Mr. Forrester: An Alpha Billionaire Romance (8 page)

T
he lights were low
, and the jazz was perfect as Kelly walked into the New York Grill & Bar inside the Hyatt Hotel in Shinjuku. It felt strange still, going to a hotel to find some of the best restaurants in Tokyo, but Elizabeth had assured her that Peter wasn't lying. He was sitting, waiting for her just inside the door, and her heart beat sped up just looking at him. He was dressed very handsomely, in a black silk shirt with a high collar, gray sportcoat and black slacks. She didn't know the labels, but it didn't really matter to her.

"My goodness, you look dashing," she said, as he stood up and took her hand, kissing her fingers like he did the day before.

"And you look like the most beautiful woman in all of Tokyo," Peter replied, admiring her. "I'm going to sound very fashionista now, but where did you get that dress?"

Kelly turned around, showing off the loose skirt and tight waist of the classic cocktail dress. "It's actually a birthday gift from Erica," she replied, running her hands over the crushed silk bodice, which had a built in balconette bra and corset to allow her to go braless underneath. "She designed it herself, she told me."

"Wow. I knew she was good with men's wear, but I had no idea she was so good with women's clothing too. Shall we?"

The meal was exquisite, with tremendous views of the Tokyo skyline. Kelly didn't think she had ever seen so much neon on the streets, even the one time she had been to Las Vegas couldn't compare.

"I have a question," she asked him, as they each enjoyed their appetizers, "we're here in Japan, yet all I've seen you eat is Western foods. Aren't you going to try any local foods?"

Peter shrugged, and took a bite of his foie gras. "It's not that I don't, but I save it for after the show. For some reason, I tend to gain a lot of water weight on Japanese food. Probably something to do with MSG or something. They don't have the same problems with it that Americans do, you can buy it in bulk in the supermarkets even. I can't have that screwing with my look."

"You really have to watch that, don't you? The look, I mean."

"Not for much longer. I mean, I keep myself in shape, but a lot of it is makeup and last minute dehydration. I long ago mastered the wrestler's art of sweating out weight."

"Is that healthy?" Kelly had read so much about models and eating disorders, but Peter looked pretty healthy from her point of view. She hoped he wasn't hiding something like that from her.

"Not particularly, but at least I do it naturally. There are a lot of the guys and girls who do some really dangerous stuff to show up on the walkway looking the way they do."

The conversation continued through dinner, Kelly's attraction to Peter growing the entire time. She had never felt such a connection to a man before, to the point that by the last bite of cheesecake was eaten, she had never felt more aroused in her life from just food.

Watching Peter eat was a sensual experience. The way he wrapped his lips around his food, the way he closed his eyes as he enjoyed each chew, even the way he swallowed gave her images of his lips on her skin. Combined with the flashing power of his green eyes, and Kelly swore that the restaurant was at least five degrees too warm. When the meal was finished, she was desperate for the date to not end.

"Would you like to go for a walk?" Peter asked. "I've come to really enjoy the look of Shinjuku at night."

“I’d love that," Kelly said, taking his arm and letting Peter lead her around the area. He pointed out some of the famous signs and buildings. As they walked along the southern terrace of Shinjuku Station, the late winter illumination created a romantic visual.

When they found a saxophone player playing for change outside the Krispy Kreme, Peter stopped, pulling her into his arms. "Dance with me," he said, wrapping his arms around her waist. "Don't worry about the crowds, or the weather, or anything. Just dance with me."

Unable to resist, not even knowing if she wanted to, Kelly reached up to wrap her arms around his neck, pulling herself close to him. She could feel the muscles of his torso even through their jackets, and her nipples hardened as she swayed with him. The saxophone player, seeing he had an audience, shifted his playing, his notes becoming even more sensuous.

After about two minutes, Kelly looked up at Peter's face, captured by his amazing green eyes. "I wasn't lying when I said you are amazingly beautiful," Peter said softly. Leaning down, his lips caressed hers, his soft kiss melting against her.

Kelly had never been kissed so tenderly before. Her heart beat hard in her chest as she pulled herself up using her arms, feeling Peter lift her off the ground to assist, bringing their lips and tongues closer. When he set her down, she could see in his eyes what he wanted. "Take me to your hotel room," she said, cutting off his question.

The taxi ride back felt surreal. Peter kept his hands very still, only holding her hand, keeping his outer polite persona until the door to his hotel room closed. He was using a smaller room than she had, in a less luxurious hotel, but she didn't even notice. As soon as the latch on the door clicked shut, he swept her literally off her feet, carrying her the few steps across the room to the bed, laying her carefully on the mattress. Kelly’s heart began racing faster than it already was before, anticipating what was to come.

