Disclaimer: I do not own any characters that belong to DC Comics. However, I do own all the original characters.

Warning: This story contains sexual contents, some explicit language and violence.

Breathe Slow

Chapter.11

-

Victoria's head was still resting on his stalwart shoulder, and a few minutes later, he gently lifted her up and put her on the leather couch. Her eyes were still watery from sobbing and her black eyeliner was smudged all around her eyes. She wiped her dark tears with her hands leaned back comfortably. He smirked, grabbed a tissue box for her and sat beside her. She took a tissue and began to blow her nose.

"You look like a sexy panda, you know that?" He suddenly laughed out loud and watched her blow her runny nose.

"Stop saying stuff like that! It really isn't funny." She grabbed another tissue and glared at the man she has been hugging for good ten minutes. His Calvin Klein perfume still lingered in her head and she wanted to absorbed more of it.

"Say what? I'm just telling you the truth. Apparently people think you're my girlfriend, so-"

"Bruce, you were the one who told me not to pay attention to any of those hearsay." She paused and tied her hair up in a bun. Ironically, the tips that Kayla had given her last Saturday popped up in her head, vexing her mind. She tried to avoid his congenial eyes, staring at his colossal bookshelves, filled with 'unread' or 'untouched' reference books. "I'm sorry if I yelled." She said. Bruce put his arm around her shoulder and moved closer. Her heart raced to the finish line as his hand was caressing her torrid cheek.

"You yell at me all the time, Victoria. Not a surprise at all." She gave him a sardonic smirk and kicked his calf like a tomboy. Soon she realized that she has crossed the 'line' she has been talking about already by letting him touch her cheek and put his arm around her. She didn't want him to stop stroking her hair because it felt like she was in nirvana. "Hold on for a sec." He said as he got up, freeing her from his nest and grabbed a red box lying on his desk.

"What is it?" She asked. He sat down next to her and opened the box. In it, there were about a dozen chocolate truffles. She reminisced the time when she went down to his clandestine chocolate factory behind the bookshelves.

"Want some? It will make you feel better." He handed a heart shaped one and took one for himself too. She took a small bite out of it and the tantalizing smell pervaded the room.

"Gosh, you and your chocolates." She took a bigger one from the box and fit the whole thing in her mouth. He watched her eat the chocolate and imagined what he had seen yesterday. Even though he tried to stop imagining her naked body, it wandered around his head inevitably. After finishing the second one, she took a third one from the box. He gave her an astonished look and handed her the whole box.

"I guess you like chocolate truffles." He said and watched her lick her finger.

"The only reason I'm eating them is because these taste exactly like the ones my mom bought me when I was a little kid." She smiled and focused on his hazel eyes. She could never imagine that he could be so benevolent and sweet, like the Prince Charming she had been dreaming of since she was in second grade.

"Really? So, um how's your family like?" He said, realizing that he had never heard her talk about her family to anyone he knew. Even though he had her profile that he got from Alfred in his first drawer, he couldn't find any information on her family.

"You'll never believe me, but my dad used to be a hardcore gambler and an alcholic when I was in high school. He would always come home, drunk and one night, he came in a taxi because he had to sell his car to pay his debt from gambling 24/7. My mom couldn't handle him anymore, so she eloped with her boyfriend. But I don't blame her for leaving me behind." She took another chocolate and leaned on his shoulder. His hands traveled down to her waist and held her tightly. "After she left, I had to live with my drunk father who was barely sober at night. One night, He dragged me to a local strip bar and told me to look carefully how the naked girls perform on the stage because soon, I'd be one of them." She paused again and let him stroker her hair with one hand.

"I didn't know you've been through those. I'm sorry-"

"You shouldn't be. After visiting that bar, I took a train down to Connecticut to my aunt's cottage and stayed there with her and my uncle until I got accepted to the Gotham University with full scholarship. Voila, I guess that's what my family's like. I still don't know where my mom is or how her boyfriend looks like." She said and glanced at her watch.

