She stepped closer to him so that others couldn’t hear. “Would you think that I was too forward if I asked you for a favor?”
He shook his head. “No.”
“I was supposed to attend an event with a friend here at the hotel, but he never showed. I believe he’s inside and I had to come despite his miscommunication with me.”
“Okay. I think I know what the favor is,” the driver said.
Renee’s eyes widened in surprise. “You do?”
“Yes. You want me to escort you inside so that he can see that he didn’t stop you from showing up.”
Renee smiled. “Exactly,” she said before giving him a shy look. “And you don’t mind?” She placed her gloved hand on his arm. “I know it’s a lot to ask, and we don’t really know each other.” She dropped her hand and pulled her coat together. “Can we go just inside the door and talk for a minute? I’m freezing out here.”
“We can go inside, but I don’t mind doing you this favor,” he said, following her.
Renee started to wonder why the man agreed so quickly. Was he trustworthy? Did he want something from her?
She pushed the gold bar on the revolving glass door and followed it around until she entered the lobby. Renee turned in the man’s direction. “Before we continue, I have a confession to make.”
The man stood waiting.
“Honestly, I can’t remember your name. So I know I’ve got a lot of nerve asking you to help me out.”
“No worries. My name is Patrick Dunlap, and like I said, I don’t mind helping you out. What do we need to do?”
“Well, I just want you to hang out with me for about an hour or so and then we can leave. I just want to see if he stood me up.”
“What a fool, standing up a beautiful woman like you,” Patrick said, placing his hand on the top button of his white shirt. “I need to go to my car and get my tie. I was getting comfortable for the drive back to the office.”
Renee was happy that he’d said that, but when she eyed his suit, it didn’t seem like the regular uniform that a chauffeur would wear. The silky feel of the fabric as she touched his sleeve assured her that it was not cheap. She’d never met such a well-dressed chauffeur before, but then again she’d never been that close to one either. “Sure, I’ll wait right here for you.”
“It might be a little while because I need to find a permanent parking spot for the car as well.”
“Thank you so much, Patrick,” Renee said.
“I’ll be right back,” he said before walking away.
Renee removed her coat as she watched his retreating form and in her gut, she knew that he was an okay guy.
Just as he said, he came back, but this time he had on a tie, his hair had been brushed, and he looked refreshed and dapper. She thought it nice that he cared about his appearance.
Patrick grabbed her hand and squeezed it. “You ready?”
Renee was so busy thinking about how her dainty hand disappeared inside his larger one that she didn’t respond.
“Renee?” he asked.
She looked up into his eyes and he gave her a generous smile. She held his gaze for too long before answering. “Yes.”
“Where are we going?” Patrick asked.
“We’re going to the Public Relations Society of America networking event. It should be in the Empire Room on the lower level.”
With its opulent French décor, the Empire room of the historic hotel had been around since 1933 when it had been a nightclub where popular singers and musicians like Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, and Harry Belafonte performed.
Renee and Patrick walked over to the bank of elevators. Patrick hit the button without releasing her hand. As they stood waiting, Renee watched the numbers above the elevator doors light up as it descended to the lobby. She felt comfortable standing with Patrick, holding his hand, but when the elevator door opened, she released it as she walked inside. She wondered if he was the reason all her anger and hostility toward Monte had faded.
“So, you’re in public relations?” Patrick asked, standing so close behind her that she could feel his breath on the back of her neck.
“Yes, I’m a marketing executive for Vine Public Relations.”
“Sounds really interesting,” Patrick said.
Renee hadn’t realized that she’d grabbed Patrick’s arm until he patted the top of her hand. Then all she could do was return the smile she saw when she looked at him.
They strolled into the large room where she spotted Julia, standing in a crowd of people. This can’t be happening. Their gazes collided. Renee tried to muster up a smile, hoping that Julia would smile in return, and keep on talking to her friends. But just as Renee suspected, Julia headed in their direction.
Most of the time, Julia was a loose cannon, and there was no telling what would come out of her mouth. Renee prayed that she was too involved in networking with other industry people that she wouldn’t even think about being rude.
They kept a smile pasted on their faces, but Julia had her sights set on Patrick. This wasn’t a good sign, but Renee needed to forge ahead.
“Do you want to find a table or get something to drink?” Patrick asked.
“Maybe we should find a table,” Renee responded, looking around for an empty table.
The room had generously sized round tables that could seat ten. On the tables were gold-framed numbers that added to the elegance of the room.
Before Renee could find a place for them to sit, Julia approached. “Renee,” she said, embracing her quickly before moving back.
“Good evening, Julia,” Renee said in response.
“I had no idea you would be here tonight.”
Renee saw the way Julia was looking at her, but she didn’t care. There was nothing wrong with her black skirt, pink blouse, and white pearls, so Renee wasn’t going to allow the woman’s stares get her off track.
“Yes, Monte and I talked about it earlier today,” Renee said. She noticed that Julia’s attention was on Patrick.
Julia stepped closer to him, but spoke to Renee. “So, who’s your friend?” she asked in a sultry tone. “I haven’t seen him before.” She turned up her lips, which were shimmering against the light in the room.
