Piper awoke to the scent of Alex's hair. Blinking, she realised that sometime during the night, they had both moved so that their legs were intertwined. Alex's arm was over the blonde's waist and her own head nestled comfortably in the curve of her lover's shoulder. Her smell was so intoxicating, she thought as she snuggled closer. With one eye open, she glanced at the time. Half past 6.

True to their normal waking hours, her muscles screamed to be stretched. Her attempt to ease out of bed resulted in Alex's arm tightening around her waist. Even as her body cheerfully responded to the touch, she gently nudged her away.

Surfacing, Alex murmured, "What?"

"Sorry," she didn't know why she was whispering. "I wanted to run."

"Run?"

"Just around the block. Just for an hour."

"Time's it?"

"6:33AM."

Alex groaned, her voice still thick with sleep. "This is an ungodly hour of the day. Why do you wake up before eight? It's not humane."

"Sue me. Alex, I have to run."

Alex only tightened her arm, pulling Piper closer and locking her in, "I can think of another exercise you might enjoy."

She supported her proposal as she laid soft kisses behind Piper's shoulder. She continued huskily as her hand slid in the triangle between the blonde's thighs, "I've heard great results about it. Scientists say you can burn 207 calories in 30 minutes. More when you orgasm."

"You're making this up," Piper fought to keep her diminishing resolve.

"Mm-mmm. All true. But in the interest of science...why don't we test it out?" Alex's hand cupped her breast, loving the weight of it in her hand. She's so delicate, she thought. When she felt Piper sigh in defeat, felt her relax against her body, she took advantage of her small victory.

Piper's gasp ended on a moan as she was filled. She thought of nothing but the slick pleasure that wracked her body. The pleasure that Alex was giving her. She was shocked to find out her system could wake up so fast as she felt all her nerves shimmer and sizzle.

Piper gripped her lover's shoulder for balance. She was helpless, and she knew it. She knew it, and it thrilled her. It thrilled her to know she could be taken like this, that she could feel so used—and love it. The heat, the furnace that roared between them, flooded her senses until she could barely cry out in sinful yet stunning pleasure.


"Isn't there a rule about not looking better than the hostess?" Alex grinned as she wrapped her arms around Piper's waist, kissing her ear.

"You're looking pretty ravishing yourself." Piper pressed her lips together to spread her lipstick. She protested when she felt hands splayed over her stomach.

"Al, I need to get ready."

"You could've been ready an hour ago if you didn't insist on running. Sex is an exercise, Pipes."

"My thighs say otherwise."

Alex chuckled. She set her hands on Piper's hips and turned her around. Her smile widened when she was granted a sight to behold. How could she have insecurities? she wondered. She could easily pass for a Greek goddess. People should be falling to their knees in prayer and admiration wherever she walked. She should be on her knees, she mused. Because her girlfriend looked enchanting and just because she can, she took Piper's lips in hers.

She poured all her praises into the kiss, hoping to wash away all of her lover's doubts. She wanted to be the one to make her feel like a queen. When they changed angles, she sought deeper. She needed her to know how far she'd fallen. She fell so fast, she mused.

Sighing, Alex lingered, then pulled away. "You're beautiful, Pipes."

Piper struggled to clear her head. Her arms were limp as melted wax and her legs threatened to give. What was that? She had never been kissed so...powerfully, before. She didn't know what to think. "I feel beautiful when you look at me," she murmured.

Alex's green eyes flared in recognition. Then I'll keep looking, she thought. She smiled, leaned forward and planted a final kiss on her lover's neck before easing away. "I gotta check on the drinks. I'll see you out there, okay?"

"Mm-hmm. Save me a glass," she said as Alex sailed out of the bedroom.

Alone, she allowed herself to critically look at her appearance in the mirror. She was nowhere near Alex's level, she knew, but she looked good enough to earn the spot by Alex's side. She wondered if Alex was going to introduce her as her girlfriend, before realising she didn't actually know any of her lover's friends. She remembered Sylvie shouting that she had given Alex a social life.

What if Piper had taken that away too?

She shook her head, dismissing the thought. She mustn't think like that. It was Alex's decision to leave Sylvie. She didn't do anything more than show the brunette what she was missing.

Piper was putting final touches on her makeup when her phone rang. She rushed over, a difficult feat in heels, fished her phone out of her bag and answered.

"Polly! Hi, where are you?"

