Cause For Scandal (Dynasties: The Elliotts #3)(14)
Author: Anna DePalo

John downed the rest of his wine in one swallow. “I could’ve been as passionate as any rock star, Summer, if you’d just given me the opportunity. Instead, I agreed to your terms about waiting until the wedding night.”

She looked down, unable to hold his gaze. Catching sight of the engagement ring still sparkling on her finger, she tugged it off. Taking hold of his hand, she placed her ring in his palm and gently wrapped his fingers around it.

He stared down at their hands.

When the waiter came back to their table with the check, she reached for it, but John was faster.

Pulling his hand from hers, he said bitterly, “Allow me to pay for the last hurrah.”

“You broke up with John,” Scarlet repeated in disbelief.

Summer nodded. They were sitting in a bar near EPH, Summer having phoned Scarlet to meet her after her dinner with John.

“Why? Are you crazy?” Scarlet asked. “Why throw away a perfectly good relationship? So you slept with Zeke! So you made a mistake! That doesn’t mean you should just throw away the man you love—the man you’re going to marry. Everyone makes mistakes.”

Summer shook her head. “You don’t understand.”

“Isn’t John worth fighting for? If he can forgive you because he loves you, you two can put this behind you and move on with the life that you always intended to have together.”

“It’s not that simple. I’m not calling off the engagement because I slept with Zeke. I’m calling it off because sleeping with Zeke made me confront the doubts I’d been having about marrying John.”

“Such as?”

“Maybe John and I love each other, but not in the sexual way that two people getting married should. Maybe it was easy for our relationship to remain sexless because it was passionless.”

“Aren’t you getting it backward?” her sister argued. “Maybe it was passionless because it was sexless.”

“That’s what I thought, but after last night I started to realize it was the other way.” She paused. “John is a wonderful guy, but we just don’t share that much passion.”

Scarlet looked surprised, started to say something, and then stopped. Covering Summer’s hand with her own, she said, “Are you sure you’re not letting yourself be swayed by a night of great sex? Having sex for the first time can be heady stuff. It can screw up your thinking. You know, Charisma just ran a survey, and you wouldn’t believe how many women, even today, feel they have to stick with the first man they sleep with.”

“No,” she said stubbornly, “it’s not that, and I’m not confused. I have no intention of getting involved with Zeke just because I slept with him.” Just because I lost my virginity to him, she added silently. She had no intention of compounding last night’s mistake. “But if I’m sure of anything right now, it’s that continuing to stay engaged to John would be wrong. I need time to sort things out.”

“Are you sure this isn’t just a case of cold feet?” Scarlet persisted.

“What?” she countered. “Cold feet from the day I got engaged? Months before the actual wedding?”

Scarlet sighed. “I guess you won’t be the first woman to call off an engagement because she’s realized it’s a mistake.”

Ironically, she found herself wanting to comfort Scarlet. She gave her sister a reassuring hug. “Cheer up! I finally let myself admit that John was so much like what I thought I wanted in a husband that I’d been ignoring the fact that I wasn’t in love with him. At least the realization didn’t strike at the altar.”

“I guess I should be glad it didn’t take that long,” Scarlet murmured.

“What?” Summer asked.

“I said, I guess he should be glad it didn’t take that long.”

Summer nodded uncertainly. For a second, she’d thought Scarlet had responded with something completely different. Aloud, she said, “It’s for the best, Scar. I’m sure of it. You’ll see.”

Zeke prowled around his hotel suite, half listening to his manager. It was almost nine o’clock on Friday night and within half an hour he’d be heading out to one of New York’s hottest clubs, the celebrity hangout Lotus.

Like many celebrities, he was welcome with open arms at Manhattan’s hot spots. Club owners were only too eager to toss free drinks and food at a star in exchange for free publicity, namely, having their club’s name linked in the press with that of an A-list celeb.

Unfortunately, Marty had decided to stop by minutes ago from his own hotel room elsewhere in the building—ostensibly to discuss last night’s benefit concert, but Zeke wasn’t fooled.

Marty was a forty-something, balding music-industry veteran who’d been lucky enough and savvy enough to manage more than one great act during his career. But while his experience often made him invaluable, it also meant he could sniff potential trouble a mile away.

“So, you and Scarlet Elliott,” Marty said, shaking his head. “I didn’t even know you’d met.”

“We didn’t until this morning.”

Marty frowned. “Come again? There was a photo—”

“I know about the damn photo,” Zeke said irritably. “The reporter got it wrong. That was Summer Elliott last night.” He added by way of explanation, “Scarlet’s identical twin.”

Zeke was still digesting everything that had occurred in the last twenty-four hours. Damn it, she was engaged!

“Elliott? As in Elliott Publication Holdings?” Marty asked.

“The one and same.” Another piece of information, Zeke reflected, that she’d conveniently left out about herself. Hell, she’d known he’d assume she was some groupie.

Marty threw him a penetrating look. “Heiresses aren’t your usual type. The publicist that we just hired for you has already been busy fielding questions from the media.”

Zeke stopped in front of Marty. “What’s he saying?”

Marty shrugged. “The usual. Fudging and leading the reporters on. You know, a half-hearted denial that you’re involved with her, or rather, with the sister.”

Zeke nodded. His public image was carefully cultivated. There was always a delicate dance with the media for maximum positive exposure and spin. Usually that meant leaving the public guessing about his love life, and appearing single and available and never too serious about any one woman for too long. Successive relationships helped keep his place as front-page news, and that suited him just fine. He knew he wasn’t husband material, especially with a lifestyle that kept him on the road.