Yolanda blushed as the other man gave another chuckle. So Roy Carmichael really was planning to seduce her.
“This I’d like to see,” the other man said.
“Oh, you will,” Roy promised.
At that point, Yolanda got up and walked away, not wanting to hear anymore.
How dare he? she thought, her fists clenched at her sides and her brows furrowed in indignation. How dare he think he could be on her show and then just get into her pants?
Well, he was wrong.
She would prove him wrong.
~ ~ ~
“What do you mean my appearance on Yolanda Gray’s show has been cancelled?” Roy asked as he set down his cup of coffee angrily.
He had woken up late that Saturday morning after going to bed late last night and was looking forward to a relaxing morning, only to find a disturbing message on his phone.
“I’m afraid that’s exactly what it means, Mr. Carmichael,” his assistant, Miranda, said on the other end of the line. “I received a message from the show this morning, saying they have decided to invite someone else to guest on the show next week.”
“Did they say who?”
“No.”
Roy frowned. “You said the show sent you a message?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Was it the producer who sent you the message?”
“It was Yolanda Gray herself. Apparently, she is also the assistant producer of her talk show.”
“I’m well aware of that,” Roy said through gritted teeth.
“Would you like me to call her and insist that you guest on the show?” Miranda asked. “They were the ones who invited you to guest in the first place, after all, so it’s quite rude to…”
“I’ll handle this myself,” Roy interrupted. “Thank you, Miranda.”
“Alright.”
Roy hung up, tossing his phone on the table so that it slid across the surface. Then, he banged his fists on the table, still seething in frustration, though he tried his best to take deep breaths and calm down, knowing letting his emotions get the better off him was never a good thing.
What in the fuck had just happened?
Just as Miranda had said, the staff of the show were the ones who had invited him to be their guest, and it was both rude and unconventional for them to cancel, which meant there was a reason why. And since it was Yolanda Gray who cancelled, he had an idea what that reason was.
She must have found out about his plans.
He sat on his chair, deep in thought as he wondered how Yolanda could have found out. In the end, he simply shrugged.
So what if Yolanda now knew about his plans? He was not about to change them, much less stop them.
He was a man who was used to getting his way, who never gave up easily, and he was definitely not going to give up on Yolanda Gray. He would just have to give a little more effort, which was no problem for him at all. He had known she would be an elusive prey, after all, and it would have been disappointing if she had allowed herself to be easily caught.
He grinned as he leaned back on his chair.
So she thought she could dissuade him just like that, did she?
He would see about that.
Chapter Two
Yolanda couldn’t see why, but the moment she walked into the office on Monday, everything seemed to be in chaos, as if somebody had made an announcement that the world was coming to an end while she had been driving on her way to work. Everywhere, members of the production crew were rushing back and forth while those who were at their desks were either busy on the phone or frantically running their fingers across their keyboards.
Yolanda frowned.
After having cancelled Roy Carmichael’s guesting on her show, she had felt better, even managed to enjoy the weekend, but now, she suddenly had a bad feeling.
She grabbed Terry’s sleeve as she passed by. “Terry, tell me what’s going on here, please?”
Terry stopped and adjusted her glasses. “Ms. Yolanda, everyone…”
“There you are,” Simon, the executive producer of the show, interrupted them as he approached. “Yolanda, you won’t believe what happened.”
“What happened?”
“Roy Carmichael and everyone else refused to be on the show.”
Yolanda blinked. She already knew that Roy Carmichael wouldn’t be on the show since she had asked him not to come herself, but everyone else?
“What do you mean everyone else?” Yolanda asked.
Simon took a deep breath. “I mean everyone else. Eileen Morrow, Tom Philips, all the other celebrities who were supposed to be on our show. And now, we can’t even get anyone to replace them.”
That made Yolanda puzzled. “Why did they cancel?”
“Oh, they had different reasons and wouldn’t change their mind no matter how many times we asked. Does it matter?”
Yolanda shook her head. She supposed it didn’t matter what their reasons were if they couldn’t come to her show.
“Maybe you can talk to them?” Simon suggested.
“I have a feeling that won’t work, either,” Yolanda said. “But surely, there are other celebrities who’d like to be on the show.”
“They’re all busy.”
“What about Abigail Duncan? She has a movie coming up so she’s gotta be wanting some publicity.”
“Too busy.”
“Jonathan Coleman. He won some tournament recently.”
“He’s out of the country.”
“Well, it doesn’t have to be a hot celebrity,” Yolanda said. “What about those that haven’t been in the spotlight recently, like Renee Dasher? She hasn’t had a movie in two years since she gave birth.”
Simon shook his head. “I’ve already tried calling her.”
“What about Larry Holloway?”
“That former child star? He’s in rehab.”
Yolanda frowned, her shoulders dropping. “You’ve tried calling everyone, huh?”
Simon slapped his forehead. “Oh, Yolanda, what are we going to do? The whole universe seems to be against us.”
“Not the whole universe,” Yolanda said, then added under her breath. “Just one man.”
“What?” Simon asked.
“Nothing,” Yolanda told him.
