Title: My Master of Darkness

Rating: M

Characters: Edward and Bella

This story is currently being edited to fall in line with this site's TOS and guidelines. As each chapter is edited, it will be put back up. For more details, please see my profile page or PM me.

Many thanks,

Tammy

xXx

EPOV

When I got up this morning, I had no idea what was in store for me. I didn't know whether I would be rushed off my feet or if I would have enough spare time to do a circuit of the gym. I didn't know if I had to fire someone or hire half a dozen idiots. The only thing I was sure of was that I'd enough paperwork to sink a battle ship.

Normally I'd have someone to do it for me, but with the importance of the new club, I stepped up to do it myself.

Black would be officially opened in three weeks' time, but in just two short weeks, we would be opening the doors to the top people in the city. It certainly wasn't the first ever opening we'd had, far from it, but it was that I was most anxious for.

McCarty and I personally owned seventeen clubs and restaurants in the country, eleven of which were in the city limits here. Our family though, combined, they owned countless hotels, clubs and restaurants. Both our families came from old money and knew how to invest in the right areas. Dad always said it was about having the right finger in the right pie, a phrase I didn't understand until I graduated business school.

Now that I was thirty nine, the world was my oyster. Strangely enough, that was another phrase I never got until recently.

"Eddie!" I looked up from the documents I was reading to see my little brother running towards me. He was exactly little anymore, but that was neither here nor there. He was still my little brother.

"Jamie, it's so good to see you, how was school?" I asked him as we 'man hugged'.

"I hated every bit of it, I don't want to go again, please don't make me go," he pouted adorably.

James was my adopted brother, along with his twin sister, Katie. They were brought home by Mom and Dad when they were just a few weeks old. Mom had me at a young age and suffered toxemia, which resulted in severe blood loss. She couldn't have any more children, despite trying for a few years. It was actually me that suggested to them that they should adopt. It took a couple of years, but they finally brought my siblings home when I was seventeen.

Katie was the typical girly girl, but James, James was special. He was starved of oxygen during labor and had special needs. Even though he was twenty two, mentally, he was only about seven. It wasn't an exact science when they worked out his mentality and to be honest, I didn't give a shit. He was my brother despite his hardships.

"James, you know that school is good for you, it helps you," I said as I walked him over to the small bar by the indoor pool. I walked behind it and poured him a fruit cocktail with lots of ice. He took it happily and started crunching the ice with his teeth. I involuntarily shuddered at the thought of it. I'm surprised he didn't get brain freeze.

"But they don't teach me anything I like and it gets boring," he pouted again as I chuckled.

"I didn't like school either, but I still had to go. Anyway, have you seen Mom yet? She's in the garden, I think," I hardly had time finish talking before he rushed out of the room towards the garden.

That place was Moms pride and joy. She spent hours tending to her 'babies', and we didn't blame her one bit. At the age of fifty five, she had retired, finally. From the day she left school, with me as a toddler, she worked her socks off. If she wasn't by Dads side, she was working for several charities in the city and the surrounding areas. They were either involved with teenage pregnancies or for children who had special needs. She had drummed it into her own head that although she was a 'teenage mom', didn't mean that she could take the easy options in life. She paid her way, despite Dad and Grandpa's protests, to better herself.

Now she just had a few charities close to her heart and her garden. Two years ago she won at the Chelsea flower show in London and we couldn't have been more proud of her if we tried. She donated her prize to Great Ormond Street hospital in London and vowed to go back and try to win again in the future.

"Eddie, Mom says she needs you to move some compost bags for her, hurry up," James called from the doorway with a smile. He was the only one ever allowed to call me Eddie. Even Katie didn't get away with it. And no one called him Jamie but me. It was our little thing.

I sighed deeply and rolled my eyes at him playfully as I rolled up my sleeves.

"Come on then, but I can't be long, I have to head home soon."

An hour later, we'd finally moved everything Mom needed out of her way and we were sitting on the garden swing with a cold drink.

"James said that he wasn't happy in school, Edward. What do you think we should do?" Mom asked gently as we watched James skim hit fishing net into the pond. He liked to catch bugs and look at them. Growing up, I was more like a parent/guardian to James than a brother. We were always close, even though I was away at school most of the time. We still had an incredibly close bond and Mom and Dad always came to me for advice on what to do for him. They were amazing parents and cared for us deeply, but for some reason, James gravitated towards me more than them. They knew that if something was going on with him, I would know about it.

"I think he's a typical kid. Honestly, what kid actually likes school?" I laughed. "Mom, he's got a few weeks left until he graduates and then he'll be here helping you out in the garden. Just grin and bear his temper tantrums until then. You know he has no concept of time frames, but he has to understand that he's doing what millions of kids have done before him. He needs his education," I finished talking and wrapped an arm around her. His education was always a delicate subject in the house. James was clever enough to state that because he couldn't get a job like everyone else, he didn't have to go school, but we argued that he shouldn't use his disability to get out of things or use it for a shield. He was still bright enough to go to school and that was the end of the discussion, from our point of view anyway. He still fought it.

