A/N: Hey! Thanks for the birthday wishes everyone, I had a wonderful day of relaxing and being spoiled - perfect! Sorry about the wait for this chapter - I think one or two people have been hopping from foot to foot waiting for the update LOL. Anyhow, hope you're all enjoying the party season and mulled alcohol at every opportunity already. Without further ado...
Alex could hear her own heart beat pounding in her ears, competing for the air waves with Piper's words between them. The lamp beside the bed felt like a spotlight on her as Piper's blue eyes pierced into hers, challenging her from the opposite side of the bed. All she could think of was the many ways she wanted to touch and taste her girlfriend right now. Imagining what it would be like to take the lid off the caged heat she had been keeping contained and release it into this room right now. To release it through her fingers, her lips, her teeth, her thighs, her tongue, the movement of her wrist, the flexing of her bicep over and over again. She was sure the images were being beamed into Piper's mind through the gaze they held, as though a very x-rated movie with only two stars was being premiered.
Piper's words had released a flurry of butterflies in her stomach. In turn, they had unsettled the stallion that Alex was working hard to keep at bay as Piper went through her counselling. The stallion was prowling around her loins right now and threatening to break loose from the restraints, it's eyes on the prize perched on the edge of the bed not two strides away.
"Get over here."
Alex's words were low, commanding, and she didn't move a muscle from where she sat back against the headboard. Her eyes said more than her mouth and their meaning was fully understood by Piper. They said 'I'll always be the spider.'
Piper turned onto her hands and knees and began crawling towards Alex on the bed. When she was an arm length away, Alex leaned forward and stroked her fingers along Piper's neck, up into her hair and finally broke their intense staring to roam her green eyes over Piper's face, taking in every feature as she stroked her neck.
"You're so fucking beautiful." She spoke softly this time, moving her other hand to stroke her thumb over Piper's pink lips. Her face was close enough that Piper could feel her warm breath caressing her mouth. The blonde subconsciously adjusted her breathing so that she could inhale the warm breath from Alex, as though it would draw her lips closer to her mouth. Alex pressed her forehead against Piper's now and the blonde moved to kiss her, putting her lips against Alex's slowly. She tentatively sucked in Alex's lips, providing encouragement that the brunette didn't need to part them and allow Piper to move her mouth against hers. Piper pushed her long fingers into Alex's hair, scratching them across her scalp and pulling her closer. Alex hummed her approval at the enthusiasm the blonde was demonstrating to deepen the kiss when she felt her tongue manoeuvre over her own. Moving her hands down to Piper's waist, Alex was reminded that her girlfriend was only in her tee shirt and panties now. She felt suddenly very over dressed for the occasion and broke away from the kiss, leaving Piper's lips parted in frustration.
"Wait there."
Alex kept her eyes fixed on Piper's again as she stepped back off the bed and moved her fingers to the waistband of her jeans. She unbuttoned the fly slowly and pushed them down her long legs until she could kick them off. Then she moved her hands back up her thighs and took hold of the hem of her cashmere top. Crossing her arms, she slowly tugged the material upwards and lifted it over her head, dropping in on the floor next to her discarded jeans. That left her in a tee shirt, bra and panties by Piper's reckoning and her heart hammered in her chest, wondering if Alex would continue to strip off the increasing offending garments. Their crime, to be covering the very parts of Alex she wanted to see most right now.
Instead, Alex smirked and made her way back onto the bed with her long legs kneeling in front of Piper, mirroring her position. She moved her hand back into the hair at the base of Piper's neck and leaned in to kiss just below her ear, then slowly moved her lips across the sensitive skin, kissing the length of her neck before moving back up to her jaw. She placed slow, open-mouthed kisses along her jaw until she met Piper's lips. Brushing her own lips across Piper's she dodged Piper's attempts to deepen the kiss, managing to hold the blonde at bay teasingly. When she finally spoke again, her eyes were closed and she was speaking through kisses to Piper's neck, collarbone, ear, cheeks, and eyes.
