Bold and Beautiful Recaps: The week of August 17, 2009 on B&B

SC Desk
Bold and Beautiful Recaps: The week of August 17, 2009 on B&B
Bold and Beautiful Recaps: The week of August 17, 2009 on B&B

Comprehensive daily recaps for The Bold and the Beautiful, dating back to 1997.

Bold and Beautiful Recaps: The week of August 17, 2009 on B&B
Bold and Beautiful Recaps: The week of August 17, 2009 on B&B

Monday, August 17, 2009

by Tamilu

Love General Hospital, B&B, DAYS or other soaps? Join the conversation on our SC boards! Click here to connect with fans and dive into discussions now

The two ladies in Ridge's life pressed him for a decision and asked if he intended to go home with Taylor or with Brooke. Before he answered, the press burst in and began asking questions about the fashion show. Ridge dismissed them and told the "girls" to meet him in Eric's office.

Ridge said he had gotten some solid advice from James Warwick and wanted to follow it by getting family counseling. Brooke and Taylor were not at all convinced that it was a good idea for the two of them to go to therapy together.

James entered the office and Taylor and Brooke attempted to convince James they didn't need to be in therapy together. During the discussion the two ladies erupted into a screaming match, hurling accusations at one another. James smirked and noted they had made his case for him.

James informed them that he had used the same tactics with corporate CEOs who'd been involved in lawsuits and with warring divorce parties. He felt certain he could help Brooke and Taylor reach a greater understanding of one another. James asked them to decide which was more important: their love for Ridge and their kids, or their sick need to stroke their egos by engaging in loud fights with one another all over town. James suggested Big Bear as the location, and Brooke replied, "Bad things happen at Big Bear."

Brooke and Taylor finally set aside all of their objections and agreed to accompany James to Big Bear for joint therapy. James promised them that by the time they returned home, the veil of conflict that had hung over them for years would be diminished.

Bill and Katie dined in the same bar where Bill first met Katie the night she got drunk and passed out in his room. She apologized for that night again, and admitted that the reason she drank so much that evening was because she felt the strain of doing the right thing. Bill was shocked and said he thought that impulse was natural for Katie.

Katie laughed and apologized to Bill for giving him the impression that she was a good person. Bill said he had observed her and drawn his own conclusions. Katie confessed that the night they met, she had walked out on her fianc because she realized it was the right thing to do.

Bill explained that he didn't do the right thing when he allowed Forrester to win the fashion challenge. He said that, had he lived by his code, he would have allowed Forrester to lose, panned them in his magazine, and picked their carcass clean after they filed for bankruptcy. Bill continued that he had instead made the selfish choice, because he realized he found something he wanted more than Forrester Creations. Bill noted that Katie had not eaten her food, and she pointed out that he hadn't eaten, either.

Bill suggested he might regret the choice he made in the future, because in a month, Katie might have already changed her good opinion of him. She looked confused. Bill asked if he had to continue to throw away million dollar business deals to keep her looking at him the way she was looking at him that evening. He said if Katie wanted him to throw away his old rule book, he needed to know what the new rules entailed.

Katie said she didn't expect Bill to give up million dollar deals for her; she only wanted him to search inside and make decisions with the good person he was that he had hidden. Bill warned Katie that there was not a good guy hiding inside of him, but she refused to believe it. She reminded him that he had done a good thing at the fashion challenge, but Bill said he only did it because it benefited Katie and him.

Bill said when he wanted something, he wanted to own it, then stamp his name on it, to possess it, but he didn't want her that way. Bill explained that he wanted Katie under his gaze and in his arms; he said she was the doorway to someplace he had never been before and to a feeling he had never felt.

Bill continued that he knew Katie would eventually break his heart, because he would go about love all wrong and drive her away. She started to interrupt, and he asked her not to tell him that she wouldn't break his heart, because he knew he would lose her. Bill explained that even knowing that in advance, he wanted to press on. Bill admitted that he needed Katie and told her that he had never needed anyone before.

The Jackie M team tried to dismantle their loss and pinpoint where things had gone wrong. Nick told them they hadn't lost anything, and reminded them the crowd loved their designs. Whip decided to send Owen to San Diego to do a series of interviews, without Jackie. Owen didn't like the idea and suggested they could schedule the interviews in L.A. Nick said San Diego wanted to see its "local boy done good," so Owen had to go to San Diego.

