Hoss’s Limits (House of Lustz #2)

Cady Chapter 6

I procrastinated as long as possible, berating myself for choosing the costume I did. I knew when Hoss saw it, he’d think I wore it because of him. And he wouldn’t be wrong, not that I wanted him to know it. Or maybe I did. God, the man had me all mixed up. I wasn’t sure if I was coming or going.

Earlier, when he plucked me off the counter and threatened to spank me if I did it again, I’d flushed hot all over. It took restraint not to climb up again to see if he’d carry out his threat. The thought of his hands on my ass made me tremble. I’d been a mess getting ready still thinking about it. I didn’t know how to take him.

Several minutes were bought when the zipper on Tajah’s outfit got stuck, and I had to work it back on the track. She was dressed as a hot Red Riding Hood. I knew Mikhail was going as a werewolf. It played perfectly into their primal hunter and prey personalities. Taking in those around the room, I couldn’t look away from Hoss. Oh my God, I needed a bath in ice water to cool me off.

Hoss’s dark espresso skin gleamed, including his flawlessly bare head. The man had to wax it off or remove it with a laser because there was no stubble. A thin, faint goatee of dark hair outlined his mouth. His chiseled face was topped by the darkest brown, almost black eyes. He wore tall black boots that hit below his knees. Tucked into them were tight black leather pants belted around his waist with a whip curled up and secured at his side. He had a red sleeveless ringmaster jacket with a black lapel and gold buttons on his upper half. It was unbuttoned. Underneath was nothing but his bare skin. I salivated at the sight of his skin bulging with muscles. He had mostly black-and-gray tats on his arms and chest, with some having a silvery metallic shine. In his hand was a black top hat. I fought not to let out a purr and rub up against him like a cat in heat.

“Go lick him,” Tajah whispered. I wanted to smack her. She’d been questioning me the whole time we got ready about Hoss and what I thought of him—asking if he would be someone I’d consider dating. I kept telling her no, but she knew me better than anyone. She knew I was lying out of my ass.

If there were a way to guarantee I wouldn’t be hurt and left like a nuisance or worse, I’d be tempted. However, my experiences taught me that I wasn’t what men wanted. They might have thought so in the beginning, but as time passed, they came to hate me and want to change me. I was never good enough the way I was.

“Shh,” I hissed at her.

The voices of everyone else washed over me. I vaguely responded to greetings, but I was mesmerized when Hoss came stalking toward me. There was no other word for it. He stalked. My body was on fire and vibrating inside. Shit, I should’ve never come here. There was no way I’d survive this—not with Hoss here. I should’ve run for cover, but I remained there frozen. When he reached me, I looked up his towering frame. When our eyes met, I swore his eyes were blazing with fire. His pink tongue slipped out to moisten his lips. I held in my groan by the skin of my teeth. He ran his gaze up and down my body.

“Cady Cat, you look beyond incredible. Christ, that outfit is you.” His voice was deep and growly.

“Thank you. You don’t look bad yourself. Where is she?”

“Who?”

“You said the woman you want would be here tonight. Where is she?” I was desperately grasping at any line to save myself. Reminding myself he had someone would do the trick.

His puzzlement changed to mirth. “Oh, you’ll see. Later. Let’s join the others.”

The next fifteen minutes were a blur. I spoke to Tamara, who was like a mom to me. From her, I was passed to the next person. The last one I came up to was my brother, who was frowning.

“Hi, big brother. You’re looking good. I love your costume. Are you alright? What’s up with that frown? Tonight is supposed to be fun.”

“Please tell me you’re here for the private party, and then you’re headed home.”

I blinked in confusion. Carver sounded upset. “I was planning to stay the whole time. Tajah has been asking me for weeks, and I promised I’d join them tonight. Why?”

“Because you shouldn’t be there. This isn’t the place for you.”

