She had only ever been late to work once the entire time she'd worked for Harvey. It was the day after the elusive, never mentioned 'other time'. She'd woken up with the worst hangover of her life and the dull throb of humiliation and regret in her chest.

Being half an hour late had been a strategic move. Donna had risked it only because she knew Harvey's morning was free until his 8:30 meeting with a client and she was ahead of her workload. It had of course backfired because Harvey apparently had the same thought as her and they both arrived thirty minutes later than usual, meeting each other at the elevators at the exact same time.

Today she was not hung over or suffering the sting of rejection or a damaged ego, but had slept through her alarm for the first time since high school. Donna had been exhausted the past few days, running on minimal hours of sleep and an insufficient amount of caffeine. Even Harvey had noticed her sleep deprivation. There was little he could do, because she was bearing the brunt of his own very hectic case load, and he was buried under as much paperwork as she was. Though he threw her a subtle look of sympathy any time he caught her tired eyes through his glass office doors.

Mike had additionally brought her an extra triple, non-fat mocha latte the past few mornings. She had almost hugged the kid for his thoughtfulness.

Donna had planned to rise earlier than usual because she had several weeks' worth of dry cleaning to pick up and was determined to buy her own triple, non-fat mocha latte in addition to the one Mike would bring for her.

Instead she was frantically running around her apartment in her underwear in search of anything remotely office-appropriate. Donna hated this feeling; the unease of being so scattered and unorganised. It didn't suit her. She flicked through the clothes in her closet, groaning each time she came up empty.

She was five seconds away from wearing jeans to work when an old dress caught her eye. She must have worn it in college because it was about three inches too short and almost indecently low-cut. There was a small tear where the strap met the front, but it was all she had. Thank god it was black and not something too bold.

When she slipped it over her head and caught a glimpse of her figure in the mirror, she decided it could have been worse. Okay, it dipped very low down her cleavage and was a little tight around her ass but honestly, she'd seen Jessica dress in more outrageous outfits. She threw her bag over her shoulder, slipped on her heels and made a hasty exit, praying she wouldn't be any more than twenty minutes late.

Mike Ross struggled to keep his eyes from fluttering closed as he willed himself to review the briefs Louis wanted within an hour. He'd all but slept in the office and both he and his rumpled suit were broadcasting that fact. He wished not for the first time that morning that he'd taken Harvey's advice and kept a spare razor in his desk drawer. Or an extra suit. Music blared in his ears, forcing him to stay awake. He had about fifteen minutes to finish the briefs before Harvey would expect him in his office. His eyes began to glaze over again when his phone vibrated in his pocket.

"Mike Ross."

"Mike, get in here."

"Harvey, can it wait ten minutes? I'm just finishing something for Louis."

"Mike, who's associate are you?"

"Oh Harvey, no need to get jealous, I'm a one senior partner kind of guy."

"Don't get cute, just get in my office. I don't care what Louis wants you to do for him," he said before the line abruptly cut.

"Hard ass," Mike muttered at his phone. Feeling only slightly guilty for abandoning Louis' briefs, Mike made a quick exit from the bullpen.

Mike strode up the hallway of the fiftieth floor, finally more alert now that he wasn't staring at an endless stack of dull briefs. He cursed himself then because he'd forgotten to fetch Donna her favourite coffee. It was a lot easier to remain on the woman's good side (or her better side as she preferred to call it) by aiding her in her caffeine addiction. However instead of being met by her presence, all Mike found was an empty cubicle. He panicked briefly that the apocalypse was looming because Donna was never late. He told Harvey as much when he stepped into his office.

"She'll be here, but that's not your concern. I've got another pro bono case for you."

"You mean you've got another case Jessica assigned you that you're pawning off on me?"

"Is there a reason why you're being such a smart ass this morning?" Harvey countered.

His tone was actually rather biting and it gave Mike pause.

"Wow, it's really disconcerting for you when she's late."

Harvey's head snapped up from his computer screen. He glared at Mike while the associate gave him a scrutinizing gaze.

"It is not disconcerting."

"Then you're frazzled?"

"I really don't like to use that word."

"But you're somewhat fazed by it?"

Harvey rolled his eyes and let out an annoyed groan. "Mike, when are you gonna learn that New York City's best closer is never fazed, frazzled or disconcerted by anything?"

Donna rushed into Harvey's office lacking only a fraction of her usual grace.

"Harvey, I'm sorry I'm late this morning…"

He barely her words though because New York City's best closer sat in his chair, struggling to keep his tongue from falling out of his mouth and his eyes from bulging out of their sockets.

