COUNTERWEIGHT

(noun) weight in an opposite scale; a counterbalancing influence or force

CHAPTER 1

Despite his thirty three years Edward was feeling old.

He yawned and stretched as he stepped out onto the pavement, wishing he hadn't let Carlisle persuade him to stay the night. After an enjoyable evening, but a few too many glasses of wine, he was now at the wrong end of town for his early morning meetings and feeling decidedly under par. Reaching for the mobile phone in his overcoat pocket, he grimaced in irritation when he saw his driver's name flash onto the screen, correctly anticipating a further delay.

Reluctant to disturb Carlisle by going back upstairs, Edward's gaze was drawn towards a small café tucked in between the mansion flats which lined the streets in this part of West London. Although it was so early that the street lights were still flickering off in the greyish dawn, the café's shutters were up and there appeared to be signs of life inside, so pulling his coat more tightly around himself to keep out the chill, he walked briskly towards the door.

There were only two other customers inside, but the small café was clean and bright and after sliding his tall frame into a comfortable booth, Edward decided to order breakfast while he waited for his driver to arrive with the car. Luckily he had gone straight from the office to his uncle's flat the previous evening taking the paperwork with him, so at least he had everything he needed for his first meeting and after removing the first batch of papers from his briefcase, he estimated he should have enough time to go over the rest in the car.

Working methodically, he was soon engrossed, looking up only when a yawning waitress arrived with his coffee, eggs and bacon. Politely but firmly discouraging her attempts at conversation, he quickly demolished the plate of food in front of him and settled his concentration back on the task at hand, only to be interrupted a second later when the door to the street suddenly flew open with a loud bang, rattling the crockery on the table and fluttering his papers in the draught.

He looked up to find a rowdy group of post party revellers had stumbled in and were settling at a nearby table, filling the warm room with cigarette smoke, loud voices and raucous laughter. Trying to rein in his annoyance at the interruption, he glanced towards the group, categorising them as early twenties media types, more usually found in the trendy East End than this solidly respectable and anonymous neighbourhood.

As he watched over the rim of his coffee cup, one of the boys ambushed a pretty brunette in a scarlet sequinned slip of a dress and pulled her onto his lap. Laughing, wriggling and exposing most of her legs as her miniscule frock slid further up her thighs, the girl's breathless exclamations and writhing body captured Edward's attention and sent an unexpected and disconcertingly strong spike of desire racing through him.

He suddenly found himself imagining how it would feel to caress the soft smoothness of her skin, which looked beautifully flawless, even under the harsh illumination of the overhead strip lighting. Her small stature and lean and athletic body, softened by just the right amount of curves, gave her the appearance of being both fragile and strong, while the undeniable spark in her otherwise limpid brown eyes implied a challenge.

Mesmerised, Edward was unable to look away as her playful assailant battled to hold her still while whispering into her ear and pressing greedy kisses down her neck.

Oblivious of their audience the couple continued their brazen display for several minutes, until the girl pulled herself free and stumbled over to another boy, nestled into his side and appeared to fall asleep. And apart from the occasional squeal, raised voice and burst of laughter, the rest of the group settled down when the waitress appeared and turned their attention to their food.

Feeling a little ashamed of his sudden voyeurism, especially as the girl didn't look much more than twenty, Edward tried his best to ignore his reactions and went back to his reading, until thankfully, through the steamed up café windows, he saw his grey Mercedes glide to a stop outside.

Having hastily finishing his coffee he collected up his belongings and with an easy elegance, strode over to the counter to pay his bill. Waiting while the elderly café owner disappeared into a back room to find some change, a sudden gale of laughter caused him to turn around just in time to catch the brown haired girl, who was now wide awake, pulling faces and making exaggerated kissing sounds behind his back, with admittedly achingly kissable lips.

Slightly resentful of the strong effect this unsuitable young woman continued to have on him; Edward narrowed his eyes and glared in her direction. From experience he knew this look should reduce his victim to a quivering and apologetic mess, but, eyes alight with mirth, she merely shrugged, batted her eyelashes and pouted at him, before very deliberately turning away to place a lingering kiss on her neighbour's cheek.

Feeling like a pompous idiot, as soon as the owner returned Edward left the café as quickly as he could, but as the door banged shut behind him a second peal of laughter rang out, making his ears burn.

Later, as he sat in the car in a thoroughly bad mood, Edward's mind kept returning to the girl who had mocked him and then turned her back as if he was barely worth her notice. Used to women throwing themselves at his feet at every opportunity, he didn't know if he was more angry or intrigued by her behaviour and as her face lingered in front of his eyes, he imagined again how her body, which he had seen a little too much of, would feel captured beneath his own.

It had been a long time since Edward had failed to seduce any woman he set his sights on and although he now made sure to keep all his relationships strictly casual, perhaps a challenge would be enjoyable for a change. She wasn't his usual glossy type and she was certainly much too young for him, but the thought of teaching her to show a little respect held a certain amount of attraction. Imagining those big brown eyes looking up at him adoringly and those luscious lips and that body being entirely at his disposal, he would definitely be willing to put a little work into thoroughly charming their owner into submission, before moving on to someone more appropriate of course.

Smiling when he realised he was making plans to deal with a woman it was unlikely he would ever see again, Edward straightened his shoulders, raked a hand through his hair and decided the best cure was to make time for some more accommodating female company. Running through various bars and private clubs in his mind, he decided he could probably spare an evening off. If he could get this deal finalised today as expected, he could even make it an excuse to invite his partners, Emmett and Jasper, out for a celebratory drink.

The decision made, Edward's thoughts turned back to his hectic schedule, but frustratingly, the memory of the beautiful brunette reappeared at inappropriate moments throughout the day, arousing, unsettling and annoying him in equal measure.