Page 33 of Read Between The Lines

‘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. Thiswillbe 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.

ChapterThirteen

We all gathered around Dom while he started to explain how the Single Mingle evening was going to work.

‘So, lovely ladies and gorgeous gentlemen’—there were a few appreciative wolf-whistles of varying pitches from across the bar—‘it’s nearly time to introduce yourselves to each other. But, before we get started, let me explain the rules.’

He paused and looked around, his gaze travelling to every single person in the room, making sure he had everyone’s full attention.

‘The rules are: there are no rules,’ he shouted, to the obvious delight of the crowd. ‘Unless I make them up on the spot, of course, organiser’s prerogative. Gents, settle yourselves at a table. Ladies you will make your way round the tables in any order you fancy. No fighting over the hotties, girls.’

I sighed inwardly. Wasn’t it equally as likely that the guys would argue among themselves about the women?

‘I’m afraid we had some last-minute cancellations so there are a few more of you ladies than there are men,’ continued Dom. ‘But fear not, look upon it as a chance to enjoy a free drink, which you will receive courtesy of SO Ox, and to compare notes on your dates so far. Speaking of which, each date will last five minutes, after which time I will ring my bell. Yup, I could have gone for a fancy timer on my even fancier electronic devices, but we’re going old school tonight. It means the power is in my hands. If I spot some chemistry starting to sizzle, I might feel inclined to stretch out those five minutes. It’s the personal touch that makes SO Ox the exclusive experience it is.’ He paused and examined the crowd again. Was it my imagination, or did his gaze linger on me? I self-consciously tucked a loose lock of hair behind my ear and tried not to stand so awkwardly. There was no way he could know why I was really here. I was being paranoid.

‘Seeing all the uniquely beautiful and fascinating people who’ve assembled, I have great hopes for the matches that will happen this evening.’ Dom carried on with his pep talk. ‘And if you do meet the love of your life sitting across from you at one of these small tables, you have my blessing to declare yourself then and there. We don’t stand on ceremony here. What’s the point of waiting until the end of the night and filling out some form requesting another date when you could instead join us straight away for the Single Mingle after-party– otherwise known as the “Now you’ve matched, let’s get smashed” event– which will be happening later in the exclusive basement bar. There’s an extra charge, but then it’s an all-you-can-drink job, so it’s definitely worth it. Grab me during the evening to sign up.’

There was a smattering of appreciative applause, although I did hear a few people grumbling about having to pay more to attend the after-party.

Dom glanced down at his iPad. ‘Right, was there anything else I had to say? Probably something about where the nearest fire exit is, but you’re all grown-ups; I’m sure you can spot the neon “Emergency Exit” signs. Although please don’t use them if you decide you want to make a speedy departure with your new beau, as the doors will set off an alarm and we could do without that kind of drama. Everyone happy? Then take a seat at the tables of destiny, boys, and we can get the evening started.’

The dozen or so blokes did as they were directed. I watched carefully as they moved into place, but quickly concluded that I wasn’t going to learn much from studying their body language. Over-confident swaggers and nervous shuffles alike could be explained away by the nature of the evening itself and the adrenalin-inducing speech which Dom had delivered. Meanwhile, I was fighting the urge to shrink back in my corner, or even better, leave the bar and forget the whole plan. Now I was faced with the reality of trying to get useful information out of these people, I realised how totally ill-equipped I was to do it. And all the while pretending to be the kind of person who enjoyed going to speed-dating events. I pressed each fingertip in turn against the pads of my thumbs, wishing that I hadn’t already finished my drink. I could have done with it as a prop, because now I didn’t know what to do with my hands, and, although I knew I was signalling my nerves to everyone around me with the anxious tapping, somehow I couldn’t stop.

‘Looking good, gents, looking good,’ Dom said, as the men settled themselves behind their tables. Then he turned to the rest of us. ‘Now then, ladies, get ready to meet your match. I will ring the bell to signal it’s time to take a seat, then I’ll ring it again to start what could be the most significant five minutes of your lives.’

I gave myself a stern lecture. This was my time to step up and potentially make a difference. I deliberately thought about that moment in the library when I’d had the shock realisation that Brian was a figment of someone’s imagination, and that my modest dream of a happy relationship had been used as a weapon to manipulate me. The person behind the fraud shouldn’t be allowed to get away with it, and if putting myself through the stress of speed-dating in some way helped that cause, then I would need to woman up and get on with it.

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