Persuasion

A/N: Hey guys, this is just something I decided to write for the sake of it. It is basically a ROLE REVERSAL, so at the beginning anyway, Alex is a little shyer and for the entirety of the story Piper is much more ruthless and generally more badass than she is in the show.So for the love of God please do not send me reviews stating that you don't see the need for the role reversal; that's the point! A couple of people on twitter suggested it, so here goes. Sorry for any typos; it's 2am.

The sound of her feet pounding against the pavement below her is a welcome change to Piper Chapman's ears. A welcome change indeed from the wall of noise she is surrounded by five days a week in her work place, or from the piercing criticism she gets off her best friend Polly because Piper had gotten blind drunk again last night, and as usual Polly Harper came to the rescue. Running offers Piper an escape from the resounding cacophony of reality, so naturally she cherishes any time she gets alone on the streets with only the sound of her footfalls to accompany her. But, alas, all good things must come to an end.

She slows her pace as she rounds the corner to her apartment block, the familiar hum of New York replacing the sound of feet against concrete. Gazing skyward, Piper allows her eyes to roam over the exterior of her home. The large penthouse apartment looms over her, its transparent windows surrounded by glossy white walls, jutting out slightly from the side of the building, giving it an obviously more expensive look than the smaller apartments below. Piper owns the whole damn block, but chooses to rent the other homes out, despite many people often asking why she doesn't convert it all into one living area. But once said people take in the vast expanse of the penthouse, their concerns are quickly forgotten. Walking now, Piper strides into the building and removes her key from the tiny pocket of her t shirt (her shorts were far too skin tight to allow any room for a key). Giving a small wave to the receptionist, her toned legs carry her towards the elevator which is ready and waiting. Piper presses the button for the top floor and the silver doors slide shut abruptly. Tight spaces were never really her thing, but thankfully the mirrored walls of the lift make the blonde feel slightly less claustrophobic.

Piper takes a moment to look at her appearance. Despite running for over six miles, her ponytail has only come slightly lose, allowing a few blonde strands to stick to her forehead and frame her face. Her cheeks are flushed but her skin is glowing rather than shining with sweat. In fact, apart from the hair stuck to her forehead and the dark shade of blue her t shirt has turned at the back, Piper looks as though she's just come back from a walk rather than a lengthy jog. The black running shorts fit her like a second skin and show off her long, sun kissed legs. The blonde smirks; she looks as youthful as she does the day she arrived in New York four years ago.

The sharp ding of the elevator drags Piper from her thoughts as she steps into the long, airy corridor, at the end of which is the heavy oak door leading to her home. She moves along quickly, eager to shower before she makes the short trip downtown to work. A smile makes its way onto Piper's face. The blonde is inexplicably proud of all the things she's achieved, her home being one of those things, but it is her company's success that brings the blonde most delight. 'Pipeline' as she had christened it one night whilst slightly inebriated, was now one of New York's largest companies and America's main importer of artwork. Frankly, Piper couldn't give a flying fuck about art and she didn't even have the first clue about drawing or art history or any of that. No, what Piper knew was business. She knew what would sell, she knew what the art galleries would go crazy for, and she knew how to get it for the right price. Every time she pulled off a deal, whether it was from a sought after, seasoned artist or an unorthodox rookie who was touted as 'the next big thing', Piper could feel herself rubbing it in the nose of those who had once told her, with smug undertones in their voices, that she would never make it. No little blonde girl who grew up without a father or an education would ever make it in the big bad world of business, right? Apparently that was not the case when it came to Piper Chapman.

The rest of the morning passed quickly as Piper got ready for work. Steaming cup of coffee in one hand, the other on the keyboard of her Macbook Air, she looked over her schedule for the week. A frown tugged at the corners of her mouth as she realised today was the day her new secretary started. Piper had been reluctant to let her previous secretary go, but she knew Sarah was moving on to bigger, better things. In her despondent state, Piper had accepted the first résumé that came her way, not checking over the details much. She couldn't even remember the girl's name, only that she'd had experience working in an office while she attended university at Smith, or somewhere. Piper didn't care much for College girls and even felt a little resentment towards them. Cursing herself, Piper realised she'd probably hired some WASPy, straight edge chick who'd call her ma'am and be afraid to meet her in the eye. Piper had that last effect on most women however, especially the cute redhead she'd met at the bar two nights ago. Finding her thoughts drifting towards sex, alcohol and women (which was a problem she often encountered), Piper tried to clear her head. She realised she could have at least tried to remember the new secretary's damn name. That would make for an awkward first meeting.

Piper stood up and set her mug in the sink, grabbing her Prada handbag from the marble worktop and taking a final look in the mirror before she left. A beige coloured blazer adorned the blonde's slender shoulders, underneath which she wore a low, fitted cream top that tucked into the thick waistband of her black, mid thigh length skirt. On her left wrist was a silver Guess watch and on her feet she wore a patent black pair of Louboutin heels. Happy with her appearance, she ran a hand through her blonde hair that reached the top of her breasts and strode out of the apartment, towards the hustle and bustle of New York in rush hour and the potentially awkward first meeting with her secretary.

