HI Folks! Sorry for the long time before an update. I was writing some other stuff and this got past me. Anyhow, it's going to get a bit hairier for Donna and Harvey as other things intervene to take their attention away from each other. By the way, the song Donna sings in here is one that my own voice teacher gave me her professional accompaniment to work on. So I really wanted Donna to integrate it into her song sets as well. Please R&R if so move and I am grateful to everyone who reads, follows, and favorites. Thank you. Love-Carebearmaxi.

The Boxer Guy

Chapter 10

Harvey drove back to Manhattan that Sunday armed with the original compositions of the songs that he and the guys performed while together. Harvey felt that once he takes this evidence to a lawyer he would have a good case against a publisher giving all the royalties to Travis.

As he drove back, he got a call on his cell. It was Donna.

"Hey, how did your business go in Boston?"

"Fine. I'll tell you about it when I see you. Are you working tonight?"

"Yes. I work all weekend and then rehearse all week until Friday night."

"Do you have time for dinner before the show tonight?"

"Maybe. Let me see how my new song set goes at rehearsal and I will let you know."

"Around five?"

He could hear her make a humming sound on the other end, so he knew she was thinking about it.

"Sounds good. I will meet you at The Bistro, ok?"

"Sure. See you then," Harvey cut off the call and continued his drive to Manhattan.

The cell signaled again and Harvey looked at the caller I.D. It was Scottie. He reluctantly hit the accept button.

"Harvey. It's Scottie," she said in a sheepish voice.

"Yes, I saw the Caller I.D.," he said annoyed.

"I know we didn't leave things very good between us…"

"You broke up with me, Scottie," Harvey interrupted really getting miffed at her calling him claiming that the problem was "we" and not "her."

"Ok…me. However, I just wanted to see how you are doing. You were really upset when I told you I was going to accept Stephen's marriage proposal."

"Yes, but you slept with me first without telling me you were engaged to another guy. Does he know that you did that?" Harvey was on fire now because he hurt an innocent man. Infidelity was Harvey's Achilles' Heel due to his past.

"No, of course not. I couldn't tell Stephen that I was only accepting him because you didn't want to have a committed relationship."

"Scottie. It's not that I didn't want a committed relationship. I just don't see me ever getting married. Being married is such a fallacy."

"Yeah, I know all about your views on infidelity and marriage and all that bullshit. I know all this has something to do with your mother. Just forget I called."

The phone went silent then. Harvey realized he was driving too fast due to his anger and had to slow down before a State Trooper was on his ass with lights blazing. Harvey just paid off three tickets for speeding and he really did not want another one.

As soon as Scottie hung up, Harvey's mind return to two things as he continued his drive: Donna and the evidence that he now possessed as he would try to right the ship for his father and his other bandmates.

Donna was at home around the same time Harvey was driving back from Boston. She received a call from her friend Samantha.

"Samantha, to what do I owe this call?"

"I know. Don't give me shit. I know I haven't called for a while," Samantha said.

"Glad you noticed," Donna teased. "Hey, did I tell you where I'm singing right now?"

"No! Where? Travis and I might attend one of these nights if we can get out of bed," Samantha said giggling like a teenage girl with her first crush. "By the way, how's your ankle?"

"It's healed. I can now balance myself on stilts once again," Donna jibed.

"How's the boxer guy? Did you ever hook up?"

"Harvey? Yes, well, we haven't "hooked up" in the biblical sense, but we did spend this past Friday night together."

"Oooh…but wait. You said you didn't have sex with the man? I thought that was why you wanted him?"

"In time…maybe. He's a musician and you know my rule about musicians."

"Yeah, well, I'm glad I didn't have that rule. Travis is terrific. Looks like he might have some music published soon. He's recording an album at an affiliate studio for Columbia Records."

Donna bit her lip and thought how wonderful. Harvey was also affiliated with that studio she discovered Friday night during one of their talking sessions. Donna pondered that maybe they knew each other.

"Donna? Still there?"

"Sorry. My mind wandered off for a minute. Well, I don't mean to cut this off early, but I have to be at rehearsal soon. Then I have an early dinner date with Harvey."

"Sounds like love to me. Be careful, Donna," Samantha warned.

"Don't worry. I have Louis if I need a hug in the middle of the night."

"How is the old salt anyway?"

