Husband For Hire

by Caitlin Daire

  “I told you, the marriages on this show aren’t real. No one knows Declan and I are married in real life yet, so he can easily fill in for the male dropout contestant. Same as you, sweetie. He’ll be on the show for a few weeks, then get voted out. Easy.”

  “Oh my god, Mom. This is ridiculous, even for you. It’s crazy!” Liv threw a heated glance at me, and I shot her a look which clearly conveyed the message, ‘Don’t make this worse. Don’t tell her what happened back in New York’.

  She whipped her head away, clearly disgusted by the sight of me.

  “The show must go on,” Ellen said. “I was desperate. I needed to replace the contestants. If we don’t have the full amount of couples, we risk being cancelled by the network.”

  Liv sat down and put her head in her hands, obviously completely and utterly flabbergasted by the circumstances. “I need some water,” she mumbled.

  “Go right down the hall and take a left. There’s a fridge in there.” Ellen gestured toward the door. “Go and get a drink and I’ll explain more when you get back.”

  Liv fled the room without another glance at either one of us, and I turned to Ellen with a frown. “She’s right, you know. People are bound to figure out what you did eventually, when they hear about us being married after you finally go public with our relationship.” I put the word ‘relationship’ in air quotes, because we both knew it wasn’t real. “They’ll surely realize I wasn’t a real contestant.”

  She smiled smugly. “They won’t. I’ve thought it all through. You’ll get voted off, we’ll wait a while, and then you can start being seen with me at events in a few months. When people ask how we met, we’ll say you fell for me when you were participating on the show. In fact, you can even say the reason you got voted off was because you couldn’t take your wife on the show seriously, as you were already so infatuated with me, and the viewers picked up on that.”

  I snorted. “Right. I guess that works. So for the next few weeks I’ll be in a fake marriage within a fake marriage. Is this fucking Inception? Is Leonardo DiCaprio going to step out at any second?”

  “Oh, shut up.”

  I rubbed the stubble on my chin. “Hold on. What’s the point of us already being legally married if we aren’t even going to go public for three or four more months?”

  Ellen rolled her eyes and tapped her head with a finger. “Think, Declan. I’m flat-out busy for the next several weeks on this damn show. I wanted to get the marriage paperwork out of the way before we began filming. One less thing for me to stress about.”

  “Fair enough.” I figured enough time had passed between Liv leaving the room and now for me to leave without looking suspicious. “I need to piss. Be back in a minute.”

  I exited the room and turned right before making a left at the first door I saw. Liv was standing by a refrigerator with a glass door, her chest heaving as she took deep breaths.

  “Hey. You okay, Liv?” I asked.

  She looked up at me with such a murderous expression in her eyes that I almost regretted coming after her. But not quite.

  “It’s Olivia to you,” she said. Her voice was colder than ice. “And I guess you’re Declan. Funny, because I know you as Mac.”

  “Er…”

  “You said your name was Mac that night we met, and you told me you were single! But your real name is Declan and you’re married. To my mother. You cheating bastard!” she said, her words coming out in angry hisses. “God, I’m so glad I didn’t sleep with you.”

  “I never said my name was Mac. You must’ve misheard me over the club music. I said Dec. That’s what everyone calls me. Short for Declan. Only your mother calls me by my full name.”

  “You mean your wife calls you by your full name,” she pointed out. I sighed as she went on, letting her get it all out of her system. “And that’s so far from the point anyway! Like I said, you’re a filthy cheater.”

  “Technically, I never actually said I was single. I said I didn’t have a girlfriend. Never said anything about a wife.”

  She crossed her arms. “Jesus Christ. I think you just found the world’s thinnest argument.”

  I held up my hands. “Look, she wasn’t even my wife three weeks ago anyway. Yes, I knew her, and yes, we were planning this marriage. But it’s not cheating, Liv. It’s purely transactional. I swear.”

  I put my hand over my heart. Liv narrowed her eyes. “Transactional?”

  “A business arrangement. That’s all. Your mom needed a sexy young trophy husband to look good to all her TV associates. I needed something too.”

  “Money, I assume.”