F
or the next three days
, Kelly and Peter were inseparable. She invited him to share her hotel room, and each night she was thrilled as they explored each other's bodies. Every day they were together constantly, only separating when their work duties called them to be in different areas. She watched as he finished his fittings, worked with Erica and the Japanese designers on practice walking the runway, and then afterwards as he mentored some of the other younger men. She found his presence not only exciting but helpful as he introduced her to the world of fashion. It wasn't until the third day as Peter was pulled away for another fitting, that Erica found a moment to talk to her friend.

"Hey Kelly, how's it going?"

Kelly rolled her eyes. "As if you couldn't tell. I'm having the time of my life."

"I thought so," Erica replied with a knowing look. "You two have been making gooshy eyes at each other almost ever since you met. I'm actually surprised."

“Oh really, why’s that?”

“I don’t know, it’s just that I’ve never seen this side of Peter. He was coming on the scene just as I was getting my design shop together, and he's always been a mystery man."

"What do you mean?" Kelly asked nervously. "He told me he's not a player. Was he lying?"

"No no no, he's not a player at all. In fact, he's always been a bit of a monk almost, and for a fashion model, very shy. It's been one of the reasons I've enjoyed working with him so much, he reminds me of the way I was as a model. He's well regarded in the industry, but he always sticks to the smaller shows, the lower profile lines and houses. As soon as a designer starts to become famous, or the show gets enough media attention, he stops taking assignments with them. He's been offered quite a few high profile jobs with magazines, designers, and even a television gig or two, and he's turned them all down. It's like he just wants to walk the runway, make his money, and be as anonymous as possible. Really weird in this industry. And to be honest, you're the first woman he's ever been seen with near a show. I don't know much about his private life, but whatever else, be sure you've made an impression on him."

Kelly could feel her face warm as she leaned in close to Erica. "Thanks. You know, it's weird, but I swear I could use the L word with him."

"Really?" Erica said, a smile spreading on her face. "Wow! That fast?"

"Like you can talk," Kelly replied. "From what you told me, you were in love with Dwayne within forty eight hours of knowing him."

"Well, if you go by the calendar, longer than that," Erica said with a chuckle. "Remember, we spent a few weeks using e-mail and Skype to talk after the first time we met in London. But yeah, it was quick for us, even with all of the weird drama involved."

"Speaking of drama, you look tired," Kelly said, changing the subject. "Is everything okay?"

Erica sighed and rubbed at her temples. "Yeah. Tina, Elizabeth and you have been great help, but there's just so much to do. I mean, prepping a normal show is a process, and that's when you're working with all professional models. Now I'm needing to coordinate with another designer, who is using singers for models that will also be performing, and on top of all that, I have a wedding to plan. Dwayne's handling what he can with that, but with Baby Liz thrown in, I'm getting exhausted."

Kelly thought for a moment before replying. "Well, how about you let Peter and I watch Liz for a day? A fashion show isn't the best place to have a baby, Dwayne can't watch her constantly, and it'll give you a break. Let Tina handle things for an afternoon, you get away with your soon to be husband and relax. I'm sure between all of us we can handle things for a few hours. Go to one of those onsen things they keep talking about. I'm planning on going to one once the wedding is over."

Erica's tired face spread into a smile. "That does sound great. Let me talk to Tina and Elizabeth, maybe tomorrow?"

"Excellent. No worries about me and Peter watching Liz together?"

Erica laughed. "None. If anything, she'll probably end up chaperoning you two. My daughter is very mature for her age."

"A very mature two month old. I'll be in good hands I see."

D
wayne felt
the tension of the past four days drain out of his shoulders as he slipped into the warm mineral infused water of the Hakone onsen. The natural outdoor baths, famous throughout Japan, were supposed to have healing qualities, and while Dwayne wasn't sure about their ability to heal disease or skin problems, he was certain the waters were great for healing tired, stress-filled bodies.

The train from Tokyo to Hakone was exciting for both of them, as part of it was on the famous high speed Shinkansen train line. From there, a quaint normal style train had wound its way up into the mountains before they finished by taxi. For Dwayne and Erica, it had been a fun filled morning, even more so because Erica's cell phone, which she insisted on taking with her in case of emergencies with the show, had so far remained totally silent.