Owen felt ill-equipped and said he was in over his head. Aunt Pam offered to go with him and make him lemon bars, but he passed. Clarke offered to travel with him and to drive. Nick thought that was a wonderful idea, and sent them on their way. Owen confessed he would miss Jackie deeply while they were apart.

After the rest of the staff left Nick's office, Bridget moped. She admitted that she wanted to win the fashion challenge. However, she added that if she had won, she would feel guilty for beating her father, so either way she would have been unhappy. She cursed the day she agreed to participate in the fashion challenge at all. Nick did his best to cheer her up and boost her ego, but Bridget was intent on wallowing.

Bridget said she believed people got what they earned, and she hadn't earned a win yet. Nick said if her theory was correct and people only got what they earned, he wouldn't have a "snowball's chance in hell" of being with Bridget.

Whip entered Jackie's office and expressed frustration with Owen, because Owen requested files and a financial statement. Whip said Owen was merely going to appear on a local talk show in San Diego and all people wanted to see was a local surfer boy in a small Speedo that made good.

Jackie defended Owen and said Whip was selling him short. Jackie said Owen intended to make a good impression, and she was happy to provide him with the files to help him accomplish his goals. Jackie reminded Whip that Owen gave Jackie his all and that she would be an ingrate if she didn't reciprocate.

Whip said he wasn't sure who he liked better, the "real" Jackie M, or the fake image he put on stage. Jackie chuckled and said she wasn't sure which one she liked better, either.

Bold and Beautiful Recaps: The week of August 17, 2009 on B&B
Bold and Beautiful Recaps: The week of August 17, 2009 on B&B

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

by Pam

At Big Bear, Brooke and Taylor tentatively entered the cabin and admitted that neither of them wanted to participate in the therapy with James. Taylor wanted to know what exactly they were going to do, and James told them he was going to use some advanced couple therapy ideas. Taylor questioned the logic, but James said that it had worked for many couples, and Brooke and Taylor had a shared interest in Ridge. James burned sage and candles as the ladies coughed and doubted that the program was going to work. He sat the ladies down with tea and asked them to name the first time they remembered mistrusting one another.

Brooke recalled that she never trusted Taylor, because Taylor had been counseling Ridge after Caroline's death and wound up marrying Ridge after knowing him only six months. Brooke said that it was Stephanie's intervention that persuaded Ridge to marry Taylor. Naturally, Taylor was offended and reminded Brooke that Ridge and Taylor were in love. Taylor remembered that every time Taylor had been married to Ridge, Brooke felt that Ridge had some other motive to marry her. Taylor said that Brooke could never admit that Ridge loved Taylor.

James told them that they had been hurting each other for so long that it was time they started healing and doing something nice for one another. He got Taylor and Brooke to participate in therapy and begin learning to trust one another. In one instance, Taylor gave Brooke a back and neck massage as Brooke lay on her stomach. Brooke told Taylor "to put a little muscle into it." Then Brooke told Taylor that when Ridge gave her massages with his big strong hands, he did a much better job. James told Brooke to stop baiting Taylor.

Taylor did give Brooke a better massage, and Brooke said she felt that she was starting to open up and trust Taylor. James was encouraged. Brooke started to relax and laugh, and said that she had a lot of funny memories about Taylor. James agreed that laughter was good medicine, and he encouraged her to share her memories. Brooke giggled as she recalled when the minister at Taylor's wedding said, "I now pronounce you man and horse." Brooke prodded Taylor to admit that it was funny. Taylor told Brooke that ruining her wedding and making a mockery of her in front of her children and family was certainly not funny.

Brooke continued to tell Taylor to relax and realize that it was funny, but Taylor said she thought of something funny. She grabbed Brooke around the neck and started to choke her while she dug her elbow into Brooke's back. James intervened and Taylor laughed as Brooke jumped off the massage table. James said that he was going to work them until they were friends, even if it killed him.

At Whip's place, Whip was sorting through photos of Jackie and Owen from the photo shoot, posting them on a corkboard, and admiring the variety of shots.

