A/N: I've worked like a trooper to get a bit more written as I won't have time in a couple of weeks. Way earlier than expected, your next super long chapter.
Piper hit the gym early on Monday morning and Jess waved her over to the front desk as she swiped her membership card to enter.
"Morning Jess, how was your weekend?"
"Hey. Crazy busy with helping my Mom and Dad move house, but it was fun. I prefer my workouts without super king sized beds and stairs to be honest." She shook her head and rubbed her arms at the memory.
"Sounds gruelling!" Piper smiled.
"So, anyway. Want to see your workout plan?"
"Does it involve stairs and lifting heavy furniture?"
"You'll be relieved to know that it does not." Jess grinned. "Go put your stuff in a locker and meet me by the stretching mat and I'll run through it with you."
They worked through the plan with Jess correcting her posture at each routine and Piper was happy with the focus on stretching, muscle tone and core stability. She had her cardio covered with the running and preferred her lungs to be exercised in fresh air and parks, rather than treadmills anyway. Jess mentioned yoga classes running most evenings that would be covered with her trial membership card, so she noted the times on her way out and thought about giving them a go as well. It was all free, so why the Hell not!
XXXXX
She went home to shower and change for work, finding time to make a green smoothy to take on the subway to complete the super healthy morning she was having. Piper was looking through the stock taking figures Tricia had completed last week when Polly came in.
"Morning. How long have you been here?"
"Only about 10 minutes. How was your weekend?"
"Well, apart from the two whole days I spent in here with you talking about font size and diagram to word ratios…..It was good. We went to see that new movie with Hugh Grant last night at the cinema. Date night!" Polly grinned.
"That new Hugh Grant movie that will be exactly like the old Hugh Grant movie you mean?"
"Yeah, I knew I'd like it." Polly took her coat off and looked at what Piper was reading on the notepad.
"We've got loads of stock in there you know. Should we reduce the manufacturing figures a bit?"
"Yeah, but it's winter stock. We need the new scents for spring and summer, especially it we're trying internet sales with this new plan."
"I don't know. Something Tricia said last week has been buzzing in the back of my mind?"
"Yeah?"
"She said if people can't see it, they can't buy it."
"Right. Well, we already know that…..What are you saying?"
"I'm saying….maybe she has some ideas about how we could sell the excess stock."
Polly stared at her like she was sprouting another head from her shoulders and Piper stopped her from speaking by holding her hand up.
"She might have an idea that we haven't thought of I mean."
"What, with her vast prior experience of the artisanal bath product sector you mean?"
"No. She's got a good head for figures. Have you looked over this stock take sheet? She's not just put numbers of bars of soap in each category on here. There are percentages against everything to show what we have most of."
"I'm no Einstein, but I can see when one number is higher than another. It's not rocket science. What are you getting at?" Polly crossed her arms, but her curiosity was piqued.
"I'm saying….let's see what she can do. Let's give her a chance to use her brain a bit instead of just telling her to sit and count soap all day."
Polly regarded her curiously, eyes slightly narrowed. "Did you bang your head this morning? What happened to watching her like a hawk because she's a junkie?"
"Call it a Eureka moment, whatever." Piper waved her hands dismissively. "I just want to give her a chance to stretch herself a little bit OK? It might bite me in the ass, but what's the worst that can happen, right?" Piper shrugged and walked to the store room with the stock details. She acted nonchalant, but inside she was warring over relinquishing a bit of control.
XXXXX
Lorna called into the store at 3pm on Weds to pick Tricia up for her group meeting and was met by Brooke standing by the door holding a basket out for her.
"Hi Brooke. How are you doing?"
"Hi. I'm great thanks. How are you today?"
"Good, I'm good thank you. What have you been doing this week then?" Lorna took the basket off Brooke as she stood holding it out for her to take as they spoke.
"Well, I had to listen to Piper talk about customer service for a while on Monday, which was lame. But she said if I listened to her and tried some of the things she was telling me about, she'd let me off mopping duty and promote me to sales." Brooke smiled, happy with the change in role.
"Oh, that's great! How are you liking that?"
"Well, if I focus on the fact that I'm not technically taking any money off people and just think about introducing them to these amazing scents, I kind of like it. A couple of girls came in this morning and they pretty much filled their basket with everything I was showing them."
"That's fantastic Brooke! What do you recommend for me then?" Lorna smiled, curious to see Brooke's repertoire in action and let herself be led around the store by Brooke. She was showing her how to properly smell how the scents would smell on your body when testing samples, how to make sure you didn't mix them up on your skin and which products complimented each other. After a few minutes, Lorna was conscious of the time for their appointment and had several items in her basket to buy before they set off.
