Lying Helpless in Her Arms

Prologue

It hadn't been her day. No, scratch that, it hadn't been her week or even her month. Brooke had been barely standing there. Of course, the crisis affected everyone but her mother's overreaction was driving her crazy. Clothes over Bros had lost some important contracts and the lack of inspiration to draw her new line only made it worse.

Now she was in Manhattan, it almost ten at night and she was involved in a stupid car crash. Why she didn't just take a cab to make her life a little easier was beyond her, she thought to herself. But now it was pointless, since she had already crashed her car.

"Are you okay?" asked the raven haired guy as soon as he left his car. He was also going home – or to a hotel in his case – after a long day of work. Having his rented car hit in the back was just the icing on the cake.

"I am definitely not okay," said an annoyed Brooke as she stepped out of her car and called her assistant.

"Millie. It's me. Can you meet me here on 5th, close to Marcy's?" She was silent as she listened to Millicent ask a question. "I hit a stupid car." Her face was red with rage as she bit out the words.

"No, I'm fine. I just want to go home and have a shower. I really need it."

"You have got to be kidding me," Brooke exclaimed as she threw her hands in the air. She placed the phone back against her ear, thanked Millie and hung up.

"Do you need any help?" the stranger offered again.

"I need vodka. Do you have a bottle in your car?"

"No but I'm sure they have it there," he said, pointing to a bar a block away with a smirk on his face. He found the scene in front of him amusing.

She seemed to breathe a relief as she grabbed her purse and began walking. He had to run to catch up to her.

"Are you serious?" He remembered just in time to turn around and lock his car.

"Well, I tried my best, I really did. I've been in meetings, I've delivered the best designs I could, I've withstood my mom talking endlessly into my ear for three weeks in a row and how am I paid back? I lost contracts, Bitchtoria was extra bitchy and I got my freaking car crashed," she vented as she walked towards the bar not really paying any attention to the guy that was following her.

"Yeah, maybe vodka would be a good call," he mused as he stifled a laugh. Her outburst was hilarious.

Brooke ignored his comment and continued walking. She didn't care for a guy that she would never see again.

"Look, here's my business card. Why don't you call tomorrow and talk to my assistant about the insurance." She handed him the tiny white card after she dug it out of her purse.

"Its okay, the car isn't even mine. I rented. I'm in New York for business," he explained but took the card anyway. During their little encounter, he got a glimpse of her stunning beauty. Her beautiful and flawless creamy skin, her beautiful eyes, her cleavage… and wow was she definitely gorgeous.

Brooke waved her hand in the air, a sign that she was clearly not listening and walked into the bar.

"Are you going to leave your car there?"

"It's parked," she muttered, looking around at her surroundings. The bar wasn't half as bad as she expected. It was a Thursday night and it could've been a lot worse. Looking around, she saw people talking, laughing, drinking and eating and she realized that it was all she needed. Millie was calling the insurance company to get her car, and she was on her way to New Jersey. Brooke had totally forgotten she gave the Friday off to her assistant. Millicent deserved better than that; especially for mediating the innumerous fights between her and Victoria.

As soon as she reached the bar and took a seat, she raised her hand, "A shot of vodka!"

"What about you?" Brooke turned to see the man from earlier taking the seat beside her.

"Bourbon," he ordered.

When the bartender nodded, the man turned to Brooke and offered his hand, "Julian Baker."

Brooke looked up at him for the first time since the crash and she liked what she saw. The stubble, the grin, the eyes, the disheveled hair; the guy breathed charm.

"Why are you still here?" She was blunt, curt. He was charming but she didn't have the patience, hadn't for years.

"To assure that your day ends better than it started," he tried, holding his grin and the interest the crazy brunette had sparked since he laid eyes on her.

"I doubt it," she said carelessly. The bartender placed the small glass in front of her and she knocked it back with one gulp. She quickly ordered another one with a wave of her finger.

"You are underestimating my abilities and that's a mistake," he teased, taking a sip of his drink and smirking at her temper. She was feisty and he liked that.

"I don't need to know about your abilities nor do I care about them. I am only talking about mine," she replied bitterly. She saw the bottle in the bartenders hand and motioned towards it with her hand. Getting the cue that she wanted to control the bottle, he left it there for her and went to serve another customer.

"And what are they?" He would challenge her; get to know her without even her knowing.

"Thirty seconds ago it was my remarkable dislike for cheesy lines but now I am employing my ignoring skills," she retorted wittingly before she gulped her third shot, the clear liquid burning her throat.

"So you're going to ignore me?" he chuckled and shook his head but he received no answer.

"That's too bad because I'm someone you would like to know. Most women would," he completed, watching as she filled her glass one more time. Maybe it would be easier than he thought but he was met with silence again.

