**Edited by Adelina Clonts aka Seawriter****
"The Rented Husband"
2011 © All Rights Reserved
Chapter 1
Olivia gawked at the excessively decorated wedding invitation that sat perfectly isolated centered on her desk. It was as if it was mocking her; taunting her with its fanciful, silver writing embellished on the front.
That separated invitation served as a reminder of the one thing she didn’t have, the one thing she wasn’t sure she even desired to have and the one thing that her younger sister was apparently now getting; a husband.
Olivia Murray, twenty-nine years of age and second youngest of the four Murray children, is the only one left, yet to be hitched. Her family members made it their personal sanction in life to point out that obvious fact.
Olivia’s mother, so sweet in her maternal nature, had worked diligently to set her up on countless blind dates that turned out to be one astronomical disaster after the other. Erica Murray always looked so exceedingly hopeful whenever she told her daughter about the newest beau that she prearranged her daughter to go out with. But Olivia just couldn't find it within herself to disappoint her mother by telling her ‘no’.
Then there was her father, the Ex-Navy Seal who was consistently inviting one of his poker buddies over with their presumed available sons. She was skeptical regarding the timing of her father’s poker setup time so conveniently planned around the same time she usually stopped by her parent’s home for a Sunday afternoon luncheon visit.
Olivia tried on several different occasions to talk to her father about these visits but he refused to hear any of it. Ted Murray was a stern man, still extremely fit for his sixty two years of age and effortlessly able to wave off any of her protests with one steely look.
And if that wasn’t enough, her older brother, Cane Murray, had recently jumped on the ‘find-a-husband-for-Olivia’ band wagon. Last week he recommended one of his old college buddies to her for what he had told her was some great ‘legal advice on a peeping Tom.’
Greg, the college buddy in question, wanted some legal advice alright; legal advice on how fast he could get into Olivia’s pants. He didn’t even have the dignity to be more unassertive in the matter either. The man actually had enough pomposity to walk in her office and flash what she was sure he’d considered to be a brilliant smile.
Olivia thought otherwise.
“Why don’t we just cut to the chase, babe?” When he casually referred to her as babe, she should have taken that as her first clue. “Let’s go back to my room and do a little math where we can add a bed, subtract our clothes, divide your legs and then multiple!”
Olivia didn’t hesitate. It took her nothing but five seconds to show him the door and then instantaneously called her brother, warning him to never send another one of his old college buddies to her for legal advice again.
Letting out a heavy sigh, Olivia slumped in her chair and sulked. She couldn’t understand why it was so important to her family that she have a husband. Yes, this was the prime time of her life but she was happy with the way things were currently going. Olivia worked hard to get to where she was at today and she did it all without the aid of any man. She didn’t need a man then and she most certainly didn’t need a man now.
Over the last few years, she made quite a name for herself as one of the most sought after defense attorneys within a tri-state area. She had plenty of money reserved to do as she pleased. She owned her own Town house, in what was considered a good middle class neighborhood, and she found gratification in showing off her success.
Her car was her one indulgence in life. The 2010 midnight black Chevy Corvette was, for a lack of better words, her baby. She had it tricked out with a pricey set of chrome rims, twin overhead cams and a monster of a v-8 Engine that roared to life every time that she turned over the ignition. Just thinking about her own personal achievements brought a proudful smile to Olivia’s lips. Who needs a man when all that power was parked in her garage?
“I have caffeine,” Marcey announced cheerfully as she waltzed into Olivia’s office with two Starbuck cups in her hands. Marcey was Olivia’s assistant and best friend. The tall, leggy redhead looked model perfect with her high, curvaceous body and filled with such a seductive personality that could charm a rattle snake. She was also smart as a whip when it came to crunch time in a legal brawl. Olivia found her to be invaluable.
“Thank you, thank you, thank you,” Olivia breathed out while she took one of the java filled plastic cups from her. “You just don’t know how bad I need this right now.”
Slowly, she brought the rim of the cup to her lips and clutched it carefully as she blew away the rising steam. Marcey took a seat in the chair that was positioned in front of her desk and sipped at her own cup of Joe.
After she was settled, Marcey took a quick glance at her friend’s crestfallen expression and immediately knew something was up. “Uh oh. Which one was it and what did they do this time?”
Marcey and Olivia had been friends since their early days in college and she’d met all of the Murray clan on one occasion or another. Over the years she heard about each and every one of their set ups, hook ups and mess ups. She had an inkling that Olivia’s mood, more than likely, had something to do with one of them.
Olivia let out a not so humorous chuckle. “You know me all too well. This—“ she noted and leaned over her desk, pointing at the cursed invitation. “Is the problem?”
Marcey sat up and grabbed the card that she was referring to. She ran her fingers over the embossed lettering and softly muttered, “Impressive.” Sitting back in her chair, she opened up the invitation and began to read. It was an invitation to Caley Murray’s wedding. Caley is the baby of all the Murray siblings. Marcey’s eyes widened when she realized that the wedding was going to be held in Hawaii in just two weeks’ time.
“You lucky bi-otch!” Marcey exclaimed tossing the invitation back on the desk. “You’re going to Hawaii and you’re complaining, why?” This is vacation in paradise. She was failing to see exactly what Olivia Murray’s problem was.
Olivia rolled her eyes and carefully set her cup of coffee down on the edge of her desk. “If you want to go so badly, then be my guest,” Olivia stated seriously. “I’ll gladly give you my ticket!”
She stood up from her oversized chair and walked over towards the window at the back of her office, which overlooked the park. This time of year the scenery was breathtakingly beautiful. Slowly, Olivia exhaled. She was frustrated because she anticipated what would happen in Hawaii and she really did not want to have to deal with it. “You know how my family is Marcey. They won’t ease up on me just because Caley is getting married. If anything, they are all going to be even more insistent.”
