Page 4 of Mated By the Alphas
“I was busy,” I argue. “I had to keep my grades up.”
“Yep, yep, heard that all before,” Daisy chimes. “But you’re done with all that now. You’re working at York Financial. Surely, you’re not going to live the rest of your life in an office like the Ice Queen.”
“I don’t know. It was my first day!” I shrug and take another sip of my drink.
“You’ve done everything on that list you made,” Daisy says, referencing our dumb teenage bucket list. “I haven’t, but mine is full of things like going to Italy to see all the cool artwork, witnessing the Seven Wonders, and… riding a tiger, but I’m never doing that,” she laughs, shaking her head. “Yours stopped at, what was it, getting a good job?”
“Corner office,” I laugh, feeling the first hint of the alcohol. “I’m not quite there yet.”
“A corner office to die in?” she questions. “You’ve got a lot of life left, and not much on your list. Maybe it’s time for a new list?Dating? Boyfriend? …maybe ahusbandone day? You said you wanted to have kids.”
“I mean, I do,” I admit, twisting the glass on the coaster. “I went on a couple of dates in college.”
“Yes, I remember,” she says, rolling her eyes. “The first one was a double date I dragged you to, and you spent the entire time talking about how much you needed to study. The second was the charity auction, and he didnotget his money’s worth.”
“What was he supposed to get for fifty-seven dollars?” I scoff.
Daisy leans back, turns and taps the bar. “Paul, what can you get on the south side for fifty-seven dollars?” she asks with a playful grin.
“At least a blowjob,” Paul grunts. “Not from a girl that still has all her teeth, but sometimes that’s for the best.”
“See, at least a blowjob,” Daisy, spinning back to face me, mile-wide grin on her pretty face.
“Oh my god!” I yell, then down a gulp of my Long Island Iced Tea. “Daisy! I wasn’t going to… you’re crazy! It was just a charity auction for rescue animals, not a brothel.”
“But if you’d hadI’m-gonna-fuck-you eyes, you’d have gotten more bids,” Daisy laughs, clearly taking advantage of the fact she hasn’t gotten to tease me in weeks. “The guy I went on a date with paid almost two hundred. You let those puppies down, Ansley. Just think about how many you could have helped…”
“Bitch,” I mutter, a silly grin of my own spreading across my face.
“Bitch,” she replies back, batting her eyelashes.
“I’m not but you are,” we say in unison, just like we did when we were kids, then we start laughing.
“Can I get another drink before you two start making out?” Paul asks, tapping his glass on the counter.
“She’s my best friend! I don’t even like girls like that… usually!” Daisy says, throwing a rag at Paul before snatching his glass. “Aaron, you want another?”
“Not unless you are going to start making out,” he chuckles. “Otherwise, I’m going to go pass out before it gets dark. I have to be at work at three in the morning again.”
“See you tomorrow!” Daisy waves, then starts pouring some cheap whiskey for Paul.
I lean back and stretch before taking another sip of my drink. Sitting in a chair all day is something I’ve gotten used to, but the chairs in our cubicles are barely ergonomic. I’m going to be dying for a promotion just for better seating.
Daisy fills Paul’s glass, then puts it on the bar in front of him and retrieves her rag before sauntering back over to me. I look up with the smile still lingering on my face, starting to feel the alcohol a little more. This isn’t vodka with a splash of Sprite, but she still put a few heavy pours into it.
“Seriously, Ansley. I’m not putting any pressure on you, but you’re so pretty. I know you want the house, picket fence, and all that. Don’t let one stern talk from your grandfather make you a slave to a desk for the rest of your life,” Daisy sighs. “Lord knows I got more than one stern talk when I was that age and barely remember what half of them were about.”
“No, you’re right. I’ve literally done everything on my list except get a corner office,” I admit. “I do want more. I don’t want to be alone forever. I don’t think anybody does.”
“I’m managing,” she says. “But I go on dates. I have fun. I could help, you know. This place is a great for meeting guys.”
I glance over at Paul, then back at Daisy. “Um, he’s older than my grandfather.”
“Not tonight, silly girl,” Daisy laughs, smacking me with her rag. “Friday or Saturday night, it’s a different story. Come by Friday. I’m working. I’ll point out mysingle best friendto every hot guy without a wedding band who orders a drink. It’ll be like speed dating. If you don’t like them, give me a sign, and I’ll send another one over.”
Maybe it’s alcohol, or maybe it’s the conversation, but after another sip of my drink, I seal my fate.
Daisy is sure it will be an epic night. I’m not so sure.
