“I don’t know,” I huff, so not wanting to have this conversation. “She’s a pain in my ass. She has an attitude, has no boundaries when it comes to privacy, and she would rather stand around gossiping with the customers half the time rather than serving them!”
I pass Harvey his drink, and he gives me a small smile in appreciation.
“She sounds perfect!” Sasha claps her hands, which gets a snort from Harvey.
“You mean, she sounds like you all,” he retorts.
“Exactly. Let’s definitely do this!” She is basically bouncing up and down on her seat.
“I’m sorry to disappoint you, but I don’t get nights off,” I butt in, unsure if I could even get a night off if I wanted. Besides, Harvey was adamant about us cooling it, and he hasn’t agreed to anything.
“Surely you can get one night off sometime soon?” Sasha whines.
“I got the office party off, which trust me, was a disaster the next day.” Another reason my father just keeps screwing me. Then again, if I hadn’t gone, then I possibly wouldn’t have met Harvey, and my father wouldn’t have had any reason to call off the hit on him.
The girls seem to mull this over before Teagan offers a solution.
“Let’s have it here, then. You can sit with us when you can.”
I hate this idea, but all the girls are looking at me so hopefully that I can’t immediately say no. Instead, I glance at Harvey to find he looks annoyed and exasperated. But he’s not saying no, either.
“Okay, tell me what night and I’ll make sure to fit you all in.”
They all squeal in delight, and I wince before one of my other waiters passes me a drink slip. I turn around to get it, all the while feeling Harvey’s eyes on me.
What does he think of this? Does he care that the girls have taken me in as if we are a thing? Does this bother him? And how am I going to keep my distance from him if these women are going to keep finding ways to shove us together?
They may think I am a unicorn, but it isn’t me they need to convince. It’s Harvey, and something tells me he is going to be incredibly stubborn when it comes to this.
Then again, I could be wrong.
Chapter 7
I’m ready to collapse as I close and lock the back door behind me. It has been another long day, made worse by the fact that Scarlett wouldn’t let up about this group date that has been set for Christmas Eve. Even after she went home for the day, she continued to message me photos of almost every item of clothing she owns.
I’m not sure if she hopes having a gay friend means I will be able to give her amazing fashion advice, or if she was doing it purely because she knows how annoying she is being. Whatever the case, I stopped replying after the third outfit message. That didn’t stop her from sending more. And of course, like an idiot, I continued to check every time my message sounded in case it was Harvey.
It’s past midnight when I dig my hands into my jacket pocket and try to duck down into my scarf. Snow is lightly falling, and my boots sink into the fallen snow along the ground.
I feel tense as I make my way across the back lot, recalling how I was attacked just last night. Not that it’s likely to happen again since my dad made his point, but it’s still nerve-racking. Even more so when a shadowed figure shrugs off the wall and approaches me from the side.
I barely resist running away as I turn to see who it is, and then I sag on the spot when I notice it’s Harvey.
“Hey,” I murmur, picking up my pace to get out of this cold air sooner. The last thing I need is to get sick.
I glance to see Harvey nods his head at me, but he doesn’t say anything as he steps in line so we are side-by-side.
“You got a reason for being out so late?” I finally ask as I turn down another side street.
“Yes. Is there a reason you pick the most dangerous way home at night?” he retorts as we exit the darkened area to find us on the lit main road.
“It’s faster,” I explain. With my building in sight, I cross the road on a jog to beat the oncoming cars.
“It’s also not safe,” he puffs out next to me, running to keep up.
I glance over at him as I move up the steps to my building and stop when I reach the door. “Is this part of your service? Dissecting my life for anything dangerous?”
“I just wanted to make sure you got home safely,” he says carefully.
“That must be a full-time errand for you with however many clients you have on the go,” I snap, wishing I could take it back immediately.
I’m tired, I’m sore again, and I just want this day to be over.
“Are you angry with me?” he asks, shifting on his feet, looking like he’s getting comfortable on the step outside my apartment building.
He doesn’t expect us to have a conversation out here while we freeze our asses off, does he? What else is there even to say?
“No,” I huff out, hugging my arms around me, hoping my short answer is clue enough for him to leave.
“You seem annoyed,” he calls to attention, not getting my message at all, or purposely ignoring it.
“I’m tired, I’ve had a busy day, and I’m sore. I just want to have a hot shower and crawl into bed. That okay with you?” I grumble, my breath fogging the air between us.
Why the hell are we chatting in the freezing cold?
“Of course I’m okay with that.” His even tone grates on my nerves.
I decide to end this now.
I nod, making my way inside. I don’t turn around, though I feel Harvey at my back.
“You lost?” I bark, my voice echoing around the empty corridor as I make my way toward the lifts.
For a building with bare minimum that definitely should have been condemned a long time ago, it’s a little surprising that one of the lifts work. Not that I expect it won’t break down like the other two eventually, only to be ignored like all the other problems in this building.
Usually, I take the stairs just to avoid this potential issue, but I don’t have the energy tonight.
“I just want to make sure your apartment doesn’t have any surprises for you.”
