Was it Good for You Too? Page 5

  Delvin wrapped her in his arms, and she went to him, too depleted to do anything else. His warm body was just the pillow she needed. His cotton shirt, a welcomed tissue for her tears. His powerful, protective arms, her only shelter from the dark shadows.

  Tailan relaxed in his arms as the tears receded. She wanted to trust him. She wanted to trust someone. But with what she had been through, she didn’t know how.

  Abruptly, Delvin stood and extended his hand. “Get up. You’re coming with me.”

  She hesitated several moments before collecting her belongings and doing as he asked.

  “I promise,” he said softly as they made their way from the classroom, “you’ll be all right. You’ll always be all right.”

  Chapter 7

  Delvin needed to regroup. Tailan’s effect on him was more than he could handle. To be so intimately close to her and not be able to hold her, touch her, make love to her, was pure torture. But a wall was between them now—a wall he had built with his bad choices.

  Well, if he built it, then he could tear it down.

  Delvin tracked her steps to the bus and followed. As the pendulum of her full hips hypnotized him with every step, his mind returned to the first time he had boldly and publically declared his never-ending love for her—a declaration that was the beginning of the end of his fake marriage to Gabrielle.

  Delvin was startled when Gabrielle slipped into the seat next to him at the Dolby Theatre. He had deliberately neglected to invite anyone to join him. So how his wife had managed to locate the ticket and finagle her way in was beyond comprehension.

  “Why are you here?” he said through his teeth.

  She waved off his concern with a dismissive hand. “People will think it’s strange if your loving wife isn’t by your side, won’t they?” She gave him a sugary-sweet smile that told him she had planned this all along.

  “Ladies and Gentlemen,” the announcer started. Delvin shifted his focus toward the stage. “Please welcome Natalie Portman.”

  The applause was thunderous.

  “Good evening,” she started. “Tonight I present five outstanding performances for best male actor in a leading role. And the nominees are …”

  “Darling,” Gabrielle whispered over to him. “The whole world will know that you’re the greatest, and that I’m the luckiest woman in the world to be married to you.”

  Delvin slid her a baleful glance, still angered that she had stolen his “plus one” ticket from his carriage house and had come of her own accord. The seat next to him was supposed to remain vacant, a sign that only he and one other person would understand. “The odds favor Matthew McConaughey,” he reminded her.

  “Your performance was soooo much better. Now, remember,” she said, stroking his arm like a hissing snake, “I left you a little note about your acceptance speech. Had it all written out for you.”

  Delvin gave her a look that he hoped conveyed his annoyance. “I will—”

  “And the Academy Award goes to…”—he shifted his focus back to the stage—”Delvin Germaine!”

  The crowd exploded with applause. Gabrielle screamed and jumped from her seat. Delvin lowered his head and said a silent prayer of thanks. This win was nothing short of a miracle. Like most others, he had expected Matthew McConaughey to take the honor. He rose from his seat and greeted the audience with a wave before giving Gabrielle a timid hug.

  Finally, the moment had come. He headed to the stage and over to the podium where Natalie presented him with the coveted trophy.

  They exchanged congratulatory hugs and a kiss, and he turned to the audience.

  “First, I want to thank God for giving me life and so many wonderful opportunities.” He paused to let the applause fade away. “I want to thank the academy and the other four nominees tonight. To be in a group of such distinguished gentlemen humbles me. There are so many people I want to thank. There are just too many to name but …” Then he grimaced before saying, “All right … my parents, Anna and Delvin Senior; my agent, Katie; and my lawyer, Maurice. They would not let me live it down if I didn’t mention them.”

  The members of the audience laughed.

  “But if you will allow me, I do want to take an extra moment to thank someone special.” He looked directly into the camera and lifted the award. “To the one and only love of my life. Tai, I never thought I’d be accepting this without you by my side. I love you. I will always love you, and I will never stop loving you. This”—he lifted the Oscar higher—”is for you.” He blew the camera a kiss. “Thank you.” He left the stage with Natalie on his arm.

