Chapter Text
The costumes for parties like this, Halloween parties full of rich lawyers and a few select clients, are usually subdued. In the hour he's been at the Pearson-Hardman Costume Ball, Harvey has counted three gangsters, four judges, one extremely tasteless attempt at levity by an associate who came as Louis Litt (seriously, Harvey screws with Louis all the time, but he doesn't impersonate him, and that's just cruel; the associate won't last the quarter, and Harvey will happily help Louis show him the door) and a couple of people in 'period' costume, the period varying. Most people just wear masks -- plain half-face masks, carnivale masks, decorative cat's eye masks on the women -- and formal attire.
Harvey, as with most of the senior partners, has a reputation to uphold and has come as himself. Nobody scarier than Harvey Specter in a tux, after all.
He's been monitoring the crowd, networking a little, nursing a drink. As the newest senior partner, it's an implicit duty of his to make sure nothing gets out of hand. He's already confiscated fake-Louis's buck teeth (what the hell) and gently taken care of a junior partner who can't hold his booze, lifting his car keys and telling him to get some fresh air. So far there has been no repeat of the Grope Incident of 2003, but possibly that's because Donna (not the gropee) broke the guy's nose on behalf of Julie (paralegal, gropee) and the story circulates yearly round about October 28th.
Mostly, though, Harvey's been watching two things: the door, because he ordered Mike to be here on pain of pain, and the incredible legs on the woman in the gorgeous red dress.
The dress is almost indecently short for an affair like this, sleeveless, high-collared and tight, and the woman wearing it is unfamiliar to him, though he thinks he's seen her somewhere before. She's wearing a matching red domino mask and has already made Louis spill his drink. And now she's coming this way.
Harvey is an enlightened modern-day man and he would never treat a woman as anything less than a whole person like himself but when she leans on the bar and orders a martini he has to admit to three or four seconds spent contemplating her ass. It's an ass worth contemplation.
"I don't think we've been introduced," he says, while she waits for her martini. He offers his hand. "Harvey Specter, senior partner."
She glances at it and grins, a weirdly knowing grin. Her voice is throaty, amused. "Rose Selavy, guest."
"Rose," he repeats, smiles, lets his hand drift away without embarrassment. "You're here with one of our staff?"
"Mm -- in fact, he's waiting for me," she says. "Do you know Mike Ross? Probably not, he's only an associate..."
Harvey does not do double-takes. Or gape. But he does let his smile freeze for just a second. "I didn't know Mike was here. Or that he had such stunning taste," he adds.
"He's full of surprises," Rose says, and accepts her martini from the bartender. "See you around, Mr. Specter."
She disappears into the crowd before he can follow her -- not that he would ever chase a woman across a crowded reception room, but because he genuinely didn't see Mike arrive and wants to a) introduce him to some people and b) subtly find out where he found Rose Selavy, because damn.
"I wouldn't," a voice says in his ear. He doesn't even turn.
"Of course you wouldn't," he replies. He can see Rose's short mess of ash-blonde hair bobbing through the party. "You still care about peoples' feelings."
Donna laughs and leans on his shoulder, tipping back the hockey mask she's wearing. "Thank you for not going for the 'straight chick' remark."
"Even if I were a woman," Harvey says, "I'd rethink my heterosexuality for her."
Donna bites her lip. "You're still trying to sell the hetero thing? You're adorable, Harvey."
"So I keep telling everyone."
"I'm warning you now, if you hit on Mike's date, you'll never hear the end of it from him."
"You don't think I could talk her around to an upgrade?"
"Have fun," Donna remarks, pats his chest, and walks away laughing.
He circulates, watches, talks, slaps backs, shakes hands, does what he does at parties like this; he definitely is not monitoring the lovely Rose, and now that he has confirmation that Mike is at least somewhere in the party he doesn't have to keep an eye on the door. He is, in fact, completing a circuit of the room, subtly looking for Mike (if he wore a Batman mask Harvey will make his life miserable) when he finds Jessica talking to Rose, the two of them laughing together.
"Jessica," he says, beaming. "I see you've met Rose."
Jessica arches an eyebrow at him. "Harvey. All quiet?"
"Seems that way. Though I was looking for Mike. Have you seen him?" he asks Rose, and there's an odd noise from Jessica. Rose is wearing gold shadow under the red mask; it sets off her blue eyes, compliments her hair. He notices distractedly that she's as tall as Jessica; he noticed her heels earlier, cherry-red and smooth, and wonders how they'd look tipped over on his bedroom rug.
"He just went past -- that way, I think," Rose says, gesturing gracefully off to the left. "You're not going to make him work tonight, are you, Mr. Specter?"
"Just being a good mentor," Harvey answers, with a pointed look at Jessica.
"Sure you are," Jessica murmurs. What is with everyone tonight? "Go, find your lost puppy."
There's a giggle from Rose as Harvey drifts away; Jessica says something quietly, and then both women laugh again. It's extremely unsettling.
