Hollywood Enigma: Hollywood Name Game Book 5

by Alexa Aston

  Turning on her blinker, Scarlett pulled off the highway and into Keely’s drive. She punched in a code and the gate opened. The beefed-up security had been Mac’s idea after their wedding. The paparazzi problem in California only seemed to grow and after what her friends had been through with that nut job Finn Jarvis wanting to kill Keely, Scarlett couldn’t blame them for taking additional steps to protect themselves.

  She got out of the car and tapped at the front door. Mac answered, pulling her into a bear hug.

  “Hey, Scarlett. Good to see you. Come on in.”

  As she stepped inside, Jax greeted her. The basenji raised up on his hind legs and did a ballet pirouette before dashing over to lick her hand.

  “Good boy, Jax.” She ran a hand along the dog’s coat.

  Mac closed the door. “Come on, Jax. We’re going for a run.”

  Scarlett followed him into the living room, with its spectacular view of the ocean visible through a wall of glass.

  Keely waved from the sofa, a mug in her hand, and patted the cushion next to her. “Come here, you.”

  Scarlett hugged her friend and sat next to her, setting her tote down and propping her feet up on the coffee table.

  Mac came over and tenderly kissed Keely. “See you in a bit.” He tucked a lock of hair behind her ear before he and Jax left out the rear slider.

  The sweetness of the kiss washed over Scarlett. She was glad her friend had such a devoted husband. It was another reason to end things with Chaz. He was self-absorbed and, while entertaining, he never would be a man who would cherish simple gestures.

  “Tell me everything,” Scarlett said. “How the movie’s going. How making a baby progressing. I want to hear it all.” She stopped. “You’re not dressed yet. You better do that and we can talk in the car on the way to the tournament.”

  Keely looked sheepish. “I’m not going.”

  “Don’t tell me the producers won’t let you dive for a few balls in the sand,” Scarlett lectured. “I can understand the riders about no motorcycling or jumping out of planes but—”

  “I’m pregnant.”

  Scarlett’s mouth flew open and then she enveloped Keely in a tight hug. “That’s terrific news. I’m so happy for you and Mac.” She pulled away. “How far along are you?” Ever the businesswoman, she added, “How much longer does the shoot have?”

  “This director is out-Sydneying Sydney,” Keely said.

  She laughed. Their friend, Sydney Revere, married to Dash DeLauria, was known for bringing in pictures under budget and oftentimes ahead of schedule. “How fast?”

  “We’ve been at it a month and are already a week ahead of schedule, which is unheard of in Hollywood. We’re supposed to film another eight weeks. Seven now, I guess. At the rate we’re going, I can see us make up another week. Maybe six weeks or so?”

  “Good. You probably won’t be showing until then. Are you sick?”

  “Only at night. Weird, I know. They call it morning sickness but I’m fine when I get up. I feel great during the day. I do come home super-tired, though. And then about eight, I start getting queasy and up comes everything. The only thing that tastes good to me now is PBJ.”

  “Have you told the director?” Scarlett asked. “At least with a romantic comedy, you don’t have any stunts coming up.”

  “I don’t think I’m going to. I’m only four weeks along. That’s really too early to tell anyone, except you, of course. We decided we’d wait until the three-month mark and hope all goes well. If that’s the case, we should be through shooting by then. I won’t sign on for anything new. Mac’s committed to doing Cassie’s screenplay after this and then nothing’s on his calendar until late next year.”

  “Oh, the buddy pic all the guys are doing together. I remember.” Scarlett hugged Keely again. “Thank you for sharing the good news with me. I won’t tell a soul. You know I’m airtight about things. It’s the lawyer in me. I’m great at negotiations and poker because I never show emotion or tip my hand. You could look like you have a basketball stuffed under your dress and I’d give you that blasé look as if the status quo had never changed.” She paused. “When you do give the word, let me host the baby shower. With London. She’ll want in on this.”

  “You’re on,” Keely said. She rubbed her belly absently.

  Scarlett stood. “You’ve inspired me. I’ve got something I need to do.”

