Thirteen (Love by Numbers Book 4) (2 page)

“There you are, where did you go, Harry?”

I attempt to swallow but dry, sticky spittle coats my tongue.

“Take a sip, only a little one to wet your mouth.”

A straw is pressed between my lips and tepid water, which tastes faintly of antiseptic, washes over my arid mouth.

“D…don’t sell me. I don’t want to be some old biddy’s living, breathing, dildo pony.”

She squints a little, trying to decipher my garbled words.

“All I heard was dildo and pony.” She brushes her hand over my hair again, “I’m going to assume you’re dreaming, and if that’s the case, I really do not want to know how that dream ends.”

So I’m not going to be sold. It was all a weird dream. Thank fuck for that!

Hang on… if that was a dream, “Where am I? What day is it?”

Before she answers, more people enter the room.

“Mum, I’m freaking the fuck out.” I grab her arm, surprised when my limb actually moves at my command.

She turns back to me, just as my father and an unknown man reach the bottom of my bed.

“Why, Darling, don’t you remember?”

I shake my head.

“You’re in the hospital; it’s just gone half past seven on Friday the 13
th
. You had your operation this morning, and everything went well. You just took a little longer to wake up than normal; that’s all.”

I
t all comes rushing back to me.

Friday the 13
th
.

Hospital.

Operation.

No more nuts.

Fuck.
I think I preferred the thought of being a sex pony.

Friday the thir-fucking-teenth.

Unlucky for some.

Including me.

T
he writhing mass of bodies on the dance floor would normally inspire me to break out some of my patented, H, booty moves, but tonight, I just want to sink a few bevvies with Isaac, Josh and Liam.

With my best mate, Jake, flying around the world and fast becoming an A-list star, thanks to his lead role in the
Vampire’s Bite
series, I have been spending more and more time with his brothers.

Mostly, it’s just Isaac when he’s in town, but sometimes the others will join us, that’s if their ball and chains, sorry, their other halves, allow them to come out and play.

Josh has been happily married to Laura for years; the only reason he is out with us tonight is because she’s up the duff with their second child and has allowed him some grown-up time with the boys before the next sprog makes an appearance.

Liam and Cari are completely inseparable. It’s sickening, really. Well, it would be if they both weren’t such nice people who deserved their level of love sickness. Then there’s Isaac, who is just like me; single and ready to mingle.

The only difference is, Isaac will mingle with just about anyone. No, that’s exaggerating; he will mingle with anyone
hot.
Oh, and he likes pussy
and
cock, he’s an equal opportunity philanderer.

Now and again, Nate, the eldest Fox brother, will join us, but he’s mostly overseas, running his empire and Jake will always show his face, but only when he’s in the same country.

Would I be classed as pansy if I said I missed him? Tough. I miss him, so call me a pansy and be on your way.

I
skirt around the heaving dance floor and head to the private booth at the back of the club. Nate owns clubs all over the U.K. and has three in London alone; that’s without the super club he owns in Ibiza. The bloke is seriously minted and practically the Brit version of Bill Gates, but not for computers, for nightclubs.

“Fucking hell, H. We thought you’d bailed on us. Don’t sit down, get the drinks in.” Liam motions to his almost empty pint glass.

“Well, hello to you too. You realise Nate employs waitresses for a reason, right?” I know this isn’t the response he expected when his eyebrows lift and his smile falters. I guess the mumbled “Fuckspud” I tagged onto the end was heard over the music.

Yeah, I suppose it’s a bit sharp for me.

I’m H, funny guy, happy-go-lucky, banter king and source of fun. Not, H, the pissy, get your own drink, sour faced bastard, who calls his friends shitty names.

Josh stands and squeezes past his brothers, “I’ll give you a hand.”

I nod, ignoring the questioning looks of Isaac and Liam, and follow Josh towards the bar.

Another perk of being in Nate’s club is always getting served first. The VIP bar is busy, but as soon as we step towards it, the cute, blonde bartender comes straight over.

I take in her features, from her bright amber eyes, to her dainty button nose and as Josh gives her our order, I allow my eyes to roam her figure. She’s petite, with a generous rack and a firm, tight arse.

Normally, I’d be drooling.

Normally, I’d be attempting to laugh her into my bed.

Not tonight, though. Tonight, my Davidson doesn’t even twitch.

I’m starting to worry that when they took away my balls, they also took away my libido. I mean, I still get hard, still need to have a wank in the shower to scratch that itch, but I’m not interested in being intimate with anyone.

I’ve tried, trust me I’ve tried, but shit just goes tits up, only adding to my mortification.

I’ve not only lost my balls physically; I’ve lost my mental ones too.

“Earth to H.” Josh’s voice is accompanied by a hand to my shoulder.

I’ve zoned out again. Great.

“Sorry, mate. Guess I’m not really up for this tonight.” I shrug, hoping that I don’t look as weary as I feel.