  The screen near the off-stage area showed the cameras had panned to Gabrielle, who fumed with humiliation. The applause trickled down, and the whispers started. He smiled as he cleared the stage, already knowing what the world was thinking—who the hell was this “Tai” he was talking about?

  Fueled by that memory, Delvin ate up the distance between them. Before Tailan approached the group, he grabbed her hand and pulled her to him. “I’m sorry.” His thumb massaged the inside of her wrist. “So sorry for hurting you.” He searched her sad eyes for a hint that he was reaching her.

  “Do you know how much pressure I have on me right now?” Tailan seethed. “I don’t have time for this.”

  Delvin squeezed her hand a little tighter. “I’ll take your anger. I’ll take your resentment, I’ll take anything you throw at me.” He pulled her deeper into his body, their breaths mingling as he said, “But I am not backing down.”

  He would’ve kissed her right then and there if a busload of eyes were not watching their every move with open interest.

  Tailan’s lids dipped and zeroed in on his mouth. He didn’t move.

  “Well it’s about time.” They looked over to Pam, and Delvin shrugged at her knowing grin. Obviously she felt the smoldering heat rising between them and decided to dampen it. “I was about to put out an APB on you,” she teased. “You know we’re on tour right?”

  Joyce peered over Pam’s shoulder and added, “We could stop by the adult toy store and start y’all off right.”

  “Forget both of you,” Tailan shot back with a chuckle and followed Pam onto the bus. “What do you know about adult toys?” she asked Joyce.

  “Baby, I wasn’t always sixty-five,” she replied, patting her short-cropped hair. “This old girl’s still got a lot of living to do.” She leaned in and whispered. “And she’s going to have a lot of fun doing it.”

  Tailan laughed as she made it to the top of the steps and faced the group.

  Applause rang out from the crowd, causing Tailan to give them a mock bow before sashaying down the aisle to her normal spot near her team at the back of the bus.

  Delvin took the seat beside her, then as an afterthought asked, “You don’t mind if I sit here, right?”

  “Yes, I do mind.”

  “Too late now.” He stretched out his long legs. “I’m comfortable.”

  “It’s hard to miss that with you plastered all over me,” she quipped, frowning as Delvin curled into her lap, looked up at her, then released a playful, but happy sounding snore.

  “You start doing that and I’m rolling you to the floor.”

  Delvin had missed her sassy ways. “Now you know I’m just playing.”

  “I haven’t been with you enough to know that.” Her eyes always spoke deeper than her words. Delvin saw hurt there. Hurt he had planted so long ago.

  His smile vanished. “I’d like to change that.”

  “I’m trying to read,” she said, cracking open a romance novel. “I’d be finished with Brenda’s book by now if you hadn’t come along.”

  Delvin cuddled into her breasts and looked up at her, letting her see all the love he had for her there.

  Tailan gasped, cleared her throat, and quickly looked away.

  Delvin knew this tour was make or break for Tailan. It was a bold move all across the board. Her fears and concerns about its success were justified. He knew her better than anyo
ne. She would be devastated if this venture tanked. Tailan was a fighter, but Delvin could tell by the determined set of her face that she was overwhelmed at the moment and clearing her thoughts by plunging into the fictional world. He would have to find a way to lure her in and help her get this tour to the finish line.

  He studied her profile while she was lost in Brenda’s latest book. So much about Tailan was still the same, but Delvin couldn’t ignore that she was also very different now. She was a grown woman for one. She was older, wiser, and stronger.

  In their early years, Tailan shared the horrors of her family life. The cruel and sudden death of her parents and her brothers. The twisted sexual predator known as her Uncle Lin. The depravity of the rest of her mother’s family. At the beginning, Delvin had tempered his attraction to her with tireless care. It was a habit he knew he would now have to practice again. Tailan wasn’t going to just let him slide back in. She had too many scars buried beneath the exotic face she presented to the world.

