bottle. Both women raised their glasses for a toast.
"To hanging in there even when shit got real," Alex said with a satisfied smirk. "I love you, babe, and I'm so fucking proud of you."
They clinked glasses and took a sip of champagne. Piper set down her glass, realizing that except in the throes of passion, Alex hadn't told her that she loved her since they were in prison.
"You said it." Piper blushed, wrapping her arms around the dark haired woman's neck.
Alex pushed her glasses on top of her head. "Said what?"
Piper pulled back enough to look Alex in the eye. "That you love me."
"Of course I love you." She grinned. "Was that even a question?"
The blonde shrugged. "You haven't said it since we've been out of prison, except during sex."
It was Alex's turn to put her champagne down. She grabbed both of Piper's hands and took a deep breath. "Piper, I've never stopped loving you—not for a second. True, you broke my fucking heart at least twice, but..."
Piper felt tears welling up in her eyes.
"I keep coming back for more." She shrugged and laughed softly at her lack of self-control. "Maybe I'm a masochist, but I do love you and can't imagine that changing…ever."
Piper closed the distance between them, kissing her lover softly on the lips. There was no question that they were going to make love, and it was the most tender moment Piper could ever remember having with Alex. It wasn't about orgasms or who could get who off faster—it was about sharing a life together even when shit got real.
Although Piper had bought a decent amount of new clothing since her release from prison a year ago, she did so within a tight budget. She had more money now than she'd even had when she and Larry were a couple, but she spent it wisely, until news of their trip to London.
"Get dressed, we're going shopping." Alex slipped on a pair of jeans.
"Shopping?" Piper was just out of the shower, brushing her hair. "For what? I went to the grocery store yesterday. Thanks for leaving one sip of milk in the carton, by the way."
"We're going to London, babe." Alex replied with a wicked grin. "Let's look the fucking part."
Even before the Harrods deal was confirmed, Piper was raking in $5,000 a month. Alex was no slouch—she received a $3,000 advance from Four Way Books, plus she earned another $3,000 per month from her work for Poppy.
They entered Barney's together and headed to the women's section on the third floor. When Alex spotted a sales person who she deemed worthy of their business, she greeted the woman near the Rag & Bone section.
"Hi, I'm Alex, and this is my partner, Piper," she stated with efficiency. "We're here to drop a shitload of money. Can you assist us?"
Piper stared at her lover with amusement and shock, allowing her to continue.
"My name is Chloe, and I'd be happy to help."
"Thank you," Alex began, folding her arms. "Pipes, tell Chloe the look you're going for."
Piper was incredibly turned on by her partner's control of the situation, and it took her a moment to snap back to reality. "Oh, right. I'm, um, looking for something business-like but a little sexy."
"I can help with that," Chloe said. "What colors do you prefer? You probably look great in lighter tones, but I could see you rock darker shades, too."
Within 15 minutes, Piper was in a dressing room with piles of clothing to try on. Alex, for her part, tried on three pairs of slacks, two blouses and a dress and ended up purchasing every item without hesitation. She'd pulled Chloe aside to inform her that this shopping spree was about Piper, not her, and she deserved the sales woman's fullest attention.
"How does this look?" Piper stepped out with a pleated Zeya skirt and a flowing white blouse.
"Hot," Alex said, sipping a glass of Prosecco that Chloe had offered. "But that's probably going to be my response to everything you try on."
Piper pushed up the long sleeves. "I need you to be objective, Al."
"That's what Chloe's for." The brunette ran her hand down Piper's arm. "I'm just here to observe."
Since they had the dressing room entirely to themselves, Piper left the door open to her individual stall, giving her partner a clear view of her constantly removing and trying on clothes. She could see Alex getting turned on as she adjusted in her seat several times and fidgeted with her eyeglasses. The blonde enjoyed putting on a show for her lover, making mental notes of what bothered Alex the most so she could perform a similar act at home.
After the tenth outfit that Piper tried on, Alex couldn't take it any longer. "Chloe, would you give us a few minutes? I'll come find you when we're ready."
The well-dressed woman nodded. "I'll be at the register; take your time."
As soon as the sales associate was out of view, Alex backed Piper up against the mirrored wall and kissed her firmly on the mouth. Her tongue probed her lover's mouth while her hands roamed down the bra and thong-clad blonde.
"Alex, this is a public dressing room," she protested. "We cannot makeout in here!"
"We're about to spend upwards of $3,000 on clothing, which is more than Chloe makes in several months." The dark haired woman grinded against her. "I'm confident that we can count on her discretion." She kissed a trail down Piper's neck, while her hand journeyed south, past her navel. "And I intend to do more than just makeout with you, babe."
With Alex's fingers in just the right spot, Piper's mouth opened and her head turned to the side, allowing Alex full access to the left side of her neck. She watched the brunette's ministrations in the mirrors surrounding them, which turned her on even more.
"Like what you see?" Alex breathed heavily in her ear.
"Yes," Piper panted.
That was all of the encouragement the dark haired woman needed. She sped up the movement of her hand and nipped and sucked on the skin just below her collarbone until Piper's orgasm hit hard.
"Shh, shh, shh," Alex warned, covering her girlfriend's mouth with her free hand. "Come for me quietly, Piper."
Her spasms subsided, and Alex removed her fingers from inside of her lover.
"Oh my God, Alex." Piper gasped. "I can't believe we did that."
"Did you enjoy?" The brunette found two napkins on the side table where her champagne flute sat and wiped her hands.
"What does it look like?" The blonde's body was lithe, and she could hardly stand up straight.
"I'm going to go to the restroom to clean up." Alex kissed her on the cheek. "Why don't you get dressed and I'll meet you out there?"
Piper nodded, too spent to reply. She overheard Alex tell the sales clerk, "Thank you for your help today, Chloe. We're going to buy everything in that dressing room. Here's a credit card. I'll be back shortly."
Author's Note: One more chapter before the epilogue. Thank you for the reviews. They make me feel good.