Read Online Winning the Alpha by Carina Wilder - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Carina Wilder
Ads: Link
though.”
“Oh? Why’s that?” asked Diana.
“No reason,” I said. I looked through the doorway which led out of the room. Tristan was standing in the hall speaking to a camera crew, a clipboard in his hand. I wished suddenly that I was on that crew instead of standing in the living room, wearing a dress someone had bought for me and trying to confront the fate that awaited me.
“Well, I wish you both the best of luck,” Diana said sweetly. She was very nice indeed, though I couldn’t get a read on her to tell if she genuinely felt any interest in Craig or if she was simply giving in to the compulsion to compete.
Even I, who had no real interest in Craig, felt that desire to win. This is why these shows do so well. Women are naturally competitive creatures and when there’s only one man around we each feel compelled to be the object of his desire. I wanted to feel sexy as much as any woman did, and my need was probably greater than some. I may have been wrong, but I’d always assumed that it was easier to feel desirable when you weighed the same as a pillow than when you looked like one.
I wondered if maybe part of what rendered me competitive in this instance was my blood, my genes. If it was true that my father had been a shifter I supposed that my instinct might order me to seek out the alpha male. I tried to focus on this notion, to decide if maybe I should dismiss the thought of Tristan from my mind and consider the man I was here to attract. After all, it would go completely against my interests to fall for the producer; for one thing it could get me kicked off the show.
While I stood deep in thought, a hand touched me gently on the shoulder. “Excuse me, Nicole?” a man’s voice said. I turned to see Craig, who’d apparently come in from his chat with the latest candidate. “Could I speak to you?”
“Sure,” I said, and I smiled as I realized that a dozen cameras were now fixed on me. I followed him outside. He brought us to a very pretty gazebo beyond the swimming pool, which was lit by sparkly little white light bulbs that sort of resembled fireflies. Nice touch , I thought. The mood was of course ruined by the bright lights which the crew shone in our faces so that the cameras to pick us up.
“Have a seat,” Craig said. I tried to focus, though it was impossible not to feel self-conscious with so many faces and lenses pointed at us. I sat down and Craig took a seat next to me.
“So,” he said, “tell me about yourself.”
I had an image of alpha males, whether human or not. Craig struck me as polite and unassuming, far from the aggressive man I would have expected. But I was under the impression that he was putting on an act; after all he wouldn’t want to shock the viewers if the goal of this show was to gently introduce the world to shifters. There would be prejudices to overcome, and coming out guns blazing would confirm stereotypes and make it more difficult for his kind to integrate themselves properly into society.
“Well, like I told you, I’ve been studying English Literature. I’m trying now to figure out what I’ll do with my life,” I said. “To be honest, I was really pleased to have the opportunity to come here and….meet you.” I added the last two words, assuming they were what the producers and viewers would want.
“And I’m very happy that you came. There’s something about you…”
“Oh?”
“You know now that I’m not like most men,” he said. “As such I don’t react to women in the way that a lot of men would.”
I felt my back stiffen at these words. “What do you mean?” I asked, knowing as I let the words come out that I might regret the question.
“I mean that the fact that you’re bigger than a lot of girls doesn’t bother me.”
“Wow,” I said. How blunt of him. I was about to follow it with, “I’m so fucking glad you’re not turned off by my fat, you arrogant jackass,” but instead I stopped myself and said,
“Oh? Why’s that?” asked Diana.
“No reason,” I said. I looked through the doorway which led out of the room. Tristan was standing in the hall speaking to a camera crew, a clipboard in his hand. I wished suddenly that I was on that crew instead of standing in the living room, wearing a dress someone had bought for me and trying to confront the fate that awaited me.
“Well, I wish you both the best of luck,” Diana said sweetly. She was very nice indeed, though I couldn’t get a read on her to tell if she genuinely felt any interest in Craig or if she was simply giving in to the compulsion to compete.
Even I, who had no real interest in Craig, felt that desire to win. This is why these shows do so well. Women are naturally competitive creatures and when there’s only one man around we each feel compelled to be the object of his desire. I wanted to feel sexy as much as any woman did, and my need was probably greater than some. I may have been wrong, but I’d always assumed that it was easier to feel desirable when you weighed the same as a pillow than when you looked like one.
I wondered if maybe part of what rendered me competitive in this instance was my blood, my genes. If it was true that my father had been a shifter I supposed that my instinct might order me to seek out the alpha male. I tried to focus on this notion, to decide if maybe I should dismiss the thought of Tristan from my mind and consider the man I was here to attract. After all, it would go completely against my interests to fall for the producer; for one thing it could get me kicked off the show.
While I stood deep in thought, a hand touched me gently on the shoulder. “Excuse me, Nicole?” a man’s voice said. I turned to see Craig, who’d apparently come in from his chat with the latest candidate. “Could I speak to you?”
“Sure,” I said, and I smiled as I realized that a dozen cameras were now fixed on me. I followed him outside. He brought us to a very pretty gazebo beyond the swimming pool, which was lit by sparkly little white light bulbs that sort of resembled fireflies. Nice touch , I thought. The mood was of course ruined by the bright lights which the crew shone in our faces so that the cameras to pick us up.
“Have a seat,” Craig said. I tried to focus, though it was impossible not to feel self-conscious with so many faces and lenses pointed at us. I sat down and Craig took a seat next to me.
“So,” he said, “tell me about yourself.”
I had an image of alpha males, whether human or not. Craig struck me as polite and unassuming, far from the aggressive man I would have expected. But I was under the impression that he was putting on an act; after all he wouldn’t want to shock the viewers if the goal of this show was to gently introduce the world to shifters. There would be prejudices to overcome, and coming out guns blazing would confirm stereotypes and make it more difficult for his kind to integrate themselves properly into society.
“Well, like I told you, I’ve been studying English Literature. I’m trying now to figure out what I’ll do with my life,” I said. “To be honest, I was really pleased to have the opportunity to come here and….meet you.” I added the last two words, assuming they were what the producers and viewers would want.
“And I’m very happy that you came. There’s something about you…”
“Oh?”
“You know now that I’m not like most men,” he said. “As such I don’t react to women in the way that a lot of men would.”
I felt my back stiffen at these words. “What do you mean?” I asked, knowing as I let the words come out that I might regret the question.
“I mean that the fact that you’re bigger than a lot of girls doesn’t bother me.”
“Wow,” I said. How blunt of him. I was about to follow it with, “I’m so fucking glad you’re not turned off by my fat, you arrogant jackass,” but instead I stopped myself and said,
Similar Books
