Who Do I Run To? (15 page)

He decided then that he needed to make some changes, but to keep Kimberly off his back and to keep the peace until the time was right, he tried to act normal, or at least as normal as he could
given their situation. He didn’t want it to come to this bullshit that he was going through with the fighting, the drama, and now, suicide attempt. All he could think about was how he was going to get custody of his kids. He didn’t trust Kimberly anymore after that suicide stunt. He couldn’t wait to call Marcus and tell him what that nutcase did. He knew Marcus was going to have a strong case to get him custody of his kids.

K.P.
tossed and turned in the chair and the leather wasn’t quiet. He was used to sleeping in his bed or the nice, comfy bed that he had bought for Janiece a couple years back. She used to always complain about having backaches, and he kept telling her it was her mattress. She denied it and said her mattress wasn’t bad, but he knew that was her way of saying she couldn’t afford to buy a new mattress set. So he went to the furniture store and had them deliver it. And when they arrived with the delivery, she was in shock. They set up and hauled that old back-aching mattress she had away, and she hasn’t had a backache since and neither had he.

“Come on
, lay here with me,” Kimberly offered him in a low, scratchy voice.

“Naw, I’m good,” he said refusing to get in bed with her.

“No, you’re not. There’s enough room for you.” She pulled back the blanket for him to get in. Since her room was a private room, the bed was larger than the normal twin-sized ones.

“No, no
, you rest. I’m fine over here.”

“Look
, I can’t rest with all of that noise you’re making on that leather.”

He didn’t argue anymore. He got up
, and she slid over a little, although she didn’t have to because she was a little woman. She didn’t take up much bed at all.

The first thing he thought about was Janiece when he closed his eyes. Was she in bed, lying next to another man? He would have like
d to have been with Janiece, holding her close, rather than lying next to the unstable one. He hoped Kimberly didn’t have a shank under her pillow. He prayed and asked God to protect him from the evil one that was lying next to him, and soon he fell asleep.

Chapter Seventeen

Janiece held Isaiah’s hand tighter after she put her cell phone back into her purse. He looked over at her, and his warm smile made her relax and not let the thoughts of K.P. and his crazy wife ruin her evening. Earlier that afternoon when she got back to her place, she saw a silver Chrysler 300 in her guest stall. She was a little nervous now since ‘Crazy’ knew where she lived. She didn’t want to come home and her psycho ass jump out of nowhere with a blade or something, so when she got out of her car, she looked around carefully and watched her back going up the steps.

She was relieved when she found out the car was another car that Isaiah had gotten from his dad
’s dealership. This was just beginning to be too much for Janiece and this stress was unwanted. She wanted to give K.P. back to Kimberly and stop the harassment. She was so furious about K.P. not showing up to meet her at the coffee house, that she grabbed a trash bag from the kitchen and cleaned out his drawers. She was doing fine putting his stuff in the bag until she came across the photo envelope that had their pictures from the trip to Las Vegas.

She stopped and sat on the bed and looked at them and thought about how much fun it was and
what a good time she had with him. She fought back the tears, as she thumbed through the memories. She wanted to live like they did when they were in Vegas. They didn’t stay in one of the hotels; K.P. rented a vacation home so they had a backyard with a huge barbecue grill and a pool with a hot tub. A huge whirlpool tub was in the master bedroom, and Janiece was in amazement when she saw it. She knew it had to cost a fortune, but she didn’t dare ask.

They rented a car and went to the store to get groceries. They didn’t manage to cook because they were so use
d to being indoors in Chicago. Janiece prepared breakfast, but for lunch they ate out. And for dinner they ate out too. Only one night did they take advantage of cooking, and they grilled outside and ate on the patio.

It was so nice to go out in public and be able to hold hands and kiss.
K.P. displayed so much public affection it made her feel like a teenager. He showered her with kisses and held her close to him the entire trip.

Everywhere they went
people knew that they were a couple, which made Janiece smile the whole time. They made love every morning, in the afternoon, and every night. They took long baths together and enjoyed the seven days and six nights in their own little world. That was the only time she had him all night in their five-year relationship. You couldn’t pay him to take that chance in Chicago back then.

Janiece
wanted to go on another trip, but it never happened. She begged him to take her to Vegas again and he’d always say, “Soon, not now, be patient.” “Be patient,” she said out loud and laughed. She stuffed the pictures back into the envelope and stuck them into her nightstand drawer. Then she walked over to her closet and picked out a pair of jeans that she didn’t have to iron. She pulled the rubber maid storage container from under her bed and took a sweater out of it. The weather was starting to get a lot cooler. The first of October was rolling around again, and Old Man Winter was packing his bags to get ready to visit Chicago.