"Is Tricia around?" She put her basket on the counter.
"Sure, I'll go and get her from the back office. If you'd just like to wait a moment, I'll have someone ring those items through for you and pack them into a nice bag. I won't be a minute."
A few seconds later Piper appeared with Tricia who went to get her coat.
"Hey Lorna, nice to see you!" Piper smiled. "Find a few things you liked hey?" Piper took the products out of the basket and started ringing them through the till. "Obviously there's going to be a friends and family discount on those. Are any of them gifts? We can wrap them up for you?" Piper asked. Lorna felt like she'd walked into a different store to last Weds, but was delighted by the apparent change in Brooke and Piper seemed a lot more calm about them being there this time.
"Oh thanks! All for me this time, but my sister's birthday is coming up, so I'll pick something up next week if that's OK? Maybe Brooke can help me pick something out?" Lorna looked at the short brunette beaming next to her.
"Of course! Tell me what sort of things she likes next week and I'll help you pick something. We've got some gorgeous gift boxes too haven't we Piper?" Brooke's enthusiasm was bubbling over and she tried to check herself. "But, you know. Whatever, I'm sure we can find you something."
"Absolutely we can. I'll pop a couple of samples in there for the new summer range we're developing too. Polly's at the manufacturers right now talking about ideas we've got, so let me know what you think of these as we haven't started making them in bulk yet and there's time for tweaks."
"Gee, thanks Piper. These are lovely! I'll do that and let you know next week."
Piper bagged up the items for Lorna and took the money as Tricia appeared all ready to go.
"Great, see you tomorrow Tricia and I'll see you Weds Lorna, bye!" Piper waved them out of the store and turned to Brooke.
"You did great today. Having you talk customers through the products has helped make a few more sales I think. They seem to be buying more when you're showing them the complimentary lines, so are you happy to carry on doing that for the rest of this week?"
"Yeah! I really like it, finding out what sort of scents people like and then trying to work out what else might go with that. It's like every person has their own style and I have to work it out while they are in here."
"OK, good. Looks like you've got another case to solve." Piper smiled and nodded towards the door where a man with two teenage girls just walked in.
XXXXX
On Thursday afternoon, Piper was putting some samples together on the stockroom floor with Polly when a text came through from Alex.
'Hey Pipes, finally have an early night to look forward to! Are you free later for a Skype session? X'
'Hi stranger! Yes, I have some availability for you later. Is 8pm too late? X'
'8pm your time is fine. I'm not exactly the early to bed and early to rise type anyway ;-)'
"Is that VauseisBoss?"
"Yes it is." Piper tried to stop the smile from spreading across her face and didn't meet Polly's eyes.
"Of course it is. You've got that goofy look on your face. How is London?"
"Fine I think. She hadn't been there long when we spoke at the weekend, so I guess I'll find out later."
"You haven't spoken since Sunday?"
"Nope. I'm being very good and giving her space, like she asked."
"OK…."
"I'm leaving it up to her to see if she wants to talk."
"Playing hard to get then?"
"No!"
"Acting indifferent, but jumping to check your phone every time it beeps? That is playing hard to get."
"It is not! It's being sensitive to her request for space. Now, do we have costs for each of these we can tac to the back of them as a reminder when we talk to John next week?"
"Good plan Batman. How many samples do we want to distribute for feedback? We need to know what the production costs would be for that sample size I think so we get enough feedback but keep costs low."
"I don't know….is 10 of each enough if we hand them as a set of soap and body lotion?"
"Maybe more. 10 is OK for friends and family, but having some in the store for regulars and add ons for new customers is nice. 30 of each?"
"It's expensive and it adds to our investment plan…..do you think-."
"It will be fine. We're planning to expand anyway, that's the whole point right?" Polly waved her hand dismissively before getting up and stretching her back.
XXXXX
Piper went to her first yoga class after work on Wednesday before rushing home to shower and change ready for Alex's call. She was eating stir fry when Alex texted to see if she was ready before calling on Skype.
"Hey! You got it working first time! I'm impressed!" Alex's face popped onto the screen laughing.
"Yes, I don't ALWAYS need telling twice you know." Piper grinned at seeing Alex's face, her stomach flipping the moment the brunette appeared with a wide smile.
"I guess there's a first time for everything hey?" Alex winked. "Are you just having dinner now?" She peered at Piper forking crunchy vegetables into her mouth on the screen.
"Mmmm." She quickly swallowed a mouthful before replying again. "I went to a yoga class after work, so I'm only getting chance now. Home made too you know." Piper raised the plate to the camera to show the proof.
"I'm impressed again. By the yoga AND the healthy diet. So where's the yoga idea come from?" Alex poured a glass of wine from a bottle next to the screen.
