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The instant Harvey walked into the conference room and discovered who would be opposing him on the Bertrand merger, he saw red.
Travis Tanner. The perpetual thorn in his side. It had been over a year, but the sight of him still pissed him off.
"Oh, fuck me." The words were out of his mouth before he could halt them. He gave Guy Bertrand an apologetic grimace, and ignored Mike’s wide eyes. To Travis, he snapped, "Outside. Now." Pivoting on his heel, he exited the room and paced out to the lobby, where he planted himself by the window overlooking Fifth Avenue. Moments later, Tanner was standing next to him, wearing an expression of innocent inquiry, which Harvey yearned to demolish with a well-placed fist.
"I was having a good morning," began Harvey, conversationally. "Got laid last night. Had him out the door by midnight. Started the day with a nice run through the park. Treated myself to a bagel and the best cup of coffee in the city. I walked into the meeting with the merger documents finalized and ready to sign, and here you are, like a recurring nightmare, all set to jam a wrench in the works and torpedo this deal I've been working on for six goddamn months." His voice had risen steadily. Clamping his lips together, he glared at his adversary. His archenemy.
Tanner stared back at him, both eyebrows raised, with an infuriating smirk plastered onto his face. “I’m not going to torpedo anything, Harvey. In fact, my client is going to give you everything you asked for.”
“In return for what? A fifty-one percent share in the company, and a kidney to be named later?”
For the first time that morning, Tanner appeared slightly put out. “Are you trying to hurt my feelings? I’m not like that anymore.”
“Bullshit.”
Tanner stepped up to Harvey, who tensed at the intrusion into his personal space. His fists clenched as he braced himself for another round with his long-time rival. Tanner made no move against him however, and his expression remained guileless.
“It’s the truth, Harvey. All that aggression, and hostility, all those ruthless legal games, were causing too great a stress on my body. Ulcers, hypertension, insomnia, anxiety, requiring too much booze, too many pills. And for what?”
“Are you shitting me right now? For what? For your clients. To win.” To be the best. He didn’t speak this last aloud, since that title would always be reserved for him, at least in his own mind.
“You were a worthy opponent, Harvey. And I’m not out of the fight. I’ve just turned over a new leaf. No more shady maneuvers or cutthroat negotiating. No more mud-slinging. These days, I’m all about pure legal expertise. Bridge-building. Compromise. A winning outcome for one client doesn't necessarily mean the other side loses. You should really consider adopting the same approach. We can both be winners.”
Harvey made a wordless sound of disgust.
Tanner shrugged. “All of the negative energy will catch up to you eventually. When it does, maybe you’ll understand what I’m trying to tell you.”
Harvey had almost bought the act, but then he remembered Tanner’s past shenanigans. “You know what I think? This is just another one of your cons. Points for originality, but I’ll continue to keep my guard up, thank you very much.”
Another shrug from Tanner. He handed a folder to Harvey. “Here’s our counter-offer. Feel free to go over it as thoroughly as you like. Have your boy wonder scrutinize it as well. No rush. We’ll give you until the end of the week.”
Tanner led the way back to the conference room, and motioned to his client, Anna Dillon. As they left, he lifted a fist to his ear and stage-whispered, “Call me,” to Harvey.
Harvey explained the situation to Bertrand, who took it with a grumble and a nod, and then walked him out to the elevator.
Predictably, when he got back to his office, Mike was waiting for him, and bursting with questions. “What the hell was that all about? What kind of shit is Tanner trying to pull this time? Did you deck him? Are there pictures?”
“I’m not sure what he’s up to yet.” He tossed the folder to Mike. “Make me a copy of that, and then spend the rest of the day evaluating it. We need to go over every word and punctuation mark with a microscope.”
“Sure thing.” Mike hesitated. “By the way, that was … I mean last night was … I enjoyed it, and you were so …”
“Have you lost the ability to complete a sentence? Don’t answer that.” Harvey lowered his voice to a harsh whisper. “And don’t bring that stuff up while we’re at work. I won’t tell you again.”
He almost felt guilty about the crestfallen look on Mike’s face. Almost.
Mike strode out of the office to fulfill Harvey’s orders, lips pressed together in a sullen line.
******
“Here.” Harvey handed Vanessa a cup of black coffee. In return, he took from her a slim envelope. He raised an eyebrow. “What’s this? An accounting of Tanner’s latest acts of legal mayhem?”
“Yep. As requested. Have a look.” She took a cautious sip of coffee, wrinkled her nose, and held the cardboard cup in both hands.
Harvey opened the envelope and pulled out the contents – a single sheet of paper. It was blank. “Hilarious.”
“Just trying to make a point. The guy is squeaky clean, going back nearly a year. The last complaint filed against him was by you.”
Harvey nodded absently. “The Kramer case. We mixed it up in the ring, and I laid him out cold.” He sniffed. “Glass jaw.”
“Evidently you knocked some sense into him. He seems to be a changed man. You should check his Yelp page. The reviews are positively glowing.”
“Fake, no doubt.”
“I followed up on a few of them. Perfectly legit.”
“Huh.” He absently crumpled the blank sheet of paper in one fist.
“I’ll send you my bill.” Vanessa turned to leave, dumping the full cup of coffee in a nearby garbage can. “This is swill, by the way. Next time go to Henson’s, or don’t bother.” She clicked away from him on her stiletto heels, disappearing rapidly into the morning crowd.
******
Shortly after Harvey arrived at work, Mike traipsed into his office and plopped down on his couch.
“How’s the counter-offer look?” asked Harvey, barely glancing up from his computer screen.
“If you can even call it that. Tanner wasn’t kidding. They agreed to everything, and came back with a selling price well within Bertrand’s threshold. I’d say it looks good to go forward – almost too good.”