Renee opened her mouth to speak, but Patrick answered instead. He extended his hand to Julia. “I’m Patrick Dunlap.”
“You look familiar,” Julia said, her eyes shifting to Renee. “He’s a cutie, Renee.” She leaned closer. “Does he match the list?”
Renee responded by rolling her eyes. “As a matter of fact, I would say he does,” she said, knowing that she only knew the man’s name and that he was a limo driver. But Renee didn’t want to hear any more of Julia’s smart remarks, so she said what came to mind.
She guessed that Julia was only half listening or didn’t believe her, because she turned her attention back to Patrick. “So, Patrick, what do you do for a living?”
Renee wanted to punch Julia in the face. She didn’t need to be so nosy, but Renee knew it was an attempt to aggravate her.
“My brother and I run our family’s limousine business,” Patrick answered.
“Well, that’s quite interesting,” Julia said, looking between Renee and Patrick.
Renee quickly tilted her head in Patrick’s direction, wondering why he lied to Julia. Being a chauffeur wasn’t anything to be ashamed of, as far as she was concerned.
“Renee and I were out to dinner, and she mentioned wanting to stop in before going home.”
Renee stood still waiting to see what else he was about to say, but then she spotted Monte over by the bar.
In true style, Monte looked like he just came from a photo shoot of a popular men’s magazine with his immaculate attire and clean-shaven looks. She wasn’t surprised, because every time she saw him, he had on a suit. He probably didn’t
know how to relax because he was constantly looking for that next big thing that would take him to the top. The tall, well-built ad executive frequently told Renee that he believed in being ready for an opportunity at any given moment.
She laid her hand on her companion’s forearm and leaned into him. “Patrick, I think I’ll have that drink now,” she said before looking over at Julia.
“I’ll call you tomorrow, Julia. It was good to see you,” she said before gently squeezing Patrick’s arm and leading him in the other direction.
“Was that lady a friend of yours?” Patrick asked.
Renee sighed. “Yes and no is the only way I can describe my relationship with Julia.”
Patrick patted her hand. “Okay, enough said.”
As they drew closer to Monte, Renee saw that he was in an intense conversation with Elizabeth Norman.
Renee leaned as close as she could to Patrick, trying to whisper. “See that guy in the blue suit standing at the bar with the woman with the long, blonde hair?”
“Yes. Is that the guy who stood you up?” Patrick asked.
Renee nodded.
“Is that woman the reason for him standing you up?”
“I have no idea, but probably. She’s on the leadership committee for the public relations awards this year,” Renee said as they came up on the pair talking at the bar.
Monte was a talented guy, especially when it came to social media marketing. He was a professional at networking strategy and had many excellent prospects, not to mention a rather large salary and a corner office. Renee had told him that he could be a great mentor to the interns who were just starting out at Ogilvy, but he wasn’t interested. Monte only wanted to be around folks that could help him, not the other way around. He would dump his own mother if it meant advancement in his career.
“Good evening,” Renee said, just as Monte put his glass up to his lips.
She could tell that she’d surprised him because his eyes widened and he had to swallow quickly.
“Renee, it’s good to see you,” he said before kissing her cheek.
Renee wanted to keep her professional attitude and not get straight hood with Monte. She tried not to recoil when he put his lips on her face.
She could tell that Monte was being fake with her, so she would do the same. “How are you this evening, Monte?”
“I’m well,” he said slowly, eyeing her partner.
“Monte Jackson, I’d like you to meet Patrick Dunlap. Pat, this is Monte.”
Patrick was the first to extend his hand in greeting. “Great to meet you, Monte,” he said.
“Nice to meet you, Patrick,” Monte said with a glare. “How long have you known Renee?”
“We’ve known each other for a while,” Patrick answered.
Renee could easily see where the conversation was headed and wasn’t going to allow Monte to ask Patrick twenty questions, so she decided to introduce herself to the blonde woman.
“Good evening, Ms. Norman. I’m Renee McClendon.”
Elizabeth and Renee shook hands. “I’m pleased to meet you, Renee. Do you and Mr. Jackson work together?”
“No, we’re just acquaintances. I’m a Senior Account Supervisor over at Vine.”
“Well, you both work for great firms who do outstanding work. I can’t wait to see what the Skyline Award nominees are going to look like.”
Ah-ha. Renee knew there was a reason Monte had stood her up. He wanted to bend Elizabeth’s ear. She was almost ashamed to say that she knew him, but one thing that Elizabeth said was correct about Monte. He was a hard worker and was very creative.
“I’m looking forward to attending the awards this year. I haven’t been able to attend in previous years,” Renee said.
“I hope we see each other again, Renee. It was very nice to meet you.”
“Take care,” Renee said, turning to leave.
“Renee,” Monte called out to her.
She turned around. “Yes, Monte?”
He walked over to her, stepping close. He kept his eyes on Patrick. “Can I talk to you for a minute?”
Renee glanced at Patrick. “Sure, Monte.” She released Patrick’s arm, moving out of earshot of both he and Elizabeth.