"I've joined Pete's gym on a free trial and I get a personal trainer to make me a training plan as part of the deal. So, they gave me this great woman called Jess who made me a plan and she was telling me I should try these classes. Everything is free while I'm on this trial, so I'm trying stuff."
Alex could see how enthusiastic Piper was about the classes and the gym and she listened as Piper told her about the training plan this Trainer called Jess had developed. While she was talking, Alex noticed the dark circles around her eyes had reduced a bit and her face was a little less drawn than it had been recently, so she was happy to know she must be taking care of herself.
"So you're doing all of this AND you're running again?"
"Yeah, not all on the same day. I'm alternating it. A day of cardio and a day of gym stuff. The yoga will fit in with whatever as it's good for me and I found it quite relaxing earlier."
"Wow, you're gonna be ripped!" Alex raised her eyebrow suggestively.
"Yes I am and I'm not gonna lie….I will totally flaunt that at every opportunity. I'll be wearing vest tops and flexing my biceps as I lean over to get the salt shaker….wearing short t-shirts that ride up when I'm in the grocery store ONLY reaching up for things on the top shelf. Yep, I've got big plans for my ripped self."
Alex grinned at Piper's banter. "Well it would be a waste not to when you're going to all this effort after all."
"I know. It's gonna practically be a crime not to right?" Piper chewed some more of her food. "So how are the meetings going?"
"It's been good actually. Bill is starting to get the hang of it and relax a bit. I think he's been a bit nervous because he hasn't done anything like this before. Now he realises that people are listening to his experience, his confidence is growing every day. I don't think the schmoozing is ever gonna be his thing though. He's such a quiet guy that he doesn't like the evening dinners and after work drinks parts. If it's all about the business or just me and him, he's fine. But give him a dinner table and small talk and he's looking for the ground to swallow him up." Alex chuckled and drank some of her wine.
"Well he's with a pro out there right? Nobody can schmooze like you in a restaurant or bar." Piper rolled her eyes dramatically.
"Hey, I saw that! Don't pretend you didn't enjoy it."
"I didn't like you schmoozing with anyone but me." Piper said honestly and shrugged.
"Didn't I just know it! If looks could kill, I'd have been schmoozing to a room full of charcoal with you around to ward everyone off." Alex grinned as she remembered how jealous Piper used to get when she had to work on a night out.
"Well it would serve them right for undressing you with their eyes."
"Oh I see, the punishment would fit the crime of sight then would it?" Alex chuckled.
"Totally. It would be commensurate."
"Well you didn't get that from reading Roald Dahl books."
"No, definitely not."
"Have you finished your dinner yet?"
"Almost. You talk for a minute and I'll clean the plate."
"OK. Well, I spoke to Nicky earlier tonight and I might have some bad news actually."
"What?" Piper crunched another mouth full of beansprouts.
"The construction workers aren't going to have the new office ready for Monday, so there are no desks for Brooke and Tricia to work at yet…..so…."
"You're going to ask if they can stay at PoPi for another week?"
"It's an option I'm considering….depending on your reaction…..but they can always help Taystee and Poussey out in the warehouse for a bit if that is definitely not going to be an option."
"It's OK. They can stay at PoPi until you're ready."
"Really?"
"Yeah. They're free help, right?" Piper shrugged. Alex moved closer to the screen and narrowed her eyes.
"Have you murdered them and this gives you another week to hide your crime?"
"Maybe. You'll have to come home to find out."
"Or I could ask Lorna to spot check you…."
"Who says she isn't part of the cover up operation?" Piper put her plate to the side and wiped her mouth.
"You involved Lorna in a double murder plot?!"
"I can neither confirm nor deny that accusation."
"OK, in that case…..I'll go for Professor Piper…in the Library – obviously….with the lead pipe."
"I want a Lawyer."
They both broke into laughter and Piper wished Alex was in the same room instead of thousands of miles away in a different time zone.
"When are you coming back Al?"
Alex smiled softly at Piper's serious question. "Another couple of weeks."
"Have you had a chance to think about things yet?" Piper tried really hard to keep from sounding needy and she kicked herself for letting the question pop out unchecked.
"Yeah, a little. It's been long days and nights this week to get Bill up to speed you know. I will though. It will be a bit calmer next week I think."
"OK. I know you want space, so I'm not pressuring you. I just wondered is all."
"Thanks."
"S'okay." The mood was suddenly heavier now that was hanging in the air and Piper regretted bringing it up. She didn't want Alex to think she was being hounded to come home, but at the same time Piper was missing her being around.
"Thanks for helping out with Tricia and Brooke. I know you didn't want to do it, so I do appreciate you letting them stay until we are finished with the renovation work."