“Stay skeptical. Your suspicions will serve you well. In this case, however, they’re unfounded.”
“Come on, Harvey. It’s Tanner.”
“Let me worry about him. Take the ‘good job’ and move on. How’s your workload look for the rest of the morning?”
“Daunting.” Mike paused expectantly, and Harvey guessed what was coming next. “To anyone but me.”
“Great. Go get to it th –”
“What has two thumbs and is awesome?”
“Mike, I don’t have ti –”
“This guy!”
“Ugh. Awful. You’re banished from my office for the rest of the day.”
Mike took Harvey’s admonishment in stride, but did not immediately leave. “I texted you last night.”
“I am aware.”
“That’s all you have to say?”
Harvey waited, hoping Mike would take the hint and leave. He should have known better.
“Can I come over tonight?”
Harvey might have refused Mike, but in truth, he could use the stress relief, and he’d discovered a few months ago that Mike was a sweet little fuck, once he stopped talking. “Eh, I suppose so. I’ll meet you there. I have a stop to make on my way home. Don’t plan on spending the night.”
Mike pumped a fist in the air, cast a furtive look into the hallway where Donna sat at her desk, pressed his lips together, waggled his eyebrows, and exited the office.
******
“Harvey.” Tanner appeared pleased to see him. “I was just about to take off for the day. You didn’t have to come all the way over here to deliver the documents. Isn’t that what we have messengers for?”
Ignoring the question, Harvey sat down across the desk from Tanner and examined him closely. He looked … good. Happy. Almost seraphically calm. “You sure you’re not on some kind of anxiety medication?” he finally asked.
Tanner chuckled, causing his face to crease attractively. His eyes, Harvey noted were blue. Why hadn’t he realized that before? He gave himself a mental shake. Focus.
“No medication required,” Tanner was saying. “I simply made the conscious choice not to be a complete dick on a daily – or hourly – basis.”
Harvey gave an uneasy laugh. “Sounds like grounds for disbarment to me. How many clients have you lost since nice became your new normal?”
“None that I know of. None that would matter to me.”
“What about your firm? I would think it mattered to them.”
Tanner gave Harvey a long, assessing look. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were concerned about me.”
“That’s crazy talk.” Why was Harvey making such an issue of it? Why was he even still here? Surprised, he realized that on some level, he was enjoying this back and forth with Tanner.
Leaning back in his chair, Tanner’s eyes narrowed. He tapped a pen on the desktop, and seemed to be coming to a decision. Finally, he spoke again. “It occurs to me that we’ve only known one another as opponents and rivals. Maybe that needs to change, so I can relieve your mind about my intentions.”
“What are you suggesting? I already cleaned your clock in the boxing ring.”
“Yes, you did. Not that. I mean dinner. Tonight, or whenever you’re free next. On me. What do you say?”
Harvey pictured himself sitting across the table from Tanner in a dim restaurant, drinking excellent scotch, and enjoying a steak dinner. A hot curl of excitement slid through his guts, catching him off guard. Could Tanner be hinting at something more than dinner? The thought of them together intrigued Harvey all of a sudden.
Then he remembered Mike, waiting for him at home, probably already naked in his bed, touching himself, hard and ready, there for the taking, with no complications. Still, he hesitated, considering Tanner’s offer.
If he stood Mike up, he’d get over it. Harvey could easily come up with a thousand excuses, but the truth was, he didn’t owe Mike an explanation. That was one of the great things about their arrangement. And knowing Mike, he’d likely wait all night for Harvey to show up, so they could still get in at least one good fuck before he kicked Mike out.
“I can’t believe I’m saying this, but dinner sounds nice.”
“Great. You pick the place.”
******
“Have you ever thought about going back to Boston?” Harvey nudged his empty plate away from the edge of the table, and pulled his scotch closer.
“Nah. I've found that I prefer New York.”
Harvey wasn’t drunk, but three glasses of scotch had mellowed him considerably. “It is pretty great, isn’t it?”
“You grew up here.”
Harvey chuckled. “Don’t act like you haven’t investigated my life from birth to present day. I know you’re more thorough than that.” He remembered something, and the smile slipped. “You made that crack about my mom.”
Travis dropped his napkin on the table, looking uncomfortable. “Not my finest moment. If it’s any consolation, that was the tipping point for me. My wake-up call.” His blue eyes gleamed in the candlelight. “Have you ever had a moment like that? Where you realized you’d gone too far? Where you wanted to find a way back to the person you once were?”
Harvey had experienced plenty of those moments, but wasn’t about to admit that to Travis. “I try not to get mired down in emotions such as regret, or guilt.”
Travis appeared skeptical, but didn’t call Harvey on it. “So, do you still put on the gloves these days?”
Harvey took a sip of scotch. “Not as often as I’d like. Why? Planning to challenge me to a rematch?”
“Oh, hell no. I think we both know how that would end.”
Tilting his head to one side, Harvey licked his lips and studied Travis’ face. “You know what? I’m starting to think you’re no fun anymore.” Without pausing to consider the consequences, he’d made his tone intentionally flirtatious. The slow smile which formed on Travis’ face had his heart beating faster. Had he always been this handsome? Or was that the warm candlelight’s doing?
“Oh, I think you’ll find I'm plenty fun,” drawled Travis.
Lubricated by scotch and feeling reckless, Harvey countered, “This sounds like something we need to explore further. Your place or – ” He was brought up short as he remembered Mike. “Shit. I forgot. I sort of have other plans waiting for me at home.”
Travis appeared good-naturedly regretful at this news, even while giving no indication whether he would have taken Harvey up on the offer. “It’s not the boy wonder, is it?”
