13
Alex weaved in and out of traffic in an attempt to get to the restaurant as soon as she could. As was always the case, it seemed that whenever she was in a hurry, everyone else was not. If anything, the entire city seemed to slow down just to keep her from being on time. She cursed out loud and slammed her hand down blasting her horn when an orange McLaren 720s with tinted windows cut her off causing her to swerve and hit the curb.
"Asshole!" she screamed. The driver stuck their hand out and gave her the finger before speeding away into the night traffic.
As much as she wanted to pull over and assess the damage (She was sure her rim was scuffed) she had promised Piper she would be there before Marcus arrived and she intended to keep that promise. Even if it meant a scuffed rim. After all, how bad could it be? Surely, it could be fixed. She winced at the thought of her mother, knowing very well Diane would have screamed her head off before cutting off every single one of Alex's fingers. The red Audi was one of Diane's most prized possessions and she had no doubt that if heaven or hell existed, Diane was swearing and cursing every word in the dictionary and each one was directed at Alex. I swear, she whispered under her breath, this is for a very good cause.
What is that cause, Vause? A small voice in her head asked.
I am helping a friend, she muttered under her breath.
Since when do you have friends?
I have friends. Nicky is a friend.
Nicky is different.
So is Piper.
Really? How so?
Stop it Vause. It's just a car.
Excuses.
It's just a work meeting which I won't make it on time to if I keep talking to myself.
You don't work for Litchfield…
On and on she went back and forth between her thoughts. Needless to say, by the time she pulled into the busy restaurant lot she was flustered and annoyed with herself for overthinking. There was no need to internally dispute the reason for her charitable ways. Since when are you charitable with time, Alex.
Shut up.
She stepped outside and began to make her way to the front when something to her right caught her attention. She quickly made her way to the orange McLaren and came to a stop in front of the license plate. It was the same car that had cut her off earlier.
Seeing the car lifted her mood as her mother's face came into mind. Knowing Diane, the older woman would have keyed the car, perhaps going as far as scratching "asshole" on the hood. She chuckled and headed inside where she was greeted by the hostess.
"I have a reservation with Piper Chapman of Litchfield," she said.
"Marcus?" The woman asked but Alex was not paying attention. She was roaming the dining room area wondering who the owner of the McLaren was.
"Sorry," she said returning her eyes to the waitress.
"Are you Marcus?"
"Alex. I am a friend of Piper's."
"Right this way," the hostess said and led her to the back. They passed one of the other private rooms. Even with the closed doors, Alex could hear the loud music and the rowdy patrons inside laughing. She gave the hostess a questioning look when they stopped in the room adjacent to the one.
"Don't worry. Our private rooms are noise-proofed to one another. We make arrangements so that our patrons do not disturb each other but we do channel some of the noise into the hallway to warn us of any trouble," the hostess opened the door and stepped to the side. Alex stepped in. Before the door closed behind her, she heard glass shattering in the other room.
"Alex!" Piper called from the left side of the room. She was sitting down in front of a computer typing away. Alex noticed the projector to the front of the room displaying graphs and charts of several of Litchfield's accounts.
"Hey," she waved.
"I think I have almost everything ready. Marcus should be here soon but I was hoping you could go through my projections and tell what you think of them. I tried my best but with little time I had to make some tweaks and adjustments," Piper said as she typed away.
"I can take a look," Alex peered over Piper's shoulder.
"Here sit," Piper stood to the side and gestured for Alex to sit and that's when Piper's problem began.
…
Maybe this was a bad idea, Piper thought to herself. She'd asked Alex to go over her projections and while Alex had seemed fine with helping her, the more she scrolled through Piper's statements, the quieter Alex got.
This is not a good sign, Piper worriedly thought. She peered over Alex's shoulder not failing to notice how close her lips were to Alex's ear or how good Alex smelled. Beneath her, Alex shifted uncomfortably.
When Alex reached the final slide, she sat still for what seemed like an eternity before scrolling back to the beginning. She pushed back on the chair.
"Well," Piper asked, her eyebrows lifting in question.
"I think," Alex said slowly as if taking her time to choose her words.
Oh god, she probably thinks I am an idiot, Piper thought to herself. She bit her bottom lip to stop her insecurities from leaving her mouth.
Alex looked away, "I think it does Litchfield justice."
Bullshit. Say what you really think, Piper tried to mentally convey to Alex. Instead, "You think Marcus will be convinced?"
Alex smiled and nodded but said nothing more. Piper returned the smile unsure of what to say or do. After a few seconds when she was sure Alex would say no more, she turned on her heel and walked to the minibar on the opposite side of the room. She cursed herself for not being able to read Alex's expressions.