"It's fine, really. I'd better let you go. It's pretty late for you now."
"Hey Pipes?"
"Yeah?"
"I'll be sure to make my salt shaker particularly difficult to reach when I get back." Alex winked and smiled when Piper blushed a little before rolling her eyes.
"Goodnight Alex."
"Night Pipes."
XXXXX
Piper told Polly the news about agreeing for Tricia and Brooke to stay until the NY Logistics renovations were complete and she was of the same opinion as Piper, it was free help. The girls seemed happy to hear they would be staying a little longer as well and they agreed to pay them for some overtime to work the weekend to help get the samples ready. Piper insisted that Polly take the weekend off as she and Pete were decorating, so the three of them could manage without her and get the samples ready.
Piper had another appointment with Julie on Friday afternoon where she talked more about the night Darryl assaulted her. Julie said that much of what Piper felt about that night was tied up in what happened in prison and she shouldn't always try to compartmentalise the two incidents in her mind, but accept that they were linked and part of her history now. It was a change in thought process that was made more difficult by one incident being known by her friends and family and the other not. She wasn't ready to share any more with anyone other than Alex just yet though, so that would have to remain parked for the moment. The trial was her main worry and there wasn't much Julie could do to help calm her nerves about that as it wasn't where her expertise resided.
XXXXX
On Saturday, Piper had Tricia use her maths brain to work out costs for the sample packs, the most lucrative gift pack options to increase profits from them and how they could work in using some of the older stock to reduce the leftover boxes from last season.
Brooke on the other hand, worked on creating some mind map diagrams that they could use for suggestions on the new internet sales plan. It was basically a chart to show customers that picked a certain product what else they might like to try based on their choices. She had been so good at making the recommendations in store that Piper felt there was an opportunity to extend it for internet buyers too.
They continued the work into the next week and Piper went to see her Lawyer on Tuesday afternoon to hear the date for the trial to begin. It would be 2 weeks today and Piper didn't need to attend every hearing if she didn't want to, they would give her a date to appear on the stand when they knew she would be needed for sure. It was likely to be early on though as her testimony was key. They were words she was dreading. She had been really hoping they would rely on other evidence first and it wouldn't get that far. She left his office quickly and went straight home to change into her gym kit. Yoga wasn't going to suffice tonight and she needed something more physical to work out her aggression.
Jess was talking to a customer when Piper walked through to swipe in and she waved briefly before continuing her conversation. Piper waited by the counter and Jess sensed she wanted to talk so finished her conversation before coming over.
"Hey, you're keen? You're also late for yoga if that's what you're here for?" Jess checked her watch to make sure.
"Is there anything…..more brutal I could try?"
"Brutal? Whoah…like MMA or something you mean?"
"Is that punching and kicking people with protective gear?"
"Sort of. But there aren't any classes tonight. What's up?"
"I need to hit something."
Jess laughed. "OK, well my one-to-one just cancelled so we can use a small gym space if you want and I'll show you how to hit something without hurting yourself if that would help?"
"Massively. Thanks."
They walked to a small side room with mats on the floor and Piper dropped her things by the wall and tied her hair up into a high pony while Jess went to find some equipment. She came back a few minutes later with some small padded gloves and some pads for her own hands.
"Before we start this, we need to do some stretches OK? I know you want to beat the shit out of something right now and you'll get the chance, but let's stick to the rules and warm up first." Jess smiled as she led Piper through some simple stretch routines and got the blood pumping a little more before throwing her the gloves.
"Put these on and I'll help you fasten them. They shouldn't be too tight and make sure you don't keep your fists balled in them all the time. You need to relax between jabs OK or you'll make your fists hurt. You're aiming to hit with this part of your hand, anywhere else might see you dislocating a finger and it doesn't look pretty when that happens believe me." Jess moved to pick up the thick pads and put them on the palms of her hands, turning to face Piper and settling herself into a firm stance.
"OK, you're hitting this with your right fist" She waved her opposite pad in the air. "Then switch to this with your left. Keep alternating until you need a breather. I'll stop you if your technique sucks." Jess laughed before raising both hands. "Have at it."
Piper felt like she was ready for an hour of banging her fists against something but her arms soon tired from constantly alternating between the pads. Jess let her rest and get some water for a bit before starting up again, coaching her a little more this time to improve her stance and timing to get more impact from the shots.
The blonde dropped her arms again, muscles screaming from the repetitive motion that she wasn't used to and Jess pulled the pads off to get some water.
"Better?"
"Yeah, thanks. Guess I'm not quite as ready to take on Mike Tyson as I felt when I walked in here tonight eh?" Piper took the gloves off and stretched her fingers out a few times to try and stop them from shaking.
