Being naked in front of them made Marguerite vastly uncomfortable, Robert particularly, but another unexpected thought crept unbidden into her mind, keeping her steps even and measured as she passed them both. I belong to Tyler. I'm safe.
At least for this weekend.
She made herself add the last, well aware it was a conscious effort to do so, whereas the first part of the thought had simply appeared in her mind like a child's truth.
Tyler felt some of the tension go out of her as they moved deeper into the sanctuary of the house, out of Sarah and Robert's presence. Taking her hand, he laced his fingers in hers to reassure her. He'd felt an unusual compulsion to shield her with his body when he passed Robert, something he'd never felt with his submissives before. He mused on it as they made their way to the stairs.
He'd seen her start to gather her reserve around her the moment he indicated he was going to give her the time she demanded and cursed himself for a fool. He should spend that time with her. Even if the tea time could not involve D/s play, he knew it wasn't advisable to give her breathing space for the objective he was trying to reach.
But he also knew he had to do something to burn off the physical hunger in himself.
As well as the emotional hunger that he didn't want to explore too deeply. He'd never had such an ache. It was time to bite the bullet, literally. Sweat it out and take the risk of leaving her side before he did something that would destroy her trust.
Patience. It had always served him well as a Master and he needed to embrace it now. Though he felt more like choking than embracing it.
* * * * *
Before an hour had passed, she found herself restless. Sarah had laid out the Japanese boxwood tea set she'd brought and prepared the Assam tea perfectly without any instruction. Marguerite considered stealing her away from Tyler, though she suspected she'd have to mortgage the cafe to afford the salary Tyler likely paid her.
When she tasted one of the cookies Sarah had left on a plate, Marguerite decided she'd be worth whatever it might cost.
"Miss Perruquet, is the tea not to your liking?" Sarah, as if she had been imbued with special culinary empath skills, stepped into the bistro nook which was right off the kitchen area.
"It's perfect. " Marguerite nodded courteously.
"Well, then. . . " The housekeeper studied her, her expression carefully neutral. "If you'd like, Mr. Winterman is in the range room. "
"Range room?"
She nodded. "Downstairs. We have an underground level. One part of it. . . " She pursed her lips. "It used to be for entertaining guests, but after the unpleasantness with Violet and Mac and that terrible woman, he had it converted to a workout area and indoor shooting range. "
That was interesting, for Tyler's parties in his dungeon had been the stuff of legend.
But Marguerite understood. The bust that had taken down the S&M Killer had happened at Tyler's home and almost resulted in the death of Mac Nighthorse as well as Violet. It moved her to know he wouldn't countenance using the room again for D/s play. Not when it had been used to serve a horrible, twisted version of the sexual lifestyle he approached like an art form.
"Yes. " She'd take the opening to see more of the man than he was choosing to reveal. He'd said he would come and get her in two hours, fully anticipating she wouldn't seek him out. Perhaps the error in judgment on his part would give her a tactical advantage.
Sarah, oblivious, was more than willing to show her the entrance to the basement.
She handed Marguerite ear protection before she opened the door. "Just go right down.
There's a glass wall where you'll be able to see him and a buzzer for the door into the shooting area. You'll need to press that first for him to let you in. Mr. Winterman is very particular about safety with respect to his guns. " The man had guns, plural. That was alarming. Marguerite nodded, started down the stairs.
She heard the muffled report of a weapon. When she turned the corner, she was in a small room similar to a police anteroom where cops could watch a suspect be grilled behind two-way glass, except this appeared to simply be a normal clear window of bulletproof glass The room in which Tyler was practicing was not small at all. There were targets set up and an obstacle course which he was working now.
He'd put on a T-shirt over his shorts but he was obviously pushing himself hard.
The cotton was wet, clinging to his upper body.
He advanced, firing the gun and spun as a mechanized target swung toward him.
Knocking it down, he did a roll across the ground, fired, rolled back behind a barrel, fired again. This time the shot went through a six-inch ring mounted on a pole and hit the target just beyond it, a metal circle that clanged at the impact and spun wildly. Back, forth, back, forth, he went from one obstacle to another, shooting now from his stomach flat on the floor, then back to his feet to fire again while running forward. He leaped over a wooden bar. . . No, onto it, going to a crouch, firing left then right, his feet balanced on no
more than a three-inch span of wood as he punched through two cardboard targets. For the most part, she noted he was hitting every man-shaped slab in the chest area. One or two he took through the forehead.
She knew he was in good shape but had not realized how supremely fit he was. She blessed the gods above when he laid down the gun and removed his eye and ear protection to impatiently strip off the shirt, using it to mop up the sweat on his chest and the back of his neck. Tossing the shirt over a wooden target, he put the glasses and headgear back on.
She saw a workout room to his left behind another sheet of bulletproof glass but she wasn't looking at a man who used those weights to build up his muscles for show. He was staying in a state of military preparedness. Whether with intent or by habit, she didn't know but she couldn't say she wasn't impressed. Her pounding heart as well as the slight perspiration in her palms betrayed her reaction. It was like watching a wild animal. So incredibly fit and graceful one almost forgot the animal's purpose was savagery.