"So, how did you meet Harvey? I'm just curious. It's nothing personal." She stopped fidgeting as soon as he mentioned about Harvey.

"We went to college together. He was the one who typed all my tedious and perplex lab reports and I did his laundry." He looked at her with a dubious look plastered on his face and it made her laugh out loud. "I know it's weird that I did his laundry, but he was like my brother and he still is." She said.

"So, for the past years, you've never considered dating him or-"

"Why are you even asking me this? The answer's no, Bruce. Anyways, I have to go back to my apartment now. It's almost five and Harvey and Kayla are coming over tonight." She got up and grabbed another chocolate. "I can't stop eating these. I hope you don't mind that I ate half of the chocolate truffles you had."

"I don't at all. You can have all of them." He smirked and handed her the whole box.

"Thanks. It was very sweet of you to do all this for me. Maybe you should come over tonight. Do you have anything scheduled? Kayla would die to see you."

"No, I can't tonight. I'd love to though." He lied. He was actually planning to go and make a visit to her place tonight, keeping his promise with Harvey and Jim Gordon. He watched her leave and smiled.

"Then I'll see you tomorrow. Good night." She smiled back at him and left.

Victoria got to her apartment building with two large, all dressed pizzas from Joe's, a small bottle of Appleton rum, two packs of peach flavored wine coolers and three packs of Molson beer. When she put down her brown paper bag containing all the liquor she bought on the way home, in order to find her key, she noticed a dark shadow coming near.

"Need any help?" The deep male voice made her look up instantly.

"Jesus, Harvey! Stop scaring me like that." She smacked his arm and handed him the paper bag.

"I'm sorry. How was work today? Was it any fun?" She opened the main entrance and carried two scorching pizza boxes.

"Oh god, don't even talk about it. It was horrible. I cried in front of Bruce Wayne because apparently some paparazzis have caught us together in front of a spa last Saturday and the pictures went out on a stupid gossip blog. And the worst part was that I heard two girls calling me a whore just because they think I'm dating him just for his money. Isn't that just pathetic?" She said and started to walk up to her apartment. Harvey followed her and looked quite shocked.

"Was it the time when you two were going down to his manor? Is Wayne Manor even in the city land?"

"Harvey, I should be the one asking that to you because you're the big guy. You're the district attorney." She rummaged through her purse and tried to find her key again, which was buried under at least five tampons, a wallet, two handkerchiefs and an empty water bottle. Harvey stopped her hands from searching and cleared his throat.

"You know that I've been invited to the Summer Gala since I'm a big shot, right?" He said. Victoria laughed at him, who was trying to show off.

"Yes, and?" She leaned against her apartment door and put down the pizza boxes on the ground.

"Well, I have a tuxedo and an invitation, but I don't have a perfect girl or a date to take with me to the gala." He paused for a few seconds and grabbed her key out of her purse. "Would you be my date, Victoria?" He said. Victoria began to burst out laughs and put her arms on his shoulder.

"Wouldn't it be strange to take your friend as your date?" She smiled and saw him nod his head. "Then my answer's yes. We'll the odd one at the gala." She said. Harvey handed her the key and she opened the door for him. When they got in, they found Kayla standing next to a colossal pink box, with a red card in her hand.

"Kayla, I didn't know you were here already-"

"Victoria, who the hell is Mr. Anonymous?" Kayla showed Harvey the envelope saying, 'From Mr. Anonymous'. Victoria buried her face with her hands and looked at her friends, without letting a single word out of mouth.

A/N: So, this chapter ends like this. Harvey asks her to be his date and at the same time, she finds a giant parcel from Mr. Anonymous. Drama. Drama. Drama.

Anyways, thanks to everyone who reviewed! Merci beaucoup!

Please review and subscribe everyone!

Hugs,

Jaime S