Chapter 12 #2
‘You’re a good guy. Now, promise me, if you’re not sure about anyone or you feel in any way threatened, you’ll get out of here immediately.
Not that I’m expecting any kind of trouble,’ I added hastily, recognising that Gavin would probably do the exact opposite.
I couldn’t bear the thought of him and Robin coming to any harm because of me.
‘All I need is your insight into the people attending the Single Mingle. They might be putting on a front in the bar, but I doubt they’ll be doing the same when they’re walking down the street beforehand.
You can offer us a really useful perspective. ’
‘I’ll take photos,’ he said eagerly. ‘I’ll bring them to the library first thing in the morning.’
‘I’ve got a day off tomorrow, so maybe we can catch up on the phone? But there’s no rush. You’ve got to make the most of that comfy bed. Don’t leave until check-out time, deal?’
He shook my hand. ‘Deal. Come on, Robin, let’s set ourselves up over there by the bike rack. We’ll watch Kat’s back for her, won’t we, clever girl?’
Funnily enough, I did feel better knowing that the two of them were looking out for me as I walked down the road towards the bar’s entrance.
The man with the iPad barely bothered to glance up at me as he launched into his spiel. ‘Welcome to the Single Mingle by SO Ox. I’m Dom, and I’m your host for this evening. Are you on the list?’
‘Yes, I should be,’ I answered, deliberately not giving my name to see what would happen.
‘Head straight in. Guests are gathering in the bar until the official start of the Single Mingle, which will take place on the mezzanine level. I’ll explain what the deal is once everyone has arrived.’
I waited until I was safely across the threshold before turning round. ‘Don’t you need my name?’
He shrugged, his gaze moving past me and lingering on a pair of girls giggling by the entrance to the ladies’ toilets. ‘Yeah, I guess so.’
‘It’s Katherine. Kat for short.’
‘Have a good evening, Katherine,’ he replied, with little feeling behind the words.
I didn’t provide a surname and yet he still let me in. So much for the ‘exclusive event with a carefully curated crowd’. I could have been any random punter wandering off the street to try my chances. Maybe Leo did have a point about being on my guard tonight.
There was a low hubbub of chatter as I walked up to the bar, trying to take in my surroundings without appearing like I was paying an unnatural amount of attention.
Unfortunately, my veneer of bravery was already threatening to give way.
The room was giving me serious flashbacks to the junior disco at school when the boys would all huddle together in one corner of the gym, beadily watched by the gaggle of girls at the other end of the room.
Hopefully, the similarities would end there.
I had enough on my plate without everyone gathering round to laugh at my name and accuse me of being a boring geek.
I caught Leo’s eye, grateful for one familiar face at least, and automatically gave him a slight nod.
He frowned in response and subtly shook his head, warning me that I needed to up my undercover game.
I turned my back on him and pretended to be checking out all the bottles behind the bar, realising that the mirrored backs of the shelves would enable me to continue watching the other guests arriving.
Maybe I wasn’t going to be so bad at this surveillance thing after all.
At the moment, the women outnumbered the men by a ratio of about two to one.
As it had been billed as a night for straight people, unless there was a sudden influx of men in the next five minutes, there were going to be long periods where many of us women would find ourselves dateless.
I forced myself to look on the bright side.
That could give me the perfect opportunity to have a chat with the other female members of the app and see if anybody else had interacted with the Brian James profile or had a similar experience to me.
Leo on the other hand was going to be occupied all evening with dates.
I wondered how he was going to react to that.
Unlike many of the other blokes, who were either subconsciously or deliberately preening themselves, Leo was standing a little apart, apparently completely unaware of the admiring glances he was attracting from the girls in their chosen corner, as he casually sipped at his beer.
He gave off an aura of confidence, a man who was clearly comfortable with himself and his effect on others.
Was he enjoying the fact that half a dozen females were unashamedly mentally undressing him?
I felt suddenly protective, like I should go and stand between him and the hungry gazes of the other women.
‘Can I get you a drink?’ The guy behind the bar interrupted my thoughts.
‘Um, I guess so. What have you got?’
He gestured at the menu. ‘Pretty much everything you’d expect, and then some. That mirror comes in handy, doesn’t it?’ he said, nodding at the reflections I’d been staring at. ‘Seen anyone who takes your eye?’
