Hoss’s Limits (House of Lustz #2)

Hoss Chapter 7

Being this close to Cady was making me feverish. I wanted to remove her from the club and carry her off somewhere. That somewhere was my place so that I could have her all to myself. The number of men undressing her and admiring her with their leering eyes was making me want to tear off heads. I knew she’d attract attention. Even in a pair of ratty sweats, she’d do it. Dressed like she was, it was a wonder there hadn’t been a fight. She pushed back on me protecting her. Well, I had news for her. I’d always do it.

As the night passed, I kept a close eye on her. At times, I’d catch Carver watching us. Whenever I did, he was quick to look away. I knew he was disturbed by our talk upstairs earlier. I wanted Cady’s brother to like me because if I got my way, she’d be in my life for the rest of our lives. However, if he thought he was going to make her feel bad about herself by saying and doing shit that put her down, I had news for him. It wasn’t fucking happening.

When I saw them arguing in the apartment, I got as close as possible. Hearing him tell her to leave and that he didn’t want her downstairs upset me. Seeing the pain on her face when he threw her past failed relationships in her face made me furious. I knew I had to put a stop to it. Recalling our conversation after she walked off made me want to growl .

I made sure she was out of range before I rounded on him. I let him see my displeasure. He took a step back. “What the fuck was that about?” I snapped.

“Nothing you need to worry about.”

“Like hell, it’s not. Let me tell you this. If you get a wild hair to do something like that again, you’ll know why you shouldn’t. I won’t have anyone making her feel bad about herself. Your sister isn’t to blame for the men who she dated in her past being assholes and bastards. It’s plain that they had no idea what she needed or how to handle her. That was their failings, not hers.”

“And you think you can handle her?” he hit back.

“I know I can.”

“She’s not a plaything in the club or outside, Hoss. Don’t fuck with my sister.”

“What Cady and I do is between us. I can promise that I won’t hurt her. Ever. End of discussion. Why don’t you stay here and either cool off and join us when you’ve straightened your ass up or leave. Excuse me. I have a beautiful woman to escort.” I stomped off, leaving him there. I didn’t give a shit if he stayed or not. I had to race to catch up to them at the elevator.

Of course, that conversation flew out of my head when I noticed her being enthralled with a tamer scene we’d stopped to watch. I did it on purpose. One of the other guys who was into taming and handling was up there with his regular brat. They weren’t an actual couple outside of the club. They came together to play, but each had a different partner at home. Individuals outside our lifestyle might find this incomprehensible, but for many, it worked—as long as there was honesty and open communication along every step.

It was a reality that some people’s long-term partners weren’t into aspects of their partner’s lives, so they got that fulfilled here. I started explaining to Cady the roles the couple in front of us was playing and the importance of communication. If she were to be mine, she would have to know this and more. I prayed that she’d be receptive and willing to work with me. If she weren’t, no matter how insanely attracted to her I was, we’d never work. I didn’t want to have play partners and Cady. I wanted her to be the complete package. The same way I wanted me to be all she needed and wanted. The thought of the former being the case made me sick.

“The woman, Justine, is a brat, and the man, Sam, is a brat tamer. However, there’s another possible role in a dynamic like theirs. It’s called a brat handler.”

“A brat? What does that mean? And how is a tamer different from a handler?”

My heart thumped harder at her questions. There was a note of interest in her voice. “Well, a brat is someone, male or female, who expresses sassy behavior to get reactions. There’s a variety of reasons a brat wants and needs that, which will take time to explore. The brat tamer is someone who engages with the brat. Usually, brats are masochists who get pleasure from being put in his or her place by their tamer or handler.” I paused. She was hanging onto my every word as she watched them.

“A tamer or handler is a giant brat who takes the responsible, authoritative role. He or she is the dominant in the relationship. The brat is the submissive. A brat isn’t a stereotypical sub like many people imagine. They don’t bow down to or obey everything their dominant says. A brat is a mouthy and misbehaving person who wants to be punished. Brats crave it, and they love to find loopholes in rules and break them on purpose, but never only for their gratification. Their Dominant’s pleasure has to be achieved by the brat breaking the rules. If it doesn’t, neither get what they crave and need. It’s a game where brats defy authority in order to receive punishment from their tamer or handler.