"I desire you Piper Chapman…..I desire you more than you will ever be able to understand…and I will never have the words to describe it….I desire you with a thirst that is unquenchable…No how matter how much I had you, I know that thirst will never be sated….." She continued to place open-mouthed kisses along the pulse point of Piper's neck. Her other hand moved to rest at Piper's waist and stroked circles over her tee shirt.
"You are my cold, clear, river running through the desert…You're the river I want to drink from….to drown in….to taste you…I want to taste you so fucking much." Alex pressed her lips against Piper's and immediately sought out the taste of her with her tongue. Both women were moaning as their tongues battled for dominance in the heat of the exchange.
Piper pushed Alex back to lie on the bed, moving to lie on top of her as they continued their kiss. Propping herself up on one elbow, she moved to lie on her side and slipped her thigh up to stroke it between Alex's knees. Alex smiled into their kiss as she felt Piper move her hands down over her tee shirt and stroke her breasts. When Piper's thigh inched higher and reached her apex, Alex's breath hitched as she felt Piper squeeze her breast with her palm. Alex took hold of Piper's hand from her chest and flipped their position so she was over the top of the blonde now.
"I think I agreed to give you a demonstration of my desire for you Ms Chapman." Alex whispered hotly into her ear.
"Mmmm…." Piper squirmed beneath her as Alex sat back and pressed her core onto Piper's as she straddled her.
She tossed her dark hair back over her shoulder as she moved her hips slowly back and forth over Piper's, watching as the woman beneath her moved to grip onto her thighs. Alex moved her fingertips just underneath the hem of Piper's shirt and pushed it up slightly, stroking the taught skin on her abdomen in slow movements as she moved her hands slightly higher with each pass.
Piper moved her fingertips further up Alex's thighs to the waistband of her panties and pushed her index underneath slightly. Alex smirked and moved her hips back away from Piper's reach.
"You wanted to be desired remember? I'm going to show you the many ways I desire you tonight." Alex leaned down and kissed Piper's stomach. She pushed the tee shirt up further and continued a trail of open-mouthed kisses up towards her breasts. As she went higher, Alex adjusted her position and placed her hand on Piper's hips, her fingers pushing her panties up slightly. Pulling her hands out from underneath Piper's top, she pulled the tee shirt back down and moved to touch Piper's breasts over the top of it, palming them as she kissed her extended neck against the pillow.
"I want you so fucking much right now. I want to see all of you and I want to feel your skin against mine without barriers…..But you're not ready are you?"
"Alex, I am. It's OK. I just got a little surprised when you touched my hips earlier. I won't do that again. Please….just carry on…I'll be OK." Piper pulled her back towards her to kiss her again. Alex opened her mouth against Piper's and softly sucked her tongue into her mouth as they leisurely made out again. Piper moved her hands to palm Alex's breasts again, encouraging the taller woman to press into her more.
Alex pulled back a little to lie on her side facing her before soothing her blonde hair back. "Let's make a deal. A wager. A promise, whatever you want to call it. You wanted to try a massage tonight, so let's do that. Let's stick with your original plan and see how we go."
"Alex, I said it was OK! I just need to push through it."
Alex smiled. "Nu-uh. I'm not really into ravishing you when we're pushing through it. I want to do that when you're hungry for it. When you're properly ready and not gritting your teeth in the hope you'll enjoy it. I don't feel right to make love to you when you're all tense and screwing your eyes up. It would be weird…..I want to….I really want to Pipes. But I want us both to take our time and savour it…..OK, Here's the deal. No sex until next weekend after we've been to see Julie together and you tell me you're still ready then."
"Alex! I'm horny right now!" Piper threw her head back onto the pillow dramatically.
"Me too Pipes. But here's the fun part. That's our only rule. We can go as far as you want before that and build up to next weekend. That way, we get to explore and push things a bit by developing that trust and intimacy without the sex part."
"Oh my God, that's even worse! You're going to torture me for a whole week?!"
"Technically, it's less since your meeting with Julie is on Friday, right?"
"Yes….but what the fuck am I supposed to do with all this sexual tension right now?!"
