Thanks so much for the reviews, follows & favs! Glad to see my English isn't so bad that no one can understand it... :) This piece continues with the events of the evening. Also, I'm still working on my dialogue writing skills. I find it quite challenging to capture the witty nature of conversations between Harvey and Louis or Donna, but I'm trying. Please let me know what you think!
For the rest of the evening, with each new beer to taste, Louis' attempts to secure the girl's attention grew more desperate and more awkward.
Harvey actually admired how calm, polite and friendly she remained throughout all of it. She had also decidedly kept addressing Louis as 'sir', even when he had tried to imitate Harvey's smooth introduction.
In Louis' case however, 'smooth' meant hanging over the bar - effectively ruining his jacket with beer stains - while extending his hand and almost knocking over Harvey's beer. In the process he'd accidentally - or purposely, who could tell – brushed his hand against the woman's breast. She completely ignored it and proceeded to clean up glasses and take an order from a stuttering ginger kid who looked like he was barely of legal drinking age – Harold, was it?
More surprisingly, Harvey hadn't had much luck with her either. There had been some bits and pieces of conversation between them that could've classified as flirting, were it not for the composed look on Ana's face and her strictly professional demeanor. His compliments and playful hints seemed to stick for only a second before gliding off of her like melting snow.
Although Harvey always loved a classic play of 'hard to get', this seemed to be a rare case of Harvey-insensitivitis. That was unusual.
Maybe she was simply taken. That could explain the way her boss looked longingly at her when he obviously thought no one was paying attention to him. She didn't seem to return the favor. Or maybe they had been together for ages? Either option clearly meant she was obviously off limits. But after nonchalantly studying her for another ten minutes he decided against it. He couldn't observe anything other than friendly banter and touches at arm length between her and the guy. He should try to find a subtle way to ask Mike's girlfriend.
For the fifth time this evening, he sighed to himself. Not out loud, of course. He kept on smiling confidently, trying to look interested while he listened to another fact-filled anecdote Mike was telling. The kid was starting to ramble – even more than usual.
Damnit, why did Donna have to have a date precisely tonight? He missed her sharp eye and clever suggestions right now. Subtle observations whispered into his ear, meaningful looks, ridiculing Louis… He loved her for it. Not that he would ever admit that to her face. He'd rather eat his Armani boxers and dance the hulu.
But before he could take either decide to leave or take further action on the girl, Jessica had popped in. That was surprising. Even more to his amazement, she had displayed a fascinating knowledge of beer. Of course, the real reason she had decided to grace a mere associate with a visit to his birthday party, was that she'd wanted to discuss a few details of that pesky Benson merger with him.
Even so, she had still made the effort brought Mike a present; a silver tie-pin which Harvey thought he recognized from last year's Christmas gifts for the firm's more low-end clients. He mentally made a note to ask her later. Maybe there were more left for him to give away at some point. Never a bad thing to have some small bribes handy…
Subsequently, Mike had picked up the bill – wincing when he took in the total and then reaching for his credit card with a sigh – and left with his girlfriend. They were on the border of being drunk and obviously in love. She was wearing his tie, with the tie-pin attached to it. Puppy love, Harvey smiled as he watched them stagger out, laughing and kissing. Then: I sound like my father. Ouch. He quickly took another swig of his 'full-bodied, slightly sweet, seductive' beer.
So at half past two in the morning, even after most of the associates and the bar owner had already gone, Harvey had kept hanging around, to his own surprise actually.
Maybe it was the beer, which was – as the reviews had rightly claimed – one of the best and widest selections he'd ever seen. Maybe it was the service; a fresh beer and a fresh glass being available as soon as he'd finished the previous one. Or the music, which – as there were fewer guests to disturb it now - turned out to be an excellent mix of instrumental jazz and blues.
But if he was honest, Harvey contemplated as the cumulated alcohol of five (or was it six?) heavy beers started to take effect - it was his ego, not willing to accept defeat. He would get the girl. It was now no longer a simple matter of mild attraction, of an easy lay - he was proving something to himself. What Harvey wants, Harvey gets.
Unfortunately, of the very few people still populating the bar, Louis was also one of them. Although Harvey felt absolutely no desire to associate himself with the severely intoxicated junior partner at this point, he also couldn't leave the man crawling out of the bar and ending up who knows where. Especially when they both had that annoying merger waiting on Monday morning.
Before hoisting Louis off his bar stool and dumping him into the nearest cab, Harvey decided to give it one last shot. As she registered his subtle nod, the girl said goodbye to one of the regulars and came over with an inquiring look.