‘I’m not…’ I started to say, flustered that I’d been so easily rumbled. ‘Maybe,’ I corrected. ‘Though it’s impossible to tell until you speak to someone, don’t you think?’
The barman shrugged, unwilling to be drawn into a deeper conversation about the laws of attraction. ‘What did you want to drink?’
‘I’ll have a gin and tonic, thanks,’ I said.
‘Ice?’
‘Yes, please.’
‘This might take a second. I need to replace the gin bottle. It seems to be pretty popular tonight with all the ladies in.’
‘Are there normally so many women at the Single Mingle?’ I asked, seizing on the opportunity. ‘I noticed on the app that this place hosts quite a few of the events run by SO Ox.’
‘Men, women, I don’t really pay much attention. All I notice is how many people are queueing up for drinks and how much I make in tips over the course of the night.’
I tried what I hoped was a disarming smile. ‘I’m sure there’s not a lot that goes on in here without you noticing.’
‘You wouldn’t believe the half of it.’
But whatever it was that he’d observed, he seemed reluctant to share. He started slicing a lemon, humming to himself. Time to try a different approach.
I sighed heavily. ‘I think I made a mistake coming to this. Maybe I should cancel my drink.’
‘It’s nearly ready. You might as well stay and enjoy it. Sure, there are more girls here than guys, but it’ll be a good night, trust me. Dom’s great at what he does.’
‘Does he organise all the events?’ I asked.
‘Yeah, Dom does pretty much all the jobs, from what I’ve seen. But then again, he is the one who founded the app. He’s one of those techie genius types. Got halfway through a degree then quit for a more lucrative field. Works for some.’
‘Ah, one of those sorts.’ I nodded knowingly.
You didn’t have to live in Oxford for long to come across people who had the ability to turn everything they touched into gold, although Dom’s hands-on approach was perhaps a little unusual.
‘What’s his surname?’ I asked. It would be good to be able to do some digging on the man behind the app.
The barman raised an eyebrow. ‘Fancy your chances, do you?’
‘No, I… yes, I mean…’ I started to deny it, then backtracked to try to keep my cover. ‘Is he single?’ I asked, hoping the barman would interpret my flustered manner as being a result of my attraction to Dom rather than anything else.
‘Dom Markham is wedded to his work,’ he replied.
‘But maybe that’s because he’s not met the right person yet,’ he added.
There was little conviction behind his words, and it was obvious that he didn’t think I would be that person.
‘Here’s your drink. Just tap the machine at the top with your card when you’re ready. ’
The conversation was clearly over. I paid the eyewatering bill, vowing to stick to soft drinks for the rest of the night, and moved to a quiet corner where I could continue my hopefully subtle observation of the other patrons.
I took a sip and attempted to act casual, but my heart was beating fast as I thought about how the rest of the evening would go.
My conversation with the barman had been clunky to say the least, which didn’t bode well for my dates later.
I tried to be positive. At least I knew a bit more about who was behind the app now.
Maybe I could find an opportunity to ask him about their screening process.
On cue, Dom strode into the centre of the room.
‘Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Domino Bar, and welcome to the Single Mingle by SO Ox.’
There was a muted murmur in response.
Dom frowned, and cupped a hand behind his right ear.
‘I’m afraid you’ll need to do better than that, folks.
This could be the night you meet your Significant Other.
No, scrap that, let’s be confident about this.
This will be the night you meet your Significant Other.
Oxford is the city of the dreaming spires, and your dreams will come true right here.
The stats don’t lie. Eighty percent of SO Ox members leave the app within three months because they’re loved up and off the market. ’
There were a few tentative whoops which grew louder as he gestured for more.
‘Yes, that’s right. Eighty percent. My accountant hates me, but I don’t do it for the money. I’m all about making those dreams come true. Can I get a “hell, yeah” people?’
I found myself joining in with the spontaneous burst of applause. A few seconds later, my phone buzzed.
A message from Leo.
LEO
Quite the charismatic love preacher, isn’t he? Remember to keep your wits about you, Holmes.
I double-tapped to send an eyeroll emoji response, mindful that I couldn’t pull the face for real without running the risk of someone spotting our communication. Scammer Brian could be in this very room right now, and if he was, I was determined to find him.