~ ~ ~
They spent the rest of the afternoon happily, Yolanda feeling as if the weight of the world had been lifted from her shoulders. On the way home, she debated whether or not to tell Shane about Roy, just as Deana had suggested, until she finally decided that she would tell him the whole story when they reached his house, thinking it was best to be honest with each other. As soon as they got out of his car, however, Jill came to greet them with an expression of worry.
“What’s wrong?” Shane asked her.
“There’s a story on the news.”
“What story?” Yolanda asked, suddenly worried as well.
Jill glanced at Yolanda then turned back to look at Shane. “About you having an illegitimate child named Christina from California.”
At once, Yolanda gritted her teeth. So Roy did not waste time going after Shane, after all.
“Don’t worry about it,” she told Shane, holding his hand. “I know a lot of people in the media and we can just ask them to air your statement, let everyone know it’s not true and…” She stopped talking when she realized his expression was somber rather than angry. “Shane?”
He looked at her and spoke slowly.
“It’s true, Yolanda.”
Chapter Six
“Shane McFiggins has confirmed that Christina Morales, a seven year-old girl from Milpitas, California, is indeed his child, having had a relationship with her mother, Isabelle Morales, in the past.”
Yolanda turned off the television, not wanting to watch the news any longer. She sat on the couch, sighing as she hugged a pillow to her chest.
How had her life turned out to be such a mess?
Just two weeks ago, she was a successful TV show host, a woman who was content with her job, and with her life for the most part, even though she did not have a boyfriend, having fun with her best friend, doing yoga, eating good food, sleeping soundly every night. Now, she had a crazy billionaire trying to get into her pants and ruin her life at the same time, a family in crisis and a man she loved who was currently in the middle of a large-scale controversy.
It was nothing short of a nightmare.
In the silence of the apartment, she heard the phone ring but didn’t pick it up. She wasn’t really in the mood to talk to anyone right now. Besides, she needed to think.
Think.
How could she get out of the mess she was in?
The way Yolanda saw it, she had two problems. One was Roy Carmichael and the other was Shane.
Until now, she had thought she couldn’t do anything about Roy Carmichael, that he was powerful and she was helpless against him. Now, however, she wondered if perhaps she had given up too easily. There had to be some way she could fight back against him. If she could, there was a chance she could make things right with her family so that they could go back to the peaceful life they had before he ruined it.
The controversy about Shane, however, and the crimp it caused in their budding relationship, was something that could not be undone. She just had to deal with it. The question was: How?
After Jill had told them the news, she had left Shane at his house, wanting to be alone because she suddenly felt confused and hurt. For that same reason, she had not answered any of his calls.
But was she right to be mad at him, to feel betrayed? True, he had had a child with another woman, but that had happened eight years ago, back when they didn’t even know each other existed. Could you betray someone you didn’t know?
Or maybe it was the fact that it seems that nobody knew about this child aside from the woman and himself. How long had he known? Was he ashamed? Did he try to get out of child support? Or was he just paying this woman and their child under the table as long as they kept quiet?
Ugh, Yolanda thought, that just didn’t sound like the behavior of a real man who took responsibility for things. She never would have thought Shane would be the kind of guy that would do something like that. He was different. He was…
Yolanda stopped herself at the thought. He was white. That’s why this surprised her so much. She sat down and put her head in her hands, ashamed that she would be so prejudiced against her own race, that she would find this behavior typical of a black man but scandalous for a white man, and she felt that maybe she was being a little unfair to Shane, as well: eight years ago he was a younger man, and sometimes young men—young people—do stupid things they regret. Shane didn’t seem ashamed, he didn’t try to deny it at all. Maybe he and this woman just handled the situation the simplest way they knew how?
If not by the act itself, then perhaps she felt betrayed by the fact that he had not told her of his child, whose existence he was apparently aware of all along. Why hadn’t he told her?
Then again, they hadn’t really discussed personal issues or past relationships. Heck, she didn’t even know what his favorite childhood game was, or his first crush, or his favorite color, and he definitely didn’t know hers, nor did he know about Gil or all the other guys she’d dated. So didn’t that make them even?
She sighed. No matter how hard she thought about it, she knew she didn’t want to be mad at Shane, which was probably why she couldn’t find a real reason to.
She nodded, having made up her mind.
She would talk to Shane before she went to work tomorrow. He deserved that much, at least.
~ ~ ~
Yolanda was still eating breakfast the next day when she heard the doorbell ring.
“Who is it?” she asked.
“Not the delivery man,” came the reply.
Paling, Yolanda hurried to the door, stopping only for a moment before opening it to make sure she was presentable. “Shane?”
The moment she saw him, she felt her heart melt. By the looks of it, he hadn’t slept a wink and she was tempted to ask him to rest his head on her lap and sleep on her couch, but said nothing.
“I just want to talk,” he said. “Can I come in?”
Yolanda opened the door wider.
“By the way, these are for you.” He handed her the bouquet of flowers in his hand. “I wasn’t sure what flowers you like, but I thought these sunflowers could cheer you up.”
