I'm glad people are wanting to give this a read!
Life is still busy as my workload has practically doubled, but I'll try my best to update whenever I can.
It isn't until the next day that she sees her boss, and not only does she see him, but she feels his wrath.
"I can't fucking believe her," the man says, pacing the floors of his office while running his hands through what's left of his ageing dark hair. "What did she say to you?"
Alex maintains composed as she listens to the frustrated man comment on his views on Piper Chapman, and even though she's wondering how the man got the full scoop that she had been contacted in the first place, that whole thought no longer matters.
"It wasn't her that wanted to talk to me," she says, telling herself she's technically not lying.
"What?" the man turns from where he's stopped by a large window.
"I spoke to her assistant. She just wanted to ask about the up coming LA conference," she says, thinking on her feet with the hopes that the man before her won't see through her lies.
"And why would did they call you of all people about that?"
"I think there was some confusion when the call was transferred over to me," she responds, trying hard not to snap at what the man's words could suggest. "I told them I wasn't the person to be talking to but would be more than happy to take down a message to pass on."
The man doesn't offer a response and turns around so that his back is now to the room.
"God, I can't stand that fucking woman," he says more so to himself rather than seeking a returned comment. "Are her team going to the conference?" he asks, tone of voice heightening slightly.
Hesitating slightly, Alex adjusts her glasses.
"I assume so," she lies. "The woman on the phone wanted to check some scheduling details - I don't know much more than that."
"I want you there," the man says, turning around without acknowledging her prior comment. "You're bringing in high numbers, Vause. We need someone like you out there."
She'd be lying to herself if she said she was surprised by the offer. She'd been initially somewhat disappointed when she wasn't originally picked to be present at such a marketing opportunity, but now all that's channeling through her mind is how she's going to get herself out of this one.
"Sir, I think the people already going can handle their own."
"If Piper Chapman's going to be there, I want you to be there. End of," the man raises his voice as he walks over towards his coat stand roughly put on an item. "I'll get someone to brief you on what's going on," he concludes before opening the door and storming out the room.
Frozen in the seat she's in, Alex's shoulders deflate. That is not how she expected the conversation to go, and even though she's internally proud of her ability to lie on the spot like that, she's pissed that her boss' immediate reaction revolved around his own personal anger. Even worse, she'll be gone at least 4 days and will have to cancel her meeting with Piper.
Fuck, she pauses, irritated that she can't seem to take her mind off the opportunity. A part of her wishes she could just remain living hassle free, keep getting work published even if it's on topics she'd rather not be writing about, but the other, more curious part of her, seeks a better platform to associate herself with.
"Should I give her another 15 minutes?" Lorna's quiet voice asks from where she's standing in the threshold of Piper's office door.
"No," she sighs, running a hand through her blonde hair. "She's not coming."
"I can try and give her another call."
"That's okay," the blonde replies, sounding dejected. "You can take a half day, Lorna, that's all I had on my schedule," she continues, not wanting the other woman to see the breakdown she can feel coming on.
"Let me know if you need anything, Piper," the woman says through a smile, and the blonde is grateful that the smaller woman seemed to understand she wasn't up for a conversation.
Once the door closes over, she too closes her notebook filled with questions and prompts she had been adding to throughout the week. She then wiggles the mouse attached to her computer and moves to a Google search bar, typing in the name of the woman on her mind.
Like herself, she assumes Alex is a private person. Most of her online presence is linked to her current and prior jobs, with her Twitter account rarely used for anything except for retweeted news and related articles.
Again thinking back to the reasons why the woman didn't show, she begins to feel a rise in anger. Didn't she have the fucking decency to tell us she wasn't coming?
If there's one thing Piper doesn't like, it's when someone is unorganised, and even though she isn't 100% sure why Alex didn't turn up, she hopes she's got a good explanation for why it was the case.
Scanning through her work planner, she finds a phone number written in the notes section at the bottom of the page belonging to the week before. Taking out her iPhone, she types in the number and presses call, hoping the approach from a mobile number will make the other user more likely to pick up.
"Hello?" a rough voice runs through the line, sounding as though they had just woken up.
"Hi. Is this Alex Vause?" Piper asks, wondering whether the other woman had purely just missed her alarm.
"Yeah," she woman huffs through the line, tired irritation evident. "Who's asking?"
"Piper Chapman's asking," the blonde repeats the woman's phrasing, biting down on her lower lip as she revels on the upper hand she currently has. "And she's wondering about today's no-show."
