“What’s the matter, baby?” Patrick asked, wrapping one arm around Renee’s waist while he held the bag of food in his other hand.
Renee stepped closer, holding him tighter. Patrick took a tiny step back in an attempt to get her to look at him. When she did he saw the pain in her eyes and was convinced that something was definitely wrong. “Wait, baby, let me put the food down, so I can give you my undivided attention,” he said.
Patrick carried the plastic bag to the nearest counter while he kept an eye on her. Quickly shrugging out of his coat, he laid it over the barstool in the kitchen.
“Come here, baby,” he said, walking over to Renee, slipping his arm around her waist.
Together they walked into the living room and took a seat on the overstuffed brown leather sofa.
“What happened since I spoke to you on the phone earlier?” he asked her, placing his arm around her shoulders. “Is it your frenemy, Julia?”
“No. My sister Patrice lost her baby.”
Patrick frowned. He thought something had happened to Renee. “I’m so sorry to hear that. Is she okay?”
Renee looked into his eyes. “She’s devastated, and that’s the problem. This isn’t the first time, and she doesn’t think she’ll be able to have a child now.”
Patrick was at a loss for words. He’d never dealt with someone who was grieving about something so serious. “Babe, what makes you so sad about this?”
“I don’t know. I kind of thought about you and me.”
“You and me?” Patrick repeated.
“Yes.”
Patrick didn’t know what to add to that statement so he just let it stand without responding to it. “What do you think you can do to help your sister?”
“That’s just it. There is nothing anybody can do about this except them.” Her eyes filled with tears again.
“Well, don’t cry, baby. There is so much medical advancement now when it comes to having babies. I’m sure they will work it out,” Patrick said.
Patrick was sad as well when he thought about his brother, but for other reasons. Just thinking about Robert’s possible deception made his heart hurt. Renee was sad about her sister’s misfortune, and he was sad because Robert was a low-down, dirty snake.
Rubbing her ear gently, Patrick kissed her hair. “Baby, do you think you’re up to eating with me? I’m starving.”
Wiping her face with her hand, Renee lifted her head from his shoulder. “Sure. Maybe if we talk about your plans for the company, it will keep my mind off things.”
Patrick wanted to talk about his plans, but he had to be very careful not to blurt things out. It would definitely trigger questions from Renee, and she wouldn’t understand why he hadn’t told her the truth about his position with the company before now.
They both got up from the sofa and went into the kitchen. Renee pulled a couple of plates from the cupboard while Patrick removed the containers from the bag and opened them. He kept his eye on her, noticing that she was still not quite herself, but he knew that she and her sisters were very close.
At one time, he and his brother were extremely close too, but after their mother died, something had changed in Robert. Things became worse after Patrick left for college and then decided to stay in New York. While he was away, they hardly ever connected, and soon he realized they’d never be close again. Once he came back to Chicago, Robert’s resentment of him confirmed his thoughts.
Patrick and Renee prepared their plates and took a seat at the table. Renee started pushing her food around, not really eating or saying anything.
Finally, Renee said, “Tell me about your ideas to improve the company you’re working for.”
“I’m not sure where to start. There are so many things that could be done differently there.” Patrick looked up from his plate. “How would you go about helping a limo and private car service company?” he asked.
“That would depend on the direction you want to take. Like I asked before, what are you trying to accomplish?”
“The company needs to be relevant and not do things the same old way.”
“So their practices are antiquated?”
“To say the least. They know nothing about modern technology.”
“What is the one thing you’d like to see done right away?” Renee asked.
“I think it would be a good idea to be able to send clients a text message with our ETA, even if there’s a delay.”
“Wow, they are really in the Stone Age, huh?” Renee said.
“They don’t even have a website.”
“Text messaging would be ideal, because it gives the customer the information they need in a timely manner,” Renee said. “And a website could do a lot for them as well, because you could place an order for a private car or limo through the site or even a mobile app.”
“You can do that through Uber right now,” Patrick commented.
“Yes, Uber is an on-demand car service and everything is done through their mobile app. It doesn’t matter whether you have an iOS device or an Android,” Renee said, pushing her plate to the side. “If you wanted to do something like that—where the cars are on demand—that would give them some competition.”
“But taxis are on demand.”
“Yes, but Uber uses private cars that respond to your request. The other thing is, you don’t have to worry about cash, because the ride is charged to a credit card.” Renee got up from the table.
“And really, Patrick, how are you going to come to a brainstorming meeting with no pen or paper?” She giggled, opening one of the kitchen drawers. Pulling out a pad and pen, she went back over to the table.
“Let’s start from the beginning, so that we can have clear notes. No idea is bad, because once we’ve gone through it we’ll review and then throw out the ones that don’t fit.”
Patrick smiled and was relieved that she seemed to be feeling better. “Okay, I’ll follow your lead.”
