Orange Is The New Black is the property of Piper Kerman and Netflix.

This is an AU, I plan for it to be a multi-chapter but it will be a slow update. Piper may be slightly OOC. Oh and I don't plan on having Alex as a dealer, though I haven't yet decided what her career will be. Cheers for reading – Lark

AN: I'm sorry I've been AWOL, I have finale exams starting in two weeks so I'm afraid that after this update you'll suffer a drought for another 6 weeks or so.

Chapter 3

Piper knew she was in danger the moment they entered the restaurant; heavy crimson curtains hung against the walls and velvet-lined booths filled the room creating an intimate and cosy vibe.

'Have you been here before, Alex?' Piper asked shyly as she eyed the other patrons, they all appeared to be couples. She just couldn't imagine the enigmatic Alex cuddled up in one of these booths with some random woman.

'A friend told me about it,' She shrugged.

'I think the owner forgot that Valentines Day only lasts for twenty-four hours,' Piper chuckled, poking at a dangling paper heart with a wry grin.

'I thought you were a romantic?'

'What gave you that impression?' Piper teased, though Alex slipping her hand into Piper's interrupted her smugness.

'Just an assumption,' Alex chuckled slyly, depositing a lingering kiss on Piper's cheek. They stepped up to the desk and Alex wrapped an arm around Piper's waist as if to leave no doubt in the greeter's mind that they were not just friends.

'Reservation for two under Vause.'

'Right this way,' the greeter nodded and calmly led them through the maze of booths to a secluded table in the corner. Piper had to commend the greeter for not even blinking at what even she perceived to be an odd pairing.

'Thank you,' Piper smiled as the greeter left them at the booth. Piper slid into the booth and scooted about half way round. Perhaps it was foolish, but she hadn't expected Alex to mirror her move and sit so close that their legs, from hip to knee, were pressed together.

'Well, I had my doubts when Nichols told me about this place,' Alex chuckled, 'but I may have to rescind that opinion.'

'We haven't tried the food yet.'

'No, but the seating arrangements are quite pleasant,' She purred, placing a hand against Piper's thigh.

'Alex, first date boundaries,' Piper blushed, shuffling a few inches away from Alex's warm side and heady perfume.

'Vanilla boundaries,' she scoffed, leaning back against the booth as she assessed the menu.

'I'm not vanilla,' Piper scowled, hiding her blush behind her menu, though to prove her point she scooted back into Alex's personal space.

A waiter seemed to materialise by the table and looked at them expectantly.

'I'll have the steak, medium and she'll have the pumpkin ravioli,' Alex announced before Piper could even open her mouth.

'Do you think that's charming?' Piper scowled when the waiter had vanished once again.

'You don't?'

'Well for all you know I might despise pumpkin, I just think it's a foolish gesture.'

'Do you hate pumpkin?' Alex smirked.

'You're an asshole,' Piper decided after a moment's silence.

'Ah, but I'm a charming asshole,' Alex chuckled, snaking an arm around Piper's waist, her nose nuzzling against Piper's neck.

'I think that's an oxymoron,' Piper gasped as Alex's lips brushed her earlobe. Piper's usual defence that such behaviour was inappropriate in public died on her tongue as she surveyed the actions and positions of the other diners.

'Maybe I was wrong to say you were vanilla,' Alex chuckled throatily against her ear, the hand that wasn't around Piper's waist was caressing her thigh under the cover of the tablecloth.

'A-Alex," Piper stammered, placing her hand over Alex's to stop in wandering any further beneath her dress, 'I think class would insist that you at least wait until we've eaten.'

'Eating is all I'm thinking about, hun," Alex purred.

After Desert

Somehow Piper had managed to fend Alex off long enough to eat the main course and desert, however, by the time the soufflé had vanished from their plates Alex's hands were wandering up her legs again and Piper couldn't find the motivation to stop her.

'Would you like to have some coffee back at my apartment?' Piper murmured, wondering where her courage had come from, perhaps there had been liquor in the soufflé.

'I'm rubbing off on you, darling,' Alex teased, but Piper did not fail to notice that she called for the bill very quickly.

