Page 49 of The Catcher

“Yes, I do,” he said harshly. “Why do you think I’m goingfucking vegan? There’s only one woman ever going to be my wife, and that’s you.”

“B-b-b-ut,” I stuttered, feeling my cheeks flame with embarrassment that the stutter was coming back.

But this time he didn’t say anything, just stood angrily watching me, his big arms crossed across his chest. I struggled with my words, trying to calm down so I could get them out, and he stood silently waiting. When I realized he wasn’t going tosay anything, just wait like a cold and angry statue, my tongue untangled.

“Why?” I asked.

Tanner looked like he didn’t understand the question. “Because you’re the only one I’ve ever wanted. Because I can’t see your skin without wanting to mark it and make it mine. And because you’re soft and sweet and a smartass and all that ismine.”

“But—” I began, but he cut me off.

“Why did you run away?”

When I hesitated, he said warningly, “You’ve already got a cherry red ass, baby doll. Want to push your luck?”

I sighed in uncomfortable embarrassment. “It was what you said about Noah,” I whispered, not wanting to meet his eyes.

“What did I say?” Tanner growled.

“You said you were going to take me to his house and give me to him,” I said, twisting my hands in front of me. I eyed my high-heeled boots. The last time I had worn this outfit I had options. A job to go home to. A possibility of never seeing Tanner Courtenay again.

I didn’t think I had that anymore.

He made a sound of annoyance. “I wasn’t serious about that. I was just trying to scare you.”

“Well,” I said. “I was scared.”

There was a beat of silence for a moment. I tried not to look at his body in front of me, the long strong legs standing wide apart, the big arms crossed over his chest.

He put a hand out and on my chin, tipping my face up.

“I would never have done that,” he said. “I’ll fucking kill anyone you touch. Because you’re going to be my wife.”

“No,” I said, starting to struggle a bit, but he looked sternly at me, shaking my chin gently but firmly.

“Open your mouth,” he said.

I looked at him, my eyes wide.

“Open your mouth, Emrys,” he ordered again, and his hand tightened on my jaw, forcing my mouth to pop open.

“You’re mine,” he told me. “Don’t forget that. I can do what I want to you, and you’ll take anything I give you and you’lllikeanything I give you.”

Then he bent over and spit in my open mouth.

I felt my heart almost stop. I already knew Tanner could do whatever he wanted to me. I couldn’t stop him, and I didn’t even know if I wanted to stop him sometimes. But I felt my cheeks burn with shame as I tasted him in my mouth.

“Swallow me down, baby,” he said, and I heard the sound of him pulling his cock out.

I closed my mouth and obeyed, gulping down the sweet depraved taste of him in my mouth.

Then I didn’t even wait for him to tell me to get on my knees, I just sunk to the ground in front of him.

19

The Phoenixes were one game away from winning the divisional round when the first turtle came. I was in my cubicle, fielding calls for Tanner. Like I had predicted, Tanner’s live video about going vegan had led to a flood of curious, mostly positive coverage, although I had hung up on one angry call from a beef farmer’s association complaining that he was making them look bad.

But I also had several tentative offers from vegetarian companies anxious to get even the unhinged and psycho Tanner as the celebrity face of their product.

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