“Carver, what’s the big deal? Are you afraid I’ll see what you like? What difference does it make? You’re an adult. Tajah has seen you. It’s not any different. Surely, you know I won’t judge you.”

“I’m not afraid of you judging me. ”

“Okay, then what?”

He didn’t get a chance to reply. He was called over to Gideon. I’d like to say that was the end of it, but it wasn’t. While we enjoyed each other’s company and had a drink before we went to sit down to dinner, the conversation flowed, and the rest acted relaxed, except for Carver. Hoss wasn’t tense, but he was acting very alert for some reason. I guessed it was the anticipation of seeing his woman later.

The thought of her made my appetite flee. There was no way I wanted to see the perfect specimen it would take to capture a man like him. I bet she was a damn supermodel. The fact he flirted with me when he had someone angered me. As time came nearer to head downstairs, I considered how to make an excuse and leave, or I was until Carver set my back up.

We were all gathering to go down as a group. It was still relatively early, but we were assured plenty of people would be there. I’d gone to check my hair and makeup with the other three women. I was pretending I was all excited to go, but I was frantically trying to think of an excuse not to. As we neared the men, Carver snagged my arm and pulled me to the side. He was scowling harder than earlier.

“Carver, what in the world is wrong with you?”

“You can’t go down there!”

“I told you. I don’t care what you do sexually. As long as I don’t have to watch you do it in front of me, we’re fine.” I scoffed. I tried to pull my arm loose, but he hung onto it. He shook it lightly.

“I don’t give a fuck about that! I’m not having my sister dressed like this being ogled and hit on by the guys and some women down there. No way. If you want to go, then change into regular clothes. And stick next to me. No wandering off on your own,” he ordered.

Any thought of ducking out flew out the window. My hackles went up. I was pissed.

“I don’t know what bug crawled up your ass, but you’d better get it out right this second, or I’ll dig it out with my boot. How dare you? I’m a grown-ass woman. I can go wherever I want and do whatever I want. Who cares if someone finds me attractive? It’s not like I’m going to fuck them there under your nose,” I said in outrage.

“Goddamn it, hush. You better not dare cause a scene. I’m trying to look out for you, Cady. Starting something with someone here will only end in disaster. It always does. You can’t be in a relationship. Don’t raise expectations only to let the guy down. I don’t want you to get hurt again. I heard Flint is back. Don’t you remember how that ended?”

Tears pricked my eyes. To have my brother throw back in my face how I always ended up hurt and was never able to keep a guy stung. It stung worse than if he’d punched me. My barriers were rising, and I was about to blast him, but I was stopped short by the arrival of Hoss. He came to stand next to me. I was afraid to meet his eyes in case he overheard what Carver said.

His hand cupped my chin, and he lifted it so I had no choice but to meet his gaze. “Why don’t you go make sure Tajah is ready to go, Cady Cat? I need to speak to your brother for a minute before we head downstairs.”

Glancing at Carver, I noted his warning look. That decided it. I smiled at Hoss. “I think I will. Take your time. ”

As I walked off, I heard Carver hiss my name, but I ignored him. I had no idea what Hoss wanted to speak to him about, and I didn’t care—as long as I was free to move away from my infuriating brother before I punched him in the face. Who was he to talk? He wasn’t in a committed relationship. His had all ended for one reason or another. He was no one to throw aspersions on mine. He might’ve had a few last longer, but so what? He acted as if I was the poster child for fucked-up relationships. He had no room to talk. Both of us had shit that shaped us into the people we were. If he kept it up, I’d have to remind him. As I arrived beside Tajah, she gave me a sympathetic look and wound her arm around mine. I felt a slight, comforting squeeze as she whispered to me.

“Forget Carver. You know how he is, Cady. I want you to enjoy tonight. I’m excited and scared to show you Lustz.”

“I’m trying. He’s such a pain sometimes. You know what? We’re going to forget him. Let’s go. Show me this den of sin your man has enticed you into.” I grinned.