"I'll massage it out of you…" Alex smirked as she leaned in to kiss her.
"Are you going to massage it out of my pussy?" Piper raised her eyebrow.
Alex simply raised hers in response.
"What? Technically, that's not sex….Yeah, I know. I'm not really ready for that."
"Mmm-hmmm. Go get those massage oils and I'll light some candles then."
Piper brought a couple of massage oils back as well as a couple of bottles of water and Alex lit some candles and turned the light out.
"See? Romancey enough for you?"
"Romancey? And I thought you could read. Masseuse or massee ?"
"Touche! Masseuse for me please. I have a demonstration to finish for my hot and sexy girlfriend. She's very demanding." Alex grinned as she examined the bottles and held them up for Piper to choose. "Papaya and mint or eucalyptus and jasmine?"
"Papaya."
"Excellent choice Madame."
"Thank you. Oooh, I'm looking forward to this now." Piper smiled as Alex poured some oil into her palm before rubbing her hands together.
"Me too…..Especially the part where you take that top off very slowly and I get to ogle your tits." Alex waggled her oily fingers in a 'honking boobs' meme.
Piper chuckled a little before walking on her knees towards Alex.
"Before I do that…..Thank you." Piper reached up to kiss her chastely on the lips.
"What for?"
"Making this fun."
"Don't think I didn't want to absolutely devour you just now. I'm soooo going to enjoy the foreplay this week. Starting right now….. Strip Chapman…and take it slow. I'm taking this for my spank bank." Alex winked and sat back on her heels as Piper wriggled back on the bed to kneel at the opposite end.
"OK. Ready?"
"For the last 4 years." Alex replied huskily, rubbing her hands up and down her naked thighs.
Piper held her gaze on the emerald irises in front of her and slowly brought her hands down over her body, rubbing them back and forth over her tits and pushing the perky mounds together as Alex smiled. Her nipples rose and pushed out the material as piper grazed her finger tips around them, emphasizing their stiffness.
"I may already be regretting that decision to start the foreplay tonight." Alex groaned as Piper moved her hands down to begin lifting her tee shirt up. As she pulled it over her head, Alex was entranced by the body in front of her. Able to properly soak in Piper's naked upper body for the first time, her mouth went dry.
"You give me goose bumps when you look at me like that."
"I think you know exactly what you're giving me and the fact that it isn't going to be an orgasm might actually kill me tonight. Can I massage the tension from your tits?"
Piper chuckled. "Nope. I'll be lying on these babies." Piper grasped them and turned around. "I didn't make the rules Vause." She settled down to lie on her front and Alex moved closer to straddle the top of her legs as she touched the base of Piper's back with her oiled hands, moving them gently up towards her shoulders.
As her hands soothed and warmed the muscles in Piper's back, Alex eventually felt the blonde properly relax beneath her touch and it felt good to see that. Rather than pushing through the tension and feeling like they were nervous teenagers, this felt natural. It felt like an important step for them and Piper wasn't hesitant about taking her top off in from of her this time. She seemed somehow more confident….more sexy. It was like she wanted to turn Alex on and show herself to the dark haired woman now caressing her back. It had made Alex's heart skip when she saw Piper touching herself like that in front of her. It was the closest they had come to rekindling that equality in the bedroom and she was hopeful that Piper would feel the same as the week went on. She had waited for 4 years to touch Piper again, to love her with her body and feel her respond under her caress. Waiting another 6 days to make that first time special and to make sure Piper felt good about it was a small price to pay.
Alex worked the knots and the tension out of the muscles in Piper's back, putting pressure into her fingers to move the toxins through the lymphatic system. Piper was moaning and groaning beneath her in a different kind of ecstasy, but Alex enjoyed the contact just as much as she worked over her body. They traded places and Piper found several knots around Alex's shoulders and neck, working diligently to break them down carefully as the dark haired woman winced beneath her. It took a long time to break them down and Piper worked to gently soothe over the muscles by gently running her fingers up and down her long pale back.
