W: M-rated content: sex scene briefly described.
Harvey Specter doesn't do dates. He knows, and everybody who knows him knows it too. He's not interested in relationships and broken hearts — because he also knows that every relationship eventually breaks, just like his parents'. He doesn't like the idea of having the same person by his side every night, the same person he has to try every day not to disappoint — because, deep down, he also knows he will. He has a goal, to build a spectacular professional career, and he can't have distractions. And love is a distraction for him. God, he doesn't even know what love means, not that he wants to.
Love. What a weird word. It doesn't exist, not for him. It always leads to misunderstandings and betrayals and things he hates. What's the point of it, anyway? Sex? He can have it whenever he wants, all it takes is him going to a bar after work, hitting on a pretty woman, inviting her to a few drinks and that's it, he's taking her home. So, no, Harvey Specter doesn't do dates, or relationships, or love.
But he's been dreaming about it lately. And it has definitely surprised him. He dreams he asks a blurry woman out, he picks her up at her place and gives her flowers, the gesture making her cheeks blush and his heart twist blissfully. Then he takes her to a restaurant and they have dinner, or rather she speaks about trivial things and he listens closely, as if she was revealing the best kept secret ever. He catches her looking at his dessert and he lets her grab a bite of it, faking annoyance, just to see her smile. After that, he takes her home and when they are in her front door…
Harvey wakes up. He never gets to see the end of his dream, nor the woman that stars in it. At first, he tries to forget it, saying to himself it is just the result of the shitty movie he watched before going to bed. But the more he dreams, the sharper the dream is. He starts to recognize some of the features of the woman and even some of her comebacks. Soon, Harvey finds himself enjoying his fantasy and gets mad when he wakes up — smiling like a fool, although he'd never admit that — and turns around to look for a redhead beside him that could tell him it was all real, but it's empty. It always is.
His irritation usually dissipates when he arrives at the DA's office and sees a redhead sitting in her desk outside his office, ready to make a witty remark about his mood. This morning she's not, and Harvey turns around, looking for her as he looked for the mysterious woman in his bed earlier. The thought gives him the chills. He is about to ask Bertha when he hears the distinctive sound of her heels.
"I'm here, I'm here! You need me that much, huh?"
Donna leaves her bag and coat on her desk and turns around to look at him.
"Shit, what happened to you?"
Harvey says nothing and gets in his office, waiting for her to follow him.
"Clear all my meetings until the trial. I have to be focused."
"Okay. Have you slept tonight? At all?"
"Donna," he shoots her a warning gaze while sitting in his chair.
"So," she starts, ignoring his order, and takes a seat on the other side of the desk, "big day today."
She smirks as she places the strawberry cupcake she's been hiding behind her back on the surface between them. "What do you say?"
"This ritual is stupid."
"This is not a ritual. And you never say no." They start a silent fight with their eyes which Harvey already knows he's going to lose. He eventually sighs and takes the cupcake to give it a big bite suggestively, not taking his eyes off Donna's, her smile fading a bit. God, he will never get tired of teasing her.
He puts the cupcake back on the table and Donna, quickly recovered, looks at him through her eyelids, raising an eyebrow. Okay, maybe she's good at teasing too — the best, if you ask him.
"Fine, take it," Harvey rolls his eyes, faking annoyance.
Donna smiles widely, grabs the cupcake and heads to the door.
"If you want some, why don't you buy two instead of one?"
"Because yours tastes better," she shrugs.
"That's what she—," Harvey freezes, an intense feeling he can't identify going down his body. That's what the woman of his dreams always says when she's eating Harvey's dessert. Then it hits him. It's not an unknown woman, it's always been her.
"Always say? Harvey, that's what I always say," Donna chuckles and adds before disappearing outside the office, "you really have to get some sleep."
Somehow it doesn't surprise him. The man has been attracted to Donna since the day they met. He even wanted to have sex with her that day, but she came out with that stupid rule of not getting involved with people she works with and he knew she was going to be difficult to get. Not that he doesn't keep trying.