"It's OK. They do that when you first start." Jess nodded at her hands. "It's because your body is on edge and the adrenaline is pumping for the next jab. It stops after a few minutes, but you feel a bit strange for a while."
"Yeah, it feels weird. I can't stop it." She leaned over to get some water, and screwed the top off.
"You still feel like you have to punch that guy when you get out of here?"
"What guy?" Piper stopped drinking and wiped her mouth as she turned to Jess.
"There's ALWAYS a guy when a pretty woman comes in here wanting to punch something." Jess laughed as she took another long drink from her water bottle.
"A PRETTY woman?" Piper raised her eyebrow.
"ANY woman." Jess shook her head. "So, you didn't answer my question. Are you going to punch him or did I just do a public service and stop it?"
"I don't honestly think I could raise my hands to brush my teeth after that, so definitely no punching for me tonight." Piper wiped the sweat from her face with the towel from her bag.
"Glad I could be of service." Jess picked up the pads and gloves. "Are you in tomorrow morning or is it a running day?"
"Ummmm, in tomorrow. I ran this morning. 2k to be exact." Piper picked up her bag and followed Jess out as she locked up.
"Well done. What's that? Like Grade 7 Phys Ed standard then?" Jess grinned as she turned to put the kit away. "See you in the morning Piper."
"Whatever." Piper shook her head and headed for the door.
XXXXX
She was in the gym early on Wednesday morning and was half an hour into her session before she saw Jess wave while she was going through an induction with another client. Her arms were groaning from last night's exercise and she was really struggling with the tricep curls she was meant to be doing as part of this training programme, so she decided to cut them a little short in numbers to save herself the embarrassment of her arms shakily trying to lift the small weights and failing.
"Looks like someone skimped on the arm work this morning when I leave you unsupervised….Tut tut." Jess said as she walked by to a machine near where Piper was Kneeling on the bench.
"My arms hurt!"
"No pain no gain, right Mr Johnson?" Jess nodded at the grey haired sixty something man she was showing around the weights machines.
"That's right honey. Unless it's chest pain, then stop right away is what my Doctor says." The old guy chuckled.
Piper grimaced and pushed herself to finish the tricep exercises, pushing through the almost audible screams of her arm muscles and practically dropping the weight at the end. Jess had turned her back to Piper as she helped Mr Johnson get comfortable on the machine they were trying out and Piper gathered her water bottle to go and do her cool down stretching on the mat.
"Well done Piper, we'll have you ready for the school sports day yet." Jess grinned as Piper walked past.
"My membership ends in another week, so you'd better be quick." Piper smiled back as she left them behind. She was really enjoying her sessions at the gym, but couldn't afford to keep them up once she had to pay for full membership. It had been good to work out regularly and in a routine with goals where someone was pushing her. She had another week anyway, so she would make the most of it while she could.
XXXXX
Lorna came to the store early again on Wednesday afternoon to pick Tricia up. Brooke had been making some notes on what sort of gift packs they could prepare, depending on her budget and she jumped up as soon as she saw Lorna come through the door. After taking her around and selecting a few items, Piper let Brooke take them into the back room to gift wrap everything while she spoke to Lorna.
"So, Alex says you're OK with them staying here a bit longer than we planned?"
"Yeah, if it helps you out it's alright." Piper shrugged as she processed the payment through the register.
"They're not as bad as you were expecting are they?"
"They're a bit rough around the edges, but a little training can go a long way." Piper smiled.
"I think you might even miss them not being here." Lorna winked as Brooke returned with a box wrapped with ribbon.
"Oh wow, that looks gorgeous Brooke! My sister's gonna love this!"
"You're welcome." Brooke couldn't hide the smile on her face, so she shrugged and pretended to straighten something on the shelf behind her as Lorna gave a knowing glance to Piper who rolled her eyes and waved her away.
"I liked the bottle with the green top the best by the way, but they are all scrummy!" Lorna shouted back through the door as she left with Tricia.
XXXXX
Polly had been training Tricia and Brooke to use the cash register this week in the hope of persuading Piper that they could both go to the meeting with John on Thursday and leave the girls to run the shop for a couple of hours. On Thursday morning, Piper still wasn't sure about leaving the store with them, but Polly was insisting.
"Piper, this is a really big thing for us. I know I did it on my own last time, but I think we both need to be a part of this. What John says will be important and I don't want the added pressure of trying to remember it all word for word and wishing I'd said something you think of later. Let's just go together…Look, if you don't want to leave them in charge of the cash register, we'll just close the store for a couple of hours. Either way, we should do this together. Please P, I know you're ready for this presentation just like I am. Let's nail this thing!" Polly took hold of the blonde by her shoulders and made puppy eyes.
