AS THE MOUSE

OVES©

Tuesday September 12^th, 2000
Tiffany hung up the phone and threw the newspaper on the bed of her hotel room at the Tribeca Grand.  She had called ten apartment listings from the advertisements and there was nothing available that she could afford.  She tried to console herself that she had been through a similar feeling of despair when she first moved to New York.  Those thoughts only seemed to make her angrier.  If Skeeter hadn't taken the apartment on Bleecker Street away from her this wouldn't be going on now.  She thought about Skeeter again.  She couldn't get the image of the woman in the window out of her mind.  He had denied that he had a woman in the apartment before she arrived earlier yesterday, but it was hard to believe.  The thing that ate at her soul the most was that when she came back by after looking at the expensive apartment that Amir had offered, she saw a woman that looked like Jan Morgan getting into a cab.  It was true she had only caught a glimpse of the back of the woman's head, but she had seen the back of Jan's head many times.  It seemed like too much of a coincidence that the number on the telephone caller ID showed up "J. Morgan".  Skeeter had said someone called and hung up on him.  What he said did make some sense.  Jan could have been trying to call her at the old number.  After all it was her apartment before he took it away and she did work with Jan.  Maybe Skeeter wasn't lying, but something didn't feel right.  She couldn't prove anything but the feeling wouldn't go away.  The ringing of the phone interrupted her thoughts.
"Hello"
"Tiffany"
"Yes?" she asked unsure of the man's voice on the other end of the phone.
"I'm glad I caught you there.  I'm close by and thought maybe I could buy you a drink," Stanley Morgan said.
"Mr. Morgan," Tiffany said surprised to be hearing from Jan Morgan's Father today.
"Come on Tiffany.  How many times have I told you to call me Stanley," the older wealthy man said.
"Sorry.  I'm surprised to hear from you," she said stalling.
"Have you had dinner?"
"Yes."
"I'll be there in a few minutes and we'll have drinks," he said hurriedly hoping she wouldn't have time to refuse him.
"No.  No.  I'm busy tonight," she said tossing the newspaper on the floor.
"Just a drink.  It won't take long", he persisted.
"No.  I'm not dressed to go downstairs for a drink," she said wishing she hadn't answered the phone.
"Then I'll bring a nice bottle of wine to the room," he said lowering his voice hoping to sound sexy.
"No.  No.  I have to work tomorrow."
"You'll get to work.  Unless you want to run off to an island with me or something," he said laughing slightly.
"No.  It just doesn't suit.  But thank you very much."
"What are you busy doing?"
"I'm looking for an apartment. I have a lot of calls to make," she said kicking the newspaper with her bare foot.  She lied wishing she had found something available.
"I have apartments.  I can have you moved in tomorrow.  You don't need to worry about an apartment, you've got me".
"Thanks.  I think I'll find something."
"I don't think you will Tiffany. I know there's nothing out there unless you own them or know someone.  You remember Laney?"
"Yeah," she said thinking about Stanley's young blonde girlfriend that he got a job posing nude in popular men's magazine.
"I got her a nice place on East 86^th Street.  You could have something nicer.  Look I'm right around the corner in my car.  I'll be right there."
CONTINUED TOMORROW. MORE PHOTOS BELOW.
More soaps at: WORLDWIDE LITERATURE TOP 100.