Hi! Sorry this update took so long. I was busy writing a fic for a timed challenge. I'm back! Thank you all once again for sticking with me on this journey. I so appreciate your comments and you favoriting me as well as favoring my stories. Please read and R&R if you want...Love Carebearmaxi.
Paula, Donna, and Harvey - Take Two
Chapter 6 - Confrontations
Donna crept inside Harvey's apartment. She quietly placed her small suitcase on the ground next to the door, removed her flat clicking heels, and padded her way on bare feet to the bedroom. It was about 6 am. She knew Harvey would not be awake for work for another hour yet, so it gave her some time to snuggle against him and catch a few zzz's herself. She never needed much sleep. Her mind was organized, so she liked to tick items off her mental agenda when she lay down for the night when alone.
After talking with her brother for a couple of hours, Donna had taken a quick shower and jumped into bed in Cortlandt around 1 am. She decided after her faux date with Alan that she needed and missed Harvey so much that she said goodbye to her brother and revved her car on another clear cold Februrary early morning at 3 am.
There he is. All snug and asleep on his side of the bed. Funny, how we established bed boundaries that swiftly. I'm glad he likes to sleep on the left side. I love the right side in his bed because the first morning light shines in the room on that side. It shines no matter how closed the drapes are. It seems like a metaphor for our new level of intimacy in our relationship because I am so filled with happiness and light and I know he's happy as well. Happy because of us. He is still scared, for sure, but happy.
Donna swiftly undressed wearing nothing but her panties. She shivered a little before she carefully lifted the blankets and slipped in beside him. She snuggled up next to his T-shirted back spooning with him. When she put her arm around his back and snuggled a little closer to his warm body, Harvey moved for a minute murmuring something. Donna did not remove her arm but lay against him still so he would not awaken. She did not want to disturb him. Instead in his sleep, he reached for her hand, finding it, and clasped it against his chest.
"You're home," was all he murmured with a deep sigh before falling back to sleep.
Donna whispered in his ear not caring whether Harvey heard her or not. "Yes, I am."
The sun shone brightly into the bedroom. The alarm never went off! Donna thought as she saw the same bedroom she entered a couple of hours ago illuminated. She searched with her hand knowing instinctively that Harvey had left.
"Good morning, beautiful! Here's your coffee and Ray will be here in ten minutes so get yourself ready to go. You got it, Ms COO?"
"Whew Harvey! Why didn't you wake me earlier?" Donna asked taking the cup of coffee from him. The covers slipped from her bare body as she rose and she saw Harvey's eyebrows lift in appreciation. He sat down on the bed and helped the covers slip further down so he could fully look on her.
"Harvey, none of that if Ray is supposed to be here in 10 minutes. Don't you look dapper and ready to fight corporate raiders. That's your victorious court suit. I don't remember you having any court today?"
"Really? The mighty Donna Paulsen, soon to be Paulsen-Specter, can't remember the Donnelly case? Now how are we to do our new ritual if we're not at the office?" Harvey smiled and let his eyes just feed on the fact she was there in his bed. I'm so at peace when she's with me. I missed her so. Even the early hour she came in, she let me sleep and didn't wake me. She just crawled in beside me. God I love her!
Donna sipped her coffee. "I do remember now. Another copyright infringement case. You got this. You gave the opposition the Harvey Specter treatment and they haven't got a chance. I say we don't need our ritual!"
Harvey visibly started to panic. "No, Donna. We have to do it! It's a new tradition!"
"You just want to see if one of us rolls snake eyes," Donna smirked.
"Well...it was cool the last time it worked," Harvey smiled.
Harvey leaned over her and his nostrils were filled with her natural scent mixed with remnants of her perfume which put rumblings in parts of Harvey's body that had been missing over the weekend having spent it with his brother and niece. Donna kissed him and inhaled his cologne, his clean smell and remnants of minty fresh toothpaste from his mouth. She boldly felt further down and she could feel him getting harder the closer he got to her and the more he touched her.
