Who Do I Run To Now?

by Anna Black

Genres: African American Urban

Synopsis

Janiece is finally settled with her husband, Isaiah, after a whirlwind of drama with her ex-lover, K.P., and his wife. She is ready to live happily ever after, but Isaiah is called back to duty and has to serve eighteen months in Iraq. Janiece is left behind just when K.P. moves back to Chicago.
Still not over Janiece, K.P. wants her back. He is shocked to find out that she is now married and expecting her first child, and there is no chance for them to start over. Unable to move on, K.P. decides to try to be a friend, causing drama and turbulence with Janiece's in-laws while Isaiah is away serving his country.
Her older sister, Janelle, tries to be a comfort for Janiece during her pregnancy and separation from her husband, but Janelle has issues of her own to worry about. Her marriage takes a turn for the worse as her husband, Gregory, puts business before family and neglects his duties as a husband, along with his
fatherly responsibilities to their twins. Janelle finds herself walking in someone else's shoes, and she realizes that what goes around sometimes comes back around.

Release date: January 24, 2023

Publisher: Urban Books

Print pages: 288

Sample

He walked into the kitchen with the last box he had retrieved from his SUV to see Janiece tearing away paper from the glass dish she had in her hand. They were all moved into their new home, and he could not have been happier that day. Two years had zoomed by, and he was madly in love with his wife.

“Hey, you.” Janiece noticed that he had entered the room.

“Hey, beautiful,” he said, putting the box down. He hurried over to plant a soft kiss on Janiece’s lips, and she gave him that smile he was always happy to see.

“Is that the last one?” she asked, nodding her head toward the box he had put down.

“Yes, that is it, and I can tell you that we will be here until we grow old and die. Moving fuckin’ sucks,” Isaiah said, looking around. They had a lot of work ahead of them, and he was certainly not up for it.

“Well, I spent my day separating and putting boxes in the right room, so it’s a bit organized, at least. Doesn’t resemble yesterday after the movers left.”

“No, it’s not as horrible as yesterday, but we still got a lot of unpacking,” he added.

“True indeed, so go grab a drink and put on some good music, because it’s time to work, baby,” she ordered.

“I know we got a lot to tackle, but yo’ man thinks we should take a little break. We’ve been moving for the last couple of days, and I’d like you to go upstairs and bust open one of your wardrobe boxes to find a sexy dress to wear, and we shower, dress, and go out for a nice dinner. These boxes and shit can wait. We need a decent meal, baby,” he suggested.

“Babe, no, you know we need to tackle this house. Besides, going through boxes to find a dress, shoes, perfume, and even my makeup sounds exhausting. We can order in, make cocktails, blast our favorite music, and tackle all of these damn boxes,” she countered.

“Come on, baby,” he insisted as he walked over to her. He then embraced her from behind, pulling her in as close as possible. He planted a gentle kiss on her ear and then continued to persuade her. “Jai, baby, you are not going to deny me tonight. You know you can come up with something fabulous. I wanna take you out. I don’t want to order takeout. We’ve been doing that for the last month since we started packing, so please, baby, don’t make me beg, because you know damn well I will,” he said with hopes that she’d oblige.

“Fine, okay, okay, Isaiah, damn. I’ll go up and find something to put on, and you’d better not complain about how long it takes me to get ready,” she said, turning to him. The smile she wore was confirmation that she was just as welcoming of the break as he was. He gave her a quick kiss before allowing her to leave the kitchen. She headed for the steps, and he was two steps behind her. He followed her into their master and then into their walk-in closet. She went for a labeled dress box, and he watched her quickly open it. He pulled his shirt over his head and tossed it to the floor with a smile.

“Damn, I didn’t know you’d come up in this closet and start undressing in front of me like that,” she said.

“Oh, well, I only have a couple of boxes of clothes, so it won’t take me forever to find something to wear, so I figured I’d shower while you figured it all out,” he said, undoing his jeans.

“Again, you got me thinking about something other than food,” she said, watching him remove his jeans.