  Keely frowned. “What?”

  “I was going to dump Chaz tonight after Rhett’s casino party.” Determination filled her. “Instead, I’m going to do it now.”

  “I inspired a breakup?” Keely looked baffled.

  “I’d already decide Chaz was a dead end,” Scarlett shared. “Why wait until tonight? I’ll do it now and be free of worry. I’m serious, Keely. The time has come for me to slow down a little with my career. I want to find love and if I can’t, I’m going to have a baby anyway. We can raise our kids together.”

  With that, Scarlett reached for her tote and headed out the door.

  ◆◆◆

  Wynn Gallagher woke up. Misery washed over him.

  “I can’t be Carbon Man anymore,” he said aloud to the empty room.

  Carbon Man was the immensely popular comic book character he played in a sci-fi future world franchise. While the two TV series he’d done in his twenties had cemented his reputation as a hardworking, talented professional, the three Carbon Man movies—as well as two crossover films—had made him wealthy beyond imagination. Filming would start on the fourth one in ten days.

  Wynn would do anything to get out of shooting it. Anything. Even break his contract.

  Was that possible?

  He doubted it. Rylon Pictures had hit the jackpot with the creation of the Alpha Tharra Universe, which united unrelated comic books with a series of graphic novels into one futuristic solar system. The concept drew from everything popular with sci-fi geeks and those longing to be superheroes. Rylon had connected these various worlds and then franchised it into something similar to the Marvel Universe. They’d signed three lead actors to personal contracts for a set number of solo and crossover films, Wynn being the first to sign on. The legalese of the contracts had even given Del a hard time to wade through since his specialty was family law. Wynn refused to hire an entertainment lawyer, though. Del served as Wynn’s agent and manager and he knew his brother looked out for his best interests. Del had told him from the beginning to keep quiet about the number of solo and crossover films Wynn had contracted to do. Thanks to that and the Alpha Tharra worlds growing popularity, Del had renegotiated deals twice with Rylon since his part of the franchise had done the best at the box office.

  Del admitted after the last negotiation that he was out of his league and urged Wynn to hire an entertainment specialist in the future. Del’s own family law practice had grown steadily and Wynn knew the time was coming when he needed to have someone other than his brother serve as his agent, manager, and attorney.

  Could Del find a way out of the mire? Should Wynn even ask him to try?

  He pillowed his hands behind his head. He was scheduled to shoot the final solo film and then the last crossover back-to-back. These films were heavy on stunts and drained him physically. It was only luck that gave him this ten-day window as a break to recharge before he buried himself again in months of work. Work that he’d grown to hate. If he put that damned Carbon Man suit on one more time, he might go insane.

  Del was great at financial negotiations but Wynn need someone who could pull off a miracle. What he needed was a master entertainment lawyer. One who swam with the sharks and could gobble up all the others before they even saw him coming. Money didn’t matter. Wynn had gobs of it, thanks to Del getting a back end deal with points, along with a percentage of all Carbon Man merchandise.

  He sat up and reached for his phone on the nightstand, praying to the gods that Google would provide a clean answer to a messy problem. Wynn pulled up a few articles, skimming them, not finding what he wanted.


  Then he clicked on something recent that had been published only six weeks earlier, naming the top attorneys in California in various areas. Bankruptcy. Criminal. Tax. Immigration. Civil rights. International. He scanned for entertainment law and found three names, quickly reading the interviews. When he finished, he knew which attorney he needed to pitch.

  Scarlett Corrigan of Lymon McGraw.

  Wynn hadn’t considered many of the things she addressed in the feature. She emphasized that with the rapid development of social media and information technology, it was important for an entertainment lawyer to understand and embrace change. He also liked that she had experience not only with actors and studio heads but also repped professional athletes and even a few artists and authors. Her quotes showed she was bright, articulate, and creative.

  He wanted Scarlett Corrigan on his team.

