One Night Stand (The Complete Story) (9 page)

I nodded dumbly.  I couldn’t process this. It was only supposed to be a one-night stand. I had sworn off men. And now I was pregnant with Lorenzo’s baby.

“Are you going to call him?” Ava asked gently when she saw my face.

“I guess I need to,” I admitted, staring down at the positive sign once more.  “I’m having his baby. He might be a dick, but he deserves to know that he’s going to be a father.”

Part 4

Laying Claim

I stared down at the slim what stick in my hand and wondered if it were all a dream. The highs and the lows were too extreme for this to be reality. But maybe that was just the way the universe balanced out. My two incredibly, erotic nights with Lorenzo had been beyond anything I had ever dreamed was possible. So the universe had balanced it by showing me that he was just another dog who never really cared about me, and then gave me one last kick by making me pregnant.

I looked up into my two roommates’ concerned faces and sighed. No, I had to take responsibility for my own actions. I can’t blame the universe for making me pregnant. I couldn’t even blame Lorenzo. I should have been smart enough to insist on protection, no matter how drunk or love-drunk I had been. Now I needed to decide what to do next.

“Are you…going to keep it?” Ava asked me cautiously.

“Yes,” I replied, without even having to think about it. It wasn’t that I felt ready for a baby. I wasn’t ready at all. But I had always dreamed of being a mother and I knew that despite everything, I was going to love the baby growing inside me. I didn’t need Lorenzo, or anyone else, to help me care for my child. But it was his child too, and he deserved a chance to know that he was going to be a father.

“I need to tell him. I don’t want to talk to him at all, but he deserves to know.”

Riley nodded and looked at me sympathetically. “You should probably tell him in person. This isn’t really a text or phone call type of discussion.”

“Yeah. You are probably right,” I sighed.  I didn’t want to see him. I knew that as soon as I aid eyes on him all those feelings of lust, need, and something else, something approaching love would bubble right back to the surface. But I had no choice and I would just need to be strong and not let myself get all soft as soon as he smiled at me.

“I’ll stop by his gallery today,” I assured my roommates. “It is probably safer than going to his apartment. No beds.”

“You know…you can get
more
pregnant…” Ava  added slyly, wiggling her eyebrows at me.

“Hey! Don’t give her any terrible ideas. Lorenzo didn’t treat her well. She deserves to be with someone who treats her like a princess,” Riley countered quickly.

I sighed. “The worst part is that he
did
treat me like a princess. I was just apparently part of his princess harem. So who knows what else he was lying about to me. Maybe he really
is
involved with all that mob stuff like Detective Russo kept hinting and I want no part of any of that. I guess I should go and face him now and see what he has to say.”

My roommates nodded sympathetically and assured me we could postpone our study session until later in the day. I got dressed quickly. First I grabbed my favorite pale pink dress, but I quickly put it back and opted for comfortable jeans and a white tank top instead. I still felt some urge to make myself look sexy for Lorenzo, but I resisted. Why should I dress up for a guy who obviously didn’t care about me?

Finding his gallery was easy. A quick internet searched showed me that it was only a few blocks from his apartment, in the swanky part of town. I decided to walk, both to save money and to clear my head. The weather was perfect, with only a slight breeze. I found myself almost cheerful by the time I arrived outside the gallery. The outside looked simple, and understated. It was elegant, to be sure, but I had expected something more extravagant and over-the-top considering everything I knew about Lorenzo.
What do I really even know about him?
I wondered. I really had only known him for two days, a few weeks ago.
And now I’m pregnant with his baby.

I sighed and pulled myself up straight. There was no point in postponing the inevitable. I pulled the heavy metal door handle and walked inside. Clean, pale grey walls were accented only with natural wood detailing and artfully arranged paintings. I glanced around at the sparse crowd until I saw him.

Damn.
He looked hot as ever, in his perfectly tailored suit with his dark hair hanging just so perfectly over his eyes. I felt that familiar tug in my core. Try as I might, I couldn’t stop the dirty thoughts from tumbling into my head.
What would it be like if he fucked me right here, against these gallery walls?

I took a step towards him and then froze. He was talking to someone and she leaned over and placed her hand on his arm. He smiled at her, then said something that made her laugh. He was flirting with someone else.
Why did I even expect anything different?
I fumed at myself, and at him. It had been stupid for me to come here expecting anything.

I turned on my heel and walked right back towards the door.

“Emma? Is that you? Emma, wait!” I heard his voice behind me, but I didn’t stop. I pulled open the heavy door and walked back out into the sunlight. The natural light now felt harsh and I shielded my eyes.

A hand landed on my shoulder. I spun around.
Lorenzo.

“Emma, what are you doing here? Why haven’t you returned my calls? Is everything alright?” Lorenzo looked at me with such concern, I could have sworn he was being genuine. He was a good actor.

“I shouldn’t have come here. You’re obviously busy.”

“I’m not busy. Emma, please talk to me.”

I looked down. Looking into his handsome face was too difficult. “I saw you with that woman in there…”

“She is just a wealthy woman who is interested in buying a painting. Emma, she is married. I promise you, it was nothing. Can I please take you to lunch so we can talk? Just lunch, I promise. There is a little café right around the corner.”

“Alright,” I agreed reluctantly. It was impossible for me to say no to him. And would lunch be so bad? I had to tell him about the pregnancy at some point.