“A handler, who you’ll sometimes hear referred to as a wrangler, too, enhances the brat’s tendencies. They don’t want to change, destroy, or mold away their brat’s sass. A handler or tamer is usually a sadist, which makes sense when most brats are masochists. We enjoy punishing our subs, but only for minor offenses. We’re there to teach submissives when engaging in brat behaviors is okay. When the sub doesn’t follow the rules, the Dom will dish out punishments to achieve that obeying. The woman we’re watching is a true brat. She’ll obey at times and only break the minor rules that in no way disrespect or dishonor her Dom. She knows when it’s okay to engage in bratting and when it’s not.”

I paused again. I noted the color in her cheeks was high, and she was breathing faster. If I wasn’t mistaken, my Cady was turned on by what she saw. Christ, how could she not be? I was too, but not from the couple. It was all due to Cady. I itched to have her up there on that stage, giving me her attitude and allowing me to punish her, but only in the agreed-upon ways.

“W-what do brats do to break the rules?” she asked breathlessly.

“It differs by brat and even by the handler-brat relationship, but some common things are eye-rolling and saying no, but in a playful way. She might call him names, but only jokingly. A brat may turn down a command, ignore their tamer or handler, speak when they’re supposed to be quiet, or have a temper tantrum. It’s all based on what they negotiated prior to engaging in the bratting. They communicate before they get to this point. What will be considered bratting, what are the punishments, safe words, promise to submit to the established punishment, and so on? There are punishments for bratting, which aren’t the same as punishments for disobedience.”

Cady shuddered, but not in revulsion or disgust when Sam spanked Justine with a short crop. He made sure when it landed on her ass, it left a red mark. Justine cried out, but instead of stopping, she looked back at her Dom and rolled her eyes again. He landed another swat. The others had wandered off, watching other shows and even talking to patrons not otherwise engaged. It was the two of us left there. My cock grew in my pants as I pictured me and Cady were up there.

Assuming she’d consent to it, I wondered what punishments—or, in our case, funishments—we’d agree to for her rule-breaking. I had so many ideas, but they’d never happen unless we were both on board with them. I didn’t want to break or tame my Cady. I longed to make her feel secure, happy, and satisfied. If I could do that, I’d receive the same in return.

I was about to ask her if she had more questions, but we were interrupted in one of the worst ways imaginable. As soon as I heard my name purred out, I cringed inside. There was no hope of pretending I hadn’t heard or that Cady didn’t. It was done loudly, and the voice carried. My only hope was to divert as fast as possible. Cady was turning around to look behind us. I reluctantly did the same. As I did, hands landed on my arm and wrapped around it as far as they could. Smiling up at me with a come-hither smile was Fleur. I made sure not to groan and kept my facial expression bland.

“Thank God you’re here! I’ve been dying to have someone worthy to play with, Hoss. You have no idea how hard it is to get someone who matches me. It seems like it’s been forever since I’ve seen you not working. We have to enjoy the fun. We never get time together anymore. Come, let’s find a room or stage. I don’t care,” she said excitedly as she insistently tugged on my arm.

I had no idea what her problem was. She knew not to touch unless invited, plus she and I hadn’t played in ages. About nine months ago, I’d made the colossal mistake of engaging her for a scene. I’d been desperate for a new partner and thought to try out some of the brats who didn’t have a permanent tamer or handler. It only took a few times for me to know she wasn’t the one for me. There were various reasons why, but one was she desired a tamer, not a handler—a sadistic monster, to be exact. The other was she didn’t adhere to any of the rules. I got zero pleasure from our few encounters.

I’d tried to be nice when I informed her I didn’t want to play anymore, but she either was as dense as a tree or refused to listen. Avoiding her was another reason I hadn’t been inside playing much. I thought I’d be safe tonight because more than a few people told me she wouldn’t be here. She was supposed to be out of town. Either she lied, or her plans changed. The first thing I did was shake my arm. She clung to it, so I used my free hand to pry her claws off me. As I did, I reprimanded her.

“Fleur, you weren’t invited to touch me, and I’m not going to join you. You know the rules. Find someone else,” I ordered.

She looked at me, startled for a second or two, then smirked. “No. I won’t.”

Son of a bitch, she thought I was playing. “I’m not kidding. This isn’t a scene. Stop it. You know better.”

