Who Do I Run To?

WHO

Do I

Run to?

Anna Black

Published By Delphine Publications on Smashwords

© 2011 by Anna Black

Smashwords
Edition

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Dedication

This book, as always, is dedicated to my readers, whom I really appreciate, and I hope that I’m able to make you laugh, cry, and reflect. I am so excited to release this book for you guys … wow, I’m fortunate. I am so happy to be able to entertain with words, and I am excited that you decided to read Who Do I Run To? This one is for you, my readers, the ones who give me a reason to do what I do.

Enjoy!

Acknowledgments

My source, my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. He has blessed me to be able to deliver my third complete novel. I would like to give a special thanks to my publishing company for helping me to deliver my third novel. My family, friends, and supporters, thanks for the encouragement, the compliments, and just giving me a chance to entertain you with words.

I am grateful to God for so many blessings. To have a creative mind is a gift, and I thank Him. To allow my stories to be enjoyed by others is also a blessing. Thank you, my readers, for giving Who Do I Run To? a chance to be read by you.

Just always remember to

“Be You, Do You & Love You.”

WHO

Do

I

Run

to?

Prologue

Janiece sat at her desk daydreaming again
about whether she would ever become Mrs. Paxton. She smiled and wondered what it would be like to live in a big beautiful house and drive an expensive car, like the one Kimberly drove. Her smile faded when she looked at the word
private
on the LCD screen of her cell phone. It would happen occasionally, but more often when she and her lover K.P. were in bed or on the sofa cuddled up watching a movie.

After five years of
secretly being his mistress, she wondered what it would be like to be out in the open with Kerry. To meet all of his friends, colleagues, and have him attend at least one function at her office without the worries of who might know him.

“Damn
, K.P., what is your problem?” she said out loud looking at his gorgeous picture on her desk. He was her type, her desire, and everything she wanted in a man, but he was still another woman’s husband.

“Promises, promises are all you
ever make me,” she said picking up the photo. She never pressured him about leaving Kimberly, but he would always make mention of the day he would make her his new wife. For a long time she believed him, but now, she was starting to think he was playing her. “When are you going to just leave?” she asked the photo, and then put it back in its spot next to a picture of her and her sister Janelle.

“Janelle is so wrong about you,” she said shaking her head, and shaking the thoughts of her sister’s words of how big of an asshole
K.P. was. “She doesn’t know you like I know you, and I trust you,” she said and smiled.

“Trust who?” a voice asked
, taking Janiece by surprise.

“Shawnee!” Janiece said
, looking up, wondering how long she had been standing there outside of her cubicle.

“Who are you talking about?” Shawnee asked again being nosy.

“What?” Janiece asked with her head tilted, wondering why Shawnee was asking her anything because they were not friends, and she was definitely not one of Janiece’s favorites.

“Awww, never mind,”
Shawnee said, coming in and sitting in the chair against Janiece’s cubicle wall as Janiece wished she had taken the chair back down the hall after she and her supervisor had their afternoon meeting.

“Listen, my brother and I are having this little get
-together this weekend, and I wanted to know if you’d like to come,” she asked nicely—not the Shawnee that Janiece was familiar with.

“Get
-together—huh?” Janiece said suspiciously. “What’s the occasion?” she asked, leaning back in her chair.

“Well
, believe it or not, it’s my birthday weekend, and my brother wanted to give me something at his house and told me to invite a few of my girlfriends, and since, you know,” she said and flung her weave and batted her fake eyelashes, “most of the bitches up in here are jealous, and I don’t have many girlfriends to invite …” she said, and Janiece wanted to laugh in her face. She was definitely not one of Shawnee’s girlfriends, nor did she think that the women in their office were jealous of her. Shawnee was just an evil, backbiting bitch, and women couldn’t stand her.

“Well
, Shawnee, you and I are not exactly girlfriends either,” Janiece pointed out.

“Nonsense
, girl—you and I have been cool since we started. Remember, we came out of orientation together,” she said like that made them buddies.

“Yes
, and most of the time when you see me, you turn your nose up!”

“Janiece
, I do not!” Shawnee protested, like that was far from the truth. “You have always been one of my favorites!” she said with a fake smile, and Janiece could see right through her fake-ass green contacts and ten-inch fake lashes. At that moment, Janiece felt sorry for her because she knew Shawnee didn’t have any friends up in their office, so she decided she’d go.