I want to retort, asking if he will add this to his time card, but upon further thought, it would be nice to have him with me in case there is someone in my apartment. Safety in numbers is not a bad idea, even if it does mean I’m stuck with Harvey for a little while longer.
Besides, I have no idea when my dad wants me to do whatever the hell he wants me to do.
The ride in the lift is silent, and while I give Harvey eye contact, he seems to do his best to avoid it. I’m not sure why he’s bothered to be here if he doesn’t want to be.
Once we are in my apartment, I watch as he takes a look through my one-bedroom shithole, as he would call it, finishing his sweep in about fifteen seconds. I’m surprised when he doesn’t immediately leave afterward.
“Is there something else?” I ask.
“I … Look”—he heaves a heavy sigh—“about this morning …” When he trails off again, I only just resist tapping my foot to hurry him along.
“How about you think about what you want to say while I take a shower?” I suggest, moving first to my fridge to remove a beer that I leave on the counter in case he’s after one, and then I move into the bathroom. I’m so over today I don’t even care that I’m going to be naked in the shower one room away from Harvey.
The warm water rushing over my body helps ease some of my aches, but I don’t take my time like I normally would since I have someone waiting.
I glance down at my semi that is apparently not too tired to consider the fact that Harvey is close. I guess there is something to say for a forbidden fantasy and how sexy that can be, but I know enough about Harvey to realize he’s stubborn. If he says nothing is going to happen, then nothing is going to happen.
Therefore, I don’t reach for my bottle of soap, I don’t grab my cock to work out some of the pressure; I just ignore it and hope to hell I can collapse in bed soon and
sleep my long day off.
I realize my mistake when I step out of the shower and only have a towel to cover myself, unless I want to put my work clothes back on, which I don’t.
Trying to appear confident, I walk out of the bathroom and glance into the living room to see no sign of Harvey. Not on the couch, not at the kitchen table, and not in the kitchen.
He left?
Can I blame him? I have been a bastard since my rude awakening this morning, and I gave him nothing but attitude on our way up here. Then I took a shower rather than wait for him to spit out whatever the hell he wanted to say.
Shaking my head, I make my way into my bedroom, only to pull up short when I discover Harvey sitting on my bed, the covers over his legs as he leans against the headboard like he owns the place. His beer is mostly empty and sitting on the bedside table. His boots are on the floor beside the bed, but I don’t see any pants removed and the top of him that I do see has the shirt and jacket still on.
“Fuck, your apartment is cold. Do you not have heating?” he complains.
“You’re on my side,” I reply dumbly, not sure what is going on.
“No, this is my side. Now, while I appreciate the view, I’m not sure freezing your dick off is a good idea,” he says on a smirk.
I have to wait for my brain to catch up to this situation.
“You’re in my bed, why?” I finally manage to spit out.
“Because we need to talk and your entire apartment is shit.”
“My apartment is shit; therefore, you had to get in my bed?” I repeat just to be sure I heard him correctly. This whole situation is shit, not just my apartment.
“Are you seriously going to do this while you’re risking your dick dropping off? Get some clothes on,” he demands.
I hate that I find his bossy side attractive.
Getting turned on is messed up and not going to happen.
I turn away from him, moving to my drawers to grab a pair of boxer briefs, my warmest sweats, and fluffiest socks.
Without too much thought, I keep my back to Harvey as I drop the towel, dressing quickly more out of coldness than knowing his gaze is trained on my ass.
“Damn,” he mutters when I turn around, his eyes still transfixed where my ass just was. I have to click my fingers when he doesn’t focus his attention back on me.
“Okay, what do you want to talk about?” I ask.
His response is to roll his eyes and pull the blankets back.
My eyebrow rises at this invitation, not to mention it’s my frigging bed he’s inviting me into. Regardless, I get in because the heat from the shower is almost long gone, and if I don’t warm up in bed soon, then I will be cold all night.
I grab a couple pain meds from beside my bed, using the bottle of water I keep there to drown them down. Then I notice Harvey still has his jeans on, as well as his socks, when I pull the covers over me.
I lie flat on my back, not willing to sit up purely because I’m tired and prefer to be snuggled up under the blankets.
“Comfy?” he snorts.
I don’t bother responding.
He waits a few moments, but either he becomes impatient or he reads me well enough to know the ball is definitely in his court. “Look, I’m sorry about those women today. I didn’t know they were going to do that.”
I sigh heavily, thinking about the constant string of text messages I had to put up with from Scarlett today. “It’s not your fault. It’s fine. They were nice. Just …” I try to think of something less abrasive than harassing, pushy, nosy, or terrifying, “overshared a bit, I guess,” I concede.
“Well, then let me apologize for Sasha,” he says reluctantly.
“What do you mean? What did she do?” I try to think back over her actions. She was the most outspoken of the group, but I don’t recall her doing anything in particular that warrants a special apology.
“She wanted me to give her your phone number.”
“Oh, shit, you didn’t, did you?” I imagine another string of texts I’m going to get in the same vein as Scarlett’s.
“No. I told her to mind her own fucking business and stay out of mine.”
