The Internship

Chapter 11:

A Better Day & a Little Gambling

"Larry?" Piper's head cocked to the side slightly as she slowed her jog to a walk, placing her hands on her hips and breathing a little heavy.

The young woman definitely hadn't expected a visit from Larry, especially after the incident at Rips. Especially after Alex basically threatened him.

Alex.

'Fuck.'

"I, uh," he stumbled over his words, pointing back to the apartment building over his shoulder and never looking Piper directly in the eyes. She rolled her own, wishing he would just get to the point already. His stuttering would've probably been cute to someone who was into shy; Piper just wasn't. "Sorry. Polly called, said you were out and wanted to know if I wanted to get lunch. I just called and told her I was outside."

Piper parted her lips slightly as she raised her chin in acknowledgement before walking toward the door to the building and opening it, stepping to the side.

"Come on, we'll probably meet her on the way down," Larry gave her an apologetic looking smile as he went through the open door. They walked up the stairs slowly, Piper's legs were shaky from the run. She probably should've ate something, or at least drank water, before exerting herself like that.

Oh well. Live and learn.

"Look, Piper," Larry started and Piper noticed he was staring down at the steps. "I'm really sorry about the other night. I was way too drunk, and-,"

"It's alright, Larry," Piper's voice was forgiving and soft. She didn't hate the guy, they had just started their friendship off on the wrong foot. Or even a third foot, one that shouldn't have existed. Maybe they could pull of the whole 'being friends' thing.

"Who was that woman anyway?" Piper couldn't help but smirk at the question, biting the inside of her bottom lip. They reached the third floor landing before the blonde responded.

"That was Alex, my manager for my first week," her voice tapered off over the length of her statement, but she shrugged back the images in her head once more, "She's a bit-,"

"Psychotic? Territorial? Aggressive?" Piper laughed as she pulled the stairwell door open, paint flaking off it to reveal the rust beneath it.

"I was going to say intimidating," she shot a smile to Larry who reciprocated and followed behind her.

"That, too," the man ruffled his hair with his fingers, "she scared the shit out of me."

"Yeah, she's-," Piper stopped mid-sentence as a familiar raspy voice sent a shudder through her body, freezing her in place. Her blue eyes traveled to her apartment door where Alex Vause stood, her eyes full of intensity as she cut the air with sharp words directed at her best friend.

"Alex," her voice deceived her, saying the name of the woman that she had been trying to push out of her mind. It was barely audible, even to Piper, but it must've just been drowned by the ringing in her ears; Alex was moving toward her.

The next thing Piper comprehended was that she was back in the dimly lit stairwell with Alex standing directly in front of her. The look in her sparkling eyes was absolutely terrifying, but not because the raven haired woman looked angry; she looked completely out of her element. Was that fear, pain?

She had no right. Piper was the one that was allowed to feel hurt, not Alex. She was the problem. This had to end.

"Alex, I don't-," Piper tried to speak, but the raspy voice cut her off, and also sliced through her resolve. The longer she stood there, the longer she had to take in the aura that was Alex Vause, the harder it was going to be to walk away. The dark haired woman's words fell deafly on Piper's ears.

"We can't-," she dropped her eyes, unable to even look at her without feeling like she was doing something that went against the nature of the world.

Alex's touch brought her back, her low blue eyed gaze slid up to the blue-green irises in front of her. Her fingers were like dry ice, that sweet burn on her cheeks made her body lock like it did around her, refusing to tear away from the sensation. Her senses heightened, her back pressed against the cold concrete wall behind her, and then the world fell away.

The softness of Alex's lips against hers shocked Piper and her legs felt like they were going to give away beneath her. The electricity that crackled between them was now flowing through the pair in a magnificent show of passion and need. Seconds, minutes, even hours could've passed and it would've felt like nothing to the blonde woman right now. There was Alex and herself; nothing else existed.

When their lips parted, Piper could hardly bare the separation. She needed more: more time, more electricity, more ice, more Alex. Her determination to refuse Alex any part in her life had diminished to ash; or rather, it had transformed into a wanting to have her in every part of her life.

Her thin fingers traced Alex's cheek, hovering just low enough that she only brushed her perfect skin. Her foot slid forward as she snaked her fingers around Alex's neck and capturing her lips once more in a sweet embrace molded to perfection.

When she felt Alex's lips slowly parting from her own, Piper's lids opened slowly. Alex's mouth was less than an inch from her own and her fingers were tangled in her hair. They stared into each other's eyes, Piper knew that Alex was searching for something in her eyes from the way the blue-green orbs were dancing around.