Maybe he was a kinder, gentler Travis Tanner, but he was sharp as ever. Harvey might have lied – or taken the fifth – but he heard himself confess, “Ah. Yes, actually it is.” The words slurred around the edges, and he realized that he was drunker than he'd thought.
Tanner raised his glass in a mock toast. "Felicitations. I always knew you had good taste.” He polished off his drink and reached for his wallet. “Wouldn't it bother him, though, to know you were here propositioning me?”
Harvey ignored the quick stab of guilt. “It’s not like that. We’re not a couple. Just two guys giving each other what we need.”
“Are you sure? I’ve seen the way he looks at you.”
Harvey laughed, growing uncomfortable at the direction their conversation was taking. “There might be an element of hero worship there, but that’s strictly work-related.” At least, that's what he chose to believe.
“If you say so.”
“I say so.” He looked on as Travis handed his credit card to their waiter. "And I seriously doubt that he cares what I do in my private life – when I’m not doing him. He knows I see other people."
"And he's okay with that?"
Was he? Harvey suspected that the answer was no, but that wasn't his fault. He'd set out the parameters of their arrangement clearly to Mike. "He's an adult. If he gets hurt, that's on him."
Tanner appeared disappointed to hear this. "That sort of attitude is unworthy of you."
Harvey snorted, pushing away from the table. "Guess I'm not as evolved as you are."
"I can give you the titles of some excellent self-help books, or the name of my therapist."
"Nah. I'll stick with what I know. When in doubt, be a self-involved prick. What can I say? It just works for me." He stood up. "Thanks for dinner. This was … not awful, spending time with you." He moved behind Tanner's chair, and leaned down to murmur in his ear, "If you ever want to go a few rounds – and I don't mean in the boxing ring – give me a call."
******
Mike was in Harvey's bed when he got home, snoring softly, face smashed into a pillow, his naked back visible above the comforter. Harvey undressed in the dark, and slid in next to Mike, wrapping an arm around his waist and nibbling his earlobe. Mike shivered and rolled over, squinting up at Harvey.
"You're here," he said, voice sleep-rough. "I swear, I tried to stay awake. Where were you?"
Harvey paused for a second, considered lying, and then grew annoyed with himself. He didn't have anything to hide. "I had dinner with Travis Tanner."
This brought Mike wide awake. He struggled into a sitting position, leaning against the headboard. "What happened? Did he reveal his nefarious plot to you? Try to poison you? Beat you with a baseball bat?"
"No, no, and no. We had dinner. We talked. It was … bearable."
"Huh. What did you discuss?"
"None of your business."
"But—"
"I don't want to talk about Travis Tanner, or dinner, or the case." He slipped a hand between Mike's legs, intending to tease his hole, and encountered something flat and smooth. "What's this?"
"Oh. I, uh, I did a thing."
"Mmm." Harvey kissed the side of Mike's neck. "You certainly did do a thing." He reached over to turn on the lamp, and yanked the covers back. “Let me see.”
Mike rolled away from Harvey, and held his butt cheeks apart. "Good idea?" he asked.
"Genius. All stretched and prepped for me. I like it.” He traced a finger around the flat base of the plug. “My only regret is that I wasn't here to watch you put it in." Harvey had been half-hard and horny since his dinner with Tanner, which was something he didn't want to examine too closely. “You’re ready for a good hard fuck, huh?”
Mike glanced over his shoulder. “That’s what I like about you. You’re such a romantic.”
“Shut up.” He tried to sound gruff, but the truth was, he enjoyed it when Mike teased him like this. “Just get on your hands and knees and brace yourself.”
“Be still my heart.”
With a reluctant chuckle, Harvey grabbed a condom and lube from the nightstand. As he prepared himself, he eyed Mike, enjoying as always the view of him kneeling naked in his bed. His mind strayed, and suddenly he was imagining Travis in Mike’s place, eager and waiting for Harvey. Travis rolled onto his back and reached for him, blue eyes shining with lust and mischief.
Harvey realized he was holding his lubed, condom-sheathed cock, now hard and aching, as he fantasized about a man he’d always considered his enemy. He gave his head a rough shake.
“Harvey?” Mike had turned his head, and was watching him. “Anytime this century.”
“Don’t be pushy.” Despite his admonishment, Harvey didn't waste any more time. He removed Mike’s plug and set it on the nightstand. Lining himself up, he shoved into Mike's prepped hole, biting his lip at the exquisite feel of Mike's heat pulling him in and squeezing him deliciously tight.
"Fuck," he whispered. "Every goddamn time. How do you feel so good?"
If Mike answered, Harvey didn't hear him. He was too caught up in sensation, pumping in and out of him, clutching his hips, taking his pleasure. As he exerted himself, he once more pictured Travis Tanner beneath him in Mike's place, throwing some snarky, acerbic remark over his shoulder, and giving a full-throated yell as Harvey nailed his prostate.
His hips stuttered as he momentarily lost the rhythm. He gave his head a shake, dispelling the image, and resumed.
"How are you doing, Mike?" He spoke his name, as if to remind himself who was in his bed. "Are you close?"
"Yeah."
"Touch yourself. Make yourself come."
Harvey continued to grind into him, sweat dampening his back and chest. Mike jacked himself off, but he was taking too long. Harvey was so close.
"Need some help?" he panted. Without waiting for an answer, he reached under Mike, pried his hand away, palmed his cock, and stroked him expertly. They'd done this enough by now that he knew just where Mike was most sensitive, and what would send him flying over the edge.
When Mike froze, and made a low, guttural sound in the back of his throat, Harvey sped up his hand. Mike lifted his head and gave a wild shout, bucking and creaming over Harvey's hand while his channel squeezed Harvey.