"This wasn't the kind of tension you might have wanted to work out of you earlier, but you definitely needed those bad boys gone Al. I'm surprised you could move with those hitch hikers on your back….Al?" Piper looked down to see that her girlfriend had fallen into a deep sleep beneath her and she smiled to herself as the carefully climbed off her legs to stand. Wiping the oil off her before towelling herself, Piper blew the remaining candles out and pulled the covers over both of them. Piper lay on the pillow beside her sleeping girlfriend and moved her eyes over the pale skin along her back as it faced her. She moved her fingertips over the top of it slowly, then stroked the dark hair away from her shoulder. Alex stirred a little and Piper moved herself to lie behind her, pressing her body to mould around Alex, the dark haired woman reaching for Piper's hand and pulling it around her to hold it to her chest. Piper smiled and kissed Alex's back. It felt so good to have their skin in contact as they went to sleep and Piper pulled her closer still before resting her lips against her shoulder.
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Piper woke up first the next morning, with Alex's arms wrapped around her. She could feel Alex breathing deeply behind her, so she knew the brunette was still sleeping soundly. Piper put her arms over the top of Alex's embrace, as though holding her in place to maintain that feeling for as long as she could. She knew she had to get up as she was running the store today, but she wanted to make Alex breakfast before she left. Leaving it as late as se dared to, she gently released herself from Alex's arms and left her asleep as she put her robe on and went into the kitchen. She made some pancakes with strawberries and blueberries, drizzling maple syrup over the top. She put them onto a tray along with a fresh pot of coffee and a flower from the bouquet Alex brought her last night and took it into the bedroom. She put the tray down on the bed and Alex stirred, creasing her brow as her senses deciphered the smells and sounds she was suddenly aware of.
"Good morning beautiful." Piper leaned in to capture Alex's lips as soon as her eyes were opening.
"Hey. You're on the wrong side of these covers. Get back under here." Alex pulled her towards her, making Piper laugh.
"Believe me, there's absolutely nowhere I'd rather be than in there with you right now. But I'm still making up with Polly, so I'm working all weekend I'm afraid. I've already sacrificed the gym and a shower to sleep in later with you. You're too cute to leave." Piper kissed her again and Alex pulled her in for a longer make out session.
"I am, so call in sick." Alex grinned.
"You know I can't do that. Every sale counts right now."
"I know….Is that for me?" Alex nodded to the tray.
"Yeah. Compensation for your loss of my company."
"Breakfast in bed? I can't remember the last time I had this."
"That's because you were always up before me. But I did it a couple of times when we were in London for a month when I was up early because of jet lag. I made you croissants with marmalade."
"I do remember. You put dandelions in a vase." Alex smiled as they both remembered happier times.
"See. I can be romancey." Piper grinned and passed the tray over to Alex before getting up to get dressed. She automatically picked up her clothes and was on her way to the door to change in the bathroom when she stopped herself. She turned back around and went to stand at the end of the bed, taking her robe off and putting her bra and sweater on as Alex half-heartedly tried not to watch.
"Don't drool on my bed sheets Al."
"I make no promises while you're doing that. I prefer to watch you taking them off to be honest, but I'll take this."
Piper relaxed a little and told herself it was something she did every day and to stop overthinking the audience. She pulled her panties on and put a pair of leggings over them before straightening her hair and applying some make up.
"These are delicious, thank you. Do you want me to drop you off at work?"
"No, it's OK. Take your time. I can leave my key and you can drop it off later at the store. Maybe come in for some lunch?"
"I'm on a soap free diet these days. You mean you want me to bring you some?" Alex snarked as she stuffed another mouthful of fruit into her mouth.
"That would be nice." She pulled her boots on and grabbed her coat before coming over to kiss Alex again. "Only if you haven't got plans though. Can I see you later?"
"Well, you can…..but I sort of promised to go out with the girls from work to Gotham. You want to come with me?"
"Yeah, let's do that. Is Nicky going to be there?"
"Depends if me saying yes will put you off."
Piper chuckled. "No, I'm pretty keen regardless."
"Great. I'll call in later with something to eat then. Have a nice day darling!" Alex winked and quickly flashed her boobs at Piper before covering up and picking up her mug, grinning from ear to ear.