At the beginning, Harvey accepted it as a challenge, certain she was going to fall in his arms like every woman before, but soon he discovered Donna wasn't like any other woman he met. She wasn't just a pretty face, as Harvey himself said when he met her. Donna is smart, confident, funny and so ready to play along with him in their flirting game.
And she's hot. Damn, she's hot. Harvey has already lost count of how many times she's caught him shamelessly running his eyes over her body as she moved around the office. It is making him crazy, not having her. One lonely night at his apartment he was touching himself when her hair and lips appeared in his mind effortlessly. He tried to stop, he really did, but his body didn't obey and before he knew he was coming hard all over his stomach with a low growl. He felt miserable as he cleant himself and felt ashamed next morning as Donna received him at the office with that beautiful smile of hers. His dick twisted, but he promised himself it wouldn't happen again. And it hasn't. Don't get him wrong, he absolutely keeps fantasizing, but since that bittersweet orgasm, it only happens at the office or another public space, never alone, even though it could lead to inappropriate situations. It's for the best, he says to himself.
Little by little, Harvey stops facing it as a challenge and starts to loosen up. He almost enjoys it. When Donna talks about her auditions, he wonders if she would dominate the stage as she dominates the DA's office. When Donna talks about her family, he wonders if he would ever get to meet them, although he quickly dismisses that idea.
That's why Donna being the leading lady on the date of his dream is not surprising, but it doesn't make him feel any better. He respects her rule and even finds it reasonable; yet still, it's becoming more and more difficult for him not to ask her out, to the point of needing to fight back against his own desires. He even believes it's not about the sex anymore, which is terrifying, because that would mean he's up for something more and there's a reason why he doesn't do more — he always ruins it, and he can't afford losing her.
Harvey Specter doesn't do dates, but there's something about Donna that makes him think that maybe he does dates after all.
The odds are against him, but he wants to try.
So here he is, months after his realization, celebrating his last victory and possible promotion at her desk late at night. Harvey fills their glasses with the scotch he stole from his boss' office and clinks his against Donna's. He takes a big gulp, panicking in anticipation, while she says something about needing a proper ritual. "I have an idea," he says, flirting to hide his nervousness.
Donna wants to hear it, but he knows he's not brave enough to say the words out loud, so she hands him her sticky notes and a pen, completely unaware of what he really has in mind. Harvey takes the pen and stills for a moment, reconsidering this decision one more time. But he's tired of his cowardness, so he braces himself and writes:
Will you go on a date with me?
Yes / No
Harvey gives the note and the pen back to Donna slowly as he tries to convince himself that it is just a ridiculous question, but he can't deny the way his heart is pounding out of his chest. It only gets worse when he sees her smile fading. Donna reads the note again and again, as if she weren't understanding the words correctly.
"Harvey…" He remains silent and Donna uses those seconds to pull herself together. Never in a million years she would've expected that. This is not his style, she realized the very first night she met him. That's exactly why she created that rule, as a reminder to stay away from him to avoid getting hurt.
Yet, Donna can't deny she hasn't thought about this. When Harvey talks about his dad's gigs, she wonders if he would tilt his head to the beat. When Harvey leans in to whisper a flirty remark in her ear, she wonders if he would also kiss her neck if they were somewhere else, although she tries not to think so much about that.
"Donna," Harvey finally says when Donna looks up at him, waiting for an answer.
"You know we can't… You know I don't get involved—"
"With people you work with, yes, I know, Donna." Believe me, I know, Harvey thinks. "But it's just a date. We do what we do here, but we do it in another place. And if, after I take you home, you think it's not worthy, it'll be okay."
Donna gapes slightly. He really is serious about this and she hasn't even seen it coming. He will never know, but that's the first time he leaves her speechless. She knows this is dangerous, it could lead to misunderstandings that inevitably could destroy their relationship, but Harvey has taken the risk anyway so maybe she owes him to make an exception. She needs to consider it though, so she decides to play along to gain time.
"How are you so sure you'll take me home?"
"Donna, I'll definitely take you home," Harvey says, leaning in with that insufferable smirk of him.
"I'll think about it," Donna finally concedes.