He fucked Mike harder. It only took another half dozen frantic strokes, and then he held, deep inside him. Harvey's mouth fell open, his eyes rolled back, and his spine ignited as pure bliss engulfed him. “God …” he groaned. “Travis … so good.”
For long moments, nothing existed except the sweetness of their joining. When rational thought returned, he was lying on top of Mike, inside him, pinning him to the bed. He pulled out, disposed of the condom, passed Mike the hand towel he kept on the nightstand, and collapsed back on the bed, eyes shut, savoring the syrupy, peaceful hum of quieting nerves that came after a spectacularly good fuck.
This feeling, he reminded himself, this made it worth the minor annoyances he had to endure with Mike. Maybe he’d cut the kid some slack, give him a treat, and let him spend the night. Blindly, he reached for him, and came up empty. Opening his eyes, he discovered Mike sitting on the edge of the bed, head in his hands.
“Mike?”
A bitter, sidewise glance from Mike. “Oh, now you remember my name?”
Harvey frowned, and replayed the last few minutes in his mind. When he got to the part where he’d gasped out Tanner’s name, his face tightened in an appalled grimace. “Oh, shit. That was … that didn’t mean anything. I don’t even know why – ”
“Don’t you? If you wanted to be with him tonight, you could have just said so.”
Harvey held back a sigh. This was why he didn’t do relationships. Time for major damage control. “It meant nothing. Obviously. He was just at the forefront of my brain tonight because of our dinner, and then …” He reached over and stroked a hand down Mike’s spine.
“And then?”
Sitting up, Harvey scooted closer and kissed Mike’s shoulder. “And then that sweet, sweet ass of yours did that thing you do, and you made that noise you make, and my brain shut off. If I’d been thinking about … I don’t know … Sean Hannity recently, I might have called out his name.”
“Wait. You think about … no, I don’t want to know. But, gross.”
“It’s just an example. What I’m saying is, don’t read anything into it.”
Mike gave a reluctant smile, but wasn’t ready to let it go just yet. “If I hadn’t been here tonight, would you and he … ?”
“What? No. God, no.” Even as he denied it, Harvey was picturing Tanner in his bed, sleepy, and rumpled, and well used. Or maybe Harvey would be the well-used one. Or both of them, a mutual –
“Harvey?”
“Hm?” He focused his attention back on Mike. “Look, the point is, it meant nothing. If you want an apology, you’ve got it, which tells you something, since I don’t give out apologies lightly. And by now, I’m sure you’re aware that if I wanted someone besides you in my bed tonight, I wouldn’t have hesitated to kick you out.”
“True.” Mike’s smile grew melancholy. “Guess I’d better get going.”
“It’s okay. It’s late. Why don’t you spend the night?” Never mind that he’d tossed Mike out later than this on more than one occasion. Usually, Harvey preferred to sleep alone, but it was almost worth it to see uncomplicated joy return to Mike’s face.
“Really? Sweet.”
“Just be out of here by the time I wake up.”
“Absolutely.” Mischief lit Mike’s eyes. “Of course, you’ll miss the amazing morning blow job I was planning.”
Harvey’s dick gave a twitch at that. Mike did give excellent head. He fought down a smile. “Fine. You can stay. But you still have to go home and change your clothes before work.”
Mike dropped back down onto the mattress, dragging Harvey with him, and wrapped a leg around both of Harvey’s. “Well, I do declare, I believe I’ve been closed.”
Harvey laughed, and let Mike kiss him, but he suspected it was the other way around.
******
Nearly a month passed before Harvey saw Travis Tanner again. He thought about him from time to time.
Actually, he thought about him every day.
Truthfully? He obsessed about him.
He despised this fixation. Tanner was still Tanner, as far as he was concerned, no matter how elevated and virtuous he claimed to be. Harvey had only to remind himself of every low trick, and every cheap shot, that Tanner had employed in his efforts to best him.
It didn’t help. He continued to picture his handsome face, blue eyes, broad shoulders, and toned physique. He wouldn’t go so far as to say he mooned over him, but … if the dopey expression and longing sighs fit ….
He was forced to admit to himself that his fascination had progressed to infatuation when he found his thoughts wandering uncontrollably in client meetings. Several times, Mike had surprised him in his office because Harvey had been absorbed in a detailed fantasy about Tanner. He even checked out Tanner’s official photograph on his firm’s website, memorizing every detail.
Eventually, he might have given in to his curiosity and called him, on the pretext of owing him a dinner, but was relieved of that necessity one Saturday night, when Jessica ordered him to attend an important client’s charity gala.
He brought Mike with him. It was not a date, Mike’s nervous excitement notwithstanding. Part of becoming a successful attorney in Manhattan was learning to schmooze and kiss a little billionaire ass, and Harvey had declared this a teachable moment. Mike groused about the need for a tuxedo, but managed to locate a passable one, which nicely accentuated his long, lean lines.
Once they’d arrived at the venue, they worked their way through the crowd, champagne flutes in hand, listening to the strains of a string quartet playing Bach’s Brandenburg Concertos.
“Don’t guzzle it, you oaf,” Harvey hissed out of the side of his mouth.
“It's so good, though. I’ve never had champagne that tasted like this.” Mike took another, more moderate, sip.
“That’s because you’ve only had yours out of a cardboard box before.” At Mike’s half-amused snort, he added, “I’m guessing.”
Mike launched into a story about how he and Trevor had gotten drunk one New Year’s Eve on the five-dollar champagne from a local bodega. Harvey might have been mildly entertained by it, if he’d been listening. However, he’d caught sight of a familiar profile across the room. Travis Tanner. He was schmoozing up a storm with Harvey’s client, Clayton Hallowell, wearing a tuxedo every bit as expensive as Harvey’s and fitting him like a second skin. He looked like sex on a stick.