XXXXX
Alex stayed at PoPi for an hour when she took some hot pork rolls in for them to eat and they agreed to meet up at Gotham at 7pm that night with everyone else.
Since Piper was the only one working on Sunday, the rest of them met up a bit earlier in Sandy's and played some pool. Alex knew Pier wouldn't want to go there and the place didn't feel the same to her since what happened, but the rest of the girls liked the vibe and the pool table was a sure bet to get the banter going. She was teamed with Nicky and they were paired against Poussey and Lorna, the latter of the opposition not being particularly interested in understanding either the rules or which colour she should be aiming for. If Poussey had any hair, she would be tearing it out and Nicky was loving how easy it was for them to beat Poussey for once. Poussey didn't hide her relief when Lorna excused herself from the next game to take a call from her boyfriend, Christopher.
"NOW, I'll show you who is boss. Line em up Nick!" She chalked her cue and Alex went to get some beers. She returned to find Nicky with a face like thunder and a group of guys playing at their table.
"What's up with you? Did those jocks beat you with a single shot and we lost the table?" Alex slid into the booth across from her stony faced friend and passed her a beer.
"No. Poussey's College chick came in and suddenly she's all heart eyes and goofy grins."
"Where is she?"
"Over there. Just follow the line of drool."
"Oh…..that explains your dagger eyes."
"What? We lost the table man!"
"We can get it back."
"Not before we've got to head over to Gotham so you can make heart eyes with blondie." Nicky rolled her eyes.
"Ah, it's the heart eyes you're pissed at, not the pool table." Alex took a drink of her beer.
"No, it's not that. This is supposed to be a night out with the crew you know? It was our little group night and now everyone's either ditching us or bringing along their own people. It's killing the dynamic you know?"
"Nicky, you can't close the circle on new people joining. It's not a committee you know. The whole reason that circle exists is because we invited new people along. Everyone's gonna drift in and out at times. We've all got our own shit to deal with and sometimes it's nice to get to know other people. Come on, don't put a downer on it. Drink up will you?"
"Well you would say that. You've got Chapman haven't you?"
"I do." Alex tried really hard to contain the grin that was creeping into her facial muscles. She quickly took another drink from the bottle, but Nicky had already seen it.
"Calm your tits Vause. Save it for the shotgun wedding. Things are good with you two at the moment then?"
"Yeah."
"Are you seeing her much?"
"The last 2 nights I have, then again tonight….and we had lunch today."
"Sounds serious."
"It is. I mean, it always was….but it always will be with us…..It's kinda hard to explain."
"It's OK. I'd prefer it if you didn't explain. Those heart eyes are already threatening to break out. Are we eating at Gotham? We'd better finish up to head over there if we're walking." Nicky downed her bottle before they let Poussey know where they were heading.
Nicky and Alex were in a booth talking when Piper walked through the door. She had been home to shower and change before meeting them and she was wearing a short black dress with patent black heels. Alex had been watching the door every time it opened and Nicky saw on her face that Piper had arrived even with her back to the door.
"I could be telling you I've got a hideous STI right now and you'd nod and smile back at me." Nicky shook her head as Alex shuffled over in the booth to make space for her.
"Hey." Piper leaned down to kiss Alex on the cheek.
"Hey. You smell good." Alex inhaled deeply against Piper's neck while holding her hips.
"Thanks. Hey Nicky Nicholls." Piper moved over to hug Nicky before putting her coat down next to Alex.
"What are you guys talking about?"
"Nicky was just telling me that she's got a terrible case of genital herpes and I was just trying to work out how she managed that when she's not got laid for at least a month. You want to join in with the Guess Who flip cards I'm working my way through?" Alex grinned as she pulled Piper closer and kissed her hair.
"Fuck off. I didn't say anything about herpes."
"Didn't have to. I remember that face from the last time you got it."
"Again. Fuck. Off…..I'm getting a drink. What are you having Piper?"
"A bottle of water please. No glass."
"I'll have-."
