Chapter Five

Monday morning came and I was exhausted. I'd tossed and turned for hours the night before. The clock had mocked me with each passing hour and eventually I just got out of bed. There was nothing I hated more than laying there and trying to sleep.

I guessed that my sleeplessness had something to do with a restless mind. My thoughts had been turning ever since the week before when I had had lunch with Maddy. I kept thinking about what she had said, about how she would have done anything to sleep with Carter. It made me wonder if I should have been thinking the same way. I mean if there was ever a chance for me to hook up with a billionaire playboy then this was it. I'd never be this close again.

When Carter stepped into my office that morning, I smiled wide but he could see the tiredness in my eyes.

“You look exhausted, Jane,” he said, with his usual upbeat energy. “Long weekend?”

“No, nothing like that,” I said, before taking a quick sip of my coffee. “Just one of those sleepless nights, I guess.”

“I hate those.” Carter held a few pieces of paper in his hand and he set them in front of me. “I'd like you to look these investments over this morning. Let me know what you think. When you're done, you can go home and get some rest.”

“I appreciate that, but I'll stay for the day,” I said. “I'm not that tired. Plus, who needs sleep when there's coffee?”

Carter chuckled. I watched as he adjusted his navy blue tie, which made him look as handsome as ever. It complimented his gray suit perfectly. I had a hard time believing any straight man could have picked out such an exact match of colors in an outfit. The only explanation was that Carter had a personal stylist. Either that, or he happened to have exquisite taste on top of all of his other good qualities.

“I'll be in my office all day,” he said, pausing before turning away.

I could have sworn I watched his gaze drop down to my chest, but it was so quick that it was impossible to say for sure. Probably me just being exhausted.

“Come knock if you need me.” Carter finished speaking and then left the office. It felt strange, though. It was like there was something more he wanted to say but he didn't say it.

Probably just my imagination, I thought. Just like always.

Another swig of coffee. I savored it, enjoying the caramel flavors as the over-priced liquid slid across my tongue. It would hopefully give me enough energy to at least keep from falling asleep at my desk. With the caffeine in my blood stream, I began sifting through the papers that Carter had set in front of me.

They were receipts for investments that he had made that morning. Millions of dollars in stocks for a start up company located in Oregon. It looked like some diesel company, but I didn't know for sure until I began doing some research online about them. They were doing something with algae, creating biofuel from some coastal variant. It turned out, that there were some rumors that their CEO had been using the company to funnel money from other sources. Nothing had been confirmed, they were just rumors.

That company is going to go down the tubes, I thought.

I wasn't sure why I knew it, though. It was just something my instincts told me. Something in my gut. If Carter had dumped a couple of thousand into it, it would have been one thing. However, we were talking millions. Sure, that wasn't a lot for Carter. Even so, though, the idea of losing that kind of cash made my stomach turn.

With my coffee in hand, I went straight to his office. He looked up from his computer as I pushed the door open. “Hey, Carter. I wanted to talk to you about something.”

He motioned for me to take a seat in the chair across the desk for him. “Of course, Jane. What do you have for me?”

I sat down and placed the papers in front of him. “Remember the other day when I said I didn't feel like I was capable of deciding which companies you should invest in?”

Carter nodded, as he raised an eyebrow. “Yes, I remember.”

“Well, this biofuel company. The one in Oregon...” I began to say.

“What about it?” Carter asked, bringing his elbows to the desk and leaning forward.

“I think you should sell those stocks immediately,” I stated, nearly wincing at my own words.

“Jane, that company has done nothing but grow for the past year,” he said, with a proud smile. “Their stocks were still affordable, though, so I wanted to get in on it while I still could. What makes you think I should sell them?”

“That company is going to flop,” I said, nervously pushing my bangs off of my forehead.

“How do you know?” Carter asked the question and it seemed he was genuinely interested in hearing my response. He wasn't being flippant at all. He just seemed curious.

“I just have this feeling.” It was the truth, but I realized how stupid it probably sounded. Especially to a man who used logic and math in making all of his decisions.

Carter chuckled. “Jane, you and I both know that it's the numbers I care about. Nothing in that company's history makes me feel like it's going to plummet any time soon. I appreciate your thoughts, though. However, I won't be selling those stocks.”

I felt my face turn hot as my cheeks blushed. What in the hell was I thinking? I should have just kept my stupid opinion to myself. Carter was right. He knew this business better than anybody. I couldn't have been more embarrassed that I'd spoken up about my stupid theory.

“Sorry to interrupt you,” I said, standing up from the chair.

“Jane, wait,” Carter reached forward, touching my hands. His touch caused me to suck in a quick breath of air. My body tingled.

“Don't ever be sorry about bringing these things to my attention.” He spoke warmly and gazed into my eyes. “It's why I hired you. You'll see why I made those particular investments in a week. Just one week and it'll become clear. I promise you.”

“Okay,” I said meekly. “Maybe my gut just needs a little fine tuning.”

That came out weird, I thought. Time for more coffee.

“I mean my instincts,” I continued. “My instincts need a little more practice.”

“You just need to remember that instincts only go so far in this business,” he said. “If you're playing this game completely with your gut, then you're gambling. Not that there's anything wrong with gambling. I'd just prefer to be in Vegas when I'm doing that.”

He winked flirtatiously and then lifted his hands from mine. After that, he faced his computer once again. I slowly turned and went back to my office. The flesh on the top of my hands still tingled from his touch.