Donna pulled back suddenly and said, "Ok, then, I need to pop in the shower for a couple of minutes. So..." She crawled out of the bed from his side and Harvey watched her walk around the bed and out to the living room where her suitcase had been placed. A couple of her work dresses were hanging in the closet. Yet unbeknown to her, Harvey had the audacity to pick his favorites among the ones she brought with her last week. He hung it inside the closet door for her to find while she gathered her things to dress for the day.
As she walked back to the master bathroom in Harvey's bedroom, Harvey's hungry loving eyes were captivated on her ample breasts swaying side to side with her movement and her long legs ending in pedicured darkly polished toes stepping nearer to him. He stood up and tried to take his eyes away from her beauty but it was no help. She walked closer to him making it even harder for him.
"Hey, handsome, do wanna ditch work today? I can get Judge Rodriguez to give you a postponement. I've done it before you know," Donna's soft deep bedroom voice left Harvey breathless.
"No, Judge Rodriguez has a crush on me. I can get my own postponment," He kissed her deeply as his arms snaked around her naked lithe body and crushed it to his. He could feel Donna's lips on his neck sending chills down his spine. His cock was getting even harder to keep within the trouser confines.
Before he started to undress, Donna stayed his hand. "Ok, I'm getting ready now. Maybe you should think of something less erotic so you're not embarrassed in court."
"Too late. I already had an incident. Luckily the only one that noticed was Louis, so you know how that must have gone."
"When were you in court with Louis? You usually don't try the same cases anymore."
"Try about six years ago," Harvey said looking smug and proud.
Donna smiled and said, "Well, I knew I was good. Now I know I'm awesome. For us not to have done it for thirteen years and you had erections in court thinking about me six years after the first time?"
Harvey smacked her ass as she turned around in the direction of the shower.
"What can I tell you? I'm a sucker for a beautiful woman and great sex."
Donna returned to him and kissed him soundly. She then undid his belt and unzipped his fly.
"Let me show you how awesome I can be in five minutes then," Donna purred.
She undid his fly slowly and then removed his trousers slowly. "Wouldn't want these to get soiled if you get my drift," Donna huskily said as she helped Harvey remove his suit pants. Then she felt his balls through his boxers.
"Let me just take care of these, too," she whispered. She removed his boxers and hungrily looked at Harvey's one eyed monster. She had him right where she wanted him. She stroked his member a couple of times deeply and hard. She heard him sigh and say, "Donna" in a breathless voice. Donna then let the tip of her tongue play with the head. Harvey's hands lost themselves in her red mane and he held onto her hair and brushed it back so he could focus on her mouth now taking him in and pumping up and down.
This was not going to take too long. Harvey was already secreting precum which Donna's mouth used it to smoothly lubricate his sex as she stroked him up and down. Finding his penis with her mouth again she pumped slowly and then swiftly has she played with his testicles and felt them rise getting ready to jerk into her mouth.
"Ahhh...Don na!" Harvey's sweet tortured voice emitted. When he had finally bucked his last into her mouth and onto her hand, Donna swallowed and licked her hand. Her eyes were lit with green fire and she could not help looking at the face that Harvey had made. His orgasm was hard to hide.
Harvey bent down and took Donna's face in his trembling hands and said, "That was a good morning!" They then kissed breathlessly. He followed Donna into the shower to clean himself and then he left. He told her he could not wait to see her later at the office. She deserved a little respite after what she had given him plus she had to have been tired after her trip since she had told him that she had left Connecticut in the middle of the night to catch him before he went to the firm.
As he left his fiancee standing at the door, he kissed her again and said to himself. I could get used to this.
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Donna took her time getting ready to go to the firm. She took a leisurely shower and perfected her coiffure and her makeup. She looked at the dress that Harvey had chosen that he wished her to wear. It was one of her favorites as well. It was the white one made of cotton knit with black birds flying from the top of her left shoulder to her drop waist with slim black shoestring sash and then the flock of blackbirds widen around the pleated skirt. It did not show any cleavage nor have any cutouts which were usually the dresses he liked, but she liked this one because it was feminine and classy. She wore her black stilettos with it of course and enjoyed a twirl in the full length mirror.
