Mr. Forrester: An Alpha Billionaire Romance Read Free Page B

are?"
    "Erica Williams," she replied, reaching for one of the fried potatoes. It was a guilty pleasure from her days growing up in the poor side of Miami. When her family had money, that usually meant having fried potatoes. Crinkly cut, oven style, shoestring, it didn't matter. The association between a good fried potato and security had stuck with her even through the modeling years. "So from your accent, I take it you're not British."
    "Neither are you," Dwayne replied with a laugh as he took a sip of his pint. "I'm in London on business. Forgive me for assuming, but are you the Erica Williams of EW Men's Wear?"
    Erica nodded. "You're in fashion, I take it."
    Dwayne laughed, shaking his head. "Not at all. Actually, I was trying to speak to you earlier today. I'm the CEO of Forrester Caribbean Hotels. Your assistant said she would send you my information?"
    "I'm sure Tina did," Erica replied, hiding her surprise at the chance meeting. This was the eye candy that Tina had told her about? Damn, she should have made the time hours ago, but then again, fate seemed to have intervened for her thankfully. "But honestly, I haven't even checked my phone in the past few hours. After the show, I was too exhausted to do anything but nap and shower. Jet lag is a killer. So what are you doing in London on business?"
    For the next hour, the two talked, starting with business, then edging towards personal matters. She learned that Dwayne was an athlete, spending at least an hour a day swimming in the ocean near his office, or working out in some way or another. She revealed her love of anything seafood, and told him about her Miami roots.
    "It shows in your designs," Dwayne remarked. "You really do carry a mix of Latin and American influences in your ideas. Also, you carry enough of what some people call an urban influence. You really do a great job of balancing a lot of different styles at once."
    "Thank you. Most people don't recognize that," she said, impressed. "I guess living in the Caribbean, you would understand."
    "I grew up there, actually," Dwayne replied. "My father started off with running the Caribbean arm of the family business when he was young too, although it was still a wholly owned subsidiary of the family business. Grandfather sent him down there to learn the ropes, so to speak, and I spent the first eleven years of my life living in the Virgin Islands. I didn't move to the mainland US until I was in junior high school."
    "So are you doing the same thing now? Learning the family business?"
    Dwayne shook his head. "Not really. A few years back, when my trust fund came fully into my hands, I used the money to do a leveraged buyout of those hotels from my father. He and I... let's just say we don't see eye to eye on a lot of things, although I try to at least keep our relationship civil." There was pain on Dwayne's face, but he suppressed it quickly to focus his eyes back on her, a thing she found more and more unsettling, mainly because she knew she was becoming aroused from it.
    "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to pry."
    Dwayne shook his head. "No, that's fine. It's refreshing to talk to someone who sees me as a real person and not the public image I had for so long. Listen, I know this is a bit presumptuous, but would you like to get out of here? I'm not in the mood for more alcohol, honestly. I’ve learned to limit how much I drink. But I’ would like the pleasure of your company if you'd join me."
    Erica thought about it for only a second before she grabbed the last cold potato out of the basket of fish and chips and tossed it into her mouth. “I’d love to."
    Leaving the hotel, the pair walked along the River Thames. Erica was glad to have her sweater since it was still quite chilly, and she was grateful when she felt Dwayne put her arm around her. "Sorry, I didn't expect the night to be this cold," he said, as her body responded to the nearness of his. "I keep forgetting that I'm not in the Islands any longer, where I