"I hope she's at least cute," Piper mused darkly. She needed a bit of fun in her life.

Alex Vause could hardly believe her luck sometimes. Here she was, two years after she'd got out of college, and finally she has a job working for a massive player in the world of art. Yes, she was not under the tuition of a world class artist or anything like that, but she'd hopefully be able to get a first-hand look at what kind of art goes down well with buyers and sellers. When Alex had first told her conservative, middle class parents that she wanted to major in art at college, they'd damn near smacked their jaws off the floor. What the hell did she want to do art for?! Why wasn't she studying law, or business or anything useful? Her mother had told her in the least condescending tone she could muster (which wasn't saying much), that maybe she was making a mistake. After all, how many job opportunities were there around nowadays for a major in coloring in? Alex had been hurt, but undeterred. The path of architectural work was out the door due to her less than impressive math skills, but she had a passion and a talent for creating life out of a blank canvas with only a brush and a few tins of paint. Alex immersed herself in her studies back at home in Jersey; consequentially she got her major and was absolutely thrumming with excitement. She was going to make it as an artist, she hoped so anyway.

And God knows she tried to believe it, for a while anyway. A year passed. She'd sold not one piece of art and her only income was from a dreary job working in the office of a local library. Alex's hope was beginning to fade. She produced piece after piece of work but not one gallery would display it. Disenchanted, she took to the streets to try and sell anything and everything. Eventually she picked up a few buyers who would display her art in their homes, but it wasn't what Alex wanted. What she'd dreamed about was her work on display in galleries in Paris, Barcelona, Milan, London and New York. As the time dragged on, with little to tie her to Jersey apart from her parents, twenty-three year old Alex made the decision to move to New York. If the galleries wouldn't come to her, she would go to them.

And now she found herself standing in her small studio apartment in Queens, not knowing whether to curse her luck or take her luck out to dinner and thank it profusely all night long for giving her this final, make or break opportunity. Alex looked at her reflection in the mirror at the door, willing her mind to calm. She could do this. She could be a secretary to one of the most important women in art at the minute, right? Alex had on a crisp white shirt, the sleeves rolled up neatly to the crook of her elbow. It was tucked into a pair of tight black trousers that came to her ankles. Adjusting her black, thick framed glasses nervously and pressing her red lipstick adorned lips together, Alex swung the door shut behind her, heels clicking against the concrete of the steps leading to her home. The raven haired girl walked briskly towards the subway station, praying to a deity she didn't really believe in that everything would go smoothly.

Somehow, it did, and Alex silently thanked whoever the fucker was up there that was having so much fun giving her hope only to rip it away from her as was so often the case. For now though, they seemed content to let Alex be happy. She approached the large building nervously, feeling dwarfed by the size of her new workplace. The sky scraper seemed to go up and up, and Alex could make out the word 'Pipeline' at the very top in metallic letters. Lowering her gaze and smoothing her hands over her shirt, the brunette walked up the wide steps and through the transparent doors, upon which the company name was also etched. Inside was an airy, hotel-like reception with a large mahogany desk at the far end, where a small girl sat, typing away at a computer. Alex approached her nervously.

"Hi, I'm here for my new job?" She offered quietly, her voice raising at the end as if she were asking the girl rather than telling her.

"Are you sure about that?" the receptionist offered sarcastically, but a warm smile made its way onto her features. "And what job would that be?" Alex noted she had a Brooklyn accent. 'L. Morello ' read her nametag.

"Um... I'm Piper Chapman's new secretary." Alex answered. An unreadable expression made its way onto Morello's features and a feeling of dread settled nicely into Alex's stomach.

"Oh, of course!" Morello laughed nervously. "Her office is on the top floor...or rather, her office is the top floor." She explained, trying to make the newbie feel at home. Morello knew that Miss Chapman was not always a delight to work in the same building as, never mind as her goddamn secretary. Alex realised the look on the receptionist's face was one of unashamed pity.

"Thank you..." Alex trailed off, torn between wanting to know what the fuck was going on, but also afraid of what she might find. Turning to her left, Alex shuffled towards the elevator, pressing the button and waiting for it to reach her.

"Have a good first day!" Morello called after her. Alex ignored her, the feeling of dread not yet subsided. Whatever, she thought. Maybe the receptionist was just having a shitty morning, right? Entering the elevator, the raven haired girl again asked for some help from above, hoping against all hope that her new boss wouldn't be a complete and utter asshole. Unsurprisingly, it looked as if her luck had run out.