She giggled. “Damn, I need my notebook. I like that. Den of Sin. Hmm.”

Her eyes got this far away, unfocused look. I knew what it meant. She had a story or scene idea. Before she could wander off and begin writing, I tugged on her arm and yelled.

“Danger! Danger! Hurry! Taj is getting a scene in her head. She’s gonna write,” I cried out frantically as I pulled on her arm.

Her mom, Carver, Mikhail, and I knew what that meant, even if the others didn’t. Carver was busy, though, in an intense argument with Hoss, so he didn’t comment. Tamara and Mikhail reacted.

“Go, go!” Tamara said as she got behind Taj, lightly pushed on her back, and aimed for the door. Mikhail swooped in and wrapped her in his arms.

“You’re coming with us, Sweetest Dove. I promise you can write tomorrow.”

Tajah was laughing as she protested. “Stop it! I’m not that bad. What will Reub, Hoss, Matvey, and Victoria think? They’ll believe I’m crazy.”

“ Dorogoy , sweetheart, what makes you bezumnyy , crazy, isn’t your desire to write. It’s attaching yourself to my cousin. I knew you were mad when he was able to capture a woman like you. You’re like my Victoria. I have no idea how I was ever so fortunate to find a mad woman to love me.” He gave his wife a tender look. She raised on her tiptoes while he lowered his head. They kissed. Seeing them so in love after many years of marriage was beautiful and depressing. What would it be like to have that?

There was lots of clamorous laughing and commenting as we moved out of the apartment and down the hallway to the elevator. I anxiously waited for it to arrive, and then, as we got inside it. I was waiting for Carver and Hoss to appear. The doors were sliding shut when a large hand blocked them. I stared up at Hoss as he got in. My brother wasn’t with him. Shit. I went to get out, but Hoss prevented me by grasping my arm.

He leaned down to quietly whisper in my ear, “He’s fine. He’ll be down in a few minutes. I swear. I didn’t touch him. I just told him a few truths. You need to relax and have fun tonight, Tiny. Please, truly see what Lustz is like. Ask questions. We’ll take you through the whole tour. I want you to understand what it is and what it means.”

There was a begging quality to his tone. It puzzled me. “Why are you so anxious for me to understand the club?”

“Tour first, then I’ll explain later. Just keep an open mind.”

I don’t know what made me do it, but rather than argue with him, I merely nodded and said, “I’ll be open.”

“Thank you, Cady.”

Our arrival on the first floor prevented me from saying more. It was time. We exited, and to my surprise, we were taken to the front of the building. We started where Hoss usually stood. The tour began. We started with the spiel about the doorman’s role by Hoss, to my surprise, and moved inside to the person who greeted patrons and ensured they had the correct beads on their wrists. Tajah had explained the color system to me before. But it was still fascinating to see and hear more. Those of us who didn’t have one—meaning me, Tamara, Gideon, Matvey, and Victoria, were issued a bracelet. They had a white bead and an orange one. We were told to put them on our right wrists.

The woman behind the desk explained the code. By having both those on the right, we were saying we were observers only with the white and unwilling to play now with the orange. Those beads had other meanings if worn on the left wrist. It seemed once you were a patron, most wore two bracelets. At least Mikhail, Carver, and Hoss did. I snuck a peek at the ones on Hoss’s wrists. I wanted to grill him about their meanings, but I didn’t. I’d ask Tajah to go through the color system later. I found I was dying to know what kinks he had. His confession out front that he was more than an employee had stunned me. I don’t know why it surprised me he was.

From there, we were taken through the first floor. This floor was a vast, elegant bar with a large dance floor. There was music playing and people dancing. Patrons and guests could hang out and talk, dance, and drink here. It was explained they didn’t necessarily play or observe every time a patron came. Many felt it was a comfortable place to socialize and to meet like-minded individuals to have conversations.

We were about fifteen minutes into the tour when Carver joined us. He didn’t say a word. His face didn’t appear angry. It was more contemplative. I wanted to ask if he was alright, but he avoided me, so I stayed away.