“I need you to tell me how the company works. You’re the one who’s in their employ, so you’ll know more than I. My job is to take your information and make some suggestions.”
“That’s fair,” Patrick said, then looked at the ceiling. “I do believe a website is needed for sure.”
Renee looked up at him. “Speaking of Uber, they’re definitely your direct competition, especially when it comes to corporate accounts.”
“True. So I was thinking that we could have certain cars that only go to O’Hare and Midway,” Patrick suggested.
He watched Renee scribble on the paper as he spoke.
“I also think that the drivers could use some sort of refresher course, because we have some really young guys working for us.”
“Are you getting a lot of complaints about the drivers?”
Patrick nodded. “And they’re mostly about not arriving or dropping the customer off on time.”
“That could be a real problem. You know it only takes one person to start complaining, particularly on social media, to start a firestorm of negative press.”
Patrick hadn’t thought about that, but there were even bigger problems brewing that he couldn’t reveal to Renee at that moment.
Renee exhaled loudly. “You know what, Patrick? It looks like you have a quality control issue. Maybe the drivers need some type of orientation when they start that gives them the company mission, values, and expectations.”
Patrick really liked that idea. If they had something like that, then the drivers would have no excuse not to know what was expected of them. Everything about the company would be laid out on their first day at work.
“What would you say is the mission of the company? Do you know what they hold as the most important thing?” Renee wanted to know.
“To be an excellent chauffeur you need to have confidence, strength, consistency, integrity, passion, co
operation, and insight.”
Renee smiled. “That’s good, Patrick. I think we could come up with a clear statement using those words.”
Patrick watched as she continued to scribble notes on her pad.
“Why don’t you come into the office tomorrow afternoon? I should be able to show you something by then.”
Patrick stood and leaned over the table, placing a kiss on her lips. “Thank you so much.”
Renee gave him a big grin. “You’re welcome.”
They’d been working for a while and Patrick wanted to shift gears just for a minute to see how Renee was really feeling.
“Baby, do you want to call and check on your sister?”
Renee shook her head. “No, Faith is with her. I’ll call her in the morning. She’s been through a lot this evening, so I think it would be better to leave her alone so that she can sort out her thoughts.”
“If you want to take a break, we can,” he suggested.
Renee stood and reached for his empty plate. “Would you like a glass of wine? I don’t know why I didn’t offer it in the first place.”
“It’s okay, I’ll only have one if you are.”
Renee shook her head as she took the dishes over to the sink. “Nah, I don’t think I want any alcohol this evening. I could use a soda, though.”
Patrick laughed. “Soda is fine with me,” he said, standing and walking over to the sink.
Patrick stood behind Renee and she turned around to face him. He cupped her face in his hands and brushed his mouth across hers with tenderness before retreating. “Thank you again for all that you’re doing to help me,” he said, his gaze never wavering from hers.
“I love helping people with their businesses. In your case, this could potentially make your supervisor sit up and take notice that you’re more than a chauffeur. He should be impressed that you have ideas and are invested in the success of their company. I think that’s pretty awesome,” Renee said, wrapping her arms around his shoulders.
Patrick looked away as he listened to Renee compliment his efforts. He had to tell her the truth right now while he had the courage. He could see the confidence she had in him and her willingness to help him look good in front of his boss. That was so unfair to her, and he knew it.
Renee leaned in. “What’s wrong?” she asked.
Patrick reached up to gather her hands in his. “Nothing. As a matter of fact, I can’t tell you the last time things have been this good for me. I can’t thank you enough for helping me with this,” he said.
Renee kissed his lips. “Patrick, there’s nothing wrong with being ambitious. I just hope that your boss will see your efforts for what they are.”
I’ve got to tell her.
“Renee, I need to—” Patrick started before Renee cut him off, squeezing his hand.
“Let’s go in the other room,” she said, leading the way.
They retook their seats on the sofa and Renee snuggled against him. “You know what?”
Patrick wrapped his arms around her, holding her close. “What?” he whispered in her ear.
“I’ve got so much to be thankful for this year.”
“Yes, I do too.” He hadn’t expected her to say that.
“I’m so glad we met each other that night.”
Patrick shifted his position so that she was facing him. Silently, he stared into her eyes. This woman is so beautiful inside and out.
Tucking a wayward tendril of hair behind her ear, Patrick scooted closer. “I believe it was meant to be. We were supposed to be in that place, at that time.”
Renee parted her lips and kissed him deeply.
He wanted her so badly. He nipped her lush bottom lip then suckled it to take the pain away. She released a moan, encouraging him to continue to ravish her mouth.
Patrick wanted to take Renee right there on the couch. He tried to get even closer to her and could feel his body harden, preparing itself for her. He grabbed her hands and pulled her up from the couch as he stood. When he lifted her into his arms, she didn’t protest. Then his mouth was on hers again as he turned toward the hallway. “Which one?” he asked hoarsely.
