The Rented Husband (Southern Nights Series)

Chapter 5

**Edited by Adelina Clonts aka Seawriter**

“The Rented Husband”

2011 © All Rights Reserved

Chapter 5

Brody high tailed it out of Olivia’s office as fast as his two feet would take him. Without looking back he dashed directly to his office; needing to put some much needed space between him and the attractive blond he left behind.

The torn look on her face when he told her ‘no’ almost undid him. He had a notion to turn around, march right back into her office and agree to her all expense paid Hawaii trip and play the sweet husband she was looking for. Luckily, his conscious overtook his urge and inadvertently, kept him moving forward, taking his thoughts further away from the enticing offer and sweet temptations.

Of all the things he could have imagined her asking him to do, faking a marital relationship was nowhere near his realm of thought. She was crazy; the broad was absolutely nuts. Olivia Murray had finally gone off the deep end and even he wouldn’t have been able to throw her a life preserver to bring her back in if she really thought that hiring a guy to stand in as a husband for a week was going to solve all of her problems.

Hell, Brody wouldn’t have minded going out with her on a few dates, maybe even showing her a good time with a couple rounds in the bedroom but the forbidden “H” word was absolutely out of the question. He shuddered at the mere thought of even pretending to be a husband. It just wasn’t part of his male DNA makeup.

Brody O’Connor would never marry and willingly tie himself down to just one woman. He enjoyed playing the field and romancing various types of women; blonds, brunettes, and red heads, he was an equal opportunity lover. That was just who he was as a person and nothing, absolutely nothing, would ever change that. Not even a ‘too sexy for her own good’ attorney that held the most dazzling chocolate brown eyes and perfectly formed hourglass figure that could contend with any Victoria Secret model. Nope, not even the one Ms. Olivia Murray.

Brody slipped into his office and closed the door firmly behind him. He could feel the onset of an impending headache already pounding at his temples. Leaning his back up against the door he relinquished a breath of air, he hadn’t even realized he had been holding. Taking a minute to close his eyes, Brody sighed. That was a close one, almost to close for comfort.

After a few minutes of being in his office, Brody’s desk phone began to buzz. He knew instantly it was his secretary, Leslie. Leslie was young but very astute for her age and had been undeniably a major part of his recent success. At first glance the girl was kind of mousy looking but she had proved many times over that she had what it took to make it in the legal profession. On more than one occasion, she found valuable information for cases that even he himself had not been able to retrieve. The girl was just that good.

“Mr. O’Connor?” Leslie called out with her high pitched voice ringing through the speaker phone. Brody pushed himself away from the door and walked towards his desk.

“Yes, Leslie?” Thankfully, he was feeling more comfortable now that he was back in the sanctum of his own office.

“You have a visitor out here in the lobby,” she told him and something in her wavering tone warned him that she was leery of this particular visitor.

This is unusual, he thought to himself. He had planned on spending the afternoon cleaning up some of his old files and even doing a little research on the Marino case that was coming up at the end of the month because he thought his afternoon was completely free. Brody looked down at his desk and double checked his calendar. Yep, he was right, there was nothing booked for today, so who on earth could be calling on him?