Suddenly she heard Harvey 's phone and realized that he must have forgotten his phone since their "morning meeting". She noticed it on his dresser and proceeded to see if it was someone she knew. It was still instinctual to answer his phone in spite of her ascension to the COO throne last year. She looked down and frowned. The phone blinked in no uncertain terms "PAULA". Donna wanted to pick it up and tell Paula to go take a walk off a short pier, but Donna felt she would have thrown Harvey's phone across the room after speaking to the snotty woman. Concluding that Donna herself was too awesome for that base behavior, she took the high road and let it go to voicemail. Donna dropped Harvey's phone in her purse before placing her coat on her shoulders and taking a Lyft into work. Donna had Ray at her beck and call, but she still felt that Ray was Harvey's driver and to use him without having Harvey being a part of the request still felt odd.
When Donna stepped through the revolving door of the firm, she always felt secure and happy. This was where she had spent a good part of her life working for and now with a man for whom she deeply cared. Although Donna still acted in theater once in a while, it was here especially when she walked into her office with her name etched in the glass wall that she knew this was where her life had been headed. She still loved to act and would have liked to have pursued acting on a more regular basis, but she was happy here and sad here and cemented here. If driven one day to leave the firm, Donna would have left it. She was just happy that finally her love for Harvey and the love for her position did not drive her to make that hard life choice.
She opened her pad and saw the time and knew that Harvey was now ensconced driving home his point in court. Sometimes when she knew it was a particular dire case, she would sneak into the court house to see Harvey in his element. Corporate law she had come to find was not all that interesting but once in a while with Harvey's high profile cases, she would sneak into the courtroom and watch him. Sitting in the courtroom and listening to him argue points was much like watching a real life drama. Returning her mind to the issue at hand, she dove into her calendar and began her day forgetting all about Paula calling Harvey on his phone.
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Harvey in the meantime had been at court just as Donna had suspected arguing his heart out about the copyright infringement case he had known he would win. He had won and now he was heading back to the office to tell his fiancee and to boast a little more about another win. He opened the door to Ray's car and was surprised to see a woman sitting on the other side of the back seat.
"Paula!" Harvey exclaimed a little surprised to find her in his car.
"I'm apologize, Harvey, but I tried to call you three times but it went to voicemail and I just had to talk to you about the DNA test. Ray saw me walking to the courthouse and offered for me to wait for you in the warmth," Paula said gathering her dark blue wool coat and scarf a little closer to her face. It was not cold in the car per se but she shivered as she gazed on Harvey's handsome surprised face.
"You want to do this now and you want me to go with you? It's a blood test Paula. You're a doctor," Harvey remarked. He made a face as if Paula was just being strange. He thought it was odd her request. He said he wanted to be there every step of the way, but a simple blood test? She never acted that way when they were sleeping together. In fact he was attracted to her because she was independent, smart, strong, kind, and attractive and had not hesitated to give him the dressing down he needed. It dawned on Harvey eventually that he was looking for Donna in another woman-patient transference which was exactly what Paula had said on their first disastrous date.
"Are you due back in court?" Paula asked.
"No I was just going back to the office."
"I came here because I wanted to tell you that I am not having a DNA test. If you don't believe that I am carrying your child then you are not the man I thought you were."
"You were coming to the court to tell me that?"
"Well, I did try to call, but you didn't answer," Paula said as she watched Harvey check his inner coat pocket for his phone. He found it was not there.
"Shit. I'm sorry I didn't pick up. I must have left it at home. I'm sorry, Paula. I would have definitely picked the phone up if I had seen it was you calling." Harvey said. Where is my phone? I am hoping Donna saw it and picked it up and brought to the office.
