Fossen Delores - Covert Conception

Is this your idea of a bad joke? Rick asked.

How did this happen? he amended.

Shed already asked herself that. At least a dozen times. And she knew that Rick was not a part of thishe wasnt the sort of man that required drugging or any coercion to get a woman into bed. She didnt know how it happened and her only clue was that surveillance video.

I dont know what happened. I need answers and thats why I am herebecause I am pregnant with our child.

Covert Conception Delores Fossen

To Rickey. I can never thank you enough.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

CAST OF CHARACTERS

Rick GravariHes more comfortable building custom motorcycles than he is in Natalies high-society world. But hell do whatever it takes to keep Natalie and his baby safeeven if that means moving in with the very woman hes sworn to resist.

Dr. Claude BenjaminCreator of the Cyrene Project, a plan to produce genetically superior babies. Can the doctor have changed his mind about continuing his research, and does he now want to eliminate them all?

Dr. Isabella HendersonShe also worked on the Cyrene Project, but now vehemently objects to it.

Carlton GravariHow far will Ricks uncle go to put an end to the Cyrene Project?

Macy SinclairIs Natalies flamboyant mother covering for someone, or is she too the victim of the Cyrene Project?

Troy JacksonA product of the Cyrene Project, he holds a grudge against Rick and Natalie.

Brandon StevenHe has answers that Rick and Natalie need, but hes not willing to share.

Contents

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter

Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter One

Youre pregnant, Natalie.

Natalie Sinclair blinked, stared at her sister, Kitt, and then waited because she was certain that Kitt was about to deliver the punch line of a silly joke.

But the punch line didnt come.

Judging from Kitts expression, she was serious. However, Natalie was serious, too, and she knew for a fact there was no way she could be carrying a child.

I havent had sex in over a year, Natalie admitted. Though her sister no doubt already knew that. And it was the realization of the no doubt that caused any remaining amusement to vanish.

Pulling in her breath, Natalie set her teacup aside, the delicate bone china rattling against the saucer. Some of the Irish blend splashed onto a pair of entwined hand-painted yellow roses.

Dr. Benjamin did the pregnancy test, Kitt continued, her voice shaky and thin. He called when you were in the meeting with the antique broker, and when I pressed him about what was wrong with you, he finally told me. You dont have the flu, and youre not anemic

Stop right there. I cant be pregnant. Natalie waited for Kitt to agree to that, but her sister made no such acknowledgement. In fact, nothing about Kitts ultra-solemn expression changed. But you think I am?

Kitt nodded.

Okay. This obviously wasnt some joke. Besides, Kitt wasnt a joking kind of person. Still, there was no way this could be true.

No way.

Natalie shook her head. The test is wrong.

Kitt did some head-shaking of her own. The doctor used your blood and urine samples to repeat it. Not once. But twice. And then he repeated it again at my request. All three times, the tests were positive. Based on the physical he gave you and those test results, Dr. Benjamin thinks youre about four weeks pregnant.

Forcing herself to remain calm and think this through, Natalie snapped her fingers in rapid succession. Ive heard about this sort of thing. Theyre false-positive results. They have to be.

Natalie was well aware that she sounded desperate.

And she was.

What was going on here?

Kitt didnt respond to her false-positive theory. Instead, her sister turned the computer monitor around to face Natalie and typed in something on the keyboard. You remember a couple of months ago I had surveillance cameras installed throughout the house?

Of course, I remember. Some items were missing, and we thought someone on the staff might be stealing from us. The surveillance tapes proved it. And Natalie wasnt pleased about this seemingly mundane topic when they had something not so mundane to clear up.

I didnt have the cameras removed after the problem was resolved, Kitt continued. I figured the extra security wouldnt hurt.

Impatient, Natalie huffed. Is this leading somewhere, Kitt?

Unfortunately, yes. After I finished my conversation with Dr. Benjamin, I went back through the surveillance tapes for the past four weeks. I found something.

Oh.

That nearly stopped Natalies heart.

Explain something, Natalie insisted.

Kitt typed in a code on the keyboard, and Natalie instantly recognized the video feed that appeared on the screen. Nearly a month earlier.

The night of her surprise twenty-ninth birthday party.

Though Natalie was familiar with the scene, it wasnt an entirely pleasant memory. Shed arrived back in San Antonio from a week-long antique-buying trip in Ireland and had stopped by Dr. Benjamins office because she was sick. The diagnosis was an upper respiratory infection. The doctor had done some lab tests and given her prescription meds. By the time she made it home, she had been exhausted, ready to fall face-first into bed. Only instead of bed, shed discovered that her mother had assembled three dozen or so of her close and not-so-close friends for a surprise birthday celebration.