“Wow,” I snort, imagining that went well. “How did she take it?”
“Surprisingly well.”
“Then I’m confused. What are you apologizing for?”
He hesitates again, which doesn’t bode well. “After we spoke, she went in to see Declan. Not that uncommon, but the fact that he couldn’t look me in the eye afterward makes me think he fucked me over. And by that, I mean he got your number for her.”
“Shit,” I groan.
“And if she has it, they all have it.”
“Should I get a new number?” Except, I can’t do that. What if Dad needs to get in contact with me again? What if me not answering means Harvey gets the hit put back on him?
“I’ll have a talk with them tomorrow. Just be aware there will be some messages from the girls for you. I’ll sort it out.” His tone is reassuring.
I wish last night could have gone as planned. We could have had our fun, and then I would be cuddled up to Harvey right now, instead of having a body of space between us. I could be basking in his take charge attitude, instead of being envious of whoever will get that from him in the future.
“Is that what you wanted to talk to me about?”
He pauses for long enough that I glance up at him, wondering if he fell asleep. But he’s gazing down at me, a look in his eyes I can’t read.
“I’m sorry about last night. I wish … Well, I wish things could have been different.” He caresses my face, lightly touching my bruised cheek, not using enough pressure for it to hurt.
“My father, the ultimate cockblocker,” I state, and am rewarded when Harvey barks a laugh.
“He is.” He shifts his hand upward then combs his fingers through my hair. It feels so nice that I close my eyes, imagining I’m basking in his affection because I deserve it rather than it being a stolen moment likely to never be repeated.
“I got you something.”
I’m so surprised that I’m jolted out of my daze and straight into full wakefulness.
“What is it?”
“A watch.”
When he shows it to me, I know straight away it isn’t my thing. Not only because I don’t wear a watch, but this looks a bit like something from the nineties.
“Oh, wow … Thanks?” I unenthusiastically mutter.
“This button here”—he shows me the side—“once pressed, it will start transmitting where you are. You press it the second you are with someone you don’t trust. If you have a meeting, then make sure you turn it off if they’re scanning you. They might check you for anything giving out a signal, and you don’t want this noticed. Press it once to send out a signal, and once more to turn it off. It also transmits voices, so whatever is said in the meeting will be recorded on our end.”
“Shit,” I mutter, taking the watch from him and staring at the completely ordinary thing.
“You need to wear it always. That phone call could happen anywhere, and if you’ve left this off, then you might not have time to get to it.”
“What, even to bed?”
“Yes.” His tone is serious and unmoving. “Until this is sorted, it’s probably for the best.”
I’m not sure how comfortable sleeping with a watch on will be, but I don’t argue as I put it on, feeling weird to have the cold material wrapped around my wrist.
“Thanks,” I tell him again more sincerely, knowing this likely isn’t cheap to make, even though it looks cheap.
“You’re welcome,” he replies, watching me as I tuck myself back into the covers and get comfortable again.
We both remain silent as I feel my day weigh me down. I’m ready to sleep for a week straight.
“I was right this morning when I told you that you distract me. Last night, all I could think about was getting inside you. I should have seen those fuckers approaching me. I should ha
ve been able to defend myself against them better. I should have protected you. Instead, I was blindsided and—”
“Harvey,” I interrupt, opening my eyes again so I can look back up at him. “You’re a man, not Superman. You can’t beat yourself up. There were three of them, and out of the two of us, I was useless. I barely bruised that guy’s cheek or his shin. I froze up more than I helped.”
He is shaking his head before I’m finished. “I’m trained for this stuff. I know how to do combat. I should have—”
“Harvey!” I snap a little louder this time. “Stop. You want to blame yourself? Fine, have at it. I’m too tired to argue with you. Just know that I don’t blame you, and I doubt you’ll find anyone other than yourself who would. It happened. We lived. Time to move on.” That said, I close my eyes, half-wishing he will go back to fingering my hair. The other half hopes he will say to hell with his rules and rip his clothes off.
“Right.” He sounds uncomfortable.
I keep my eyes closed while I wait to see what else he will do. Thankfully, he goes back to caressing my hair. I hope my sigh of contentment isn’t as loud as I fear it is.
“Either way, for now, we have to keep our distance from each other. I mean, keep it professional,” he says.
I just hold in my snort. We are hardly in any sort of professional capacity right now. Nevertheless, I don’t want to ruin this or wake him up from his delusions of what the hell is happening now.
“Nix, you get me, right?”
“Sure,” I mumble, already feeling my body relaxing deeply in the mattress.
“Fuck,” Harvey mutters.
If he says more, I don’t hear it as sleep takes me.
I hope for a better day tomorrow.
***
“Mom, are you sure you should be calling me?” I ask as I make my way to my office so I can hear her over the lunch rush.
“Of course, dear. Why wouldn’t I be able to call you?” She sounds perplexed, as if she didn’t just leave the country to get away from an insane ex-husband who is the reason a hail of bullets interrupted the party she attended just a handful of nights ago.
I Broke Into His Office (Love at First Crime Book 4) Page 8