"Samantha! Louis is not old. He's only a couple of years older than me," Donna said.

"I know. Still going with Sheila?"

"They got engaged the other night, so Louis celebrated by being in the kitchen at 9:00 am without a stitch on! I walked in the apartment and saw him! I'm having a hard time getting that image out of my mind!" Donna laughed and heard Samantha's uncontrolled guffawing on the other end.

"Well, you know the answer to that one, don't you?"

"I'm not going there yet with Harvey. If I had really wanted to see him naked, I could have done it the other night. I'm not ready for that and I don't think Harvey is either."

"Sounds interesting…but you said you have rehearsal soon. So, we will make a date and talk about him The Boxer Guy at a later date."

"This time I will call you. You have amnesia when you're in a relationship with a guy."

"Give me a break, Paulsen. I've been in the army for six years."

"Ok, I'll cut you some slack this time since the only guy you were with was Uncle Sam."

"Thanks. Love ya. See ya."

Donna said the same and they hung up simultaneously except Donna took a minute looking at her phone and thinking about what Samantha had indicated about her relationship with Harvey. She then dragged her tired body from her bed and prepared herself for rehearsal.

Marcus was experimenting with a couple of recipes in the kitchen. He had been given the head chef position for the night again as the main chef had a very contagious version of influenza and was told not to leave his house. He was licking his fingers when he saw Donna breeze by him. He stopped what he was doing and called to her.

Donna turned around and walked swiftly back to Harvey's brother.

"Hey Marcus," Donna greeted him.

"Hey, Donna. Have you talked to Harvey?"

"Yes, I'm meeting him for an early dinner," Donna said. "Why? Isn't he home by now?"

"I don't know. If he is, he hasn't called me. I just wanted to know how it went with dad."

Marcus watched her scrunch her face. "He was going to see your dad? He just told me he had some business in Boston. He wouldn't tell me why. Your dad isn't ill, is he?"

"No. Nothing like that. Harvey is having some issues with his band and the lead singer."

Donna crossed her arms and frowned at Marcus. She leaned on one leg. She was dressed in her winter coat, bulky sweater, blue jeans and flat white tennis shoes. The snow outside had finally melted completely with the rain in the last two days, so Donna had not needed to wear her snow boots coming from her apartment to the subway to the Bistro.

"What kind of trouble?"

Marcus shook his head and he invited her inside the kitchen so they could talk briefly before she had to rehearse her new song set.

"The lead singer of Harvey's band broke it up. He also told Harvey that he is recording the music they had performed as a group. He more or less said that he was cutting everyone out of the scene because of contractual obligations between the producer and the studio."

Marcus watched Donna whose concern was obvious demonstrated by shock in her eyes and the gesture of a hand closing over her mouth.

"The worst part is that the music, or at least most of it, was written by our dad. He gave it to them because it wasn't normally his band's type music."

"Oh, poor Harvey, what's he going to do?"

"Well, the first thing I think he was trying to do was find dad's original sheet music and show it to a lawyer, so the publishing will get blocked. Travis. He's always been a slick son of a bitch," Marcus emphasized by slamming a meat cleaver into the butcher block.

"Travis?" Donna said recognizing that was Samantha's new boyfriend's name and he was a musician. Could it be the same guy?

"Has he found a lawyer?" Donna asked seeing Marcus' obvious distress in his face.

"No. He's hoping dad may know someone, but I doubt it."

Donna thought about it for a moment. Louis was familiar with copyright law from what she knew of him. Before she had dinner with Harvey, she would contact Louis and see if that was the kind of case he would be willing to take on albeit he would have to do the work pro bono or at a discount. Harvey, like her, she knew did not make a lot of money if you weren't working.

"Marcus. Thanks for telling me. I think I may have a lawyer in mind that may help," Donna said and kissed him on the cheek. "I really need to rehearse a little before Harvey gets here. Don't worry. It will work out."

Harvey texted her that he was waiting for her at the back door. She had just completed a good rehearsal for the new songs she would try to integrate next week. One was a medley that she worked on all Saturday morning after getting a little sleep. That was at Jessica's house on her piano and then, early afternoon, Donna had had a quick fitting with her dresser for another refit on an old gown. So, when Harvey's text popped up on her screen she realized she had forgotten all about him.

