by Annie Young
Carter's secretary had shown me to my new office when I had gotten there in the morning. Her name was Cindy and she wasn't particularly friendly. I guess I couldn't blame her, though. I had this feeling that she had probably been trying to get a job like this for most of her career and I just showed up and stole it right in front of her eyes. On the one hand, I felt bad about it. At the same time, I couldn't help but beam with excitement.
Still, though, I couldn't get rid of the feeling that it was all just some kind of fluke. Maybe the stars aligned or something. How was it, that just a few days into my career, I was already sitting in a corner office with a great view? I ran my fingers over the surface of my smooth mahogany desk, which wrapped around me in a half circle. The walls of the office were covered in book shelves. I planned on filling them up with books on stocks, bonds, mathematics and maybe even hide a romance novel or two in there for days when I wasn't busy.
This is the beginning of something very, very good, I thought. If nothing else, this office beats the hell out of that tiny cubicle.
I still hadn't seen Carter yet, but I had also gotten to work a little early. I wanted to make the best impression possible. It was only a few minutes, though, before he stepped through the door. My heart did a back flip and my panties nearly melted off of my body as soon as I saw him.
“Good morning,” he said, with a warm smile. “I didn't expect you here so early. Nobody is ever here before me. Besides Cindy of course.”
“I just wanted to get a running start.” I smiled back. “I hope that's okay.”
“Of course,” he said.
His eyes stayed locked with mine for just a moment too long. I glanced down, feeling my face turn warm as I blushed. When I looked back up, he walked toward my desk. He placed his hands down onto the top of it, shifting his weight to one side. When he did, it pulled his slacks tight in just the right way so that I could see a slight bump in the front. The outline of his package became apparent. My face flushed a little with arousal.
“Jane,” he said. “I'm up here.”
I lifted my gaze, and felt a rush of blood seep into my cheeks. He'd just caught me staring.
God, I'm such an idiot, I thought.
Carter chuckled, but didn't comment on it any further. Instead, he began talking business. He spoke quickly, spouting out stock market terms. Most of them I'd heard before, but I jotted down notes as fast as I could so that I could research later. He told me the ins and outs of Winthrow Financial. He explained how much market share the company had and the importance of attention to detail in a business like this.
“A single decimal is all it takes to make or break an entire empire,” he said, his green eyes lighting up. “Most people don't realize that. They paint with broad strokes, thinking that pennies don't matter. Pennies make millionaires, though. Sometimes billionaires.”
I was completely in awe as he paced back and forth in front of my desk. It was like watching some kind of motivational speaker. He was energetic and positive. He carried himself with the kind of charisma that I hadn't ever seen before. There was such confidence in everything he said and every movement he made. I had to wonder if the reason he was like this was because he was rich, or if he was rich because he was like this. Chicken or the egg.
At one point, he stopped in his tracks and turned to face me. “I've been talking your head off for a while now. I'm guessing you probably want to actually know what your job will be. I want you to look over my investments. I want you to check my numbers and give me your opinion on them.”
My eyes widened. “But Mr. Winthrow, I don't know that I have the experience to tell you what to invest it.”
“Please, Jane, call me Carter,” he said. “The only people who call me Mr. Winthrow are lawyers and I'd like to keep it that way.”
I smirked. “Okay, Carter.”
“As far as your concerns, I think you should put them to the side,” he said. “I have a lot of experience and I won't make an investment unless I really think it will perform. The reason I want to hear your opinions, is so that I can see what you know and teach you what you don't. You have a gift for this stuff, I can feel it.”
My body filled with excitement. This was the opportunity of a lifetime. To learn stocks from one of the best investors in the world? How many girls get a chance like that?
“I'm excited for the challenge,” I said. “Where should I start?”
“I'll send over a few things today,” he replied, locking eyes with me. “We'll go from there. Please come get me if you have any questions at all. My office is right around the corner. However, if the door is closed then just come back a little later. I'm often in online meetings.”
“Okay, that sounds great,” I said. “Thanks, Mr Win- Carter.”
He smiled. “No, thank you, Jane. I've got a really good feeling about you and I don't always feel that way about new hires.”
“I've got a good feeling, too.” As I spoke, I realized that my eyes had once again dropped down his body and were focused on the front of his pants. Luckily, this time I looked away before getting caught.