Harvey sits up straight contentedly, even though it's not the answer he would've liked to hear. Yet, he can deal with it, so decides to keep joking and adds, "I can always fire you."
Donna rolls her eyes but chuckles, silently thanking the comment for easing the tension around them. Before she can answer, Bertha appears, saying something about finding one of the files of his last case in the wrong box. Donna senses his mood changes as he analyzes it, which he confirms by looking back at her completely dead serious. Not feeling like resuming their earlier conversation, they decide to call it a night, going home in different cabs.
Next morning, Harvey arrives at the office considerably late. He spent the whole night trying to figure out how to include the file Bertha discovered in the paperwork while keeping himself out of trouble. That's not the only thing that kept him awake though. Donna's refusal to answer his proposal is getting on his nerves. Harvey's racked by guilt – he knew about her rule, he knew it was a terrible idea, but he asked anyway. And now, he has put her in the position of having to reject her boss. It's unprofessional and unethical, and makes him feel sick to his stomach.
Besides, what yesterday looked like a chance of a lifetime, today doesn't. Cameron Dennis's offer is striking, but even so he goes to his old firm to let Jessica know about it. He owes her, after all. However, she also informs him that she and Daniel Hardman are about to take the reins of the firm and have a position waiting for him there, which makes his decision even more difficult.
As always, Donna greets him with a smile as he walks by her desk to get inside his office, but he's not in the mood, so he just drops his coat in one of the chairs and rounds his desk. She doesn't follow him, which he appreciates, until he sees the sticky note resting innocently above the damn file recently discovered. He sits down, examining it up close. The word 'Yes' is perfectly circled, he even recognizes the ink of her 4 colors pen.
His stomach flips. In another time, he would've grabbed their coats and dragged her out the office to take her anywhere, but he's under a lot of pressure right now and can't allow himself any distraction right now — plus that would be ridiculously cheesy. Without a second thought, Harvey takes the note and puts it in his drawer, purposefully avoiding her gaze.
They haven't spoken or seen each other all morning. He's being an asshole, he's aware of that, more so when he takes advantage of her absence during lunch break to put the paperwork he needs her to fill in her desk just to avert any contact between them, although he knows it's not going to keep her from calling him out on his shit as soon as she comes back.
She does, and they fight, and Harvey imitates Dennis' 'I'm here, you're here' shitty speech and he immediately regrets it, but before he can say something, Donna is furiously slamming the door closed behind her. They don't speak again. He sees her cleaning off her desk earlier than usual but she's already left by the time he reaches the door. Harvey notices a sticky note on her table.
Audition at 5 p.m. I gave Cameron the paperwork, as you asked. -D
Harvey doesn't miss the irony in her words, but this time it doesn't make him feel any better. It was a huge day for her and he only made it worse. He really is an asshole. Harvey takes his phone and starts typing.
Break a leg! You're gonna kill it -H
As he sends the message, he hears Bertha's voice. "I'm sorry to interrupt whatever you are doing, but Cameron wants to see you. And he's pissed off." Harvey nods at her, puts his phone back in his pocket and takes a deep breath before getting inside the office, closing the door behind him.
Donna barely speaks to him for the next two days, his message left unanswered. They don't flirt, they don't have late drinks at the office, and they surely don't address the elephant in the room. She can't be blamed — Harvey asked her to make an exception for him and rejected her the moment she conceded. Somehow, he's got exactly what he was afraid of, and they haven't even tried yet.
She's waiting for him inside his office this morning, Harvey startling in anticipation, not sure of what he should expect.
"The Mackenzie deal came back," she announces.
"Two murderers down."
"Don't you wanna ask me if they saw the fine print?" the corners of her mouth raise ironically. Harvey drops his shoulders in resignation, too tired to argue with her. Donna visibly softens, also probably weary of this situation, asks why he didn't tell her and explains she doesn't hate him. When will he realize there's nothing further from the truth?
He lets her speak, shows him all the evidence she collected last night and firmly warns him about leaving him.
"And what I think is, if you do this, you're gonna keep doing it."
Harvey turns away from her. She's right. She's fucking right. He doesn't know why he doesn't say it out loud.
