Stolen Kiss (Erotic Thriller)

Chapter 13

*~*Two weeks Later in California*~*

Natalie couldn't believe the catastrophe she had made her life. She'd been feeling queasy for some time now but chalked it up to the stress of the trial and the temporary move to California. Between getting herself and her mother settled, there wasn't much time to dwell on any single issue.

That was until Richie's assistant, Denise, gently suggested that she take a pregnancy test when her period was a no show.

She'd shrugged that off for as long as she could until earlier that morning when she caught a glimpse of herself in the bathroom mirror. Her belly was protruding slightly, noticeable due to her already tiny frame.

Natalie had taken to wearing yoga pants and Richie's t-shirts from sheer exhaustion and depression so she hadn't noticed any ill-fitting clothes.

With Richie in his studio with Bob Rock for his new album, she jumped in the car that Richie had loaned her alone and headed to the local pharmacy to buy a selection of pregnancy tests. She peed into a clean cup and took the first, then the second, third and fourth; all of them showing the same result - Positive.

"Fuck," she muttered to herself.

Did she want to become a mother? Fuck, yes! Would she be a good mother? She was going to try to be the best damn mother she could possibly be. The bigger question though was who fathered the child. David was the immediate and most obvious choice...but she had slept on a few occasions with Richie as well.

"What the fuck have I done?" she cried.

Unable to do much other than cry, she shed her clothing and turned on the shower. As the hot water engulfed her body, Natalie emotionally fell apart and cried out. Several minutes that felt like an eternity passed as her mind tried to grapple with the reality of her becoming a mother.

Her anger erupted and she threw bottles of shampoo, conditioner and body wash at the shower wall. "Fuck you, asshole! Fuck you and the day I ever fucking met you!! Why didn't you just fucking kill me?!" She slid down the wall and into the tub, hugging her belly and sobbing.

*~*

"Nat?!" Richie yelled from downstairs, "Where are you, darlin'?"

He threw his keys on the kitchen counter as he walked through, dumping his leather carry-all on the floor near the doorway. He listened for an answer but only heard the shower running upstairs. With a shrug and humming a new tune he wanted to share with Natalie, he headed up the stairs.

He knocked on her bedroom door and was surprised when it opened under his knuckles. Even though they lived together, they afforded each other privacy when it was needed.

"Nat, can I come in?" he asked, "Got a bitchin' new song I wanna share with you..."

Richie faltered when he heard sobbing in the bathroom. Quietly he turned the knob and pushed the bathroom door open, eyes widening at the opened pregnancy tests and boxes scattered over the marble countertop.

He picked up one of the tests and scrambled to find the matching box to see what the result was. Something flip-flopped in his gut as the reality of it hit him upon seeing the positive markings. He looked over to the shower, foggy with steam, and reached for the handle.

"Nat? Darlin', are you okay?" he asked, hesitating before opening the door. What he saw broke his heart. The dark-haired woman was curled up on the floor of the shower stall, curled in on herself, not moving apart from the shudder as another sob broke through. He didn't hesitate as he climbed in and took her into his arms.

"I'm sorry...I'm sorry..."Natalie cried as her body shook, grasping onto Richie's arm. "Please...please fucking kill me...I can't do this! I can't!"