Piper sat with her office door open but her back turned, as she often did when she was frustrated. She looked out across the vast landscape of the city she had called home for every second of her life. Piper wasn't sure how she felt about that, in fact only when she had moved into her lavish apartment did things start to feel like home around her. Sighing heavily, the blonde knew she needed to sort out the growing amount of problems around her. The shipment from London had not arrived; and no one seemed to be able to tell Piper why. She doubted it had been stolen, but one thing she couldn't stand for was a late shipment. She made it clear to clients that if their shit was late, her company's sales pitch to galleries in the area would suffer. Her temper rising, Piper was about to pick up her phone when a quiet knock at the door startled her.

"Can I help you?!" She spat even before she looked at who was disturbing her. Didn't everyone know by now that if you ever saw Piper Chapman with her back to her office, you left her the fuck alone?!

"Ah...Um...Yes?" The person at the door answered. It came out like a fucking question. "Yes." She repeated. "I'm your new secretary."

Piper's eyes widened and her levels of frustration sky rocketed. She had forgotten about this. Reigning in her temper, Piper turned and finally took in the appearance of the girl in the doorway. She was pretty sure she'd never been so happy to see anyone in her life before. Standing before her was five foot ten of absolute, unadulterated sex appeal. Piper made no effort to conceal her movements as she took in the girl's appearance. She raked her eyes over the girl, noticing how the jet black of her hair contrasted against her porcelain skin, how her green eyes widened as she caught Piper's gaze, how her white shirt hugged her in all the right places and how her trousers fit snugly around her hips and legs. All the blonde wanted to do was rip that shirt off and have her way with the brunette any way she could. Oh yes, Piper thought to herself. She was going to have fun with this one.

"What's your name again?" Piper finally asked after she'd finished undressing the girl with her eyes.

"Alex. My name is Alex." The girl replied, her voice barely above a whisper as a blush made its way onto her cheeks. However, Piper noted how husky her new secretary's voice was.

"No, sweetheart, your last name." Piper encouraged her, stepping towards her and inwardly smiling at how she made it seem like she already knew Alex's first name.

"Oh, right." Alex deadpanned. She could hardly remember her last name if she was being honest. "Alex Vause." She managed to get out.

"Alex Vause." Piper's name rolled off her tongue, as if she was trying it out. Yes, she thought, that was a name she could get very used to saying. "Alex." She repeated. "That's a nice name."

"T-thank you..." Alex replied timidly, her gaze firmly fixed to the floor as if it was the most interesting thing she had ever fucking seen. She couldn't believe this was happening. Here she was, standing in the middle of Piper Chapman's office, feeling like a schoolgirl. She couldn't even look at her boss, because the first time their eyes met, Alex noticed the judgement in Piper's baby blues. She could feel Piper taking in her appearance, probably noting the fear in Alex's expression. She couldn't help it; Piper was probably the hottest woman Alex had ever seen.

Her legs seemed to go on for miles and her hair sat in such a way that all Alex could think about doing was running her hands through it. Her shirt clung to her and Alex could see how Piper's muscles rippled in her stomach as she walked towards her. She knew that if she returned Piper's gaze she would not be able to hide the lust underneath all the fear. Alex couldn't believe this was happening. She wasn't even gay for Christ sake! She had plenty of boyfriends in school and at college, all of which she enjoyed having sex with. Sure, she'd kissed her female best friend once for a dare, but that was it; Alex didn't even enjoy it! No, sir, Alex Vause was as straight as an arrow. And she knew Piper probably was too. But she knew she hadn't imagined Piper undressing her with her icy blue eyes; that had definitely happened, right?

"No problem, kid. Welcome to the business. My name is Piper Chapman." Piper's soothing voice broke Alex out of her trance as she saw a hand in front of her. Moving her gaze upwards, Alex saw a knowing smirk on Piper's features as their eyes met. Her boss knew she had her all flustered. Fuck! Alex shook Piper's hand quickly, again averting her gaze and blushing profusely. Piper almost burst out laughing, but suddenly she almost felt bad for how nervous she'd made the girl feel. "Hey, do you want a drink or something?" she asked without releasing Alex's hand, quite enjoying the feel of the brunette's warm skin against her own.

"No!" Alex blurted out. "I mean no thank you, ma'am. I'm fine." She backtracked, an apologetic smile on her face. She met Piper's gaze again.

"Call me Piper." She encouraged her softly.

"Okay, Piper..." Alex whispered, almost scared in case she said her name wrong or something.

"Well, Alex. If you ever need anything, just let me know, okay." Piper told her, putting emphasis on the word anything. She was enjoying this little game; Piper loved how easy it was for girls to become undone around her. She loved the way her name sounded in Alex's deep tones, although the blonde thought it would sound much better if Alex was screaming it at the top of her voice whilst Piper's head was between her legs. Alex had obviously picked up on the double meaning of Piper's offer, because her gaze again shifted away from Piper's and the tips of her ears went bright red. Piper let go of her new secretary's hand and could no longer fight the grin that made its way onto her face. Oh, if only Alex Vause knew what she'd done by wearing that fucking tight fitting shirt and that red lipstick that drew Piper's gaze like a magnet. If only she knew.