She gathered her belongings in her tight little closet of a dressing room and locked them in the bottom drawer of the old desk they gave her as a make up table. Then she gathered her purse and padded her way out the backdoor through the lunch area.

They greeted each other with an awkward hug. Neither was still sure of how much physical affection to show. Besides that issue complicating matters, Harvey's mind returned to Scottie and what she may really have wanted. He forgot all about her when Donna's pretty bright face with her hair tied up in a messy bun greeted him with an enthusiastic: 'Glad you called me'.

"I thought we would just walk around to the luncheon place around the corner if you're up to it?"

"Sure. I like that little luncheon place. It reminds of an old deli that was in my neighborhood growing up."

"Where did you grow up?"

"Mostly Connecticut and then we moved to the suburbs of New York," Donna answered.

"I grew up in Boston, but I was born in Riverdale. My dad moved us a couple of times because of work as a sax player."

"What about your mom?"

"She is an art teacher. She's teaches at Boston University now," Harvey abruptly answered. He never wanted to broach the subject of his mother with anyone but with Donna he found himself wanting to expand on the issue with his mother. He did not want to frighten her away, though, with his residual anger from that time of his life.

"I guess you still don't want to talk about your mother with me," Donna said.

"Not really. Don't be angry. She brings the worst out in me," Harvey explained.

Donna patted him on his shoulder.

"It's ok. Really. I won't ask anymore unwelcomed questions," Donna said and looked sidelong at him.

Harvey reached down and took her hand. It felt so right. He was scared that on so short a connection that he felt like she was so different than any other woman he had ever met.

They chatted, ate, and laughed together until Donna finally said, "Look, I know you don't like to tell me what is bothering you, but Marcus let me know what your business was in Boston."

Harvey's jaw set. His soft brown eyes became hard as stone and he said in a lowered tone.

"He had no right to tell you. It's not your problem."

"Harvey. I think I may be able to help," she offered.

He looked into her big green eyes and hopeful expression. He knew she wanted to help, but he really did not want to start a new relationship with a debt to be repaid.

"Harvey," Donna said emphasizing that she wanted to help by holding his hand before he could walk away or throw something. "Hear me out before you decide to desert me."

He smiled at that. It was funny how she could diffuse his mood from righteous anger at his brother to one of conciliation where he was willing to listen to her offer of help.

"You need a lawyer to block the publishing of your father's music under your lead singer's name right?" Well, Louis, my roommate is a good lawyer. He's a junior partner at the firm where you said you start tomorrow in the mailroom, right?"

"Pearson Hardman?" Harvey asked. He had forgotten all about the job where he was slated to start in the morning.

"Yes. I'm pretty sure he can help you and I'm sure he would do it for nothing-or at least a reduced cost," Donna said.

"No. That's ok, Donna. I called a Legal Service yesterday and they put me in touch with a Robert Zane. They said he takes pro bonos from time to time, but it's the weekend and I haven't been able to reach him."

"Well, then, all the more reason to let me try Louis first," Donna responded.

Harvey sat there looking out the window as he contemplated what Donna was offering him.

"Are you sure he won't mind? He looked pretty occupied with his fiancée the other night."

"Believe me, Louis loves the law and if there is someone trying to skirt it or break it he is the man you want in your corner," Donna said making a gung-ho face.

"I will talk to him for you and then I will let you know. Sound like a plan?" Donna asked.

Harvey watched Donna's face how it lit up even more once he nodded and agreed to her plan.

"Now, tell me what else is bothering you?"

"How do you know there is something else bothering me?"

"I just do. It's your ex-half steady girlfriend, isn't it?"

Harvey's eyes opened large as his eyebrows raised in amazement at Donna's psychic powers.

"How did you know that she called me?"

"Is it important how I know or that I know?" Donna asked sarcastically.

Harvey smiled. "You are an amazing woman, Donna Paulsen," he said through a cleansing laugh.

"Ok, so spill. Make it fast, though, I have to be back and dressed in a half hour," Donna said looking at the time on her phone.

"Nah. Don't worry about it. Another time. Get your pretty little butt back to that restaurant and sing your heart out for me," Harvey responded.

Donna blushed. He seemed to be the only man that had ever made her blush. Not even Mark could do that.

She rose noisily pushing her chair out of the way. She gave him a smile and on the way past him nudged his upper arm. He pretended it was more forceful than it was by bobbing back and forth.

