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Harvey is sitting near the back bar, sipping on a rare single malt listening to the sounds of deep blues filtering from the stage through the smell of rich smoke. The Gin Joint is not a bar, it's not a club, but instead more like a throwback to a speakeasy. There is no name on the door, in fact that there is no front entrance at all. You have to know how to find it, but once you cross through its simple wood door you are engulfed in a large room interspersed with tables and booths with a small stage that hosts jazz players, both famous and the not so famous alike, who play away the late hours of night. For Harvey it’s a little piece of heaven; one of the few places he can hide away from the world. Harvey found his way here tonight for several reasons and one of them just walked through the door. Jessica Pearson might technically be Harvey’s boss, but tonight she is wearing a black silk dress being held on her long frame via sparkly spaghetti straps. She is wearing her signature 3 in heels while her hair is loose and flowing freely down her shoulders. He has to admit, the way she looks tonight does something to him, reminds him of a different time, a time they were not just colleagues. And of course it started here. Harvey takes a sip of his drink and lets the memories and the emotions wash over him.
****
It was storming like crazy and Harvey would be lying if he didn't think for a moment of not showing up, but he had made a promise to his dad. And after all of the years they spent apart fighting, he was not going to let rain stop him from enjoying a rare treat- his father performing live. Though he had never heard of the place, it really didn't matter; it could be some shit-hole dive for all Harvey cares. Needless to say, when he finally does find the word of mouth secret spot, he is pleasantly surprised. The small door gives way to a slice of old school heaven. Harvey notices that his dad is already in the middle of a set so he quickly grabs a table in the back, hidden in the shadows and orders a rare whiskey. Watching his dad play, reminds Harvey of his childhood, when his family was still, well, a family. Harvey would often wake up in the middle of the night to the sounds of his father practicing in the basement. Those were good memories. There were also some bad ones. But tonight isn't a night to think about those. Tonight is all about enjoying his father, with his true love, music. The band moves between old favorites and new to be favorites with ease. Harvey can do nothing else but smile and fall into the spell that is music. As the band stops to take a break, Harvey starts to rise but pauses when he sees his dad walking over to a table. It looks like he is talking to someone. A very beautiful someone, wearing a slim white dress and strappy heels. Harvey takes a second look as she turns her head slightly, laughing at something his father has said. Harvey recognizes her then- the woman his father is talking to is the woman who saved him years ago.
Harvey walks up to the table with an ease he has learned during his time as an Asst. District Attorney.
“Of all the gin joints....,” he starts.
“Harvey! You made it.” Gordon reaches out to embrace his son in a firm hug. “I was just telling Jessica here that I was hoping you would make it out tonight.” Harvey can see Jessica smile out of the corner of his eye.
“Of course dad, nothing could keep me away. You guys sound good tonight.”
“Ahh, don't shit your old man. I sound good, they sound like crap.” Harvey watches his dad give Jessica a quick wink before she laughs softly in return.
“Be right back, I’ll get you guys a refill.”
Harvey turns to face his one-time benefactor. “Jessica, good to see you again. May I?” he asks pointing to one of the empty chairs. She nods her agreement.
“So Harvey. How is the ADA’s office treating you?”
“Not quite as cruel as Harvard, but pretty close. And what about you, life treating you well?”
“As well as I can expect” she answers picking up her near empty glass. He wants to ask her more, having heard about what went down with Gordon, Schmidt, and Van Dyke, but doesn't get a chance.
“Here you go.” Gordon returns with two fresh tumblers setting them down in front of him. Harvey notices Gordon himself is cracking open a fresh bottle of water. The three of them end up shooting the shit for the next hour- before his father grabs his sax.
“You hanging out for the next set, Jess?”
“I wouldn't miss it,” she answers lifting the fresh glass to her lips.
Gordon winks one more time, then heads back to the stage. Harvey watches the exchange intrigued. He orders Jessica and him another round and the easy conversation continues while his dad plays softly in the background. Harvey can't help but stare at the woman sitting across from him. Jessica looks as beautiful as he remembers, but she is more than that. Jessica is a sharp mind, with a predator mentality, who just happens to be covered in gorgeous caramel skin with toned arms and legs. Tonight she has her long locks pulled back in a long sleek ponytail down her back, which only accentuate her sharp features that much more. She is, in a word, stunning. It's not surprising that his thoughts of her have strayed in this direction, Harvey has always found Jessica to be captivating. But tonight, as they have swapped stories and conquests in the name of law, he is also learning about her love of good music, good whiskey, and a laugh that tingles all the way down his spine.
“Are you sure I’m not interrupting something,” he smirks.
“What’s the matter Harvey, jealous of your old man?” she teases easily.
“Hardly. But I do have to admit I am surprised to see you here.”
The music starts off easy, a nice warm up. She lifts an eyebrow. “Here, as in one of the best places to get a drink and listen to music, or here, as in listening specifically to your dad?”
Harvey waits before he answers, watching her intently. “Maybe a little of both,” he answers.
Jessica smiles softly before answering. “Well, I have been coming here for a couple of years now. My ex, turned me on to it back in our good days.” Harvey can hear a tinge of sadness or regret creep into her voice. She takes another small sip. “As for your father, I first heard him play in Chicago a few years back. When I saw him here, we struck up a conversation. I am glad you and him have reconnected.”
“Me too.” The music changes to something slow and bluesy and Harvey sees Jessica close her eyes a slow smile creeping along the edge of her lips. Wait, when did I start watching her mouth, he thinks. A light stir in his pants answers now.
“Would you like to dance?” He asks before he can stop the words from escaping through his lips.
She glances a quick look up to the stage, apparently contemplating. “Sure,” she answers.