“Why didn’t you tell me you had a date already this evening?”
Renee gave Monte a look filled with disdain for asking her a question as dumb as that.
She wondered if he’d forgotten that he was the one that was supposed to pick her up. “Monte, you know damn well that I didn’t have plans with anyone else. You decided that you didn’t want me to come, so you didn’t show up, or bother to call and cancel.”
Monte moved forward, causing Renee to take a step back. “I’m just saying, you showed up here with Mr. Tall, Dark, and Handsome, what was I supposed to think?”
Renee watched Monte’s mouth move. Unbelievable. “Monte, what did you think I was going to do? You’re not the only friend that I have, you know.”
Monte glanced over his shoulder before leaning into Renee. “I don’t know if I trust this guy.”
Renee laughed, because she had had enough. Monte didn’t respect her enough to even give her a call to tell her that he was canceling their date, but had the nerve to tell her that he didn’t trust Patrick. “Listen, I’ll see you around. I think Elizabeth wants to continue your conversation,” she said, glancing over at the woman talking to Patrick while continuing to look in their direction. “That’s why you were all up in her face, right? The Skyline Awards.”
Monte’s eyes widened.
Gotcha. Renee knew that Monte was playing games. His antics had played out and she no longer had the tolerance for his type of relationship. With nothing more to say, she turned and walked away without looking back.
“You ready to go?” Patrick asked, once she approached him standing next to Elizabeth.
“Yes, I am,” Renee said. She and Patrick worked their way through the crowd and to the elevator.
Patrick wanted to help Renee when he saw her looking around after she’d jumped out of the taxi in front of the hotel. He had no idea that he would end up attending an industry event with her, but that’s what she’d needed, and he wanted to oblige her.
At first, he felt a bit out of place with all the corporate people, but he remembered that he had just as much education and knowledge as they did. Maybe not in the marketing arena, but he could hold his own, and that’s why he’d agreed to go inside with her. He’d actually had a great conversation with Elizabeth while they waited for Renee and Monte. He didn’t know if Elizabeth was a bigwig in that industry, but he noticed that she kept looking in Monte’s direction. It made him wonder if the guy had been trying to juggle the two women, or if he was just a brown-noser.
From time to time, he’d look over at Renee and could tell she was becoming more and more irritated with the man by the way her facial expressions continued to change. He wanted to go over and just take her away from him, but he was only doing her a favor. She didn’t belong to him, so whatever problem she and Monte had with each other wasn’t his concern. But he’d kept an eye on Monte just the same.
Now that they were on the elevator, Renee hadn’t said a word. He wished he knew what Monte had said that left her speechless. He didn’t want to pry, but he needed to be sure she was okay.
Standing closely behind her in the crowded elevator, Patrick bent close to Renee. “Are you okay?” he whispered in her ear.
Renee blew out a big breath. “Yes, I’m fine. It’s just that Monte gets on my nerves sometimes.”
Clearly, Renee felt something for the guy if he could affect her in this manner. Patrick just wondered how much. The elevator made it to the lobby, and the gold doors slid open. The passengers started filing out, them the last to step off.
Patrick placed his hand on the small of her back to guide her off the eleva
tor. “He didn’t like seeing us together. Do you think that he feels that your relationship is more than being friends?”
“I don’t think we’re even friends, so I don’t think that he sees us as more than that,” she said with a faraway look in her eyes. “Not anymore. He has no say in who I go out with anyway.”
At the front of the lobby, she turned to him. “By the way, I want to thank you for coming inside with me, but you didn’t have to make up a story about owning a car service. There’s nothing wrong with honest work, so don’t ever be ashamed of it.”
Patrick opened his mouth to correct her, but changed his mind. He wasn’t ashamed of the hard work that his father had put into the company. His entrepreneurial spirit was one of the reasons that Patrick came back to help save it from his brother Robert. His father’s intention was to build a company that could be passed down for generations, but with the way things were going, it would stop with him and his brother. Patrick couldn’t allow that to happen.
There was no need to correct Renee, since it was clear that she wasn’t interested in him. There was a good chance that he might never see her again, so he would just let the comment drop. “It was an interesting evening,” he said instead as they walked through the revolving doors.
“Well, good night, and thanks again for coming to my rescue.” Renee walked toward the cabstand.
“Hey, why don’t I take you home?” Patrick offered.
“Well…” Renee said with some hesitation.
Patrick waved his hand, beckoning her. “Ah, come on, don’t worry about the fare, it’s a gift from me.”
Renee smiled as she walked back in his direction. “Okay.”
He pulled out a business card and handed it to her. “See, with your connections, you can recommend It’s A Stretch.” He only carried the business cards with the company name, address, and telephone number. He suspected if people knew he was one of the owners, they would treat him differently.
Renee accepted the card. “I’d be happy to do that, Patrick, after what you did for me tonight.” She gave him a bright smile.
Patrick placed his hand in the middle of her back. “Why don’t you stand inside while I bring the car around? I don’t want you out here in the cold.”
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