"Listen it's still early. How about I buy you brunch?" Harvey said trying to be conciliatory to Paula thinking of her condition. He definitely did not want to have wait until the baby was born to have a test. Who knows? By that point, he may be so attached that even if it the child is not his he would still offer to care for it and be a father to it. Woah! Specter get your head on straight! Donna almost left you just discovering Paula's pregnant. Can't wait to tell her that Paula's refusing the test.
"Thank you, Harvey, for the gesture, but I have a doctor's appointment and that was where I was going when Ray flagged me down. I suppose you're too busy to come with me? They always use a doppler to detect the baby's heartbeat. I thought maybe you would like to come and hear it with me." Paula finished shyly creeping herself back into her coat.
Harvey looked at his watch. He did not have anything on his calendar today except for a deposition at 3:30. It was 11:00 now. He supposed he could go with her.
"Ok, Paula. How far away is the doctor's?"
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Donna's day was filled with interviews, administrative duties, and being sure that all the cogs in the wheels of the firm were running smoothly this Monday morning. She was typing on her pad when she noticed the time. It was past the time that Harvey said he would be back in the office. Now it was not her job anymore to keep tabs on where Harvey Specter said he would be during business hours, but it was puzzling as his fiancee for him not to be at a place when he said he would be. Donna then remembered she had his phone and if he really needed to contact her he could have found a payphone somewhere or used the one in the car when Ray was driving him around.
See Paula's name on Harvey's phone bothered her. She realized that Paula would be claiming much of Harvey's time saying that it was to do with the baby, but Donna could not help but feel a little jealous. It's not that Harvey had stopped loving Donna, quite the contrary, but Donna did not trust Paula and this baby was timed just right to spoil her new beginnings. Something was off about this pregnancy and she was glad that Harvey insisted that Paula have a DNA test. Trying to maintain her mind on her work matters, Donna tried to have a conversation with Louis about some items she had to find with him and then begin her report to Robert who was demanding facility reports daily. However, the knawing feeling of Paula's sudden pregnancy was so much a persistent knock in the back of Donna's mind that she took Harvey's phone from her purse and called Ray's phone to see if he could tell her where he had been all day.
"Ms. Donna?" Ray answered.
"Yes, Harvey left his phone home this morning and he is due back here in about fifteen minutes for a deposition. Since I can't call him obviously, I was just wondering where he went after court this morning."
"Well, he is with Dr. Agard taking her back home. I did not think that Harvey was seeing Dr. Agard anymore. Does he have a case with her?"
"Not exactly. Ok. Thank you, Ray. Just remind him about the depo and let him know I have his phone. Thank you," Donna said and hung up.
She was not mad at Harvey. She was more mad at Paula wondering why she would need to track him down in the middle of the day. Donna was sure that Harvey would tell her after his depo after he returned.
She left Harvey's phone on her desk and resumed her revising of her report.
Harvey arrived just in time to swiftly and coolly breeze by Donna's office and into the conference room next door to Katrina and the client they were joint depositioning.
Donna in the meantime kept her head down and her ear to the wall to listen for when the meeting would be completed. She had installed recording devices but because of attorney/client privilege she was not allowed to turn it on. They were videoing the deposition anyway, but on a normal basis she would be listening in.
After about twenty minutes of hearing raised voices from the room next door to her office, Donna went to the Executive kitchen to make herself her afternoon mocha. She figured she would give the inhabitants of the conference room about 10 minutes to vacate then she could return to her office. She took a seat and paged through a travel magazine that someone had left in the kitchen for that purpose.
The magazine's cover was of an Australian aborigine. The writing bordering the cover talked about exotic places to travel. Donna had done a lot of traveling in her years at the firm, but she had never made the trip to Australia. Perhaps when she and Harvey are married they can go there for their honeymoon. Honeymoon? We haven't even set a date yet! Donna thought.
She finished paging through the magazine and drinking her Mocha and headed back to her office knowing Harvey was probably waiting there. The closer she walked to her office the closer she noticed she was right once again.
"Harvey? Did everything go ok in court and in your depo? You were almost late," Donna asked coercing him to confess that he had been with Paula.
