Hollywood Enigma (Hollywood Name Game #5) - Alexa Aston Page 0,9
pocket and followed the path back to the main hotel. An escalator took him up the mezzanine. Clumps of well-dressed people stood with drinks in hand while others made their way into the ballroom. Wynn followed them inside.
“Mr. Gallagher?”
He turned and saw a young woman in her mid-twenties, with a freshly-scrubbed looking face that pegged her as a Midwesterner.
“I’m Sarah Hartnett, an assistant with the Corrigan Foundation. I’d be happy to escort you to your—”
“That’s not necessary, Sarah.” A tall, rail-thin woman with sleek hair and bedroom eyes stepped up and offered her hand. “Miranda Jones, Mr. Gallagher. I’m head of Rhett’s foundation.”
Wynn shook it and made a point to lean around Miranda and say, “Thank you, Sarah. I’m sure you had difficulty with my eleventh hour seating request. I appreciate you making it happen.” Wynn knew it wasn’t the Mirandas of the world that did the heavy lifting. It was their assistants who rarely received recognition for their efforts.
The assistant flashed him a grateful smile. “It wasn’t a problem, Mr. Gallagher.” She turned away.
Miranda slipped a hand through his arm. “You’re this way, Mr. Gallagher.”
“Wynn,” he prompted, though he didn’t like how this woman had swept in and brushed off her assistant.
“Wynn then. We are delighted you could make it tonight.”
Inhaling her strong perfume almost made him gag but Wynn was an actor above all else. He engaged in small talk as they crossed the large ballroom and Miranda delivered him to the head table, where several people were taking their seats.
“I hope to see you at the casino party,” Miranda purred. She released his arm and strutted away.
The evening’s host rose from his chair. “Rhett Corrigan.” He offered his hand and Wynn shook it.
“Wynn Gallagher. It’s truly an honor to meet you.”
“You’ve made a successful transition from small to big screen, unlike many actors. That’s no small feat,” Rhett complimented.
“And you broke out of your action mold to do the kind of films you wanted to make. You’re a role model to me, Rhett.”
The actor looked pleased. “Thanks, Wynn. I know I’m going to sound like a fan—and I am—but could we take a selfie together? My kids adore Carbon Man. My stock would rise sky-high in the Corrigan household if I were standing next to you.”
Wynn laughed. “Not a problem.”
Rhett slipped out his camera and took the shot. “Thanks. The kids are too young to see most of my movies so they don’t know how cool I am. To them, I’m just the old guy who embarrasses them.”
He laughed. “I hate to tell them but I’m not cool, either. Carbon Man is the cool guy.”
“Hello, Wynn.” A beautiful woman with copper hair appeared at Rhett’s side and he slipped an arm around her waist.
“Wynn, this is my wife, Cassie.”
“I’m a great admirer of your work,” Wynn said. “You’ve taken Hollywood by storm this past decade.”
“Thank you,” she said. “I’m impressed by your resume, as well. Both of your TV series were favorites of mine and as Carbon Man, you’ve brought some subtle nuances to the stereotypical action hero. Don’t get me wrong. I like action in a film but you’ve shown some moments where the audience can see a great vulnerability within you. It’s a struggle that others can relate to. Not obvious, but it’s there if you look deep enough.”
Her remarks caught Wynn off-guard. “I’m grateful you’ve noticed. I’ve fought hard with each director trying to humanize Carbon Man and make him different from the usual superhero. Not many people notice. They’re all about the explosions.”
Cassie looked at him thoughtfully. “When your commitment to Rylon ends, come see us at RCDS. Breck O’Dell and I have just started writing something. I can actually see you in it. We’ve had a little trouble with the direction we want to take it.” She paused. “In fact, come meet with us next week. We could have dinner. Breck’s in Vegas now because Jo is doing a three-week stand on the Strip. He could easily miss one show and fly in to meet you.”
Wynn’s heart pounded fiercely. “You’re serious. You just met me and want to take a meeting regarding a future movie.”
Cassie shrugged. “I like your work. I read people well. I think you want more than being Carbon Man. Maybe Breck and I could help with that.”
“About that,” Wynn began. He glanced to Rhett. “I read an article featuring your sister. I’m in need of an entertainment lawyer. The thing is, I’m tired of being Carbon Man. I’d