Donna's turning in her heels to leave the office when she hears a whispered "Donna". It's the first time she hears her name pronounced that way and it makes her freeze. It's a plea and a warning at the same time. It scratches her heart lightly, but a part of her wants to hear it again.
"Wait," Harvey says a little louder. It's now or never, he thinks. Donna turns around slowly as Harvey opens a drawer and takes something out of it. He places the sticky note between them and smiles almost shyly. She swallows and looks back at him.
"I know I've been a dick lately and I'm sorry, but I still wanna do this. Do you?" Donna tilts her head and bites her bottom lip, considering his words for a few seconds.
"You've really been a dick," she finally replies.
"I have."
"You don't deserve it."
"Hey, I'm trying!"
"Are you?"
"Ouch," he puts a hand above his heart, pretending to be wounded. Donna chuckles and Harvey smiles wildly, relieved they still can do their thing.
"You may or may not pick me up at eight o'clock."
"Why not now?"
"Because it's nine in the morning!" Donna laughs louder now and walks towards the door, the sound making Harvey's heart sing. "Besides, it took you almost a year, you can wait a little bit longer." She winks at him and gets out of the office, closing the door behind her.
Maybe he is cheesy after all.
Donna gets out of her building elegantly late at 8:05 p.m. and the sight in front of her leaves her completely astonished. Harvey is leaning against the door of the cab, a bouquet of flowers in one hand, as he raises the other one to check the time in his watch. He hasn't noticed her presence yet and Donna uses the extra time to take him in. He's wearing a fancy, navy blue suit she's sure she's never seen before — she would definitely remember the flood of desire her body is experiencing right now.
Interrupting her line of thought, Harvey's eyes find hers and he pushes himself up from the cab and walks forward, handing her the flowers when they meet halfway.
"Hey."
"Hey. I brought you something."
"I see." Donna takes the bouquet, her cheeks blushing and Harvey's heart twisting happily. "I'll be right back."
"No, wait," Harvey tries to grab her arm to stop her before she can fully turn around, but she's quick so he ends up taking her hand, "they can take care of them where we are going."
She doesn't say anything, instead looks at their hands. Harvey lets go of hers almost immediately and Donna wonders if he's felt that spark too.
"I thought we were going to a restaurant?"
"And we are, but they have a checkroom and I'm sure we're not the first date they've ever attended," he opens the door of the cab for her and smiles, trying to put aside the awkward moment they just had.
"You really are full of surprises, huh?" she replies teasingly as she gets in the cab.
"You have no idea," he winks at her once inside the cab with her.
Despite her expectations, Harvey is also great at dates. He's taken her to Carbone, a hole in the wall which turns out to have amazing food and be a little expensive.
"Okay, so you're wearing a Tom Ford suit I've never seen before, which means you bought it recently, and look at these prices!" she whispers, raising her eyebrows as she reads the menu. "Harvey Specter, do you have an illegal business I don't know about?"
"Well, this is a special occasion," he glares at her triumphantly over his menu.
"I'm serious, Harvey. You don't have to spend this amount of money."
"Don't worry about that. In fact, I might be able to do this more often now." Harvey meets her confused gaze and closes the menu. "Do you remember Jessica Pearson?" Donna nods, "well, she's taking the firm and has offered me a job."
"Harvey! That's fantastic!" Donna smiles wildly and Harvey reciprocates, but his smile doesn't reach his eyes. "Don't tell me you are even considering it."
"Donna, Cameron is my mentor."
"No, Harvey. Jessica is your mentor. She paid for your Harvard degree and for what you told me, I'm pretty sure she wouldn't do what Cameron did."
"Donna," he says it again in that way she's recently discovered and secretly loves. She tilts her head and locks her gaze with his, a silent conversation between them.
She presses her lips, not daring to ruin their night. "I know you'll make the right decision. Unlike others…" Harvey frowns his eyebrows, not sure of where she's heading. "No way you don't know about that! John, the IT guy, kissing Claire? At the last Christmas party? God, Harvey, what's wrong with you?"
