Thank you for the feedback on the first chapter guys! Here's the next one.

P.S. to my New Beginnings readers: I apologise for the ridiculous delay. I have NOT abandoned the story (IT"S MY BABY HOW CAN I?!), and it will be the next thing to be uploaded. Your patience is highly appreciated.

/

It was well past midnight when they finished packing up. Alex leaned against the doors to the loading/unloading bay, staring at her phone. One hand played with her undone bowtie, wondering if it was too late to call the blonde. All Alex could think of right then, was how badly she wanted to see the blonde. In fact, that had been the primary thought occupying her head all night after Piper left. Alex had tried to get her off of her mind, trying to distract herself with a little casual flirting here and there, but it was to no avail. No one else lived up to the delicious electricity that had been flowing between her and Piper. That's all there was to it, pure animal magnetism.

At least that's what she had been trying to convince herself of.

She heard shuffling footsteps behind her as Nicky carried a crate, probably the last one, of cutlery out to their truck that stood open a few feet away. Her hand slipped a little, the clinking of the knives and forks loud in the quiet night, and Alex stretched out a hand to help. Shooting a disgruntled look her way (which Alex dutifully ignored), Nicky hoisted the crate higher and carried on to the truck. Her friend was right to be mad, the brunette had been increasingly distracted and when moving around delicate, breakable things around in large wooden boxes, it's probably preferable if one isn't distracted.

She had apologized a few times, but Nicky refused to listen, instead choosing to handle everything herself. Pocketing her phone, Alex walked over to Nicky who stood in the bed, taking one final inventory.

"I'll go in and take a look around, see if there's something left." Nicky pursed her lips, not bothering to reply. Alex hurried on quickly, "not that I'm saying you missed anything, you did a great job tonight!"

"Don't patronize me. I've cleared up everything. Myself." She hopped out and went to pull the door shut but the lever was too high. Alex tried not to smirk as she jumped a couple of times for the lever, her hand not even close to touching it.

The taller woman cleared her throat and looked at Nicky questioningly. "All you have to do is ask."

She scowled. "Close the fucking door, Vause."

Alex obliged with a small salute, which Nicky rolled her eyes at, and Alex took that as a sign that they were back to being okay. "I can't believe you got that mad over a couple of plates."

"It's not about the stupid plates." Nicky climbed into the driver's side and waited for Alex to get on before continuing. "It's you."

"Me?!"

Nicky walked over to the driver's side of the truck and opened the door. "Yes, you. You've been moping around like a love struck teenager ever since Blondie left and-"

"Piper."

"What?"

"Her name's Piper. And I have not been "moping around"."

"Says you in that not-so-sullen-tone. You're obviously in love with her or something, and you want to see her and you have her digits. It feels like there is a simple solution to all of this. And the worst part is, you won't admit it, even to me."

She jammed her hands in her pockets, knowing there was truth to her best friend's words but not wanting to admit it out loud. "There's nothing to admit Nichols. She was hot, I have her number, I may or may not call her. It's no big deal." Alex looked out the window as the traffic slowly inched forward. If she were being really and truly honest, she hadn't just found Piper "hot"; she had felt something for her that she hadn't felt in a very long time. Maybe ever. And she didn't trust this feeling.

"Right." Nicky shut the door then, knowing it was no good to argue with her right then. Rolling the window down, she looked down at her. "Stop making yourself miserable, Stretch."

Alex flipped her off and started walking away. "I'll see you tomorrow!"

With a last honk for her benefit, the truck took off in the opposite direction, and Alex made her way around to the front of the building. It had rained earlier, and the streets were glistening under the low lights, everything in a dreamy haze under the clouds. So lost was she in her own thoughts and the puddles, she didn't see the woman in front of her until they collided with enough force to almost knock her over. Hands reached out to grab her elbows, and she felt herself steady.

"Woah, hey. You need to get your prescription number checked." Alex looked up at that voice, and her heart gave a sudden, squeeze as she found herself staring at Piper.

"I-I didn't see you coming… what are you even doing here? I thought you left."

Piper let go of her arms then, reaching up to tuck a loose blonde strand behind her ear. "I came back."

Alex felt a smile growing on her face. "So you did. How would you like to go for a walk with me?"

Piper nodded and followed Alex, who continued in the direction where she was headed before being quite literally swept off her feet. "Does the walk take us to your place?"

Alex let out a chuckle. "If that's what you want."

Piper hooked her arm through the brunette's, and she could feel tingles all over her skin, through the jacket, matching her step for step. "I just hope you don't get the wrong idea. I'm not someone who just goes home with strangers." Her words came out in a playfully innocent whisper.

"In that case, we should probably get to know each other." She looked up for a street sign. "There are seven blocks 'til we reach my building, that's plenty of time to become non-strangers."

"What, like 20 questions?"

"Sure."

"Okay. But I get to veto questions if I don't want to answer them. Or if they're stupid. And yes, there is such a thing as a stupid question."

