Hollywood Secrets, page 1
HOLLYWOOD SECRETS
CAROL WYATT
All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form or by any means, including scanning, photocopying, or otherwise without prior written permission of the copyright holder.
Copyright © 2023
ALSO BY CAROL WYATT
Wildest Dreams
Wanderlust
Starting Over
Winter Magic
Serendipity
Daring To Dream
Paradise
Silver Bells
Hollywood Dreams
Summer Days
Waiting For Her
Autumn Bliss
Box Sets
The Carol Wyatt Box Set: Volume 1
The Carol Wyatt Box Set: Volume 2
From May To December: Volume 1
From May To December: Volume 2
From May To December: Volume 3
From May To December: Volume 4
Just Famous
CONTENTS
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Thank You
Also by Carol Wyatt
1
Adelaide Atwood gripped the cool black pole, putting on her most sultry, seductive expression while her chestnut brown hair fluttered in the breeze manufactured by the fan on the other side of the set. It was also blowing the sickly stench of cheap coffee her way.
She wasn’t sure why she was holding onto a pole on what was meant to be a rooftop. Apparently, the green screen behind her would be turned into a cityscape. She had no idea what any of this had to do with the perfume this commercial was for.
A few seconds of elevated chatter filled the room packed with crew working the lights and camera equipment before a hush came over the set and the director’s voice boomed through the silence. “Action!”
Adelaide had no lines. Not any that she’d be saying on set anyway. She’d do a voice-over when they were done filming.
She drew in a steadying breath. After all these years, she was used to having a dozen pairs of eyes on her, watching her every move from behind a camera or ready to run in for a touch up to her makeup, but she found these kinds of commercials or promo shots particularly unnerving, because it was all about her looks, her body. Not her talent.
Although, she should be thankful that someone still thought she was attractive enough at her age to represent a perfume brand.
The director’s voice cut through her thoughts. “Lean back a little, Adelaide.”
Ada adjusted her grip, aware of the fact that her dress was one wrong move away from falling off her, the silky red fabric halfway down her arm, her back bare.
“Yes. That’s it! Hold that.”
Ada could feel her calf seizing up, all of her weight on her back leg.
“Stay right there. We’ll get some closeups. Excellent!”
Ada’s leg trembled, her grip on the pole tightening, and she knew there was no way that her face wasn’t contorted into some kind of a grimace. Her toes throbbed, the heels she’d been given this morning a size too small.
“Don’t move, Adelaide. This is exactly what we want.”
She sucked in a breath, determined to get through the next few minutes, but she couldn’t, the muscles in her calf screaming at her to switch her stance, and with a huff, she exhaled as she let go of the pole, her weight on both legs equally now, instant relief washing over her lower leg.
“Adelaide!” The disappointment in the director’s voice was there for everyone to hear, but she didn’t care. It had already been such a long day. How long did it take to film a perfume commercial anyway?
Ada briskly strode across the set, carefully avoiding the wires and the lighting until she could see her dressing room, her agent already there, pushing the door open and closing it behind them, the director calling her name as the door slammed shut.
Kerri stood with her arms folded as Ada flopped onto the couch, kicking off her heels. Kerri’s eyes narrowed, her jet-black hair falling across her shoulders. “You’re going to wrinkle that dress.”
Ada waved her off. “How much longer? We’ve been here all day.” She caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror to her right, and although she appreciated what the hair stylist had done when she’d arrived on set this morning, adding a few copper highlights and curls to her hair, she still thought she was starting to look old.
Kerri’s eyes were locked on her. “Do you remember when we first started working together? Do you remember what you asked me to do?”
Ada sighed. “No. I don’t remember. That was more than twenty years ago.”
“You made me promise that if you started acting like a diva, that I’d pull you up on it.”
Ada laughed. “Well, at this point in my career, I think I’ve earned the right to be a diva.”
“You can’t just storm off set like that. You’re not the only high-profile actress who can be the face of a perfume brand.”
Ada glared up at her agent. “Do not say her name, Kerri. Don’t–”
“Sydney Lockett would take this job in a heartbeat and she’d do it without complaining.”
Ada closed her eyes as she leaned back against the cushions. It seemed like she couldn’t get through a single day anymore without hearing that woman’s name. If someone wasn’t talking about how great of an actress she was or how beautiful she was, they were comparing Sydney to Ada.
Twenty-five years ago, the role that shot Ada to fame had a similar effect on Sydney when she signed up to do the remake just two years ago.
They looked nothing alike. Sydney had blond hair and blue eyes. She also had that effortlessly sexy girl next door thing going for her. Ada had always been characterized as moody. Mysterious. A throwback to the golden age of Hollywood with her natural beauty and allure.