  I didn’t answer that, and simply kept going. “We struck a deal. We’ve never touched each other, and we don’t intend to. Ever.”

  Liv scoffed and chewed her lower lip as she mused over my words. “Okay. Fine, maybe you aren’t a cheating bastard,” she said. She paused to deliver her next blow. “But you’re no better than a whore. Taking money from a vulnerable older woman who needs a man like you around so people will respect her. You make me sick.”

  I couldn’t help but laugh. “I’d hardly call Ellen vulnerable, Liv. And this was all her idea. She tracked me down and set this up.” The amusement faded from my face as I carefully considered my next words. “I couldn’t say no. Do you think I really wanted this?”

  “You said yes. Says it all, really.” She took a few steps back. “If you need money so bad, why were you in a penthouse suite at that five-star hotel?”

  “The hotel is owned by a good friend.”

  She snorted. “Sure it is.”

  “It is. You can look him up—his name is Ricardo Vierre, and he made an absolute shit-ton of money from his software development business. Enough to invest in some real estate along with the hotel. So if the room is available when I’m in town, he lets me stay for free.”

  She harrumphed. “Whatever. I think you’re a lying prick.”

  “I don’t think you mean that. I think you deemed me trustworthy the night you met me.” I took a step closer. She inched away, but her eyes were lit with curiosity. “You still think I can be trusted. You believe me. I know you do. I didn’t want this. I simply have no choice in the matter.”

  “No. That ship has sailed,” she said. “If you were trustworthy, then you would’ve told me you were about to marry my damn mother!”

  I let out an exasperated breath. “I didn’t know who you were when we met. We were across the other side of the country from Ellen, and all she said about her daughter was that she was nineteen and named Olivia. How was I supposed to know the Liv I met that night was the same girl?”

  She attempted another scoff, but this one was only half-hearted. I was slowly breaking down her barriers; I could tell by the uncertain look in her eyes. “Fine. Whatever,” she muttered.

  “You trusted me on instinct, Liv. That night. You didn’t know me at all, but you saw something in me. Something that made you feel safe enough to come home with me. You just about gave me your virginity. Remember?” I murmured, stepping closer. Her back was right against the wall now, and I put one hand over her shoulder and pressed it on the wallpaper. “Remember, Liv?” I repeated.

  She shook her head feebly. “I…” She paused. “So when I go back to Mom’s office, she’ll say the same thing? She’ll really say that you guys have never touched each other, and it’s all for show?”

  “Yes. I swear.”

  “That still doesn’t change what an asshole you were to me the other week in New York.”

  “I wasn’t trying to be. I promise you, Liv, I wasn’t laughing at you or mocking you. I just thought it was amazing that you were a virgin. Not many of them around these days. I wanted to give you a proper experience for your first time. But I didn’t, because you flew off the handle and barely let me get a word in. And when you finally stopped, the mood was a bit dead, don’t you think?”

  Her eyes widened again. “Oh.” Her voice was a soft and sweet lilt that made my heart race and my cock stiff
en.

  “Yes, oh. It’s not sad or pathetic that you’re a virgin. Not at all.”

  She took a deep breath, then pushed on my chest. Not hard, but enough to make me give her more space. “We shouldn’t even be talking about this. Whether it’s a sham marriage or not, it’s still a marriage, and you’re technically my new stepfather. You know that, right?”

  I winked. “Call me daddy.”

  “Not funny. You’re being an ass.”

  “C’mon. It is kinda funny.”

  I took a step closer, and she bit her bottom lip. I could see her breaths were coming fast and shallow now. “Like I said, we shouldn’t be this close. Shouldn’t be talking…”

  I arched a brow. "You sure about that?" I asked in a teasing tone. My next move was a bad idea, but before I could stop myself, my hand wandered between her legs and up her simple black cotton black skirt. Liv gasped as I pushed her legs apart, stroking the skin on the inner side of her thighs.

  "Yes," she murmured weakly. For all her words of not thinking it was a good idea for us to be near each other, she didn't exactly seem eager to push me away. "Stop, Mac. I mean…Dec.”