Donna laughs loudly and Harvey smiles, feeling a strange heat warming his body. They spend the rest of the night sharing stories about the DA's office, their first adventures in the city and their childhood — although Harvey deliberately avoids mentioning his mother and Donna doesn't ask. Actually, most of the time it is her who does the talking and Harvey just listens, but it feels nice. Very nice.
He obviously has to share his dessert with Donna, who throws him a gaze full of hunger, desire and something else he can't quite figure out. It's not the same gaze he receives in their pre-trial rituals, he realizes when Donna licks the whipped cream off her spoon with her eyes closed after burying it in his plate. She hums, enjoying the taste of his dessert, and when she opens her eyes to give her opinion on it, she catches him looking carefully at her, his mouth slightly open.
"You should definitely try it. That whipped cream is amazing."
Harvey clears his throat before saying "your dessert has whipped cream too."
"Well, yours tastes better," she replies, looking at him through her eyelids, and laughs when she sees Harvey sifting in his chair and grabbing his glass of wine to take a big gulp.
They've been flirting all night, crossing the line more times than they're used to, but Harvey doesn't know how he should act on it. He certainly wants something, but they've drunk too much and he doesn't want to ruin everything. All he ever showed to her is his womanizer side but he's found out tonight that maybe he's ready for something else and the best way to let her know that is not making any move first.
He's still dizzy from all the wine when she puts her hand on his knee in the cab and fights the urge to wrap his hand around hers and pull her to him. He's still dizzy when they enter her building laughing out loud about the ridiculously big tip he gave the taxi driver and Donna holds on his shoulder for support as she takes off her heels. And he's definitely still dizzy when she opens her door and turns around, looking at him as the woman of his dreams did every single time. The color of her cheeks reminds him of sweet strawberries, her bangs are slightly disheveled and her lips are so beautifully swollen Harvey has to take a deep breath to resist the temptation of kissing her right there.
"Did you have a good time?" he asks, instead. "You didn't have to pay half of the bill."
"Don't worry, you brought me flowers."
"Yeah, I did," Harvey smiles boyishly and Donna reciprocates. "Well, I guess it's late. I don't want to waste more of your time."
"You never do that, Harvey." Donna whispers, looking at his lips. She's been feeling the sexual attraction too, and as much as she'd like to drag him inside, she can't break her rule that easily. He might quit, and that would be a totally different scenario, but right now, he's still her boss, and she doesn't want to make things more complicated than they already are.
"We don't— I'm not expecting anything, Donna," he claims as if he could read her mind. "I had a great time tonight."
"Thank you for the flowers, Harvey. They are truly beautiful." She smiles and raises her face to kiss his cheek, her lips lingering over his skin more time than usual.
Eventually they separate, surrounded by an awkward silence. "Goodnight, Donna."
"Goodnight, Harvey."
He decides to walk home instead of taking a cab despite the cold breeze that hits his face when he gets out of the building. It really was a nice date and Harvey's pretty sure Donna enjoyed every second of it. He certainly did, and can't wait to see her again. That's when he realizes there's a different kind of dizziness that has nothing to do with alcohol.
Next day, they barely see each other. Donna greets him with her usual smile and Harvey smiles back, forgetting momentarily the huge mess he's in. He's not sure if he should bring last night up or wait for her to do so, but before he can decide, Donna informs him that his father is on the phone. Gordon tells him he's in the city, which Harvey sees as a signal of destiny, God, or whoever is up there, and immediately agrees to meet him when his son admits he has a problem. It's only noon, but time is running out and Harvey really needs a day off with his father to clear his mind.
"Go. I'll cover you," Donna says as soon as he hangs up.
"Thanks, Donna. I owe you one."
"Oh, you owe me more than one," she chuckles, sitting at the edge of her desk as Harvey gets ready to leave. He just winks at her in answer and reaches for her elbow, squeezing lightly. It is completely unconscious yet natural, and it's not after a few seconds that Harvey releases his grip, smiles sheepishly and turns on his heels, leaving a stunned Donna behind.
He tries not to think so much about it, chooses to focus on the whole Cameron situation instead, but Gordon senses there's something else happening. "How's Donna?" he asks as they leave the baseball field.
"What— How do you know her?"