"Piper," her voice cracked and it made the blonde shake suddenly. She forced herself to swallow as she remained silent, not sure what to say or if she could even speak.

"That girl," she was looking at her intensely, clearly feeling as taken away from reality as Piper did. "It was a bet, Piper."

Her eyebrows raised and she parted her lips to speak, but Alex's finger pressed against them before any sounds left her throat. The blue-green eyes pleaded her to remain silent; she obeyed.

"I wasn't even planning on going to the bar when I dropped you off, but I thought-, I was trying to keep people from asking questions," Piper hadn't even considered what problems their relationship may cause at the office, nor had she even thought about other people knowing. Ben probably wouldn't have an issue with it, but there was at least one person for sure that would feel the need to fuck with them.

"Ben bet a guy that I could get that girl to go home with me, and I did," Piper's eyes darted away at the confession. It shouldn't hurt like it did; she was being stupid. Alex's finger gently turned her chin so she was facing her once more, but the blue eyes couldn't focus on the dark haired woman. Piper didn't allow it. "Piper, I paid her off. I told her I'd give her a hundred bucks to go along with it. You just so happened to walk in at the end of the act."

"You paid her?" Piper finally found her voice, as soft and strained as it was. It couldn't be true; but, it also had to be. She knew something hadn't been right, knew that Alex couldn't be so cold towards her the way she was with others. It just seemed like it wasn't a possibility for her to be immune to the feelings that Piper had been so caught up in.

"I was about to go home, read a book," the corners of Alex's lips twitched up momentarily, "maybe call you later on. I'm-, kid, I haven't ever been good at-," Piper's lips were barely pressed together as she smiled.

"Apology accepted," she whispered before pressing her lips to Alex's cheek. The raven haired woman backed away slightly, sliding her soft fingers down Piper's arm and taking her hand into her own.

"Well, I'm glad for that," Alex adjusted her glasses and her thumb ran over Piper's knuckles softly. "I don't know what it is about you, Piper Chapman, but I swear to God I've never felt the way I feel when I'm around you."

Piper squeezed the woman's hand. She was only half shocked by the woman's admission. One part of her believed that Alex was simply toying with her, that the confident, gorgeous, highly intelligent woman could never be interested in her beyond just having a little fun. On the other hand, she hadn't yet been able to justify how the woman could instill the rush in Piper's veins if she didn't feel it herself.

"Ditto," the young woman smiled, at a complete and utter loss for words.

"Ditto?" Alex laughed; it was a sound that made the dim lighting of the stairwell feel much brighter to the blonde. A perfect, dark eyebrow pulled up as Alex's soft lips pulled up to one side, "Are you always this articulate?"

Piper joined in on Alex's laughter. They both turned their gaze to the sound of footsteps descending from the upper floors. From her reaction, Piper could tell that Alex had felt as if they were in their own little world, too.

"I guess I need to go talk to Polly, probably run some damage control," Piper's gaze went to the small window in the large, rusty door. Alex nodded and slipped her hand out of Piper's slowly. The lack of contact between them bothered Piper, but only slightly. Everything was okay again. Back to the way it was.

'Which was what?'

"Alex, I think-," Piper started, but was cut off yet again.

"We need to talk," she was nodding, knowing what the blonde meant immediately. "We will. Go see your friend." Alex smiled and turned to walk down the stairs. Piper watched as she slid her hands in her back pockets. "And check your damn phone more often."

Piper chuckled at the command and bit her lip in a smile as she grabbed blindly for the door behind her. She banged into it with her back slightly, she heard Alex let out a laugh in response.

"Watch those doors, kid," the words were soft, filled with so much more than a warning as they traveled up to her. They were abstract, pointless, but they made Piper's heart flutter nonetheless.

'All that over a fucking bet.'

Piper didn't see Polly or Larry in the hallway and silently sent up a thank you that she didn't have to face them just yet. The blonde shut her apartment door behind her and leaned against it, shutting her eyes and smiling inwardly.

"Spill, Piper," Polly's voice forced her from the beautiful replay of the stairwell scene, the kiss, the… well, all of it. She groaned, seeing both Polly and Larry staring at her when she opened her eyes.

It took all day and a lot of changing the subject before Piper was able to get Polly off her back about happened between her and "super cunt", as she had dubbed Alex. Larry had cringed every time Polly brought Alex up in conversation while he was around. It made Piper mentally laugh like a maniac.

It was definitely a good day.