Dwayne was startled out of his reverie by the sound of a sliding wooden door opening. He looked up, and saw Erica standing on the walkway to the natural pool, a towel wrapped around her.

"I gave the onsen operator the extra money to reserve this as a family bath for a few hours," she said, crossing her legs in front of her.

Dwayne could feel his mouth water, and he knew that under the slightly milky white water of the bath that his cock was beginning to swell. It had taken them a bit by surprise, the Japanese tradition of using the onsen nude, but he could see the benefits. One of the best was standing above him, her long legs and beautiful body easily visible despite the barely adequate towel.

"Well, I suppose you should enjoy the bath then," he said with false nonchalance, as he draped a washcloth over his eyes, leaning his head back and sinking deeper into the pool. "It really is amazing."

Erica's chuckle at his poor deception made him smile, and he heard the soft whisper as she unbound her towel and let it fall to the walkway. She slipped into the water, and the sound of her exhalation aroused him even more than her appearance had. If he wasn't careful, he was going to have a flesh colored periscope sticking out of the water pretty soon.

"You know, Kyoto was nice, but I think we could come back here instead." Dwayne had used a few hours the day before to run over to Kyoto and get a first person visual of the big city. It had been a whirlwind tour, but he had come back impressed.

"No way," Erica replied. "It's nice here, but your sister showed me a picture of some of the sites near Kyoto. We're getting married there."

Dwayne shrugged. "Okay. I'm not going to stress about it anymore for the rest of today. Today is about you and me and remembering what is important."

"And what's that?"

"That we're getting married, and that we love each other very much. That’s all that matters.”

He settled himself deeper into the water, letting his breathing slow and his chest rise and fall with the rhythm of his heart, just letting himself float away with the breeze through the air.

When he felt the soft hands of his fiancée on his thighs, he was surprised at first, his surprise turning to lust as her slender fingers wrapped around his cock. "Now that's something that I've been wanting all day," Erica whispered.

"
H
ave
you ever seen such a beautiful baby?"

It was the fourth time Peter had said the exact same question, and for Kelly it still wasn't tiring. Starting at just after seven in the morning, they had been taking care of baby Elizabeth, and for Peter, it had been mutual love at first sight. Crying at first at not having her Mommy and Daddy nearby, Liz had quieted quickly once Peter picked her up, snuggling into the crook of his elbow and sticking a tiny little thumb in her mouth before falling asleep.

Since then, the morning had been quiet and pleasant. Because Liz was so little still, they stayed in Erica's hotel suite, ordering room service and enjoying a casual breakfast. Kelly enjoyed the pancakes and bacon, while Peter contented himself with some grapefruit.

"The show is in two days," he explained, as he carefully spooned a section into his mouth, mindful of getting juice on the still sleeping baby. "Time for me to shave off a few pounds in preparation. At least Erica's designs are full men's wear. If this had been a swimwear or underwear show, I'd have started this days ago."

Kelly felt guilty as she forked a bite of maple syrup infused pancake into her mouth. "I'm sorry. Would you like me to stop?"

"Hell no," Peter replied with a laugh. "I spend too much time around overly skinny people who obsess over every single calorie that goes in their bodies. I love the fact that you enjoy food."

"Is that a nice way of saying I'm fat?" she joked, running her hands over her stomach.

Peter's cocked eyebrow caused her to chuckle. "You are hardly fat, Kelly. In fact, if my memory serves me correctly, your stomach is very nicely toned. If you'd like, I can check it again. Perhaps if I used my tongue?"

Kelly felt her face flush at his playful words, and shook her head. "You're incorrigible. Not around the baby, okay?"

"Okay," Peter said comfortably, making his way to the bed any stretching out. Baby Liz squirmed for a moment at the change of position, but within moments was asleep again.

Kelly looked on with amazement. "You're magic with that baby. I'm almost afraid to try and pick her up, she seems to have bonded to you so well."

"She'll find you just as comfortable," Peter reassured her. "Babies aren't all that difficult. Treat them with love and affection, and you're good to go. I really think humans are low level psychic, and babies more so. We just lose that ability after we figure out how to talk."

After breakfast, the couple stretched out together on the bed, Liz between them, and tried to watch television. Unfortunately, they quickly discovered that the only English channels available were either CNN or the Disney Channel, and within an hour both reached their fill of cartoons.

"Do you think Erica and Dwayne would mind if we took Liz out for a walk?" Kelly asked.

At the mention of her name, the baby squirmed, looking up at Kelly with wide, soft brown eyes. She smiled, and Kelly felt her heart melt at the expression. "I think we have our answer," Peter said, watching the two. "Besides, they did leave behind the stroller. Although I've never unfolded one of those things. Think you can give me a hand?"