"Piper," Alex begins, the slight strain in her voice indicating that she's shifting her body into a more upright position. "I had to travel for work. I'm really sorry I couldn't make it. This week's been busy."
"Some notice would have been nice," the blonde comments, but contains herself from getting mad at what sounds to have been something the other woman couldn't avoid. "When're you back?"
"I leave tomorrow morning," the other woman responds, sounding increasingly tired.
"Would you be around on Saturday to meet?"
"I have no idea, Piper, I can barely tell you what time it is at the minute."
Chuckling into the phone line, the blonde smiles to herself.
"I normally don't like spending too long at the office during the weekend, but I'll make an exception this one time. I'd really like to talk with you in person, Alex. The sooner the better."
The other woman doesn't offer a response - obviously thinking of something to say next.
"I need to go," Piper continues. "Call me back on this number when you land."
"It might be late. I don't want to bother you."
"I'll be around," the blonde promptly responds. "Oh, and Alex," she probes.
"Hmm?"
"Go back to sleep. I want our conversation to at the very least be a profitable one."
With that, Piper ends the call, smirking at how she handled the situation. A part of her does feel bad for waking the other woman, but she didn't want her to know that. She can't come across that way.
After what she can only describe as the trip from hell, Alex is grateful for her ability to sleep when flying. Those who attempted to mingle with her were either middle-aged men attempting to smooth talk their way into some time alone, or overly boring individuals with nothing to talk about other than article ideas.
And then there's Piper. She can't say she's surprised she'd received a call - well, the fact that it came from the woman herself was an initial shock, and in thinking back over events, she kicks herself at how she had dealt with things. Maybe it was jetlag, maybe it was stress, but not turning up without notice wasn't her style, and if she were to take anything away from that, it's that her start with Piper couldn't have been any worse.
Over the phone, the woman sounded pissed. She attempted to hold it back, but Alex could tell. Her voice unexpectedly intimidated her to a degree, and if she were to guess, their eventual conversation was going to be on the razor edge of a negotiation or an argument.
She tried to stop herself from thinking any further on the topic - overall deciding it was neither of their days to have been giving off approachable signs. She just hopes things don't get any worse.
That lasted all up until she landed back on home soil. She felt a sudden bout of nervousness she couldn't quite explain. The thought of talking to Piper makes her feel anxious. Not because of the opportunity she'll be throwing away if she fucks up, but from what she's heard, the CEO is relentless when it comes to getting her way, regardless of how well liked she is.
That thought prompts her to do as instructed and call the number that is still listed in her most recent calls. The line rings twice before it's picked up - giving the brunette less time than she would have liked to be able to plan what she's going to say.
"Alex, hi," the woman greets, sounding a hell of a lot more welcoming than she did the last time they spoke.
"Um, hi," the brunette stutters, kicking herself internally. "I've just landed, so I'll head home and then drive over if that's okay?" she asks.
"Oh, there's no need," Piper begins, her voice smoothly ringing through the line. "My driver should be nearby to collect you. He can drive you home after, so your belongings will be looked after just fine."
Raising her eyebrows at the gesture, Alex feels her cheeks flush. This woman really means business.
"I appreciate it, Piper, but you didn't have to go out of your way like that."
"Nonsense. I don't think we began on the right foot. I'd like things from here on to be as comfortable for you as possible."
Glad that the woman on the other end can't see her surprisingly flushed expression, Alex clears her throat.
"Again, I appreciate it," she says in a genuine fashion. "Do you know where your driver's waiting?"
"Oh, he should be waiting just by the exit. Look for the sign with your name. I know it's old fashioned," the other woman begins to ramble, causing Alex's lips to curl up," "but it's the best I could think of this late notice."
"I'm sure it'll be just great," she chuckles. "Thank you, Piper."
The blonde offers her own response before the call comes to a natural end.
Alex manages to grab her bag and locate the blonde's driver within the next half an hour. The black sedan - as she should have expected, is clearly worth a great amount, but isn't ridiculously flashy. She wonders whether that's why the blonde is so well liked by many - she doesn't seem to be openly flaunting her wealth.
The man driving her to the blonde's place of work is polite and thankfully doesn't attempt to engage in any long-winded conversational topics - something she wonders if he was instructed to do.
Upon reaching Piper's renowned headquarters, Alex again feels her heart rate begin to increase. She isn't entirely sure what she's getting involved with, but she hopes for her own sake that it doesn't come with too much baggage.