NERTHUS
I cringe at the fact that I am more afraid of Arawn getting to know about my date than of Danny making a scene that could embarrass me in front of Owen.
“Danny? What are you doing here?” I hiss, as he looks at me wide-eyed.
“What am I doing here? What is this bougie doing here?”
At least he is so young that Owen will not mistake him for a jealous lover.
“What is happening? Who is this?” Owen asks, looking at me confused.
“He-”
“I’m her husband’s brother,” Danny shouts, causing me to stare at him wide-eyed.
Oh God!
“Ex! Ex-husband. Danny, what are you doing here?”
He lifts his phone for me to see. “I wanted to watch another movie.”
Letting my arms slump, I turn around. “I’m so sorry!”
Owen forces a smile, shaking his head but I can see how cringe this is.
“Danny, take these and go upstairs. We will talk about this.” I hiss, passing him the keys.
He takes them reluctantly, walking to the entrance of my building crestfallen.
“I’m sorry! I would have invited you upstairs but…” I smile apologetically, while he shakes his head again, “Don’t worry. Can I call you tomorrow?”
“Yes, please,” I answer, and just as he leans in to give me another kiss, Danny’s voice practically explodes from the door.
“And get your hands off her, you creep!”
Owen jerks up, seemingly uncomfortable. He pushes out a breath as he leans one hand against his car, and we chuckle awkwardly.
“What is a bougie?”
I shrug, pursing my lips. “I wouldn’t know.”
“Okay.” He says, thinking about coming closer once again before he turns around, and gets into the car.
I wave after him shortly, before entering my building and finding Danny sitting on the stairs with his head buried in his hands.
“This isn’t acceptable, Danny! And don’t you dare go around telling people he is my husband!” I reprimand him while he stays unmoved.
“Sorry!” He says into his hands.
Sighing, I give his shoulder a little tap. “Come on. Let’s get in. I’ll make you a hot chocolate. And you can call Arawn to pick you up.”
He gets up sluggishly and climbs up the stairs to my alibi apartment.
Getting him to sit down, I go to make a hot chocolate in the hopes of cheering him up. Just as I’m plopping in some mini marshmallows, I jump at him standing next to me.
“Danny! Oh my God! Don’t scare me like that!”
He ignores me and starts pulling crumpled bills out of his pockets. “What is all this? Did you mug your piggybank?”
“I don’t know how much you usually take.” He says between sobs, avoiding my gaze as he continues to pile up the crumbled notes. “But this is all I have. Please spend some time with him.”
My breath hitches in my throat, and I step up to him. I put my hand on his cheeks, making him look up at me. “Baby, Arawn is richer than the King of England. If he wanted to book me, he would.”
“But he thinks that you prefer to stay with Jensen. That you don’t like him.”
“This is not true. I’m very fond of Arawn. And he knows it. But it is… well, complicated.”
He grunts, freeing himself from my grip. “That’s all you can say.”
“Well,” I say calmly, putting his cup of chocolate down in front of him. “He is an important man. And as you covered my kitchen counter in many dollar bills, I guess that he has told you what I am.”
“A beautiful woman.” He grumbles, his hands clasped between his knees.
“Thank you. But that would mean that you have to understand that I’m not quite wifey material for a royal on his territory. I don’t think that your big boss would handle that well if one of his high-ranked members were to date an escort.”
He scoffs, shifting in his seat. “What do you mean by big boss?”
“Well, you know, the one assigning the parts of territories to his men. Organizing everything.” I make silly gestures with my hands as if I was putting things around, trying to overplay the panic rising in me as Danny looks at me as if I was crazy.
“There is no one above Arawn.”
I groan, leaning back. “Don’t tell me that! Argh. I thought Bernie, Jensen, and him. They are equals, right?”
He grimaces at me, my heart beating in my throat. “And Harvey, I mean. Come on, he is the chief of staff of the mayor.”
I laugh awkwardly, as he lifts his brow. “Bernie manages some nightclubs, and Jensen is kind of his right hand. I don’t know what Harvey does though.”
“Fuck.” I close my eyes, nodding my head repeatedly. With a deep sigh, I rub my palms on my skirt before I get up. “Now drink, I’ll call Arawn to get you. Okay?”
As I suppose he will pick up at seeing Danny’s ID more likely than mine, I ask him for his phone. Taking his phone out of his hands, I dial Arawn’s number with shaky hands.
And not because Danny confirmed something to me I already knew but still shouldn’t have heard.
“What?” Arawn barks at me as soon as he picks up the phone.
“Oh, good evening to you too, you charmer.”
I cringe as I curse myself.
The sarcasm, Nerthus.
“Nerthus, I didn’t think-”
“Yeah, yeah.” I interrupt him, sighing. “I never expect that from you anyway.”
Do you want to die?!
Clearing my throat, I can hear him crushing his teeth to dust.
“I have a little soldier here that just filled my counter up with many green-colored bills.”
“Dwon’t tell h’m daaat,” Danny shouts with his mouth filled with marshmallows in unison with Arawn’s angry roar.
“He did what?”
“Woah. It is obviously not what you think. But you really need to talk to him, and you have to tell him that he can’t buy my time for you.”
“What?”
“Yeah. Can you please come and pick him up?”
“What am I? A taxi service? Call Dario.”
“Arawn…”
“Nerthus, I’m about to enter the suite for my poker round. I can’t leave.”
“Okay, we will figure something out.”
He sighs, and I hear him shuffle through some papers. “Thank you, Nerthus. Can I call you later?”
“What happened to Rachel?” I ask him, hugging myself.
“Come on…”
“No.” I finally answer, looking over my shoulder. “But Danny will gladly take your call.”
“I’m serious, Nerthus. We need to talk.”
Stop saying my name like that!
“I bet that you have some unsolved-”
“Don’t have me begging you. I’ll call you later, just take the call. Please.”
“Pity,” I say, pursing my lips. “I like it when you…”
Suddenly remembering that I have a teenager on my couch, listening to every word, I stop myself just in time. Clearing my throat, I stabilize my voice, tearing it out of the sultry pitch. “Ask for something very nicely.”
My heart flips as he laughs wholeheartedly. “Don’t teach him strange things.”
“Of course not,” I say with a gasp, not able to refrain from smiling like an idiot.
As he cuts the call, I turn around, finding a happily munching Danny on my couch.
“I ooof deh mushmawoous.”