Kerri kept going. “I know you have some kind of a grudge against her, but she really is as nice as everyone says she is.”
Ada shook her head. “I still can’t believe you took her on as a client.”
“And I still can’t believe you won’t make an effort to meet her, to be friends. It would be good for you to be seen together. The next generation. You know, passing the torch and all that. Ada, you’ve had twenty plus years at the top of this business. It’s time to let someone else in.”
When Ada turned forty-six last month, she’d dreaded that day like she had every birthday since her fortieth. She knew the clock was ticking on her time as one of the world’s best actresses.
She hadn’t wanted to take this job, but she knew if she didn’t, someone like Sydney Lockett would, and Ada wasn’t giving in that easy. She’d take every role, every bit of positive press she could get, because she knew that day when no one would call was barreling towards her.
Ada wasn’t ready to give up, and she certainly wasn’t going to start losing roles to fucking Sydney Lockett.
2
Sydney Lockett padded outside to her pool with two beers, the sun sinking in the sky. She didn’t have a view, but she also wasn’t going to drop twenty or thirty million for a house in Beverly Hills for that privilege.
It still blew her mind that she could even afford to spend nearly three million on this three-bed in West Hollywood, but as of last year, this was very much within her budget, and as soon as she stepped out into this garden she knew it was exactly what she was looking for.
A cobblestone pathway led from the back of the house to the rectangular pool with a seating area on her left and a fire-pit to her right. Gravel, shrubbery, and olive trees separated the spaces, and the entire garden was surrounded by a twenty-foot high hedge making it seem like no one else existed despite living on a residential street. The only thing Sydney had added to the backyard since she’d bought the place was a hot tub.
Her agent, Kerri, had warned her that this house might not be the best option. She’d said it wasn’t a secure enough home for someone as famous as Sydney was. Yes, it had a gated entrance, but anyone could move in next door and with so many houses on this street, Kerri had been concerned.
Sydney knew she was just looking out for her, and if something happened, then maybe she’d have to move, but right now, the last six months here, tucked away in West Hollywood, having an oasis like this for a garden, it was everything Sydney had hoped it would be.
Kerri was seated on the concrete, the legs of her black pants rolled up, her feet in the pool.
“Here you go,” Sydney said, handing her a beer as she sunk to the ground and slid her feet out of her flip-flops. “Cheers.”
“Cheers.” Kerri clinked her bottle against Sydney’s. “What are we drinking to?”
“Our new relationship?” Sydney asked with a smirk.
Kerri couldn’t hide her smile. “I told you not to read the tabloids.”
“I didn’t.” Sydney took a sip of beer.
“Then where did you see it?”
“I got an alert on my phone.”
Kerri laughed. “That’s what qualifies as breaking news now?”
Sydney shrugged. “The photos of us at the concert last night went viral. Someone suggested that there was clearly something going on between us and all it takes is a few fan accounts to run with it and all of a sudden it’s real.”
“I guess I should be flattered,” Kerri said with a smile. “People don’t think I’m too old for you.”
“You know you wouldn’t be.”
“But a part of me is a little offended that people think I’d date a client.”
Sydney playfully bumped her shoulder. “I’m the one that should be flattered.”
Kerri exhaled. “Thanks for saying that.”
Sydney knew that Kerri was still having a rough time after her ex-girlfriend cheated on her a few years ago, and she also knew that she could joke with her agent like this, because they would never be anything other than friends, no matter what the public thought.
“Can I ask you something?”
Sydney turned to meet Kerri’s eyes. “Sure.”
“Are you ever worried that someone you’re dating is there for the wrong reasons?”
Sydney took a second to answer. She knew Kerri’s ex had stolen from her, practically draining her bank accounts and maxing out her credit card before she left. Sydney didn’t want to make a flippant remark, because that was the last thing she was thinking about when she was with someone.
“Sometimes I worry that they’re just having dinner with me or going to an event for the press, but it’s usually just a passing thought. If they are, I’ll know soon enough. But if I don’t put myself out there…” Sydney’s voice trailed off, afraid of Kerri interpreting this as a dig, but she said it anyway. “How will I ever meet anyone?”
“Wise words from a thirty-year-old,” Kerri said with a lopsided smile before she took a drink.
“I’ve been burned. I’m sure it’ll happen again. But that’s part of life, you know?”
“The right woman’s out there for you.”
Sydney picked at the silver label, the condensation running down the neck of the bottle. “I hope so.” She’d been burned, but she hadn’t had her heart broken. That was something.
