Hey Folks! Sorry for the delay in this update, but I think you will be happy with it. Let me know. Please R&R if so moved. We have a little ways to go before this one ends. Thank you so much for all the favoriting and following and reviewing. As always Love - Carebearmaxi.

The Boxer Guy

Chapter 7

Friday night

6:00 pm

Rehearsal in the dining room

"Hey, Donna!" Marcus Specter hailed from the top step of the dining room.

Donna stopped her rehearsing and waved. She finished her song and then rose from the piano and walked up to him.

"Hey, Marcus," she drawled. "What can Donna do for you?"

"Number one, you are fantastic. You're going to have them returning to this place in droves!"

"What else, Marcus? I know that couldn't be all you wanted to tell me."

"My brother promised he would come tonight. I kept reminding him and talk you up so he would," Marcus said excitedly.

"I think your brother will come for a reason other than just to hear me croon," Donna quipped. "He knows the cuisine is on you tonight, Mr. Head Chef."

"You heard of my promotion. Franklin quit and Nelly didn't feel up to the challenge, so Camilla bestowed the title on me. I've a lot I have been wanting to put on this menu for a few months now."

"How's that working with school?"

"Great! I'm almost finished. Just a few more classes then I want to get enough capital to open my own restaurant."

"Like this?"

"Not exactly. Not a nightclub feel, but definitely a relaxed environment which lends itself to people with all tastes in food."

"I wish you lots of luck tonight," Donna said as she placed a hand on Marcus' shoulder. As she started to walk down the steps of the tiered dining room, she turned back. "By the way, be sure to introduce me to your brother."

"Break a leg as they say in show business. I'll be watching," Marcus said as he saluted her and walked back to the kitchen.

Friday Night

The Bistro

6:45 pm

Donna was nervous to say the least. She had sung many times but never did an entire show's success rest on her shoulders alone. She had practiced like mad on Jessica's piano and Jessica helped her choose the songs for her two sets. Jessica even recommended to put some livelier songs in her repertoire so the audience would either dance or sing along.

"I can't believe how nervous I am," Donna said pacing back and forth in her broom closet of a dressing room. One of the gowns she had refurbished had been one of her favorites. It was a black halter with a high rhinestone neck sitting low on Donna's throat. The black gown cascaded into two layers of ruffles culminating at the bottom in one big ruffle. Donna's shiny red hair was pinned to the side to show off her diamond stud earrings. Donna's ankle had finally healed enough so she was able to wear her favorite black patent leather strappy heels. Her heels clicked as she paced back and forth on the bare cement floor.

"You're going to be fantastic! We rehearsed these songs and your repertoire all week," Jessica soothed her friend. "Jeff will be here in a few minutes, so I'm going out to my seat," Jessica continued as she rose. She patted Donna's arm and then hugged her before she left. "Break a leg."

Donna took a deep breath and waited until she heard her introduction.

"Show time," she whispered to herself.

Donna sat down at the piano amid the spotlight and immediately looked around for her friends whom she had invited to have dinner and hear her opening show. She spotted Louis and Sheila as well as Jessica and her boyfriend Jeff. She heard the applause and took a bow and then sat at the piano.

While she played some opening chords, she said, "Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, my name is Donna Paulsen and I am here to hopefully make you feel good, sad, or just to entertain you. Let me warn you, though, there will be audience participation later. I'll let you know when we get there.

In her smoky mezzo soprano voice she began with "My Funny Valentine" as it was February although past the holiday representing love. Donna began very softly and held the audience captive. As she played and sang, she looked around at the audiences reaction.

Is your figure less than Greek? Is your mouth a little weak? When you open it to speak Are you smart? As she sang these lyrics she spotted a man alone at a table placed at the front but stage side left so it was almost behind her. Out of the corner of her eye, she knew that was Harvey. How could he know? I never told him my job let alone the location?

She almost hiccupped at that part of the song as she watched his smile hit his eyes in that delightful, infectious way and he salute her with his drink. She smiled and finished in a small flourish. She was saving a big song for the finale and then she would invite people to sit at the bar and she would try to accommodate their requests as well as invite them to dance.

Harvey sat and smiled. He had no idea when Marcus raved about the redhead at The Bistro that it was Donna! He was sure as he sat there and had eaten a great steak dinner cooked by his brother that Donna was really the whole package. He had called her just the day before, but she said she was still not able to get away to have a drink with him. Harvey was sure when the invitation came from her this time he would be more than available.

Donna gave the audience another smile and announced, "I will be taking a two hour break before the next performance at 11:00 pm. In the meantime, I invite you to dance to our previously recorded Muzak or if you would prefer to request a song or just have a drink while I take my break I invite you to come up and take a seat. Thank you for your attention and I hope you enjoyed the show. Be back at 11."