  Delvin let a bashful smile split his features. He adjusted a little more into Tailan’s warm body. She ignored the movement and kept on reading. It was a ploy that gave him hope. Delvin was certain his woman was still in there. She had to be. She had survived so much before him.

  With his head nestled in her breasts, Delvin could hear her heart thump harder, faster every time he stole a sultry glance her way.

  He closed his eyes. Yes, his Tailan was still in there, and he was breaking her down.

  Thirty minutes later, the luxury coach made a sharp turn, and Delvin’s eyes popped open. He looked up at Tailan, who was studying something out of the window.

  “Get up,” she ordered.

  Delvin sat up to let her pass.

  Tailan was at the front of the bus before it came to a complete halt.

  He rose as he glanced out the window to see Elona and Michelle, staff who had traveled by car to set up before the authors arrived. They were wearing solemn expressions that propelled Delvin to the front of the bus.

  He looked on from the top of the stairs as Tailan hit the steps and made her way down. Something was very wrong. Delvin felt it down to his bone marrow. He watched Tailan stiffen as Michelle said, “We’ve got a serious problem.”

  Chapter 8

  Tailan looked from one woman to the other and asked, “What kind of problem?”

  They both remained eerily silent, forcing Tailan to whip through a set of scenarios in her mind that could pose an issue on a tour of this type. “The books didn’t arrive?”

  “No, that’s not it,” Michelle answered, giving Elona a quick glance as though hoping her co-worker would chime in and save her the trouble of sharing the unpleasant news.

  Derek, the man in charge of making sure the authors had what they needed, and Karyn, her marketing guru, walked out of the store and straight to the bus. Their steps were brisk, almost a run.

  “Telona Geans, spit it out!” Tailan demanded, using Elona’s complete name instead of the nickname she’d taken on because people kept getting Tailan and Telona mixed up.

  “Something’s not right about this whole set up. You need to speak with the general manager,” Elona said, running her hand through dark tresses that were already disheveled. Nodding to where Derek, Terry, and Karyn were helping the authors off the bus, she yelled out, “You might want to hold off on that.”

  “Where’s the general manager?” Tailan asked.

  “Right up front,” Elona answered, with an uneasy glance at Michelle. “Trust me, you’ll see him as soon as you walk in. The guy gave me The Willies,” she said, shuddering.

  “Ms. Tai, he won’t tell us what’s up,” Michelle said. “Said he only wants to speak with you.”

  Tailan pivoted then hustled like lightning to the entrance of the store and was standing in front of the manager in thirty seconds flat.

  The appearance of the man explained why Elona had caught The Willies. The bulky, balding, pale-faced human was as translucent as wax paper. The two buffoons flanking him were no better. All three men looked like undercooked aliens. She could practically see her reflection in them. They needed some sun—and fast!

  The scowls marring their faces meant they weren’t the most welcoming squad she’d seen all week. Maybe this motley crew wasn’t feeling all the extra work involved.

  Tailan extended her hand. “Good morning. I’m Tailan Song.”

  The general manager looked down at her hand as though it was contaminated with some type of disease.

  That flipped her eyebrow clean into her hairline. “I was instructed to speak with you.”

  His beady eyes narrowed in on the line of authors swiftly taking their places at the grouping of tables stretched out in front of jewelry and children’s wear. The icy vibes emanating from the men was enough to make Tailan shiver.

  The manager’s eyes cut back to her. “We don’t want your kind here.”

  Tailan blinked and tilted her head. “Our kind? You mean authors? Highly intelligent people who write books?” she said, gesturing to the group who were conversing with members of the excited Woodland staff. “You know those things that your store sells more of than most book stores? Those kind of people?”

  The two men behind the manager passed a look between them and folded their arms in unison.

  “You mean the authors your corporate headquarters approved to do this tour at this spot at this very time?” she redirected since her previous approach garnered no response.