“Well, we can take this moment to christen our closet and then dress for dinner,” he said teasingly. It didn’t take a lot of convincing. She immediately started to undress. Nipples were erect. A look of desire in her eyes for him gave him a stiff dick.

She moved closer to him. “That idea sounds really nice,” she said before wrapping her arms around his neck. They kissed passionately as he moved his fingers to her core. He began to rub and play around in her center to get her tunnel super wet for his pleasurable thrusting. After a few moments of tongue and finger dancing, she pulled back. When she went into a squat, he knew what she was about to do, and he prayed that the day’s events wouldn’t cause her to pause. Not that he had done a lot of physical work other than the last six or seven boxes, but he hoped that he was still fresh enough for his wife to perform.

“Babe, you don’t have to. I need to probably hit the shower,” he suggested.

She kissed his head. “Baby, you’re good,” she said before wrapping her sexy-ass glossed lips around his steal pipe.

He liked it wet, and he liked her tongue movements, so he always had to watch. More blood rushed to his tool, and he hadn’t made love to her in a while, since they’d moved, so he pulled away.

“Bae, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing. You are all right and perfect, and I want to just be inside you when I release, that’s all.” He pulled her close and kissed her deeply. He was so aroused he sucked on her bottom lip and then her chin.

“I love kissing you, baby,” she panted between kisses and breaths. “I’m ready to feel you, baby,” she said and leaned back against the closet wall. He made it a point to kiss her face and suck on her nipples before her legs were around his waist. He planted his feet firmly as her back rested against the wall, and he easily slid in.

“Ahhhhhh,” she moaned, and he froze. It hadn’t been that long, but he wanted to bust as soon as he entered. “Give it to me,” she purred, and he counted to ten and then went to work.

He pounded her body to ecstasy, and he was proud to give his woman an explosion that caused her thighs to tremble. The way her body responded to his had his soldiers ready, and he pumped harder and harder as he watched the way her titties bounced. He wanted to take one inside his mouth, but he was in no mood to catch one from bouncing at the beat of his thrust.

When he exploded, he had to keep all his strength to keep from dropping her lower half wrapped around him. On wobbly legs, he pulled out and let her down. “You are too much,” he said.

“No, you are,” she panted. She stayed leaning on the wall, and she looked around the closet. “You still want to go out?”

“Fuck, no! Shit, I need a shower and then a damn nap.”

She approached him and placed her hands on his shoulders. “You can have both, but when you get up, we are unpacking these damn boxes,” she confirmed and then walked out of the closet.

“Okay,” he agreed as he headed to their master bath. He went to relieve his bladder, and she walked in and started the shower. She stepped into the shower, and he joined her.

“Hey, what are you doing in my shower?” she teased.

“I can’t shower with my wife?” he asked, embracing her from behind.

“Yes, Mr. Lawton, you can.” She smiled, and he kissed her neck.

“You make me so happy,” he said.

“Do I?

“Yes, and the last two years have been bumpy with me leaving to finish up in Killeen. So many times, I thought . . .” He paused.

She turned to him. “Thought what?”

He shook his head. “Never mind. The point is we are together and happy. This house will be filled with so much love and joy.”

She smiled and nodded a little, agreeing with him. After a quick kiss, they lathered each other, and after playing around a little longer, they got out and put on some loungewear. Isaiah did not take a nap, ordered Chinese, and they got to work on the boxes.

“Sweet home Chicago,” K.P. said when he pulled into Kimberly’s circular driveway. He was in the process of moving back to the Windy City. His company had done so well that he was now opening a second branch in Chicago, so he was excited. He liked Las Vegas, but it was just hard with the kids being so far away from their mom. Things were finally amicable, and they were doing better than ever.

