AS THE MOUSE

OVES©

Soap Opera "As The Mouse Moves" - Monday March 12^th 2001
"Starlene, Amir invited me to have breakfast at his house," Tiffany whispered into her younger sister's ear as they stood in the ballroom at Amir's celebrity party at the Waldorf Astoria.
"Great.  That sounds like fun.  See there isn't anything between Amir and Celinda, is there?" Starlene asked in her southern accent pleased that her sister had been introduced to the fashion designer tonight and might be less suspicious of the famous woman's intentions towards Amir.
"She might be going too Starlene.  That's why I can't possibly not be there," Tiffany said.
"Oh.  I don't blame you.  Who else is going to be there?" Starlene asked wondering if she should beg an invitation.
"Just Celinda and her advisor," Tiffany said nodding her head towards the older man putting on his jacket as he stood beside Celinda and Amir on the other side of the room.
"Yeah.  You better go.  That old guy will probably go home early and leave the two of them alone", Starlene said knowingly.
"Do you have cab fare home?" Tiffany asked Starlene.
"Yeah.  I'm fine.  Go ahead and I know the score…you'll be staying there tonight, right?" Starlene asked remembering Amir's mansion in Sutton Place overlooking the East River.
"Yeah," Tiffany said quickly hugging her younger sister and putting on her coat.
Starlene watched as Tiffany walked out of the ballroom towards the elevator.  She saw Amir, Celinda and her advisor leaving the ballroom as well.  She glanced to the other side of the ballroom and saw Stanley talking with the Mayor.  Jan was close by on the arm of her handsome young date.  Starlene turned to look in the other direction and noticed that her new friend Phil, the cameraman from "Go Gossip" TV network, was packing up his equipment to leave.  She quickly decided to tell him goodbye and walked towards the area where the stocky cameraman was working.
"Hi Starlene," he said looking up and smiling at the buxom young blonde in the bright red low cut evening dress.
"I guess you're all finished for tonight?" she asked.
"That's it for here, now the next gig."
"Thanks for helping me tonight"; she said referring to his tips about lighting angles before she was seen on camera.
"It was nothing.  A pretty woman like you will always look good on camera.  You going to the party?" he asked wrapping wires around his hands as he knelt on the floor in front of her.
"What party?" she asked trying not to stare as she noticed the back of his jeans were pulled down as he knelt revealing his bare skin and the top of his backside.
"The one at the China Room Club?"
"I didn't know there was another party."
"Yeah.  Steve Goldstein and Jan Morgan are going over there.  Jan told me so that I could cover it for the network.  She's really a nice woman," he said naively.
"Really? They're leaving a party this late at night and going to another one?"
"That's the way it's done in New York.  Sometimes the hottest stars of MTV show up at the China Room Club in the early morning hours.  It's good publicity to be seen there," he said nodding his head as if this was inside information.
"Are you going to be there taping it?" she asked noticing that he had almost finished packing up his gear.
"Oh yeah. My boss was impressed that Jan told me this.  Besides I'm getting time and a half for doing it," he said quickly yanking the waist of his jeans in the back as he stood up.
"Yeah.  I'll see ya there.  I hope you'll get me on camera again," she said reaching over to kiss him on the cheek.
"I'll do my best," he said smiling as he watched her turn and quickly walk towards the door of the ballroom.  He gripped the heavy electrical cords as he watched her hips sway in the tight red evening gown as her long blonde hair swept her shoulders. 
Starlene took a quarter from her evening bag and placed it into the payphone in the lobby.  She quickly dialed the now familiar number of Tiffany's estranged husband on Bleecker Street and listened to the ringing of the phone.
"Hello", Skeeter answered.
CONTINUED TOMORROW. MORE PHOTOS BELOW.