meet in a nice bar, nothing pretentious but somewhere decent
have somewhere in mind for some food
make sure that both of the above are close to (for example) the Blues bar behind Regent street (or similar) for something to do after the food
This gives you two opportunities to leg it if things are going badly, and, if things go well, you can point out that technically you have had three seperate dates during the course of the evening, so, according to the rules, it's ok to hit the sack.
You chaps are missing a trick here.
When meeting for the first time:
This gives you two opportunities to leg it if things are going badly, and, if things go well, you can point out that technically you have had three seperate dates during the course of the evening, so, according to the rules, it's ok to hit the sack.