He rises clumsily, shocked she says yes. Stretching out his hand he waits for her to grasp it before leading them out to mingle with the crowd on the floor. They assume a standard position with her hand firmly in his. Harvey remembers thinking how Jessica always appeared larger than life when he worked in the mail room, now she literally was, by more than a couple of inches.
“I don't remember you being taller than me.”
“Now that’s funny, because I definitely remember you being shorter. Not to mention smaller...”
“Hey,” he interrupts, turning her easily. “Maybe you just didn't know me.”
“Maybe at the time there was nothing much to know.” she answers. Much like the conversation at the table, their banter is easy, almost flirty.
“Maybe that isn't the case anymore,” he counters. Harvey always did love a good cat and mouse game and this was turning out to be one for the ages. Harvey pulls her in closer, and she comes easily, melting her body against his own. Her arms find their way around to his back. Together, they sway in a heady mix of smoke and jazz and Harvey can definitely say he is intoxicated. He wishes he could say it was from the alcohol, but at the moment all he can think of is the heat coursing through his veins and the woman in his arms.
“Hmmm, maybe. By the way,...” she says easily switching topics. “I’ve been meaning to call you.”
“Oh? What about.”
“Coming to work for the firm.”
“And why would I do that now? If I recall, you could have hired me when I came to you right after graduation.”
“You weren't ready then. I needed you to get a little more…” She shifts her arms to around his neck. “...seasoned.” Harvey wants to ignore the feel of her fingers playing gently with the hair on the back of his neck.
“Is that what you think I have been doing the last couple of years?” He breathes.
“I sure hope so, I didn't turn you down then for nothing. But now, I want you.”
Harvey immediately stops moving and his brown eyes lock with hers. He watches as smoke and heat move beneath her gaze and he is immediately curious. Harvey may have thought they were innocently flirting before, but now he isn't so sure- well at least about the innocent part. The flirting, oh yes- they are still doing that, but now it's laced with something else. He starts to move them both again in time with his dad’s lone sax playing in the background and leans in close to her ear.
“You do, do you? Hmmm...and what do you want Jessica?” He waits a beat, testing to see how his words affect her. He can feel it before it happens, the slight shiver that raises fine goosebumps along her skin. But he also can feel how she recovers, stands up a little straighter, a little taller.
“Why Harvey,” she whispers back slow and seductively. “I want you to come work for me. I plan on taking over the firm and I want you. By. My. Side. When I do.”
Her words glide over him like warm honey. Soft, sure and a little commanding. Fuck. He can feel her smile into his neck and just like that Harvey is hard. He can't stop his fingers from tightening around her reflexively, but he also knows he can play this game with the best of them.
“Are you sure that's what you want?” He shifts his position, allowing her to feel his desire beneath his clothes.
She rubs her thigh against him suggestively, “accidentally” stroking his length. “What do you think I want?” Jessica asks innocently.
He leans back then, capturing her eyes once again. “What do I think? I think you are dangerous. And I also know that you could have anything you want.”
Jessica's lips curve up slightly, almost deviously. “You’re right Harvey, I am dangerous.”
Harvey brings his lips back to her ear once again before he answers, “Good.” Harvey pulls her back in, his fingers inching lower down her back teasingly. The thrum of something forbidden is flowing between them. He wants to believe Jessica is just as invested as he is, but he needs to be sure. Harvey leans into her and places a soft kiss on her neck and she sighs. It's soft and breathy, and before he can stop himself, he leans in and does it again relishing the taste of her skin on his tongue.
When Jessica follows suit, leaning down to nip at his earlobe before whispering, “Damn good.” Harvey is never more sure of anything in his life.
Desire runs rampant through his veins. After a quick goodbye to his dad, they leave eagerly in search of a quiet place; a place that can be filled with his moans and her screams. That place ends up being behind the door of a nearby hotel, neither of them willing to wait a moment longer. Their kiss is a fight for dominance, all teeth and tongues, and perfect. Harvey can't hide his need to feel her skin, her touch; he wants to kiss and run his tongue across every part of her and she responds in kind. And when Harvey finally pushes into her, when they finally became one, he sighs in surrender. They make love slowly, deeply; it is tender, and Harvey finds himself lost within her eyes. They quickly discover that together they are special; that this is special. He is the whiskey to her jazz; just as she is the heat to his cool. And together they are a type of magic that burns bright, burns hot, and burns intensely. What they didn't know at the time, was that passion like theirs, couldn't last.
****
And it didn't. Oh, that is not to say that what they have now isn't good. Or that occasionally they don't have a moment where the past comes crawling back to the surface, much like it did last week when he showed up at her place. But more importantly, they are friends, more than friends. No one else knows him, the true him like Jessica does and he doubts anyone ever will. The same can be said for her. He is her strongest ally, her biggest confidant and more importantly the only other person that knows where most of the bodies are buried. Together, they make a hell of a team. Harvey looks up from his glass, away from the memories. Harvey glances at her once again. She has taken a table near the stage, her back to him. Funny, but he isn't surprised to see her here; in fact he would probably be more surprised if he didn't see her. The Gin Joint was their place, and no matter what has happened between them, this would always be the place they come back to when they needed something else; something the cutthroat world of law and power couldn't give them.
Harvey walks over to where she is sitting. When he reaches her chair he leans in close near her ear.
“Of all the gin joints...”
She turns and sees him. A small laugh escapes from her red painted lips. “You had to walk into mine,” she answers.
The band is playing something slow, something easy. Harvey puts down his glass on her table and stretches out his hand.
“May I have this dance?”
Jessica pauses, and just for a second Harvey thinks she may tell him no. But then she reaches out and grasps his hand. And within seconds, they are once again swaying as one.