“Henry Lymon is the best we have, Wynn. You couldn’t have a better attorney representing you. He’s like a dog with a very juicy bone and never backs down. Ever.”
Anger flashed in his eyes. “Henry was great as a pinch hitter when we wrapped things with Rylon Pictures but he’s not the one I want representing me, especially in something so personal and important.”
She took a deep breath, knowing she would now have to give him the choice. Which would wreck her professional life in the process. “Officially, I can’t do it, Wynn, because I’m not your attorney of record anymore. Henry is ever since the Rylon deal closed.”
“What?” Confusion filled his eyes.
“The only way Henry would represent you during the Rylon negotiations was if I passed you exclusively over to him.”
Wynn’s face flushed a dull red. “He didn’t do anything other than smile and point out where everyone was to sign. Sure, he told me he was thrilled to have me on board at Lymon McGraw and that he did everything he could to make sure the needs of his clients were met, but I had no idea that meant I was solely his client.”
Wynn let a flurry of curses fly from his mouth. She couldn’t tell if they were meant for her or Henry.
“I should sue Henry Lymon,” he declared. “The bastard wasn’t honest with me. He could’ve had the decency to be upfront and let me know I’d been shuffled around.” Glaring at her, he added, “You could’ve told me, too. But you didn’t.”
“That was the deal we struck,” Scarlett revealed. “I had to agree or he wouldn’t have accompanied you to the meeting. Without legal representation, everything would have fallen apart and the studio would have hung you out to dry.” Scarlett paused, trying to diplomatically tell Wynn he still had a choice and yet hoping she could convince him to remain with Henry.
“You could’ve gone with me,” Wynn said stubbornly. “You knew I only wanted you. It wouldn’t have taken an hour to go in and take care of things.”
“Are you serious? Rhett needed me. My family needed me,” she said, her voice rising in anger. “He’d been shot.”
“The doctors said he was going to be fine,” he countered.
“Doctors can be wrong,” she yelled, her temper flaring out of control. “They said the threat of infection was serious. If it spread, he might have lost his leg. I needed to be there for him. For Cassie. For the kids. I had to choose family over you. Don’t you get that?”
Wynn scrambled from the car and slammed the door. Through gritted teeth, he said, “I would’ve understood, Scarlett. If you’d told me upfront. Instead, you kept it from me and made a deal behind my back that I never would have agreed to. That’s what hurts. I get where family trumps me. I’m just a guy from a one-night stand who needed a way out of a contract. You thrive on challenges. Going up against the big boys at Rylon and winning soothed your ego. You won that negotiation, Scarlett, but by hiding the truth, you lost me.”
He stormed away, yanking open the door of his Range Rover and gunning the motor. She watched him race down the long driveway and sail through the gates. Stumbling from the car, a wave of nausea overwhelmed her and she hurried a few steps in order to throw up in the bushes.
Scarlett knew Wynn would be angry when he learned what she’d done.
She just hadn’t known it would cost her relationship with him.
CHAPTER 19
Scarlett went into the house and hurried to the powder room. She closed the door and dropped her purse on the floor before turning on the cold water and cupping her hands to gather water in order to rinse the awful taste away. She dabbed her mouth with the towel and stared at her image reflected in the mirror. This woman bore no resemblance to the one she’d been before she’d left the house. After she’d had sex with Wynn.
How could she have been so stupid?
Wynn had been nothing but transparent with her. Though known as a private man who rarely was seen in public, he’d been open with her from the beginning. Funny. Affectionate. Caring.
And she’d blown it.
He’d been her client. Her client. She should have done what was best for him—and that meant being by his side during the ultimate meeting with Rylon. She’d been so afraid that the studio executives might change their minds if she delayed the contract signing by even a day. That word would leak to the press on what was going down and put a crimp in the delicate negotiations. Sending Henry Lymon to the meeting with Wynn would’ve put the fear of God into anyone in that room. Henry’s reputation of being ruthless and attentive to details, as well as never backing down, had served her well and gotten what Wynn desired.
In her heart, she knew she should have told him that the switch to Henry would be permanent. Even if he’d argued against her better judgment, he had a right to know. She had been lacking both professionally and personally and now suffered the consequences. Once the deal had been completed with Rylon, Wynn would have had the capability of pulling out of Lymon McGraw and finding different representation. Since he now had the contract he’d wanted, he could go back to Del and let his brother rep him in the future if he wished. If he were smart, though, Wynn would find a skilled entertainment lawyer. He’d need one, not only for his future career moves but one experienced in creating private foundations and incorporating businesses in the entertainment field. At this point, she couldn’t see Wynn staying with Lymon McGraw.
She couldn’t blame him. She, Henry, and the firm itself had broken trust with him. And Wynn wasn’t someone who would give them a pass.
Scarlett sat on the toilet,