When she went past, he turned around and watched her walk out of the door.

Donna walked back and her mind returned to the man Travis that she heard mentioned two times today. One by Samantha because he was her new musician boyfriend and Marcus who said that was the lead singer who was causing all the problems in his brother's and father's lives.

Could they be the same person? Donna thought.

Her mind kept mulling over the coincidences as she stepped through the lunch café part of the establishment and on through to her dressing room right behind the main dining room and stage floor.

She dressed quickly in one of her new refurbished gowns. It was strapless, gold with sequins along the bustline and then form fitted gold knit. She topped it of with her hair rolled in underneath and pinned to stay in place. Her earrings were long zirconia chandelier numbers that caught the light when she moved her head.

Lastly were her shoes cheap gold color vinyl jobs that she had picked up on a whim as part of a costume when she was in a small repertory company many years ago. They were used and comfortable and still did not look too worn. She looked at herself in the one full length mirror as she adjusted her gown hoping that it stayed in place and did not ride up or down the entire evening.

One of the stage hands came to her door and knocked saying "Five minutes, Ms. Paulsen!" She always wanted to correct the guy to call her Donna, but she did not because when she heard it her body still reacted with butterflies in her stomach as if she were still in a Broadway play.

Donna came out to thunderous applause which surprised her, Cassandra, Pierre, and anyone else who had known how short a tenure Donna had so far. Instead of introducing herself and sitting right down at the piano, she instead introduced herself and cued a professional track for accompaniment. It had a bossa nova beat and it was a song from a musical. The lyrics were old and the beat was a gentle Latin one so people could stay seated yet stay into the entertainment.

"On a clear day

Rise and look around you

And see who you are…"

She held the audience captive while her voice soared with higher in pitch and louder in volume. Finally climaxing with

"Forever more…."

More thunderous applause to which Donna bowed and said, "Thank you."

"Ok. Now that I've got you a little bit out of your seats, I'm going to put you back in them so you can finish your meal," Donna joked as she sat down at the Steinway.

She did the same set that included the duet that Harvey had spontaneously performed with her. Somehow it felt flat without her singing partner. She really needed to talk to Pierre to see if they could employ his talents from time to time. Of course, the man needed to be paid and that was the one point why she had a hard time talking to Pierre. He made it clear that he was out on a limb playing for one singer let alone two.

Between sets at 11 pm, Donna noticed a tall blonde woman and tall dark haired man dressed appropriately for the evening, food, and atmosphere.

"Samantha! You came!" Donna exclaimed to her friend coming over from the piano to hug her. She then noticed the tall handsome guy that was standing next to her. He had light blue eyes and his dark hair was slick backed over his head.

"You must be Travis," Donna said shaking his hand. "Samantha has indicated all about you but hasn't told me a thing other than you are a musician."

"She's right. I am," Travis said. "Samantha convinced me I had to come hear you sing. I caught the last part of your last set. You are a very talented singer."

"Travis, this woman can not only sing she's been on Broadway and done Shakespeare, which is her true love, isn't it," Samantha said smiling at her friend.

"Yes, but Shakespeare doesn't always pay, so I took the next best job. Singing for my supper," she joked back easily.

Donna followed them to their table and watched as Travis held out a chair first for Samantha and then for Donna. She looked up at him questioningly and then said, "For about a minute."

They began to get acquainted with Travis who filled them in regarding his latest album he was recording. He also expanded from where the music came and how it was original and not published yet, but that it would be soon.

As Samantha bragged about how lucky her first catch was after coming out of the army and Travis darted between smiling at Donna and blushing from how Samantha rambled on, Donna got the most horrible feeling that this Travis person was the same Travis guy hurting Harvey and his father.

"Look, I'm sorry to have to interrupt this wonderful session, but I need to grab a piece of something from the kitchen and then skedaddle back here for open piano bar."

"Open piano bar? What's that?" Travis asked.

"I sit down at the piano. Bar stools are put around it. People come and sit to enjoy a drink and listen to a request, sing along, or just talk. Everyone seems to like it."

"Sounds interesting," Travis said.

"Excuse me," Donna said and this time flew out of her seat and went to the kitchen to find Marcus so he could confirm Travis' identity.