“…needless to say, they never invited us back.” Mike finished his story and gave Harvey an expectant look, waiting for a reaction.
“Ah. And who can blame them,” he improvised smoothly. “Now, promise me you’ll never tell that story again, as least not in a crowd like this.” Someone had moved in front of Tanner, blocking Harvey’s view. He touched Mike’s arm. “I’m going to let you fly solo for few minutes. Remember, don’t try to dominate the conversation. Listen. Agree. Nod and smile. Compliment their clothes, or hair, or jewelry.”
“What am I? A Playboy bunny, or a lawyer?”
“Neither. Go on. Get to it. Hippity hop.” Without waiting for Mike’s response, Harvey set off across the room, gaze locked onto the corner where he’d last seen Tanner. People in the crowd greeted him, and he answered them absently, navigating past the powerful, wealthy elite of Manhattan, and those who sought to gain their favor.
Tanner seemed to have disappeared for the moment. Reaching the far corner, Harvey pivoted slowly, searching. And then he was there, inches in front of him, cheeky grin plastered across his face.
“Harvey. My, my, my. Don’t you clean up nice?”
Caught off-guard, Harvey gave a huff of mock indignation. “Clean up? When have you seen me not looking my best?”
Tanner laughed. “No, see, this is the part where you’re supposed to give me a compliment in return.”
Harvey favored Tanner with his most lethal bedroom eyes, and lowered his voice so only Tanner would hear. “Am I? How about this? The way those trousers hug your ass makes me want to drop to my knees, peel them off you, and sink my teeth into each delectable cheek.”
Tanner choked on the sip of champagne he’d just taken. “Holy fuck, Harvey. Talk about cutting to the chase.”
“Life’s too short, Tanner. Why waste a minute, when you can go straight at what you want?” He caught a glimpse of Mike deep in discussion with one of the waiters, while he devoured mini-quiches from his tray.
“Don’t you think it’s about time you started calling me Travis? I mean, considering that you’re going to be on your knees sucking my cock in about two minutes.”
Harvey’s full attention snapped back to Tanner. Travis. Excitement blossomed warmly at his center, and radiated outward. He blinked slowly. “Well then, Travis it is. Follow me.”
******
The bathroom stall was barely big enough for the two of them. They wedged themselves in and locked the door behind them. Travis grabbed the back of Harvey’s head and pulled him close for a long, deep kiss. By the time he ended it, Harvey was breathing hard, heart pounding in his chest. He licked his lips, and watched as Travis mirrored the movement. His hands went to Travis’ waistband. Retaining eye contact, he unfastened and unzipped him, and ran a hand up the front of his briefs, finding him half-hard already.
“Do it,” whispered Travis. He applied pressure to Harvey’s shoulders, urging him to his knees.
This bit of role reversal from Harvey’s usual script only caused his excitement to spike. He’d never dropped to his knees like this, not at a first encounter. He’d been on the receiving end of his fair share of worshipful blow jobs. This felt right, though. Determined to show off his skills for Travis, he pulled down the front of his underwear to release his cock. Just like the rest of the man, it was attractive and well-formed.
He tongued into the slit at the tip, lapping up pre-come and rolling it on his palate. “Mmm,” he murmured appreciatively and took the head between his lips. He sucked, and licked, and hummed, and stroked the shaft, rolled his balls in his palms, and finally went down on him completely, deep-throating him like a pro.
Travis’ large, strong hands came to rest on his head, in turns subtly massaging, holding him in place, pushing him lower, or tugging his hair, as he thrust and thrust, choking Harvey, and making his eyes water.
Two stalls down from them, a toilet flushed suddenly. They both froze. Harvey had not even heard anyone enter the room. He looked up at Travis, mouth and throat stuffed with Travis’ cock. Travis put a finger to his own lips, signaling Harvey to remain quiet. He eased back, so that Harvey could breathe, while they waited for the unknown man to finish and leave. Water ran at the sink. A paper towel rustled. Finally, the door opened and thumped shut as the man left. They were alone again.
“Do you want to swallow?” asked Travis, running a hand down the side of Harvey’s face in an oddly tender gesture.
Harvey had already made up his mind on this. He nodded and pushed back down, until his nose nudged Travis’ groin. He hummed and swallowed around Travis’ cock, reaching his hands behind him, and down his pants, to cup the ass about which he had so recently rhapsodized. He found it to be every bit as firm as he’d imagined, and begging to be bitten. Maybe another time …
“I’m close,” panted Travis, hips jerking minutely, as if trying to retain some semblance of control
Harvey nodded, and dragged his lips up the shaft, keeping the cock head in his mouth, and stroking him rapidly. One of Travis’ hands left his head. A quick glance up showed Travis biting down on the meat of his palm to stifle his shout as his hips stuttered, and he shot inside of Harvey’s mouth. Harvey swallowed greedily, keeping his lips sealed tight. Neither of them needed dried cum stains on their expensive tuxedos when they returned to the party.
Travis finally grew still, cradling Harvey’s head in his hands. Harvey gave him one final lick, and let his cock fall from between his lips. They eyed one another, each struggling to catch their breath.
“Stand up,” murmured Travis, and gave Harvey a hand, helping him to his feet. “Face the toilet, and let me get behind you.”
They shuffled and rearranged themselves in the limited space. Travis pressed himself to Harvey’s back, all along his length, circled his middle with his arms, and reached for the front of his pants. In a matter of seconds, he had them unfastened, and his hand worked its way into Harvey’s briefs to grasp his cock and pull it out.
