AS THE MOUSE

OVES©

Soap Opera "As The Mouse Moves" - Wednesday May 15th 2002
Tiffany walked from the kitchen of the townhouse were she worked on MacDougal Alley carrying a cup of coffee to her desk.  She took a seat at her desk.  She heard footsteps on the floor above her. She glanced up at the ceiling. She wondered what would happen if Clark by chance came back to the office early and caught Stanley upstairs with Nicole. Poor Clark had just become engaged to his young secretary Nicole. She knew if her sister Starlene stopped by and caught her lover Stanley with Nicole, there would be bloodshed.  She couldn't blame the older man too much after all Nicole was only wearing a sheer white robe when he stopped by and she invited him to come upstairs. 
The intercom rang on the desk and she picked up the phone.
"Yeah," Tiffany answered.
"Do me a favor Tiffany if anyone comes by buzz me," Nicole said.
"Okay. What if it's your Father?" Tiffany said knowing Nicole's Father had been furious when he discovered his young daughter was involved with Stanley. Nicole's Father had insisted that Nicole be transferred from Stanley's office to work for Clark.
"Very funny. My Father's in Florida," Nicole said hanging up the phone.
Tiffany put the phone on the receiver and stared into space in disbelief. She wondered if she should tell her sister Starlene that Stanley had gone upstairs with Nicole today.  She quickly decided that she should give Stanley the benefit of the doubt.  Starlene and Stanley had just become engaged; she didn't want to hurt her sister with her doubts. Maybe the older man would come back down soon and nothing would happen. Tiffany heard footsteps going towards the bedroom upstairs.  She reached over her desk for the volume button on the radio and turned down the sound.  The phone rang.
"Manhattan Party Planning," Tiffany answered.
"Hi Tiffany," Clark said into his cell phone as he looked out of the window of the cab.
"Hi Clark," Tiffany said her heart racing as she wondered if he was on his way back to the office.
"I'm having problems getting reservations at Tavern on the Green for dinner tonight," he said putting his hand up to brace himself as the cab came to a sudden stop at the light on 53^rd and Third Avenue.
"Yeah," Tiffany said as she heard a bumping noise on the floor of his bedroom above her.
"Is Nicole sitting at the desk with you?" he asked having left her there with Tiffany only a few minutes ago.
"No. She's upstairs," Tiffany said starting to feel her hands tremble with anticipation of his next question.
"Did you girls get the engagement party planned yet?" he said proud of his decision to marry the pretty young secretary.
"No. Not yet."
"Money isn't an issue with this," he said knowing he had been so tight fisted in the past that Tiffany might think she had to be conservative in planning the engagement party.
"Nice," Tiffany said as she heard Nicole giggling upstairs.
"Well, I won't get married but once.  I want to make this really special for her," Clark said as the cab jerked and started moving forward in the traffic.
"I'm sure it will be special for her," Tiffany said as she heard the sound of the bed hitting the wall upstairs.
"Well, I have another call.  Do me a favor, try calling Tavern on the Green and see if you can get reservations for two and possibly three."
"Three?" Tiffany said.
"Yeah. Nicole doesn't know but I think her Father's coming into town today."
CONTINUED TOMORROW. MORE SOAP PHOTOS BELOW.