"I know what you're saying, Edward, I really do, but I hate to see him so upset. Look at him now; he's in his element," she said as we watched him giggle over the bugs he'd found. He was a nature loving person. He loved being outside in the garden, running free.

"A few weeks, Mom, that's all," I kissed the top of her head. I knew she was lonely in this great house on her own. Katie was away for a few more weeks and Dad was always traveling to the hotels to check up on them, so with James away during the week, Mom was on her own most of the time. I lived close and tried to see her as often as I could, but with the new club opening up; my time was limited at the moment.

"How's the club coming on?" She asked as we got up from the swing. We started walking towards the house after she called for James to follow us.

"Everything's on schedule and all the staff are hired. Em has done wonders with keeping the limit of blondes down to a minimum," I laughed. Emmett, my 'brother from another mother', was a true friend. We met in high school when he borrowed my foot pump for his flat tire for his BMX and we hadn't managed to get rid of him since then.

"You mean he actually hired them on pure talent and not on looks! Wow, he's growing up so well," Mom laughed sarcastically. I joined in with the laughter as James wrapped an arm round my waist.

"Can I have a puppy if I stay at school?" He said in a pleading voice as we got to the kitchen.

"Take your shoes off, James." Mom said as she walked right by us and out of the kitchen.

"I really want a puppy," he struggled to say as he took his shoes off while standing up. His body was propped up against the door frame and was strangely contorted as he spoke.

"You'll have to ask Dad when he gets back home next week," I said as I knelt down in front of him and helped undo his shoe lace.

"He always says no," he replied in a whiny voice and sulked.

"That's because you've been away at school and you're not here to look after a puppy. He might change his mind when you finish school and you're here all the time," I replied to him. Dad was an amazing and gentle man, but he always made sure we were brought up with respect and a sense of responsibility. Even though there was no way we needed to earn money as kids, we still had jobs and chores. Nothing was ever just handed to us. We certainly weren't born with silver spoons in our mouths.

"I wonder if he will let me choose one next week when he gets back. I would love a border collie. I love the energy they have and they stay puppies for a real long time." He said as he skipped out of the room.

I shook my head as I smiled at his innocence. Yes, James was hard work at times, but it made us love him all the more. He saw the good in everyone and was always happy, unless it was about school, of course.

"Mom, James, I'm off," I shouted as I got to the front door.

They both came from separate places in the house and hugged me goodbye.

"Remember that you're at my house next weekend, James," I said as we pulled away from each other.

"Can you help me get Daddy to agree to a puppy, please?" He was bouncing on his toes with excitement.

"I will see what I can do," I laughed as I watched him run back into the game room.

"He's going to be hyper as hell next weekend; you know that, don't you?" Mom laughed happily.

"I can cope with it. When's Katie home?" I asked as we walked to my car.

"Three weeks," Mom replied. Katie graduated last week, but wanted to finish her shifts at the library that she worked at before she came back home.

"Party planned?" I asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Not if I want to keep her happy. She'd prefer that the money I would have spent on a party, be donated. She's so much like her dad," mom giggled.

We hugged once more before I got in the car and drove home.

Once there, I poured a large glass of Famous Grouse scotch and settled in for the night with the large stack of files Emmett gave me. This was something that was extremely important to both Emmett and myself. We always checked out who we permitted into our clubs. It's not that we were snobs or thought our clubs were for the rich and famous, because we weren't like that at all. We'd just had some problems in the past and wanted to curb any problems that we could.

Looking through the applications of people who wanted VIP tickets, I saw a few faces that I knew would get tickets, some who certainly wouldn't get any and then a couple who stood a mile out.

I belted out a laugh when I read Emmett's handwriting scrawled across the file of one of them.

If you say no to this one, I'm cutting your balls off with a rusty knife. Ouch is not a safe word, my brother!

I carried on laughing as I read the file. It was impressive. Rosalie Hale was twenty seven, a graduate of Harvard and owned her own car business. In fact, she was highly sought after for her car knowledge. She was recently divorced and she walked away with what she put in and nothing more. Christ, she was married to a King, Royce King to be exact. He was a nasty asshole in the business world. Looking at her picture, she was stunning. Natural brunette hair and vivid eyes, they weren't blue, but almost violet. Her police record was clean; she didn't even have a speeding ticket. She would undoubtedly get a pass into the club.

I tapped her basic details into the computer and then shredded her file. We did this with everyone. Once they were checked out and their main details, like contacts and addresses, were saved, the file was shredded.

I grabbed another drink before I picked up the next file. Once I did, I was glad for the extra alcohol.

The file was thin compared to the others, but that's not what stood out for me. It was the picture. A beautiful brunette stared back at me from the page and it actually felt as though she was staring at me, right through me.