Although, the last woman she’d dated, just a few weeks ago, had somehow remained a secret, and it was for the best, because it turned out that she was married to a TV executive. Sydney wasn’t shy about dating, but she didn’t want to get mixed up in someone’s marriage, and she knew it only took one angry husband doing one interview to forever slander her name.
“Who is your dream woman?” Kerri asked, her feet gently moving through the water. “You could be with anyone in the world. Who is it?”
Sydney didn’t hesitate. “Adelaide Atwood.”
Kerri nearly choked on her beer. “Ada?”
“Yes.” Sydney arched an eyebrow. “Why is that so shocking? Everyone loves her.”
“No, I know. But… She’s forty-six.”
“Yeah, and I’m into older women. I know she’s straight, but you said, my dream woman. And that’s who it is.”
Kerri brought her bottle to her lips again, and Sydney couldn’t understand why that answer was so surprising. Adelaide Atwood would be a lot of people’s dream woman.
At first, before Sydney even knew she was gay, she’d looked up to her, knowing that she wanted to be an actress someday, but then when Sydney realized that she was a lesbian, Adelaide Atwood was someone she could only dream of being with.
3
Ada pulled open her front door, not bothering to fix her hair, the curls from earlier in the day loose waves now, knowing that it was just Kerri.
“A late-night visit?” Ada asked as she stood back to make room for Kerri, a glass of wine in her hand. “To what do I owe this pleasure?”
“You know why I’m here.” Kerri kept walking out of the foyer and down the hall until she was at the back of the house, sliding onto a barstool in the kitchen.
Ada poured her a glass of wine without asking, pushing it across the counter toward her. “I have to say, I’m glad you’re not going to try and deny it.” She stayed where she was, preferring to have this conversation standing up, with the counter between them.
“What?” Kerri took a sip, her eyes narrowed. “I’m here to get your side of the story about what happened on set today. After I left. What are you talking about?”
Ada tilted her head, never knowing anymore whether she was talking to her best friend or her agent. When she saw the photos of Kerri and Sydney together last night at a concert, both of them smiling, standing side by side, singing along together, Ada’s frustrating day on set turned into a near meltdown.
Because of the delay she’d caused earlier in the day, they’d had to stay later, and Ada ended up shouting at the young woman touching up her makeup. She had nearly stabbed her in the eye, but Ada had moved before she was finished, growing more agitated by the minute, thoughts of Sydney Lockett swirling around in her head, not only stealing her crown as Hollywood’s most famous actress but taking her best friend too.
Ada lifted her shoulder. “I yelled at the makeup artist.”
Kerri sighed, running a hand through her hair. “Ada, I can’t keep every incident like this quiet.”
“Isn’t that my publicist’s job?”
“You fired him last month.”
Ada opened her mouth and closed it again. She’d forgotten about that.
Kerri exhaled. “Your reputation is going to become overshadowed by these few moments of––”
Ada laughed. “Don’t talk to me about reputations when you’re sleeping with clients half your age.”
Kerri stared at her. “I can’t believe you think that’s real. Is that what you were talking about? Whatever it is I’m not trying to deny? That’s what you meant? Ada, there is nothing going on between Sydney and me. And she’s not half my age. She’s thirty.”
“Close enough.” Ada took a drink, rolling her eyes. “Not that I’d advise getting involved with someone like her even if she wasn’t your client. I can’t keep up with her girlfriends. One minute she’s dating a soccer star. The next she’s with some stylist.”
“You’re being dramatic. It’s called dating.” Kerri reached across the counter and covered Ada’s hand with her own. “We agreed to never let our professional relationship ruin our friendship. And this is the first time that I feel like we need to remind ourselves of that. You’re having a tough time. I get that.”
“I’m fine.” Ada slid her hand away from Kerri’s, topping up both of their glasses to busy herself.
“You’re not.” Kerri withdrew her hand, sitting up straight. “Have you ever thought about where these moments of anger are coming from? Why you’re getting so frustrated so easily?”
“Menopause?”
Kerri shook her head, her expression serious. “I think you’re jealous. No, I know you are.”
Ada waved her off. “Kerri, what we had… It was never going to work. We knew that then. We were young. We didn’t know what we wanted out of life.”
“No. I don’t mean that. I don’t think you’re jealous of Sydney dating me. Which she’s not. Just to be perfectly clear. I think you’re jealous of Sydney, period. She’s out and proud. Has been from the start. She’s ended up following in your footsteps. The remake of the movie that made you famous has made her the hottest ticket in town.”
Ada absently drummed her fingers against her wine glass. “I’m jealous of Sydney Lockett. Do you hear yourself?”