"Can I get you another beer, mr. Specter? Last call," she said with a smile. Even after hours of continuous service behind the bar, she still sounded fresh. A good quality in a bartender, Harvey remarked appreciatively. And certainly a good quality for a midnight encounter in his bed…
"I'd rather you get me your number." He decided for the direct approach, albeit with a mischievous smile.
"That info is all to be found on our business cards. You can take one from the jar at the door if you want," she answered innocently, pointing at the entrance of the bar. Did he just see a slight sparkle in her eyes?
"I'll make sure to take one," Harvey replied equally as innocent. "But just to make sure I never order a bad whiskey anywhere again, could I maybe also have your personal number? For some… *one on one counseling*, maybe?"
The sparkle was now definitely there. Her grey-green eyes widened just before she cast her eyes down. The warm familiar feeling of victory spread across Harvey's stomach. His smile widened.
"What makes you think I'd be interested in expanding my services beyond this bar, mr. Specter?" she replied suddenly, looking back up. Before he could formulate a witty reply, she continued, "And to cut to the chase - what makes you think I'm not married?"
Harvey's eyes shot down to her hands, resting comfortably on the bar in front of her. There was no ring. He frowned.
Following his eyes, she looked at her hands and wriggled her fingers. Then she bent over to him and whispered, "Just because a girl doesn't wear a ring, doesn't mean she's not married."
Baffled for a moment, Harvey stood up from his seat and buttoned his jacket, buying him some time. He noticed a slight waver in his balance. Damn you, alcohol. At the same time, Louis was also attempting to get up from his slumped position in the corner and after one failed lift-off stumbled right into Harvey's arms.
"Harveyharveyharvey, you unim- unimagin- you jerk," he slurred as he shot the bartender an exaggerated apologetic look on behalf or Harvey with red, watery eyes. "The girl's married" -he dragged the word out for a few seconds- "And you don't do married women, do you?" He started to snicker, then moved on to laugh uncontrollably, ending in hiccups and coughs.
Intensely disgusted, Harvey tried to haul Louis to his feet and simultaneously search for his credit card. Still sniffing and snorting, Louis started theatrically patting his pockets and muttered something about leaving his wallet at home.
"Louis, stop it," Harvey snapped at him. Louis peered at him, squinting, trying to formulate a coherent reply.
"My apologies for my… this," he said as he gestured at Louis with unconcealed abhorrence. "Here you go. For both of us, please" he continued on the same breath towards the girl as he handed her his credit card.
As she swiftly made the transaction for both of them, Harvey had no choice but to support Louis to keep him from falling to his knees. Any doubt that this might be an act to make Harvey look ridiculous was now gone. He'd never seen Louis this drunk before. Not even at last year's Christmas party at the firm, where the champagne – from the region of course – and whiskey always flowed richly.
"There you go," the girl said to Harvey as she handed back the card. "Thank you so much for visiting the Big Apple Inn tonight. We… My boss, Ryan, really appreciated that. Great guests, great atmosphere. And I've never seen so many quality suits together in this bar in years!" she chuckled. There it was again, that sparkle.
Harvey smiled and nodded politely. He was done. All he wanted to do now was to get this embarrassment of a man into a cab, catch another one himself and go home to an excellent glass of whiskey and some good old Sinatra.
Maybe he could call Marissa, a small voice suggested in the back of his head. Hmmm, maybe he should. She would be just about be done clubbing by now. He perked up just by thinking about the woman's gorgeous red lips, her skilled hands, a body that still looked like that of a twenty year old…
Outside the bar, they had to wait an excruciating ten minutes for a cab to pass them by. All the while, Louis was blurting incoherent and insulting things about Ana the bartender and Harvey's ridiculous principles. Screwing half the city of New York, but behold – one ring and he was powerless. He then proceeded to quote almost the entire first sequence of Lord of the Rings, exclaiming "One ring to rule them all!" across the street and then at the heavily annoyed cab driver.
The street was suddenly quiet when Louis and the cab had finally left. Louis grinned triumphantly at Harvey as he waved from behind the car window, holding a handful of dollars he had reluctantly given Louis when it appeared that he had no cash on him at all.
Reckoning that he was probably more likely to catch a cab a few streets down the block, Harvey started to round the corner of bar in a slow pace. The alcohol certainly had an effect on him, although he could generally hide it well. Maybe a brisk walk in the chilly night air would freshen him up a bit as well.
He started dialing Marissa's number when from the corner of his eye, he noticed movement in a dark parking lot on his left. It was situated at the back of the bar, containing just a few vehicles and a large dumpster.
"No, Chuckie, don't," a familiar female voice exclaimed. "Please, stop. Stop it!"