As she poured herself a shot of a brown liquid from a clear bottle, she contemplated whether Alex would lie to her. If Alex had seen something that would jeopardize Litchfield, she would have said something, right? Especially when the company belonged to her best friend. Then again Piper had been somewhat of an ass to Alex during the first few weeks of their acquaintance. Surely, by now they were on more friendly terms. Then again Alex could be the revenge type, slowly plotting Piper's demise. But why would she risk it? Especially when her friendship with Nicky was involved?
Her thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door. The hostess peered inside and looked at the two of them.
"Would you like to start placing an order or are we still waiting on Mr. Marcus?" She looked between the two of them.
"Piper? What do you think?" Alex asked, "Maybe we can order something light to begin with and see where Marcus would like to go from there depending whether he wants to eat first or not."
"We will order an appetizer," Piper tried to say but it came out as a question.
"Do you have something in mind?" The hostess asked, pen and pad at hand.
"Oh. I haven't had a chance to look at the menu yet," Piper admitted in slight embarrassment.
"We do not carry a menu," the hostess replied with noticeable annoyance in her voice, "because our items are renowned worldwide and we carry them year-round." She turned to Alex in quick dismissal of Piper.
"We'll have the all-nighter and a bottle of Carsebridge 48," the words left Alex's mouth as if on instinct. Of course she knows the menu, Piper thought. She's probably been here with Nicky.
"Three glasses?" the hostess asked jotting down the order.
From her peripheral vision, Piper saw Alex studying her before she gave the hostess an answer.
"Just two."
…
With each drink, his body seemed to get lighter. Each step was like walking on a water mattress. The ground underneath him moved about and seemed to sink whenever the flat of his shoe made contact.
He pushed the red button at the bar calling the hostess. Instantly, she was in the door and at his side.
"Bring me the Carsebridge," he said.
"I'm sorry sir," the hostess answered. "We just sold the last bottle and we will not receive another shipment until tomorrow."
"Cut the crap, Amy. That's not what I asked. I said bring me the Carsebridge," he smiled drunkenly.
"Sir, we just so-"
He wrapped his arm around Amy and pulled her close to him which earned him several cheers and wolf-whistles.
"Sir? You're calling me sir, Amy?" He held tighter onto Amy and she tried to push him away. "That's not what you were screaming the other night."
"Steven, please," Amy whispered. "I'm working."
"I can arrange for you to be off," Steven whispered suggestively in her ear. "It's no fun without you."
"Then I suggest you entertain your guests and let me do my job," she kneed him in the groin freeing herself from his grasp. He cried in pain and tried to reach for her but she was already walking to the door. He chased after her and when he reached her, he took her arm and led her outside through the back door.
She was not at all surprised by his actions. Instead, she waited until the door closed them off from any curious eyes before wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him. He gripped her buttocks and pushed her against the wall.
After a few moments, she pushed back and pecked him on the nose.
"You need to behave," she told him. "I don't want to get in trouble."
"You don't have to," he nibbled at her neck, "I already told you. Come live with me and I will take care of you."
"That's not going to work?" She gasped against his lips.
"What are you talking about?"
"The bottle. I can't let you have it. I told you, it's already sold."
Steven dropped his hands on his side and rolled his eyes.
"Get back to work."
After she was gone, he reached into his pocket and took out a cigarette and began to walk around the building. What was the point of being rich if half the time he wanted something he couldn't get it?
He stopped at the front and contemplated going home. If he left, he could call one of many friends who happened to be girls and get a good night's sleep. On the other hand, he was known for throwing the best parties. Leaving would cost him reputation points. He let the cigarette fall and doused the bud with his shoe. He had a reputation to keep. Besides, after it was all over he could always take Amy home.
He was about to open the door to head back inside when a reflection in the glass door caught his eye. It was the red Audi that he'd cut off earlier. He walked around it inspecting the lines. He brought his face close to the window and after admiring his own reflection, he took in the leather seats. The car was a beauty, there was no doubt about it. He began to wonder about how his hands would feel against the steering wheel and about the silent purr as his foot pressed down the pedal. How the tires would easily roll on the pavement. He had a thing for cars. Hell, he liked them as much as he liked women. Both had to be gently handled to give their best. He closed his eyes thinking of Amy and her curves then opened them. He saw no distinction between Amy's curves and the Audi's.
His body tensed in anticipation knowing that whenever he came upon something beautiful, he just had to have it.
AN: Hello! I was trying to type a longer chapter but I am quite sleepy right now and I did not want to wait to upload the entire chapter because who knows when I will get it done.
Anyhow, the year has gone by. I hope you are all staying safe! Thank you all for the encouraging words.
This semester is almost over so I hope to have a few months before the next term starts to get some writing done.
Here is something fun you can do whilst you wait: Go check out the song that inspired this FF. It is "Craving You" by Thomas Rhett ft. Maren Morris. Let me know what you think!
-Youcanspace