“I don’t know why you’re pretending, but I know what you want. It’s been so long, Hoss. I need you,” she moaned and gripped herself between her legs. I curled my lip in disgust. What the hell? We’d never had sex, only bratting, not that she hadn’t tried. But the ways she was acting, you’d believe we had.

“Is there a problem here?” Mikhail asked as he came to stand next to me.

“Yes,” I said.

“No,” Fleur said at the same time.

“What’s the problem, Hoss?” Mikhail ignored her.

“She came up and grabbed my arm and was insistent that I do a scene with her. I told her no and told her to find someone else. I wasn’t kidding, but she wasn’t listening. I don’t need this shit, Mikhail.” I growled the last low under my breath.

He knew why. I could only imagine what Cady was assuming. I didn’t dare glance at her until I got rid of pain-in-the-ass Fleur. I dreaded what I’d see. I wasn’t ashamed of my past, but I didn’t want this when I was still trying to win her.

“Fleur, you know the rules,” Mikhail told her sternly. You could hear the reproach in his voice.

She wasn’t smiling coyly anymore. “Master M, I’m sorry. I thought we were doing a scene. If I hadn’t, I would’ve never touched or disobeyed Hoss. Please, it won’t happen again. I got excited since we haven’t been together for so long. ”

I’d heard enough. The bitch was lying, but I would leave her for Mikhail or Reuben to deal with. They had the say on who stayed or went. I had to talk to my woman and explain what this was all about. As I shifted back to face Cady, I was hit with a new problem. Cady had vanished. Tajah was standing to the side with Victoria. Matvey was next to them. They were watching the drama. Frantically, I glanced around.

The place was so crowded that it was hard to see, but I had the advantage of height. But Cady was so short that she was lost in a sea of taller bodies. Panic began to fill me, and I rushed over to Tajah.

“Where did she go?”

She gave me a sad smile. “She took off. As soon as you started talking to that woman, she said she had to go. I tried to get her to stay, but she said she was tired.”

“Jesus Christ!” I snarled.

“She told me you’d wasted enough time on her tonight. Now that your woman was here, she was going home,” Tamara said as she walked up. Gideon was with her.

“What?” I exclaimed.

“I caught her leaving and asked why she was cutting the night short. That’s what she said. I tried to get her to come back, but she wouldn’t.” Tamara looked unhappy.

“I’ve got to go,” I shouted to whoever needed to hear me, and then I took off. I pushed my way, not very gently, through the masses when people didn’t get out of my way. Most, if they saw me coming, cleared a path. My expression warned them not to fuck with me or try to talk to me. I kept scanning the area on the off chance she hadn’t made it out of the building. Nothing .

I came to a halt when I reached the parking lot. Goddamn it. She wouldn’t have come this way. She parked in the private garage. I’d forgotten in my panic. I took off running across the main lot to the private entrance. I ignored the doorman working tonight when he shouted and asked if I needed help. I waved off his offer but didn’t speak. Going this way was faster than returning inside and riding the elevator. My heart sank more when I got there and found her car was missing. Thankfully, I had my car keys in my pocket. I fished them out and jumped into my car. Firing up the engine, I tore out of there. It was all I could do not to drive like a lunatic. As I sped out of the parking lot, I called Mikhail on my phone. He answered after the third ring.

“Did you catch her?”

“Hell, no. She’s gone. I’m headed to her place. Make sure to tell Fleur I better not see her anytime soon, or I may forget I don’t hit women.”

“Drive carefully. It won’t do you any good to kill yourself. When you get to her place, make sure to explain what you want to her. Enough sitting back and waiting. If she’s who you want, then tell her. If she resists, then work to show her why she needs to say yes—unless you’ve changed your mind.”

A growl came tumbling out of me. “Like fuck I’ve changed my mind. She’s the only woman I want. I was getting somewhere before Fleur fucked it to hell and back. Mikhail, I’m not telling you how to run your club, but I’m warning you, if Fleur stays as a patron, she’d better never come near me or Cady again.”

“Hoss, calm down. She won’t. I’ve suspended her for the time being and told her I had to consider if it was permanent. I wanted to give us time to think. I swear, if we do let her back, which I’m not inclined to do, she’ll be made to understand. I keep thinking of Dominus and the second chance I gave him. I regret I did. I don’t want to make the same mistake with her. Besides, if she stays, my woman may hurt her. If I hadn’t stopped her, Tajah was about to hit her in the face.” There was a touch of amusement in his tone when he said the last part.