“Don’t sweat it, we all have bad days. You don’t have to be on top form all the time. Grab the drinks and let’s just have some banter with the lads. It’s probably my last night out with you guys for a while. I don’t like leaving Laura and Ivy alone, not now she’s almost four months pregnant.”

I pick up two of the bottles from the bar and turn back towards our table.

“You know if it’s pink or blue this time? I bet you’d love a blue one, I mean, you’re probably overrun with all that girlie shit being the only bloke in your house.”

He smiles over at me, his face filled with emotion, “I don’t care either way. Pink, blue, it makes no difference to us. We’ll just take healthy. Besides, I quite like being surrounded by my girls.”

Fair enough. I can’t imagine making a baby, let alone two.

Then again, frozen sperm doesn’t quite sound as much fun as natural baby making does. I can see me now, ‘Hey, wanna have my kids? Cool, let me pop the microwave on defrost and find the turkey baster.’

Yeah. That’s not going to get the future mother of my children in the mood for some baby making.

W
e set the fresh drinks on the table, and I take a seat next to Isaac.

He and Liam are in the middle of a conversation about some model Iz has been banging.

“I can’t believe you took both him and his girlfriend to bed. The guy must be into dudes; there’s no way I’d let a bloke in bed with Cari and me.” Liam laughs, shaking his head and grabbing the bottle put before him.

“Oh, trust me. He was
into
dudes.” Iz responds, hiding his smirk behind the lip of his glass.

“Bro, too much info for us heteros. We love you, but we don’t need that image in our heads.” Liam grimaces playfully; no malice intended.

I sit back and look at Isaac; I mean
really
look at him.

I can appreciate a good looking bloke, and there is no doubt the man looks good. Each of the Fox brothers are lookers, I’m surprised that I don’t have lower self-esteem, having grown up with them all, but I’ve always relied on my humour to get between a girl’s legs. It works too. Well, it used to.

Isaac’s hair is long, but not girly. He still looks like a man, just one with beautiful hair. His face always has a perfectly trimmed bit of scruff, and his eyes always hold a spark of naughtiness. I think this combination contributes to his success with both sexes. He’s all man, just one that knows what he likes and he likes sausage as well as sweet.

“When did you know you wanted to shag blokes?”

The question flies from my lips before I put any thought into how he might take my blunt query. Isaac has never hidden who he is from us, but we’ve never questioned him about it either.

We all look towards him, waiting for his response. I guess his brothers never asked him this either.

He takes another sip of his drink; his lips turned up on one side, his eyes staring out towards the dance floor. He takes so long to finally speak that I wonder if he’s decided not to answer, and then he laughs and says, “Mr Wilson, hot as fuck, with deep brown eyes, thick corded arms and veins on his torso that ran all the way to his…”

“Don’t fucking finish that sentence,” Liam chuckles, almost spitting out his beer.

Iz just laughs, “What? He was my P.E. teacher. I used to sneak peeks at him in the locker room.”

Liam chokes again, and Iz is quick to add, “Don’t even fucking go there. You actually shagged your teacher; I only had wet dreams about mine.”

Liam nods, but quickly replies, “Fair enough, but she’s not my teacher anymore, she’s soon to be my wife, so less of the shagging talk.”

Josh pipes up, “You asked her yet?”

Liam looks sheepishly at the label of his bottle, nervously peeling it away.

“Nah, but I will. Soon.”

“Chicken shit.” Isaac coughs, jokingly behind his glass.

“I’m not a chicken shit; I just want it to be perfect. She deserves perfect.”

Josh nods like the pussy-whipped man he is, Isaac just smiles, and I sit in silence.

My silence has been noted.

“What’s up, H? Pussy got your tongue?”

All three of them crack up in laughter. They are yet again talking about my last foray into the dating scene; date number twelve ‘post-balls’ and her devil cat called Mr Puss Puss. A devil cat that almost ripped my Davidson off, but that’s another story.

“Fuck off, Iz. You lot have been yacking away like a bunch of old women, I can barely get a word in edgeways. Besides, I’ve contributed to the conversation. I got you talking about your first cock crush, didn’t I?”

They all share a look, one that I can’t be arsed to decipher and then Josh clears his throat.

“Any of you lot free next weekend to help out at a school fundraiser?”

Josh is a Primary School teacher, as is his wife, Laura. He often tries to rope us into various school events, like barbeques, fetes, and sports days.

“Can’t; Cari’s got classes.” Liam rushes out.

Isaac shrugs, “I’m in Milan.”

Josh’s eyes fall on me and I realise I haven’t come up with an excuse quick enough.

Fuck.
Why do I always have to be the one with no partner or high-flying job to fall back on?

“H? Next weekend?”

I glance at Josh, he’s staring intently at me through his thick-framed, hipster glasses. My eyes flick to Liam, who hides his smirk behind his bottle and Iz, who doesn’t bother to hide his grin at all.