Now, Polly was dead to the world and Piper was clutching her phone in her hand where an unsent message was shining up from the bright screen. She didn't really know how to approach the impending talk that she and Alex both knew they needed to have. Piper wanted to get it over with, but there was no way she was bringing Alex into her apartment with Polly there. It could potentially be a disaster in multiple ways; a couple of which made Piper's cheeks flush.

Hey… when did you want to talk?

Her thumb went to tap the send button, but the phone shook in her hand before she had the chance, an audible buzz making her jump slightly. The screen was lit up with the caller's name, it made Piper smile.

Alex.

"Hello Alex," she answered, attempting to sound somewhat smooth, as she gazed out her somewhat large living room window into the dark of New York City that was beautifully lit by escaping lights through windows and street lights.

"So proper," Alex's voice made a shock run through her spine even over the phone.

'Fuck, how does she do that?'

"But, of course," Piper put on her best lady like accent, which quite frankly was bad and came out slightly British sounding, "Finishing school works wonders." Alex's laughter over the phone made her smile more and an idea sparked in the blonde's head.

"So, about that talk," her eyes squinted a bit as she smiled, turning and leaning her back against the wall next to the window. "How quickly can you get here?"

Alex's steps down the stairwell were taken without a single conscious thought. She had no idea how she had made it back into the busy world of New York without falling, to be completely honest. She was too high off what had just happened to even realize what she was physically doing.

She stopped outside of Piper's building and reclaimed her composure, trying to tell herself that she didn't need to be feeling so crazy. That this was just another girl that she just so happened to like a little more than usual.

Except Piper wasn't just another girl, and she happened to like the blonde a lot more than normal.

Remembering that she was on foot, she pushed herself away from the wall she had been leaning against and shoved off towards Nicky's house to retrieve her bike. She figured the ever-hyper Nicky Nichols would want to hear all about the Piper situation when she arrived; but, to Alex's enjoyment, it looked like Nicky was quite busy for the time being.

An older model Toyota Camry, bright red, was parked outside of Red's place. Alex's eyes cut at the house, making sure the windows were free of witnesses before she peered into the back seat of the car. She chuckled and shook her head as she bounced up the walkway, not being able to let the moment pass her up.

The car was littered with glamorously wrapped mail and designer shoe boxes, which meant that there was a certain interest of Nicky's inside her home. This little fact also meant Nicky would be beyond pissed if she was to be interrupted. An evil glint sparkled in Alex's eyes as she banged on the front door.

"Fuck!" she heard a voice from behind the door and saw the curtain window to her right sway slightly. The door opened quickly, revealing a very messy looking Nicky. Her hair was crazier than normal and her shirt was on inside out.

"God, I wish I had a camera," Alex smirked, laughing at Nicky who barked a response back quickly.

"Shut the fuck up. Make it quick." This, of course, made Alex linger in the doorway, shifting her weight from side to side, pretending that she didn't hear the hastiness in her friend's voice, and finally leaning against the side of the door frame before speaking again.

"I went to Pipers," the door was almost slammed in Alex's face, making her laugh even more as she stuck her hand out to catch it.

"Look Vause, tell me later, I'm busy," Nicky growled, clearly not as amused by the situation as Alex was.

"Oh, I know," the raven haired woman held out her open palm, "I need my keys to my bike, please, madam." Her evil smile never faltered; Alex loved to fuck with Nicky. Her friend's personality never made it easy to do; she rolled with the punches like a champ. But, Alex had the upper hand by knowing her kryptonite was laying inside the house, at least half naked if she had to guess.

Nicky groaned and turned on her heel, shoving her hands into her ratty hair. She returned quickly and slammed the key into Alex's hand.

"Much obliged," the editor responded, tipping an imaginary hat to Nicky as she backed away from the door. It started to slam, "Tell Lorna hi for me!" she yelled quickly before cranking up her bike and heading home where she was planning on getting a much needed nap.

Alex was frozen by the sight in front of her, ice cold, unable to move. Piper was all that she could see, her hips swaying in a way that made the editor dizzy as the blonde made her way towards her. Piper's hand grazed her cheek, water dripped from the contact.

Her touch melted the ice; it set her free and on fire all at once. She wanted it, no needed it, again. First on her lips, so that she would be able to beg for more.

As if she had been able to read her mind, Piper's lips were slowly bringing hers back to life. The rush of blood back to the previously numb portion of her body made Alex moan. No, it wasn't that. Not completely. It was just Piper. She did that to her. And then she pulled away, blue eyes capturing her own, drawing her into an intense haze before her vision went black.