Briefly, she was reminded of the last time she got flowers but she accepted the bouquet graciously anyway, knowing that this time, they really were from Shane.
“Thank you. They’re lovely.”
She set the flowers down on the coffee table and sat on the couch. Shane did the same. For a moment, both were quiet, awkward silence settling on the room. Then, Shane spoke.
“I don’t really know where to begin,” he confessed. “On the way here, I was trying to think of the best way to apologize, but I don’t really know what to apologize for. All I know is that I ended up hurting you somehow and I’m sorry.”
She could not help but give a slight smile at his sincerity.
“I guess I owe you an explanation,” he went on. “Eight years ago, I met Isabelle and I guess you could say I fell in love with her. We were only together a short time, though, just a few months. I never thought we’d have a kid.” He paused. “By the time I found out, she and I were no longer together, but she was sure the child was mine and I believed her.”
Yolanda nodded, remembering the picture of the child she had seen on television, who undeniably looked like him.
“I offered to marry her, but she refused. She said she was no longer in love with me and that the best thing I could do for her was to walk out of her life. And so I did. I’ve continued to provide for her, though. Isabelle got married two years ago and her husband seems to treat Christina well, so there aren’t problems, or at least I thought there wouldn’t be. Ever since I became popular, one of the things I always hoped for was for her to be kept out of the spotlight, not because I didn’t recognize her but because I wanted a normal, fun childhood for her. I guess that’s gone now.”
Yolanda touched his arm. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s not your fault.”
“It kinda is,” she to
ld him, deciding to be honest with him just as he had been honest with her. “You see, there’s something I’ve been wanting to tell you.”
She went on to tell him about Roy Carmichael, about how he had been the one behind her rumored affair, how he had hurt her family, how he had hurt Shane. At the end of it all, Shane gave her a look of disbelief, and of anger.
“So he did all that?”
She nodded. “I’m afraid so. I tried not to get you involved but I guess I failed.”
“Was that why you were trying to stay away from me?”
She nodded.
“None of this is your fault, Yolanda.” He squeezed her hand. “He’s a bastard, a beast. How can he call himself a man if he can’t handle defeat and if he gets innocent people involved? How can he hurt a woman like you like that?”
“I know,” she said. “He’s a despicable monster.”
“Isn’t there anything we can do to stop him?”
She looked at him. “At first, I thought there was nothing I could do. The gap between us is so great, after all. But just last night, I started thinking and maybe I’m not as helpless as I thought.”
“You’ve got a plan?”
She nodded slowly. “I’ve got a plan, alright. It’s time for Roy Carmichael to pay for his crimes.”
~ ~ ~
On Friday morning, Yolanda gave Roy Carmichael a call.
“Yolanda Gray. How wonderful it is to hear from you. Are you still with that country singer? You shouldn’t trust him, you know.”
Yolanda was tempted to tell him that she would trust Shane over the likes of him anytime, but simply smirked.
“So what can I do for you? Or perhaps I should ask what you’d like to do for me?”
“I actually called to invite you to tonight’s show. I know it’s short notice but I hope you can make it.”
There was a pause on the other end. “You’re inviting me to be your guest?”
“That’s right. That’s what you wanted in the first place, after all. Am I right?”
He said nothing, his silence letting her know he was contemplating her offer.
“Of course, if you can’t come, I’ll have to call someone…”
“I’ll be there,” he said suddenly.
She grinned triumphantly. “That’s good.”
“I look forward to seeing you, Yolanda.”
“Same here,” she said before hanging up. That last bit was not a lie. She was looking forward to seeing him, not because she really wanted to see him for his sake, but because she had some things she had to say to him.
She grinned.
With luck, before the day was over, Roy Carmichael would be out of her life for good.
~ ~ ~
“It’s a good thing you could come, Mr. Carmichael,” Yolanda greeted Roy as he arrived a few minutes before the show.
Yolanda was dressed much flashier than usual. Her attire for the show was usually very professional, almost business-like, but she glammed it up considerably for the big day. She had dangling earrings, light eyeliner and red lipstick. She also had a flowing purple dress that draped over and accentuated her generous curves, and a neckline that plunged just short of showing lots of cleavage—but she wore a couple of long gold necklaces that draped downward between her breasts, daring any man who saw her not to follow the necklaces down with their eyes.
She reached out to shame Carmichael’s hand.
“The pleasure is all mine,” he said, taking her hand and, instead of shaking it, brought it to his lips. As he let it go, his eyes raked over her, making her feel as if he could see through the purple dress, though she managed not to shudder in disgust.
Focus, Yolanda.
“I would like to have a few words with you before the show. Please follow me.”
She walked towards her dressing room, him following at her heels. Once there, she closed the door and sat on a chair, crossing her legs. She gestured for him to have a seat, as well.
“Actually, what I want to talk to you about has nothing to do with tonight’s show,” she said smoothly.
“Really? And what was it you wanted to talk to me about?”
