Disclaimer: I am not Stephanie Meyer... although I may pretend to be at night in my room when nobody's watching hehe )
As we walked through the streets of late-night Glasgow, I felt the jealous eyes of every woman we passed. I can't say it was a bad feeling. This man, who was now leading me down Glasgow high-street clutching my hand like a child; there was something irresistible about him. Not necessarily the way he looked, although he was fiendishly attractive. It was more like something that hovered about him, an aura perhaps, an aura that made every women in the general area swoon like they had seen the Beatles circa 1963.
During our walk my mystery driver enumerated the pros and cons of every bar that we passed, which museums and clubs to go to, and where to go after the bars; which were normally seedy looking motels more suited to an Alfred Hitchcock movie than my custom. He was knowledgeable about the city, but as much as he talked I learned little about who this man actually was. I hoped that in the more secluded surroundings of the coffee shop I would learn more about him, or at least his name.
Finally we stopped in front a dimly lit storefront paneled in dark, reddish wood. To me the place looked closed but this did not seem to daunt my beautiful mystery guide.
"Welcome, Miss Swann, to 'The Fort'" as he said this he opened the door with a flourish.
I was immediately taken aback by the overpowering scent of cinnamon on the air that wafted through the open door. The interior of the cafe was lit primarily by thin white candles elegantly housed in faux gold candelabras. Like the exterior, the inside of the place was paneled in dark reddish wood. Most of the tables were free standing and draped with lace tablecloths but in the back of the restaurant there were four booths cozily lit with mock gas lamps. On the walls there hung oil paintings of what could only have been duchesses and dukes of yore. These wall decorations were cleverly juxtaposed with their contemporary counterparts in the form of vintage rock concert posters and autographed pictures of musicians and actors. Along the right wall there was a well stocked bar and a small stage.
However the most opulent feature of 'The Fort' was a massive crystal chandelier hanging above the reception desk. In the candlelight it sparkled with the radiance of a thousand diamonds casting specks of brilliance and rainbow across the ceiling. Unfortunately, the beauty of the chandelier was marred by the scowling face of the receptionist below it. With arms crossed moodily across her chest she appraised me with the unique brand of disgust that I assumed was reserved for American tourists and radioactive waste.
"Are you here for Glen Saget's birthday party?" she said with a sneer
"Um, well, no, you see-"
"I didn't think so. Why don't you just leave, there's a McDonald's not far from here and you can catch it before closing time if you hurry. Now move along!"
My embarrassment manifested itself in five shades of scarlet across my face but as I turned to leave my host spun me around guiding me back up to the reception desk.
"Margo! Have you been troubling Miss Swann here?"
With his presence the receptionist's demeanor changed immediately. Her scowl turned to a coy smile and her hands fell uncrossed to play with her hair.
"Why Wesley! I had no idea she was with you!"
The man who I now knew was called Wesley motioned to the seating area.
"Sit wherever you like Miss Swann and I will be with you shortly."
I selected a small table in the corner of the dining area attempting to make myself as inconspicuous as possible while simultaneously recovering from the embarrassment I had endured just moments before.
After I had settled down a bit I watched Wesley with the receptionist. Like most women Margo was not immune to Wesley's charms although there was a familiarity in their interactions. I watched him smile his wicked smile and play with her hair, whispering sweet nothings in her ear his hands lightly grazing her thighs. I felt myself begin to flush, this time not with embarrassment, but with jealousy. How could a man I had known for half an hour have this kind of effect on me?
After he slipped my luggage behind the receptionist desk and gave Margo a swift smack on the butt he made his way to the table.
To avoid his gaze I busied myself by reading the menu which he quickly snatched away with a mischievous grin.
He then leaned back in his chair with his feet propped casually on the top of a nearby table. He then removed his hat placing it on my head with a smirk and slid his sunglasses up to the top of his head, squinting adorably at the menu.
His eyes were ice blue. So blue that they didn't look real.
"So what tickles your fancy this night Miss Swann?"
He didn't wait for me to reply.
"Irish Coffee? Excellent choice!" he grinned maniacally and turned around in his seat to yell at Margo, "Two Irish Coffees if you please Margo dearest!"
"But of course Wesley!"
He turned around, laughing at Margo's infatuation with him and his own mischievousness. I couldn't help but join in, he had one of those deep clear laughs that are impossible to frown through.
"So Miss Swann-"
"Please, call me Bella." I said with a confidence I did not know I possessed.
"Very good then," he said smirking. Now with his glasses removed I could see his eyes appraising me. I found myself unconsciously comparing them to Edward's. They were sexy, but not in the same loving, tender, warm, smoldering way that Edward's eyes had been. His eyes were cold fire, predatory, hungry almost, but not in a scary way. Something told me that I wouldn't mind be hunted by him at all...
"So Bella, where exactly are you from?"
"Well, I'm living in Washington state right now in a really small town a few miles north of Seattle-"
"Called?"
"Oh you wouldn't know of it..."
"Try me." he challenged.
"OK then," I said diplomatically, "Forks."
He laughed musically.
"There, I win!"
"You've heard of it?"
"Not only heard of it. I Wesley Alastair Southampton have been to the rainiest city in the US!"
I laughed incredulously
"Wow, hardly anyone outside of Forks knows about Forks!"