  My hands kept gliding over the soft skin of her thighs. "I don't think you want me to stop, Liv." I pressed down gently a couple of inches away from her panties, and her whole body shivered from the goosebumps I sent down her skin.

  "I'll stop right now if you say the words again," I whispered in her ear. She turned her head to the side. "But I don’t think you will…”

  She remained stubbornly quiet. I chuckled. My hand slid closer to her pussy, and she gasped when I tugged on her panties. They were soaked, the thin lace that covered her pussy wet with her juices. "Dec, please," she moaned.

  I licked my lips. "Please what, Liv?"

  She gasped again when my fingers finally sneaked inside her panties. She was shaved bare, and I groaned when I felt her smooth pussy lips on my fingertips. She was practically dripping on me, and I almost wanted to fuck her right here and now; wrap her legs around my waist and hold her up against the wall while I buried myself balls deep inside her tight snatch.

  But I wouldn’t do that. I couldn’t. She was still a virgin, and this moment wasn’t right.

  Liv’s head fell back, her eyes fluttering closed as my fingers slipped lower inside her panties. "Oh…" she moaned, the sound low and urgent.

  I parted her pussy lips and slid a finger inside her. She bucked her hips off the wall, a moan spilling from her sweet pink lips. She was impossibly tight around my fingers despite how wet she was.

  “Are you gonna come, princess?” I asked, mouth against her ear. “Come on, Liv, come on my fingers.” I curled my finger inside her pussy, making her moan my name.

  “Dec...” She sighed and took another deep, savoring breath. “Wait, someone might walk in. We should stop now…”

  "Yeah?" I said with a grin. "You’re right. Someone could easily just walk in and see you like this, moaning and writhing. Under your brand new stepdaddy, no less. You like the idea of that, don’t you, dirty girl?”

  “Mm...” Another sigh escaped her lips. Suddenly her eyes flew open and she squirmed away from me. “No, stop. Really, Dec, stop!”

  I pulled away, my brows furrowed with concern. “Liv, what—”

  “We can’t.” She wrung her hands, barely able to meet my eyes.

  “Why not?”

  “I...I don’t know you. And I feel like you’re manipulating me.”

  “Manipulating? Hey, you didn’t exactly say no, princess,” I growled.

  “I know. But you seem to know exactly what to say to me to get me eating out of the palm of your hand, don’t you?” she said. “I’ve heard about guys like you. Never ends well. And when all is said and done, you’re still married to my mother! I can’t sleep with her husband. I won’t.”

  I ran my hands through my hair. “I told you, it’s not a real marriage.”

  She folded her arms and gave me a flat stare. “Yeah, you keep saying that.” She hesitated for a second. “Look, it might just be a piece of paper to you, but it’s still real, right?”

  I snorted. “At the end of the day, it’s about as real as the marriage you’re about to enter into when this show begins. Bit hypocritical, no?” I said.

  She narrowed her eyes. “You know I’m only here for my mom’s sake, because she was desperate to fill out the contestants. But sure, I guess I’m a big ol’ hypocrite.”

  “Well…”

  She jabbed her finger into my chest. “I knew it. I knew I was right about you. You really are a prick. You don’t get your way with me, so you start insulting me immediately.”

  I smirked. “I wasn’t insulting you. I was just pointing out the irony in what you were saying, that’s all.”

  “Whatever.” She practically spat her next words at me. “We might be trapped together on this island for the next few weeks, but it’s actually a pretty big place. So stay the hell away from me, Dec.”

  With that, she pushed past me and left the room, leaving nothing but a faint cloud of her light floral perfume in her trail.

  Goddammit.

  Chapter Seven

  Olivia

  My damn traitorous body.

  Firstly, it betrayed me yesterday in that random upstairs room of the resort, when for some reason I decided to let Dec put his hands between my legs and…well, let’s not get into all the details. I didn’t even want to think about it.

  Now my body was betraying me yet again. I’d eaten perhaps one too many croissants at breakfast this morning, and my stomach had developed so much bloating that I didn’t fit in any of the tight wedding dresses assigned to me by the show producers without looking at least three months pregnant. I suppose that was actually my fault for pigging out so much at the resort breakfast buffet, but hey—I had an appetite.

