to be Wynn Gallagher, AKA Carbon Man, and noted Hollywood celebrity.
A car pulled up as he reached the tall, glass building. A disheveled delivery guy jumped out, two large white sacks in his hand. His jaw dropped the minute he spotted Wynn. He slammed the car door and rushed over, grinning from ear to ear.
“I didn’t believe it when they gave me the order, Mr. Gallagher.” He passed over the sacks. “I am a fan. Huge fan. No, huge doesn’t even begin to tell—”
“Thank you for meeting me,” Wynn interrupted, giving the man an easy smile and slipping him enough to cover the meal and a generous tip.
Looking in his hand, the guy said, “Thank you!” and then asked, “Could we selfie?”
“Sure.”
Quickly, a cell emerged and the delivery guy snapped the photo. Looking at it, he said, “You’re awesome, dude.”
Wynn gave him a wave and headed into the office building, walking briskly to the elevators. He didn’t want to get involved in any more conversations. Right now, he was a man on a mission. Like a heat-seeking missile, he needed to locate Scarlett Corrigan and put Operation Wynn Her Over into high gear. Fortunately, an elevator was going up and he squeezed in at the last minute. He could tell by the particular silence that blanketed the crowded space that most of the occupants had seen him get in and knew exactly who he was.
“Fourteen, please,” he said to the woman next to the control panel. She swallowed and nodded at him, quickly pushing the button and then turning to gape at him.
Wynn was used to it. He’d perfected the art of acknowledging people and then ignoring their stares, knowing he gave off something that said it was fine to gawk—just don’t engage him in conversation.
The doors opened but no one got out. That was typical. Fans would ignore where they were going in order to ride a few more floors with Carbon Man. Even now, he heard the subtle clicks as passengers took his picture with their cell phones. They’d also be curious as to where he got out and what was located on that floor. Hollywood was filled with spies for the tabloids, everyday working people who phoned in tips to bloggers, reporters, and the paparazzi. By the time he left Lymon McGraw, Wynn knew to expect people to be waiting for him and the Carbon Man sighting to have been logged on half a dozen Internet entertainment sites, maybe more. Twitter would be having a field day, wondering what he’d been up to at the prestigious law firm.
The elevator arrived at his floor and he exited. Glass doors awaited him and he breezed through them, balancing his sacks as he approached the reception desk.
A pretty brunette glanced up. She must have been used to seeing heavy hitters on a regular basis because she didn’t blink an eyelid. That—or she was one of four people in America who hadn’t seen an Alpha Tharra Universe movie.
“May I help you, Mr. Gallagher? I don’t seem to have you scheduled for an appointment.”
The receptionist did know who he was then. He said, “I made lunch plans with Scarlett Corrigan at a charity fundraiser Saturday night. She said her scheduled was booked solid for Monday but that we could squeeze in a working lunch.” He indicated the bags and gave her a charming smile. “I brought lunch.”
The receptionist picked up the phone. “Let me speak with her assistant. Miss Corrigan is about to finish up a meeting in one of our conference rooms. I’m sure Erica can get you situated. Excuse me for a minute.”
She dialed a number and spoke briefly and then gave him a winning smile. “Erica will be here in a moment. In the meantime, is there anything I might be able to get you?”
“No, thanks.”
Wynn wandered over to a group of seats and sat, ignoring the stares of a couple waiting there. Within sixty seconds, a trim, petite Asian woman came around the corner and toward him.
“Erica Chang, Mr. Gallagher. Let me take those for you.”
“No, I’m fine, Erica.”
“Please, come with me.”
She led him along a maze of corridors. “I’m surprised Scarlett didn’t let me know you were coming in for lunch. She’s always on top of things.”
“We left it in the air,” he said vaguely. “She said she would be available for a working lunch today and I told her I was interested. Then too many people came up and the casino night got so busy, we