She was pretty sure Roy Carmichael was behind the whole disaster. After all, it was too much to be a coincidence or a mere trick of fate. Besides, from what she had heard, Roy Carmichael was bound to be pissed by her rejection and he would likely want to exact some kind of vengeance.
“Smart and ruthless,” she repeated the words of Roy’s companion the previous night.
“What was that?” Simon asked again.
Yolanda patted Simon on the shoulder. “Don’t worry, Simon. We’ll get through this.”
“But how?” Simon asked.
“If we can’t get a celebrity, then we’ll just get ordinary people with extraordinary stories to tell,” Yolanda said, her mind racing as ideas popped into her head. “Like a zookeeper who’s been working with wild animals for over a decade, or a couple with more than a dozen kids, or a surgeon who specializes in doing difficult surgical procedures.”
At those words, Simon paused, his panic dissipating. “You do seem to be on to something there.”
“I’m sure we’ll find some people who can fascinate and inspire our audience.”
“But we still need at least one celebrity,” Simon added.
Yolanda’s brow wrinkled. Simon was right. They still needed at least one celebrity as the show’s final guest so that those watching television would keep tuning in.
“We’ll just have to keep calling every name out there until one of them says yes,” Yolanda said.
For sure, there was at least one celebrity out there whom Roy Carmichael could not intimidate.
…Right?
~ ~ ~
Shane McFiggins sat on the old couch, stared at the stationary ceiling fan and let out a long sigh. After nearly nine months of
going on tour around the country and in different parts of the world, he was finally back home and no words could describe how wonderful it felt.
He looked at the mantel where the framed picture of his father stood.
“I’m home, Dad.”
He turned his gaze to the patio where his agent, Jill, was on the phone, apparently still working. He frowned. Surely, both of them deserved a break.
He stood up, about to get a glass of water, when he heard a car pull up on the driveway. He looked out the window to see a familiar figure jump out of the passenger seat, and he rushed to the front door.
“Moses!” he called out as the German Shepherd jumped on him. He rubbed the dog behind his ears and hugged him. “Boy, I’ve missed you.”
The dog barked, saying it had missed him, too, Ryan assumed.
“Welcome home, Shane,” said Shane’s friend, Ryan, walking inside.
“Hey!” Shane greeted him.
“I just passed by to drop Moses off since you said you were arriving today.”
“Thanks for taking good care of him. I owe you.”
“It was no problem.” Ryan handed him a bag with Moses’ things. “The kids loved him, actually. Now, they’re begging me to get them a dog.”
“You should,” Shane told him. “Dogs do nice things to people, especially to kids.”
“Well, I better go. I still have to pick up Lory from school.”
“Okay. Take care and thanks again.”
Shane watched his friend jump back into his pick-up truck and drive off. Then, he went inside the house.
“Let’s get inside, Moses,” he told the dog who obeyed. “I don’t think you have some dog food left, but I’ll get some later, okay?”
The dog barked.
Jill went inside. “Oh, hello Moses.”
The dog simply looked at her.
“Come on, don’t tell me you don’t remember me,” Jill whined.
“Give him time,” Shane said, petting Moses on the head. “So who were you talking to?”
“Someone from the Yolanda Gray show.”
“Yolanda Gray?” Shane’s eyes widened.
“Apparently, their guest for the next show cancelled and they’re looking for a replacement. I told them you just got back from your tour so you’re taking a break.”
“You did?” Shane asked, a little surprised.
“What? Did you want to go on television? I thought you hated talk shows.”
“Just call them back and tell them I’ll do it,” he said.
“You will?” It was Jill’s turn to show some surprise.
Shane nodded. “That’s still on Friday, right? I’ll have rested by then.”
Jill sighed. “And here you were saying you were going to stay in bed for a week.”
Shane just grinned.
“Alright, I’ll call,” Jill said.
“You can go home afterwards,” Shane told her. “You need to rest, too.”
Jill nodded, then went back out to the patio.
Shane got a glass of water and sat on the couch once more. This time, Moses sat beside him, resting his head on Shane’s lap.
It was true that he hated talk shows, both watching them and being on them, but Yolanda Gray’s show was different.
No, Yolanda Gray was different.
He remembered the first time he had seen her on television, back when she was just a reporter. She had captured his attention at once, not just because she was beautiful but because there was something about her that told him she was passionate about her job, that she genuinely cared about it, unlike the other reporters who simply read their scripts or were obviously dissatisfied with being out on the field, impatient to have their turn at the studio.
He had been especially impressed when she did her interview with rising basketball star Kian Matthews, amazed at how well she had handled it and really established a connection with the player, relaying his story and his feelings to the audience as if they were her own.
Shane had been a little disappointed when he learned Yolanda Gray had given up reporting and started her own talk show, afraid that fame had gotten to her, but he was pleasantly surprised to find that she remained true to herself, still humble and eager to tell the stories that needed to be told, always genuinely listening to what her guests had to say. He had even been able to see the witty, you could even call it funny side of her.
He had never thought he would be on her show, but now that the opportunity had presented itself, he could not deny that he felt some excitement.