"I speak with her sometimes."
"You what?" Harvey exclaims. He didn't even know his father knew her name.
"Take it easy. We just talk when you're not at the office and I can't reach you. It's not like I'm going to steal her from you," Gordon laughs at the concern of his son.
"It's not like that between us."
"Are you kidding me?" Gordon stills and grabs his arm, making him stop. Harvey tilts his head, rolling his eyes. "Don't put on that face, I know you like her."
"It's not that easy, dad."
"Jesus Harvey, I thought you already know how to flirt with a girl." He continues, ignoring his son's wry face, "you've been working together for what? Almost a year now? I can't believe nothing's happened yet."
"How do you even know she's my type?" It's Gordon's time to roll his eyes. "Yeah, okay, she's maybe my type. But she has this rule about not getting involved with people she works with and—"
"Fine, I get it. But you know, just because you're a lawyer, doesn't mean you cannot break any rule." The old man winks at Harvey and he smiles fondly.
"Actually, I have already. I mean, I just asked her out. Like, on a date. She said yes and I took her to a restaurant last night."
"That's my son! Let's go have some drinks, I want to know everything."
Harvey and Donna don't speak during that weekend. Not that he doesn't want to. He spends those days turning over his phone between his, debating whether he should call her or not, the words of his father still resonating in his head. "Donna is a keeper, don't push her away."
On Sunday evening, Jessica calls him to let him know the offer is still on the table but she doesn't know how much time she can keep it that way. He turns her down, says there's a lot going on at the DA's office and he can't just leave, but, in fact, the decision has already been made. Harvey doesn't call Donna though, he has a perfectly detailed plan of how he's going to announce it by the time he reaches his bed. He stays awake for a while, going over it a few times. This is a huge, even risky step in his career, but there's definitely something that makes it worthy: as soon as he hands Cameron his resignation letter, Donna won't be working with him anymore and there won't be any rule between them.
That's what he repeats himself a few times before ringing the bell. He shifts nervously before the door opens, the beautiful redhead appearing in front of him. Somehow, she already knows he quit, but she quit too, and the whipped cream she's been hiding behind her back tells Harvey he's not the only one who has come up with that plan.
He happily finds out she's been waiting for this as much as he has when he kisses her softly but Donna responds eagerly, tugging his bottom lip between her teeth. It makes Harvey smirk but concedes, pushing her against the door and relishing in the finally sensation that floods his body.
Sex is better than whatever dirty fantasy he has imagined. It's possibly the best he's ever had. They're young, carefree, perhaps slightly kinky but so incredibly synchronized it only takes them two rounds to know exactly what makes the other lose control.
Harvey feels a twist in his heart when Donna applies whipped cream around the base of his dick and wipes it off with a perfect technique. "Yours definitely tastes better," she declares with her eyes closed, humming softly. She opens her eyes and raises an eyebrow before resuming her ministrations. She's truly something else, Harvey thinks as an unknown feeling that has nothing to do with arousal settles low in his belly.
Donna feels that very same twist some minutes later when Harvey comes back from the kitchen with a bowl of strawberries and cries out, "finally we can give these a good use!" She laughs and calls him an idiot before adding "you just ruined our ritual."
"Oh, I'm pretty sure we can come up with a better one," he smugly suggests as he sprays her nipple with whipped cream and dips the tip of a strawberry on it. Before she can take in his words, Harvey dips the other part of the fruit that he's still holding between his teeth and raises his face to offer her a bite. Some drops of the whipped cream, now turned into a sticky liquid, slides down his chin which she sensually licks off before stealing the strawberry from a perplexed Harvey.
They fall asleep in the wee hours, not sure of who succumbs first. Harvey wakes up to the first rays of light that sneaks in the room through the windows, his body catching up with the surroundings before his mind can. He contemplates the beautiful patterns the sunlight creates in Donna's back, pressed tightly against his chest, and he thinks he could get used to this and he might know how to make it happen, but he needs to act as fast as he can. The movement behind her wakes Donna up, who tries to reach back to touch him, but he's already standing and looking for his clothes.
"Harvey?"
"I have some things to do. Go back to sleep, it's too early."