It took them close to twenty minutes to figure out the complex European stroller, with Kelly stumbling upon the final catch by accident. Sliding the blue plastic collar to the side, the stroller slid open easily, locking in place with an audible click. "Well, that was easy," Kelly joked, "but I’m not taking that thing anywhere we have to fold it back up."

"I agree," Peter said, bending over and picking the baby up from the bed. "So, little Liz, are you ready to go out on an adventure?"

Baby Liz cooed and smiled, causing the adults to join in. "But first, I think a certain little girl needs a change of diaper and some outdoor clothes."

The late winter weather was still chilly, so Kelly and Peter bundled up, making sure Liz was wrapped securely in her tiny little snow suit and tucked in a blanket in her stroller. In a total affront to her high fashion heritage, her snow suit was covered in little hearts and cartoon characters, her face framed by a pink hood. In fact, she looked like a regular little girl, albeit one in a very expensive stroller.

Walking along outside the hotel, the sidewalk leading to the small Oceanside park was thankfully clear of snow and ice. "The weather is nice today," Kelly remarked, enjoying the feeling of the sun on her face. She was wearing the leather bomber jacket that she had picked up just for this trip, but still shivered. How did American bombers actually get anything done freezing like this? "But compared to Miami I'm still chilled to the bone."

"This is warm compared to where I grew up," Peter replied, pushing the stroller. The exact opposite of Kelly, he was wearing a simple long sleeve t-shirt to go along with his jeans and light gloves. "There, we had days where the sun barely rose above the horizon, and even the idea of a suntan was unheard of."

"I'm glad we didn't grow up in the same place then," Kelly laughed, threading her arm through Peter's and snuggling against him. "I'm much too comfortable in shorts, skirts and tank tops."

Peter smiled, his green eyes alight with desire. "You know, we haven't talked about it, but I was kind of hoping this wouldn't be just a single trip thing."

Kelly's mind whirled at the implications of Peter's words. Her entire life, relationships with men had been short term things, or casual relationships that never developed past the initial stages. But with Peter, she felt a deeper connection, and it scared her. To find such a connection in a man who was, of all things, a male model? How would it work, with him traveling the world from job to job, and her living in Miami working with Elizabeth? Could she even let someone in so deep inside, as Peter threatened to do?

Her troubled look caused Peter to pause. "What is it? Did I say something wrong?"

Kelly shook her head. "No, not at all. It's just that... well, honestly it scares me a bit. I've never felt this way about someone before, and that scares me."

"Me too. But with you, I'd be willing to take the chance," Peter said, his eyes turning out to the sea. "Ever since we met, my mind has been going to unfamiliar places, and I can only think it's due to you."

"What sort of places is that?"

"Family, settling down, children of my own," Peter said quietly, his eyes looking out at the ocean with a thousand yard stare. "It's been too hectic a life these past few years. I'm tired of it all."

Kelly looked up at him, her mouth opening before she even knew what she was going to say. "You know, Miami is a great place for tired people to re-energize."

Peter turned his gaze back to her, his eyes softening as he looked at her. He opened his mouth to say something when his eyes were drawn to something behind her. "Kelly, take the baby and go," he said, pushing her down the sidewalk with the stroller.

Kelly looked back and saw two men, both obviously foreigners, standing on the sidewalk behind them. One of them was a huge man-mountain, easily close to seven feet tall, with a bulky physique that spoke of strength and intimidation, wearing a black leather jacket that had to have taken most of a cow to produce. The other was an older man, in his sixties Kelly thought, with a gaunt face and gray wool pea coat and fedora hat that made him look a bit like a retired diplomat. The thing that jumped out to Kelly most though was the blazing green of his eyes, identical to Peter's.

"I would prefer if your friend and the child didn’t leave," the older man said in heavily accented English. He sounded Russian, she thought, almost the caricature of a Russian agent from a spy movie. "After all, shouldn't you be happy to introduce me to your lover, Piotr?"

"My name is not Piotr anymore!" Peter spat vehemently. "I've lived on my own for twelve years, and my name is Peter Tanner now."

“No. You’re my son. And your name is, and always will be, Piotr Zubukov," the man replied. "Now, let us take a walk.

Before Peter could say anything, the old man pointed at Kelly and the stroller, gesturing. "They come with us. Trust me Piotr, you don’t want Mischa to have to intervene."