Once we settled into a small corner table at the café, I finally looked up and into Lorenzo’s eyes. They were as intense as ever, burning with passion. But was that passion really for me?

“Why did you disappear for three weeks?” Lorenzo finally asked after the waitress took our orders.

“For the same reason I left your gallery. I don’t enjoy being just one of your many conquests.”

His eyebrows shot up. “Is that what you think? I tried to show you that you are special to me.”

“I don’t just want to be special among your many girls.”

He reached out to touch my hand gently. “Emma, I’m not seeing anyone else. I haven’t even thought about anyone else since I met you.”

“I saw pictures, Lorenzo.  I saw pictures of you with lots of different women you were taking back to your apartment.”

He looked taken aback.
Good! He should be ashamed,
I thought.

“What pictures? Who showed you these pictures?”

“Does it matter? You are deflecting.”

“Well, it kind of matters. But I can assure you those pictures were taken before I even met you. Emma, I swear that I haven’t been with anyone since you.”

“But you were with all of those women before me. You just take all these women home with you and have your fun just like you did with me.”

“No, it was different with you, Emma.” He glowered at me. “I was with other women casually before you, yes. You can’t blame me for my past. I don’t owe you any explanation for what I did before I met you. I’m kind of surprised by your judgment, given we barely just met and haven’t spoken in weeks.”

I glared at him as my heart twisted in my chest.
How dare he!
Now he was going to pretend like I was the one at fault here, when he fooled around with every girl he met, he got me pregnant, and I was the one left in shambles.

“You are right, Lorenzo. Why the hell should I care about what you do with your life? It isn’t my damn problem and I would be happy to never see you again. Except, you might want to start using a condom during your numerous one-night stands because now I’m pregnant with your damn baby!” With that, I stood up and stomped out of the café.

I was angry and hurt, and confused. Lorenzo’s shocked face stared after me, but I just kept on walking. I hoped he felt as afraid as I did, because it wasn’t fair that I was going through this alone. As I stomped down the street, my anger turned to sadness. I felt so lost.
How did I get so deeply lost in this hole in just a few weeks?
Three weeks ago, I just wanted a hot one-night stand. Now I was pregnant with the heir to a mob fortune’s baby and angry that I had just been one in a long series of sexual conquests for him.

By the time I reached the apartment, tears were streaming down my cheeks. I tried to wipe them clean, but my red, puffy eyes betrayed me.  As soon as I opened the door, Ava and Riley came rushing up to me.

“Do I have to kill him? How do you put a hit on a mobster?” Ava asked angrily, here green eyes flashing with determination as she looked at my crumpled expression.

“Did he hurt you? What happened?” Riley asked, more gently.

“No,” I sobbed. “He just admitted to sleeping with all those girls and I don’t think I’m special to him at all. And then I told him I was pregnant and I think he probably hates me now.”

I buried my face in my hands. It felt like everything was crashing in on me. I sobbed quietly while my friends watched with helpless expressions.

“What did he say when you told him?” Riley asked finally.

“Nothing.”

“Nothing?” Ava sounded puzzled.

“Well, I didn’t want to give him the chance to make me feel any worse, so I just got up and left.”

Ava raised her eyebrows at me and I couldn’t help but laugh. “Okay, maybe I should have waited for his reaction, but no guy wants to hear that his one-night stand is knocked up, right?”

“He might surprise you, you know,” Riley said gently. “Maybe he really has changed since he met you.”

“In the past three weeks?” I asked incredulously.

“Well, haven’t you changed in the last three weeks?”

“Yeah, you make a good point.” I mused over the ways I was different from the girl who went out that night. That girl had been only interested in school and friends. She had never fallen in love. Now I knew what real love and fantastic sex felt like. I felt older. And I was pregnant. I had to admit that I had changed a lot in the span of only three weeks, so maybe it was unfair of me to assume that Lorenzo hadn’t changed at all.

I opened my purse and started rummaging through it to find my cellphone, when there was a loud knock on the door. Ava, Riley and I all looked at each other with raised eyebrows.

“Either of you expecting visitors?” Ava asked.  Riley and I both shook our heads. We had all been so busy with studying for exams that we hadn’t had any visitors in over a week.

Ava jumped up and opened the door slightly. I heard a muffled voice, and Ava quickly turned to look at me, then pulled the door open further. Lorenzo stood in the hall, clutching a bouquet of red roses and looking at me worriedly. He also looked hot as hell. I bit my lip, annoyed that desire was almost my first reaction when I saw him.

“Emma? Can I speak with you?” He asked tentatively. His usual sexy bravado was gone and all I could see was genuine concern. As much as my ego wanted to turn him away, my heart wouldn’t let me.

“Yeah, I guess that is probably a good idea,” I admitted, standing up slowly as my friends nodded their approval. “We can go talk privately in my room.”

Lorenzo stepped inside and nodded at Ava and Riley, then followed me as I led him to my bedroom. I opened the door self-consciously, showing him my small room. I usually wasn’t ashamed. Our apartment and furniture were old, but I kept my room exceptionally neat. On the far corner, my small bed was covered in my old floral bedspread and neatly made. Next to it, my desk was covered in schoolbooks, but uncluttered. I had a few small decorations, and a small dresser next to my closet, but I had always felt my room was cute and homey. Next to Lorenzo’s impeccably decorated palatial apartment though, my room seemed dingy and sad.