“Ah,” Marcey nodded, understanding the problem now. “This is about the ‘find-a-husband-for-Olivia’ campaign,” she said, shaking her head and laughing.
Olivia glanced over her shoulder and glared back at her friend. “It’s not funny. They all have their own families to deal with. Why is it that they all feel the need to stick their noses in my business? Can’t they see how happy I am now?”
Marcey had to work to hide her smile but she understood what Olivia was telling her. Olivia’s family had proven to be relentless in their efforts to tie her to a man. Marcey sat her cup down and tried empathizing to reassure her. .
“It can’t be that bad. This is Hawaii for crying out loud. Beautiful sunsets, exotic flowers, men with bodies made of pure sin walking the beaches….”
Any hope that Marcey had at coaxing a smile from Olivia quickly dwindled when she found herself on the receiving end of a peeved glare.
“Not you too?” Olivia groaned. Marcey held up her hands in surrender.
“Just saying,” she replied innocently. “I’m not telling you to go out there and marry the first guy you see. I’m just telling you that you should loosen up some. Why don’t you let your hair down and open yourself up to some other possibilities?”
Olivia turned and strode back to her desk, stomping every step of the way. She didn’t want to open herself up to any possibilities. She was happy just the way she was. “It’s going to be a week of torture.”
“Well geez, Olivia, the way you talk, it sounds like your being shipped off to some sort of Chinese torture camp. It’s just a wedding. Your baby sister’s wedding at that! If the family gets to you that bad then why not just find some random guy and pretend that you’re with him? As in, seriously with him. Maybe even tell them you pulled a Vegas trip and got married. I bet that they’ll leave you alone then.”
Marcey wasn’t really being serious. She was only trying to show Olivia that she was being down right petty about the whole situation. At least she had a family that cared about her enough to want to see her happy, even if their definition of happy was slightly different than her own.
“What did you just say?” Olivia’s mind was already racing thoughts. Marcey just might be on to something there. “Rent-a-husband? It’s perfect!”
“What do you mean, what did I say?” When she glanced up, Marcey eyed Olivia carefully. She had seen that look before. The fixated look that says she’s thinking about something. That same intensified look that says the wheels in her head turning and her mind mulling over something that’s absolutely crazy.
Then she remembered what she said and it all clicked. “You can’t be seriously considering what I just said?” Marcey looked completely horror stricken that Olivia would even go there. When she didn’t immediately respond to her question, Marcey walked around the desk and grabbed Olivia by the shoulders, turning her so that they were face to face. “Olivia, please tell me you’re not really thinking about going out and finding an impromptu husband?”
Olivia looked up at Marcy and blinked a few times. That was exactly what she was thinking. “Why not? It seems like the perfect solution.”
“What guy would you even consider going along with something like this? No self-respecting man is going to play hubby for a week and not expect anything in return.”
Olivia furrowed her brows in concentration. Taking a step back and pulling away from Marcey, she walked back over to the window.
“I can pay him,” she spoke aloud. She was considering the possibilities from every possible angle that she could imagine. “I have the money and my family would be thrilled to see me with a man.” She turned back around and shrugged. “So why not? I could tell them we did one of those quickie drive by ceremonies in Vegas like you mentioned and none of them would be less desireable. All their attention would keep focused on Caley’s wedding instead of me. The poor single attorney whom can’t seem to find a guy that wants to spend the rest of his natural born life with her. It makes perfect sense to me.”
Marcey was speechless. She stood rooted in her spot. “You’re one crazy lady, Olivia Murray, if that’s what you think. You have finally lost every marble in that tiny head of yours. Again, I’m going to ask you – who in the world would you get to do something like this and then pull it off successfully in front of your very distinguishable family?”
“Good morning ladies!”
Brody O’Connor ducked his head in Olivia’s office and grinned widely. When neither of them said a word he simply nodded to them both and kept on walking towards his own office.
After the door closed behind him, Marcey turned around and looked at Olivia who had that starry look in her eyes. “No,” she told her, horrified that she would even consider a guy like Brody.
"Yes. He’s perfect." Olivia replied knowingly.
"No, you can’t. It’s not right." Marcey insisted.
Brody O’Connor was the type of man that was all business when it came to the court room but outside of court he was the ultimate playboy. The guy came to work on most days smelling like cheap perfume and on the others he carried with him the telltale signs of lunch time quickies with the evidence of left over lip stick staining his starched, white collar.
It was also a well-known fact that he had a black book filled with every available woman’s phone number that resided on this side of the Mississippi river. It was official; Brody was a player.
“He’s perfect. He’s a good looking man and there will be zero chance of us ever really hooking up. I can offer him money and an unforgettable, sensational trip to Hawaii; for that one week, at least, my family will be off my back. It’s a win-win situation. Everyone will be happy.”
Marcey closed her eyes for a minute wanting to shake some sense into Olivia. She could see that she was dead set on this new plan of hers. She could see it in her eyes. Going off past experience, there was nothing she could say that would change her mind. Olivia was stubborn like that. When she was set on something; nothing and no one would be able to stand in her way.
“You are asking for a world of trouble,” Marcey cautioned her as she started to back herself towards the door. She pointed her finger at Olivia and narrowed her eyes. “Don’t let it go unsaid that I didn’t warn you Olivia Murray.”
Olivia gifted her friend with an honest smile.
“Don’t worry about me. I know what I’m doing,” she assured her as she sat back down in her chair. She had dallied long enough and now it was time for her to get some real work done. She felt a hundred times better since she had come up with a plan of action to ward off her families’ attempts at setting her up with another blind date disaster. “Just watch.” She picked up the first file that she needed to deal with for the day and muttered to herself, “You’ll see.”