"Hey Piper, I'm just trying to find parking. The whole street is filled. All the cars are like, top brand too. How the hell did you score a girl in a rich neighbourhood?"

Piper felt her stomach begin to drop. The whole street? she repeated silently. "Beats me. I'll see you at the house then?"

"Wait, wait. I called to ask, pie or wine?"

"...What?"

"As a...well, it's not really a gift gift. I felt weird not showing up without bringing something so I brought two safe choices.

Piper had to laugh, "The wine should work. I'll see you soon."

She clicked off and brushed her hair away from her face. Taking one last look in the mirror, she took one deep breath before sailing out the door.

It looked more like a royal dinner than a house party, she thought immediately. Dark red carpet covered the wooden floor, matching the curtains that draped over the tall, glass windows. There was a long buffet table covered with a white tablecloth with small swirls at the hem. The room smelled faintly of finger food and expensive perfume. The twang of guitars sounded faintly from the stereo.

Piper saw Alex by the door, air kissing the coming guests. She caught her eye, saw the flirtatious wink before she shifted her attention back to the person in front of her. Damn, Piper mused, there goes her heart. She walked to the kitchen, and was happily surprised when a man in a suit came up to her with a tray full of filled glasses.

"A drink, m'am?"

Piper grinned and took a glass, "Don't mind if I do."

The wine tasted sweet, with a little bit of a kick. She took another sip, and let her eyes wander around. The conversation buzz began to pick up as more people poured into the house. She watched in amusement as three women made a beeline for the buffet table, starting their feast with the fried pickle chips. She found Alex again, but she wasn't by the door this time. She was laughing at something the man in front of her said. The man's guffaw was heard from across the room.

"Piper!"

She swivelled to her right, smiled brightly as she recognised her friend. "Polly! You made it."

So that's what she looks like when I'm not in the picture, Alex thought as she studied the duo over her friend's shoulder.

"Why wouldn't I come?" Polly picked a Lentil Meatball off a plate and popped it in her mouth. "This place is amazing. I mean, have you seen the buffet? And they have those snooty waiters that wander around."

Piper laughed, looking at the servers. "They're not snooty."

"You'd say that. The whole thing looks like something your mom would plan."

Piper must've looked stricken, since Polly hurriedly added, "But less uptight. By a long shot."

Piper pushed through the ugly thoughts she just had about her family's parties. "Absolutely."

"How is your mom? Have you told her you decided to join the 'other team'?"

"'The other team'?" Piper's eyes glittered in amusement as she faced Polly. "Seriously?"

"I don't know if you're keeping it a secret or not."

"Neither do I," Piper admitted. "But no, I haven't talked to her. Haven't told her or Dad or Danny or Cal anything about my life for the past week, and I think it's doing me a lot of good. I should keep up this family moratorium."

"You know she'll call you by at least tomorrow," Polly told her.

"Probably. But I don't have to answer it."

"Remember when you did that and she nearly sued the university for not knowing where you were when she called the office lady?"

Piper snorted, "God, that was so stupid. You'd think I got kidnapped."

Polly laughed with her, "You might as well have been. She was probably this close to calling the cops." She brought her pointer and thumb together.

"I was very much enjoying my first make-out session to care about meeting curfew and calling my mother like a twelve year old."

"And now you're gay."

Piper simply grinned in response.

"Speaking of, which one's Alex?"

She looked around, then indicated to the brunette, who had moved to another group. "That one," she said. "Tall, black hair, glasses."

Polly squinted, "Wow."

Piper nodded in total understanding, "Yeah."

"She looks like someone who threw crazy parties everyday when she was a kid."

Piper chuckled, "She was probably the popular lesbian and everyone basically went gay for her or something."

"You guys haven't had the childhood talk yet?"

She hid a sly grin in her drink, "We haven't had much time for talking."

"Oh." Polly made a disgusted face, laughing after. "Was it angel-weeping-melodic-violin-in-the-background or was it jungle-drumming-swinging-from-chandelier?"

Piper's immediate instinct was the second option, but reconsidered. Alex had her moments when her touch was so unbelievably tender that she felt almost honoured to be with her. She takes care, Piper thought, of her. Her soft touch made her yearn for more, despite having already taken everything Alex had to offer. But then there were times where the brunette had dominated Piper's body and mind, blown everything to bits until she was left happily struggling for air.

