**Edited by krisgee**

“The Rented Husband”

2012 Copyright All Rights Reserved

Chapter 26

                “No!... We can’t do that…Just deal with it Leslie; I don’t have the time…………Ask Marcey to help you out.  I’ll be back at the end of the week.”

                Olivia did not want to open her eyes.  Her head felt like a jackhammer was pounding right down the center of it and Brody's loud mouth wasn't helping any.

                 “Dammit!  Isn’t that what I hired you for?” he barked even louder, so loud that she startled in the bed.

                That time, Olivia did pop her eyes open - barely.  The glare from the sun was beaming on her face, doubling the pain in her head.  Through her squinted eyes she could see Brody furiously pacing back and forth with his phone clenched tightly in his hand  and wondered what in the hell that phone call was all about.

                 “Leslie, just do it and call me back this afternoon with the results.”  Brody pulled the phone away from his ear and snapped it closed.  All he asked was that she gather the documents and schedule the witness interviews for the Rolo’s case next week.  It shouldn’t have been that difficult yet she was acting like he asked her to figure out the answer to some complicated rocket scientist calculus problem.

                Sighing, he tossed the phone on the table as it landed with a deafening thud.  He only half slept last night on that small couch, and what little sleep he did get was filled with dreams of her and how soft her lips were against his lips, the firmness of her breast pressed against him, the smell of her perfume while he held her in his arms and then to top it off, they had this rehearsal thing today with her family, including daddy dearest with the killer right hook and a brother he had never met.  His life was just getting better by the second - not.

                “Will you please try to keep it down?” said Olivia, her voice still sleep filled and weak sounding.  She had her hands covering her eyes and to be honest, she looked like death warmed over.  He had no doubt in his mind that she was feeling the after effects of her irresponsible inebriation from last night.

                That was just too bad.  He was feeling his own after effects from being worked over by a shoe to the gut from a nun, an alarm clock to the head, a pimp slap to the face, an arrogant security officer and then to be shot down colder than a well digger’s butt.  Revenge was going to be plentiful and it was time to have a little fun. 

                 “Good morning, sleeping beauty,” he remarked extra cheerfully.  “I see that you have given up on the silent treatment you insisted on imposing on me last night.”  Turning around, he made his way towards the blinds and lifted them to the top of the window, allowing an abundant amount of sunshine to rain in the window, spot lighting her bed and hitting her square in her hung over face.

                 “Jesus,” she muttered under her breath, jerking the covers up over her head.  “Will you please put those damn things back down and stop acting so self righteous?  I get it; I may have had a little too much to drink last night.”  Brody, while laughing hysterically said, "You may have had a little too much to drink last night?  Well that would be the understatement of the year."

                He spoke again, controlling his laughter.  “But honey dew,” he drawled out sweetly, “We’re in Hawaii and it’s supposed to be sunny.  It’s time to rise and shine, don't ya think?”

                 “I’ll show you rise and shine when I stick my foot up your ass.” 

                He chuckled.  “Aww…. So grumpy.  Is my cheese cake not a morning person?”

                Olivia took in a long, slow breath and pressed her palms against her temples, willing the pounding pain that was assaulting her head to somewhat subside so she could think straight.  “Please - shut the H E double hockey sticks up.”

                She felt the bed dip beside her and her stomach rolled.  “Muffin cheeks,” he called out and ripped the blanket from her hands, blinding her with the sunlight again.  “Now is that any way to talk to your husband?”

                She rolled over away from him.  “Don't you mean soon to be dead husband?”

                It took everything that Brody had in him to stifle his laughter.  It amazed him how just a few minutes of teasing this woman could suddenly lift his spirits.  “Cherry pie,” he nudged her back, “It’s time for breakfast.  If we hurry up, we’ll get a good seat.”

                 “No,” she said simply, her face buried deep in the pillow. 

                 “No what?” he asked.  “No getting up or no breakfast?”

                 “Yes.”

                He shook his head and bent down so that he was at her ear.  “Butter cup, come on now.  I’m in the mood for some pig fat bacon, fried eggs where the yellow is all runny in the center, some buttery grits… What about you?”

                 “Oh God,” she mumbled and jumped up from the bed as if her butt had been lit on fire.  She covered her mouth and ran for the bathroom, slamming the door behind her.

                Brody smiled.  He heard the sounds of her retching and for the briefest of seconds, he felt bad and actually considered going in there to help her out.  Then he thought better of it.  She would be more likely punch him in the stomach or kick him in the groin than accept any sort of help from him.

                Walking over to the bathroom door he knocked and asked, "Muffin cakes, are you alright in there?"  She gagged again, the noise a little more disgusting.  She felt so miserable that she swore this had to be what being so close to death felt like.  Damn, she was going to kill those sisters of hers for letting her drink that much.  "Guess not," he replied.

                Sitting on the floor, her head hanging over the toilet, she tried to recall the events from last night but the last thing she could remember was Brody and Seth coming into the lounge.  She couldn’t even remember how she got back up to the room, how she got into her nightgown or how she even ended up in the bed.

                 “Ugh,” she moaned into the bowl as another wave of nausea rolled over her. 

