Page 32 of Odin

She didn't answer right away, probably wary of what I would ask for. "What?" she finally said.

“We need new shit, since everything was destroyed. If I bribe you, will you take Serena to pick out whatever she wants?”

Katalina squealed so loud, I had to turn down the volume in the car. “Jesus fucking Christ.”

“Do you know what you’ve just asked for?” Serena asked me, fully turning in my direction. “She’ll make me go with her every day, all day, until it’s done. I have seen her drop hundreds of thousands of dollars on useless things.”

“I can afford it.” I'd saved and invested wisely over the years. It was just a mindset from my youth that I didn't like to spend money.

“Rena, stop. You never question a man when he’s giving you an unlimited shopping spree. Have I not taught you anything?” Katalina laughed. “My fee is a new Birkin, Doctor Handsome Moneybags.”

“Order two, and I’ll cover it.” It was a sign of how far I'd come since our wedding. I didn't question how much before saying yes, and I didn't feel any phantom pains. No heart attack in sight.

“Yup. Yup, I knew I liked you, Doc.” We heard Katalina laugh through the speakers of the car, and Serena chuckled along with her.

When their laughter died down, Serena continued the conversation. “You’re insane, but I love you," she told Katalina.

It must have been a regular occurrence, because both of them prattled on about Katalina's guards next, as if nothing significant had occurred.

I'd spoken too soon. A pain shot through my chest and radiated somewhere near my heart. It was intense, and I gripped the steering wheel to make sure that I didn't suddenly collapse or crash the car. Rubbing my chest, I quickly went through all the symptoms for a white male in his early thirties and good health. I couldn't remember them all, but I tried to analyze the ones I was sure of. I flexed my fingers to see if there were shooting pains up my arm, but I didn't feel a thing, which made me panic some more that I was missing something.

I worked out and ate right. There should have been no reason that I was getting these chest pains. It wasn't until I admitted to myself that I was jealous that things subsided. I didn't care about what Serena had said or that it was to Katalina. They were close, and I'd accepted their friendship, but I wanted Serena to say those words truthfully to me.

“No guards yet, but if you pick me up, I can talk them into letting me go. You have two, and we’re only required to have onea piece. If that’s alright?” They were still talking about Katalina's guards even though I'd almost died in the car.

I chimed back in. “I’ll figure it out.”

They talked for a few more minutes about nothing and made plans. Serena was almost back to her old self.

***

Ididn't tell Serena we were making one more stop until I pulled into the parking lot of the local hardware store. When Serena caught the sign on the building, she spun in her seat. She frowned at me, confused about why we were here.

“This chapter with the cop will soon be over, and I never want you to think about that bullshit again. The meeting this morning was exactly that, a bunch of fucking bullshit. When you think about today, I only want you to remember that you spent the day with me, happy and protected, because I will go to great lengths to keep you that way."

She smiled so widely that her cheeks had to hurt. Leaning over the center consul, she puckered her lips for me.

"I am not looking forward to this, but what do you say we make a date out of painting the wall?"

"Sounds like fun," she quipped. I kissed her and then walked around the car to open her door. She was going to make the first decision in what she wanted the penthouse to look like. Walking in hand-in-hand, we went straight to the paint samples. If anyone questioned why we were so dressed up, no one said a word.

“What color do you think?" she asked me. "There are so many choices, and all the walls are just white."

“You pick.” I didn't have a preference. I was having more fun watching how seriously she was taking this.

“It’s your place,” she retorted.

I stepped up to her back and pulled her against me, my arm wrapping around her waist. “My place? I am pretty sure you live there, too.”

“You had to move me in, so it’s not really mine.” She shrugged, like it wasn't a big deal, but she was staring straight ahead.

“I moved you in because you’re my wife, and I have no problem reminding you right here, right now, that you’re mine.” I was dead serious. If she even said something asinine, I’d drag her to the restroom and fuck her until she remembered. She must have heard something in my voice because she ignored me and went back to searching for sample colors.

“What do you think about blue? Since that’s the wall that butts up to the windows.”

“Baby, I am serious. Whatever you want.”

She sighed, but she was still smiling and there wasn't any bite in her statement. “You’re no help right now.”

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