"Bit of both," she decided. There was at least some truth to that. She was uncertain as to how deep her feelings ran, but she was willing to find out...if Alex takes the first step.

Polly laid a knowing hand on Piper's arm. She knew the thoughtful look that passed Piper's face meant that this—whatever gay thing this was—was something more than just a fling. "Okay." She thought of a fast way to break the tension, "Hey, where's the bathroom? I've been dying to pee ever since I left the house."

Piper used her hand to point to a corridor, "That way, second door on your right."

"Thanks. Lady Nature calls," Polly hurried off.

Alex watched as the smaller woman rushed away. Excusing herself from the boring conversation she was pretending to have, she picked up a corked wine bottle from the table before moving to Piper. Her heart soared when Piper all but glowed at the sight of the brunette. She grinned and leaned forward to plant a kiss on her cheek, lingering when she caught her comforting scent of peaches.

"Enjoying yourself?" she asked.

Piper smiled up at her, "I am. I—"

She noticed the big bottle Alex was holding. Her eyebrows winged up. "I said to save me a glass, not a whole bottle."

"A glass isn't going to get you drunk enough tonight."

Piper matched her lover's smirk with one of her own, "Why do you want to get me drunk?"

Alex's smile promised of dangerous pleasure. She lifted the bottle, preparing to uncork it. Piper leaned back instinctively and squealed when she heard the pop of the cork. Little pellets of bubbles sprayed on her face. Wiping them with the back of her hand, she managed to get a small taste, "Mmm. Oh, that's good."

Grinning, Alex poured a glass, "It's a party," she said, handing the drink to Piper.

"I feel like...I'm playing house."

Alex chuckled as she poured herself a glass. She rose a suggestive brow, "You wanna play doctor instead?"

"This place is insane," Polly piped up from behind the blonde, another wineglass in hand.

Alex drank the glass in one go and kept a friendly smile on her face as she clinked the wine bottle to Piper's glass. "Cheers," she toasted.

"Cheers."

She clinked the bottle with Polly's glass, "Great to meet you, Holly."

She was taking a swig from the bottle when she was corrected, "It's...Polly, actually."

Dismissing the offence, she nodded, "Right. Polly Hobbie."

She chuckled before suddenly noticing Fahri behind her, a drink–probably vodka–in hand. Her smile wavered, but remained on her face as she excused herself from the two. Weaving through the small crowd, she reached him as he was taking another sip.

"Quite a party," he commented.

"Being in vogue has its benefits. Might as well give people what they want, right?"

He angled towards her, "Vogue?"

"Yeah. Business. Fashion thing."

He laughed, but sobered pretty quickly. "I need to speak with you."

"I have an office. Just this way," she said, walking away and stealing a few minutes to compose herself. She opened the door, closing it when Fahri strolled in. Cautiously, she watched as he made his way towards her chair, reaching out to feel its smooth, leather texture.

"Beautiful," he commented.

"Thank you."

He looked at her pointedly, and turned the chair slightly as he moved to sit down. "You're doing well."

"I am." Alex was aware she was being short and blunt, but she couldn't seem to stop herself.

With a possessive hand on the arm of the chair, he looked up at Alex, who made her hands busy with the wine bottle. "We'd like to increase your input," he stated.

"I'm always curious about who 'we' is," she chuckled nervously, desperately trying to break through the awkwardness. "Is that like when 'they' say that fur faux vests are in this season, you know what I mean?"

His expression straight and sombre, he replied, "No, I don't know what you mean."

Alex pressed her lips together. That didn't last very long, she mused. "How much?"

"100,000. A month."

Flabbergasted, Alex stuttered. "Wh—Jesus!"

"What can I say?" Smug, Fahri leaned back. "We're back in vogue. Give the people what they want."

Alex heard her own words be thrown back at her and bit back a snort. She continued the business talk, "Well—I'm gonna need more kids. And more cash upfront for treats."

Fahri shrugged, a dismissing gesture of a man used to having what was needed. "Whatever you need," he said. "As always. Kubra will be happy to hear. We value your position in this organisation."

Alex had to laugh at the formality, "Glad I'm not expandable," she toasted her wine bottle, "Cheers."

She was chugging a fair amount of the wine when Fahri asked bluntly, "Who was that girl?"

She swallowed audibly before responding. She didn't have to ask who he was referring to. There would only be one 'that girl' in her life. "Piper Chapman," she answered.

