Author's Note: Written because there is not one Jessica/Harvey story out there. Am I the only one who sees potential there? Anyway, it’s for my own guilty pleasure, but I thought maybe you’d enjoy it too! The story takes place in Season 1 episode 1 and 2. The first part and dialogue are taken directly from the show!
Summary: Harvey does not want to work the pro bono and passes it off to Mike. He goes against Jessica’s explicit orders and she is far from pleased.
Disclaimer : I don’t own any of these characters, and I’m not making any money from this story.
Warnings : spanking of an adult. I do not advocate this behaviour in real life, only in fiction.

Pro Bono Sucks

Walking side by side with Mike down the corridor, he couldn’t help but gloat a bit about his brilliant idea to pawn off the case to the younger man. He definitely had more important clients and better things to do with his precious time – and Jessica should be well aware of that fact! Nevertheless, it was best to keep his shady actions to himself. Jessica would be appeased and happy, he’d get his promotion, and most importantly Jessica would be none-the-wiser about his blatant defying of her wishes. Because if there was one thing Harvey had learned over the years, it was to never piss off Jessica – or at the very least to never get caught.

“Harvey. What a coincidence.” Jessica stepped out of her office in a way that showed that her appearance was not by any means a coincidence. He didn’t let himself be rattled though and took a sip of his coffee. It was exactly the way he liked it – Donna was a blessing. Of course Mike vanished instantly at the first whiff of Jessica, but he couldn’t and wouldn’t be bothered by it. He needed his poker face firmly in place now. “I was wondering how the pro bono was coming?”

“I’m all over it,” he assured her with his trademark smirk, oozing self-confidence and brilliance.

“That makes me very happy,” she said, a smile around her lips that sent a shiver down his spine. He valiantly fought it off. “Because if I were to find out that you weren’t putting in your full effort, I’d be very upset.”

“No worries,” he told her, smirk firmly in place. “We’re all good.” Then he continued down the hallway. There was no way Jessica was going to find out about his actions.

A few days later, he had almost forgotten about his short conversation with Jessica, when the woman in question approached his office late in the evening. He hadn't known that she hadn't left for home yet, and was unpleasantly surprised to see her. He didn’t let it show, of course.

He watched Jessica walking with swift steps towards his office and he’d be lying if he said that that didn’t put his stomach in all kinds of knots. There were very, very few people who managed to make him queasy, but Jessica Pearson was without doubt one of them. She stepped into the room as Mike held the door for her before he disappeared immediately.

“Harvey. How’s the pro bono going?”

“Great,” he said with his usual confidence, rising from his seat. He didn’t know whether he did so because it was the respectful thing to do, or because Jessica staring down at him did absolutely nothing to calm his nerves. “I just talked a witness into testifying.”

“Really?” she said, voice dripping with disbelief, one hand moving to her hip. He vehemently fought the urge to squirm. She didn’t know that he had pawned the case off to Mike and she had no proof for her suspicions. He was safe. “What’s the witness’s name?”

He’d never admit it, but he blanked for a short moment, eyes dropping to his desk, before he gathered his wits again. He never got to utter a single word though, before she continued.

“I’m not an idiot. Don’t treat me like one. – You pawned off the case.” His gut twisted unpleasantly at her candid words and the disappointment they oozed. He hated letting her down and he couldn’t stand her anger. She was the only person whose opinion mattered to him – that didn’t stop the occasional bout of disobedience or disagreement though.

“Jessica, I’ve got higher profile cases and…”

“May I remind you that when we first met, you were a screw-up?” she interrupted him immediately and he clamped his mouth shut with a huff, as his stomach roiled with guilt. He absolutely loathed the feeling, but now it was there and Jessica’s stern face was not helping in chasing it away again. “I gave you a shot at the mail room, led you up the ranks and then paid for you to go to Harvard, where by the way you jerked off the entire time you were there. And I still hired you.”

“And you benefitted from that ever since,” he argued in accordance to ‘offence is the best defence’, hand waving agitatedly to the side. His not-quite-an-apology seemed to have made it worse, and he regretted that he could never keep his mouth shut in situations like these. He needed to do some damage control – and fast. “Look, I closed the Dokery case, okay? And-”

“You made a promise to me,” she interrupted him again and he couldn’t help but look down in a rare display of momentary defeat, before jerking his head back up. “You broke it. And then you lied to my face.” His treacherous eyes flicked to the left, breaking eye contact for a second before he could force them back. Jessica did not fancy being lied to. “So let me be clear. This isn’t professional. This is personal.” He swallowed thickly, stomach clenching in nervous anticipation. “And I’ll tell you something else: you made your bed, you better goddamn win.” She turned without waiting for a reply. He knew she didn’t want or need one. “My place. One hour.”