"You're having a glass of piss from the men's urinals." Nicky went to the bar, leaving the two of them alone.
"You look nice."
"Thanks."
"And by 'nice' I mean smoking hot." Alex husked, waggling her eyebrows.
"I aim to please."
"I look forward to you proving it."
"Pity you have to wait so long."
"There are many ways in which you can please me Piper, many ways."
"Oh yeah? And are you going to describe them to me Alex?"
"Yeah, I will describe them….You can start by undoing the top button on that dress….." Alex reached over to show her exactly how that job should be done when Poussey arrived with her girlfriend. They shuffled up the booth a bit more to squeeze in and Lorna came back with Nicky from the bar.
"Guess you'll have to explain how I am to please you a little later Al." Piper whispered into her ear before taking her water from Nicky.
They got the menus and looked at ordering some food when Taystee arrived with her boyfriend.
"It's getting damned cosy around here all of a sudden." Lorna shuffled up some more from the edge and there was barely enough room for everyone to sit down now.
"It's OK. There's a booth on the opposite side over there, we'll just go and eat over-." Taystee started before Nicky interrupted her.
"Fuck that. We came out tonight as a team and we're fucking staying as one. Get cosy people." Nicky waved her hand to instruct everyone to shuffle some more.
Alex laughed and pulled Piper to sit across her lap, leaning back against the far wall so she could move right along now.
"Ah, Al! I can't sit like this all night, your legs will go numb!" Piper tried to struggle free but Alex held her thigh.
"Sure you can. See?" The dark haired woman pulled her in for a kiss.
"Oh, Piper. You can't sit like that. Really, we'll just move to another table."
Piper smiled and put her arms around Alex's neck as they sat together at the end of the table. "It's OK. Alex is using it as an excuse to look down the top of my dress anyway. It's a win / win as far as she's concerned." Alex just grinned and went back to choosing some food from the menu.
XXXXX
Piper had a meeting with Sarah on Monday to talk about controlling her temper and told Alex she was making a bigger effort to go to the gym while the court case was going on. Alex was really supportive of that idea and they made plans to meet up after she was finished with classes or one-to-ones with Jess every night.
On Wednesday, Piper got a call from Steve while she was out getting everyone some lunch from a café a couple of blocks away. After a couple of minutes going through the pleasantries of asking about the welfare of respective families, Piper found herself holding breath for whatever Steve was really calling her about.
"I know this isn't a call to get Grandma's eggnog recipe Steve….It's OK. What is it you really need to tell me? Is it about the court case?"
"I've been called to give my witness testimony tomorrow."
Piper had the air sucked from her lungs and was unable to articulate any acknowledgement of Steve's words. He let it sink in for a while before checking she was still on the line.
"I just thought you should know…in case your Lawyer hasn't already told you I mean….."
Piper's head was spinning and she couldn't grasp a single of the many words going through her mind to settle on an emotion at this point.
"Piper? I'm not expecting you to be there….In fact, maybe you'd rather not hear it…"
The thought of putting her head in the sand was immediately appealing, but she snapped out of her frozen state.
"Are you nervous?" She croaked after another silence.
"Yeah…..I've never done anything like this before…I mean, I've sat in the Gallery and watched….But….yeah…..nervous is an understatement right now."
Piper felt tears prick in her eyes and she pinched the bridge of her nose to try and stop the stinging sensation.
"You'll be OK. You're only telling the truth right?" She knew it was obvious and she didn't mean it to sound like a question, but she hadn't realised she needed the reassurance that Steve was on her side in this.
"I know. It's just the facts. I just…Doesn't matter. Anyway, I just wanted to let you know."
She finished their call and walked back to the store in a daze. She told Polly about it and her friend did exactly what friends do and reassured her that Steve would be just fine. When Piper couldn't shake the racing mind, Polly insisted she leave early and head over to the gym to work off some steam instead of over-analysing.