“Okay
, fine, Shawnee, I’ll come.”

“Great!” she said, and jumped up with excitement. “Here
’s the address,” she said handing Janiece an invitation. “And you are welcome to bring that fine-ass man of yours!” Janiece knew she was up to something. She heard the rumors that Shawnee called K.P., “The Invisible Man,” because no one in her office has ever seen him in person in the years she had been working there.

Their office had a party for every occasion, and although Janiece claimed to be the woman of the stud in the pictures she had on her desk, no one had actually met him.

“I’ll see, Shawnee—K.P. is an extremely busy man.”

“You don’t say,” Shawnee said sarcastically.

“Like I said, I’ll see,” Janiece said again, and stuffed the invite into her purse. She knew right then, that was the reason why Shawnee invited her. She just wanted to see if she really had a man.

“Fine, see you Saturday,” Shawnee said and sashayed back to her cubicle. Janiece wished she could invite her sexy
-ass man to go with her, but she knew he’d say no, like he always did, afraid he’d run into someone he and Kimberly knew.

She went back to thinking of being Mrs. Paxton, and her day went by fairly quick
ly. At the close of day, she grabbed her stuff and headed straight for the train station. She stood to get off the metro and looked down to see who was calling again. It said
private
, so she dropped her phone back into her purse.

She made her way to the doors, got off
, and stood to wait for the train to clear the tracks. When the rails went up for her to cross, her face lit up when she saw his SUV. He was at her condo to share temporary moments of bliss that Friday evening, and she was anxious to get inside to see him.

She climbed the steps, and when she
opened the door, her place was set up nice and romantic with candles and soft music. The scent of food hit her nose, and she knew he had carryout from her favorite restaurant.

“Oh
, my, K.P., this is nice,” she said when she entered the living room.

“Hey,” he said getting up from the sofa.

“Wow, K.P., you did it up, baby.” She was very impressed with his surprise candlelit dinner.

“Why
—thanks babe. Come on, have a seat and let your man serve you,” he said and pulled out her chair. He grabbed the bottle of chilled wine and poured her a glass.

“This is so sweet,” she said and took a sip
, and then she noticed there was only one place setting at the table. “Hey, why is the table only set for one?” she asked, wondering what was going on.

“Listen
, babe, please don’t be mad, but Kimberly’s parents are having a big dinner tonight at the main house, and I can’t stay.”

“But
, K.P., this is my weekend! My Friday night!” she replied, disappointed.

“I know
, babe, and I’ll make it up to you. But, you know, my wife can’t go alone.”

“
K.P., damn—baby,” she said and put her glass down and held back the tears in her burning eyes. She anticipated her weekends, and now instead of his two
a.m
. departure, he was leaving before seven.

“Come on
, Jai, no dramatics, okay? Now, I ran you a bath. I got your grilled chicken, mashed potatoes, and steamed veggies just the way you like it warming in the microwave. I want you to still enjoy your evening.”

“How
, K.P.? My evening was supposed to be with you.”

“I know
, Jai, but Kimberly sprang this on me at the last minute, and you know how it goes. Duty calls,” he said and glanced at his watch because he didn’t have much time.

“Forget it
, Kerry. Just go,” she said and pushed the empty plate forward.

“Jai, please
, you know I hate to leave you upset,” he said, wishing she’d cut him some slack.

“But you always do!” she whined.

“I can’t help it, Jai. When I tell you I gotta do stuff with my wife, I don’t want you to get this way. You know damn well I’d rather be here with you than at some uptight, uppity party at Kim’s parents. But her dad is my boss, okay? And Kimberly is my wife.”

“I know
K.P., damn. I don’t need you to constantly remind me that Kimberly is your wife!” she yelled, and he had to go.

“
Al’ight Jai, fine,” he said and kissed her forehead. “I gotta go baby, and I really would like to see you smile for me,” he said. She gave him a faint smile. “That’s my girl. Now I’ll see you tomorrow, okay?” She nodded. He went over to the coffee table and grabbed his keys. He gave her a quick peck, and she held back the tears.

“I love you,” he said walking toward the door.

“I love you too,” she stated once he shut the door.