  “They might’ve approved it,” he countered, rocking on the balls of his stumpy feet. “But they don’t know how we do things around here.”

  Tailan whipped out her cell, keyed in her password and clicked a couple of buttons.

  The burly, beady-eyed worm got right in her face and trained his gaze on her. “You can call anybody you want,” he challenged with a sly grin. “They can’t do squat. We don’t want your kind here. Now, I want y’all out.” He thumbed in the direction of the entrance to make his point.

  Tailan stared at him, disgusted. “I’m a little confused,” she said, hitting a button on her cell. “So you need to make it plain for me. When you say you don’t want our kind in your store, you don’t mean authors. Because we have groups of them here all the time. So exactly what do you mean?”

  “Them,” he said, gesturing with a jiggly arm to the group of ladies who were smiling, chatting, and greeting the fans who were beginning to block the main entrance.

  She eased the phone to her side. “I’m sorry, come again? I don’t speak—” she mimicked his arm gesture. “You need to be a little more direct.”

  “Darkies. Nigras!”

  The heaviest of the crew chuckled as Tailan’s heart sank to her toes.

  “Are you serious?! In this day and age?” she snapped. “You don’t want them here because they’re Black?”

  “I can say one thing,” the round man who looked the most like something from outer space said from behind the manager. “Nothing’s wrong with her hearing.”

  Tailan had suffered the indignity that came along with being mixed raced most of her life. These loathsome creatures were nothing new to her, but it wasn’t just about her. Besides the four males, she had a bus full of women, professional women—mostly professional anyway—to worry about.

  She scanned the store and noticed some alarming issues. One—there were a couple of men fiddling with shotguns like they intended to purchase them. But the weapons department was in the back of the store, not in the women’s section where the men were casually standing. Two—the two snot rags standing behind the manager were wearing the store’s security uniforms. They were in on this! From the looks of it, they were frothing at the mouth to start some mess.

  Delvin came to her side, and the tension around her spiked to new levels. Delvin’s presence propelled all three men to take a cautious step back. Time moved like molasses as she sensed Delvin doing the same thing she just had—sizing up the situation. Seconds later, his speaking glance let her know
that he’d reached the same conclusion she had. “How can I help, Ms. Song?”

  God bless him. The man could play it cold and direct like nobody’s business. “Get the authors back on the bus,” she said so only he could hear. “Now!”

  Delvin pivoted, aiming in the direction of the autographing area. Tailan gripped his arm to hold him still for a moment. “But don’t alarm them. Nice and easy—but quick.”

  He gave her hand a tight squeeze and seconds later, he was at Michelle’s and Derek’s side, relaying the information. Next, he told Karyn, Terry, and Elona, and soon everyone went into full retreat mode.

  Tailan cut her eyes back to the men in front of her. They were celebrating their victory with handshakes and back slaps. She wanted to knee every one of them in the rubber parts. But that was only a temporary fix to her problem. This store alone brought in more book sales than five combined, and it was where they’d done their heaviest promotion. She sized them up, never revealing a single flicker of emotion on her face. Did they really think she was going to take this lying down?

  Dummies!

  “Fellas,” Tailan drew their attention back to her with a perfect brilliant smile. “Now that I know how y’all do things ‘round here,” she lifted her phone, propped her hand on her hips and declared, “how about I return the favor and show you how we do things where I’m from.”

  Tailan snapped around and walked away. Over her shoulder she announced in her best southern drawl, “This ain’t over boys.”

  She put the phone to her ear as though she was making a call. When she was out of range, she quickly saved the recording of her conversation with the manager and his posse and forwarded it. Next she flipped through her directory, found the number to the local radio station, and hit the send button.

  Three minutes later she was connected directly to the host during the commercial break. “Damaris, I need you to get someone from your sister station—the television arm. Get them down to the Woodland in Fort Wayne right away. And if you have any pull with one of your competitors, get them in on it too. We’ve got a serious story brewing here, and I need all the coverage we can get.”