After we were shown the first floor and its various amenities, Mikhail explained, “If you want to observe others at play or if you desire to participate in scenes, you have to move to the second floor, although only those who haven’t had alcohol can play.”

We took the stairs to the second level. The place was crowded. The patrons had embraced the costume idea. However, in their cases, many were very skimpy outfits. Unlike many women, my skintight getup covered most of my skin. We were getting more than a fair share of glances. Many were curious, some interested, and others appeared upset. I ignored the men ogling us. I didn’t care what they did as long as they left me alone. What did bother me was how some women were staring at the men.

Their eyes ate them up. I saw coveting glances thrown at all the men. Matvey was the oldest in his sixties but still a fit and magnetic man. Carver was my brother, but I wasn’t blind to his good looks. He’d had girls and then women chasing him for as long as I could recall. Mikhail, while not my type, was sexy and good-looking, the same with Reuben. That didn’t bother me. What did was the looks I saw thrown at Hoss. When I caught women and even a few men greedily soaking in the sight of him, I wanted to hiss at them and scratch their eyes out. Christ, I must be off my rocker. Why would it matter? He wasn’t mine. I kept lecturing myself, but it wasn’t helping.

Going to the second floor compounded the problem. Here, active sexual acts were happening. There were stages in the open, where select patrons and workers would perform scenes, and others would be free to watch. In addition, we were told and shown a few of the rooms, which were theme-based on various kinks and fantasies. The theme was noted on the door. There were windows into the rooms for those who were comfortable having voyeurs watch them. If you weren’t, those could be covered with a privacy screen.

The press of bodies up here was denser. As we navigated around and through throngs of people, I was guided. Hoss stayed glued to my side. His hand would rest on my back and gently steer me. If someone weren’t paying attention and were about to bump into me, he’d prevent it. Sometimes, this consisted of him stepping between me and them. Other times, he’d bark out a command to watch out. It was amusing to watch them take in the giant he was and scurry out of the way, apologizing. After he had done it a fifth time, I had to say something. I knew Mikhail was doing it for Tajah. Matvey and Gideon were shielding Victoria and Tamara as they should. They were their women. I could take care of myself.

“Hoss, you don’t need to keep growling at people. I can get out of the way or tell them to move their asses myself.”

His mouth twitched as if he was trying not to smile. “Cady Cat, there’s no way I’m letting someone step on you or bump into you. You could get hurt. A tiny thing like you needs to be protected.”

I bristled at his assertion that I’d get hurt because I was little. My height, or lack thereof, had been the bane of my existence. As a kid, I was always the smallest, the one to be picked on. Bullies loved people like me. I learned fast how to stand up for myself. It was true that Carver would do it, but he couldn’t always be with me. He was five years older. If he was nearby, he always stepped in. And God knows, we had no help from home to protect us.

I didn’t hit my top height of five feet two until I was thirteen. Suffice it to say, I had a lot of practice. Even as an adult, some people saw my petite stature as something to remark on or that I wasn’t someone they had to contend with. They soon learned the error of their ways.

“I don’t need or want anyone to protect me. I can take care of myself. Don’t let my size fool you. I’m neither a child nor weak,” I snapped.

The others had pulled ahead of us. Reuben pointed to one of the raised stages where two women were dancing. Hoss gripped my arm and tugged me into a dark corner—his firm grip wasn’t painful. I wasn’t sure why I didn’t put up a fight. There was no one nearby. He swung me so I had my back to the wall, and he blocked the rest of the room. That move should’ve put me in defensive mode, but for some reason, it didn’t. I had no fear that he was about to do something horrible to me. He lowered his head closer to mine.