She rose from the piano and took a bow. Before she turned around to take her short 20 minute break before she had to be back at the piano for dancing and requests, Jessica and Jeff came up to her.

"You were phenomenal, Donna," Jessica said. "I have an early rehearsal tomorrow before the matinee, so I just wanted to let you know how great you were."

Jeff, Jessica's black and handsome boyfriend, bowed gallantly over Donna's hand, kissing it said, "Enchante for sure, mademoiselle."

Donna curtsied in response to Jeff's playful kissing of her hand.

"Are we planning a trip to Paris soon?"

"Not until the show closes or my understudy is better than me," Jessica joked.

Jeff just rolled his eyes. "Actually, I was planning one for April but like Jessica said we have to see how the show runs."

Donna hugged Jessica thanking her for everything. Jessica said she could come over anytime when she needed to rehearse or just arrange her sets. Then they left.

Louis and Sheila sent a note and a large bouquet of red roses which someone placed on the top of the piano

Dearest Donna,

Sorry we had to run right after your set. However, just wanted to let you know how talented and beautiful you are. You were in the best voice of your life tonight. Break a leg with your second set.

See you at home...or not.

Love,

Louis and Sheila

Donna smiled and prayed that when she arrived back at the apartment she shared with Louis that he and Sheila had decided to go back to her place. Old standards were their favorite music, so Donna was sure that they were both so turned on they were doing it in the parking lot. The last thing Donna needed was to walk into the apartment and listen to their sexual role playing. Ugh! A shiver ran down Donna's spine as her mind could did want to contemplate what that looked like.

As soon as people rose from their seats, Harvey, dressed in an obviously oft-worn navy blue suit with a silver tie and his dirty blonde hair coiffed and combed to the side, rose along with them and immediately took the bar stool to the right of Donna. Two other people sat down as well. One woman just adjacent to Harvey and then her dinner companion on the other side of the piano.

"So, this was your job that you didn't bother telling me about and why you couldn't have dinner or a drink with me," Harvey stated taking a swig of his Macallan 18.

"Yes. I didn't think a guy like you would like a place like this. Although I can see by the booze you drink, you like to be pretentious," Donna said out of the side of her mouth as she continued to play some chords to "C'est Si Bon". She had chosen it for the second set and she was just rehearsing or playing it for the people who appreciated the live music for slow dancing rather than the canned stuff coming over the speakers.

"What? Me pretentious? I'm a musician. We're all pretentious. It's part of the game," Harvey responded.

After another sip of his own drink, he ordered water and lemon for Donna.

"Thank you, Harvey. You know it's hard to sing after drinking alcohol."

"See? I can be a thoughtful guy."

The other couple at this point saw how Donna was engrossed in conversation with the very handsome man sitting next to her, so they decided to dance together instead as Donna kept playing full songs to which couples could just hold each other and sway in the dimmed light.

"So, how did you know I would be here?"

"Oh, my brother kept bugging me all week that there was this fantastic new redhead who could sing and play piano. I will have to tell him that you don't disappoint."

Donna smiled and tilted her head. "Then Marcus' last name is Specter?"

"Yep. He's my baby brother. I didn't tell him about you, though. I just couldn't believe that his redhead and my redhead were the same person."

"Well, here I am. Just me," Donna said and shyly smiled at him. She was more than happy he had come over to speak with her because she really had wanted to accept his invitation but she did not want to read more into this man than what was really there.

"Maybe someday we could play together?" Harvey invited.

"Well...maybe. We'll see," Donna said as she stopped playing.

"What time does your last set end?" Harvey inquired.

"Around 1:00 am, but nothing is set in stone right now. Restaurant is still in the experimental stage with show times," she quickly mentioned.

"How about you come over to my place?" Harvey invited. He smiled a genuine smile really wanting to get to know this woman better. He really wanted this woman but he was also curious as to who she was. For the second time upon face to face contact, Harvey wanted to know this whole woman. There was something electric between them but simultaneously something soothing and caring. She was not just a pretty face.

"The place you share with your brother?" Donna asked. She could see the earnestness of his request. His big beautifully deep brown eyes glinted with pleasure and his wide smile was so enticing.

"Yes," he laughed. "Unfortunately."

"Well, my roommate and his girlfriend just left and I'm not sure if they are going back to my place, so how about we find a place for just the two of us?"

"Donna...I would take you up on your offer but I don't want you to think that I just want to have sex in a cheap hotel and that's it."

"No. I know. That's not what I meant either. I didn't mean to insult you," Donna defended.

"What did you mean?"

"I meant that if we could get a hotel room we could have a drink. I could eat some of the food your brother swore to save me, and we could talk. You could tell me how your week went," Donna said.