Jan
iece hopped in the shower to do a quick wash because she had showered before going to meet K.P., but she knew she wanted to invite Isaiah up after their date and you can never be too fresh. She got out and wrapped a towel around her, then decided to do her makeup first, and then she’d lotion up when her skin dried a little more.

She combed her hair down from her molded wrap to see if she was going to have to flat iron it and was happy
to find that she didn’t have to. Her relaxed hair was still fresh, and her hair looked beautiful. She wrapped it back up and put her wrap cap back on. Finally, she lotioned up, and then put on her clothes. After putting on her jewelry, she went back to do her hair. Applying her lipstick was the finishing touch, then she wiped down and straightened things up to make her place company-friendly. At that point, her phone rang. She looked at the caller ID and noticed it was a 708 number, but she didn’t recognize it, so she didn’t pick up.

A few moments later
, the same number came on her cell phone, and she was thinking whoever it was had to leave her a message. She looked at the clock and decided to check her voice mail because that person did leave a message. When she heard K.P.’s voice, she was tempted to hang up, but she didn’t because she was curious why he was calling from a different number than his cell number. It wasn’t his house number unless they had gotten that number changed because she knew it.

She hit the
send
button to call the number back but got a busy. She tried calling his cell, and it went straight to voice mail. She didn’t leave a message; instead, she just hung up. She was going to call the other number back again, but then there was a knock at the door and she knew it was Isaiah. He was looking so good she wanted to skip their plans of going out and do him.

“Hey
, handsome,” she said and gave him a kiss.

“Hey yourself
, gorgeous. Are you ready?”

“Yes, just let me get my jacket and my purse.” She went to the hall closet and grabbed her jacket.
Then she picked up her keys and her purse and they headed out the door.

“This is a nice ride,” she said complimenting the Chrysler.

“Thanks, I wanted to try something different,” he remarked opening the door for her.

“I wish I had the hookup to drive a different car every other week.”

“Stick with me, kid, who knows.” He smiled, and they rode out.

They hopped on the Dan Ryan and headed downtown.
Isaiah was looking at her like she was a piece of steak, and she gave him the same stare. First, they went to Houston’s to eat dinner. They were having a good time talking and laughing. He was telling her army jokes, and she was cracking up at the table. She enjoyed him so much and thought he was a great guy that she could see herself being with for a long time.

She was laughing at something Isaiah said and happen
ed to look over and saw Shawnee Williams from work. Janiece tried to turn real fast to avoid eye contact, but it was too late. She stopped laughing when she saw Shawnee the nosy one get up, and she knew she was headed over to say hello. And indeed, Shawnee strutted over and paused when she realized it wasn’t K.P. that Janiece was out with.

“Hey
, girl, what’s going on?” she said sounding so lively and bubbly.

“Hello
, Shawnee, this is Isaiah Lawton. Isaiah, meet Shawnee Williams. We work together.”

“Hi
, Isaiah, it’s so nice to meet you,” she said extending her hand and they shook for what seemed like an eternity. Since Shawnee assumed Janiece was in love with K.P., she thought maybe this man was someone that she could be hooked up with.

“So
, Janiece, I didn’t know you had a brother this fine.”

“I said Lawton, not Hawkins, and you know I only have a sister. One
sister and you know that. Isaiah isn’t my brother, Shawnee,” Janiece said looking at her like she was slow.

“Oh yeah, that’s right
. Janelle, right?” Shawnee said not taking her eyes off Isaiah.

“Yeah
, right.”

“Well
, who is this handsome man?” she asked smiling and being her natural flirting self. Every time Janiece saw her, she would think of Hottie from Flavor of Love.

“He’s my date.”

“Oh really? My bad,” she said looking at Janiece like this ain’t K.P.. “Well, you and your date have a good evening, and tell Mr. Paxton I’ll be calling him soon about that mortgage.”

“Will do,” Janiece said as
Shawnee trotted back to her table. Her clothes were always a size too small, and Janiece wondered what her hair looked like under all that weave. She had been working with her for years and had no clue about what her hair really looked like, or even if she had any.

