Page 6 of Convenient Rivals

“Would it be acceptable for me to leave after thirty minutes?”

Oscar saw Josh’s lip twitch as he suppressed a smile.

“I think your mother may be dissatisfied with that outcome.”

He chuckled. That was putting it mildly.

They went through the rest of his diary, and decided he could move everything else out to next week. Then while Josh popped out to grab him a sandwich, Oscar called Jefferson to share that he would now look after his portfolio. He was delighted at the special treatment he was getting from the CEO. Claire was right, in that it wasn’t a long-term solution, but until they had someone new, there weren’t any other options.

He’d worked tirelessly to build up his private equity firm. There was a lot of competition in London, and he’d struggled at first to find investors willing to take a chance on a newbie. His father had a strong reputation in the city, but Oscar had been adamant about not riding on his coattails. Of course, his father had given him the talk of doom when he started the business, but now it was successful he kept trying to interfere, and had even offered to sit on his board of directors. He’d declined the offer, which only further widened the rift between them.

Laurence Gardiner looked like he was on the wrong side of forty. Oscar preferred guys his own age, although he wasn’t opposed to someone older. His mother probably just assumed he was after an older guy, given that all the dates she’d arranged with men in their twenties had been a disaster.

Laurence was dressed in a suit, as was Oscar, and they were meeting in Spitalfields, near Oscar’s office. He wasn’t sure where Laurence worked, but he was a lawyer and partner in his own firm, so probably in the city as well. He vaguely remembered his mother saying Laurence lived in Mayfair, so the guy clearly had money. For Oscar, wealth was the biggest turn off.

Laurence gave Oscar an appreciative look up and down, which lingered long enough that it felt slightly creepy. Oscar knew he attracted attention. He’d always been broad given how much sport he’d played at school, but he had a rigorous workout routine to keep himself in top condition. Being six feet seven, his size intimidated people. The fact he’d run away screaming if he saw a spider in the shower was proof you should never judge a book by its cover, though. From the heated look in Laurence’s eyes, he was clearly interested. The guy oozed confidence, which was never a bad thing unless it veered into arrogance.

“Oscar, it’s wonderful to finally meet you.”

They kissed each other on both cheeks. It was how posh gays greeted each other, even if they were strangers. His mother had raised him to have manners.

“Shall we?” Laurence asked

He held open the door of the pretentious coffee shop – which was probably frequented by yummy mummies who’d never worked a day in their life – and Oscar smiled and walked inside. The warmth was welcome, given the mild chill outside. Summer was officially over, but then, you typically only got about two weeks of it in England before it started raining again. At least it was dry today.

They ordered their coffees. Of course Laurence had an oat-milk flat white. Could he be any more of a cliché? Oscar was going to have to play nice to keep his mother happy, but he’d known the second he met Laurence that there was zero chemistry between them. For Oscar, it was an instant thing. You just knew if you were going to click with someone, whether it be for a night of fun, or the potential for something more. He wasn’t against the idea of a relationship, but he was still in his twenties and running a business. If he met someone by chance, he’d be open to it, but this constant merry-go-round of future-husband-hunting dates was putting him off the idea completely.

Laurence chose a table in the corner, away from the other customers. It wasn’t a big place, and there weren’t many customers at this time of day on a Friday. They made small talk until their coffees were brought over – the journey and weather were always safe options. Oscar was a philistine with coffee, and preferred it from a chain where he knew what he was getting. There was nothing worse than bitter coffee or burnt milk. He was hopeful they couldn’t fuck up a cappuccino, but you never knew. The server delivered their drinks, and the first sip dissipated Oscar’s concerns.

“How’s business?” asked Laurence.

Ooh, sexy talk!“Can’t complain.”

“I guess there’s always wealth to exploit if you know where to find it.”

“The same could be said for the law,” he snapped back, without thinking.

Laurence chuckled, his eyes sparkling. “Feisty thing, aren’t you? I like that. Are you always such a bad boy, Oscar?”

Of course, that was the exact moment he was drinking his coffee, and he spluttered. Did he just say that?

“Don’t worry, I’ll soon pull you into line.”

Oscar could feel his face heating, and couldn’t help but glance around, hoping nobody else could hear what Laurence was saying. They’d literally just met. Was he giving off some vibe, or had his mother said something? No, that wasn’t possible. He had a close relationship with her, but there were still boundaries.

“I can see you like what I’m saying. I can always spot someone who likes to give up control.”

For one of only a few times in his life, Oscar was genuinely speechless. He took another sip of his drink so he had a reason for not replying, and Laurence leaned forward. He was whispering, but there was a commanding edge to his tone.

“How about we go back to my place so I can test those limits of yours? I think we’ll beverycompatible.”

This could not be happening. His mother has set him up with a Dom. Did she think that’s what he wanted? There was no way she could know about all that. Although when he’d first come out there had been some awkward conversations as she’d been researching things on the internet so she could be supportive. It was sweet and terrifying at the same time.

Laurence was giving Oscar a heated look. He knew this man would know what he was doing in the bedroom, but he had no desire to find out. It was time to call thisdateto a close.

“I don’t think this is going to work out,” said Oscar, standing up.

“Interesting. You never struck me as the shy type, Oscar. I saw you as a man who knew what he wanted and took it. Isn’t that why you’ve been so successful in business? I must say, it’s admirable that you’ve built Montgomery Equity on your own. I wrongly assumed you were equally assertive about sexual matters.”

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