“Shit,” Harvey bit out, feeling his knees grow weak as Travis began jacking him off.
“Brace your hands on the wall,” Travis instructed evenly.
Harvey leaned forward, torso nearly parallel to the floor, and placed his palms flat against the wall behind the toilet. Shutting his eyes, he shut off his brain and allowed himself to just feel. Travis was damned good at this. His slow, steady breaths hit the back of Harvey’s neck, while his hand moved in sure, relentless strokes, driving Harvey crazy, sending him up, and up, and over the edge. He clamped his lips together to keep his wild cry from echoing around the tiles of the men’s room. Travis had positioned him well. When he came, the toilet captured it all, sparing his tux.
Perversely, an image of Mike popped into his head as his climax shivered to completion. Was he searching the room for him right now? Would Harvey be able to conceal from him what had just happened?
As Travis kissed behind his ear, tucked him back into his pants, and zipped him up, Harvey fought down the inconvenient guilt he felt over this stolen moment. This was not cheating. Mike knew the score. Harvey was absolutely not going to feel any remorse about what had just happened.
He'd remained still for too long.
“Harvey?”
Harvey breathed out slowly and straightened up. He smoothed down his tuxedo jacket, and stood still, chin lifted, while Travis repaired his tie. For his part, Travis appeared as perfectly put together as when they’d entered the stall.
“Shall I leave first?” asked Travis.
“Yeah. I’ll give you a two-minute head start.”
Travis pressed a brief kiss to Harvey’s lips, opened the stall door, and slipped away, leaving Harvey alone to consider what he’d just done. He didn’t regret it. It had been every bit as hot as his fantasies. Hotter. But … what now? Was this just a one-time thing? Would there be a repeat, or something a little less frantic and risky, like … a date?
Harvey scowled at the closed stall door. If he wasn’t careful, he’d start behaving like … He swallowed painfully as the realization hit.
Like Mike.
******
As far as Harvey could tell, Mike had no clue what he had just been up to. Harvey found him standing near the entrance, holding the tray of mini quiches, and stuffing the last one into his mouth as Harvey rejoined him.
“How’s the networking going?” asked Harvey.
Mike swallowed, and brushed pastry crumbs from his lapel. “I think I landed a client.”
“Oh?”
“Yeah. The wait staff are being underpaid, and denied their overtime pay. Plus, they were promised a uniform allowance which hasn’t – ”
“For the love of God, just stop. I brought you here to meet the power brokers of the city, and you spend all your time networking with a waiter?”
“He’s an interesting guy. He plays the mandolin at Renaissance fairs, and has a YouTube channel, and he’s on Instagram.”
“Fascinating.”
Mike looked him up and down. “Okay, where have you been? What amazing contacts have you made?”
“Three of the wealthiest attendees are already my clients. Once you can say the same thing, you won’t have to hustle for business anymore.”
“Oh, is that what you were doing?”
“What do you mean?” There was no way Mike could know.
“I mean, I saw you with Travis Tanner. I saw you leave together, and return separately, both of you looking like the cat who ate the canary.”
There was that stab of guilt again. It was making Harvey angry. “I don’t owe you any explanations – about anything.”
“Oh my god,” Mike whispered, a look of fascinated horror on his face, “you two did it in the men’s room, didn’t you?”
Harvey searched for something to say, to deny it, or defend himself, and finally settled for, “Shut up.” At the look of hurt on Mike’s face he relented, adding, “I’m sorry.” The weird thing was, he actually was sorry – not for what he'd done with Travis, but for hurting Mike.
Mike’s expression went shuttered. He snatched a glass of champagne from a passing waiter and gulped down half of it. “So, are we networking or what?” he asked in a rough voice.
Harvey studied him for a few seconds. “I don’t think so. I believe it’s time for you to call it a night.”
“Fine by me. I’ll see you on Monday.” Moving at speed, Mike headed for the door, still carrying the champagne flute.
Harvey watched him go, with a peculiar sensation in his throat, a pressure which only diminished after he’d swallowed and swallowed. He abruptly decided he was done here too. He scanned the room, frowning when he didn’t spot Travis. There was still that matter of the dinner Harvey owed him. Now that he’d had a taste of what it could be like between them, he was eager for more.
But what about Mike? asked his newly discovered guilt. He reminded himself again that Mike knew what was what. He knew Harvey had reserved the right to see other people. That didn’t mean he and Mike couldn’t still have their occasional nights together.
With a fatalistic shrug, he followed Mike out the door, and went to flag down a cab.
******
Mike, it turned out, could hold a grudge like a champ.
At work, he continued to behave in a scrupulously appropriate manner. To an outside observer, he likely appeared the same as ever. Harvey could feel it, though, underneath Mike’s cordial, professional exterior. Something simmered – disappointment, betrayal, anger.
Heartbreak.
Harvey had refused for too long to see Mike’s devotion for what it really was. It was more than hero worship, more than infatuation or professional admiration. Mike had real feelings for him. Harvey wasn’t going to break out the “L” word – wasn’t going to wade into those murky waters. He could see now that he’d made a mistake.
He might have acted sooner to correct that mistake, but he had his own complicated feelings to deal with, in the person of Travis Tanner.
The man had suddenly become unavailable. He didn’t answer his cell phone, or reply to texts. When Harvey called his law firm and requested to be transferred, the receptionist regretted to inform him that Travis was out of the office, or in a meeting, or simply not taking phone calls at that time.
Harvey held himself back from going to face him down in person. It helped that he was busy with several cases that had heated up and required his attention and expertise. He tried to put Travis out of his mind, but it proved impossible. He kept remembering the taste of him, the feel of him, his voice in Harvey’s ear, sounding so infuriatingly detached, even as Harvey came apart under his deft touch.