Kelly grabbed Peter's arm, worry and anger in her eyes. "Peter, what the hell is going on?"

Peter sighed deeply, and looked down at Kelly with eyes full of pain, shame, and a hint of fear.

"I'm sorry, Kelly. We have no choice. The man next to my father undoubtedly has a gun, and if I know my father, there are other men around we can't see."

"What do you mean? Who is your father?"

"Ivan Migyonevich Zubukov. Head of the Odessa Russian Mafia."

T
he drive
across Tokyo felt surreal to Kelly. After having such a wonderful morning with Peter, for it all to change so quickly would be enough to knock the wind out of anyone. Sitting quietly in the back of the Mercedes sedan, holding Liz in her arms, she tried to keep the fear out of her voice and movements so as not the scare the baby.

"Peter, please tell me what's going on," she said quietly, reaching across the seat to hold his hand. Up front, the two henchmen sat silently. Peter's father was in a different car. "I promise I'm not angry. I'm scared, and I need you to talk to me."

Peter entwined his fingers with hers and looked her in the eyes. The fear was still there, but the rest had been replaced by what looked like anger. "My father is right. I was born Piotr Zubukov. My father is the head of the Odessa Russian Mafia, and when I was fifteen, I watched him murder four people in front of me. One of them was my mother."

"My God," Kelly gasped, her mouth dropping open. "Why?"

"Since I was born, my father was an abusive, dominating man, who insisted on full obedience in every one of his whims. He ran both his business and his family like some sort of feudal Russian noble, acting as if he was above us the whole time. Even before I knew what he was doing, I knew my father had numerous girlfriends that he would spend days with, only to return home to my mother and I without a shred of shame or humility."

"When I was fourteen, my mother had privately had enough. She knew she couldn't leave my father, but her heart finally couldn't handle it any more. She started an affair with a local man, a teacher in my school. When my father found out, he had my mother, the teacher, and both of my mother's 'bodyguards' killed. He made me watch, supposedly as a lesson in how I was supposed to lead the business after he retired."

"What did you do?"

Peter shook his head. "What else could I do? My mother was a good woman, who only responded the way she did after being pushed to the point of desperation. The teacher was also a good man, who only had the bad luck of falling in love with a gangster's wife. I loved my mother, and the bastard fed her to dogs to die a death I wouldn't wish on anyone. As soon as I could, I siphoned money off of his accounts, and got the hell out of Odessa.

"Unfortunately, that led to a whole host of other problems. My false identity didn't have any sort of formal education, and I knew if I actually enrolled in a real school, my father would be able to track me down. I also knew if I tried to make money by using the knowledge of criminal enterprise that my father had taught me, I would also quickly be discovered, either by him or by one of his enemies who would use the information to keep me under their thumb."

"I was in Helsinki, that wasn't a lie, when I was approached by a man asking me to pose. I thought he was a gay guy looking for a date, and at first I just told him no thanks, but he turned out to be a local fashion designer. He had a show, and three of his male models had gotten food poisoning from some bad lutefisk. I took the job, and the rest is history. I tried my best to keep a low profile, but I guess eventually it had to come out."

"So that's why you never tried to make the big designers or shows," Kelly commented, thinking back to what Erica had told her. "You were trying to stay under the radar."

"Yes. Also, I totally refused jobs in the types of design that my father or his associates would favor. So no Italian suits, no leather designs or hip-hop clothing that some of the younger members favored, stuff like that. Also, I used some of the money I siphoned from my father's accounts to get a little bit of plastic surgery. Not enough to totally change my face, but I hoped it would help. After Erica's show here in Japan, I was going to retire, disappear again. Then I met you, and I knew I couldn't just disappear."

Kelly blinked, tears forming in her eyes, and looked forward. Liz started to squirm, and she looked down at the baby girl, kissing her softly on the forehead. "So what's going to happen to us?”

"I don't know," Peter said honestly. He leaned over, and whispered in her ear. "I hope that I can get my father to agree to let you go. Whatever you do, do not let it be known that Liz isn't yours. Your skin is a light enough tone that I don’t think it’ll cross his mind that you’re not the mother, and young biracial babies can often be very pale anyway. If my father learns that Dwayne is the father, he'll kill both of you for sure. He doesn’t like complications, and having a father like Dwayne involved is a very big complication. If he asks, tell him Liz is yours, and you don’t know who the father is. It's safer for now. I promise you Kelly, even if it costs me my life, I will try to get you and Liz set free."

Kelly looked into Peter's eyes, and nodded, speechless.