The Wingman (Alpha Men 1)

“I didn’t know . . .”

“What? Perfect Dr. Daisy missed something? Maybe you’re not as sharp as everyone thinks?” Daff’s voice had lost its edge, and Daisy offered her a conciliatory smile.

“Well, you’re not as dumb as everyone thinks, so maybe there’s more to both of us than meets the eye.”

“I’ll say. I mean, my baby sister is hooking up with big, bad Mason Carlisle. I never saw that coming.”

Ouch. Not great timing, considering the revelations of the past few minutes.

“I’m not exactly hooking up with him.”

“Then what’s going on between the two of you?”

“It’s complicated,” Daisy hedged, not wanting to lie but not sure the truth was the wisest course of action here either.

“Well, then . . . uncomplicate it.” Daisy sighed. Daff wasn’t the type to just let stuff go.

“We just like hanging out together.”

“Daisy . . .”

“I-kind-of-blackmailed-him-into-being-my-date-for-the-wedding.” The words just seemed to pour out of her like a river, powerful, unstoppable, and completely unexpected.

“Wait. What?” Daff looked as stunned as Daisy felt. She hadn’t expected to confess, but now that it was out she felt as if a huge load had been lifted off her shoulders. Daff grabbed hold of her upper arm and pushed her into a chair before sitting down across the kitchen table from her.

“Tell me everything . . . from the very beginning.”

The story didn’t take very long to relay—especially with Daisy leaving out a few of the more confusingly intimate details—and Daff said nothing until Daisy stammered to a miserable halt. And even after that she continued to remain silent for several moments. When she eventually broke the silence, it was to say something so foul Daisy actually blushed.

“That rat bastard motherfucker,” Daff said. “I’m going to hang him from the ceiling by his tiny, tiny balls.”

“Whoa, Daff. I’m the one who coerced him into this.”

“What? No, not Mason . . . although he’s not entirely innocent in all of this either. I meant Spencer. How dare he? How dare he try to hit on me, while devaluing my sister at the same time? Who does he think he is?”

While it was flattering that her sister was so outraged on her behalf, her absolute fury was a little overwhelming, and Daisy needed to rein it in before Daff unwittingly revealed the whole humiliating incident to their parents.

“Daff, you need to calm down. I have it under control.”

“Yeah, and while I’m proud of you for having the stones to extort the asshole into being your date, are you sure this is the course of action you want to take?”

“Auntie Ivy,” Daisy replied succinctly, and Daff winced. “Auntie Gert, Auntie Helen, and Auntie Mattie. Every single time I see them, I hear about how lucky our parents are to have me to take care of them in their old age.”

“Ugh. I always get the pinched cheeks and a reminder that I should find a man while I’m young, because my looks won’t last forever and I won’t be able to look after myself when I’m old and alone.”

“And then there are Shar and Zinzi and their little minions. Mason was amazing last night. He made me feel so special. And preferred. Please don’t tell anyone; it won’t be for long, and Mason is . . . well, fully on board. I wanted to back out last night, but after the Shar incident he practically insisted on going ahead with it. He’s a nice guy, Daff.”

“Even nice guys can hurt you, Deedee.”

“I know that, but the beauty of this entire situation is that he’s already hurt me, so I’m immune to him now.”

“That makes no sense.”

“It does. I fell for his act once, and I was burned before he could do too much damage. Now, even though I’m constantly exposed to his charm and good looks, I’m armored against it. It’s kind of like chicken pox.”

“Daisy, I love you, but for an intelligent woman you’re frighteningly naïve sometimes. That man is sex on a stick, and nobody is ever entirely immune to that.”

“I am,” Daisy said, while trying not to think of those delicious, drugging kisses she had conveniently left out of her confession. Some things were too personal to talk about. And besides, it wasn’t ever going to happen again, so there was really no point in talking about it.

Mason really liked Daisy’s parents. Millicent was a delightful lady who seemed elegant and unapproachable at first but was instead a warm, loving woman who clearly adored her family. And he had always known that Andrew McGregor was a stand-up guy. When Mason was about ten he had found a kitten on the side of the road; the little ginger thing had been malnourished, probably riddled with ticks and fleas and definitely mangy. Mason hadn’t known or cared anything about that; all he’d seen was an animal in need of love and care, one that would love him back, and had lost his heart almost instantly. He remembered walking to Dr. McGregor’s practice, the cat swaddled beneath his thin jacket. It was the end of the day, and the receptionist had looked irritated and tried to send him away. Mason had kicked up a fuss, and the vet had come out to see what the commotion was about.