If he'd taken a look at his associate he would have seen an image not dissimilar to his own. Mike was nowhere near as unflappable as Harvey so he barely stood a chance at recovering from his shocked expression.

Harvey took in every inch of her and the very familiar dress she was in, knowing immediately that he was in trouble.

The dress was black, dipping dangerously low in the front and rising dangerously high above the knee. It seemed moulded to her, designed to hug every curve of hers that he'd steadfastly ignored since she became his assistant. And today she was making that extremely difficult.

Donna continued to speak, oblivious to Mike's slack-jawed face behind her and too flustered to notice the clench in Harvey's jaw and his widened eyes. Harvey nodded dumbly at Donna, uncharacteristically speechless before he recovered his voice.

"You're tired, don't worry about it. I'd rather have you not fall asleep at your desk."

With a curt nod and a playful smile on her lips, Donna slipped from Harvey's office, closing the door behind her.

Harvey gruellingly tore his eyes from his assistant and made a conscious effort to concentrate his attention on his associate, who was gaping like a codfish.

"MIKE!"

"Ah! I wasn't, um, yes?"

"What do you think you're doing?"

"Going home to take a cold shower."

"Excuse me?"

"Wow that was offensive," he said as his eyes continued to trace Donna's form behind her desk. Harvey strode over to his associate and clapped his hands loudly in his face.

"Sorry," Mike said sheepishly.

"Stop ogling Donna and get back to work."

"Uh, you haven't given me my case yet?"

"Right. Pro bono, housing dispute. Try not to lose this one," he teased, handing Mike the file. Mike opened it, scanning its contents, unconsciously committing every line to memory.

"Harvey?"

"What?"

"This is a wrongful termination suit."

Harvey's brow knitted together, before unfurrowing. "That's what I said."

Mike gave him a knowing smile. "Oh yeah, never fazed, frazzled or disconcerted."

Harvey spent the remainder of the morning trying to get a hold of himself, though Donna was thwarting his every attempt each time she walked, no, barged, into his office. He didn't usually mind her coming in, asking him to sign a contract or to remind him about some meeting, but the woman was seriously driving him crazy.

She was currently reaching for a document, stretched out across his desk and offering him an unobstructed view of…well every inch of her. He was slowly losing it and she seemed to be completely oblivious to the effect she was having on him.

Mike however, was not, and was clearly amused by the scene before him. The associate had to bite into his fist to quell his bubbling laughter.

Harvey glared at him over the top of Donna, fully prepared to wipe the smirk off his face.

Donna straightened up from Harvey's desk, giving Mike a hard glare.

"Are you having some sort of stroke?"

Mike at least had the decency to look guilty.

"Just sleep deprived. I'm about an hour away from complete delirium."

Harvey looked up at Donna innocently, "Donna can you give us a few minutes?"

She smirked at him. "Does Mike need to be scolded?" She looked down at the associate and mockingly fluttered her eyelids, "Because I'd be happy to do that for you."

Mike gaped at her, muttering something along the lines of 'sexy school teacher'. Donna rolled her eyes before leaving Harvey's office once more.

"That's enough of your twisted fantasies," He half-scolded.

"Mine? You've got to be kidding! You give new meaning to the term 'undressing someone with your eyes'."

Harvey scoffed at him and Mike scoffed right back.

"Even I'm not that obvious," Mike said.

"Oh please. Your jaw practically hit the floor the minute she walked in here."

"Can you blame me?! I'm not used to seeing her dressed like that! Believe me, I feel very strange about it all."

"You sound like a confused teenager who's only just realised that girls don't have cooties," Harvey laughed.

"Why aren't you as weirded out as I am?"

"I have eyes, Mike," he deadpanned.

Mike smirked, studying his boss' expression.

"Is this you admitting that you think Donna is hot?"

"Hold on –"

"Don't try to backpedal now, especially after that display."

"Will you stop?"

"Whoa, does this feel creepy. It's like growing up and discovering that your parents have sex."

"Are you finished?"

Mike scrunched up his nose, half disgusted, half mortified. "Absolutely."

Rachel decided for a change to take advantage of her one hour lunch break and spend it with Donna. She'd been mildly serious when she suggested they go to a bar and make lunch hour their very own 'happy hour'.

"Wow, you really do need a drink," Donna had said when Rachel arrived at her desk.