Chapter
One

So many questions ran through Janiece’s mind while she was sitting in her dimly lit bedroom. Candles were burning, and the soft sounds of Joe, “Worst Case Scenario,” was playing over again for the fourth or fifth time. She looked over at the clock. The minutes were ticking by fast. Soon it would be time for him to make his departure. She rubbed his face, gently caressing his chocolate skin. Janiece leaned over, kissed his shoulder, and then slid back under the covers to enjoy her final moments of having his warm body in her bed.

She wished he would take a courageous chance and stay past his normal two o’clock departure hour, but not one night in five years did he change his routine. For five years
, she has been his other half. “The completion of his life,” he would say. She gave him all the things that he couldn’t get from Mrs. Paxton. He was the only man she wanted, loved, desired, and adored. As much as she wanted to be, she wasn’t the first lady in his life. Truth is, he was married with two kids, but Janiece was his “more than a woman,” he would say.

She was the listener with no back talk or dispute
s. He told her that her home was a place of peace and relaxation. She had no kids, no pets, and no loudmouth girlfriends hanging around. She offered a quiet, peaceful, stress-free environment, with good eating and good loving.

The only time she would get in his ear is when she felt she wasn’t getting enough time. There were times when she got plenty of his attention, and then there were the dry moments when she barely saw him. A few times
, she tried dating and seeing other men to occupy the lonely times in her life, but that didn’t work because K.P. would get upset. He wouldn’t actually come out and say it, but he would make comments or find a way to ruin the relationship, like coming over when he knew she had company.

One time she had a date that she brought home with her and when she got to her condo,
K.P. was sitting outside on the steps waiting for her. He didn’t make a scene; he just politely asked her date if he could speak with her for a moment in private, and, of course, her date obliged. They stepped inside of her door, and she was waiting for him to say something, but he said nothing. After a few moments of silence she asked, “K.P., what is it? I can’t leave him out there too long. Why are you here? You knew I was going on a date.” And he just stood there looking at her like she had been caught doing something wrong.

She could see how bothered he was
, and she felt bad, so she said, “Look, baby, I’ll get rid of him and I’ll call you when he is gone,” because K.P. didn’t budge. She finally brushed by him to tell her date she would call him later, but he was already gone.

When she came back inside,
K.P. was standing there looking at her like he had done nothing wrong. After that, she gave up dating completely. She had no interest in other men because she had gotten so deeply involved with K.P. that he was the only one she made herself available for. She fell into a regular routine of being his other woman and that was how things were.

She thought he was
the sexiest man she had ever hooked up with. From day one, she was caught up on him. Even though their time was limited, over the years, she had gotten pretty comfortable with him. He was tall, had chocolate skin, and was built like a freight train. She was turned on by his style, the way he dressed, and that beautiful bright smile he was blessed with. That was his weapon against her.

When she would be pissed or upset because he’d either stand her up or not answer his phone for days
, all he had to do was turn on the charm, but when she pissed him off, he’d be an asshole. Sad thing is, he was only pissed when he was jealous and thought some other man was sniffing around. She would purposely lie and say she had plans with a guy and be out with her sister just so she could get extra time and attention from him. He’d only put in work when he thought he had competition, so she used that to her advantage.

After a moment of pulling the jealously card, she calmed down and promised him that she wouldn’t mess with anyone else. He got a key to her place, and he has been her only man for the last three of their five
-year relationship. Now he answers her phone, comes and goes as he pleases, and has all the privileges that a married man shouldn’t have her sister Janelle would tell her. Janelle would always shake her head at some of the things Janiece would say about their relationship. Janiece just felt that Janelle didn’t understand or know K.P. like she knew him, but in Janelle’s mind, he was a low-down dirty bastard, and she couldn’t stand the sight of him.

She told Janiece to
—too many times—how she felt about K.P. and the whole situation with him, and Janiece would simply reply, “What’s good for you ain’t good for everybody. When I get tired of the situation, that’s when I get tired, and that’s that!” Janelle would just shake her head in astonishment. She wanted better for her one and only sister, but you can’t tell grown folks anything. So she tried to just stop pushing the issue. It never changed anything, and for five years, Janiece has played second to Kimberly Paxton, a woman Janiece didn’t have a positive or negative attitude about.