"Seriously? You're really meaning business if you're pulling those eyes out of the bag."
"Are they working yet?" Polly went cross-eyed.
"Yes, they're working. OK. Are you going to explain the painful torture techniques to them if anything happens while we are away then?"
"I thought you'd never ask." Polly kissed her on the cheek before heading out to talk to the girls and explain the plans.
XXXXX
They both went back to Pier's place to change into something suitable for a business meeting and did a double check over the files, presentation slides and samples that they'd put together. Once they were both happy, Polly drove them to John's office and they reported to the reception desk and waited as patiently as they could with Piper's legs jiggling up and down for John to see them.
John spoke them for a while about what they wanted to go through today and he asked if they'd be OK if a couple of his colleagues sat in while they did their presentation. They were fine with that as John had made them feel relaxed about it all and so they showed their slides, talked about projected profits based on the research they had done into other online companies who were start-ups and Tricia's costings for the new lines they were proposing. At the end, they handed out the sample pots and lots of 'oohs' and 'ahs' were heard when they smelled the scents.
They waited nervously for everyone to pass the bottles and soaps around before John spoke.
"Wow. You've put a lot of thought and effort into this, I can see that. Well done for what you've shown us today. You asked for my feedback and I'm happy to give that to you, but there's nothing big I'd change about this. Honestly. You've really taken on board what I said to Polly at our last meeting and acted on it with this. I'd change your projections to be slightly less optimistic when you first go live with a web presence, but I'm confident you can achieve those targets you're setting if you continue in this way. Gilly and Kevin? Anything you want to add?" He turned to his colleagues who were responsible for promotion and events.
"These bottles smell divine! Knowing they are made organically and locally is a big selling point and that comes across well in your brand values, so it's great to see that. Have you heard about the local trade events we're involved in organising? There's definitely some opportunities there for you to get a stand and get your name known if you're interested?" Kevin had barely finished speaking before Piper answered with a resounding "Yes! We'd definitely be interested in that!"
"You're going to need some initial investment to help you put these plans into action. Have you thought about how you'll approach that?" Gilly asked.
"Yes, we have an investor already who helped us to get this off the ground. She's really into helping women entrepreneurs and she's been supportive of our ideas so far." Polly answered.
"Well, there are no guarantees that she'll say yes to all of this of course. But we've tried to break it into some options in case we can't get financial backing for everything. We wanted to make sure it was watertight before we went to her with any of this though."
"That's fair enough." John answered.
"Would you finance it if you were holding the cash right now? Based on what you've seen today I mean?" Piper asked, wanting his honest opinion and not being entirely as convinced as Polly that they would get full support for everything they wanted to do. She chewed her lip nervously while he considered his answer.
"Honestly? I probably would, yes. It's a great niche product you've got there and the brand values are environmentally friendly, local and innovative."
Piper and Polly grinned as it looked like the hardest part might be over. They just needed to work on some tweaks with John and they were ready to do the most important bit – present it to an investor to make it a reality.
XXXXX
Piper was running late for her appointment with Julie on Friday morning and came into the office flushed from hurrying through the building to limit her lateness.
"I'm so sorry Julie. Traffic was a bitch because of road works outside my gym so it took me ages to get home and shower. I'm here now though."
"It's fine. I was doing paperwork after our meeting anyway, so I just started it earlier. Coffee?" Julie was up and at the door, ready to call her Receptionist to give the orders.
Julie sat down and pulled out her files and notebook.
"You go to the gym every morning?"
"No, sort of every other morning alternating with my running days. It's therapeutic."
"I bet! I don't know where you find the time and energy to do that and go straight to work."
"Well I go home first to shower and change. The customers like all kinds of scents, but my sweaty body is not one of them." Piper smiled as their coffee was brought in.
"They don't have showers at your gym? I thought they had all the modern conveniences these days?"
"They have them. I just don't use them. Since….what happened….in Litchfield I mean."
"You can say it Piper."
"Since the attack….in the showers."
"OK. Do you want to tell me about that?"
"The thing that happened in the showers?"
"Piper, you were raped. I know you don't like to say that word, but avoiding it will perpetuate your denial and denial is not dealing with it. I'm not going to force this today, but I want you to start thinking about calling it what it was when we are in these sessions. Can you start by saying the words to yourself and see if you can look in the mirror and do it before our next session? It will really help you to come to terms with it, I promise you…..But today I want you to tell me about why you go home to shower, instead of using the gym. What is it that you feel when you think about taking a shower anywhere but your own bathroom?"
