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"Hmm." Marguerite's body adopted an eerie stillness when she was listening. Regina forced herself to say nothing further, to wait her out and not fill in the silence with pointless information. A few breaths later, Marguerite decided that confidentiality clause didn't apply to Regina, revealing it through her most common method of communication. Minimalist and to the point.
"Stay away from his childhood."
Regina's brow creased. "But if that's where the root of the problem is..."
Marguerite shook her head. "I'm not saying overlook or ignore it in the decisions you make. Stay away from it in scene. It's a place that holds no safety for him. The submission he knew there was forced, cold and dark, the kind no one wishes to experience. Introduce him to the pleasures of submission and safety in the here and now to get to the treasure beneath. There's a trove there."
Regina felt an absurd push of jealousy. "Oh? What kind of treasure?"
"It wasn't mine to plunder or enjoy. Just as he wasn't mine to heal." Marguerite met Regina's gaze. "I felt that cold, dark place from him, but I didn't compel him to speak of it, nor did I push past it. The details I provided are the details I have."
"So how did you know it was there?"
"Intuition. You stand outside an abandoned building in a bad part of town, you feel the opposite of what you feel when you enter the gates of a spring carnival. Energy has its own language that can be read without the details." There was a faint note of rebuke in Marguerite's tone. "You've done enough sessions to know that."
"Yeah, but you're putting it into context for me. Don't do the Morpheus Matrix thing. I know you're like a Domme guru, but it's annoying."
Humor flitted through Marguerite's gaze, but she inclined her head in gracious apology. "You're correct. You're a formidable Mistress, and I was reacting to what I know of that, rather than being sensitive to your own energy. When someone gets into our heart or soul, it circumvents our knowledge and experience, and plays havoc with that logic."
"But he hasn't gotten into my head, fucking me up the way he's done the other Mistresses," Regina mused. "He's trying hard to do that, and he gets points for effort, but it's something beyond that. Something I feel from him. Something I recognize that I don't think anyone else has. Except maybe you. It's an ego stroke, I don't deny it, but it's also a challenge."
"A challenge can also be a warning."
"Is that from your husband?"
Marguerite's lips curved again. "He is concerned about his role in this, but I told him he made the right call."
"Thank you." Regina lifted her tea cup to take another sip. "Okay, stay away from his childhood in session. Got it. But you said 'introduce him to submission.' He's already an experienced sub, and I know you know that, so what did you mean?"
"He knows how to act like a sub. I'm not sure he's ever allowed himself to embrace it as his true nature. I expect that would be a wondrous thing to see. The Mistress who can get him there will receive a gift, but it will be a hard-earned one."
Marguerite broke a cookie into three parts and put them in a line on her plate. She wiped her fingers on a napkin and rested her hand on the table.
"Marius is an accomplished, self-aware split personality. At one time, he excelled in any structured role that didn't challenge what lies deep inside him. It allowed many Mistresses to enjoy him. In turn, they likely provided him an outlet that kept the darker things managed. But at a certain point..."
"A switch flipped." Regina nodded. "He couldn't do it in session anymore. But he also couldn't submit, so he started to push back harder and harder, until it went into the unhealthy area. He can't stay on the surface of his submissive cravings anymore, but he can't let go enough to do the deep end, which is really where he wants to be."
She blew out a delicate breath. "I was trying to narrow down when it happened. The first time I noticed it was the session he did with Lyda. That was what, about seven or eight months ago?"
"Yes." Marguerite appeared to be running through the timeframe in her head. "Soon after that was when he started coming to work with more injuries from his fights."
"So you knew about that?"
"Not at first. As long as we've known him, Marius has trained in different fighting styles. He's also competed, but they've been events through his local gym, well-monitored and legal amateur sports. When Tyler realized he was starting to participate in the underground circuit, he confronted Marius about it. Marius explained it was to make extra money and refused Tyler's offer to help him find additional work, less hazardous to his health. He is proud, as most men are. He also told Tyler it helped him manage aggression. As I said, he is self-aware, and likely realized his sessions were turning sour."
Marguerite sighed. "Since it is illegal, Tyler debated whether he should terminate his employment then, but decided not to do so, if it did not negatively affect his work performance at The Zone."
"Tyler realized if he fired him, Marius might turn to it as his sole income and he'd end up with his brains as soup."
"Yes." Wrapping both hands around her tea cup, Marguerite dipped her head without drinking, as if inhaling the aroma deeply. She was quiet a m
oment before she continued. "Tyler has a particular soft spot for...lost souls. It was difficult for him to make that decision. While it was far harder to fire Marius, the decision was more clear-cut. Endangering members of The Zone is something Tyler won't tolerate."
"Nor should he," Regina agreed. "He did the right thing, both in making that decision and in giving me the choice to get involved."
"I'll tell him you think so, and perhaps he'll realize he's not expected to be God."
"If you'd stop calling him that during sex, he wouldn't be such a megalomaniac."