'No, please…'

Alex's own voice woke her up. She had a tight grip around her pillow and she was lying diagonally across her bed with her feet and one hand hanging off the side. The raven haired woman jerked up, looking over her shoulder as if she was going to see another person next to her.

'It was just a dream, idiot.'

She shook her head and ran her fingers through her hair, pulling knots out. Alex hadn't slept so deeply in a long time; it was definitely a nice feeling. After patting around on her bed and finding her glasses, she slipped them on and flipped open her phone.

"Holy shit," Alex had been asleep almost all day. After returning from Piper's and getting her bike from Nicky's around 11 that morning, she passed out in her room. It was almost 10 PM.

Leaning her head back against the head board and considering her dream, Alex pinched the bridge of her nose. What in the hell was that all about? What is wrong with me? She touched her lips lightly, dragging the pad of her finger across the bottom one, trying to remember exactly what Piper's lips had felt like. Her head had been really cloudy at the time, but it wasn't difficult to remember something so distinct; it was especially easy when that feeling was so exotic and completely new.

She wanted more.

Flipping open her phone, pressing a few buttons, and holding it to her ear, she couldn't help but anticipate the familiar voice on the other end. When the ringing cut off, Alex smiled widely.

"How quickly can you get here?" the sweet voice on the other end of the line made Alex's stomach flutter. It held something that she couldn't put her finger on, ranging somewhere between playfulness and need, and it made Alex jump up from her spot on the bed.

"See you soon, kid," she hadn't given a proper answer, nor did she wait for a reply before ending the call with a flick of her wrist and pulling on a pair of jeans with her free hand. Alex tossed her phone over her shoulder, not giving a damn about the thud it made when it bounced off her bed and onto the floor.

The woman looked around her floor for her shirt, but finally gave up and pulled a fitted, gray sheer button up around her body. She stood in the mirror as she buttoned it up and fixed the sleeves, rolling them up a bit. She turned her head every which way, tossing her hair around until her reflection looked as good as it was going to get after sleeping for eleven hours straight. Usually, she wouldn't have rushed so much; Alex liked looking good when she went out, in her own rockabilly kind of way.

But, this was different. Piper was waiting.

Everything is different.

Her hair flipped slightly in the flow of air generated by her quick exit. She left her phone on the floor of her bedroom, knowing she wouldn't need it. She wouldn't answer it even if it rang while she was gone anyway. She only grabbed her keys and tossed her license in her back pocket along with a twenty dollar bill, just in case, before she left, pulling the door shut behind her.

Alex's bike roared and popped beneath her as she parked it across the street from Piper's apartment building. The woman had hated the amount of time it took her to reach the apartment from her own, cussing under her breath at every inconvenient stop along the way, even though it was only about a ten minute trip.

In her rush to leave, she had forgotten both her helmet and her jacket; the air had been cold as it lashed her in the face along with wisps of hair. She felt frozen; almost the same kind of frozen from her dream, except she was able to move. Darting her eyes left and right, she crossed the empty street and entered the plain looking building that seemed to be falling to pieces from the outside in.

'Damn, I wonder how much interns get paid. Surely she could've found a better place.'

Alex took a few steps toward the door to the stairwell, but, before she reached the door, she felt someone grab her hand. The limb went numb for a split second and she instantly grinned.

"Hey, Pipes," her blue-eyes were now trained on the woman behind her, who, she suspected, had been standing just inside the door when she entered the building.

"Hey," the soft voice was extra quiet and Alex noticed Piper glance at their interlocked fingers. The blonde smiled up at her and tilted her head toward the elevator before pulling Alex along to the open doors.

"We're taking the elevator for three flights?" Alex questioned the woman. She did nothing in response, staring ahead as the doors shut in front of them. Finally, Piper hit the button for the top floor, 15, still not looking at Alex.

Alex couldn't stand that. Not one bit.

When the doors were completely shut, the small space charged with crackling electricity and energy between the two. Alex's eyes lowered, her thumb caressing the back of Piper's hand. It was too much not to be closer to Piper for the usually very touchy woman. Her blue-green orbs looked up at the floor they were on.

'2? Fuck this. This is torture.'

Alex backed herself in the corner of the elevator away from Piper; their hands were still locked, arms stretched to the maximum length possible. Her back pressed up against the two walls and she gently tugged on Piper's hand, raising her eyebrows, beckoning her. The blonde sent her a cautious look, but the way her eyes cut at her was beyond seductive and clearly intentional.

"Come," the word was mouthed. No sound came from either woman on the trip to wherever the hell Piper was leading them. Alex saw the glint in Piper's eye as she read her lips, knowing she would do almost anything she asked if Alex asked the right way. The blonde instantly walked to her, but it was slow, agonizingly slow.