He smiled.
He could not wait to meet her.
~ ~ ~
He was even more handsome than she had expected, Yolanda thought as she saw Shane McFiggins enter the backstage area on Friday night wearing a long-sleeved dark grey jacket, stone-washed denim vest and jeans that fit his long legs perfectly, the sight of him making her hold her breath.
She quickly let it go, however, and mustered a smile as he walked toward her.
“Shane, thank you very much for coming,” she told him as she offered him her hand. “I’m Yolanda Gray.”
“I know,” he said, flashing her a smile of his own, which was breathtaking in spite of the fact that it made the cleft in his chin more prominent. “It’s my first time being on a talk show so go easy on me, okay?”
“You make me sound like a slave driver. I’m just a talk show host.”
He just grinned.
“If there’s anything you don’t want me to bring up, you can tell me now,” Yolanda said.
Shane paused then shook his head. “You can ask me anything.”
Yolanda blinked and hesitated for a moment, but only for a moment. She’d never had a celebrity say she could ask them anything.
She shook off her surprise. “Okay.” She looked at Janine who gave her a nod and turned back again to Shane. “I have to go onstage now, but I’ll see you later.”
“Save a seat for me,” he said.
“That I can assure you I will,” Yolanda promised.
She ran her fingers through her wavy hair one last time before going onstage, met by a roar of applause from her audience. She handled the show smoothly, never letting anyone suspect all the chaos that had ensued beforehand and sending Roy Carmichael, whom she had a feeling was watching, a message that she was not afraid of him. Then, after her interviews with a zookeeper, a child psychologist, a dog groomer and a woman who had survived being run over by a truck, she welcomed Shane on stage with a huge smile.
“Everyone, please welcome, fresh from his successful tour, Shane McFiggins.”
Everyone applauded as Shane entered, some of the members of the audience even standing. Yolanda, too, stood up, then gave Shane a warm hug before they both sat down on the plush red armchairs.
“So Shane, how does it feel like to be finally back home after so many months?” Yolanda asked.
“It’s wonderful,” Shane answered. “I mean it was fun being on tour and performing every few days for so many wonderful people, but there really is no place like home.”
“Well said. But I’m sure you have so many good memories from your tour.”
“Many,” Shane agreed. “It was very memorable.”
“What was one of the best memories, one that you know you’ll never ever forget or that will make you smile each time you remember it?”
“Hmm, let’s see.” Shane touched his chin. “I loved all of the places I visited, all of the people I met, but there was this time back when I had my tour in Kansas when there was a woman in the front row crying while I was singing. As it so happened, I reminded her of her son who died while he was serving our country.”
Yolanda’s paused, her mouth forming a silent O. “Wow. How did that make you feel?”
“I felt really touched and honored that I could remind her of her son,” Shane answered. “I figured if she didn’t want to remember him, then she wouldn’t have come to my concert, but since she did, I’m glad I was able to help her remember
her son and maybe help her heal somehow.”
“Did you bring her on stage or give her something?”
“I gave her my handkerchief.”
“Very gentlemanly,” Yolanda remarked, then added with a sense of humor. “It was clean, of course?”
“Was it?” Shane scratched his forehead.
The audience laughed.
“Just kidding, it was clean,” Shane said. “But that doesn’t mean she shouldn’t wash it.”
“Well, I suppose it would have gotten dirty after she blew her nose on it, so she’s supposed to wash it or it would be gross.”
Shane and some members of the audience laughed. It was a lame joke, but sometimes that was still better than no humor at all.
“So what was the first thing you did when you got home?” Yolanda asked when the audience had calmed down.
“I played with my dog, Moses,” Shane replied.
“Oh, what a beautiful dog,” Yolanda said admiringly as a picture of Moses showed up on the large screen behind them. “How old is he?”
“He’s just a little over two years old.”
“You must have missed him while you were on your tour.”
“I did,” Shane admitted.
“I’ve always wanted a German Shepherd,” Yolanda said.
“Well, you can come and meet him,” Shane said. “I’m sure he’d love to meet you.”
Yolanda gave an expression of surprise. “Is that an invitation?”
“It sure is,” Shane said, much to the delight of the audience who began applauding.
Yolanda looked at the audience, gaping, then turned back to Shane. “You’re not going to feed me to him, are you?”
“Oh no, of course not. He wouldn’t dare harm a lovely lady like you.”
Yolanda placed a hand on her chest. She knew that he was probably only humoring her because she was the host of the show, but she could not help but feel a warmth in her chest, could not help but feel happy at his compliment, which sounded so sincere she was almost tempted to believe it.
“So you’re saying he bites ugly ladies?” Yolanda asked.
The audience laughed, Shane shrugging and laughing along with them.
Yolanda, too, wore a wide grin, enjoying the conversation. She wanted to keep talking to him, in fact, but from the corner of her eye, she saw Janine give her the signal for a commercial break and so she turned to the camera.
Twists and Curves - A Sexy BWWM Interracial BBW Romance Novella from Steam Books (Romantica) Page 2