Her hair was long and gathered round her shoulders, with a slight wave to it. Her eyes were dark brown, but not dull. They were vibrant and held a little bit of mischief in them. As I read over her file, I found her more and more captivating. She had graduated from school a year early, but left university after only two weeks. She'd travelled round Europe for a year with her best friend before coming home and they both started up their business. She invested her university savings into the business and never looked back.

"Holy shit!" I gasped out loud as I read her company's name; Beautiful Swans.

I knew that place, hell; I'd sent people there for clothing. It was a remarkable place that my sister got me to go to with my subs. It was full of high end designs that catered for the everyday person. I liked the idea of helping out smaller businesses than going for top designers.

I was amazed that this beautiful girl had crossed my path so many times and I hadn't managed to see her in the flesh.

This was a file I wasn't going to shred.

After I read it cover to cover, learning everything I could about it, I called Emmett.

"Hello?" He answered groggily and it wasn't until I looked at the clock, that I saw that it was just after one in the morning.

"Shit, sorry, Emmett, I didn't realize how late or should I say, early, it was,"

"No probs, what can I do for you, Edward?" I heard him shuffling about in the background and then God help me, he went to the bathroom.

"Emmett, really, now?" I groaned deeply round my glass.

"Hey, when needs must," he chuckled as I heard the toilet flush.

"Now, what did you want me for?" He asked as I actually felt giddy. Yes I know a thirty nine year old man was stupid if he felt giddy, but who gave a shit? Certainly not me, that's for sure.

"I've found her," I stated simply with a beaming smile.

"You're next sub? Thank God for that, I was afraid your dick would have fallen off sometime soon if you didn't get it wet. What's it been? Three months?" He chuckled as I growled.

"No, not my next sub, Emmett, you know that I don't want that anymore. I think I've found my future, my wife."

Silence.

More silence.

"Em, you still there?" I asked.

"Oh yeah, yeah I'm here. I just thought you said wife, that's all," he replied with a nervous laugh.

"I did say wife, Em. I told you the other week, I don't want this life anymore if it jeopardizes me settling down and having a wife and family," I let out a petulant huff as I poured myself another drink. I swear that the only time Em listened was when we were talking about money or food.

"I thought you were joking! Christ man, if I thought you were serious, I wouldn't have sent you over those other files," he laughed awkwardly.

"I just threw them in the bin. They didn't interest me anymore," I replied.

"How can you just give it up, Edward? Honestly, you've been at it for such a long time, how are you going to enter into a vanilla lifestyle and not want to slip into that role again? How do you think any future girlfriend or wife is going to feel, knowing your past?" He was suddenly very serious.

I didn't have the answers to his questions. I just knew that it had to be done. I couldn't marry a sub, because for so long, I switched off my emotions when in that situation. Don't get me wrong, I cared deeply for every sub that I'd had in the past, but that's as far as I'd let it go. I had no romantic/relationship plans or feelings with any of them.

"I don't know what I'm going to do about it, Em. I've just got to see where it goes," I said as I thought about my first sub and how I got her. Casey was my first so called 'girlfriend' in college. She had a kinky side to her and the more we played, the more turned on I was about dominating her. I read up about the subject and researched it all, even the psychology part of it. It fascinated me to the point where I sought out Doms to talk about it online. I learnt one hell of a lot and after nearly two years, I had my own sub. Casey and I broke up when she moved colleges, but she introduced me to her friend, Emily. We were compatible in every way until she wanted a boyfriend. Not something I could commit to, so we ended. She was a sweetheart and thrived on being dominated, but at the time, I wanted more of a Dom/sub relationship than dates and movies. I liked the simplicity of the relationship we had and didn't want to see it go further.

The same happened with every other sub I had.

Now was different though. Now I wanted to have that life. I'd worked hard for years and now was the time to sit back and enjoy life. Travel and appreciate everything without having to worry about deadlines or time scales. I wanted to settle down with someone who was my equal in all things and have children.

I knew I was under pressure from Mom and Dad to have kids, to pass on the family name, but they didn't verbally say anything, the just looked at me wistfully. We realized early on that it would be almost impossible for James to have kids and Katie was so wrapped up in her charity work that all eyes were now on me.

"Well if you need to talk to me, let me know yeah?" Em's voice cut through my deep thinking.

"Sure, Em, hey, while you're still on the phone, talk to me about the files you passed me today," I said, happy to change the subject a little.

He started raving on about Rosalie and how she was just perfect for him in every way. I tuned him out a little until he mentioned that Isabella Swan, the beautiful brunet, was one of her best friends.

"What do you know about her?" I asked him.

"Nothing but what's in her file. Why, is she the future Mrs. Cullen you were going on about?" He laughed again.

"Could be, but I'm giving nothing away, for now," I laughed in reply.

"Alright, fucker, keep it to yourself, I'm off,"

"Night, Em," I replied.

"Night." We hung up and I went back to the beautiful picture of Isabella Swan and a hard on that could cut glass.

This morning, when I woke up, I didn't have a clue what was in store for me, but going to bed, I now knew one thing.

The next two weeks were going to drag.