  Interestingly enough, it revealed she was a younger sister to Rhett Corrigan, the actor Wynn idolized. A decade ago, Rhett had been Hollywood’s biggest action star. Producers were reluctant to cast him in anything outside that genre, fearing they’d lose money. Rhett had bucked against being typecast and done what it had taken to break out and do the kind of roles he longed for. Thanks to his tenacity and the talent he surrounded himself with, he’d become the king of the box office in Hollywood. Nowadays, Rhett Corrigan had his pick of roles and did everything from comedies to drama and biopics to romance. He’d even started his own production company with his screenwriter wife, Cassie, and good friends, actor Dash DeLauria and his wife, Sydney, a top director. Rhett was everything Wynn had wanted to be when he first came to Hollywood—and Wynn looked to the man as a role model.

  Quickly, he Googled Rhett, trying to learn anything about the actor he didn’t already know. An article appeared about his charity foundation that raised funds for cancer research. Wynn donated heavily to the American Cancer Society, ever since Payne’s untimely death ten years ago. Skimming the article, Wynn realized he’d donated to Corrigan’s charity event taking place tonight in Beverly Hills at the Montrelle Hotel.

  He dialed Cady’s number.

  “What?” she huffed, sounding out of breath.

  “Are you jogging?”

  “I’m jogging.”

  “Can you talk and jog?” he teased, actually proud of Cady pounding the pavement. She’d lost a leg in the car accident that had killed their parents and had undergone months of therapy. Once he’d become financially successful, Wynn had sent for Cady so she could live with him. He’d seen she had the best medical care, including the most updated prosthetics available. It amazed him what she could do.

  Cady sniffed. “I can multitask, Wynn. You know better than to ask. Hold on.” The line went silent ten seconds. “Ah. Okay, I had to drink some water. What’s up?”

  “Didn’t I make a donation to Rhett Corrigan’s cancer foundation this year?”

  “You did,” Cady assured him. “You have for five, maybe six years. It comes with an invite to the big fundraiser.”

  “A casino party. It’s tonight. I just read about it.”

  “I know. You never go. I’ve stopped asking you because you never go anywhere.”

  “Can I still get in?”

  “You definitely have a bungalow for the night. That’s part of the package if you give at a certain level. I RSVP’d no so you won’t have a seat at the charity dinner. I’m sure you could still get into the party. It would be a real coup for you to be seen there since you’re like a monk as far as getting out in public goes.”

  “I want to attend the dinner. And I want to sit at Rhett Corrigan’s table,” Wynn insisted.

  “Are you serious?” Cady snorted. “Like I’m supposed to wave my magic wand and make someone at Rhett Corrigan’s table disappear?”

  “Well, you can multitask,” he reminded her. “And you’re hands down the best assistant in Hollywood. Come on, Cady. I need this. It’s important.”

  “Okay. I’ll take care of it,” she said grudgingly. “I can’t promise you Rhett’s table, though.”

  “I’m going only if I sit at his table. Make that clear to whoever’s in charge.”

  “All right, Wynn.” She paused. “Can I ask why, all of a sudden, you’re keen to attend an event in Hollywood when you never do?”

  “I go to my premieres,” he reminded her, though it was left unspoken that occurred under duress from the studio’s PR machine.

  “Enough. Let me finish my run and then I’ll whip out that wand and make the magic happen.”

  “Why don’t you pull out your broomstick and fly home so you can get started on making this reality?”

  Cady hung up on him.

  Wynn grinned. He would get to meet his idol tonight—and let Rhett introduce him to Scarlett.

  CHAPTER 2

  Scarlett smoothed the skirt of her midnight blue cocktail dress as she swung her legs from the car and handed the valet her keys. It was an hour before Rhett’s gala would start but she wanted to be on hand to help with any last-minute problems. No matter how meticulously the event planning was, something—or someone—always threw a wrench into the night. She loved being a problem-solver and would do whatever she could to make this night go well for her brother.

  Entering the ballroom where dinner would be held, she gazed at the elaborate table arrangements and knew how hard the staff had already worked at making tonight successful. Spying Sarah Hartnett on her cell and pacing frantically, she moved in that direction.

