"Even the most jealous man becomes indifferent at a certain point. Even the most greedy investor, when hit repeatedly by heavy losses, becomes depressingly detached," he said, sadly.

"The lucky man has no children. What about them?" she asked.

"This is a good sign. They're about the sense of guilt," he replied.

He thought of how much he and his wife longed for their wonderful children. They were their capital, their investment in the future. He couldn't speak for a moment.

"Leaving your children represents the ultimate failure of your project, of your investment strategy. You could feel guilty forever."

She was starting to understand. "Do you mean to say that your portfolio of investments becomes part of your life? That you feel like a failure as a man because of losing money? The only way I can lose money is when I go shopping at Prada or Chanel, or when I buy some sexy La Perla lingerie! I can't believe this." He daydreamed about said sexy lingerie and laughed.

"Well," he said, "it's somehow different, but certainly you can associate the perception of your big losses as an investor to your failure as a husband, a father. You believe that this has happened not because you've made expensive and wrong choices, but because you are not a valid person."

He looked thoughtful and distant. The pink dress left exposed her shoulders and her soft, tanned skin. Her muscles were slightly tense and defined after long hours of exercise. She was very sensual and attractive. A woman like that could drive strong emotions. His mind wandered again to the markets. He thought of the kind of impulse that can change the market status from a sloppy and sideways condition to a highly directional, volatile, emotional type of market action. Under those conditions, momentum is king and there are no contrarian trades to be made. She could give that kind of impulse to a man's life. Was it possible not surrendering to the allure and desire of this beautiful creature?

The encounter was shaking his state of indifference, his apathy. Sometimes it's the unforeseen that matters most, he thought. In markets and sex, emotions generate impressive and irrational moves. There are indeed parallels between market action during euphoria and panic, and sexual climax. Action occurs in waves. At first slower and controlled as action and reaction alternate rhythmically and predictably. Then cycles become quicker, with rapid and intense impulses that increase parabolically in intensity and speed until the final emotional climax and culmination. The exhaustion that follows can lead to sudden reversals. Investors and lovers alike are left with a blurred perception of reality, time and space that can last for some time. They can be caught by surprise, as energy suddenly disappears into action and prices are pulled back as fast as they went up or down.

He was brought back to the real world by her voice. "So, what's going to happen?" she asked.

"It depends what kind of guy he is," he answered. "Ask the lucky man if he uses stop losses in the markets and you'll know if he'll leave her soon. If he doesn't, then you have to hope for extreme events to come that will overwhelm him and force him to decide."

He could see the path he was personally following and hoped for her sake that the lucky man was different.

"I wish you good luck," he said.

She kissed him and left. Maybe she had all the answers she wanted. He didn't.