He had been standing looking out at the window at the view from Donna's office. He turned around and had his phone in his hand and waved it at her as he talked.
"Thank you for bringing my phone. I hadn't realized I forgot it until..."
"Until you wanted to call me and tell me you were going to be late coming back," Donna said smiling.
Donna came to sit at her desk while Harvey had moved in front of her desk. Some would say it was an instinctual move because he was feeling defensive in explaining to his fiancee that he spent the late morning and early afternoon in the presence of his knocked up ex-girlfriend.
Donna sidesmiled and her head was lowered. Then she looked up at Harvey's agonized face.
"Just say it. I know you were with Paula. Ray told me when I called to find out where you were. I was afraid you were going to be late because Katrina and the defendants were in the conference room."
Harvey sat down and pinched the bridge of his nose between thumb and forefinger. He had a headache. He'd had a headache ever since he found Paula in the car and she told him she would not have the DNA test. Can't wait to tell Donna this!
Donna put her hand out onto his forearm where it lay on her desk.
"I'm not mad at you nor was I checking up on you, Harvey. I was concerned and I knew you didn't have your phone, so I called Ray to find out what happened. That's all."
Harvey had hastily released the bridge of his nose and with pursed lips and pinched look to his face. He prepared himself for her wrath and was certainly glad when it had not come-just yet.
"Well, thank you for that, but you're not going to be happy about this next part," Harvey said taking Donna's hand now into his own.
Donna gave him one of her incredulous looks. "What can you tell me that I am not going to like? Unless it's you have decided to marry Paula out of some skewed sense of honor which by the way is endearing but it would suck to me since you promised you would marry me."
"Paula is not taking the DNA test after all," Harvey announced succinctly. " I also went along to her doctor's appointment today. It was unexpected and she really wanted someone to go with her so I agreed. So we went. I was just dropping her off at her house when you called. Ray had told me you called."
"Yeah, I figured he would. Obviously, though, he did not know why you were with Paula unless he was pretending for my benefit."
"I don't know if Ray knows or not. He happened to see Paula walking on the street on the way to her appointment and Ray saw her and asked her if she wanted to keep warm while she waited for me."
"So that's why she was calling on your phone," Donna said. "I saw her name come up and let it go to voicemail. I did not try to retrieve your messages or anything."
"You don't know my code anyway," Harvey said than rolled his eyes. "Of course you know my code, what was I thinking?" Harvey offered a laugh.
"Yep, I know your code. You changed it to your mother's birthday."
"How did you find out?"
Donna laughed in return at the silliness of their banter. "Does it really matter how I know or that I know?" She smiled widely at him to let him know that he can talk with her about Paula. It's not like there was anything to hide anymore.
"So?" Donna coaxed.
"So, what?" Harvey hedged and played dumb.
"Are you going to tell me why Paula is not going to take the DNA? It's a blood test. Non-invasive, definitive, unless she is hiding something."
"What would she be hiding, Donna?" Harvey asked trying not to be concerned where Donna's importuning was heading.
"What do you think, Harvey? Maybe this baby isn't yours and she wants to make you feel guilty for what's gone wrong in her life by poisoning yours. Women can be vindictive, you know."
Harvey stood up viciously. "She's not a vindictive woman, Donna! She's pregnant and she wants the baby to know its father."
Donna stood up. "I like how quickly you come to her defense and then you didn't even protest her having the DNA test, did you?"
"I have no cause to doubt her, Donna!"
"No cause?! Her former lover returned to her the minute she tried to kill herself which I might add I should have let her do it in this case! She, very well, could be miscalculating her dates on purpose. Did she have an ultrasound today?"
"No, but I did hear the baby's heartbeat. It was incredible," Harvey said his voice becoming soft.
Donna tried not to be hurt at that moment. She remembered that Harvey never knew about the little life they had conceived those many years ago when they were first together. The little life that somehow God deemed unworthy to live and grow in Donna's womb eight almost nine weeks later. Donna supposed it was a blessing in disguise because Harvey was not ready for any type of emotionally heavy relationship at that time. He was just beginning to achieve his goals one at a time. He definitely was not the man he is now.