Alex rolled her eyes at her. "Fine, how many vetoes do you get?"

"Depends. How many stupid questions you got?"

Alex turned to look at the blonde, lips upturned in a grin. "Okay wiseass. You're on. You go first."

"Tattoos. How many do you have and can I see?"

"Well there's the one on my forearm, that you saw. One is on my upper arm," she pointed to it over her jacket sleeve. "The third one is on my back, left shoulder. You can see that, but you'll probably have to get rid of my shirt first."

"Oh well, if I have to." It was neither her imagination, nor her wishful thinking, the slow drag of Piper's eyes down to her lips and then back up. "Your turn."

Alex took a deep breath and tried to clear her mind. "Let's see. Favourite childhood-"

But Piper was already shaking her head. "Veto."

"You don't even know what I was gonna say!"

"Childhood anything is veto. C'mon! Step up your game, Al." Her tone was teasing and Alex had a reply ready, but it promptly died when she heard the nick name. This wasn't fair. The effect Piper was having on her was absolutely not fair. And as they walked and talked and night wore on, she could tell it was only going to get worse from here.

/

It took Alex three tries to get the key into the lock and open the door. She hoped the blonde believed her lie that it was the lock that needed changing and not her nerves that needed calming. She ushered her guest in to the apartment and tried not to breathe in too conspicuously as Piper walked past her. She dropped her keys in a ceramic frog with the top of its head cut off and switched on the lights. The first thing she registered was the heat in her apartment was, especially compared to outside.

"Is it just me, or is it really hot in here?"

"You know you don't have to use a pickup line on a girl who's already in your apartment, right?"

"You're funny. Really though. It's never this hot. Why don't you make yourself at home, and I'll check the thermostat."

She shrugged out of her jacket, Piper following suite, and hung them both on the rack. She was unbuttoning her waistcoat when she felt Piper's gaze on her.

"Leave that on." Alex gave her a questioning look. Piper took a step closer; eyes focused on the collar of her shirt, where she had unbuttoned the top couple of buttons. "I wanna do it myself." Her fingers gave the tie a slight tug. "I like the bow tie too."

She had to swallow twice before she could talk again. "Right." Piper moved into the living room area where she leaned against the back of an arm chair and bent her leg up, one at a time, to remove her heels. Alex stood transfixed, eyes following her bare feet as they touched the floor and a jolt of arousal ran through her.

Piper caught her staring and turned away, smiling. Her eyes fell on a bookshelf. "Mind if I check out your books?"

"Yeah-no go ahead. There are more in there," she replied, pointing to her room. "Do you want something to drink?"

"I'm good, thanks," she called out, already disappearing in through the door.

/

After figuring out and fixing the problem with the thermostat, Alex went around the apartment opening windows to let the breeze in.

Standing at the doorway to her room, she saw Piper next to her desk looking at something that was obscured from Alex's vision. This was a one night deal; they hadn't said it, but it was understood. Alex wasn't ready to be in anything more serious anyway. But this woman… although she had remained a on the back foot, the more Alex got to know about her, the more she wanted to know about her.

"See something you like?"

Alex started a little, a sheepish smile on her face for getting caught. She moved closer to Piper who still had her back to her, examining something on her desk. Strands of blonde hair gently kissed the exposed skin of her shoulders, the sight mesmerizing Alex. "I didn't realize you had eyes at the back of your head." Her lips took claim of the shoulder, the kiss so soft she would have thought Piper didn't even feel it, had it not been for the slight shudder that ran through the blonde.

"I don't," Piper whispered. "I can feel you." She turned around to face Alex, eyes searching. "Does that even make sense?"

"It does to me." Alex placed one hand on either side of the blonde, effectively trapping her there. Though if the look in her eyes meant anything, Piper was in no hurry to leave.

"Question?"

"Sure."

"Who's the woman in the picture?"

Alex looked behind piper to see the picture she was referring to.

"That's my mom," she said, smiling.

"And your dad?"

"Veto."

"Okay." She ran her hands up Alex's folded sleeves, fingers dancing around the barb-wire tattoo. "Did you fix the thermostat?"

Alex hummed her assent.

"That's a pity. The heat had some good points." Piper's voice lowered, almost a purr, as her gaze fell towards her neck. Leaning forward, Piper ran the tip of her tongue from her collar bone to the edge of her lower jaw, following a bead of sweat. Alex tightened her grip on the table behind them as she felt Piper leave a wet trail from her jaw to her ear lobe, which she held between her teeth with just enough pressure, before releasing it. "I like how you taste," she murmured, her breath tickling Alex.

She moved back then to look at Piper, the hunger in her eyes unmistakable, and her hand came up to cup her cheek of its own volition. She was close enough to see the blue eyes flecked with grey just before the fluttered shut and Alex overcame the distance between them. She probably would have been happy spending hours just kissing Piper Chapman, except for the fact that Piper's hands were moving to her front and undoing the buttons on her coat impressively quick.

