Marcus was exhausted. Mentally and physically, he was overstretching himself dealing with the tumult of the last little while. Lukas, the crazy bastard, had brought a bunch of stuff back into his life that he had been ignoring.

Yes, he had been the one to cave and go to the club here, but Lukas was the one who inadvertently made him want to come back to the lifestyle. He felt pulled back, and not in a bad way, but it felt scary to him.

It was the life he had run away from. He was still running from. Those desires that made him want to be dominated, to experience submission, were bordering on shameful in his psyche because of his last involvement.

Lukas was right, not every dominant was that man. He was still wary though. Still unsure of his own judgement. Part of him was still destroyed by that man, and he felt raw and open. The part that had healed was aching for the comfort of a proper Master... a good Sir.

Someone not unlike Lukas' new Master. He knew Master Alek was praised and highly regarded at the club, and Lukas seemed to be happy with him. Now if only he could find someone who was a bit closer to that kind of person.

Someone who would make him confident and happy in his submission would be nice. Not someone who made him feel stupid, helpless, disconnected or nervous. Definitely, he needed someone who paid attention to his needs and respected his limits....

He stuck his hand into his pocket and felt a small piece of paper with his fingertips. The edges were slightly soft from the few times he had done so over the past two days. His eyes unfocused as he stood in line, and the cashier had to ask him a couple times to get his attention.

"Medium coffee, black." He ordered. Then felt a chill on his back. He glanced around the shop, but nothing stuck out to him. This wasn't the first time he felt it though. Like someone was watching him... he glanced into the large glass display cabinet at the gourmet muffins and licked his lips.

"Will there be anything else?" The cashier looked at him expectantly and he made a quick decision.

"One of those double chocolate chip muffins." He blurted out. He watched as the girl packed it into a bag with the logo of the shop on it and paid quickly before he changed his mind.

Both hands were full when he left the shop, and his mind was in a daze. He didn't eat anything this sweet. Why did he buy it? That little voice in the back of his head whispered to him, Demyan likes chocolate... his office is just around the corner...

He gulped and found that his feet were already heading down the street in the direction of the security company. The sign out front was clean and professional. The entry was smart and modern with sharp colours and comfortable waiting furniture.

"May I help you sir?" The woman behind the desk asked in a polite tone. Marcus put down his coffee and took out the card from his pocket to show her.

"I am here to see Demyan, is he free at the moment?" He asked equally polite.

"Your name?" She asked, picking up the phone on the desk.

"Tell him Marcus is here." He looked away from her eyes towards the stairs as a group of men and women in clean business attire came from upstairs. They chatted quietly and drowned out the woman on the phone.

"You can go right up sir. The office is to the left at the top of the stairs." She smiled at him and pointed to the direction the others had just come down from. He nodded, picked up his coffee and slowly made his way.

His eyes flitted about nervously as he walked, watching the other people and noticing the small cameras set up in inconspicuous places in the front entry and stairs. One of the smartly dressed women smiled gently at him, so he nodded to her before going up.

His shoes clacked on the metal strips for grip. The stairs were tall and his mind swirled as he walked. At the top of the stairs, he turned left, his eyes glancing right to see Sasha talking with someone outside what looked like a boardroom.

The door to the office was painted black with silver and white lettering on it. He knocked and waited. Demyan opened the door looking... well, looking as normal as he had ever seen him. He was wearing a blue suit and white shirt. It was clean looking.

"I... I uh, brought you a muffin." He said lamely at the man's surprised look. He felt nervous standing out in the hall holding up the bag.

"You didn't have to do that... it's so nice of you!" Demyan said with a big smile. He took the outstretched bag and motioned him to come in. Marcus hesitated. "I can leave the door open if it would make you feel more comfortable?"

"No... it's okay. You can close it. I am just feeling... a little paranoid." He replied with a half-smile. Demyan cocked an eyebrow at him and pointed to a comfortable looking couch.

"Yeah? Why don't you tell me about it? Maybe I can help." He smiled and took out the muffin from the bag. His eyes lit up and he didn't pause before taking a huge bite of it. Marcus couldn't help but laugh a little.

"It's probably nothing, Demyan." Marcus felt like he was being silly. Ever since the club he was feeling on edge, so it was probably just him being oversensitive. He said as much to Demyan.

"Call me Demmy. I believe that our senses act as a warning system. If you are nervous or unsettled, then you should absolutely do something about it. Whether it is as simple as meditating to calm yourself or something like having a walking partner to take you home, it is okay to take your feelings seriously." He replied with a smile after finishing his bite.

"You don't think I'm being... paranoid?" Marcus asked unsure.

"Of course not. You just want to feel safe, yes?" He asked reasonably. Marcus nodded with a feeling of warmth and relief.

"Yes... I want to feel safe." He whispered with his eyes cast downward to his lap. Demmy hummed and wiped some melted chocolate off his fingers.

"Good. How about I can walk you home for now. When you feel better, I can stop if you like, but let's make you feel safe and sound." He patted Marcus' shoulder gently with one hand.

"No, I couldn't ask you to. You must be busy with your work." Marcus said negatively.

"Marcus, I am not too busy for you. Remember, this is my job. I protect people. I make them feel safe. If you want to pay me for my time, then buy me more muffins. That was delicious." He grinned rakishly and Marcus was conflicted.

"Maybe... I can actually hire you ...just for a while?" His sentence was broken and almost too quiet to hear. Demmy nodded.

"Sure. If you like. I will charge you the family and friends' rate though, okay? Say... fifty percent off fees. There are daily rates from here on out. You want a walk home from work? Done. I can also do apartment checks periodically for you. What would make you feel safe?" He watched Marcus carefully, his expression mild.

"I... yes, a walk home would be nice? What do you check at the apartment?" He blinked at him in curiosity.

"I check the building security, your locking system and front door for tampering, any windows or emergency exits to make sure they are safe, and I can do an electronic eavesdropping sweep." He told him matter of factly.

Marcus' eyes got big at that. Did regular people actually do this sort of thing? He thought only people with lots of money or big corporations did this. He asked Demmy because he was curious.

"All sorts of people may want our services. Normal people can have crazy lives too. I did a sweep for a woman with a crazy ex-husband once who put cameras in their child's toys to spy on her once." He shook his head and made a face. Marcus nodded.

"It's okay to want to feel safe though. Don't feel like it is a shameful thing, because it is not. You can be my celebrity for a while, okay." He winked at Marcus and made him laugh again.

"I... I am hardly a celebrity..." He protested. Demmy shrugged.

"No? I will make you feel like one then." His eyes twinkled merrily at the shy man sitting next to him. Marcus gulped, but secretly was looking forward to it. 

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