  “Try the beaded ivory one.” Shayla sidled over to me and pointed out another gown on the rack assigned to me, which held dresses that were allegedly the right size and length for my frame. “The way it flares out after the waist and skims over your stomach and hips will hide the...erm…”

  “Breakfast gut?” I said this with a laugh.

  Shayla blushed furiously. “No! I just meant—”

  She was so damn cute, always trying her darndest to be polite. “It’s okay,” I said, still giggling. “I always get bloated like this when I eat too much. Honestly, half an hour and a bottle of water will help. But I do love that dress. You have a good eye.”

  I fingered the beaded fabric, picturing myself twirling in the luxurious dress like a princess. I’d never been the type of girl who planned out her perfect wedding from the age of six, and to be honest I’d never even thought about getting married. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to; I always assumed I would one day. But that was it—one day. Not now. I simply hadn’t thought about it before now, probably due to my still-tender age, but this dress was making me see what other girls saw when they pictured their fairytale weddings in their minds. It made me imagine my perfect future husband: sweet and caring yet tough and rugged at the same time. Tall and handsome with dark hair and a jawline covered in stubble.

  I dropped the fabric and pursed my lips as I realized the man I was picturing—physically, anyway—was Dec. Confusion clouded my thoughts, much like it had yesterday when the bombshell dropped that he was my mother’s brand new husband. And much like it had five minutes after that, when his fingers were sneaking into my panties.

  Oh, lord.

  There were so many emotions swirling around my head that it was hard to pinpoint what I was feeling the most and what exactly my biggest problem was. Of course I was upset with Dec—I didn’t like the fact that he was married to my mother for money, and I didn’t like the strange effect he had on me which seemed to make me fall into his arms like I was a puppet being controlled by strings. But then the way he looked at me yesterday…the way he touched me…a tiny part of my mind wondered if it meant something. Wondered if he was some man
ipulative sorcerer with the ability to control my body….or maybe it was just that we were perfect for each other.

  A naughty tingling began to build between my legs, and I abruptly pushed the thought away. Of course Dec and I weren’t perfect for each other. The perfect man for me wouldn’t be married to my damn mother!

  “You okay?” Shayla peered at me, pretty face etched with concern. “Nervous about today?”

  I forced a smile. “Yep. You?”

  She nodded. “Oh, yeah, for sure. Seeing my future husband for the first time when I walk down that aisle…it’s huge. Honestly, I’m a wreck.”

  “Tell me about it,” I said diplomatically. This show was freaking ridiculous. I knew most people were on it for a chance at the million dollar prize, but there were always a few sighing, mooning contestants like Shayla who genuinely thought the partner they had to marry would actually be their life partner when the show was wrapped. In all the seasons so far, I was pretty sure not a single couple had remained together after the director called ‘cut!’. At least that’s what my mom had told me, anyway.

  I gritted my teeth at the reminder of my mother. I still wasn’t exactly happy with her either. What the hell was she thinking, paying some sexy guy to marry her for a few years, just so other people would think she was still hot and bangable? It reeked of insecurity. My mother was forty-eight and still stunning, in my opinion. She didn’t need to pull ridiculous stunts like this. I guess I wasn’t angry, though. It was more that I felt sorry for her, thinking she needed to do something like that for attention.

  “I just hope I get matched with someone who wants the same things as me.” Shayla kept talking, stars practically flashing in her eyes. “And I hope he’s actually attracted to me.”

  “Of course he will be! You’re gorgeous, Shayla. How could any guy not want you?”

  She blushed again and smiled. “You’re too kind, sugar. But I’ve seen every previous season of this show, and believe me—it happens.”

  “Oh?”

  “Yeah. Last season, this guy made it clear that he was only attracted to petite brunettes. The Love Randomizer put him with this girl, Rochelle, and she was blonde and five-eleven. The guy went through with the wedding, but then he quit the show within the first two weeks and said ‘she’s too tall, too blonde, and too fat’. On national TV!”