"Who is she?"

"I met her last week. She's...she's my girlfriend."

Maintaining a straight face despite the barrage of questions that zoomed through his mind, Fahri picked one in particular, "Will she be trouble?"

Alex decided she didn't like the tone in his voice. She matched his implied venom as she lowered her own voice, "She knows about me. I trust her."

"You seem to trust more easily nowadays, Alex. It could be dangerous."

"My trust is rarely misplaced, Fahri. I trust her," she repeated as she unconsciously tightened her grip on the wine bottle. She allowed herself one happy moment as she imagined smashing the bottle against his stupid overly V-shaped hairline.

Fahri stood, "Why don't you introduce me to her?"

Clear surprise flashed over her face before she could regain composure, "What? Why?"

"I'm not just your boss," he said, his tone lighter. "I'm your friend. And I'd like to meet your girlfriend, since this is the first time I've ever heard you use the word."

Alex nodded wearily, "Let me just go get her."

"I'll meet you outside. I just have a phone call to make."

She nodded, turned around and made a beeline for Piper, who was laughing heartily with Polly by the buffet table. Piper's eyes glimmered as she saw Alex, "Hey! We were—"

"I need to talk to you."

"Oh. Okay. Polly—"

"Sorry, Holly." Alex was already dragging Piper away, her hand tightening around her lover's wrist as she pulled her to the window.

"What's wrong?" Piper's face clouded with worry. "Are you in trouble? And who was that guy earlier?"

"That was my boss. He wants to meet you."

Piper raised her eyebrows. She wasn't scared of meeting Alex's boss. She was more confused as to why her lover seemed so anxious about the meet up. She decided to address the issue upfront. "Okay. And why are you so worried about it?"

"I'm not," Alex responded a little too quickly. "It's just...you're the first girl I've introduced to anyone in the ring. I don't really know what that implies."

In her peripheral view, she saw Fahri stepping out of the office. "Okay," she said, more for her fraying confidence than reassuring Piper. "He's here. Let's go."

"Don't worry, Alex. I won't ruin your reputation as a badass."

"It's not that I'm worried about," she muttered as they made their way to Fahri, who stood with a practiced smile on his face. Alex kept a protective arm around Piper's waist when they reached him. "Piper, this is Fahri. He's the one who got me into the whole nine miles of illegal activity."

Piper smiled in cautious greeting, "Hello."

"Piper Chapman," he lifted his glass in acknowledgement. "It's nice to finally meet you."

She kept her smile in place, tilting her head. "Finally?"

"Sure. Alex here," he smiled at the brunette, "has been talking non-stop about you for a week now."

Piper's smile split into a grin as she looked up at Alex. "Has she?"

Picking up on the lie, Alex smiled and planted a kiss on Piper's temple, "Of course. What's not to talk about?"

"You're a university student, yes?"

Piper turned back to Fahri, "Yes. Graduated with a double degree in comparative literature and communications. I...have a thing for books."

"Someone mentions books, I'm immediately attracted."

All parties turned their heads to see Kubra walk towards them, an uncharacteristically charismatic smile on his face. He had his arms wide open, palms out. He walked to Fahri first, exchanging a manly hug before turning to the two women.

Alex forced herself to relax and smiled winningly. "Piper," she said, "this is Kubra."

Piper automatically picked up on Alex's uneasiness. Without thinking, she blurted, "Oh, you're the kingpin."

She belatedly realised her mistake when she felt Alex stiffen beside her. Her lover's grip around her waist tightened, and the party's indistinct chatter seemed to fade away into the distance. She had a ridiculous millisecond to think that she'd die here, with everyone watching. Both women nearly jumped out of their skin when they heard a booming laugh come from Kubra.

"I'd like to be known more as a businessman than a kingpin," he grinned. "That 'kingpin' title never sat well with me. It sounds childish."

Piper all but grabbed at the offered lifeline, "That's true. So. Um. You like books?"

"I think this is a conversation better conducted on a couch, no?" Without looking back, Kubra moved to an empty couch by a window. Piper, Alex and Fahri followed like a sheep following their shepherd.

When he sat, he continued, "You strike me more as a Shakespeare person."

Piper settled herself down, her fingers intertwined in Alex's. "I can appreciate Shakespeare. I'm more of a Margaret Atwood admirer."

"'If you look for perfection, you'll never be content.'"

