IT'S ALWAYS FOUR O'CLOCK When Stan first meets Royal Mauch, he isn t impressed. He s digging the scene at the Treble Clef and Royal, this thin little guy two seats down, is so boiled he can t get his cigarette up to his mouth. But they start talking music, and Stan introduces him to Walt and Berte. And before you know it, with Royal s unique arrangements, they have a jazz combo. But Royal is no ordinary jazz pianist - this guy plays from somewhere out there. Stan and Walt have a hard enough time just keeping up with him, and Berte well, she s so in love with Walt, she s just happy to be the singer. And, man, some nights, they really soar! But it can t last. Because Berte is a woman with a mission, and Royal is a man with a past. IRON MAN Coke Mason is a tough fighter. He s got a great left hook, and he can take the punishment. His manager George Regan knows all his strengths and weaknesses hell, they ve known each other since they were kids - and uses them to his advantage to get Coke fired up before every fight. Coke is headed for the top. But he s got one weakness that Regan can t use Coke s love for Rose, his manipulative wife. Rose has Coke twisted around her finger so tight, Coke can t see straight. But that doesn t bother Coke. Whatever Rose wants is okay with him. Until suave hustler Paul Lewis enters the scene, with a proposition of his own.