At Jackie's place, Jackie lamented that she was going to miss Owen, who was going to his hometown of San Diego for interviews on live TV. Owen admitted that he was nervous and excited. He told Jackie that he was going to miss her, but he wanted to share something with her before he left. Then he removed his shirt and undressed Jackie in some steamy moments that took them into the kitchen, where he ravished her against the refrigerator. They moved into another room, and Jackie pawed Owen. They had some hot interaction during foreplay and lovemaking.

After they had finished, Owen changed and prepared to leave for San Diego with Clarke. He and Jackie professed their love for each other before he left. Clarke was waiting at the door, but Owen said he needed a couple more minutes, and he took off for Whip's apartment. Owen warned Whip to stay away from his wife. Owen pointedly told Whip that it was obvious that Whip was attracted to Jackie, but that he needed to remember that Jackie was a married woman. Whip sneered at Owen as Owen said goodbye.

Whip later went out on his outdoor balcony and realized that another door to the apartment building was open. He walked in the door and down the steps to find himself in Jackie's living room. She was startled and so was Whip. Jackie asked him what he was doing there, and he told her the door was open. Jackie realized she had mistakenly forgotten to lock it. Whip asked her to talk to him about the kiss they had shared after the fashion show. Jackie downplayed the kiss as a peck, and said they were colleagues and nothing more.

She appreciated everything he had done for the ad campaign, and she enjoyed his company, but she was very happily married to Owen. She had no plans to ever betray him. She asked Whip to leave. Jackie sat by herself and wished aloud that Owen would hurry home because she was already getting very lonely without him.

Someone sorted through the sexy photos of Jackie with Owen from the beach scene, and the shoot where Owen was treated more as an animal in a cage. Suddenly, a man's hand with a knife plunged into Owen's face in one of the photographs.

Bold and Beautiful Recaps: The week of August 17, 2009 on B&B
Bold and Beautiful Recaps: The week of August 17, 2009 on B&B

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

by Tamilu

An anonymous set of hands took scissors and cut Owen out of all the photos he had been in with Jackie.

Jackie's phone rang and it was Owen calling from San Diego right before his big television debut. Jackie said she missed him, and Owen teased her because it had only been one night. Owen admitted he was nervous about the interview and feared the press would ask about his marriage to Jackie. Jackie assured him it would be fine, and he should simply tell the truth.

Whip saw Jackie in the office and noted she looked tired. Jackie said she hadn't slept and explained it was the first night in month she had been without Owen. Jackie told Whip how much she missed her husband, which was clearly not what Whip wanted to hear.

Jackie gathered the staff and called them in to watch Owen's interview on the TV in her office. Nick asked if the interview was personal or about fashion. Jackie responded that it would be about the Indulge line, and about fantasy. She predicted when Owen described their marriage to the world, Jackie M would get much-needed publicity and sell clothes in one fell swoop.

Jackie added that her marriage to Owen was every woman's greatest romantic fantasy. Nick asked Jackie if she was really okay with Owen discussing their private life on television. Jackie said Owen knew when to be discreet, but whether Nick liked it or not, his mother and Owen were the epicenter of the Indulge campaign.

Steffy was shocked when she heard that Brooke and Taylor had gone to Big Bear together for "couples counseling." Steffy asked whose idea that had been, and Ridge admitted it was his idea. He expressed his desire to have peace between his two families.

Steffy applauded Ridge for being a good dad, but asked him what he wanted for himself. Ridge said he wouldn't have an answer to that until Brooke and Taylor had made peace with one another. Steffy wished her dad could find real and lasting happiness.

Steffy said she felt the exercise at Big Bear was pointless because Brooke and Taylor would never change. Steffy compared them to two people stuck in the mud that couldn't get out.

Coincidentally, James had special mud shipped in from the Dead Sea that was known to have healing powers. He stirred the mud in a giant tub and asked Brooke and Taylor to disrobe and get into the mud bath.

In the mud bath, Taylor and Brooke continued to snipe at one another when James briefly went inside. When James returned, Taylor informed him that his magic mud therapy wasn't working. James said that was because they were still avoiding one another. He instructed Brooke and Taylor to make eye contact with each other.

Taylor looked at Brooke and asked how long they had to do it. James said until they "caressed one another's souls." Brooke would not look at Taylor, and Taylor attributed her refusal to a guilty conscience. Then Brooke scowled at Taylor and Taylor made faces at Brooke in return.

