When Noah Met Tobias...

By Heather Mar-Gerrison

When Noah met Tobias he had no idea he was the son of his boss, the notorious Tobias Duvall, international playboy and man-whore. He'd been introduced to him as Lawrence Prince and he would have had no reason to believe he was anyone other than the guy he was supposed to be, apart from the fact that he was familiar - but for an altogether different reason. Noah knew he wasn't called Lawrence, because he recognised him as a boy he'd known at twelve. A boy that had bullied him and made his life a living hell...
Still, that was all in the past, and Lawrence was looking at him with undisguised interest. Maybe he'd changed in the ten years since they'd last known each other... He could only hope.
Tobias was fuming. His father and his uncle were punishing him for dragging the Duvall brand through the mud again. This time, though, they were intent on making him pay in sweat and he was being made to work at his father's restaurant when all he wanted to do was join his friends on a booze-cruise for their spring break.
He didn't expect to meet someone who started to mean a lot more to him than someone he could have a casual fling with. As Tobias starts to really fall for Noah, it started to become more and more obvious that he should come clean about who he really was. Sooner or later, his cover was going to be blown and then Noah was going to hate him... It really was just a matter of time.
This is the second of four books that make up the series, The Band... It has the usual helping of adorable guys, drama and ultimately, a HEA.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Heather Mar-Gerrison
• Release date: Jun 25, 2019
• ISBN: 9780463150870

Heather Mar-Gerrison

I love to write M/M romance and as a sucker for a HEA, you're guaranteed one in my books. #happyheatherafters

Book preview

When Noah Met Tobias...

The Band... #2

Heather Mar-Gerrison

Heather Mar-Gerrison Copyright 2018

Revised Edition 2022

Smashwords Edition

Beautiful front cover design courtesy of Shutterstock designs

No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronically or mechanically, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system without the written permission of the author, except where permitted by law. This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance of characters to actual persons, living or dead is purely coincidental. The Author holds exclusive rights to this work.

Prologue

Tobias

I’m not going to argue about this, Tobias. Uncle David glowered at me over the top of his reading glasses, You start on Monday. It’s not their busiest night, so you can get used to it over the week before the weekend hits.

I stared at him, "You’re expecting me to work every night of the week including the weekend?" He has to be winding me up...?

Uncle David nodded, not a hint of a smile or any sort of forgiveness in his expression. Shit. I’d really fucked up this time... You will work five days straight and then you can have three days off, then back in for five and then three days off – the same as every other employee. That way, everyone gets the weekend to enjoy every now and again.

But I wasn’t just one of the employees. I was the boss’s son and heir, even if that fact did stick in both of our throats... And what did my father say about this? Surely, he’d have at least a little heart left for me?

Uncle David smirked, "He said I was being overly generous and that you should be working your sorry arse off in the kitchens every night straight for a month instead of the front of house, so actually, young man, you can thank me for getting you a better deal."

I blanched. I’d been in those kitchens ten years ago when I was fourteen and Dad had wanted me to follow in his footsteps as a chef. Uh, no thanks... Not for me... Right. I nodded, trying to look as if my life wasn’t over. So, I’m a waiter, huh? I tried a winning smile that probably came across as a grimace, Well, I guess I have to do my bit towards my keep... Yeah, okay. I’ll do it, like I had any choice in the matter whatsoever but I wasn’t going to acknowledge that right now, what do I have to wear?

Uncle David pinched the bridge of his nose. I was quite clearly giving him a headache, "Your father, as you well know, is one of the top chefs in this country – with three Michelin stars and five very successful restaurants. Do you seriously think we don’t have corporate clothing?"

I winced, Oh, God. I muttered, Please tell me they’re tailored?

He smiled at my petulance, Corporate clothing for Duvall employees doesn’t do ‘one size fits all’, he said pompously, You’re working for one of the most prestigious companies in the country. You will report for duty as Lawrence Prince – that way, the paparazzi hopefully won’t get wind of you. No one will ever remember that you were once little Toby Prince.

I winced. Lawrence was my middle name, which I hated, since it was my grandfather’s name and he’d been the most homophobic old bastard the world had ever had the misfortune to encounter. Prince was my mother’s maiden name – the name I’d grown up with until Dad came back on the scene to claim me at the age of thirteen years old, when Mum called him because she was sick. No one would make the connection because no one remembered my beautiful, sweet mother…

Dad and his new wife, a beautiful Frenchwoman called Celeste, were the famous ones – the darlings of TV with their perfect little family – and no, I wasn’t included in that wonderfulness, since I’d been the product of his first disastrous relationship. I was the black sheep of the family; his embarrassment...

I was just his older, rich kid that dragged his ‘brand’ through the mud all of the time – and this time, which I guess was to be expected, he’d had enough...