Piper slipped it off and threw it on the floor, closely followed by her tie and shirt. Her mouth fell on Alex's chest, kissing a path from her collar bone to her bra-clad breast. Much as Alex wanted Piper there, she threaded her fingers through her hair and pulled her to her lips again. While Alex's tongue ran a tentative course along Piper's lower lip, looking for permission (which was given), Piper's hands found the belt on her pants, and she all but yanked it off. The button and the zipper held no ground in front of Piper's nimble fingers and soon Alex felt the now cold air hit her ass.

Piper broke free of the kiss first. "The shoes are gonna be a problem."

She looked down at her feet, shoes still on. "Right, wait. Let me -"

"No." splaying a hand against the brunette's abdomen, Piper gently pushed her back until her legs hit the edge of the bed and she sat down. Alex liked to be in control; liked to be in a position of power. With Piper however, she didn't exactly mind seeing the tables turn, and she never would have believed it, but it was incredibly erotic letting someone have power over her for once.

Piper stood in front of her for a few moments when everything went quiet, their eye contact taut with static. Eyes never straying, she slowly hiked her dress up to mid thigh as she crouched in front of her and began working on her laces. That sight had to be one of the hottest things Alex had ever experienced, and she could feel herself get drenched with desire. Piper removed the shoes and immediately began trying to take off her pants. Alex, however, had other plans.

Taking the blonde's hands in her own, she pulled her up and onto her lap. Piper immediately went for her lips, attacking and bruising. Alex didn't repay in kind, instead keeping her pace slow, her kisses languid. Her hands moved up the Piper's arms, nails dragging, searching for the shoulder straps. Pulling them down, one by one, Alex peppered her with wet kisses.

Reaching back, Piper undid her zip, the dress coming all the way off of her torso, only a flimsy camisole covering her now. This distracted Alex from her current position and she leaned back to admire the view.

"I think it's a little too cold now." Her fingers played at the edges of the cloth, watching Piper as she flexed her hands against Alex's shoulder, waiting to be rid of it.

"Oh I think this is all you." Grinning a wicked grin, Alex suddenly leaned forward and flicked a nipple with her tongue, earning herself a delicious sharp gasp from Piper, and a bucking of her hips against the brunette's thigh. That gave her an idea.

She enveloped one nipple with her mouth and the other with her hand, the stimulation making Piper throw her head back and cry out in pleasure. Alex used her other hand to urge her hips to move and Piper, taking the hint, spread her legs wider against her thigh for better contact. Alex sat enthralled, watching the blonde come undone before her eyes, under her hands, the sight sending shots of arousal straight to her centre.

Piper pulled her head back up and kissed her on the cheek dragging her mouth to her ear, as another moan came bubbling out. "I'm close, so close." Alex moved the silky material away and enclosed her teeth around one nipple, and felt Piper's movements go erratic until she became rigid. Laying soft kisses wherever she could reach, Alex waited as Piper came down from her high, collapsing on the bed on her side with a grin on her face.

"Take off your pants."

Alex stood up and tried to put a little spice in her act, in vain, almost ending up on the floor in the process. She sat back down and shimmied them off. "I'll never know how strippers do the pants in any way that's sexy without falling flat on their faces."

Piper busied herself with her bra clasp behind her. "I think they wear the kind that can be ripped off. Much more efficient." She began kneading the newly exposed flesh and Alex reveled in the feel of the strong hands. Piper's lips found the salt shaker tattoo and Alex shuddered when piper leaned in to lick it. She continued on up her shoulder, ghosting over the base of her neck and Alex leaned her head back on Piper's shoulder to grant her better access.

She turned around then, before she got lost in the haze of everything Piper and pushed the blonde towards the head of the bed, "It's still your turn." She kissed down her stomach until she was met with the material of her panties. Sinking her teeth into the band, she tugged on it and Piper lifted her hips to make it easier. Having taken it off all the way, Alex sat back on her knees and took in the sight before her.

She licked her lips in anticipation, "Oh it is most definitely still your turn."

/

It was a little after day break when they let each other rest again. Piper was sprawled on her back, one leg hanging off of the side of the bed, her face suffused with a deep pink as she tried to catch her breath back. Alex was on her side, observing the rise and fall of the blonde's chest, feeling the flames of desire rising again.

"Stop looking at me like that. You've officially exhausted me."

Alex propped up on her elbow. "Really?" she ran a hand up the inside of her thigh, lightly brushing her outer lips. The brunette smirked as Piper's legs widened instinctively.

"Well… give it a few minutes."

A few more moments passed in silence, Alex keeping up her strokes, moving on to more intimate areas, watching Piper respond more and more. She slipped a finger in, being met with no resistance. Her thumb rested on her clit.

"Hey. I've got a question for you."

Piper released the lip that she was biting, swallowed and nodded her head for Alex to continue.

"Will you be here when I wake up?" Alex waited for the blonde to answer, her hand never letting up; the pressure of her walls closing in around her.

"Veto."