Twists and Curves - A Sexy BWWM Interracial BBW Romance Novella from Steam Books (Romantica) (3 page)

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.

“When we come back, we’ll hear a performance from Shane McFiggins.”

As the crowd broke into applause, following the cue card, Yolanda leaned towards Shane. “You’re doing a great job.”

“I am?” Shane sounded happy. “Well, that’s because you’re the one I’m talking to. I guess you just have a way of bringing out the best in people.”

Yolanda blushed, that second compliment taking her even more by surprise than the first. What’s more, she knew now that he was being sincere, since he was complimenting her even though the cameras were not on them and the microphones were not hot.

Still, she tried to keep herself composed, reminding herself that she was a grown woman and not a teenage girl. “Thank you. Good luck on your performance.”

“I hope you’ll enjoy it.”

Before she could say any more, a production assistant came to lead him to the other stage, which had already been prepared for him. He sat on the stool and took his guitar, then adjusted the microphone and tested it before plucking a few strings on his guitar, making sure that it was ready to go.

All throughout, she watched him intently, feeling drawn to him, and when the show continued and he performed, she kept her eyes on him, shifting every now and then from his face to his long, elegant fingers caressing the strings of his guitar so skillfully. 

She was impressed, and not just because there had been no time for a rehearsal on stage. Each time she shifted her gaze up, their eyes would meet and each time they did, she felt her heart race, the warmth in them seemingly igniting a fire inside her and the way he looked at her making her feel as if he was singing only for her.

She managed not to faint, however, standing and applauding when he was done with his performance before going over to give him a congratulatory hug. Shane returned the embrace, and it didn’t feel as though it was simply out of politeness.

“Shane McFiggins, everyone,” she said as she turned to the audience. “Hope you enjoyed the show. Have a great weekend. Good night.”

Reluctantly, she left Shane’s side to greet the members of her audience, doing her best to give a sensible reply to their questions and remarks and keep her smile authentic even though part of her kept wishing that she was backstage, worrying that Shane could leave at any moment before the two of them had a chance to talk some more.

She didn’t know exactly why, but she felt as if they had something between them, chemistry perhaps, or some strong connection she had never shared with anyone before, and she was very curious to find out where it could lead.

The moment she saw him backstage, she felt a huge wave of relief. No, it was not just relief. It was joy.

“I thought you’d gone home already,” she said, grinning at him.

“I just wanted to repeat my invitation,” he said.

“Invitation?” She pretended not to remember. “Oh, you mean that one about going to meet your dog, Moses?”

Shane nodded. “Will tomorrow evening be alright, or is it too soon?”

“Tomorrow?” Yolanda could not conceal her surprise. 

“Too soon, huh?”

“No, it’s fine,” Yolanda said quickly. “Tomorrow is Saturday so it’s fine.”

“I’ll pick you up at around six?”

“You know my address?”

“No, but I’m hoping you’ll give it to me,” Shane said. “Maybe I can give you my number first, then you can send me your address later.”

“Sure, that works,” Yolanda said, hoping he did not see how excited she was.

“Great. Here’s my number.” He handed her a piece of paper.

“Alright. I’ll send you my address later tonight.”

He nodded. “Drive safely. See you tomorrow.”

“See you.”

He walked away while Yolanda remained glued where she stood, too stunned by how things had happened so quickly and turned out so smoothly to move.

After a while, though, she grinned, feeling really pleased with herself.

Roy Carmichael had done his best to ruin tonight’s show and yet it had turned out to be one of her best. Not only had all her guests been wonderful, but she had also managed to meet an amazing man, one she had thought existed only in her dreams. 

Until now.

She let out a deep breath. She had a feeling that nothing Roy Carmichael did could get to her now. 

Or so she thought.

Chapter Three

When Yolanda woke up the next day, she was still in a good mood, the image of Shane’s smiling face and the thought that she was going to see him later that day – she wasn’t sure if she should call it a date or not – the first things that popped into her head.

She drew back the curtains, her smile widening at the sunlight that poured into the room, as if the universe itself was telling her it was going to be a perfect day. Cheered, she went to the bathroom to freshen up before changing into her yoga clothes and doing her routines in the corner of her living room. For a time after she had moved to New York, she had stopped doing yoga, but had realized just how important it was after having an anxiety attack, one of the worst experiences of her life. 

Then again, it had also been a turning point, bringing her back to yoga and more importantly, making her realize she should stop worrying about things that didn’t really matter, like what other people said out of jealousy or past relationships, which, in turn, made her more confident. That had been the start of the rise in her career.

After her session, she took a shower, turned on some music in the living room and ate breakfast, though she supposed it should already be called brunch since it was past ten. Afterwards, she washed the dishes and was about to read the day’s newspaper and some magazines by the porch when she heard the doorbell ring. 

“Now, who could that be?”

Setting down the pile of magazines she had just picked up on the coffee table, she quickly retrieved the cardigan draped on the arm of the couch, slipped into it and walked to the door.