Piper told Julie about taking a kitchen knife or scissors into the shower with her, her fear of someone walking in whole she's trapped in the shower cubicle and unable to escape. Julie made notes and nodded, letting Piper talk without interruption as she explained what progress she has made on her own by putting the scissors in the bathroom cabinet instead of the shower at home. Julie explained that it was perfectly understandable and that she was using the scissors as a crutch, like her safety blanket. It was good that she was no longer taking them under the shower spray with her at home, but she should try to change her routine and push herself a little more every so often, reducing her dependency on the safety blanket and facing the fear a little more each time. Even sitting in the shower fully clothed for 10 minutes without the water turned on and leaving the door unlocked was a change she could try. Piper felt a bit silly at the suggestion, but said she would try it all the same.
She got home and her mind was racing. She felt they had covered a lot of ground in their session this morning and there were things that were going to push her to face her fears and she wanted Alex more than anything to talk to her at that moment, to stop her from feeling overwhelmed. She picked up her phone and sent a text to the brunette, not even expecting a response. Just wanting to reach out for help as her heart raced.
'Can I talk to you? I promise I won't keep disturbing you. I just need to hear your voice. X'
Her cell started ringing within a couple of minutes and Piper picked it up to see Alex on the call I.D.
"Hey, are you OK? What's wrong?"
"Nothing. Well, mostly nothing…..It's just….been a tough session with Julie this morning is all."
"Is she pushing you too hard? You can tell her to back off you know."
"No, it's good that she is. I just….what she wants me to do is hard. Where are you?"
"I'm in the restaurant bathroom. We're having dinner with the CEO of a company that just signed a new contract with us. Celebrating the deal I guess. What has Julie asked you to do?"
"Alex that's great! Oh God, I'm sorry for interrupting you. God, I promised I wouldn't do this. I'm sorry, you go back and enjoy your night."
"Hey, promised you wouldn't do what?"
"Be needy and whiny. No fucking wonder you crossed an ocean to get some space from me."
"Pipes, slow down will you? Are you at home?"
"Yeah, I've been taking Fridays off after these sessions to think everything over. Today was just….fucking hard." Piper tried to swallow the lump in her throat.
"Go and make yourself some chamomile tea and plug your iPad in. I'll make my way back to the hotel and Skype you. Give me 30 minutes, OK?"
"No! It's fine. Alex, please enjoy your night. I feel bad enough for ruining this for you already, you're supposed to be celebrating."
"There's no damned way I'm going back to sip champagne while you need me. Make some tea, have something to eat and get you iPad ready." Alex hung up so there could be no further protests from the blonde. Although she felt massively guilty that Alex was leaving her clients, she was relieved to know she wasn't going to be alone again.
VauseisBoss popped up as an incoming video call just over 30 minutes later and Piper sheepishly answered.
"Hey, sorry I was a bit later than I expected. The Uber driver took a wrong turn." Alex smiled.
"It's OK. It's nice to see you. Are you NAKED?!" Piper tried to peer down the camera.
"Afraid not. Strapless dress, see?" Alex chuckled and moved the camera to reveal a sculpted red dress with red heels that Alex had kicked by the side of the desk.
"Mmmm, I wish I hadn't seen that now." Piper groaned.
"Because the dress looks nice or because I'm wearing one at all?" Alex smirked.
"Both. You look amazing Al."
"Thank you. It's kinda wasted on these business meetings, but I don't get chance to wear it much these days."
"That is a waste, on both counts. You can wear it with me any time."
"Thanks. I'll hold you to that…So, do you want to tell me what happened in your session with Julie?"
Piper told her about how she felt about taking showers, not holding anything back and what Julie had suggested about pushing her boundaries a bit.
"Wow….I hadn't even thought about that. I should have known that might be a trigger for you."
"You can't know everything Alex, especially if I don't tell you."
"I knew you were locking the bathroom door, but I thought you wanted privacy. Like alone time to get away from me for a bit if things were getting a bit too intense or something."
"No! It's nothing like that. Your apartment is the first place I've ever taken a shower outside my own home since I was released. I'm fine with baths as my experiences with them are good. I just…associate showers with feeling vulnerable I guess."
Alex let her talk about her fears and what she might try to do to push herself a bit, but she was worried that Piper might be trying to do too much too soon on her own.
"Pipes, you have to take your time with this. You can't expect all of those barriers to come crashing down before your next appointment. I'm worried that you're going to push things too far and end up taking a step back. Maybe that will happen anyway, I don't know. But I don't want you to be on your own while you're doing this."
"Well I don't want to tell anyone else Alex. I can't bear Polly's pity while she's already cutting me slack for the court case and counselling she thinks I'm getting because of fucking Darryl."
"I'll be back in a couple of weeks Piper….I want to help you."
"I wish you were here now though Alex."