"You know, you never really told me your name," he tried once more. Though he knew she was clearly stressed out, he was still enchanted by her beauty and strong personality.

"I don't like the dumb type either," she finally said, standing up from her seat. "So I might as well take that business card back." She didn't look at him as she stood, bottle in hand and left him at the bar.

She walked to the games area. She wondered for a few seconds what it would be tonight. There were some guys and girl around the pool table but the darts were abandoned. Refilling her glass for the fifth time, she decided that pool was her safest bet if she wanted to make it out of the bar alive.

She called for one of the waiters and asked him to have a cab waiting for her at midnight, writing down her name and also her address just in case she couldn't remember it later. One hour and a half was enough for her to drink all her stress away and have a huge hangover in the morning.

Julian turned around on his seat, beer in hand, as he watched her movements. She quickly socialized with the guys and the girl playing pool and he listened to her giggles. She had the most beautiful, dimpled smile he had ever seen and her voice was like velvet, absolutely sexy but her giggles? She giggled like a child; a child with the innocence and joy inherent to childhood. Who was this intriguing girl? He thought as he watched her sloppy movements, trying to aim for the holes. When she arrived, she was so stressed out and so bitter but now, she was careless and he could only imagine that she was letting herself be her real self for the first time that day or maybe that week. God, he could bet it had been a long time since she felt like that.

The answer was right in his pocket and remembering about the business card she gave him earlier, he pulled it out and read the elegant writing. It was for Clothes over Bros, the famous fashion line.

Brooke Davis

Fashion Designer/Founder

He couldn't believe of all people, she was the one that crashed into his car. Life couldn't get any better in his opinion.

Brooke has made out as she planned. She had a great time with Jeff, Theresa, Jim and Josh or was it Tim? She really didn't remember and she didn't care. She had her bottle of vodka and the best fun she had had in years, playing pool with equally drunk people. Somehow, although her memories were quite muddled, she left the bar and made it to her penthouse. But she remembered the headache. And, surprisingly, her erotic dream. She has dreamt about meeting a guy and having a wild night of sex with him. It had been a long time since Brooke had had sex at all but that dream seemed so vivid that somehow it fulfilled her need. Knowing that the sooner she got an aspirin, the sooner the headache would disappear. She rolled her body to stand up but when she couldn't move, she looked down, surprised. The weight of an arm was on her stomach. It can't be. I wouldn't do it. I'm Brooke Davis, fashion designer, a business woman that doesn't have time for any of that sex nonsense.

And as those thoughts rushed through her head, she opened her eyes to see the back of a strange male's head.

Realizing that her dream hadn't been dream at all, she muttered the only word she could.

"Crap!"

AN: Hey!!!! It is me again with my latest Brulian fic. The readers of A Love To Remember, don't worry, I am only waiting my chapter to be reviewed by my sweetie Beta Ashley, and you will have it. I'll update twice this week as I always do.

So what did you think about it? I am really proud of this fic (I have a lot of chapters written already, but as I need them to be reviewed and I have two more Brulian fic, plus two of Grey's Anatomy this one will be updated only once by week). I think it is the best work I've done so far and let's say the prologue doesn't do any justice to the next chapters. I needed to have their meeting writing but at the same time I couldn't give a lot of who is this Brooke and who is this Julian because well, they were just meeting.

So expect a lot of layers being developed on both characters especially because the rest of people here are absolutely only recurring. There aren't other parallel storylines and I'll keep the interaction with other the minimum. It is all about Brooke and Julian interaction with each other.

Details: All from season 1-4 counts and it starts where season 5 started. Julian is OOC here. He is sexy, charming, arrogant, cocky, surreal and seducing. Well it doesn't seem to be a lot different of the show but he is. Julian never had a relationship, so he never dated or met Peyton for that matter. He is the seductive guy that enjoys chasing women but not only for sex. He is looking for something more than this but he is not open to love or to relationships. He flirts a lot with everything that breaths and is female and though I don't quite think he is a womanizer, some would.
What makes him different than the usual womanizer? He appreciates women on a deeper level, he isn't after sex, though he cherishes it a lot, but he wants to know women, to know who they really are, the details that make each of them so different and at the same time just like all the others. He is fascinated by the opposite sex and likes to taste it just like some people like to taste wine. He tries to find out every note, every different taste and smell, intensity and personality.
But he is closed to love. He never fell in love and he was pretty sure he wouldn't. Well, then he meets Brooke Davis - who is pretty much the same of the show - and maybe he will be surprised.
The prologue is just about how they meet but trust me, the direction this fic go is totally different than this and maybe unexpected. Maybe a bit surreal, we'll see. What you can do expect is for it to be very sensual though the only sex moment for a long while will be this one that Brooke just remembered - and that you will get the nasty details in the next two chapters.