Page 10 of The Catcher

Then he abruptly let me go. I only had a moment to cradle my wrist when I saw him get up and head toward me around the table. I stumbled up hastily, backing away and putting my chair between us.

“This isn’t a discussion, Tanner,” I said breathlessly. “You fucked up. You agreed you would do what I said.”

He shoved the chair away, sending it tumbling to the floor with a quick, fierce motion, as I tried to back away to the door. I suppressed a scream, not wanting to admit I was frightened of the expression on his face. He put a hand on my arm, yanking me closer to him.

My arm and wrist ached from his rough touch, and I wondered if I’d have bruises the next day.

“I don’t like being disobeyed,” he said. “I told you to come up with something else.”

The tension felt so tight between us that I was frozen in place, afraid to move for fear something would shatter.

His gray eyes were so cold that the air seemed to chill around him, falling onto my skin like invisible ice shards.

The spell was broken when the other woman asked again, “Want me to finish you off?”

“Go find someone else,” Tanner said without looking back at her, and she stood up awkwardly and left.

I broke away from him, my wrist aching, and I straightened my clothes and tried to focus. I moved further away from him as the door shut behind the other woman.

I was frightened but furious.

“It’s a miracle you can get anyone at all to suck your dick,” I said. “You’re not supposed to be able to have a whole conversation during a blowjob.”

I shouldn’t have opened my big mouth, because I felt his powerful hands grabbing me, and he flipped me around, then pinned me against the window.

“You think you can do it better, you frightened little mouse?” he growled in my ear, his knee shoved into the back of my thigh. “You want me to give your nice little ass a chance? That’s whatthis is about, isn’t it?Youwant on your knees in front of me, gagging on my cock, don’t you?”

I gasped, the window cool against my cheek, his hands digging into my flesh.

“Never,” I hissed. “Get off me, Tanner.”

I ground my teeth down to control the wail of fear as I realized I couldn’t get away from him. In this position, he could do anything he wanted with me.

I was startled to feel his big cock on my back, an unmistakable power and threat. My breath started coming faster, in such short pants that I was afraid I was going to hyperventilate.

“Maybe I’ll let you, starfucker,” he said, his lips so close to my throat that I felt the loose hair from my thick updo swirl around my neck.

A shiver went down my spine, and I struggled wildly in his arms, only succeeding in wrenching my elbows and scraping my face across the window lock. Tanner laughed and shoved his hips forward so I was squashed against the window, my breasts painfully flattened against the cool glass.

“Or maybe I’ll take you whether you want it or not,” he growled, his lips closing on my ear, teeth digging into the soft flesh there, then yanking back so I felt the pain radiating down my neck.

“Help!” I suddenly cried, and I heard him hiss in displeasure, clamping his hand over my jaw.

“Shut yourmouth, Emrys. I’m not done with you.”

But then the door opened and Tre was there.

I could have cried with relief as I saw the other man’s forehead wrinkle.

“Let her go,” he said.

“Get out of here,” Tanner said sharply. “This doesn’t concern you. She’s not yours.”

But I was relieved that Tre didn’t leave, and then I saw Steak poke his head in for backup.

“Let her go,” Tre said again, and I wriggled out of his arms, Tanner’s big hands unclenching only slowly from my shirt. I breathed a shaky sigh of relief. But I looked around and Tanner’s eyes were burning as he loomed over me. This wasn’t over.

“You OK there?” Steak asked me.

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