His stomach lurched, breath catching in his throat. There was sweat pooling at the nape of his neck all of a sudden and his hands felt unusually clammy. But before he was given a chance to get out even one word, much less protest, Jessica had left. He could only stare at her retreating back, because he would not make a fool of himself by calling after her – even if there was no-one left to witness. He took a deep breath to calm his jiggling nerves and ran a hand through his hair.

He had one hour to formulate his defence. Definitely more time than he needed. Harvey Specter could think on the spot, baffle his opponent with his wit and lash him with his sharp tongue.

Too bad he had learned all that from her.

The remaining hour passed incredibly slowly and yet way too fast, and much too soon Harvey found himself standing in front of Jessica’s door, conjuring up the courage to finally knock. His defence fell short of expectations and he knew it. There was nothing he had to offer to gain her sympathy or explain away his actions and his butt clenched in nervous anticipation. He checked his watch again, noting with growing despair that he had exactly one minute and forty-three seconds to get in there or risk making it so much worse.

Forty-two.

Forty-one.

He adjusted his cufflinks and cleared his throat. Jessica would not put him out of his misery. She’d wait behind the closed door until he knocked – even if it took him hours. Experience had taught him one thing though: it was best not to keep her waiting for too long – especially if she’d given him a deadline.

He glanced at his watch again. One minute and nineteen seconds. It would be best to get it over with.

With another deep breath, he raised his hand and rapped his knuckles against the wood with as much confidence as he could muster. It took only a few moments until he was able to make out Jessica’s soft footsteps. Two more shallow breaths and the door finally opened.

Jessica had ditched her high heels in favour of elegant slippers, he noticed immediately, and changed out of her business suit into more casual clothes. She looked comfortable and at ease – a stark contrast to her appearance at the office but not the least less intimidating. Harvey suddenly wished that he’d changed clothes too, or at least opened the top button of his dress shirt and ditched the tie. The stiff collar was chafing and felt awfully constricting.

The suit gave him confidence though. Usually. Not so much now. And who was he trying to kid anyway? Jessica could certainly look right through him.

“Harvey,” she greeted him and he nodded in reply not trusting his voice to speak. She stepped aside, motioning him inside with a flick of her head. He complied quickly, memory flashes of another time where he had started arguing in the hallway urging him inside. The door closed with a soft click behind him.

“We’ll talk in my office.” Of course they would. Every time he had been ordered to her home because of some misstep, they had talked in her office. Actually he had never set foot in the room when he hadn’t been in trouble. Jessica was all for consistency. They stepped into the cosy room. A stark contrast to her work office. Here it was all deep rich woods and sturdy tabletops; shelves filled with books – novels, travel guides, autobiographies, knick-knack.

Jessica sat down at her desk. She sat, he stood. It was always like that. Consistency. He had long ago formed the theory that she liked to keep him on his toes in these situations – make it harder for him to remain still. Not to squirm and fidget and shift his weight from foot to foot. And boy, was it a struggle! She had never explained her reasons and he had never asked. To be perfectly honest he’d always had more pressing matters on his mind. But it was obvious.

“Do we need to talk about the reasons that landed you here?” she asked, perfectly poised as she leant back in her chair.

“No,” he replied, because he knew that she expected a verbal response. His eyes flicked up to her face trying to gauge her mood. It was not reassuring. But he’d known that the moment she’d called him out at the office. “I’m sorry for lying to you. – I don’t like pro bono work.”

“I know that. – It does not excuse your behaviour. – After everything I did for you – putting you through law school, your promotion – you still could not do this small thing because I asked you to. – Instead you went behind my back. You did the exact opposite of what I told you to do. And then you had the audacity to lie to me.”

“I’m sorry.” He fiddled with his cuff links before shoving his hands deep in his pockets, keeping his eyes firmly on the edge of the desk. He couldn’t help but feel like a recalcitrant schoolboy in the principal’s office.

“I’m disappointed by your behaviour, Harvey.” His heart constricted painfully. He never wanted to disappoint her. She’d done so much for him. And yet he did. Because he couldn’t swallow his pride and take one damn pro bono case. Because he thought he could outwit her.

“How many times have we dealt with you lying to or keeping things from me? Or going behind my back?”

“I don’t know,” he said, dejected. “A lot.”