“I need you to listen closely to me, Cady. Being protective of you isn’t due to me believing you’re a child or weak. I fucking know you’re neither. I’d do the same if you were over six feet tall. And I know you are more than capable of taking care of yourself. It’s purely due to my principles or whatever you want to call them. You never need to safeguard yourself when I’m with you. That’s my job. People are rude, and they need to learn some manners. I won’t have you hurt, not even a broken nail.”

His declaration left me dumbstruck for several moments. I had no rebuttal for it. I tried not to let the warmth it caused inside me show. Other than Tajah, Tamara, Tajah’s father when he was alive, and Carver, I’d never had anyone give a damn about me. I didn’t know what to say or do. Why him? Was it part of his doorman slash security personality or something else?

“I can see those wheels in your head turning, Tiny. What are you thinking? It’s not like you not to have a comeback.” he sounded somewhat amused.

“Why are you doing this, Hoss? You don’t know me. If Mikhail arranged for you to do this, I’ll tell him it’s unnecessary. Just because I’m Tajah’s best friend doesn’t mean he needs to assign someone to babysit me.”

A frown peeked out. “Mikhail didn’t ask or order me to do anything. It’s my choice. And no matter how much you bitch or tell me to stop, I won’t. In general, women and children should always be protected, but some are steps above the general protection level. You fall into that category.”

“What the hell does that mean?”

“Let’s get through tonight. Enjoy the experience, and afterward, you and I will sit down this coming week, and I’ll explain. Will you do that?”

“Why wait?”

“Because I said we need to. This night is important to Mikhail. I won’t ruin or interrupt it.”

His steely gaze told me he wouldn’t back down on this. As much as I wanted to push him to tell me now, he did have a point. This was Mikhail and Tajah’s night. As her bestie, I couldn’t mess it up for them. Sighing, I rolled my eyes so he knew I was doing it under duress.

“Fine, but if by this time next week, I’m still in the dark or I don’t like your explanation, all bets are off. I’ll kick your ass myself to make you stop.”

He threw his head back and laughed. I couldn’t help but admire his masculine beauty again as he did. “I might just wait so I can get that ass kickin’.”

“Don’t say you weren’t warned, big guy.”

“I won’t. Alright, wanna rejoin the others? You’re missing the fun.”

I nodded and let him lead me back to the others.

“Everything okay?” Mikhail asked.

“Everything is great,” I said. I caught Carver studying us. Was it because of whatever Hoss said to him earlier, or was he still upset with me? I should’ve asked Hoss to tell me what he said to my brother. Oh well, I’d find out one way or another.

“We’re good,” Hoss added.

As time passed, we not only got an education on the club, but we met a ton of people. When Mikhail was in the house, patrons and staff loved to stop and talk to him. He was gracious and made lots of introductions. It slowed down our tour somewhat, but I found those interruptions informative. Overall, I was enjoying myself. I tried not to show it too much. No one needed to know the things I was seeing were intriguing. Sure, there were things I would never attempt in a million years. However, there were several I was captivated by.

I was entranced by a scene on one of the stages—so much so that I forgot the others were nearby. A man was disciplining a woman. He hadn’t started that way. At first, they were talking. It soon turned into her back-talking him. The way she acted reminded me of myself. He worked at correcting her verbally. When it didn’t work, it went from there.

It was clear that there were rules, and she knew them but broke them. When she refused to follow them or to modify her behavior, he eventually resorted to punishment. If he’d slapped her, hit her with his fists, flung her around by her hair, berated her, or called her foul names, I wouldn’t have stayed. I knew what that was like and didn’t know why anyone would want to be treated like that.

I jumped when warm breath blew across the back of my neck, and heat hit me. “Do you know what his kink is? What hers is?” Hoss asked softly.

I shook my head. “No.”

“Has Tajah told you about her research, or have you read about brat tamers, handlers, and their brats?”

Thinking about it, I vaguely recalled Taj mentioning them but couldn’t remember what was said about them. “The terms sound familiar, but I don’t recall what they mean. ”

“Pay close attention, and I’ll explain.”

How could I say no?