Donna was trying to be timely and stepped on the skirt of her gown as her shoe caught the front of here gown while she climbed the shallow steps to the mid hallway which connected the two factions of the club. She put a hand to the top of her gown so she would not suffer yet another embarrassment like her sprained ankle.

She got to the top and looked to her right into the kitchen. Marcus was there with his big white chef's hat donned on his head and his side breasted white chef's shirt.

"Donna! Hungry? There's…" he said but stopped when he realized that Donna was not there for food.

"Yes, but not now. Come with me," she said as she took Marcus' arm by the elbow coercing parsley garnish to be dropped on the floor as she did so.

"Wait! Where are we going?" Marcus asked wondering.

"Look!" Donna commanded.

Marcus squinted his eyes but he still could not see what she was seeing.

"What am I looking for?"

"See that blonde woman with that dark haired guy sitting at the same table where Harvey sat on Friday?"

Marcus made a face, rolled his eyes, and then held a hand over his eyes to ease the glare.

"Ok, I see the blonde wo- What the hell is Travis Tanner doing here?"

"I was so hoping I was wrong," Donna said. "The blonde woman is my friend Samantha who just got out of the army a few weeks ago. Sitting next to her is her new boyfriend she met at a club. He's a musician and he just got done telling me of the great recording deal he made and his new music which would be published soon,"

Donna threw up her arm in disgust but she had to put an arm back into Marcus' elbow before he went down to Travis and punched his lights out.

"Marcus! Don't worry about him. You had better keep cooking if you don't want Cassandra to demote you."

Marcus made a face and then looked at Donna calmly. "You're right. Besides it's a good thing Harvey is not here. Travis would be thrown out in the snow."

"I told Harvey what I might be able to do and said ok."

Marcus kissed her on the cheek. "Thanks, Donna. Harvey will appreciate it even if he never thanks you himself."

"Nothing to thank me for yet, but in time, I hope so."

Donna returned to her piano and resumed tonight's version of "Open Piano Bar".

In the meantime, the Specter that Marcus and Donna had been speaking of was having a romping bedroom exercise with his ex-half on/half off girlfriend, Scottie. She had let herself into his and Marcus' small apartment and Beanie loved Scottie so he did not make a fuss when she insinuated herself onto their couch and helped herself to a little of Harvey's liquor stash. She had been buzzed when he arrived.

"Scottie! How the hell did you get in here?" Harvey asked annoyed as he closed the door and saw her. The last person he wanted to see was her.

"I…found the key next to the hole in the wall where Marcus always keeps his ke…y," Scottie hiccupped.

"Damn Marcus! He's always doing that. I told him that was unsafe!" Harvey complained. He stomped to the small living room and removed the tumbler from the coffee table where Scottie had laid it when she was done. Harvey turned the glass over seeing that it was empty and her inebriated state and wondered how much booze had she consumed? She was more than a little buzzed after he started talking with her. She was blatantly slurring her words and when she rose from the couch to follow him into his bedroom she bounced off the wall saying 'ouch' in the process.

Harvey turned around in his bedroom doorway after placing his still full backpack on the floor. He immediately ran into Scottie's arms and lips. Harvey did not like surprises. He especially did not like this surprise.

"What is it, Scottie? I thought you were engaged to Stephen. What are you doing here?" He asked as he removed her crossed arms from around his neck.

"I'm not anymore…" she sang to him as they stood there inches from where they had spent more than one sleepless night between the sheets.

"You're not anymore…what? Engaged?"

"Yep!" She popped her "p" in her response.

"So, you just think you'll come back to me because Stephen threw you over. Does he know that we slept together when you were engaged?"

"Yep!" She said again and this time raised her index finger and almost fell until Harvey caught her.

"Come on, Harvey! You never stood on ceremony before. So, I'm a little drunk. We…can pick up where we left off," Scottie ended in a whisper.

She went in for another kiss and this time Harvey gave in. He was so frustrated with the music publishing business and he was to start a new job tomorrow which he felt was already beneath him. He also knew Scottie would not cling if he didn't want her, too, so what the hell?

He kissed her back and threw her on his bed. She swiftly shed her clothes as Harvey shut the door and locked it preventing any importuning from Beanie.

As soon as the door was locked, Scottie rose off the bed, got on her knees, unzipping his jeans. He backed up against the bureau and let her service him the way she always did before jumping into bed..

All thoughts of Donna had temporarily left Harvey's mind.