Janiece sometimes felt that Kimberly was just as bad as she, being in love with a man that she had to know was cheating on her. There were times when
he and Janiece would be together and his wife would call his cell phone ten times and he wouldn’t answer. What he told her later, Janiece had no clue. There were times when they’d be making love, and he would pick up his phone and tell his wife that he was busy and he’d call her back. He’d tell her that he’d be home in an hour and didn’t leave Janiece’s condo until three or four hours later sometimes.

That made Janiece feel his wife had to know something. Or maybe Kimberly was just like her, in love with him and had accepted things for what they were and that was that. Janiece loved him just as much as his wife
, she assumed, and she continued to love him and be right there for him, because that was where she wanted to be and that night was no different.

Although she dreaded the two
a.m
. hour, it was approaching quickly. The alarm would be waking him soon to let him know it was time to leave her again, and she wasn’t ready for it to sound off.

K.P.
was so anal about getting up on time, he’d also set his alarm on his cell phone just so he wouldn’t oversleep. She lay back in his arms and snuggled close to him. The clock read 11:29
p.m
., and it’s like she blinked and the alarm was sounding off. Mechanically, he got up. He hit the
off
button on the alarm clock, and then he turned the alarm on his cell phone off. Then he stood up and leaned over in the dark looking for his boxers.

“Jai,
” he whispered, like he was going to wake up someone else in the house.

“Yeah
?” she responded in an annoyed tone. He knew she hated when it was time for him to leave.

“Where are my boxers?” he asked, feeling around and under her like she hid them.

“Man, I don’t know,” she said and nestled back under the covers.

“Come on
, Jai, stop fucking around and help me. You know I gotta go,” he said feeling around like a madman.

“Look
, dude, turn on the lamp and leave me alone!” she snapped. She didn’t have pleasantries to exchange when he had to go. Her attitude was completely different from when he first arrived.

“Fine,” he said and turned on the lamp that sat on the nightstand. “I thought the light would bother you
, bighead,” he said, and proceeded to look for his shorts. He found them and quickly started to dress.

“No, that loud
-ass alarm bothers me. The fact that you can’t give me one night at my place in five years bothers me,” she snapped.

“Jai
, baby—come on don’t, baby, please. Don’t do this tonight. Don’t trip out on me. You know I don’t like to leave when you’re upset,” he said, putting on his socks. It seemed as if he was in a hurry, because before she knew it, he was completely dressed. His shirt was unbuttoned, but he was dressed faster than he had ever dressed before.

“If you hate it so much, why do you leave me by myself all the time? All I asked is for you to just stay past two for one night
, K.P., just one,” she whined.

“Janiece
, stop it, baby. No dramatics tonight,” he said and bent over and kissed her forehead. “Now, go back to sleep and I’ll call you tomorrow. I’ll let you know early if we can get together and maybe rent a movie,” he said.

“I’m tired of renting movies. Chicago is a big city
. Why can’t we go out to a movie? You’re not going to get caught,” she said to him frustrated because they hardly went out anywhere. They spent their time indoors, and if they went out, it was to the local bookstore or park near her condo.

“Look,” he said raising his voice
. Then he looked at her face and changed his tone. “Baby, I promise I’ll try to get over here tomorrow, and if you want to go out, I’ll take you out,” he said softly and caressed her face. “Okay, baby? I promise. Now get some sleep, beautiful, and I’ll work out something special for us tomorrow evening,” he said laying on the charm. Times like this she couldn’t stay mad at him.

“You promise?” she asked sounding down and penurious.

“Yes, you know I will. I love you, babe. Now, come on, smile for me,” he said smiling at her. She returned the smile, but still didn’t want him to leave.

“I gotta go,” he said
, backing away.

“I know
, and I love you too,” she told him.

“That’s my girl.” He turned off the lamp
, and then he headed for the door. It didn’t matter if she gave him a smile or not; he still had to go. The tears started to flow as soon as she heard the back door shut. Why on earth did she let him have so much power over her? Why couldn’t she just tell him to get the hell on and find a man of her own? She couldn’t figure it out.

She knew she was tired of the
“2
a.m
. got to go home to wife and family” crap. Why did she love someone else’s husband? She didn’t know the answer. Why did she get this deeply involved with K.P.? What she did know was something had to change for her—and soon.