As one week became two, and then three, his temper grew increasingly short. Worse, his go-to release valve of the past several months – Mike – had evidently called a stop to their … their what, exactly? What was the appropriate term for what they’d been doing? Trysts? Rendezvous? Fuck sessions? Harvey didn’t know. What he did know, was that he missed those nights much more than he’d thought he would.
If Travis had been available to step into that role, Harvey might not have noticed so much. He did notice, however, and while he waited for Mike to let go of his stiff-necked resentment, and for Travis to return his damn phone calls, his nerves wound tighter and tighter, and his tendency to bark at people at the slightest pretext increased daily.
Something had to give. Either Mike or Travis had to relent and meet him halfway. Eventually, both of them did. Unfortunately, it happened on the same Friday night.
******
“Mike, hang on a second.”
Mike had just dropped off a draft of the Hallowell corporate restructure documents he’d been revising. He turned back to face Harvey, politely waiting for him to continue. Donna had already left for the night. It seemed like as good a time as any to have it out with Mike.
“Close the door,” said Harvey.
Mike gave him a long look, but did as he’d been asked, sitting in one of the chairs across from Harvey’s desk. “I was hoping I could take off. I’m all caught up.”
“Sure. You’ve earned it.” Harvey hesitated, pulling a folder closer to him, and pushing it away again. “I was hoping you could come over tonight.”
Mike’s eyes widened. “Who? Me? What happened? Is Tanner not available?”
“For your information – not that it’s any of your business, by the way – I haven’t seen or spoken to Travis since the night of the gala.”
Both surprise and suspicion registered on Mike’s face. “But, I thought – ” He broke off, leaving Harvey to wonder what it was he’d thought, or assumed.
“I get that you’re nursing some resentment over an imagined slight.”
“Imagined?”
Harvey let out a slow breath, and rolled his head around on his neck. “I’ve already explained my position. The nature of our relationship, which I’ll reiterate once more, you agreed to, is open, casual, and not exclusive.” He held out a hand. “Wait. Before you rip my face off, let me finish. I’m willing to admit that my timing was not ideal. However, you and I were there together in a strictly professional capacity. And let me remind you, I did apologize at the time, even though I didn’t owe you said apology.”
“You’ve got all the arguments covered, don’t you?”
“Yeah, it’s kind of my thing. In spite of my well-reasoned defense, you chose to be angry just the same. Fine. You’re young, and perhaps less sophisticated – ”
“Oh, spare me.”
“ – less sophisticated, and inexperienced in handling this sort of arrangement. I will grant you that. But, Christ, Mike. It’s been nearly a month. How long are you going to stay mad at me?”
Mike’s mouth went pinched and tight, and he kept his gaze on the surface of Harvey’s desk. Despite all the training and lessons Harvey had tried to drum into him, he remained ridiculously easy to read. A series of emotions flashed across his face. Harvey watched as anger gave way to deep consideration, which gave way to despair, and then wistfulness, and finally melancholy acceptance.
He brought to mind an actor in a silent movie, overplaying a bit for the camera, except that Mike appeared unaware of what his face was doing. It touched something inside of Harvey to witness this guilelessness, and he recognized that Mike lacked the instinct to erect walls and protect his heart, a necessary skill which most people developed at a much earlier age.
Mike remained uniquely vulnerable, leading Harvey to want to protect him, to keep him safe from the disappointments and betrayals which the world would undoubtedly deal him. Harvey swallowed painfully as it hit him that this time, he had been the one to wound Mike. He’d made his case, apologized, explained, and now it was up to Mike to decide how they would proceed from here.
“Okay,” Mike finally said, his clear blue gaze back on Harvey.
“Okay?” Harvey waited for confirmation that the single word meant what he hoped it meant.
“I’ll come over tonight.” The smile he gave Harvey was lop-sided. “Your begging could use some work.”
“I was not begging.”
“And …” Mike grew serious once more. “And I’ll try to be better about accepting this for what it is.”
“I’d like to hear you say it, so I’ll know you understand.”
Mike gripped his knees. “It’s just sex. Period. Full stop.”
Harvey had gotten what he’d asked for, but it didn’t feel like a victory. “All right, then. Come over around seven. If I’m not there yet, let yourself in. I’ll let you spend the night if you want to.”
“Be still my heart.” Mike smiled as he said it, but his voice was thick with sarcasm.
******
It was six-thirty, and Harvey was nearly out the door, when his cell phone rang. He glanced at the screen, and his eyebrows shot up when he saw Travis’ name appear. He hesitated, finger hovering over the screen indecisively, and then accepted the call.
“Did you finally wake up from that tragic month-long coma?” asked Harvey, and almost winced at the undisguised anger in his own voice.
“Harvey, nice to talk to you, too.”
“If you hadn’t been ducking my calls, you could have had the pleasure weeks ago.”
“You know how it is. Life. Work. Tempus fugit.”
“Was your tempus fugiting too fast and too far to pick up a goddamn phone?”
Tanner chuckled, stirring Harvey’s long-simmering anger to life, and suddenly it was as if the new, reformed Tanner was gone. “Harvey. Dial it back a click or two. I didn’t call to pick a fight. I called as a courtesy.”
Harvey’s molars ground together. “Explain,” he managed to get out.
“Come to dinner with me tonight. Same place we went last time. I’ll even pay again.” A waiting silence. “Come on, Harvey. You won’t regret it.”
Harvey forced down his anger. He’d just got done lecturing Mike about grudges, and forgiveness. In the interests of not being a complete hypocrite, he said, “Fine. Just drinks, though, not dinner. I can be there in fifteen minutes. If you’re not there, I’ll start drinking without you.”