  “Miranda, the seating arrangements are set in stone. I can’t move him to Rhett’s table. There’s nowhere to put him.” Sarah paused. “Yes, Miranda. Of course.” She ended the call and saw Scarlett standing nearby.

  “Trouble?”

  Sarah blinked back tears. “I have sweated blood over where to seat everyone. Even those idiots who didn’t RSVP. I called every one of them individually and got commitments and planned and shuffled and balanced to perfection. Now, Miranda tells me she assured Wynn Gallagher’s assistant a couple of hours ago that he could sit at the head table. He wanted to sit at Rhett’s table or not come at all.”

  “That’s a coup, Sarah. Gallagher never attends public events.”

  “I know. Miranda insisted that he sits at Rhett’s table. It didn’t matter who needed to be moved. You know Miranda.”

  Both women said at the same time, “Make it happen,” the foundation head’s trademark motto.

  “I can’t lose my job over this but I don’t know where to begin.” Sarah waved the seating chart around in her hand. “There’s literally no empty seat in the entire ballroom. I guess I can pull in another table to start . . .” Her voiced faded.

  “First, Rhett would never let you be fired over something like this,” Scarlett assured the assistant. “Second, I volunteer to move. It’s only me tonight.”

  Surprise filled Sarah’s face. “Chaz couldn’t make it?”

  “Chaz and I gave up the ghost a few hours ago.”

  “Oh, I’m sorry, Scarlett.”

  “I’m not. I can do better than Chaz. Besides, it solves your problem. Take our two seats for Gallagher and his plus-one and don’t worry about adding another table and shuffling someone to sit with me. I don’t need to eat. I can stand in the back. The casino party always has appetizers circulating and plenty of drinks. I’ll nibble when it begins.”

  Relief washed over Sarah. “You won’t have to do that, Scarlett. Wynn Gallagher isn’t bringing anyone with him. I’ll park him in Chaz’s spot. You can sit and make nice with him. Flirt a little. He’s one of the foundation’s biggest donors the past few years.”

  “Really? Interesting. I’ll be sure he’s taken care of. Any other crisis to deal with?”

  “Thankfully, no, though I do want to check on those vegetarian dinners.” Sarah hugged Scarlett. “You are a life saver.” She hurried off.

  “What fire is Sarah running to put out now?”

  Scarlett turned and saw Rhett, looking every bit Hollywood’s biggest star in his c
ustom Armani tuxedo. She hugged him tightly, proud to be his sister.

  “A little seating snafu but it’s been taken care of,” she said vaguely.

  His eyebrow shot up. “Sarah has seating down. I know because I okayed it over a week ago.”

  Scarlett linked her arm with his and began moving around the room. “Miranda threw a last minute curveball. Seems none other than Wynn Gallagher decided to show up tonight and he didn’t have a seat. Oh, he wanted to sit at your table, by the way. Or not come at all.”

  “Wynn Gallagher? He’s been a steady contributor for several years. I’ve never met him but I’ve wanted to.”

  “Why? So you can talk him into letting you and Kyle on the set of a Carbon Man movie?”

  Rhett chuckled. “Maybe. Actually, Cadence is just as big a fan as Kyle. Personally, I preferred Gallagher’s work from that medical show he did on ABC. He won an Emmy for that.”

  “Two,” she corrected. “And he should’ve gotten one for the legal show he did. I wonder why he decided to attend tonight.”

  “No idea,” Rhett said. “He’s a real lone wolf, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing in Hollywood. Staying out of the fray adds a little mystery to an actor, which can add longevity to a career. Where’s Chaz?”

  “Gone. For good,” Scarlett declared.

  Rhett’s smile revealed his true feelings about the lawyer to Scarlett for the first time. “I’m glad. He wasn’t for you.”

  “Why do you say that?” she asked, curiosity filling her.

  Rhett stopped and faced her. “Because I only want the best for my baby sister. I have a feeling you’ve hit a point where you want more out of life than strictly having a career, no matter how fulfilling it is. Chaz seemed a little too self-absorbed for you. You need a man who’s your equal and will treat you that way. Someone who’ll make a great partner, friend, and lover.”