As Taylor and Brooke soaked in the mud, James talked to them about looking into one another's souls and searching to find forgiveness for past hurts. Instead, the ladies began to bicker, and the exercise turned into an all out mud wrestling match, which left Brooke, Taylor, and James completely covered in mud.

Ridge and Steffy settled in to watch Owen's interview. Ridge asked Steffy what she thought of Owen. Steffy said she believed Owen was a good guy. Ridge said Owen didn't start out that way. Steffy said she had mixed feelings about Owen at first, but eventually came to believe he had a good heart. They watched the first part of Owen's interview, but then decided it would just be Jackie M propaganda and turned it off. Ridge offered to buy Steffy lunch and she happily agreed.

The San Diego reporter heralded the success of Jackie M's Indulge line and attributed the success of it to Owen and Jackie's provocative image and their print ads. She asked Owen if the images presented were true, and wondered if Jackie was really a cougar who pursued Owen as her prey. Owen chuckled and said Jackie didn't really lead him around on a leash like she did in the ads, but noted the truth about his marriage would shock her and her viewers.

Owen continued that people were within their rights to question his marriage. He admitted there was a big age difference between him and Jackie. Owen said he had something to say that would shock the public, something no one knew, not even his wife.

Back in the Jackie M offices, Jackie's face fell and she looked downright terrified about what Owen might say next.

Bold and Beautiful Recaps: The week of August 17, 2009 on B&B
Bold and Beautiful Recaps: The week of August 17, 2009 on B&B

Thursday, August 20, 2009

by Pam

At Big Bear, Brooke and Taylor cleaned up after the therapeutic mud bath that ended in a mud-slinging battle. James was unnerved and told them that he was not giving up. He fully intended for them to become friends. Taylor said it was hopeless, and Brooke agreed. James told them he had another idea that he wanted to try.

Then Ridge called, and James explained that the therapy was not quite what he had expected, but they were going to get through it. He hung up with Ridge and told Taylor and Brooke that they needed to talk to each other. He presented each of them with a foam bat. He asked them to share some of their innermost feelings and comments. He only wanted them swat one another if the argument started to get out of control. Brooke started to remember when Taylor had been married to Price Omar and returned to reclaim Ridge. Taylor swatted her. Then Brooke swatted back. James tried to intervene, and they both swatted him. He gave up and said it was a futile attempt.

Ridge walked in as Taylor and Brooke were smacking poor James, and Ridge wondered what was going on. James said that he quit. He told Ridge that he had used the proven methods with members of the FBI, CIA, and terrorists with success, but nothing was working with Taylor and Brooke. Ridge looked at them and said the bickering had to stop. He told them that they were a family. The three of them and all the children were a family. He pointed out that at one time or another, they had all counted on one another and been helpful to each other. He forced both Brooke and Taylor to agree with him.

Taylor recalled that she trusted Brooke when it came to Jack. She remembered that she gave Jack to Brooke to raise, because Taylor knew she couldn't bond with her own baby. Taylor thanked Brooke for being there for her. Ridge reminded Brooke that Taylor helped Rick through some difficult times as a child, and Brooke agreed. She thanked Taylor for her help. Brooke said that she admired Taylor for the way she handled Phoebe's death. Brooke added that she didn't know what she would do under similar circumstances.

Ridge stepped in and reminded both women that they all had learned to lean on each other in times of need. Together, they had raised all the children that they shared. Ridge insisted that they were all bound together by the children, and they needed to find a peaceful way to get along. James returned and told them that he was going to need a designated driver, because he was celebrating his failure.

Taylor argued that he was not a failure, and she told him that she and Brooke were having a breakthrough. James laughed and told them to prove it by hugging. Brooke and Taylor looked hesitant, but hugged. Brooke told Taylor she was sorry for all the hurt she had caused, but she said she couldn't guarantee that it would never happen again. Taylor smiled, and agreed that their arguments kept life interesting.

In San Diego, Clarke nervously wondered where Owen had gone, since he had only minutes before airtime. Owen appeared fresh and ready to go, while Jackie, Whip, and Bridget watched at Jackie M.

As the reporter introduced Owen, she talked about Jackie M, and Owen promised to tell the studio audience something about his marriage that even his wife didn't know. The reporter seemed intrigued, and Jackie looked nervous. As the interview began, Owen confidently told the reporter that he wasn't the kind of guy to end up working in the fashion business. He added that he wasn't the kind of guy to be married to an older woman. He admitted that Jackie was a hot older woman, but still older.