“I was wondering if we could start over,” Yolanda’s voice grew more sultry. “You have to admit, we got off on the wrong foot, after all.”
Carmichael was transfixed. “That we did.”
“I still can’t believe you did that to the chocolates.”
“You mean put laxatives in them? A stroke of genius, don’t you think?”
“Indeed.” Yolanda chuckled. “Did you inject them yourself?”
“I did.”
Yolanda nodded. “Wow. I guess I should be glad you didn’t poison me.”
He grinned. “I considered putting sedatives instead and having you abducted, but then I did want you to come to me of your own will.”
“Ah.”
“And now you have.”
Yolanda answered, “Yes, I have. I realized how powerful you are. You could dominate and manipulate anyone, what chance did I have to resist you? And to think all I would have to do, was to give myself to you like the prize that I am, to let you have your way with me.”
Carmichael had the most intense look of self-satisfaction on his face. “I’m glad you came to your senses.”
Yolanda smiled. “I must admit you are a very persistent man. It’s quite charming in a way.”
“One cannot achieve success if one does not persist.”
“Have you always been this persistent with women?”
“I have,” he admitted. “Though I have to say, you have been the greatest challenge so far.”
“Really? And here I thought Melanie Birch was the greatest challenge.”
He frowned. “I don’t remember any woman with that name.”
Yolanda elaborated, “Like I said, I realized that you had conquered many others: competitors, business partners, women, and that nobody becomes as successful as you without making a few enemies.”
Carmichael’s brow furrowed as he saw where this was going.
Yolanda continued, “You forget I’m a journalist, I love investigating. And so I did. I investigated and met with some of your prior conquests, including a Ms. Birch. She agrees that you were quite persistent with her, too. She must have turned you down so many times you lost your patience and finally raped her.”
He was clearly flustered, though he tried to hold on to his composure. “I did no such thing.”
“You drugged her, tied her to a bed in a hotel room.”
He shook his head.
“And you raped her.”
“It wasn’t rape. Melanie Birch was willing.”
Yolanda grinned. “I thought you didn’t know Melanie Birch.”
She got up and walked towards the door.
He got up, as well. “Wait, what is the meaning of this?”
“Oh, right, you’re not very smart, are you?” Yolanda said, turning around. “After all, the only reason you managed to get to the top is by bribing people and scaring them.”
“That is not true.”
“Let me spell the situation out for you, Mr. Carmichael.” She walked back towards him with a hand on her hip. “You are not going to bother me anymore.”
He just looked at her, still confused.
“From this moment on, you’re going to leave me alone, me and everyone I love. That includes Shane McFiggins.”
He snorted. “That boy can’t handle a woman like you, Yolanda.” He took a step closer to her and took a strand of her hair between his fingers. “He can’t give you all the things I can.”
She slapped his hand away. “You won’t lay a finger on me anymore. If you do, I’ll go to Maximilian Shaw and tell him everything I’ve found out about your company, including how you schemed your way to the top.”
“Maximilian Shaw?” His face grew pale at the mention of his business rival.
“The two of you have been at each other’s throats for years, right? I’m sure with th
e information I give him, he’ll be able to take you down.”
Roy just gritted his teeth.
“Oh, and whether or not you try to bother me from now on, I’ll be circulating the news about Melanie Birch and all those women you took against their will,” Yolanda added, enjoying the look on Roy’s face. “And unlike you, my stories are based on hard facts.”
“You’ll never be able to prove anything.”
She took out the small recorder in her pocket. “Well, I can prove you know Melanie Birch at least. You did mention her name a while ago.”
He clenched his fists. “Your stepbrother will never get his job back and your stepsister will lose her scholarship for good.”
“That’s fine.” Yolanda crossed her arms over her chest calmly. “I already got my stepbrother a new job and my stepsister a new scholarship. It turns out they both have really good qualifications.”
“You bitch,” he spat out at her. “You goddamned fat black bitch!”
She just grinned. “It seems you chose the wrong fat, black bitch to mess with.”
With those words, she turned on her heel.
“Oh, and by the way,” she added, stopping just before the dinner. “You’re still a guest on the show, only it’s not my show anymore. It’s Ms. Lambert’s. She’s a little tougher than me. But she recently got a tan. Who knows? The two of you might hit it off and then you’d end up being her fourth husband.”
Still grinning, she walked out of the room, feeling better than she ever had in a long while.
She had executed her plan perfectly and now, Roy Carmichael was not her problem anymore.
The nightmare was over.
~ ~ ~
“You should have seen the look on his face,” Yolanda told Shane an hour later as the two of them sat on her couch, celebrating with wine and cake. “He reminded me of a kid who had been caught trying to scoop out the goldfish.”
“Or trying to steal from the cookie jar,” Shane said.
“He looked helpless and ridiculous.”
“Which serves him just right.” Shane placed his arm around Yolanda and drew her closer to him. “Are you happy now?”
Twists and Curves - A Sexy BWWM Interracial BBW Romance Novella from Steam Books (Romantica) Page 7