Fool Me Once: Betting on Love

By Jennifer O'Malley

A catfishing prank makes a cynical author question everything he thought he knew about himself when his blind date he met online doesn't turn out to be who he thought.

 

Resigned to be an eternal bachelor, horror author Zak Sinclair lives a no-nonsense life full of deadlines, all nighters, and take out. But with his sister's constant nagging and his mother's eternal worrying about him being alone forever, he relents and signs up for a dating app, with minimal expectations of actually meeting someone.

 

Robbie Bishop is a contractor by day and exotic dancer by night. When one of his regulars comes into the high end club on the Vegas Strip to let him know he's getting married, Jake is thrilled for him. With some prodding from the customer, Robbie decides to sign up for a dating app. You'd think it would be easy for a gay single father of two to find a date in Vegas, but apparently not. And apparently he came off as desperate.

 

But Robbie feels like he made the right call when he starts chatting with Zak. He's funny, a little quirky, but seems like an actual decent human being. After a couple weeks of talking, they decide to meet up at a fancy restaurant outside town, away from the hustle and bustle of the city. Things don't go according to plan though Robbie Jake shows up.

 

When Zac agreed to the date, he hadn't realized the man he'd been talking to was a man. He's angry and doesn't want to cause a scene in the restaurant, but he's not above confronting Robbie about his deception. In the middle of their argument, Zak got a text saying "April Fools!" He felt like an idiot, but didn't know how to salvage the night.

 

But in Vegas, where everything is a crapshoot, sometimes the best hands are the ones you think are a flop.

 

FOOL ME ONCE is an age gap m/m gay-for-you/bi-awakening romance featuring a fish out of water that only a fool wouldn't one-click.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Jennifer O'Malley
• Release date: Jan 31, 2024
• ISBN: 9798224622894

Jennifer O'Malley

Jennifer O'Malley is the author of the contemporary romance series BETTING ON LOVE, which features a new couple each month as they fall prey to the magic of Vegas and falling in love. She grew up in a small town where she didn’t have much but her imagination to keep her occupied. As far back asshe can remember, she always needed a pen in her hand to jot down storyline notes. She now lives in the city with her family, including her human and fluffy kids, and enjoys all things romance, paranormal, and horror. She's excited to be introducing some of those YA loves that she enjoyed, to her kids.

Book preview

CHAPTER ONE

ZAK

There was no air; I couldn’t breathe.

The thin slip of fabric around my neck felt as though it got tighter with each tug. Fear coursed through my veins as I wondered how to get out of the predicament I had found myself ensnared in.

What was it they said about the best of intentions?

I knew my family and friends had meant well when they talked me into signing up for that stupid dating app, but as I stood in front of the full-length mirror and struggled with the knot in my tie, I scrambled for an excuse to cancel my date.

Romance wasn’t my thing.

I was Zak Sinclair, best-selling horror author.

And I didn’t know the first thing about relationships and how to make women happy. At least, according to my two ex-wives.

If anyone would know, it would be them.

It was no secret to anyone who knew me that I was terrible at taking care of my own needs, let alone someone else’s. I kept terrible hours. Often forgot to eat, drink, and that the world outside my office and whatever story I was writing, existed.

And that led to the terrible anxiety about deadlines and that all previous success was naught, but a fluke and readers would finally see me for the imposter I was.

When I forced a smile at my reflection, it looked more like a grimace.

I wondered what Gigi Harper would think of my tailored charcoal three-piece suit, clean white shirt, and a splash of color with the bold burgundy tie that had seemed hell-bent on choking me.

I hoped that wasn’t a sign of what I could expect from our date.

Though I tried not to care too much. History told me that it wouldn’t be a relationship that would get very far or last long.

Which might actually be a shame in this case. Once Gigi and I had started to chat, I found that while we may not have had a lot in common on the surface, she was easy to talk to.

It did make me nervous, knowing she was a single mom, but my mom and sister were right. At forty-one, I should be thinking about my life and not just my career. My mother had been eager for grandchildren and neither my sister nor I were providing them quick enough for her.

I didn’t think I was ready for an instant family, but first dates were about seeing how compatible two people were face-to-face. We’d only been talking for a couple weeks when I had surprised myself when I suggested we meet up for dinner but thankfully she had been agreeable and we had decided to meet up at Sinatra, one of the nicer restaurants in town.

As I smoothed a hand along the tie, making sure it lay flat in place, I knew I couldn’t procrastinate any longer.

I made my way to the foyer and my phone vibrated as I was pulling on my dark brown leather boots.

When I pulled my phone out of my pocket, I groaned when I saw it was a text from my sister.

Samantha

Getting ready for your big date? 😉 Hope all goes well!

I rolled my eyes and stuffed it back in my pocket, only for it to immediately ding again.

When I pulled it back out, I noticed the time and I realized I was already running late for our reservation, and I hoped Gigi didn’t think I was standing her up.

Samantha

I hope you are taking her roses…

With a groan, I quickly texted back that I wasn’t and that I doubted she would think I’ll of me if I didn’t bring her flowers.

Samantha

Hahahaha. No wonder you’re divorced!

Actually… scratch that. Phoebe was a bitch and Clara was just a gold-digging witch.

But I still say take her flowers.

Samantha was going to be the death of me. Then again, I’d been claiming that for most of my life, as I’m sure most younger brothers did of their older sisters—even if she is only technically older by four minutes.

Unfortunately, she was probably right. But as luck would have it, there were several places I could stop on the way to the restaurant. And my detour to stop and grab a single red rose only made me two minutes late for my reservation.

Evening, Zak Sinclair, I have a reservation for two. I’m not sure if my guest has arrived yet. I had messaged Gigi in the app to let her know I was on my way, but I hadn’t heard anything back and assumed she was on her way.

Good evening, Mr. Sinclair. I have you down for the patio table near the fireplace, is that correct? The hostess smiled wide as I nodded and confirmed my reservation. And I don’t see that anyone else has checked in just yet. Did you want to wait or be seated?

There was an odd tingling sensation that swept over me, but I trampled it down. I refused to be nervous like a teenage girl on her first date with a boy.

Except, apparently the butterflies in my stomach didn’t get that memo.

I followed the hostess to the table and asked for a bottle of my favorite wine to be brought over with two glasses.

After she left me to wait for the waiter to bring the wine and for my date to arrive, I started to peruse the menu.

I’d been at Sinatra a couple times, enough to know I liked it but not enough to be all that familiar with the menu.

A few minutes later, I noticed a younger man rushing toward my table. My first thought was something was wrong, but he wasn’t dressed like any of the staff at the restaurant. And until I glanced around and noticed there were no other occupied tables near mine, I had