Donna sighed and sat back down. "I'm sure it was, Harvey."
"Look, I didn't say that to hurt you. I was just so overwhelmed by that sound. That was my son or daughter," Harvey's face grew soft and his voice even softer with the realization that there was a life he helped create.
Donna lowered her eyes and turned away. For a man who liked women and dealt with them in many capacities on many levels he could be naive sometimes to their more malicious ways.
"Hey, love, I have a lot of work still to finish before I even think of leaving tonight, and I am sure you do, too. So how about we finish this conversation at home." Donna turned back around and was somehow composed again.
"Sure. Let me know when you call Ray. I can be finished and be out the door with you.
Harvey came across to the other side of Donna's desk and kissed her lips. He then smiled ruefully and they both nodded. She patted his left hand which was holding her right shoulder. They both nodded silently agreeing to talk about it later. Then Harvey turned on his heel and walked a little less swiftly to his office.
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Later that night after a silent ride home together, Donna and Harvey sat eating dinner. They had picked up their favorite dish from one of their favorite less elite Italian ristorantes. Each was lost in their thoughts about the day. Donna took a sip of wine and then wanted to finish their conversation from earlier that afternoon. She wanted to tell him about the baby-their baby but then decided that since it was no more it really did not matter. What difference did it make?
"How did it go in court today? I am sure you won," Donna said putting down her wineglass and watched as Harvey finished chewing his food.
He swallowed. "Yes, I won. I knew I would. I remember Mike used to hate these cases where both sides seemed to be right. He's certainly come a long way since then. So did Rachel," Harvey remarked.
"That reminds me. I promised to call her as soon as we set a date."
Harvey's mind was still preoccupied. "Date? Date for what?" Then it hit him.
"Does this ring a bell?" Donna asked waving her engagement ring in front of his face. "I know you just asked me but did you forget that you asked me to marry you when you gave me this or was that just to placate me until you decide to marry the woman carrying your baby."
"So this is what this is all about!" Harvey exclaimed. He wiped his mouth with his napkin and sat back looking at Donna with a set jaw.
"What all about?" Donna asked.
"This uncomfortable silence between us. I thought at first it was because we both had a lot of stuff on our minds but now I know it's Paula!"
"I thought you wanted to make sure that this baby was yours before you decided to support it. Paula has more than enough income to be a single mother or did you forget she was a therapist with a large practice. Oh yeah. I forget she's being brought up on ethical violations again by her ex. Did you ever think that the timing of her telling you about her being pregnant and Louis acting as her attorney again was suspect?"
"I'm sure those charges won't stick. Her ex tried that before and Louis proved the man was stalking her. He proved the man was unstable."
"Paula's not stable unless she has her meds. She's bipolar. You do remember what that means, right? When she's not on her meds she can have wild mania episodes or deep depression episodes where she has no control over what she does. How do you know that she hasn't concocted any of this in her mind?"
Harvey stood up so swiftly that the chair slid back scraping the floor underneath.
"You know, Donna. I thought you would be more compassionate. Just because she's pregnant and you're not!"
Donna stood up swiftly and with one arm wiped the table clean of its contents. Spaghetti, meatballs, wineglasses, and plates all upended spilling all over the highly varnished floor of Harvey's apartment.
"How dare you say that to me! I have been more than giving in your relationships. I never said a goddamn thing all these years! Yes, I'm jealous. Paula's pregnancy seems to be going a lot better than mine ever was. Yes, that's right, Harvey. I've been pregnant. I was pregnant with your baby about 13 years ago, but God knew that you weren't ready to be a daddy let alone a human being back then and I lost it right before I followed you to the firm."
Donna stormed off then. She put on her heels, grabbed her winter coat and stomped out of the condo leaving an incredulous Harvey standing in front of the mess gaping at the knowledge that Donna bestowed on him.