Owen said that he was having a great time, and he was thrilled that all the consumers had put Jackie M on top in the fashion world. He said that he was glad the public liked the Indulge campaign. The reporter asked what he meant, and he said the he was a surfer, and that the stint with Jackie M was just another wild ride. He smiled, looked into the camera, and told Jackie that she had been punked.

The reporter was shocked. She said that the entire Indulge campaign was based on Jackie catching and taming a younger man. The reporter said that the public had truly bought into the entire "Indulge" fantasy. Owen smiled and said it was all just a fantasy, a ruse, a joke. As the interview ended, a confused Clarke asked Owen what he thought he was doing, but Owen walked right past him, still grinning.

Everyone at Jackie M was furious. Nick turned off the television, and told his mother that he was sorry. Whip said that Owen never deserved Jackie, and that Owen was a fool. Jackie wondered how she could have been so blind. She wondered how she could have missed the signs that Owen really didn't love her. She kept babbling that there must have been signs. Whip told her there were no signs. Bridget agreed that Owen had fooled all of them.

Later that night, Jackie visited Whip in his apartment, and she was drinking a bottle of champagne without the benefit of a glass. She said that she had originally bought the bottle to celebrate Owen's first television interview, but she had clearly been wrong about him. Whip added that they had all been wrong about him.

Jackie's phone rang, and it was Owen saying that he knew the interview had shocked her, but he could explain. Jackie told him there was no explanation, and she wanted him to leave her alone forever. She warned him to stay away and then she hung up.

Jackie started to cry and Whip held her in his arms, and begged Jackie to forget about Owen. Jackie said that she didn't know how to forget him. Whip started to kiss Jackie, and then Jackie embraced Whip and they were kissing passionately.

In San Diego, Owen called again and said that he was on his way home. He told Jackie that he loved her and that he would explain everything when he arrived.

Bold and Beautiful Recaps: The week of August 17, 2009 on B&B
Bold and Beautiful Recaps: The week of August 17, 2009 on B&B

Friday, August 21, 2009

by Isaac Mayo

Poolside at the Forrester mansion, Katie thanked a scantily-clad Donna for allowing her to use the pool for a date. Donna asked Katie who her date was. She was shocked to learn that Katie's date was Bill, and expressed her hope that Katie hadn't fallen for Bill. Katie said that Bill was just misunderstood. Katie told Donna that Bill wasn't the same person he had been before he arrived in Los Angeles -- that there was another person behind his cutthroat, business tycoon faade.

Donna suggested that they put Bill to a test -- Donna would come on to Bill in order to prove to Katie that Bill hadn't changed a bit. Katie thought that Donna wasn't serious, but Donna said that after a few minutes with her, Bill would show his true colors. A laughing Katie agreed to Donna's plan. Katie ran and hid in the hedges as Bill arrived.

Bill was surprised to see Donna at the pool, and he asked her where Katie was. Donna lied and said that Katie was caught up in Forrester business, and that Donna would be entertaining Bill. An amused Katie watched from behind the bushes.

Bill admired Donna's bikini -- he said it didn't leave much to the imagination. Donna said that was the idea. She asked Bill to rub lotion on her shoulders. Bill said that Eric probably wouldn't appreciate his wife asking another man to rub lotion on her. Out of sight, Katie continued to giggle. Donna said that she and Eric had a little spat, but Bill assured her that she and Eric would quickly kiss and make up.

Donna puckered her lips and said that she needed something "sinful and sweet," and asked Bill to help her out. Bill jammed a doughnut into a shocked Donna's mouth. When he went inside to change, Katie emerged from the bushes. Donna said that she was going to prove to Katie that she was too good for Bill. The sisters laughed.

Katie went into hiding again before Bill emerged from the house wearing his bathing suit. Bill asked Donna if she always wore high-heels with her bikini, or if that night was a special occasion. A seductive Donna touched her shoe to Bill's shoulder, and then flung it off. The flying shoe nearly hit the hidden Katie. Donna admired Bill's physique, and reminded him of the time when he had called her his "little barracuda." Bill said that he was glad that Donna brought that up, telling her that he should never have called her his "little" anything. He admitted that his behavior had been inappropriate, as Donna was a married woman.