Piper's Apartment

Alex had been curiously silent throughout the walk back to the apartment, if Piper hadn't know better she would have suspected the woman was nervous. Piper reached down and under the guise of taking Alex's hand, checked her pulse. Sure enough it was hammering and Piper allowed herself a small grin.

'Don't think I missed that, Miss Nurse,' Alex chuckled, 'If you wanted to play Doctor, all you had to do was ask.'

'Alex,' Piper groaned.

'Still not quite the tone I was looking for.'

'Do you ever stop?'

'No,' Alex winked, clearly finding some sexual innuendo in the question that Piper had missed.

'So, coffee?' Piper offered as she unlocked her front door.

'No, I'm afraid not,' Alex sighed.

'Really?' Piper blinked, genuinely surprised.

'If I go in, Pipes, I won't leave,' Alex admitted, leaning against the corridor wall.

Piper had to bite down on her tongue to stop herself from suggesting Alex come in anyway.

'And you call me a tease,' she grumbled under her breath, however Alex still heard her.

'Oh, you are a tease, but I never said I wasn't,' Alex smirked, pushing off the door frame and waltzed over to the still closed door so that she could loom over Piper.

'So, ah, I guess this is goodnight,' Piper smiled, twirling a blonde curl between her fingers. She doubted Alex was versed in the eighties movies which had given birth to that particular flirting technique, but she had no doubt Alex knew the signs instinctively.

'For now, I'll come by the library soon,' Alex promised, placing her arm against the door.

'Alex don-' Piper yelped, but she was too late. The extra weight forced the half open door to swing inwards which sent them both crashing to the floor.

'Ow,' Piper groaned before flushing bright red as she realised her face was directly in line with Alex's chest.

'You could have just said you were a bottom, you really didn't have to make a show of it,' Alex coughed, lifting her upper torso off Piper's, but she left their legs intertwined.

'Asshole,' Piper chuckled, unsure whether to be disappointed or relived by their adjusted positions.

'Since I have your attention,' Alex smirked, lowering her head slowly so that all Piper could see were plump scarlet lips.

'Glasses,' Piper chuckled apprehensively as she felt metal brush her skin.

'Sorry,' Alex murmured and for once she actually sounded sincere, 'I don't usually forget.'

'Do I make you nervous?' Piper taunted, though she knew she was probably far more terrified than Alex.

'No,' Alex smirked, 'but you turn me on.'

Piper bit back a moan at Alex's husky tone. Piper involuntarily arched her back as Alex settled on top of her, her thigh pressing down between Piper's legs momentarily before she moved again.

'Now there, that's the tone I wanted,' Alex purred before finally lowering her lips to Piper's.

Piper's mind clouded over, her mind seemed unable to register anything but the sensation of Alex's full lips on hers and the confident hands that were massaging her chest.

Piper pulled Alex down onto her, relishing the weight of a body on top of hers. Alex always felt mysterious to her, like she could vanish at any moment, but with the woman so intrinsically tied to her, Alex felt very real.

A tongue slipped between Piper's lips and by the hammering of her heart Piper thought it might as well have been her first kiss. Piper reciprocated, but there was no battle of dominance and no question of who was in control.

Piper felt like she had melted, ceased to exist, there was nothing in her world but the scent of musk that always clung to Alex's skin, the wet caress of Alex's lips and tongue as they teased Piper's ear before drifting down to fix on her pulse point.

When they separated Piper felt like she had lost something, and she was only consoled by Alex's hand that was still against her waist.

'I'll see you soon,' Alex promised as Piper's hand trailed up to her neck.

'You've got to be kidding me,' Piper hissed, fingering the tender skin, 'You gave me a fucking hickey, we're not twelve.'

'I'd hate for anybody to think the librarian was a recluse.'

'Alex,' Piper growled.

'Good night, Piper,' Alex smirked, 'Go take a shower.'

'I hate you.'

'Sure, you do, hun,' Alex smirked, kissing her lightly on the lips before vanishing out the door with a merry wave.

'Shit,' Piper sighed as she closed the door behind the mysterious woman. Not for the first time Piper began to wonder just what she had gotten herself into.