"Will you come back?" her voice crackling a bit despite her eyes being still closed. Harvey looks down. He was so focused on his plan he hadn't realized this totally looked like he was trying to sneak out as if nothing had happened. He's going to do his best to convince Jessica to hire her as well, but he's also aware of the little leeway of negotiation he has, so he decides to give her an ambiguous answer.
"Shh," he whispers, pressing his lips against her forehead, "don't worry."
Donna wakes up to her phone going off. Mumbling something impossible to decipher, her hand reaches the noisy device and almost slips it when she sees the name flashing on the screen. She remembers vaguely the moment he left. It was too early, probably before dawn, and she wants to think he just didn't want to wake her up, but she knows actually he didn't want to face the morning after.
"I need to see you as soon as possible" is the first thing he says when she picks up. He's nervous as hell, finding it ridiculous how urgent he sounds. His plan worked perfectly and he's excited to let her know about it. He's going to do tons of dirty work for Jessica in return, but every bit of it will be worthy if that makes Donna stay.
Harvey is already waiting for her seated at a table when Donna arrives at the diner and greets her with a Cheshire cat grin that only worsens her nerves. It's probably the first time someone calls her back this quickly and despite her brain's warnings, she has let her hopes grow.
That's why she feels as if she's jumped out of an airplane without a parachute when Harvey asks her to come work with him right after saying he doesn't want to lose her. She feels like a fool, all she wants is to crawl into a hole and hide forever. Clearly, it's been just a one-night stand for him and she gets it, it's who he is and she knew where she was getting into, but for a moment there…
"If this is about your rule—"
"No, it's not about that."
"Because if I had known that this was gonna happen, I never would have talked to Jessica about you."
Donna's so disappointed, at him, at her, at everything that's happening, she barely registers his words. "Why didn't you know it was gonna happen?"
He doesn't want to find out what kind of lawyer he'd be without her, he says. Of course, she thinks. Truth be told, she can really use a new job, and the offer is very attractive. But how the hell are they supposed to act like nothing happened after everything happened?
"Okay, I will come work with you on two conditions. One, we put it out of our minds and we never—"
"What?" Harvey frowns. "I don't want to do that."
"It's not your choice," Donna replies firmly.
"Donna, I don't want to put it out of my mind. I asked you out, and it was the best date I've ever had, and last night… I mean, you can't deny we make a good team," he smirks lightly before getting serious again. "I told you, if I'd known this was gonna happen, I never would have got you a job." He reaches for her hand, slowly caressing her fingers as if she'd break at any moment. "I really need you, as my secretary and also as… whatever we can be in the future. I know about your rule and I'm sure you have a great reason for it, but I want to try, and I promise if this gets so messy, you'd be the one who decides what to keep, the job or the—"
"Stop right there, mister," she wags a finger at him and chuckles. He really knows what to do to make her laugh, to make her angry and, now, to make her scream in pleasure too. She looks down at their hands, slightly intertwined, and smiles to herself. This could end up very bad, both of them hating each other, but also could be very nice, she's never felt like this before with another person and there's no reason that carries enough weight to not let him, them, try. He's made a promise, and if there's something she's learnt this year, is that Harvey always fulfills his promises.
"I guess now the signing bonus you're giving me is gonna be even bigger."
He places a blank check on the table, silently letting go of the weight in his shoulders. They start joking about the check and their new ritual which involves a can opener and it's silly, but it's exciting, having an encouraging future to face together.
"What do you say we go to your place, pick up some things, and then we spend the rest of the week at mine's?" Harvey suggests mischievously when they get out of the diner some minutes later. "We have plenty of time 'til Monday."
Donna steps forward, getting right into his personal space, and smooths the lapels of his suit jacket. "I don't need to pick up anything."
"Are you going to sleep naked?" Harvey laughs but Donna doesn't answer, she just turns on her heels and starts walking from him. "Do you sleep naked?" he repeats, his mouth hanging open.
She then looks back at him over her shoulder and says, "what are you going to do about it?"
And just like that, as Harvey runs to reach her, he thinks he's the luckiest son of a bitch in the world.
