Stolen Kiss (Erotic Thriller)

Chapter 15

*~*Four years later: December 2015*~*

Four years had passed since David was forced to dismiss his assistant. Their affair had been discovered by Lexi and it was game over once Natalie was removed from the house by Richie.

That's the moment David's mind broke. It wasn't a blackout. On the contrary, he remembered everything and found nothing but darkness and hatred. The photos ... messages ... breaking into Richie's home...

Shortly after his court hearing, he had been found to be mentally unstable and remanded into the custody of a private psychiatric hospital after serving time in jail. Months of therapy and being little more than a chemistry experiment, David was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia with multiple personality disorder and received the proper medication needed to start the recovery process.

He and Lexi had been able to reconcile after she visited him in jail. There had been many nights when David wanted to pick up the phone and dial Natalie's number, demanding to see his son. One time he had but the number had been disconnected.

Once he was medicated and stable, David was allowed to return to the studio with the guys to record What About Now with the provision that he was required to wear an ankle bracelet. When the time came for touring, David's psychiatrist and probation officer traveled with the band.

Tensions within the band grew when Richie parted ways without a word to any of them. He and Jon were able to work things out privately, but deep down he had a feeling Jon blamed him for Richie leaving. He had every reason to and it haunted David each day.

David was confined to his hotel when not at soundcheck or performing. Thankfully all the hotels had their own gym, pool, spa, restaurant and bar, but it still drove him into depression. It had been a long 13 months away from home and Lexi never let David out of her sight. He couldn't blame her.

He and Lexi arrived home after the tour ended and, after a check in with the courts, they relaxed through jet lag that came with traveling from Australia to the States, from the hot southern hemisphere summer to the Jersey snow.

From what Jon told them, he didn't know when another album would be recorded and the guys departed for their homes. Two years on, none of them had really spoken. Jon had fallen silent in the aftermath of Richie leaving and David refused to force his presence on anyone.

Slowly David had settled back into a boring, monogamous life. In truth he had missed Lexi, but things hadn't completely returned to the way they were. He spent more time in his office working on musicals, the only thing that truly brought him peace.

His keyboard tech helped him over time repair his studio equipment and favorite keyboard, getting everything back into working order. His playroom, however, remained locked and he refused to ever set foot back into it. There were just too many memories.

Lexi still refused most of his sexual advances and delved deeper into her art, sometimes locking herself in her studio upstairs for hours at a time. Rarely would she cuddle with her husband and he was craving that intimacy.

David walked through the supermarket, ball cap pulled low over his eyes and wearing a baggy Giants hoodie in an attempt to hide the weight he gained. After hurting Natalie the way he did and Lexi refusing to touch him, David turned to alcohol for comfort.

He threw a couple boxes of tea in the cart and stopped when he saw HER. Natalie. The same waterfall of jet black hair that he could still feel sliding through his fingers and over his chest. He could only stare at her as she checked off items on her list.

She must have sensed she was being watched and looked up, their eyes locking. David wanted to run to her, embrace her and feel her lips. But the knowledge of the restraining order came to the forefront of his mind and he remained rooted to the spot when she looked at her cart.