Bill said that the behavior in many areas of his life had been inappropriate. He said that he wasn't a totally changed man -- but because of Katie he was trying to be a better one. Katie emerged from the bushes and told Bill that he could be anything and anyone he wanted to be. Katie asked him if Donna's test had offended him. He said that he understood that Donna had just been being protective.

Bill and Katie cuddled on a chaise longue. Katie said that she hadn't been worried that Bill might fail Donna's test. Bill showed Katie an article that was going to appear in the next issue of Eye on Fashion. The article was about Katie, and how she had been instrumental in returning Forrester Creations from the brink of bankruptcy. Katie read aloud from the article, which complimented Katie on the Royalty campaign. The article ended, "Miss Logan is one of the most beautiful people I have ever known, inside and out." Katie thought that Jarrett had written the article, but Bill pointed out that the byline was "William Spencer, Jr." Bill and Katie began kissing passionately.

A pensive Jackie sat in her apartment. Suddenly, the door opened and Owen entered. Jackie was aghast and asked Owen what he was doing there. Owen insisted that Jackie listen to him. Jackie said that Owen had humiliated her during his television interview. Owen said that everything that Jackie had seen on TV wasn't true. He told Jackie that he was committed to her and to their marriage. Jackie said that she had heard enough, and that there was no explanation for what Owen had said during the interview.

Owen realized that he wouldn't be able to get through to Jackie -- but perhaps there was someone else who could. When Jackie asked him what he was talking about, Owen reminded Jackie that she had always asked him about his family, and that he had never said much. Owen then opened the door and introduced Jackie to his identical twin brother, Casper.

Casper looked like a beach bum, ne'er-do-well version of Owen. Owen explained that Casper had played a prank -- it had actually been Casper who had been interviewed. Owen told Casper that switching places had been funny when they were children, but his latest stunt had been stupid. Casper said that Owen deserved it -- after all, Owen was "living the high life" in Los Angeles, while Casper was working a menial job in San Diego.

Owen said that when he arrived at the television station, someone who he thought was the producer's assistant approached him and told him that the location of the interview had changed. Owen had been put in a limo and driven around San Diego all day. Casper said that was when he hijacked the interview. Casper was proud that he had fooled everyone. Owen said that when he found out what Casper had done, he had said that if his twin didn't go to Los Angeles to explain himself to Jackie, Owen would have him arrested. Casper apologized, but said it was a good prank. Owen asked Casper to wait outside, and said that he was sending him back to San Diego on the next bus.

After Casper left, Owen apologized to Jackie for not having told her about Casper. A relieved Jackie hugged Owen. He asked Jackie if she still wanted him to move out, and she said no.

Jackie showed up at Whip's apartment. Whip asked her if she were okay, and Jackie replied, "No. I'm not okay. What have I done?" Whip asked her what had happened. When Jackie said that Owen was downstairs, Whip started to go after him, but Jackie stopped him. Jackie explained that Owen had an identical twin brother, Casper, who had actually given the television interview. Jackie's mood became somber -- she told Whip that she felt guilty about having kissed Whip. Whip said that they had just hugged each other -- and that they hadn't made love. Jackie said that it was wrong, and she didn't know how she was going to explain the kiss to Owen. Whip suggested that Jackie not tell Owen about the kiss. After Jackie left, Whip stared at pictures of Jackie that had been taken during the Indulge campaign shoot.

Owen returned to his and Jackie's apartment. He told Jackie that he had sent Casper back to San Diego. Jackie was still stunned that Owen had a twin brother. Owen said that he wished he could have gotten to Jackie sooner to explain what had happened. Jackie said that she didn't deserve Owen. When Owen began blaming himself, Jackie told him not to. She went on to say that she had drank too much champagne, trying to dull the pain that had been caused by what Casper had said during the interview.

Jackie started crying. Owen told her not to blame herself. He said that they should put the incident behind them. Jackie said that she wished that she could. Owen said that he wanted to see a smile back on her face, and the Knights expressed their love for each other. Owen embraced Jackie, but while he was holding her, she remembered kissing Whip.

Enjoyed this article? Join the conversation in our The Bold and the Beautiful forum! Click here to connect with fans and dive into discussions now.

comment icon
Comment
Edited by SC Desk