“We'll touch base later today,” Carter said, spinning around to leave the room. He closed my office door behind him as he left.
My God, that man is hot, I thought, my body still tingling from his presence. I'm starting to see what Maddy was talking about. My panties got wet just being in the same room as him.
Then, out of nowhere and for reasons unknown, my belly cramped and immediately released. It was a similar sensation to the one I had experienced when I saw the mom and her baby at lunch the day before.
Does my body know something that I don't? I asked myself. Is it trying to tell me something?
I officially had the best job in the world. Each morning, I came in and greeted Cindy. Then I'd quickly check in with Carter, who was always busy on his computer or cell phone, but would take the time to get me briefed for the day. God, did he dress well, too. His suits must have cost two grand each and were tailored to perfection. After staring at him for a little too long, I'd go to my office and get to work. That my was routine and I loved it.
Every few days, Carter would call me in for a meeting to check on how things were going. He told me on several different occasions that he was impressed by the thoroughness of my work. Every day I saw him, I found myself more and more attracted to him. There was a part of me that wished he felt the same way, but I knew that he didn't. I'd seen more than one woman visit him in his office in just a few short weeks. All of them, of course, were much prettier than me. In fact, if I stood next to any one of them, I would have been practically invisible.
Still, though, I couldn't get rid of the feeling inside of me. The constant, nagging feeling that kept Carter on my mind even after I got off of work. I pictured what he looked like under that expensive suit. I imagined tasting his skin, dragging my lips down his front. I thought about what it would feel like to have him press into me, plunging the length of his cock deep inside of me.
Dammit, Jane, no. Stop that shit. You can keep thinking those kind of things about him, I told myself.
The fantasy of being intimate with Carter had infiltrated my mind in the middle of work on a Friday. I crossed my legs as I sat behind my desk. It took everything I had to ignore the throbbing between my thighs. If I had been at home, I probably would have masturbated to the thought. Instead, though, I had to wait and hope that the urge would pass.
I needed a distraction. Since it was almost lunch time, I texted Maddy to see if she was interested in grabbing lunch. It had been a few days since I had seen her anyway. Plus, I figured her sense of humor would take my mind off of things for awhile.
We met at our usual spot. Maddy was there before me, already seated at a table located in the corner of the patio. She was wearing a tie dye t-shirt and jeans. She took Casual Friday very seriously. I was sure that if David had allowed it, she would have worn flip flops and sunglasses in the office as well.
“Hey!” Maddy squealed, as soon
as she saw me. “How in the hell have you been, Jane?”
We exchanged a quick hug and then I took a seat across from her. “I've been well.”
“I'll bet you have, 'Mrs. CEO',” she said, with a smirk.
“No, not quite CEO,” I replied, setting my purse onto the open seat next to me. “Working for Carter isn't what you'd think it is. I'm pretty much just looking over stock ledgers all day. It's challenging and I love it, but it's probably not all that different than what you're doing.”
“You're telling me you two haven't had any fun times in the janitor's closet yet?” Maddy asked sarcastically.
“I wish,” I said, then instantly regretted it. “I mean, no. We haven't. It's just been work.”
“Come on, Jane, you don't have to be embarrassed. Look, if I worked directly for Carter, I'd make it my mission in life to sleep with him. I'd even go on a diet so that I could lose these love handles, if that's what it took. Seriously, I'd even eat a salad once in a while.”
I laughed. “I'm not going to lie. The man is about as gorgeous of a human being as I've ever seen. The problem, though, is that he knows it. He gets any girl he wants, Maddy. I've seen him with a different girl every few days and all of them are gorgeous. Besides, it's not like I'm going to ruin my career by trying to sleep with my boss. Everyone knows what happens with you go down that road. It never ends well.”
Maddy shrugged. “Suit yourself. I'd throw my career right down the toilet for just one good night with that man.”
I wanted to tell her that I almost felt the same way. I'm not sure if I would have thrown away from career for a night with Carter, but I definitely wouldn't have turned it down the opportunity if it ever presented itself.
Not like it ever will, though, I thought, gazing down at my plain body covered in plain clothes.
Chapter 4
It was seven in the morning when I sat down at my desk on Monday morning. For some reason, I couldn't sleep the night before. I tossed and turned for hours. 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 had 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.
“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.
“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.
Chapter 5
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.
“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.
