Page 9 of The Catcher

“J-j-just doing a regular charitable act won’t help your image,” I said. “It has to be something unexpected, something unusual.”

“J-j-j-j-j,” he said, mocking my stutter. “Can’t even get the words out to tell me what shit I’m supposed to be doing.”

I felt the tears spring to my eyes, blurring my vision as I looked down at my notes.

I hadn’t stuttered in so long. So many years of speech therapy. Finally getting confident to try doing something like PR.

All thrown away, all my techniques lying in shattered pieces because of one asshole. I dropped my eyes so I wouldn’t have tosee his face, those perfect, high cheekbones, the messy black hair somehow looking impossibly attractive, the contemptuous curve to his lip.

I forced myself to breathe, my palms feeling sweaty.I could do this.

“Well?” Tanner snapped. “I’m waiting for this genius idea that’s going to make it so I can get my sponsorships back.”

I glanced up. He had the most casual approach to getting a blowjob I’d ever seen. He wasn’t even looking at her. His eyes were fastened onme, burning my skin like a fire.

I could hear her enthusiastic slurps as she sucked his cock, her breathy, fake-sounding moans as she tried to get some attention out of him, but all he did was continue to tap his fingers on the table, the other hand locked behind his head, and look at me with narrowed eyes.

“Pull my hair,” she gasped, but he ignored her, impatiently jiggling one of his big thighs, his strong tanned fingers tapping harder on the table, in a rhythm that felt like it dug into my skull.

I may be having a shitty day, but at least I’m not sucking Tanner Courtenay’s dick, I thought.

“The first thing you’re going to do is become a vegan,” I said, taking a deep breath.

And that did get a reaction from him as he jerked in his chair.

“Fuck no,” he said, his big fingers curving into the table.

“Oh, yes, you are,” I said, with more confidence than I felt. “You are going to get in front of a reporter and say you are going plant-based to help the earth. That will get you some positive attention. Or, at least, some different attention.”

“No,” he said, his eyes flaring at me, not even attempting to pretend to pay attention to the woman in front of him now.

I felt a little stab of fear, but I ignored it and shoved my list of 10 bullet points for going vegan across the table in front of him.

“According to Lou you have to do what I suggest.”

His big hand shot out and he grabbed my wrist, trapping me over the paper.

“Come up with something else,” he growled.

“Ouch, Tanner! You’re hurting me!” I cried, his fingers tightening painfully on my wrist.

“I’m not fuckinggoing vegan,” he said.

“It won’t be that bad,” I argued, trying to tug my wrist away. But he held me in a steel grip.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the woman in front of him on the floor twisting her body at an odd angle, her arms outstretched, trying to keep Tanner’s cock in her mouth as he spun to face me.

“No,” he said, yanking my whole arm then, so my body was jammed against the edge of the table.

I felt a throb between my legs as he ground my breasts against the hard wood of the table, the woman’s slurps sounding desperate now. I cursed my choice not to wear a suit jacket, my nipples hardening painfully through my thin shirt as he kept me trapped in place.

“You can do a little video on Instagram every day showing what you’re eating,” I suggested, still straining to get away from him.

Tanner’s eyes narrowed and suddenly he pushed the woman in front of him impatiently away with one hand, continuing to trap me with the other.

I saw a flash of his big cock, thick and long, as he shoved it back in his sweatpants, and my mouth went dry for a second.

“Want me to finish?” she asked uncertainly, and he waved her away, yanking up his sweats.

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