She had married her lover, Rodney, after he basically rescued her from going to prison for her assault on his ex’s sister. Kimberly spent less than nine months in jail because of the money and the power of her father’s and Rodney’s connections. It took them less than a year to get her out. She got off with a slap on the wrist and was now on parole. Initially, her father turned his back on her due to the embarrassment of Kimberly’s actions, but he didn’t let her suffer too long. Although both of Kimberly’s parents saw it fit for K.P. to have full custody of their kids, they begged him to still allow Kimberly to have visitation. K.P. wanted to say absolutely not, but his children loved and adored their mother, so he agreed. He was sure that Kimberly would never harm them, so he was okay with Kimberly being a part of their lives.

“Kayla, baby, wake up. We’re here,” K.P. said, shaking her a bit.

K.J. was in the back seat sleeping too because it was after eleven p.m. Before he could undo his seat belt, Kimberly opened the passenger-side door. He knew she was anxious to see them because they hadn’t been home since their last spring break. K.P. waited for the school year to end before he made their move.

“Kayla, sweetie, wake up,” Kimberly said, kissing her face. “Hey, Kerry,” she said, acknowledging him.

“Hey,” he replied and got out to get his son from the back seat.

“Ed, our houseman, will come out for their things,” she said.

“Okay,” K.P. replied and then shook K.J. to wake him.

“Are you coming in?”

He needed to use her bathroom, so he answered, “Yes.”

Kimberly smiled with a slight nod, and she and Kayla headed up the walkway. K.P. walked in with K.J., and then Kimberly pulled him into a tight hug.

“Oooh, Momma missed you so much. I have so many fun things planned for us this summer,” she told them.

K.P. didn’t want to take her attention from her reunion with the children, but he had to go to the bathroom. “Kim, which way is the bathroom?”

She gave a point and a couple of quick directions. K.P. went and admired the beautiful home she and Rodney lived in. He smiled because that was definitely the scale of the house that Kimberly always wanted, and after all the evil deeds she had done, she still landed on top. He washed and dried his hands, and Rodney was there when he returned to the foyer.

“Kerry, how are you?” Rodney asked with his right hand extended.

K.P. shook it. “Hey, Rodney, I’m cool. How are you, man?”

“I’m doing well,” he replied.

“Great,” he said and then turned to Kimberly. “I’m going to head out.”

“Okay,” she said, and he kissed the kids and said his goodbyes. He made his exit, and Kimberly called out his name before he could get to the end of the walkway. He paused in his tracks, hoping there wouldn’t be any drama or she wouldn’t say anything to piss him off.

“Yeah,” he answered before turning in her direction.

“Thank you. We have a rocky past, and this was not easy for you, so thank you for allowing the summer with the kids. I missed them more than words,” she expressed, and he believed her.

“Hey, no problem. They’ve been anxiously waiting for this time with you, so I hope you guys have a great summer.”

“You know you are welcome to come by and see them anytime?”

“Yeah, I know, and this is a huge favor to me because I’ll be back and forth between here and Vegas until the move is complete, so this works out for the both of us.”

“Yes, I guess it does. Where are you staying while you’re here? We have a million rooms here, so you are welcome.”

“Kimberly, you know I’m not going to take you up on an offer to stay with you and your husband. Nah, I’m good.”

“Yeah, that is kinda crazy, right?”

“Yes, it is. I’ll be at Marcus’s for a couple of weeks until I close on my house.”

“That’s cool. Too bad we sold the house in Lansing. You could’ve stayed there.”

He shook his head. “No, too many bad memories. I’m glad it’s sold.”

“Yeah, you’re right,” she agreed.

They stood there silently for a moment, and K.P. noticed that she looked really good. Her hair was straightened, and her makeup was light and not piled on like back when she was his wife. Her sleeveless halter clung to her slender but curvy body, and she no longer resembled the crazy Kimberly he was married to. He wanted to compliment her, but he decided not to.

“Well, I’ll be going now. Good night, Kim.”

“Good night, K.P., and it was good seeing you.”