                After a good ten minutes of sitting there with her cheek pressed against the cool ceramic seat of the toilet, she made herself stand.  She couldn’t stay in the bathroom all day.

                Walking out of the bathroom, looking down, massaging her temple with her right hand she walked right smack into Brody.  “Ow,” she whined, holding her head again with both hands.  Will this incessant banging ever stop?

                She felt a steady grip grab her shoulders.  “Whoa there,” he told her.  “Are you alright?”  His voice was sounding suspiciously sincere.

                When she was sure that the room had stopped spinning, she pulled away from him and dropped her hands to her sides.  “I’m fine,” she bit out and winced at the pain that echoed throughout her head.

                He frowned at her and took her hand in his.  “What?” she started and was stopped when he laid two Advil in her palms. 

                 “Take this,” he ordered her with a gentle gruffness and then handed her a glass of water to gulp them down.  “Then go take a shower; you smell like a one woman brewery and I refuse to be seen in public with you looking like hell has frozen over.”

                She stared back at him and would have scowled if even the slightest movements in her face didn’t hurt so much.

                She popped both pills into her mouth at the same time, keeping her eyes on him and swallowing half of the glass of water.  When she was done, she handed him back the glass half full of water and forced some semblance of a fake smile.  “Happy?” she asked.

                He returned her smile with a casual smirk.  “Oh yes, most definitely.”  He crossed his hands over his chest and just continued to stand there, staring back at her with laughter gleaming in his eyes.

                Starting to feel uncomfortable under his close scrutiny, she finally snapped, “What?!”  Another pain shot through her skull and she immediately regretted her un-restrained outburst.

                 “Shower,” was all he said and pointed to the bathroom with that damnable cocky smile of his.  If she wasn‘t feeling so bad she would have been more than happy to smack it off of his face. 

                 “And?” she countered, tapping her foot impatiently.  She may smell like a brewery but she wasn’t going to take a shower until she was good and dang well ready.

                Brody’s smile went from a smirk now to a full blown satisfying grin.  He made a show of looking at his watch.  “What time did you say that we were supposed to be at your sister’s rehearsal?”

                She lifted that pointy chin of hers in the air.  “Eleven, why?”

                Brody waited a minute to add to the dramatic effect.  “It’s ten after,” he finally told her, “We’re late.”

                Her eyes grew to the size of extra large pizzas.  “Oh shit,” she cried and with a new fire lit under that perky derriere of hers, she took off like a woman possessed.

                Brody, not being able to control his laughter, busted out laughing as he heard the shower running.  Still laughing he asked, "Olivia honey, where are your clothes?"  Running out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around her never glancing in his direction, she shot towards her suitcase.

                She grabbed her clothes from the suitcase, giving him the stink eye the entire time.  She took the fastest shower that he had ever seen a female take in his life, donned herself with light make up and in just twenty minutes, she looked like a woman re-born.  She was remarkably beautiful.

                 “Ready?”  Brody asked, standing by the door with his key card in hand. 

                This time, she let the scowl on her face show and all but growled at him.  Holding herself in a haughty posture, she stomped towards the door and passed by him without even dignifying him with an answer.

                Brody couldn’t resist.  When she walked by him with her nose held up high in the air, dressed in those tight fitting blue jeans, frothy white blouse and black stilettos, he reached out and pinched her delectable rear end.

                She jumped a foot high and squealed.  Turning her furious eyes on him, she pointed her finger in his chest and said, “You are so going to pay for that Mr. O’Conner.  So going to pay,” she repeated and once again, stomped towards the elevator with him trailing behind her.

                With a cheesy grin that was plastered all over his face it only infuriated her even more.  Inclining his head towards the open elevator door, he asked, “Shall we?” 

                They both stepped on to the elevator, with the door closing behind them.  He reached over her shoulder and pressed the ‘L’ button for the lobby.  Leaning back, he stopped just mere inches from her face and seductively whispered, “I’ll be looking forward to it Mrs. O’Conner.  I mean that pay back that you mentioned earlier."  He pressed a quick kiss to her cheek.  "I fully expect it to be soul cleansing,” he added and then took a step back from her and laughed at his own joke, this time not bothering to hide the amused sound. 

                Her pissed off level would have registered about a ten on a scale of one to ten right about now.  She was getting really sick and tired of his schoolboy antics.  Keeping her eyes on the numbered lights as they descended, she watched each one light up while the elevator slowly made its way down to the lobby area.  When floor 6 lit up, Brody let out another booming laugh.  "What is so funny now?" she demanded. 

                Composing himself, Brody folded his hands behind his back and bit his tongue.  He couldn't help but noticing how hot she was when her temper showed in her cheeks.  "Nothing...not a thing at all," he replied easily enough, staring down at her.

                Finally the 'L' lit up above the door and the elevator dinged, letting them know that they reached the lobby.  She stood there coolly and watched the elevator door open.  She stuck that formidable chin of hers back in the air and politely informed him, "Payback is going to be such a bitch and not a very soul cleansing one as you so eloquently put it, Mr. O'Conner."  Without another word she strutted her way out of the elevator and into the lobby.