******
Tanner was waiting at a table when Harvey arrived. Seated across from him was Clayton Hallowell, Harvey’s client. His confident strut across the dining room faltered, and then he collected himself, and continued walking. “Tanner,” he drawled, emphasizing the name. “And Clay. I wasn’t expecting you here.”
“He won’t be staying,” said Tanner. “He’s only here to formally sign this letter, dismissing you as his attorney, and hiring me.”
Hallowell at least looked sheepish, if only a little. He signed the letter with a flourish. “Sorry, Harvey. It’s not personal, just business. Travis here convinced me I needed to make some changes.”
Harvey ignored the letter being handed to him, and remained standing. “Fan-fucking-tastic. You disappoint me, Clay. I thought loyalty meant something to you. Evidently you were using an entirely different dictionary.”
“No need for insults.”
“There’s nothing I can do to change your mind?”
“You could have changed it weeks ago when you snubbed me at the fundraiser, and then went against my express orders and handed my work off to your associate.”
“Mike did an excellent job. You have no cause for complaints there.”
“You may be hung up on loyalty, but I’ve always placed more importance on trust, and the sad truth is, I can’t trust you.” He stood up and tossed his napkin on the table. “Good night. Travis? Call me on Monday.”
Hallowell did not storm out. He exited the restaurant at a leisurely pace, exuding arrogance, and acting as if he owned the place. Harvey didn’t watch him go. His eyes were on Tanner.
“You son of a bitch.”
“I swear Harv, you are one slow learner.”
Harvey was pissed at Tanner, but he was furious with himself. His jaw worked as he struggled to find words vicious and cutting enough to put Tanner in his place. His mind remained blank. Tanner had gotten him. He’d gotten him good. He’d pulled the longest of long cons, keeping his nose clean for an entire year. And Harvey had fallen for it.
Harvey had fallen for him.
God, he’d chased after him, mooned over him like a lovesick teenager, and let him … gave him … allowed …
Harvey’s throat closed, his lungs tightened, and his vision faded around its edges. He sat heavily in the chair Hallowell had vacated and clawed at his tie, loosening it, and unbuttoning the top button of his shirt, so he could draw a decent breath.
“Harvey?”
The voice sounded distant. Harvey wiped his arm across his damp forehead.
“Shit.”
A hand on his arm, shaking him, got his attention. “Wha ….?”
“Hey. Here, have some water.”
“Scotch,” Harvey croaked.
A glass was thrust into his palm, and he raised it shakily to his mouth. He shut his eyes, waiting for the bracing warmth of the alcohol to spread through him and restore his equilibrium. Finally, he opened his eyes to discover Tanner staring intently at him.
“Are you okay?”
“Yeah. I am.” He drank some more.
He was done with this bullshit. With the realization of Tanner’s treachery – petty treachery at that – any attraction Harvey still felt for Tanner vanished like the mirage it had been.
Tanner let out an uneasy laugh. “I never thought you’d react like that.”
Harvey grunted. “Let me ask you something. What is it about me that drives you to such heights – or depths – of competitive overkill?”
“You have to ask? You’re the best, Harvey. Everyone says so. And I want that title. To get it, I had to knock you back.”
“And you succeeded. Does it feel as good as you’d hoped?”
“Nah. Not really.”
“Did you get it out of your system?”
“Probably.”
Harvey held back a groan. “You do realize, I’ll never trust you again, even if you change your ways for real.”
Tanner nodded slowly. “Yeah. I know.” He reached across the table and touched a finger to the back of Harvey’s hand, and then withdrew. “And I have one regret.” He grinned. “I wouldn’t have minded a return engagement in that men’s room, or any other place of your choosing.”
Like that would ever happen. Harvey nodded wearily. “Your loss.”
Tanner’s mouth twisted. “So, you, uh, wouldn’t want get out of here and satisfy both our curiosity, one last time?”
“No, I wouldn’t.” Just like the last time they were here, he had something better waiting for him at home.
Harvey pushed away from the table, took one step toward the door, and turned back. “Hey, Tanner.”
“Hm?”
“Be a stranger.”
Tanner’s laughter, a little bitter, and a lot amused, followed him out of the restaurant.
******
“Let the record reflect that I am graciously holding myself back from saying ‘I told you so’.” Mike’s head rested on Harvey’s cooling chest as each sought to catch their breath, and now he twisted so he could look at Harvey’s face. “Were you at least tempted to punch him in his stupid, lying face?”
That hadn’t occurred to Harvey until later, which sort of surprised him. “I was not. Maybe I’m the evolved one, not him.”
“Always gotta put that positive spin on things.”
Harvey didn’t reply right away, as he nervously considered how to broach the subject that had been running through his mind on the cab ride home. “Mike, this whole bullshit episode with Tanner has made me rethink certain, er, areas of my life.”
“Such as … ?”
“Such as you, and me, and this … thing we have between us.”
Mike had gone completely still, seeming to hold his breath.
“What I’m trying to say is that, if you agree, we should make this – us – exclusive.”
Mike pushed up from Harvey and pulled back so he could look him in the eye. “Are you asking me to go steady?”
Put like that, it sounded asinine. But that was what he was asking, wasn’t it? “Sure. If that’s what you want to call it.”
“Do I get to wear your class ring?”
“Congratulations. You still know how to ruin a moment.”
“This is a moment? We’re having a moment? Well, hot damn. This is going straight into my journal.”
Mike might have continued, and Harvey might have pretended to be more exasperated than he actually was. Opting for a different approach, he yanked Mike back down and kissed him quiet.
The End.