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“My reasons for not getting married have nothing to do with monogamy. I simply don’t want to tie my life to another person’s,” he reiterated. “If you’re asking to change the details of our arrangement—”
“I’m not,” she stressed. “I’m simply pointing out there are things I think you’re overlooking.”
Matt found his patience wearing thin. “Like what?”
“You and I have so much in common. People look at us and see a true power couple. Together, we would set the standard for the elite in Philadelphia. Can’t you feel everyone’s eyes on us tonight? Watching us, interested in us, wishing they were us.”
He’d felt nothing of the sort, but he had come to learn the one thing Patricia prized above everything else in the world—even over her massive wardrobe—was attention. In her mind, money equated power and fame, and she wanted both.
To be honest, she was correct in those beliefs. God knew he’d gotten lots of doors opened for him that remained locked to those without the ability to grease the palms of the greedy bastards with the keys.
“And you’re suggesting marriage because…why? You want people looking at us?”
“I know you have no interest in marriage, but perhaps that’s because you’ve been looking at the institution from a romantic perspective. I’ll admit that’s what I did wrong the first few times I said yes to the ring as well. I’ve changed my mind. What I’m suggesting would be more of an…alliance.”
“I’m not looking for an alliance, either.”
Patricia waved his comment away. “We’re well-suited to each other, Matt. Similar lifestyles, common interests. And…we both need heirs.”
“My brother Gage, and perhaps Conor, will continue the family line. Their children will inherit the Russo businesses.”
“Or our children would inherit both the Russo and Eddington fortunes. They would be wealthy beyond compare.”
Matt shook his head, but before he could say no again, she interjected.
“I’m not saying we need decide anything immediately. We have an arrangement that I’m happy with. It works well, and it can stand…for now. However, what I’m proposing is not something you should dismiss out of hand. I’m merely asking you to give it some thought.”
“If you’re happy with the way things are between us, why pursue marriage?”
Patricia grinned. “Because I want more. And you have more.”
He wasn’t interested in the deal she was offering, that truth driven home even further by the fact she wanted children. He wasn’t about to bring life into his fucked-up world.
The more she pushed her agenda, the more he was convinced it was time to end things with her.
“Patricia,” he started, trying to decide if he should give her the “this is over” conversation here or wait until they were in private. She was the type of woman who would make a scene, raise her voice, or even use tears to sway him. If she got a sense he was serious in his desire to break things off, she would be certain to make a spectacle of it. The last time she broke off her engagement, several bystanders had recorded it, posting her tirade—complete with her tossing a quarter of a million-dollar diamond ring into the Schuylkill River.
The video had gone viral on YouTube, Patricia obsessed with the number of views it had received. She was determined to live her life in the spotlight, constantly putting on a show for the local paparazzi. He had no interest in drawing that kind of attention.
Unfortunately, something in his tone must have tipped her off that things weren’t going her way because she doubled down, going for distraction.
“We don’t have to say anything else tonight. Actually, how long do we have to stay here? I want to open my present. Please tell me it’s sparkly and obscenely expensive.”
He’d mentioned earlier that he had a gift waiting for her upstairs. Though, in his mind, it was now less Christmas present and more parting gift.
Before he could reply, Patricia leaned toward him until her lips touched his cheek. “I have a Christmas gift for you too,” she whispered in his ear. “But I can’t give it to you here. Because it involves unwrapping…me.”
The tip of her tongue dashed against his earlobe, in what he could only guess she considered a seductive move.
Now that he’d decided to break things off with her, his attraction had cooled to the point that her closeness was off-putting.
“It’s still early.” He shifted away to put some space between them. “As chairman of the board, I have a responsibility to stay, to promote the cause.” That wasn’t necessarily true, but it gave him a way to start circulating the room rather than continue to sit here with her.
Patricia stuck out her lower lip. “That’s what Liza is paid to do. Make her do it. And you know, as chairman, you should probably talk to her about her bad habit of playing dress-up and pretending she’s one of the guests,” she said, her tone dripping with disdain.
“Dress-up?” Matt repeated, not bothering to mask his anger over her rude comment.
Patricia was either patently oblivious to his tone, or she simply didn’t give a shit. This wasn’t the first time tonight she’d revealed jealousy toward Liza.