Harvey smiled. "Let me see what I can do."

Harvey sat through Donna's second set and as he sat there he pretended she was singing only to him. He badly wanted to join her on a couple of songs he knew, but she sang in a completely different style than what his little rock band was used to. Too bad his dad wasn't here. Harvey could hear in his head where his dad's playing the alto sax would fit in certain interludes. He really wanted his dad to meet her.

At the end of her second set, most of the patrons were still in their seats. They applauded and gave her a standing ovation. Harvey clapped and clapped and even wolf whistled from his seat stage left of Donna. He had actually eaten some of the giant strawberry pie that his brother had sent down for him. It was their mother's recipe, but it had always been Harvey's favorite. So he ate it with great joy.

After meeting some of the people who had sat in the audience through the second set, Donna shook hands with them and finally Harvey appeared at the end of the line with a styrofoam container in his hands. He held it out for her.

"I ate enough to sleep for three days. Marcus wanted to make sure I gave this to you before we leave."

"Oh, I'm starving," Donna said.

"You didn't eat anything to hold you over?" Harvey wondered.

"No. Way too nervous plus I can't project while my belly is trying to digest. Do you eat before a gig?"

"Sure. I only sing backup and as long as my fingers are hitting the right strings and frets I'm good," he retorted.

"Well, hold that and let me change. I'll be five minutes," Donna said gesturing "five" minutes and then she swiftly turned back and rushed into the broom closet of a dressing room.

Harvey wanted to surprise Donna with a room he had just booked over the internet. It was a hotel that he and the band would stay when they needed someplace between New York and either upper state or New Jersey. It was a place that afforded a quick getaway if necessary.

Donna emerged from her dressing room and re entered the stage area dressed completely casual in jeans and a button down shirt and instead of the stilettos she wore black ankle boots. She carried her winter coat and purse in her hand.

"Just to let you know," Harvey said when she got close to him. "I found a familiar place not far from here. I stayed there one time with my bandmates. If you want, I can escort you home later."

Harvey, I'm talking and eating. I don't have much energy for anything else Donna thought.

Donna said, "That would be nice."

Harvey excused himself for a few minutes, but Marcus took his place.

"So, Harvey tells me he is taking you to one of the old hotels he and the guys would stay when they had a gig requiring to drive out of town from here," Marcus volunteered rubbing his hands together.

Donna did a quick shake of her head and wondered what she was getting herself into. She was usually more intuitive when it came to people. Before she panicked she put a hand up between Marcus and her.

"Wait! What do you mean requiring to drive out of town?"

Marcus laughed. "My brother is not going to kidnap you. This place has beautiful accommodations for anything."

"And..." Donna responded waiting for the other shoe to drop.

"And he thinks if you can't go home you should R & R in a nice spot. He also has my father's old Mustang to drive you."

"Oh. Oh?" Donna asked scrunching her face.

"Harvey just told me you are the redhead he had dinner with last week. He really likes you and wants to get to know you better."

"Which means?" She asked. Here it comes! He still wants to bed me and then bolt from me. Classic musician move.

"Nothing. I have never seen my brother hung up on a woman so much. Not even his steady FWB, Scottie," Marcus confessed.

"Oh," Donna acknowledged. Then feeling like she was being manipulated for a nefarious purpose she said, "Marcus. Tell Harvey. It's ok. I'll just take a cab home. Not a big deal."

Just at that time, Harvey had returned from the Men's Room or wherever he had escaped. He had a smile on his face and said, "Ready?"

Donna looked at both brothers and thought. What the hell! I always have my gun at the ready if anything really bad erupts.

"Yep, ready. I feel underdressed now," Donna stated as she and Harvey walked away from Marcus. Harvey was still dressed in his navy blue set albeit his tie was loose and the top button of his clean white shirt was unbuttoned.

"Hey, you two, have fun!" Marcus yelled to their backs as they walked away from him.

"You're not. I left more casual clothes in the hotel room. Let me carry your overflowing container here," Harvey said taking her overfilled styrofoam box. Luckily Marcus had found a plastic bag for it as there was gravy pooling on one side.

"Thank you."

As they ventured out into the early morning of Saturday, it seemed that there was some sleet in the air. It had left the streets again wet and added a slippery shining wet coat to the slush left from the snow a few days ago. Harvey had moved the car to the front of the restaurant, so it was ready and waiting for them. It was already running and warm inside as Harvey opened the door for Donna.

He closed the door to Donna's side and placed her food on the back seat. Harvey got in then and said, "Let's go. Shall we?"

"Yes, let's."

Donna smiled as Harvey put the car in gear and they rode to the hotel.