Alexandra hurried out of the ladies' room with her work clothes draped over her arm. She knew that Mr. Burger likely wouldn't linger about the office too much later on a Friday, but she didn't have enough time to go home to change clothes for what the evening had in store.

The crinoline under the skirt of the sapphire blue swing dress rustled as she rushed back to her desk to grab her purse. She grinned and her heart skipped a few beats in heady anticipation.

Rifling through the black hole that was her purse, Alexandra pulled out her compact, her tube of lipstick, and a small perfume bottle. She touched up her appearance accordingly and tossed the items back in her bag just as a quiet knock on the door told her that her date for the night had arrived.

She rounded her desk to let him in, though she expected the knock to draw her boss up to the front in curiosity.

A bright smile lit up her face as Perry Mason's close friend and private investigator, Paul Drake entered.

"Wow!" Drake said as he drank in Alexandra's appearance. "You look stunning, Alex."

"Yes. She does," came another voice, this one gravelly, but it held a hint of sincere appreciation.

Hamilton Burger entered the front office, briefcase in hand. He was obviously calling it a night and seemed surprised that anyone else was still there.

Alexandra blushed furiously at the compliments and gazed down shyly at her shoes.

"Mr. Drake, Ms. Mullen," Burger began with a look of amusement on his weathered face. "Is my office now a place to meet up for dates?"

Alexandra winced slightly, knowing there was some sarcasm in the District Attorney's tone. She glanced over at Drake, hoping he'd be able to mollify her very by the book boss.

"My apologies, Mr. Burger," Drake jumped in automatically. "I thought I might be held up by work tonight so I asked her to be ready to go from here if possible. Alexandra was just doing as I asked."

Showing them out the door so he could lock up, Burger put his hat on and smiled as graciously as he could manage. Some of his characteristic sarcasm still crept through as he turned the key.

"Well try not to make a habit of it, please," he requested as he tried the door to make sure it was locked and then pocketed the keys.

"Understood," Drake said with a nod.

The tall, prematurely white haired private detective turned his attention to Alexandra with a warm smile. He offered her his arm and walked her over to his car.

As Drake got the door for her, neither one of them noticed Burger watching them with a sour look from his own car.

"There's our guy," Drake said quietly as he blew out a lengthy exhale of cigarette smoke. He tapped his cigarette on the ash tray to flick off the ashes and continued discreetly observing.

Alexandra leaned forward just enough to catch a glimpse of the man that Drake had pointed out at a booth across the room. He was having dinner with a striking brunette dressed in red.

"That's Louise with him!" She whispered, stunned. "No wonder she can't stay focused on her work."

She finished the last few bites of her dinner, pondering whether or not Louise realized that this guy she was with could be bad news.

"Of course, it's not necessarily proof they're having an affair," she continued. "On the outside we appear to be on a date when I'm just helping you investigate a case."

"And don't think it hasn't been fun," Drake reassured her as he watched the man rise from the table and journey to the bar.

"Think you can keep yourself entertained while I go chat him up at the bar?" Drake asked hopefully.

"I'm sure I can come up with something," came the amused reply.

Alexandra watched Drake's retreating back for a moment before flagging down the waitress to let her know she'd be getting up for a few minutes and to save their table.

Wandering over to the piano player, she whispered something in his ear and then busied herself with adjusting the microphone while he finished his current song.

She had sung for crowds a number of times before, mostly in church as a teenager, but this particular song would be a first for her.

Scanning the crowd, Alexandra found Paul Drake's handsome face at the bar. Their eyes met and his eyebrows lifted in surprise to see her up at the mic. She also spied Perry Mason at a booth nearby, but she couldn't see if anyone was with him. Probably Della if anyone was.

She swallowed hard with an anxious smile at the piano player as he finished the song. He smiled reassuringly and began playing the song she asked for.

The wait for the appropriate moment to jump in there was mere seconds, but on stage with an audience, it felt like forever. For a brief second, she wondered why she tortured herself like this. She felt free when she sang though.

Never know how much I love you. Never know how much I care.

When you put your arms around me, I get a fever that's so hard to bear.

You give me fever.

Della stopped mid sip of her coffee and set the cup back down.

"That sounds like Alex, Perry," she said to Mason.

Mason leaned to his right slightly to get a better look at the singer. His eyebrows lifted in surprise.

"You're right, Della. It is. I believe this one is for you, Hamilton," Mason teased his courtroom nemesis with a smug, toothy grin.

Burger's big blue eyes widened to the size of saucers as it dawned on him who they were talking about.

"You mean my secretary?! Ms. Mullen?!"

His face turned nearly the same fiery red as his hair and he peered around the side of their booth to get a look at her himself.

"Well, I'll be damned…," he muttered quietly.

Mason lifted his coffee cup to his lips and smirked around the rim.

"She should consider quitting her day job with a voice like that," he teased Burger some more before taking a sip.

Burger gave him a sideways look and lit up another cigarette.

"Don't give her any ideas, Perry. I need her. She's a damn good secretary," he grumbled.

Mason chuckled.

"That's my point, Hamilton. She has you so well prepared you're getting more difficult to defeat."

"Well I'll be sure to pass along the compliment," Burger said, brightening at the unexpected revelation.

Everybody's got the fever. That is something you all know. Fever isn't such a new thing. Fever started long ago.

Mason glanced up as a tall figure stopped near their table, though his gaze was fixed on Alexandra at the microphone. In the man's hand a cigarette billowed smoke, but he had apparently forgotten about it.

"HI, Paul!" Mason grinned, amused at how obviously oblivious to the rest of the world Drake was at that moment.

"Oh hi, Perry," Drake said, finally noticing his friends. "Did you know she could sing like that?!"

He lifted a finger in Alexandra's direction.

"Apparently Della did. She was the one who mentioned it," Mason replied, still grinning. "Even Hamilton didn't know."

Drake wandered up to Alexandra's position and helped her down after she finished the song and soaked up enough applause for the evening.

"Did you find out what you were after?" She asked as they made their way back to Mason's table for a moment.

Drake nodded. "Some of it, but the real surprise of the evening was you. You were quite a vision up there. Sounded like an angel too."

Alexandra blushed shyly.

"Thank you, Paul. I love to sing. Wish I had the opportunity more often."

"You're very welcome. I need to go settle up the bill real quick so if you'd like to join Perry, Della, and Hamilton, I'll be back in a minute."

Drake guided Alexandra to Mason's table with a strong hand on the small of her back and she took a seat next to Burger who had stepped out to make room for her on the inside of the horseshoe shaped booth so she could sit next to Della.

"You sounded wonderful, Alex," Della said. "I'm glad you decided to try a new song."

Alexandra nodded, a bit embarrassed.

"I guess I have been stuck in a rut with my song rotation lately," she admitted with a chuckle.

"Regardless, you sounded incredible," Burger said sincerely.

He was interrupted by the arrival of the waitress with the tab.

"I'll get the check this time," Burger said, swiping the slip of paper before Mason could object. He reached into his pocket to retrieve his wallet and dug out a ten dollar bill, handing it to the waitress. She hurried off to get change.

"Why thank you, Hamilton," Mason said.

They all glanced up as Drake returned and the group rose from their seats and slid out of the booth.

"Well, I wish there was more time to chat, but I need to get Cinderella here home at a decent hour. I can't imagine being late for work will impress her boss," Drake said.

A slightly sarcastic smile tugged at Burger's lips.

"Indeed it would not."

Drake nodded and offered his arm to Alexandra. She took it and went with Drake with a bright smile.

Burger let out a deep sigh that did not go unnoticed by Mason and Della.