Alex took in the sight, watching the way her legs took every careful step, the way her hips dipped and raised, swaying in a way that couldn't have been deliberate, but it sure as hell looked like it. The raven haired woman licked her lips and finally pulled Piper into her body, feeling like she had shoved a knife into a light socket when she wrapped her arms around the waist of the smaller woman.

Piper's blue eyes were looking up at Alex, her hands were resting on Alex's sides, and they remained that way until the pair reached the top floor. Alex didn't need Piper to talk to understand her, she simply did. She knew that the blonde was beyond content with the way she was holding her. When they reached the top of the building, the pair let the elevator door open and close once before Piper blushed, cleared her throat, and pulled herself out of Alex's arms. Blue-green eyes followed the form out before the editor followed behind, chuckling as she did. Piper was heading toward the stairwell when Alex stepped out of the elevator. What the fuck was she doing, walking back down?

Following the possibly insane blonde, Alex stood on the landing for the top floor and watched the blonde intern climb another flight of stairs.

"Stop staring at my ass and come on," Piper called behind her without turning around. Alex bit her bottom lip and her lips curled into a smile.

"Hmm, I don't know Pipes. I do enjoy the view. How do I know that wherever you're taking me is better?" Alex's hand rested on the rail, looking up toward the blonde who was now looking over her shoulder at her.

"I guess you'll just have to trust me," there it was again, that voice that was so addictive that it had to be laced with something, "it's not like you can't just call me into your office and watch me walk away anytime you want during the week." Alex considered the blonde's words, her expression never changing as she began to ascend the stairs.

"Good point. Thanks for the idea. I'll have to start doing that," Piper laughed as she pushed open the door to their left. Cool air hit Alex in the face and pierced its way through her thin shirt. She crossed her arms over her body, watching Piper walk toward the edge of the roof and lean against the stone railing.

"Polly's in my apartment still," the blonde was looking out over the edge toward the sky as she spoke to Alex. Her hair danced around her face and Alex wanted more than anything to push it to one side and kiss her neck as she pulled the woman into her own body once more.

"I figured as much," Alex replied, walking over to the blonde and leaning her elbows against the railing, making her bend down quite a bit. "She's definitely not my biggest fan," Alex chuckled and Piper joined in. A moment of silence passed between them before Piper spoke again.

"I found this place my first night here, they never lock the door," her voice was quiet again, "I love the view."

"It is a damn good one, kid," Alex watched Piper out of the corner of her eye as she spoke, agreeing with Piper in a different sense. The raven haired woman saw Piper's hand and placed her own over top of it lightly, letting another perfect silence fall between them.

"Do you always do this?" Alex turned her head toward Piper at the question and noticed the blonde was now looking at her. She had no idea what she meant.

"Do what?" she asked for clarification as she cocked her head to the side.

"This. The charming, the butterflies, the electricity. Do you have this effect on every girl you meet?" Piper turned around and leaned into the stone, almost sitting on it. Alex stood, taking a step closer to the blonde.

"Even if I do, you," she dragged her finger lightly down Piper's jaw line, "are the only girl I've ever wanted to charm beyond one night." Piper's lips parted slightly and it made Alex want to capture them in her own, but she restrained herself. "And I've never felt something anywhere near as intense as our kiss." Piper smiled at Alex's confession.

"I'm glad that wasn't one sided," Piper smiled, her eyes fiery. Alex could see her own eyes reflected in the glassy blue ones. "So, this-, us, I mean," Piper was stuttering adorably, "we're doing this?"

Alex didn't need to think, she knew that she wanted so much more with Piper than she had ever wanted with anyone else. It took a lot to get the lump out of her throat, though. It wasn't exactly easy for the usually closed off woman to open herself to someone, but she had to try this time. She craved the feelings that would surged through her veins when Piper was around.

"All my cards are on the table, Piper," Alex finally got the words out of her throat, "I'm all in." She cupped the woman's cheek and slid her other arm around her waist, pulling the woman's body against her own again. She felt her own heart start racing, nearly thumping out of her chest, and watched as Piper's cheeks turned the most beautiful shade of red. Piper inched closer, their lips brushing slightly as she whispered her answer.

"I call."

A/N: I wish I could thank each one of you individually for every review, favorite, and follow you all have given this story. The feedback is mind-blowing to say the least. You're all amazing. Thank you, thank you, thank you. This chapter ends the first week of Piper's internship, so things will begin to move a bit faster now. As always, please review. I love hearing your thoughts and feedback.