People are drinking and dancing, and Harvey takes Ms. Hendricks out on the floor for a waltz. She's about a thousand years old and one of the company's best clients and she loves a good time, plus she's not a bad dancer. Mr. Hendricks jokes about Harvey stealing her; Harvey gallantly offers to take Mr. Hendricks for the tango, and they laugh and have another drink and --
He's just moving away from Mr. Hendricks when he sees Rose again, a bright red dot amongst dark suits. Greg and Kyle, both wearing hideous zoot suits (zoot suits are fine in their place; ugly ones are a sin) have boxed her in at the bar, though she looks like she's holding her own. Elbows back on the bar, legs crossed at the ankle, she's smiling at them like she knows she could destroy them with a well-turned word. A few more male associates have drifted over, though, and slowly a knot is forming. It's caught the attention of Mike's friend Rachel, too -- Harvey can hear her voice, not far away. "...Mike's date?"
"Oh, she's a sweetheart." And that's Norma.
"No, I know. I ran into her outside the women's room, she seems nice. I just figured Mike for the kind to go stag. You know how he always has to be just like Harvey."
"Bringing her, I bet it was his try," a male voice, someone Harvey doesn't know.
"Well, he better stop neglecting her, or Greg's going to make a move," Rachel says. Harvey has noticed that too -- Greg's drifting perilously close, and Kyle's giving him the stinkeye for it. One of the other associates hands Rose a flute of champagne.
Harvey decides, in his role as informal bouncer, that the not-Mike associates should be put in their place, and moves through the crowd towards them. Greg sees him coming and backs off. Kyle...doesn't. The others part like a wave before Harvey.
"Mr. Specter," Rose says, a smile lighting her face. "Come to join the Associate's Club? We were just discussing..." she glances at Kyle, who's looking like a deer in the headlights.
"Torts," Kyle stammers.
"Well, it's sweet that you're trying to impress a girl with lawyer geek talk," Harvey drawls. "Rose, Mike asked if I'd come get you."
She smiles knowingly. "He didn't," she says, but she slides off the stool (holy shit, that's the hottest thing he's ever seen) and takes his arm. "Sorry, boys," she adds over her shoulder, as he escorts her away.
"I didn't need saving, you know," she tells him, when they're a safe distance off and oh look, coincidentally, in a quiet dark corner.
"Indulge me," he says.
"Request or demand?" she asks, tilting her head. "Did you find Mike?"
"Not yet. Looks like he hasn't found you, either."
"Oh, I can entertain myself."
"Now why would you want to do that?" he murmurs with his best shy-boy smile. "After all, you have a senior partner more than willing to help."
She raises one delicate eyebrow. "Was that a pass, Mr. Specter?"
"I would never make a pass at another man's date," he says. "Unless he was neglecting her like Mike seems to be doing."
"You're unbelievable, Harvey," she says, resting a hand on his arm.
"Want to find out?" he asks.
"No, I mean it," she says, and she's reaching up for her mask. "You're really unbelievable," she continues, but her voice is -- different -- and the mask is coming off and with it her hair...
Harvey doesn't stare, except when he does. Because under the mask the face is still only half-familiar but under the wig there's dark, brushed-down hair, almost buzz-cut short, mussed from the wig's removal.
Much like Mike's hair looks when he takes his bike helmet off in the morning.
"I can't believe you just tried to get my date into bed with you," Mike says. "You are a shameless slut, Harvey."
Harvey's still staring, but he can't let an associate get away with that. "I'm a perfect gentleman," he manages.
"And that's why you've been checking out my ass all night?" Mike's, oh God, his perfectly manicured eyebrows both raise. "You would have been in for a hell of a surprise if you tried to cop a feel."
"What in your experience makes you think I feel up strange women without their permission?"
"Well, I've never been a strange woman before, I don't know what the patented Harvey Specter one-night-stand moves are," Mike retorts.
"Has anyone ever told you you're beautiful when you're angry?" Harvey asks, and that shocks Mike back so much they just stand there, staring at each other, until Mike breaks down into laughter.
"Oh my God," he groans, leaning back against a wall. Harvey's in front of him, and they're a good distance from the real party; he doesn't even think anyone has noticed Mike's transformation. "These high heels were totally worth the hours of pain just to see your face. I'm never going to walk fast around Donna or Rachel again. Also I am seriously feeling constricted in places I don't want to mention."
"The effect pays off," Harvey offers.
"Thanks. I told you I had soft features. Oh man, did you see Greg and Kyle? What sleazeballs. As if," Mike adds in Rose's exquisite husky tones.
"Donna knew, huh?"
"She helped me buy the shoes. And the gaff. Donna knows everything," Mike says, half awestruck, half-confused.
"And Jessica?"
"She's just way too detail-oriented," Mike sighed. "She totally made me, even with the mask. So did Louis, weirdly."
"Louis figured you out and I didn't? Now I'm just humiliated."
"He told me I was working it like a queen," Mike said. "I took it as a compliment. I don't think anyone else has noticed, though. What do you think, should I ditch the wig and go ask Kyle if he still wants to buy me a drink?"