"That's Leo Tolstoy," she told him. "I like 'War is what happens when language fails.'".

Alex bit the inside of her cheek to stop from laughing. Piper was the first person–besides Fahri–she knew to blatantly correct Kubra. She did it with little thought too, she realised. Like she was talking to a fellow colleague instead of a merciless druglord. She exchanged glances with Fahri, who hid his smile with a sip from his drink. Alex smiled back and visibly loosened, relaxing against the soft cushions.

"You're admiring a feminist?" Kubra inquired.

Piper sipped from her glass before responding, "Atwood doesn't consider herself a feminist. People just assume she's a feminist because she mostly favours powerful, engaging, female roles, like Lady Macbeth or the Queen from Snow White. She believes that women are full human beings that are not being represented enough in politics. And when someone asked her about gender equality, she just had this way of...of explaining that the unhappiness in society comes from our very effort of distinguishing between equality and equity, you know?"

Kubra, who had been smiling from the first sentence, toasted his glass in defeat. "It would seem," he said, "that I have just been educated on society and literature."

Alex felt a quick little twist of pride. "Isn't she great?" she grinned before leaning over to kiss Piper's cheek.

Fahri wasn't sure whether to applaud or laugh. He decided to do neither, and mimicked Kubra's toast of acknowledgement, "Learned more the past few minutes than I did in boarding school," he said.

Piper blushed and turned towards Alex, "I didn't mean to sound educated and up tight," she whispered.

The brunette reassured her with a kiss, "You didn't. You looked beautiful."

"I did?"

"Are you sure you don't want to play doctor now?" She lowered her voice, "I think you're looking a little red."

Piper giggled, shaking her head. "It would be rude to just leave, Al. You can check my pulse later."

Behind Alex, Fahri spoke casually, "It's a shame you're leaving this one for a week, Alex."

Alex's laughter dried up like a drop of water in a desert. Her body froze. Her eyes immediately sought Piper's, watched in despair as a confused frown formed between her eyebrows. Piper's eyes darted between hers and Fahri's before eventually landing on him. Words and explanations formed in her head, but they couldn't get through the barrier that clogged her tightening throat.

Piper was the first to speak, "I'm sorry?"

"Didn't you hear? Alex is going to Brazil next month."

"No," Piper spoke firmly, keeping an easy smile on her face as she looked at Alex. "No, I didn't hear. But it's good to know. Excuse me."

She pushed off the couch, still keeping that loose smile as she walked towards the bedroom, using all of her willpower to slowly close the door instead of slamming it hard enough the hinges break. Alex pushed the heel of her hand to her forehead, like she was trying to push away the headache that happily skipped to the front of her brain. Fuck, she fumed. Fuck fuck fuck.

"So much for trust, Alex," Fahri sipped from his glass, amused and unapologetic. "You didn't tell her."

She didn't have the energy to snap back. Instead, she let out a long, windy sigh. "No. No, I didn't."

Shit.


A/N: I had absolutely no idea how motivating and riveting reviews are until these past few ones came up. To those that ask why I don't get much reviews, I honestly don't know xD It doesn't really bother me much, as long as people are reading my work, I'm more than happy to keep posting. Don't get me wrong though, reviews are worth a million ;) So thank you a bunch to those who took time to do so; I appreciate it more than Taystee appreciated her King Cone.

Guests: IM HAPPY YOU LOVED DIANE! She was a fun time to write. Also, yeah I think my summary is a little bit dull, so I'll work on rewriting that as soon as I can. And again: thank you so much for helping me out with the reviews ^.^ I adore you all.

Jupiter: I'm glad you're enjoying it! And yeah, I see what you mean, my process of thinking is that since the show focuses on Piper, I might delve a little deeper into Alex's POV. But I'll be sure to write through Piper's POV the next few chapters, so stay in tune for that :)

littlekittybangbang: Honestly, I love writing Alex's vulnerable moments. I think that's one of my stronger suits, so I'm really glad you loved it! Appreciate the awesome awesome support :)

WB79: I hope I get to touch on all of the possibilities before the story reaches the prison! Glad I gave you something to binge on ^.^ That's great to hear.

Guests: It's here! I hope it was worth the wait :) And I'm hella glad you enjoy it.

To the guests: Make sure you get yourself a name so I can specifically address you D: I love talking to people. But anyways, as always, I hope you guys enjoyed, and I will see you all in a few chapters. xx