My lips twitched at the thought of Taj doing it. She was calmer than my woman. “Good idea. Listen, I need to concentrate on the road. I’ll call you later. Sorry for ruining the party.”

“You didn’t ruin it. Go take care of Cady.”

“I will. Thanks,” I grunted out before hanging up.

My mind raced with thoughts of how much rebuilding I’d have to do with Cady. I felt her walls slipping tonight. She was less bratty, asked questions about our lifestyle, and gave every appearance of not being turned off by the things she saw and learned. That last scene with Sam and Justine had been resonating with her. I was so close to broaching the subject of my preferences and my desire to be with her when Fleur shattered it.

By the time I reached Cady’s place, my hands were sweating, and my heart wouldn’t stop racing. I saw her car outside. The unit that was hers was dark. Surely, she hadn’t had time to get here and go to bed. Well, if she had, I was about to wake her up. This wasn’t something that could wait. I parked next to her car, stormed out of mine, and flew toward her front door.

As I neared it, I saw there was a light, a very faint one, coming through the blinds. Immediately upon noting that, I heard shouting. I sped up and hit the door with my open palm. It wasn’t locked, and if it was latched, my charge was too much. Her door flew open. I didn’t slow down. I was ready to defend my woman and kill whoever was in there with her. I heard anger and a touch of fear in her voice.

In the faint light, I noted I was in her living room. Standing in the middle of it was Cady, facing off with Reid. My first question was, where the hell was her security? They should’ve prevented this or at least intervened. I shoved those questions aside as I barreled up to them. They were arguing so loudly they somehow hadn’t heard me. She was glaring up at him with her fists on her hips. He was towering over her, scowling and trying to be intimidating. I had news for him. That shit stopped now.

I made a growling sound, which finally snapped their attention to me. Cady’s eyes widened, and her mouth dropped open. Reid kept his scowl, but I saw him take a step back before he caught himself. Good. He’d better be afraid of me. I could tear him apart with my bare hands. I not only had size and strength on my side, but I’d learned several martial arts over the years, and I was skilled.

When I got to them, I swept her with one arm slightly behind me, but I allowed her to stay to the side so she could see. I knew she would hate not being visible. I could protect her no matter if she was behind me or not, so I gave this to her. If he had a gun out, then no, I would’ve used my body as a shield. I was watching to be sure he didn’t pull one. If he did, he’d find I was armed, too.

“What the hell is he doing here? And why would you let him in your apartment, Cady?” I snarled. She knew better .

I heard a frustrated huff, and then she answered, “What the fuck are you doing here? And as for letting this moron in, I’ll have you know, I didn’t. I’m not stupid. He was waiting inside. Somehow, he got in. If you don’t mind, why don’t you leave so I can take care of this imbecile? I don’t know why you’re here anyway. You have better people, I mean, things to be doing.” Underneath her anger and sensor, I detected what I thought was hurt when she mentioned doing things. Her use of the word people was intentional—a little dig.

“I’m here because my woman left the club without telling me. Surely, you knew I wouldn’t settle for that. We have stuff to talk about, but that can wait until I get rid of the riffraff here.”

“Get the hell out! This is between me and Cady. I don’t give a damn who you are. You have no right to interfere. We don’t need an audience. And as for calling me riffraff, fuck off,” Reid snapped.

I guess between last time and this one, he’d grown some balls. As I studied him closer, I amended that. He hadn’t grown a pair. He was high. His pupils were dilated and bloodshot. He was fidgeting, and his eyes kept darting. I’d seen enough addicts during my life to know what one looked like. All I had to do was remember my brother, Max. My irritation increased, and so did my caution. An addict was unpredictable. I took two steps to the left, partially covering Cady.

“You need to leave before I have to make you. Believe me. Leaving of your own free will is better for you,” I warned him.

He gave me a humorless laugh. “I’m not going anywhere. It’s time me and my girl settled shit. I know she hooked up with you to make me jealous and to pay me back for something. However, it’s done. Get lost. She’s not warming your bed any longer.”

My temper rose when he mentioned her no longer warming my bed. While I wanted her there, the idea of her and him in bed together pissed me off. Over my dead body, would she go back to a man like him. Even if she wanted nothing to do with me, she deserved so much more than a schmuck like him.