He leaned in closer across so near to my face that I could feel the warmth of his smoky breath.
"I think you'll come to find, Miss Swann, that I am not just anyone." He then reached up to move a stray hair that had fallen in my face back behind my ear...but not before placing a small feathery kiss on my earlobe.
The kiss sent tongues of electric fire up my spine and I shivered from the pleasure. Wesley leaned back across the table chuckling and clearly enjoying the effect he was having on me.
Thankfully we were interrupted by Margo with our coffees. I snatched mine away, thankful to have something to occupy myself with to avoid Wesley's gaze. As I timidly sipped my drink Wesley stared at me with unconcealed intensity. Try as I might I could not read any emotion in his frozen eyes.
After fortifying myself with coffee I felt confident enough to try and break the silence.
"So Wesley, I've told you a lot about myself, but I don't know anything about you."
He smiled sardonically.
"Fair enough. What do you want to know?"
"Oh you know," I spoke with a nonchalance I did not feel, "Where are you from, what are you doing here, what do you like to do in your free-time... Why are you looking at me like that?"
Wesley was looking at me with an expression of quiet bemusement, as if there was some joke that I wasn't getting.
"Do I have something on my face?" I looked around for any possible reflective surface in attempts to amend the situation.
"No, no." he giggled, "I was just thinking about how absolutely delectable you look in my hat."
I flushed and averted my eyes. He giggled and then waved his hands in a gesture for me to speak.
"I'm sorry, do continue interrogating me."
I smiled at him in spite of myself.
"Should I answer question number one or seventy-three first."
"Why don't you just forget about the questions and talk about yourself. I'll take what I can get."
He smiled lasciviously.
"Hmmmm, you'll take what you can get. Really? I didn't see you as that kind of girl..."
I gasped in embarrassment and slapped him on the arm playfully. Was I really flirting?
"Ouch! Alright! I was just playing love. Now let me see..." He closed his eyes and leaned back in the chair, carefully ordering his words.
"I'm 21, just got kicked out of music school for indecent conduct-"
I looked at him skeptically.
"Look the people at that school were total wankers, I mean pianos were practically made to have sex on top of!"
I coughed and spit out some of the coffee that I had been drinking in shock. He continued on unaffected by my incredulity.
"I love music, good whiskey, and women and I have been known to kick a football around. Is that good enough for you Miss Swann?"
"Wow, yeah. That's about it isn't it!" I laughed nervously, "But what I'm still wondering is why are you working for this Student Leadership thing? No offense but you don't seem like the "International Student-Leader Convention" type."
"You're a smart one aren't you! Well to tell you the truth I'm not the 'International Student Leader Convention" type. I got roped in to volunteering for it because my uncle is one of the organizers."
"I still don't quite follow."
"Well when I got kicked out of music school my mother was annoyed, to say the least. Since she could no longer brag about me attending," he mimicked his mother's voice in an annoyingly high pitched falsetto, "'the premier music school in Britain' she had no reason to keep paying for my posh little Camden flat. Since I couldn't very well go on living in London without a job or any kind of means of supporting myself I begged my mother for mercy. Here I'll show you"
He got down on his knees in front of me to act out the scene:
"'Mother' I said, 'We both know I am your favorite son, and we also know that I refuse to get a job. If you do not help me, I will not hesitate to hang myself from your beloved Swarovski Crystal chandelier."
"So what did she say?"
He got up and returned to his seat, brushing the dust from his fitted jeans. As he stood I noticed how tall he was.
"She gave me an ultimatum. I could apply for college in Switzerland under the watchful eye of my father or I could work for my Uncle until she was able to coerce my school into taking me back."
"So you chose the second option."
"Right you are Bella my dear, and that is how I am now here with you in Glasgow sipping coffee in this veritable jewel of an eatery!"
He laughed a humorless laugh and then fell into an uncharacteristic brooding.
"It's getting late and my uncle will have my head for taking you out. I think we'd better leave."
As disconcerting as his sudden change in mood was, I was in my own world. The coffee had really woken me up.
"Nooooo Wesley! hiccup Don't leave! You've barely had any of your coffee!"
Wesley looked at me and half smiled.
"Let's go Bella dear, there'll be plenty of time for fun once we get to Fort William and you've had a good night's rest."
I stood up and attempted to saunter over to him seductively, knocking over chairs and candles and running into partygoers. Once I was in front of Wesley I grabbed the lapels of his blazer and pulled him toward me.
"But I want to have fun now."
Wesley whistled in surprise, grabbing me by the shoulders and sitting me down in a chair. The bartender chuckled.
"Looks like the girly there enjoyed her coffee Wes."
"Shut up Cecil you old dog!" Wesley snapped, "Look Bella, you stay right here while I go and pay OK?"
I nodded and hiccuped.
I tried to focus on sitting upright in the seat, but all of a sudden everything felt warm. Then I blacked out.
A/N: Sorry about the abrupt ending guys! I had to churn this one out in a day since I wanted to update before I go on vacation. I'm leaving for Prague tomorrow so I won't be able to write for a few days! Ava: thank you so much for your kind words! Even though NO-ONE else reviews I know that at least your reading lol! PLEASE review guys! You don't know how encouraging it is! The next chapter should be interesting so stay tuned. I hope you enjoyed this chapter!
xox
Elle