David was still droning on. I frowned at him. What the fuck? You’ll be taken by Frances to the salon this afternoon to have something done with your appearance. Mandy is waiting for you – and then you’ll be fitted with your uniform. I nodded, and Tobias, he looked down his nose at me, as if I was a cockroach or something, "you will not let the Duvall brand down whilst you’re are working at the restaurant. You’ve done enough damage with your recent antics."

I sighed and nodded. I guess I had been behaving pretty appallingly, but what else was I supposed to do? I’d gone to university – had a wild time, I grant you but I’d also got my degree in business, with a first at that – and then I’d graduated, full of fabulous ideas and genuine enthusiasm, only to find that I’d got nothing to do with it. I’d been drifting for the last six months...

Dad wanted me to work for the company but had no idea what he wanted me to do with it. I was useless at cooking. Hell, I could burn baked beans on toast. I knew my interests didn’t lie with the food side of things.

I’d been full of great ideas when I was fresh out of uni, but no one really wanted to listen to me – so I’d played the part of the rich, spoiled playboy instead. I’d taken off around the world with my equally brattish friends and we’d screwed our way through most of the posh totty around the world, falling out of nightclubs with an array of young men and women alike. Oh yes. I could party with the best of them – and I could sleep with them all too.

And if Dad thought a stint in his restaurant at one of the busiest times of the year was going to teach me a lesson, then he was in for a surprise, because I wasn’t going to be told how to live my life. I’d put up with it for a month – because hell, I was damned sure I could pull that off – but then I was out of here. I was going to go and live in the US – as far away from the Duvall brand as I could possibly be. I’d reinvent myself there and find a company that did want my ideas...

Chapter 1 – New recruit...

Noah

"A new guy?" I raised my eyebrows at Shona, the head waitress and my best friend at the restaurant and smiled at her hopefully.

She grinned and snapped her gum. Oh, yeah. She waggled her eyebrows at me, I wonder which team he bats for.

I chuckled, "Probably yours – because I’m just not that lucky." It was true enough. My lack of luck with men was well documented with my friends. There had been Martin, my first real relationship. He’d been ten years older than me and I really thought I’d found the man of my dreams when he came into my life, sweeping me off my feet. As it turned out he was just using me for sex on the side and was married with two kids. Bastard…

Things weren’t any better these days if I was going to be completely honest. I had a bit of a thing going with Angus Anderson, a local celebrity, well I say a thing but really that was just wishful thinking on my part. We’ve had a couple of drinks together and a cheeky snog. Angus was a footballer and was pegged to be the next big thing. I wasn’t so sure about him having anything particularly big about him if I was honest – except maybe his over-inflated ego… I couldn’t help thinking he was gorgeous, though.

She grinned, Yeah, she agreed, I have no idea why you don’t get lucky more often. You’re so damned adorable.

I shook my head and rolled my eyes. Sometimes it would be nice to be described as something other than ‘cute’ or ‘adorable’. Sexy every now and then could work for me – only I really wasn’t, so the point was moot...

I was definitely out of the ‘cute’ category... I had what you’d probably describe as dark-blonde hair and blue eyes with a rosebud mouth. I was your typical gay boy next door. As far as I could remember, no one had ever used the word ‘sexy’ in the same sentence as ‘Noah’. It’s because I don’t date guys that just want to use me for sex. I said as primly as I could muster. Been there, done that…

Shona chuckled, Yeah, she said with a bit of an affected sigh, "you’re definitely one of life’s keepers. I really wish you were straight and my boyfriend."

I winked at her, Lovers in another life, huh? I asked.

She grinned, Definitely. She said, leaning in and placing a big smacking kiss on my mouth, surprising me into momentary silence.

A second later however, I’d recovered. Resisting the strong urge to wipe my mouth, I asked, When does he start?

She grinned, At nine am. She said, And apparently, he’s full time for seven days – looks like the higher management want to get him up to speed for the next seasonal rush. I really hope the agency haven’t lied about this one. Can you remember Winston Jones?

I nodded with a grimace. He’d been buddied up with me and he’d been absolutely clueless. Oh, my God – don’t remind me. I shuddered as I remember just how many plates and dishes he’d broken, Uh, do you have any idea who this guy’s buddy’s gonna be? I really hoped it wasn’t going to be me again. I needed to get away as early as possible for the gig on Friday night and if I was his buddy, I’d more than likely be given the task of cashing up with him to show him the ropes – even if we got started with that tonight, he’d still be a novice by the end of the week...

She shrugged, Dunno. She said, I guess that’ll be up to Gary.

Gary was the head chef and he was essentially in charge of the whole running of the restaurant even though we also had a bar manager and myself – the restaurant manager, which really meant that I oversaw the waiting staff and did all the other jobs that no one