“Make that two dozen red roses,” I growled. “And wrap them nice, with a card too.”
She nodded, turning away to do my bidding. That was more like it because what the billionaire wants is what he gets. And after the shopkeeper was done, I took the roses, even more certain than before. These were meant for my girl, and I couldn’t wait to give them to her.
Because life’s been amazing ever since I met the curvy brunette. My days go by in a blur thinking about her, and my nights go even faster with Kelsey in my bed. I crave her form, but even more, I crave that big, beautiful brain. She’s sweet as honey, with wit and intelligence, and I’ve seen it as my job to build her confidence in all areas.
Fortunately, it’s been a successful mission. Kelsey’s now so much surer of herself, and not just when it comes to crosswords. She’s also taken to reading the paper every day, and sometimes I find myself startled when she asks me questions about this and that.
“What do you think of the economy?” she murmured, pursing her lips while skimming the business section of the New York Times. “Do you think we’re headed for a major recession like all the experts are predicting?”
This happens to be one of my areas of expertise because as a corporate mogul, even the slightest swing in interest rates affects my company’s business. But I gave a light answer because there was no sense in diving into the deep end when it was just light breakfast conversation.
“Well, yes and no,” I said carefully before popping a piece of crisp, crackling bacon into my mouth. “It depends on what the Fed does setting monetary policy for the quarter. If they think the economy’s growing too fast, they’ll raise interest rates to cool it down. But the Federal Reserve Board has to be careful too, because too much cooling will plunge us into a recession. So it’s really a balancing act.”
I didn’t expect Kelsey to understand. After all, she’s new to this kind of stuff, and although the teen’s learned a lot in the past couple months, this was college-level material.
But my girl surprised me because she turned inquisitive eyes my way.
“Do you think the Fed will stop its quantitative easing?” she asked curiously, tilting her head at me. “They’ve been doing it for the past two quarters, and I know that that’s one strategy to slow our economy as well. Maybe by decreasing money supply further, the economy will slow on its own, and they won’t have to raise interest rates as much.”
I sat back, impressed, because obviously, the United States is a trillion-dollar economic engine that’s influenced by a multitude of factors. Kelsey was smart enough to realize it, and she’d obviously been able to piece together a comprehensive picture, and not just bits and bobs as we went along.
So I nodded thoughtfully.
“That’s right, sweet girl. You make a good point. I’m not sure what’s going to happen, but I’ll let you know because the board’s meeting soon,” I rumbled. “We have a quarterly meeting in New York next month, so I’ll let you know how it turns out.”
Her mouth dropped open, eyes going wide.
“Trent, you’re a member of the Federal Reserve Board?” she asked in a shocked whisper. “How is that possible?”
I grinned, but the answer was easy.
“Sweetheart, a long time ago I started as a bank teller. Then I moved up to the guy who helps people apply for mortgages. Then I moved up to junior manager, and then vice president of our local community bank. After that, we were acquired by a national bank, and I stayed on as division head, only to be named CEO after two years. So I’ve been in the banking industry for decades now, and it was pretty natural to be named to the board. Believe it or not, there aren’t that many qualified candidates.”
Her mouth open and closed a few more times before a murmur came out.
“So you’re in the newspaper sometimes?” she asked, eyes wide. “They want your opinion when it comes to predicting monetary policy?”
I shook my head.
“Yes and no,” was my reply. “On the one hand, we need to feed the press something because they’re hungry dogs and won’t back down unless you throw them a couple scraps. But on the other hand, in general, members of the board avoid publicity. It’s real work, sweetheart, but we don’t like to call undue attention to ourselves.”
Kelsey looked at me again, cheeks flushing.
“Wow,” she murmured. “I had no idea you were so influential.”
I chucked her under the chin.
“Why not?” I growled. “I’ve been in this business for years. Besides, there’s no reason to focus on this stuff unless you have some free time. I hope I’ve been keeping you busy in other ways that are a lot more satisfying, if you get my drift.”