I took a sip and then smiled.
“What?” Carter asked, noticing my smirk.
“Nothing,” I said. “It's just that, I can't believe I'm here right now. I never thought I'd be sipping champagne with Carter Winthrow. Not to mention I'm about to go and eat at La Reve. It feels kind of surreal.”
Carter kept his gaze on me while I spoke. “Act as if you're where you want to be, and as surely as you can feel your own breath, you'll get there.”
“Is that a quote?” I asked. “Who said that? Thoreau? Emerson?”
He shook his head. “My father. I'd heard him say it countless times when I was growing up. It stuck with me.”
“Was he involved wi
th stocks too?” I asked, instantly wondering if I was crossing the line by prying.
“No, he wasn't. He did construction and wasn't successful financially at all,” Carter said. “Just because he said those words, didn't mean he ever listened to his own advice. It's still a good quote, though.”
“It definitely is,” I agreed.
“So our reservations for the restaurant are in an hour,” he said, finishing off the last swig of champagne in his glass. “Let's have another glass of this and then I'll call my driver to take us over there. Sound good?”
I nodded. “That sounds perfect.”
A driver? This guy has his own driver? I thought. Of course he does. I shouldn't be surprised by that. I just never realized that he had someone to escort him around all day.
Carter walked across the room and I followed him. He poured another round of drinks for us. His obvious approval of my outfit had caused my insecurities to dissolve. It's possible that the glass of champagne helped with this as well, but I couldn't be sure.
“Jane,” Carter said, spinning around to hand me the drink. “Tell me something about yourself.”
“Like what?” I took a sip of the drink and then set the glass down onto his desk.
“Anything,” he said. “Tell me something I don't know about you. I'm not asking for a deep and dark secret here. Just something that you'd tell a stranger.”
I looked up toward the ceiling and began to think.
Should I tell him about growing up on a farm? I thought. Or maybe I should tell him about the ridiculous crush I have on him. No, no. Don't say anything about that.
“It shouldn't be that hard,” Carter said with a chuckle. “Come on. Just hit me with something.”
“Okay,” I said. “Let me think.”
My thoughts went deeper and as they did, I pulled my bottom lip into my mouth and gently bit down on it. As soon as I did, I heard Carter take a breath in through his teeth. It made a soft hissing noise.
“Jane,” he said.
I glanced toward him. “What?”
“Don't do that,” he said, his green eyes filled with intensity.
“Do what?” I asked.
“That thing you do.” He set his drink down on the desk next to mine and took a step toward me.
“I don't know what you're talking about,” I said carefully.
“You do something when you're thinking,” he said, his eyes moving quickly down toward my chest and then back up. “I've noticed it ever since I first met you.”
Confused, I tried to think about what in the hell he was talking about. Of course, when I did, I bit my lower lip. It was just a habit. One that had probably started when I was young. It was a habit that I couldn't break.