“Cady isn’t a piece of meat to be passed around. She’s a strong, passionate, intelligent woman, which explains why she got rid of you in the first place. I don’t believe for a second she wants you back. If she does, why did you have to resort to breaking into her apartment?”

He snorted. “You haven’t shown him that mouth of yours, I see. Wait until you get a load of it. You’ll know why I took a break, but I’m back. Cady won’t find anyone better at putting up with her when she gets out of control than me. Who cares if we take a break once in a while? At least she won’t be alone.”

There was so much insult in his speech the urge to punch him grew. Did he even hear what he was saying about the woman he supposedly wanted to get back with? Who in their right mind would do it? I glanced at Cady but made sure to keep the asshole in my peripheral vision. She was glowering at him. If looks could kill, he’d be dead.

“Tiny, is what he said true? You want him here and back in your life?” I asked, praying she’d say no, but there was still a slim fear she’d say she wanted the shithead. If she did, I didn’t know what I’d do. The way she was tying me in knots, I might beg, which I’d never done in my life.

She gave me an incredulous look before answering me. She moved forward and out to the side. “I don’t want this cockhead near me, let alone in my life. We broke up a year ago, and I said good riddance. I haven’t seen or heard from him in six months or more. He moved as far as I knew. I have no idea why he’s suddenly appearing and talking like we took an agreed-upon break. From the looks of him, he’s high. It must be the drugs eating his brain up, although he didn’t have a lot to begin with,” she remarked acidly.

I wanted to laugh. Her indignation was cute, and I loved to see her fired up. I gave her a wink and smiled. Her lips twitched, but she held in her smile. I looked back at him. He was standing there, swaying on his feet. He stared at her stupidly as if what she said went over his head, which it might’ve. He blinked, and then his face darkened.

“I’ve had enough of your fucking mouth and games, bitch. I—” I didn’t let him finish. Calling her a bitch pushed my last button. Growling, I lunged at him. He squawked and tried to backpedal, but he tripped over his own feet.

Before he could hit the floor, I had him by the neck. I picked him up and headed for the door. He gagged and fought for air. I shook him a couple of times just for fun. I let him know what would happen to him if he came near her again. I was giving him another chance, although I had no idea why, maybe because his drugged state reminded me of my brother.

“Listen close, you little pissant motherfucker. If you come near Cady, her business, her home, hell, even stay in Nashville, it’ll be tragic for your health. If I catch you calling, texting, writing, or even thinking about her, I’ll beat you to within an inch of your life. And I can promise you, when I do, you won’t heal quickly. It’ll be filled with pain, and no one will ever find your body if you keep it up. If you think I’m lying, I dare you to try me.”

Outside, I dropped him. He stumbled and then fell on his ass on her sidewalk. He continued to gasp and gag for air as he rubbed his throat. I could’ve crushed his windpipe with one hard flexing of my hand. It was tempting. Cady had followed us. She came to my side and wrapped her arms around mine.

“T-tell me you don’t want this big, dumb Black bastard,” Reid the Wretch croaked out.

“Don’t you dare call him that! His skin color means nothing to me, you bigoted asshole,” she said indignantly.

“Cady, it’s alright. I’ve been called worse. You have two minutes to get your ass in whatever vehicle you came in and leave. Don’t return,” I ordered him.

He rose unsteadily to his feet. He swayed as he faced me, though he kept several feet of space between us. “You won’t stay. No one can handle her mouth. I’ll see you when he’s done with you,” he told her with a sneer. Turning his back on us, he slowly staggered away. I took a step to go after him for telling her he’d see her, but my Cady stopped me. She tugged hard on my arm and held tight.

“Hoss, no, forget him. He’s talking out of his ass. He’s just butt sore. Let him go.”

I halted but kept my eyes on him. He got in a car parked down the street a few hundred feet away. As high as he was, he shouldn’t have been driving. He squealed his tires as he took off. As his taillights faded in the distance, I glanced around at her neighbors. There wasn’t a single light on. It was impossible that no one was home in some of them or that they heard nothing. What the hell was wrong with them!?

“Cady, it’s cold out here. Inside,” I directed.

I didn’t wait for her reply. I eased her around and began walking toward her door. She either came with me, or I’d carry her. She walked and waited until we were indoors, and the door was closed. It must’ve been unlatched when I hit it with my hand because the lock nor the frame was busted. I had no trouble locking it. Once it was, I faced her. And she let loose on me.