"I know you do." Alex closed her eyes, wishing she could teleport back to New York to hold her.
"I miss you Alex. Like, really fucking miss you." Tears spilled over her eyes and Piper tried to sniff them away.
"Hey, don't cry. Pipes….please, I can't see you like this." Alex's heart was breaking for both of them.
"I know, I know. Sorry." Piper sniffed and wiped her face.
"I might have to throw this hot dress away if it has this effect on you." Alex tried to make her smile and lighten the mood a little.
"Yeah?"
"Totally. I like it when hot chicks unravel before my eyes, but this wasn't the kind of unravelling effect I wanted, so I'll have to try a different tactic to cheer you up." Alex winked.
"What's your Plan B?" Piper tried to join in with the banter. She knew Alex was trying to change the subject and keep things light. It was a situation that couldn't be resolved over a Skype call anyway, so there was no point in whining about it.
"You got any ideas?"
"Actually I do. I'd definitely be cheered up by that photo Nicky has of you in lingerie." Piper smiled wickedly and Alex screwed her face up in confusion for a moment.
"What photo?"
"You. In red lacy lingerie on all fours, peering over your glasses at the camera. Fuck knows how Nicky has got that photo by the way and I don't think I want to know. But I want a copy." Piper grinned as realisation hit Alex.
"Oh fuck! How do you know about that?!" Alex hid her face in her hands for a minute. She told Nicky to delete that after their bet was through. The sneaky little devil had kept it after all.
"You can ask Nicky, when you get her to send it to me. In the interests of cheering me up I mean." Piper pouted and Alex smirked at the apparent change in her mood.
"OK. In the interests of cheering you up. But I want to know EXACTLY how cheery you get when you're looking at it Miss Chapman."
"Maybe. Let's see the goods first." Piper winked.
"Hmmm. You OK?"
"Better."
"Call me again tomorrow?"
"I'd like that but I'm going to spend the weekend with my parents. I've been avoiding it for too long already. How about I call you on Monday when I'm back."
"Alright. If you need to talk before then, just send me a text OK?"
"I will. Thanks Al. I don't know what I'd do without you." Piper reached out and touched the screen and Alex smiled.
"Alright, it's no good getting sappy now. You just basically asked me to send you a selfie of myself practically naked. I hope you look at that while you're staying with Ma and Pa." Alex smirked again and Piper rolled her eyes.
"Going now. Talk soon Al."
"Bye Pipes."
XXXXX
Alex closed her laptop down and sighed deeply before opening her mini bar up and pouring a scotch into a tumbler. Piper had made some really good progress while she had been in London and tonight was a real set back that frightened Alex. Nobody back home knew to look out for Piper right now because of what was going on and she was afraid that Piper testing these boundaries might end badly for her. She'd also seen Piper thrive when she was given the space to make her own decisions and that should include mistakes Alex supposed as she turned her drink in the glass. She would be with her family this weekend at least and they had already agreed a call on Monday, so Alex resolved to play it by ear and see how she was then before making any snap decisions.
She ran the hot water into the stand alone bath tub and wriggled out of her dress. It was the first time she'd had an early night since she arrived, albeit for unexpected reasons. It was an opportunity to think without interruption about what was important, what she wanted. She had dropped out of a dinner to celebrate one of the biggest contracts NY Logistics had ever won at the drop of a hat for Piper's call. That was before she even knew there might be a problem. It was clear that she was in deep with the blonde and she was still holding her heart after all of these years. No amount of distance between them or busy schedules could stop that and Alex realised she was foolish for thinking she might be better to think with the space. She felt a million miles away from the person she most wanted to be next to and it was taking all of her will power not to jump on the next flight to JFK just to wipe away those tears.
As much as they were both hurting from the distance right now, she knew it had been a good thing to give them both a chance to experience life without the other person's proximity intoxicating them. They'd not had one argument on Skype, no scathing texts or silent treatment. It had felt normal, almost like it used to. But also nothing at all like it used to.
Could she really forgive Piper for leaving her in Paris when her mother died? She had got her head around her wanting to leave because of the work, but the day her mother died? That was the stinger, the part that she had struggled to reconcile. Piper had seemingly forgiven her for landing her in prison….a prison where she was raped for God's sake. If Piper could forgive her for that, what right did she have to hold onto her resentment at Piper leaving her when she needed her? Piper needed her now. She had made that clear. The calls when she needed to talk were to Alex, not Polly or her family. Piper was trusting her with some pretty messed up stuff she was dealing with and it was all the evidence she could ever need that Piper needed her, wanted her.
How much more time did she need to sit and brood over facts that were already established? She wanted Piper. She had never stopped wanting Piper, needing her.