“That’s right. A lot. – And still we’re here again.” She rose from her seat. “You know what to expect.” She opened a desk drawer and pulled out a ruler that as far as Harvey could tell had never been used for its original purpose and his butt clenched in uncomfortable anticipation.

“Jessica,” he started, because if there ever was a time to start pleading, it was now. Even the great Harvey Specter wasn’t above pleading in these situations.

“No.” She shook her head and stepped around the desk. “There is no excuse, Harvey. You knew what to expect. – Drop your slacks.” His jaw tightened. He had at least hoped to remain fully dressed for the ordeal.

“Don’t you think that’s a bit much?” he asked, trying for a condescending smile that she probably saw right through.

“Do you really think now’s the time to give me attitude?” she asked with a raised eyebrow, never losing her calm. It was both reassuring and infuriating at the same time. With a final glower in her direction, he quickly discarded his jacket and loosened his tie and collar for good measure, before starting on his belt and fly. He should feel embarrassed about stripping in front of Jessica, and he did – partly at least. But to be perfectly honest there really wasn’t anything she hadn't seen before. All thanks to a neglected flu that had turned into pneumonia and a rather memorable faint right in front of her office. The ensuing trip to a private doctor and the enforced strict bed rest – all supervised by Jessica herself – had done the rest. Not to mention that unfortunately it wasn’t the first time he was ordered to drop his pants for his upcoming punishment.

He bent over the desk, steeling himself for what was to come. Out of habit his eyes focussed on one particular set of books on a shelf behind Jessica’s desk and directly in his line of sight. He was unsettlingly familiar with the spines of the books. She stepped to his side, flicked his shirt tails up and put her hand on the small of his back. He tensed visibly, jaw clenched firmly shut to keep any sounds inside.

“You do not lie to me,” she said and snapped the ruler down on his backside. He swallowed his grunt of surprise with some difficulty but couldn’t supress the violent twitch. The first slap was quickly followed by a second and a third. He balled his hands into fists and pressed one of them to his mouth. Another smack caught the crease where butt met thigh and his left leg jerked in response. Unfortunately Jessica knew exactly what she was doing. She had ample experience – with him and with that damn ruler. Another sharp slap and he was given a small reprieve. He didn’t get his hopes up though; they were far from finished.

“You do not go behind my back.” And it continued. This time a small groan of pain escaped him before he clamped his mouth shut again. He squeezed his eyes shut, concentrating on breathing regularly. He was disturbingly familiar with every nick and cranny in the desk’s surface anyway. Four more smacks followed in quick succession, then another reprieve.

“Do not let your arrogance ruin your future, Harvey,” she lectured. “I will not allow it.” The pressure on his back increased – never a good sign. And Jessica didn’t disappoint. The ruler descended again in a powerful wallop and this time there was no holding back the pained groan.

“Jessica,” he tried but was interrupted by a slap to the top of his thighs that demanded his full attention. He yelped. Loudly. And his hands itched to reach back and cover his backside. He trapped them between his chest and the desk to keep them out of harm’s way.

“I really hope you remember this when you sit down tomorrow and actually work on that pro bono.” If she seriously thought that he would do any sitting that could be avoided tomorrow, she was sadly mistaken.

“I will!” he agreed nonetheless. “I’m sorry for lying!”

“You always are. And still you think you're cleverer than me every time.” It was true, sadly. His bullheadedness had always got him in trouble.

“I’ll work the pro bono!” he yelled desperately as she continued to thrash him soundly.

“Of course you will. This is solely to remind you that you do not lie to me.” He shifted his weight around, even going up on his toes, but it didn’t help. Tears were prickling at the back of his eyes and he hoped he could keep them at bay.

“Jessica, please. I won’t lie to you again,” he pleaded, and didn’t miss the irony in this statement. He was lying to her right now – about Mike and his law degree.

“I do hope so.” She landed another powerful whack and then stepped back. “All done.” She patted his back twice and he awkwardly rose from his prone position, wiping his face and bending swiftly to pull up his pants. She busied herself putting the ruler back in its drawer and turned back once he’d fixed his clothes. He cleared his throat awkwardly, shuffling his feet. It stung!

“I hate doing that,” she said, cupping his cheek in comfort.

“You hide it well.” He leant slightly into her touch and she chuckled, stroking her thumb over his cheekbone before following it with a scolding tap. “I’m sorry,” he added.

“It’s forgotten and dealt with,” she assured him and he nodded. “Chinese?”

“Sure. You’re paying. I’ll have the usual.” He shifted from foot to foot again. “I’ll just wash up quickly.”

She waved him out of the room with a soft smile.

“I’ll order.”

The End