Page 38 of Untouchable

“I mean, I barely know him,” Parker mumbles. “I don’t—I mean, it’s not like—I can’t—even if he—I—”

He trails off and scrubs his free hand over his face.

“I can’t like him,” he says finally. “He’s my client, and—”

Mindy rolls her eyes.

“Whatever,” she says. “There’s a little bit of paperwork, and then you’re fine. But—just—be careful, okay? You fall really hard, really fast for people and—like, you’re pretty googly-eyed already, you know?”

Parker glances down, blushing.

“I know,” he says softly. “I… I can’t help it.”

“Hey,” she says, and when he lifts his gaze again, she’s smiling. “It’s not a bad thing. It was just really hard to see you so fucked up over Cole.”

She squeezes his hand once more before dropping it.

“But, for the record,” she says seriously, “any guy would be lucky to have you. In his heart, and on his dick.”

Parker bursts out laughing.

“Stop it,” he says with a broad smile. He leans across the desk and pecks her on the cheek.

“You’re the best, Mindy,” he says with a broad smile. “I love you.”

* * *

Harp has duckedinto the little bathroom around the corner from the exit after he's dressed, wanting to wash his hands and make sure in the mirror that he's buttoned the right buttons, zipped his fly.

It's not because he thinks he might see Parker on the way out.

Harp turns off the noisy bathroom fan when he's done and is straightening his collar in the mirror when he hears Parker laughing through the door. He laughs high and clear and hard—harder than he's ever laughed at any joke Harp has made—a sound Harp has never heard before, like someone has said something uproarious. It's untroubled and bright, and unlike some laughs, there's no mistaking it as anything cruel.

Harp wonders who made him laugh so hard and strains to eavesdrop through the locked door.

There's a second voice, low and full of innuendo or amusement and then Parker laughs again. It must be the receptionist—the one he brought food to, Harp guesses.

Harp steps out when he realizes what he's doing. Whoever Parker's talking to, they're not having a conversation meant for him.

He rounds the corner just in time to see Parker kiss the receptionist on the cheek.

Of course, Harp realizes. This is his girlfriend.

And the Barbie to Parker's Ken isperfect.

Their chemistry is almost electric now that Harp sees it for the first time, and they seem to take any excuse to touch each other.

It has nothing to do with him, of course, this intimate moment between two people who obviously care about each other. It doesn't include Harp and it shouldn't. It certainly shouldn't move him. It shouldn't make him feel anything because it's just a random fact.

Still, an unnamed little house of cards in Harp's chest collapses as Parker turns and sees him approach.

* * *

Harp has a strange,closed look on his face, and it reminds Parker of the first day he met Harp—but at least this time he doesn’t have an axe.

“Hey,” he says, with his most professional voice and smile—if only to prove to Mindy that, yes, he could control himself. “How did it go?”

"Not bad. Think you were right. It'll help," Harp says. His smile looks forced as he nods at Mindy and then steps past. "See you Thursday."

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