He nodded, and then she turned to head back to the house. He got into the car, and when he jumped on the expressway, he fought the urge to take the exit that would lead him to Janiece’s condo. He thought of her often and even more often since he moved back to Chicago. He tried to call her a few times, but he figured she had changed her number. He tried her at work one day, and they said she no longer worked there. He emailed her a few times, and she never replied, so eventually he just decided to let her be.

K.P. made it to Marcus’s loft, reached over the door, and got the spare key. He knew Marcus would not be there because he was out of town with his fiancée, Tracy. He tossed his bag to the side and went to the fridge to see what Marcus had to eat. He grabbed a beer and the leftover pizza and hoped it wasn’t that old. Marcus had only left the day before, so he figured it hadn’t been in the fridge for too long.

He heated up a couple of slices, ate, and took a shower. Then he settled on the sofa and turned on the tube. He told himself to focus on the program and not the thoughts of Janiece that danced around in his head, but it was impossible to do. He finally fell into a deep sleep after replaying the last love scene of him and Janiece in his memory bank.

“Stop it, little boy, and eat your dinner,” Janelle repeated. Her son had purposely dropped his fork on the floor several times to avoid eating his vegetables.

“But, Mommy, I don’t like broccoli,” he cried again, but Janelle was tired of hearing him say that.

“Greg, you eat it with cheese, so you can eat it without cheese!” she yelled, losing her patience. Her daughter, Gabrielle, had eaten all her food and bugged her for dessert.

“But, Mommy, I don’t like it,” he retorted.

“Fine, Gregory, get up. You do not get dessert,” she said, snatching away his plate.

“Nooooo, Mommy, noooooo! I will eat it. Please, Mommy, I want dessert,” he whined. Janelle set his plate back in front of him. He quickly stuffed his mouth, eating everything off his plate. Janelle then told him to go and wash his hands.

“Mommy, can I have my dessert now?” her daughter asked.

“No, Gab, I told you that you have to allow your food to digest, and if you ask me one more time, you will not get dessert, understand?”

“Yes, ma’am,” she said and walked away with her head down. Janelle blew out a breath and put her hand on her head. She was exhausted and worn out. She looked at her clock and wondered what was keeping Gregory this time. He was working later and later, and she was tired of dealing with the children alone.

They were 3, not in school yet, and spent all day with Janelle because she worked from home. She’d take them to day care a couple of days a week so she could really get work done or when she just needed a break. Even though Greg insisted that she didn’t need to, she hired a housekeeper to come once a week so the chores of deep cleaning and laundry could be taken off her list of things to do. Working, taking care of the twins, and trying to keep up with daily tasks, she had less time for herself. She was overwhelmed at that point, and Greg was not helping her lately with the kids. It was taking a toll on her.

After loading the dishwasher, she paused and gave the children a scoop of ice cream for dessert. After a little TV, she got them to bathe and put them down for the night. She went back downstairs to finish cleaning the kitchen and family room. It was after ten when Greg finally walked in. She was in bed when he walked into their room, and she instantly started in on him.

“Where the hell were you, Gregory?”

“I had a couple of drinks after work with the guys,” he responded, loosening his tie.

“Why didn’t you call me, Greg, or pick up your damn phone?” she yelled.

“Janelle, damn. I just walked in the damn door!” he yelled. “Can I at least take off my damn shoes before you start grilling me?”

“Gregory, please! What in the hell is going on? Are you having an affair? I’m not stupid. I watched Janiece date a married man for five years. I know the signs,” she said.

“Janelle, stop!” he said and walked into their master bathroom.

She hopped out of bed and ran into the bathroom behind him. He was reaching in to turn on the shower, and she wouldn’t leave him alone until she got answers.

“Well, what is it then, Greg? You go out almost four nights a week. You’re starting to come home later and later, so is there someone else?”

“No, Janelle, no! I am not having a damn affair. Work is crazy, and I’ve been stressed. I have a lot on my mind, and every time I walk in the damn door, you hit me with this, that, and the other. I just need a minute sometimes away from this house,” he said.

Janelle stood there wondering why he wouldn’t just talk to . . .