Harvey's eyes shot further to the left to find the small frame of a woman and a huge man standing in the shadows next to the dumpster. He was looming over her and appeared to be punching her in the gut. The woman squealed again. It was Ana.
Without a moment's thought, Harvey cut the call and ran over to the scene. Could he knock the guy out? By the size of him, probably not. As he got closer, he reassessed. Definitely not. But Harvey Specter sure as hell wouldn't let a woman go down like that alone.
"Hey, big guy, why don't you pick on someone your own size?" he yelled as he came to a wobbling halt close to the dumpster. Great line, Harvey. Real smooth with the clichés. And not entirely accurate, since the guy was about three times his size - at least in terms of width.
As the guy stepped out of the shadows, Harvey noticed he looked like a boxing pro. Lots of muscles. He swallowed hard.
"Mr. Specter," Ana said as she stepped out of the shadows of the dumpster as well. "It's not what think it is."
Harvey raised an eyebrow and tried to steady himself, trying to look as confident as ever. Damn that last beer. His hands automatically reached for the buttons of his jacket, then his cuffs. Force of habit.
"Really," he said, narrowing his eyes, not sure whether to be relieved or skeptical.
"Chuckie here" –the girl gestured towards the muscular man who was clearly sizing him up- "is ehm… what you might call… my bouncer. Didn't you see him sitting inside the bar? He always makes sure I can lock the place up safely out here." She gestured towards the dark deserted parking lot.
"Chuckie Pancamo," the guy introduced himself with a heavy accent. He sounded like an Italian mobster. He reached out an enormous hand, which Harvey shook only after shooting him another suspicious look. Then he looked back at Ana. Was she telling the truth, or was she just scared out of her mind? The alcohol seemed to really cloud his usually impeccable judgment.
"Chuckie was just showing me some boxing moves. You know, for self-defense. But I'm kind of ticklish." She was smiling brightly now. If she was feeling threatened, she hid it really well.
"Boxing, huh," Harvey answered smartly. "I could teach you a thing or two about that, and it wouldn't have to be in a dark deserted parking lot."
"Wow, easy there partner," Chuckie interrupted him with an protective edge to his voice.
"Is this fella' okay, Ana? Do you know him?" He was still eyeing Harvey and took a step closer to the girl. Harvey cleared his throat, feeling offended and a little uncomfortable. Here he was, knight in shining armor trying to save a damsel in distress, only to find out that *he* was now considered to be the evil dragon coming for the princess.
"Yeah, he's fine, Chuckie. His name is Harvey Specter. He's… what was it again?" –she furrowed her brow and then smiled remembering- "'the best damn closer this city has ever seen'?"
She laid a reassuring hand on the boxer's chest. "I don't think a man of his *stature* will knock me down and drag me to his lair to be raped and murdered."
"Thanks for the compliment," Harvey muttered under his breath, staring up at the night sky. They didn't seem to notice.
"Well, you never know, honey. You seen that movie 'American Psycho'?" Chuckie snorted. Ana laughed heartily and gave the man a gentle push.
"Go on big guy, we're done here. Julia's waiting for you. Thanks for your help, as always!" After one last look at Ana and Harvey, Chuckie saluted casually and walked away, hands in his pockets.
"Bouncer, huh? Good choice," Harvey commented drily as soon as the man was out of earshot.
"Yeah, he's a gem. One of a kind. Always stands by me when I need to close up alone," Ana said warmly, not reacting to Harvey's tone.
"So, off to the husband, then?" he inquired casually. "Where you headed? Maybe we can share a cab. Safer and cheaper," he added stiffly.
'Why did you just say that, Harvey?' he mentally berated himself. You were going to call Marissa. And the girl's taken. And *Marissa*.
"No, I'm going to a club," she said to his surprise while stepping back and reaching behind the dumpster. "Meet some friends. Dance some of the energy out, you know."
"No, actually I don't know. At this time of night?" Harvey asked incredulously while checking his watch. "Half past three?"
"Yes," Ana replied as she uprighted herself and cocked her head. "Anything wrong with that?"
"No, not at all," he said, raising his hands in mock apology.
"Well, good night then, mr. Specter," she said with a smile, slipping a black helmet over her head. Wow, where did that suddenly come from? The girl walked swiftly towards a black motorbike parked at the other side of the dumpster. She got on, unlocked it and maneuvered it out of its parking space. As she started the engine, she waved at him and then shot off the lot, leaving Harvey dumbfounded.
He shook his head in amused disbelief as he put his hands in his pockets and started to saunter away. "Good night, mrs. Lee."
Well, Harvey doesn't sleep with married women, so that should be that. Right...?
