Me Carter; you Jane

5

She watched him put his phone number in her device without asking if she wanted it. Once the Tech entered her account, he transferred all her data to the new iPhone. Carter handed her back her phone with a smile on her face.

"I texted your number to my phone," Carter said.

Jane stared at him momentarily before answering him with a straight face. "Thank you so much."

His laughter made her smirk.

He looked around the mall. "Let's walk around to ensure you have everything you need."

Jane finished putting Debra's number on her phone and then placed it in her purse. Carter walked out of the Apple store with her at his side. He looked down at her and smiled. He lost count of all the men secretly staring at his accountant as they walked through the mall. She was either unaware of it or did not care. Carter thought that it was a bit of both.

He was surprised at himself. Since his aunt's death, he did not feel motivated to go out with anyone. Jane's serious but playful attitude helped him relax.

"Where would you like to go next?" He asked her.

Jane looked straight ahead and then up at him. "Your girlfriend is staring at us."

Carter looked across the central aisle of trees and benches that separated the mall into two halves and saw Trina standing there, gawking at them.

She had gone home and called William, but he was with another client. She did not want to wait at home, so she went to the mall. She was surprised to find out Carter was there and his accountant with him. She started walking towards them.

Jane looked up at Carter and saw the vein in his neck pulsating.

Trina smiled at Jane. The bitch was going to make her go postal in her efforts to get Carter back. She would have to pull every trick she knew to eliminate this woman. Carter never took anyone to their mall. What was he doing here with her?

"Oh, my, you are gorgeous!"

Jane smiled even though she could see the hate in this woman's eyes as she spoke those words.

"Thank you.... I'll be at the shoe store." Jane walked away from them.

Trina looked up at Carter's stone face. He could hold a grudge like no other man or person she had ever met. It could be weeks, months, or even years before he talked to her again. Anyone crossing Carter Thorne should expect physical, financial retribution, or both.

"I see you are out with Miss Flowers." Trina tried to get closer to him, but Carter's hard face erased that idea.

What business was it of hers? What was he doing? "I ran her out of Ohio. It's only right that I take care of her."

Trina nodded. "But you brought her here...this is our mall...I thought."

Carter sighed. "I bought you that necklace that you begged me for constantly, and that transaction does not make this our mall."

Her heart dropped, seeing the stone face grow even rougher. "If you dislike me so much, why did you take me to Ohio?"

"Because you would not stop begging me to go after I told you we could be friends and nothing more. You did not even care that I treated you like shit. I didn't even introduce you to Mr. Greene or Jane."

Jane. Carter was using her first name now that she was wearing something other than black and showing skin. Trina frowned.

"I went to show support for you. I know you are still hurting, and I was trying to be your fr...."