"I've been here since seven and somehow Louis roped me into doing work he usually reserves for the associates. Although it's almost sweet that he sometimes thinks of me as a lawyer."

Donna still perched at her desk, looked up from her computer screen.

"Actually I think he may have just pawned off the work that he'd left for Mike."

Rachel crossed her arms, clearly annoyed. "Let me guess, Harvey summoned him and he immediately came running?"

Donna smirked. "Pretty much. Bastard forgot my coffee too."

"Where is he now anyway?" she asked, trying to sound casual.

Donna nodded towards Harvey's office. "He's been in there all morning."

Both women caught Mike's eyes, noting that he'd been staring in their direction. His attention quickly reverted back to staring at the files in front of him.

Rachel looked to Donna. "That was odd."

"He's been acting strange all morning," she agreed as she stood up from her cubicle. Rachel's eyes widened as she took in Donna's appearance. "Gee, I can't imagine why."

Donna followed Rachel's gaze, before giving her a disbelieving look.

"Oh come on Rachel, he's not some horny teenager. I'm sure he has a little self-control."

"Donna, I've seen him give me that look a dozen times."

She let out a laugh, "I don't doubt that."

"Don't look now," Rachel whispered, "But Harvey is giving you the same one."

Donna scoffed, "Harvey definitely has more self control than that."

"I'm not kidding."

She snuck a brief glance at Harvey, who suddenly looked fascinated by his keyboard.

"Maybe I should have just worn the jeans."

He may have been back in Harvey's good graces, but Louis still reserved the right to be pissed off when Mike shirked his commitments to Louis in favour of Harvey Spector. This is precisely what he had planned to say to Donna when he reached her desk, only to be completely gobsmacked by the sheer beauty of the woman. Louis respected women, especially Donna, but it was suddenly all too hard to breathe in her presence.

"My face is a couple inches higher, Louis."

Donna had to school her expression to keep from laughing at Louis' obvious discomfort at having been caught mid-leer. He'd been looming over her cubicle thirty seconds longer than necessary.

"Actually Donna, I was merely confirming that what you are wearing isn't an appropriate sartorial choice for the office," he attempted to cover himself.

Putting her acting prowess to good use, Donna burst into a flurry of hot tears and gut wrenching sobs. Louis' face quickly warped from guilty and embarrassed to entirely terrified.

"Oh shit, it's happening again."

"I try, you know? It is so hard to make it in a man's world, and then you go and make it worse by objectifying me," she continued to sob, "First as some cheap secretary that can just be exchanged at a moment's notice and now, now you're practically calling me a whore…"

"Oh, god, Donna, no! You know I hold you in the highest regard, really I do!" Louis opened and closed his mouth several times before swearing and fleeing the scene as fast as humanly possible. Donna waited several seconds before letting a wide grin stretch over her features.

"That was beyond impressive," Harvey said proudly over the intercom.

She swivelled in her chair to meet his gaze. He gave her a flirty wink that she happily returned. "I keep telling you that my talents are wasted here."

"I'll never doubt you again," he said earnestly.

Donna playfully flipped her hair as she stood, then sauntered into Harvey's office.

"Oh, and tell your associate to stop checking out my ass."

"I tried. That dress is causing all kind of problems Paulsen."

"If my boss wasn't such a hard-ass I might have had time to pick up all my office-appropriate wear from the dry cleaners."

Harvey smirked at her. "Your boss sounds like a dick."

She nodded in mock seriousness. "That is the general consensus."

Harvey gestured to the offending dress, "You know that thing is wildly distracting to my associate. I practically had to kick him out of my office this afternoon."

"You sure it's only Mike who's distracted?" she asked teasingly.

"Louis too."

"Louis always did want to steal me away from you."

"I don't know, 'Donna's Bitch' doesn't quite have the same ring to it."

"Plus, you've already claimed that title."

He let out a loud laugh, then stood up and circled his desk until he was leaning in front of it, his faces mere inches from hers.

He swore he could smell the shampoo she'd used that morning, could count every freckle on her shoulder. Her smile wavered only slightly as his eyes bored into hers.

"I've seen this dress before."

Donna shook her head, "Impossible, I haven't worn it since I was in college."

"Trust me. That tear," he pointed at the few loose threads on the left strap, "I did that."

"What?"

"The other time," he gently reminded her.

Realisation washed over her face and she suddenly felt hot. She looked at Harvey's very smug, very proud face.

"Okay, try not to let your ego over-inflate." Donna left his office then, all too conscious of his stare, but with a smile teasing the corner of her lips.