She mentioned
K.P. on purpose, ole heifer. Janiece knew she had done that deliberately, but she didn’t sweat it. They left and went to the movies, and while Isaiah was getting popcorn, Janiece was by herself in the theater. The movie hadn’t started so she tried to call that 708 number back again. It rang about ten times, and then someone picked up.

“Hello,”
said an unknown voice.

“Hello, someone called me from this number.”

“Maybe so, but this is a pay phone,” the woman told her.

“A pay phone
? Where?”

“This phone is in the hospital.”

“Which hospital, please, ma’am?”

“South Suburban,” she replied.

“Okay, thank you,” and she hung up. “South Suburban Hospital,” she said out loud. “What’s K.P. doing at the hospital?” she started to stress. What if he had been hurt or something happened to one of his kids? She tried his cell phone again, and it went straight to voice mail as before. She was about to get up, but Isaiah came back with the popcorn and soda.

As soon as the movie started she relaxed a little. She was still thinking about
K.P., and she hoped he was okay. After the movie she went to the restroom and called again. That time she left him a message. “K.P., this is Jai. Please call me. I’m worried out of my mind. What happened? Are you or one of the kids hurt? Just call me,” and she hung up. Her stomach was tied in knots, but she went back out like everything was good. When they got back to her condo, Janiece poured herself a glass of wine to calm her nerves.

“What’s wrong?”
Isaiah asked her.

“Nothing
, I’m fine,” she said and took a sip of her wine. She didn’t make eye contact because she didn’t want him to see her distress. She just needed a couple more sips, and then she’d be better.

“Are you sure? You seem a little tense. Am I making you nervous?”

“Of course not, K.P.. Why would I be nervous?”

“Well
, if I were K.P., maybe I’d know the answer to that.”

“I’m sorry
, Isaiah. I don’t know why I said that. That was totally an accident.” He looked at her and knew something was up.

“Okay
, Janiece, I need you to level with me. Are you really ready to move on?”

“Yes, yes
, I want to move forward.”

“Are you
really ready to move forward?” he asked and allowed her time to think before she answered.

“Listen, Isaiah, K.P. and I had some wonderful times, and I loved him for a while. If you ask me if I’m ready, I honestly can’t say yes, but being ready isn’t always the case. For a really long time, I wanted something that wasn’t for me, and now I know that if I keep waiting to be ready to change, it won’t happen. I have to make that change, and then the change comes.”

“Okay
, I understand. You have to crawl before you walk, and I will work with you, Janiece, but I want you, and I don’t know how much longer I can take being around you and not being able to have you.”

“You want me?”

“Yes, that’s fact.”

“What if I told you that I wanted you too?”

“Then I’d say I’m right here.” He leaned over and kissed her. She put her glass down on the coffee table and turned her attention back to him. She wanted Isaiah, yes, but in the back of her mind, she thought about K.P.. She was silently praying to God that he was safe and well.

Now
Isaiah’s hands were all over her body. His kisses were so sweet and good, but she kept thinking about K.P. and she felt like she was cheating on him again. She let Isaiah lift her sweater away from her body. She was wearing a camisole under it without a bra. Before long, the camisole was off too.

Her hard nipples were exposed
, and he rubbed and squeezed them just the way she liked. His hands were feeling so good she couldn’t wait to have his wet mouth on them, so she pushed his head down to let him know where she wanted his mouth to be. As he sucked on her nipples, her clit started to pulsate.

She could feel the moisture coming on. He licked and sucked on them
so well she couldn’t hold back the oohs and the aahs. That encouraged him to suck even harder. She was becoming more and more turned on. She told Isaiah to hold on, and then she stood up.

“Follow me,” she said
, and obediently, he followed her into her bedroom. They immediately began kissing when they got into her room. She helped him take off his sweater, and he began to unbuckle his belt and unfasten his jeans.

Janiece
lit a couple of candles and turned on the disc player. Then she removed her jeans and all she had on were her pink-laced panties. He walked over to her and started kissing her on her neck. “You are so sexy. You know that?”

“Yeah, I know,” she said
, and they laughed softly. He wasn’t expecting her to respond like that. “Hold on a minute.” She walked over to her nightstand and opened it to get a condom. The pictures from Vegas were lying on top of the condoms, which caused her to pause for a moment.

But i
t was too late to stop now. She had to finish what she started. She just wanted that feeling of cheating on K.P. to go away. She handed Isaiah the plastic. “Thanks, but I have this one covered,” he said to her taking it from her hand.