Chapter Six

A week later...

The look on Carter's face when he stepped into my office that Monday morning was one of shock.

“You were right,” he said, before I could even greet him.

“About what?” I asked.

“That company,” he said, shaking his head. “The biofuel one in Oregon. Turned out, they were using it to launder money. The stock value plummeted in a matter of minutes once the news hit the public. I was able to get some of my investment back, but not all. Still lost a million bucks.”

“You're kidding me?” I wasn't sure if I was more shocked at the fact he'd lost a million or that I was actually right about that company.

“I'm impressed, Jane,” he said, a smile on his face.

“You lost a million dollars and you're smiling?” I asked.

“I'm smiling because of what I just learned about you,” he replied. “I don't give a shit about the money. I'll make it back. This incident taught me something very important about you, though.”

I raised my eyebrows. “And what's that?”

“You really do have a knack for this stuff,” he said. “It wasn't just my imagination, Jane. I've got something else I want you to take a look at. Come with me.”

I did as Carter asked and followed him into his office. He sat down in front of his computer and printed off a sheet of paper. He set it in front of me and I instantly recognized it as a stock ledger. I pulled it close and focused my eyes. It was a company that was unfamiliar to me but besides that, it seemed pretty normal.

“What am I looking for here?” I asked, shrugging my shoulders.

“You tell me,” Carter said.

My eyes scanned over the paper until something finally popped out on the page. “This is missing an important number. What is this company's daily volatility?”

Carter smiled and moved out of the way so I could see his computer. He had the company up on the screen: New York Solar Company. “I'm spending over a million dollars on this stock today. I'm either going to buy it or short it. Which should I do? I want your opinion.”

“Well, based on these metrics, this company is underpriced,” I said, scrolling through the graphs and metrics. I could see the whole history of the company just in the numbers.

He smiled. “That's exactly what I was thinking. That's why I want to jump on it.

“Carter, look at this, though.” I pointed to the computer screen at one of the graphs as I spoke. “This company is going to fall apart soon. Definitely within the quarter but maybe even before the week is over. It's all here. The performance trends for this company look good in some ways, but that isn't the whole story.”

Carter's smile faded. “What if I told you that the market opened an hour ago and the company is already up five points?”

Maybe he was right. I couldn't be completely sure, but once again there was just something that told me that this company wasn't a good one to invest in.

I bit my lower lip as I thought about what I should say. As soon as I did, Carter clenched his jaw and his pupils dilated. I kept my lip tucked between my teeth for a just a moment. This wasn't the first time I'd seen a reaction from him to this little habit of mine. He liked it. I think it turned him on. Or maybe I just deeply wished that it did.

He kept his gazed locked on my lips for just a second longer. I savored the moment, then spoke. “You really want my opinion?”

Carter nodded.

“I'd say you have an even better price to short it,” I said. “I've seen you miss this telltale sign before. It's a similar stock to the one from last week and I think it will perform just like that one did, if not worse.”

Carter slowly pulled on the neck of his tie, loosening it a bit. He cleared this throat before speaking. “I hope you're right.”

With that, I watched as he put in a million dollar order for the stocks. Just a couple of buttons on his computer. I watched him put it all in. He had taken my advice and I suddenly felt ill.

Did I just gamble with a million dollars of someone else's money? I asked myself.

I thought I might be sick.

Carter closed the window on the computer. His desktop background was a photo of him holding a baby. It was adorable and I immediately felt those weird baby-crazy feelings kick in.

“Who's that?” I asked, hoping I didn't sound too nosey.

“That's my baby niece,” he said proudly. “Isn't she adorable?”

“Yeah,” I agreed. “She really is cute.”

What would a baby look like with his eyes, I thought. His eyes and my smile.

The idea made me woozy. A baby with Carter? That was crazy, but then again, so was being promoted to being his personal stockbroker with no experience.

“Well, thanks for your advice on this stock, Jane,” Carter said, temporarily breaking my thoughts. “I'll let you know what happens with it.”

“You're welcome,” I managed to say before biting my lip again.

Carter clenched his jaw but then turned away, bringing his attention back to the computer. I went back to my office in a daze.

This is crazy, I thought, taking a seat behind my desk. Why am I having these feelings? Why did I like seeing him with a baby so much?

I shook my head. That was crazy. He didn't look twice at me most days and I had nothing compared to the women he liked having.

And a baby? While I would admit to an infection of baby fever on occasion, I wasn't about to have one with my boss. That was never going to happen.