“The last door on the right,” Renee said before kissing him again.
Patrick carried Renee into her immaculate bedroom and over to the king-sized bed. After laying her atop the delicate bedcovers, he stretched out beside her, gathering her in his arms. “You know you’re working your way into my heart, Renee,” he said, his voice barely above a whisper.
Renee smiled, resting her hand on his chest. Leaning in closer to him, she kissed his lips gently. “I don’t know what you’ve done to me, Patrick.”
Patrick raised both his eyebrows. “I know what I want to do to you.”
Renee pushed at his shoulders. “You are such a trip. What am I going to do with you?”
Patrick gathered her even closer. “You could make love to me,” he suggested.
He could feel his manhood lengthening as his hands caressed her body and he slowly stripped off her clothes. Eyeing her dark, sweet nipples, he blew on them and watched them pucker. She caressed him from his shoulders down to his growing erection. Renee smiled as she helped him to remove his clothes.
Patrick turned on his back and Renee straddled him. Putting his hands on her hips, he eased her down onto his length, so that she could take every inch of him. He heard a gasp escape her lips as her head fell back. Patrick did everything he could not to explode. Not yet.
Soon he could hear her soft purrs intermingled with his own reactions to their exquisite lovemaking.
Quickly and seamlessly, he changed positions, their bodies still joined. The sex was so good it almost brought tears to his eyes as he was buried deep inside her.
“You’re my girl, right?”
Renee nodded just as Patrick thrust into her once again. “Yes,” she whispered. “Oh, yes.”
He didn’t know when it had happened, but Patrick knew he was falling in love with Renee. Not wanting to fight that fact, he pushed all negative thoughts from his mind, and continued to make mad, passionate love to his girl.
Chapter Seventeen
The next morning, Renee awakened wrapped in Patrick’s arms, his body curled around her. Renee studied him with affection, his piercing eyes staring right at her. Last night had been unbelievable. She’d never made love to a man that many times in one evening. She’d wanted to cry out several times throughout their lovemaking, but was afraid her neighbors would complain. She thought he’d never get tired.
Of course, Renee was no virgin, but she had never felt as one with her partner as she had with Patrick. She had no idea how he felt, but she knew she was falling in love with him. His nurturing ways, attentiveness, concern, and encouragement all contributed to the reasons she had fallen for him. Even the way he held her made her feel safe and wanted.
“So are you going to say anything to me, or are we going to just stare at each other?” she asked.
“I’m staring because I think you’re beautiful.”
“Is that so?” she said, planting a kiss on his lips.
Patrick nodded. “Yep, and I never get tired of looking either.”
She could tell he was aroused and felt his manhood lengthen rapidly as he pressed his body against hers.
“What are you doing for Thanksgiving?” The question came out of left field, but she wanted her sisters to stop asking her when they were going to meet him.
“I think I’m going to do whatever Pop wants, because he’s usually alone.”
“Well, I’m inviting you over to my parents’ for the holiday.”
“That’s nice of you,” Patrick said.
“My mom and dad host dinner each year. We have a house full of relatives that come from far and near to sit down together and eat.”
“Yes. You told me about it.”<
br />
“I sure hate that we can’t be together on the holiday,” Renee said.
“Maybe we can get together later that evening,” Patrick suggested, unwrapping himself from Renee and sitting up.
Renee moved closer to him, placing her hand in the middle of his back. “What’s wrong, sweetheart?”
Patrick shook his head. “Nothing,” he said quietly.
“I know there’s something wrong,” she said. She got up on her knees and wrapped her arms around his waist, pressing her cheek to his back. “You’re not regretting what happened between us last night, are you?”
He covered her hands with his. “We decided there would be no regrets, so no.” He shifted his body. “Besides, you’re so beautiful to me. How could any man in his right mind not want you?” He kissed her quickly. “Do you want me to show you how much?”
Renee believed him, but she also knew that something was going on with him. “No,” she said, getting out of bed.
She saw Patrick looking at her. His eyes weren’t as bright as they usually were, and that bothered her. Trust was a big deal in a relationship, and from the looks of things, he didn’t trust her. She walked back over and sat beside him on the bed.
Playing with his curly hair, she said, “You know you can trust me with whatever is going on in that head of yours.”
Patrick released a sigh. “You know, everybody isn’t close to their siblings as you are to yours.”
Renee understood that perfectly. At one time in her life she thought that everybody’s family was like hers, caring, loving, and supportive. After she went off to college, she quickly discovered that many of her college friends were there on their own with no support from family. From then on, she counted it a blessing and a privilege to be a McClendon.
“Yes, I know. Is that what you were thinking about?”
Patrick nodded his head. “Yeah. My brother and I used to be like you and your sisters, but things changed, and now he acts like he doesn’t want me around at all.”
“Have you tried talking to him?”
“Yes, but to no avail,” he said.
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