XXXXX
It was the middle of the week before Alex decided to have another conversation with Red. She knew Piper was avoiding asking about it and she was glad that it wasn't a topic of conversation, but they were both only pretending it wasn't a really big deal for them. PoPi was struggling and they needed the investment, so Alex couldn't just refuse to acknowledge the elephant in the room. Red hadn't tried to call her since their meeting last week, the Russian lady knowing better than to force the issue with Alex.
Deciding a face-to-face was better, Alex drove over to see her in the afternoon unannounced. Red was going through some files in the reception area when Alex came in and she immediately nodded towards her office so the two could have some privacy.
"She's my girlfriend Red." Alex surprised Red with the bluntness of the simple statement. The Russian had known Alex for a few years now and had never heard her mention anything about having a girlfriend before. She had always got the impression from Nicky that the dark-haired girl didn't like attachments and preferred the simplicity of hook-ups. It wasn't a lifestyle that Red understood, but Alex was straight-talking and no-nonsense in business, why shouldn't she be the same in her private life?
"I assumed you were close." Red opted to sit on the small sofa next to Alex, rather than at her desk across the room.
"What you're asking me to do, by taking over the investment….It's not an option."
"You don't like her as much as she thinks you do?" Red queried, wondering if she had misread this.
Alex sighed and shook her fingers through her hair, hating this whole talking about feelings conversation that the two business acquaintances were suddenly having.
"That's got nothing to do with this. It's a business deal I don't want a part of."
"It's got everything to do with this Vause. Maybe you like her pretty blonde head between your legs nice enough, but you're not going to lead her on with anything that involves any commitment from you. Am I close?"
Alex shot her a look. "No, you're not."
"You think it's a bad investment? Have you seen the figures they are projecting on this internet deal?" Red was starting to wonder if Alex knew something more about the finances than she was letting on.
"I've seen them. Not like you have, but I know where they want to go with this and realistic. I mean, they aren't inflating those to make it look better. It's honest and strategic growth over a period of years they are looking at."
"Then what's your problem with it? What are you not telling me? I don't lie to you Alex and I want to know my money isn't at risk right now."
Alex rubbed her face with her fingers. "This thing with Piper is new, but it's serious Red. You might think she's a pretty blonde with a temper, but you've only met her twice. She's a lot more than that. She's smart, she likes everything to be ethically sourced and she's determined to make it with this business. They both put a lot of effort into that presentation, making sure everything was backed up with evidence and you know they need that investment to keep things going in the right direction. What you have sort of seen is how strong willed Piper is. She's fiercely independent and she will not want me investing my money in her business because she doesn't want to feel like she's getting a hand out. With you, it's a legitimate business decision, but with me it would be her girlfriend suddenly becoming her boss." Alex shrugged, not wanting to go into any more detail.
"Have you asked her if she'd rather the business went under or take your help? It's a simple enough question Alex, but did you ask it?"
"No. But I don't need to."
Red took a breath, ready to give some more communication advice, but Alex stopped her by raising her hand.
"Look, I don't expect or need you to understand. I just wanted to try and explain the reason I left last week. It would fuck things up for me and Piper if you forced my hand on this right now. I know we need to look at what will happen long term, but can you just come to an agreement with me today for approving the investment capital as planned with PoPi?"
"What about the rehab programme?"
"I've got Tricia and Brooke working there while we refurb the offices to make more room. They're on my payroll. Can we continue that arrangement if we say they are there for customer service training or something? On your books, they are still working at my place. Lorna is still mentoring them weekly so everything is above board."
Red was pensive as she considered if this was all above board and finally nodded her head. "Alright Alex. You've never let me down, so I trust you know what you're doing with this. I can see my money is safer if the investment goes ahead anyway. Do you want to look into those Bambi eyes and give her the news?"
Alex rolled her eyes. "You're the investor. You tell them, both of them together when you've got the money in place to approve it. They could use some good news right now." She stood and straightened out her skirt as she went to the door to leave. "Thanks Red. I appreciate your support on this." Alex smiled, genuinely grateful that no further explanation was needed.
"You've helped me out plenty Vause and you look after my girls. It's the least I can do. Here, take this baklava home for blondie. She could use some fat on her bones that one." Red handed her the cake before shooing her out of the building with it.