Brooke stared up at the ceiling utterly bored out of her mind. For the first time in a long time there was nothing to do. Harmony was resting peacefully and Brooke had actually been able to get ahead with some of her Sascha Naj projects. The house was tidy and she couldn't find a thing on cable to hold her interest for more than two seconds. When the telephone rang, she could hardly contain her joy. Finally another human being to talk to. Even if it had been one of those annoying telemarketer people, it beat lying in bed twiddling her thumbs.

"Hello?"

"Hey you. How's it going?"

"Peyton! I thought you were a salesman."

"Don't sound so disappointed", Peyton chuckled softly.

"No. I'm glad you called. What's up?"

"Nothing much. Just had some free time and I felt like talking to you. I've missed you so I wanted to check in. How is the baby?"

"Harmony's great. I'll have to send you her newest little pictures. Oh they're adorable."

"What's up with you? You sound kind of sad…"

"Not sad exactly. Just bored and a little lonely."

"You okay?"

"No", Brooke pouted. "I hate just sitting around doing nothing. I am way too hyper for this. I got caught up and even got ahead on some stuff I've been doing for work. I already did my nightly Yoga routine, there is absolutely nothing on TV, after being fussy and awake all day then the one second I want play with my kid, she is now completely zonked out and did I mention my sex life is non existent?"

"Is that all?" Peyton laughed out loud. "Wow. Sounds like you're in a fix. But hey, you're Brooke Davis Scott, right? Former head cheerleader, most popular chick in college, fashion extraordinaire, beautiful, funny, Super Mom and filthy rich. Hell, all that has to count for something, right?"

"Maybe so but being bored and horny is no way to go through life. Pey, I need to have some fun."

"Well, technically you and Lucas aren't divorced yet…"

"Yeah which means I can't even go on the hunt for fresh meat, although when that time comes, Gordon has so generously offered to help me get my groove back."

"I'm not talking about fresh meat. I'm talking about the meat that has been, uh, satisfying your hunger so to speak for the last eleven years."

"Iiieeewww. You mean Lucas? What about him?"

"Is he home or on the road this week?"

"Home. Actually I can see the lights on in the guest cottage", Brooke answered as she peered out the window.

"Well, there you go. Call up your hubby, while you can still call him that, and invite him over…light some candles…sexy lingerie…you get my drift."

"Yeah", Brooke said as a smile crept to her lips. "Peyton Sawyer, you are a genius. I have an idea. Let me call you back."

Without waiting for a response, Brooke went downstairs to the room where the heated Jacuzzi was. She lit candles just as Peyton had suggested and turned on soft music. The lights were dim and fresh flowers illuminated a heavenly scent. Bringing down the baby monitor so she could keep an ear out for Harmony was the last step before she went to the house intercom and buzzed the guest cottage.

"Luke? Hey, it's me."

"What's up, Brooke?"

"Not much. Um, the baby is down for the night and I'm here…alone and bored. I was wondering if you could help me."

"Help you?"

"Yeah. I was thinking about reading one of your books."

"You want to read one of my books?" Lucas laughed.

"Yeah. What's so funny?"

"Nothing, it's just that I've been trying to turn you on to fine literature for years now."

"Well, a girl is entitled to change her mind. Now bring something good. The front door is unlocked."

Brooke grinned devilishly as she waited for Lucas to arrive. He did so minutes later, quietly letting himself into the house. She greeted him sans make up with her hair pinned up, wearing a short, light purple terrycloth robe.

"Here you go", Lucas said, handing her a tattered old book. "This is a good one. One of my favorite writers and I think you'll enjoy it."

"Somerset Maugham?" she said as she read the name before turning it over to the back cover. "Human Bondage. Ooohhh bondage…sounds like Somerset was a little kinky."

"It's not like that", he smiled.

"Darn. I thought I'd have a little fun with my reading tonight. And by the way, this book smells way funky."

"It's the smell of old books", Lucas grinned. "I got that at a little vintage store in South Carolina."

"Well, I'm sure it will be interesting. In the meantime, would you like to hang out for a sec? Relax, have a glass of wine, maybe?"

"Okay", he shrugged. "Mind if I say good night to Harmony?"

"Not at all. She's in her crib in her room."

Lucas nodded and went up to spend a few minutes with his baby girl before coming back down to Brooke. For the first time he took note of the dim lights and soft jazz humming in the background.

"You look tense", she purred as she sipped expensive red wine from a glass.

"I'm fine. Just a rough game against Indiana the other night."

"Your shoulder still acting up?"

"Time to time."

"Let me", she said quietly as her fingers kneaded into his soft tissue.

Lucas moaned out loud and relaxed at her familiar touch. She continued massaging him, removing his shirt for better access. As he felt himself literally melting, she let her lips place soft butterfly kisses on the base of his neck.

"Brooke, what are you doing?"

She guided him to a standing position then led him over to the Jacuzzi.

"Get in", she instructed.

"Brooke…"

She gave him the smile that had turned him to putty for the last eleven years. He stripped down to his shorts, then climbed into the hot, bubbling water. Brooke grinned seductively as she walked over to him and slowly untied the strap of her robe. It fell to the floor exposing her tan and taunt body clad in a sexy black bikini that accentuated her fuller post baby chest.

"Brooke, I…"

"Don't say a word", she whispered as she climbed in.

Her manicured nails raked over his bare, hardened chest and her eyes never left his, even as she unfastened the clap of the top and tossed it aside. He gulped, staring at the round beauty of her bosom. She guided his hands to them and moaned as she leaned over and kissed his neck. Her hands disappeared below into the water finding the most sensitive spots on Luke's body as their tongues meshed together. It was Lucas who pulled away breathless.

"What's wrong?" Brooke asked.

"I…I can't."

"Oh I think you can", she giggled with raised eyebrows as she took notice of his manhood saluting through his shorts.

"No, Brooke, I mean I really can't."

"What's the matter? Don't you want me?"

"I don't know", he sighed, getting out and toweling off. "Look, I thought I did. And don't get me wrong, you look so unbelievably hot but…it's not right, Brooke. We can't do this. The closer we get to the divorce being final, the more it becomes real to me. At first I would have done anything to stop it but now I guess I see your point. Maybe it is for the best. And I always want you in my life and you are my best friend and we're going to raise Harmony together but Brooke, I think we need to draw some boundaries. Sex complicates things. Just because we're horny, that doesn't give us the license to jump into bed anytime we feel like it."

"Luke, I think you are making a way big deal out of nothing. It's just sex, right? And it's not like we haven't done it before. Okay, here's the thing…we are not dating, we are not going out, we are just friends. Don't think of me as your wife, your shrink or your mommy. There's no romance, no crappy poetry, no PDA and no spooning. This is purely physical. If we have sex, it's gonna be safe sex. We're the new breed of divorced friends with benefits. Now I say we use our mouths for something other than talking…"

"Brooke, no", Lucas said again as he pushed her away. "We can't do this. I'm not going to do this. I'm sorry. It isn't right and it isn't fair. We've come a along way to get to this point where we're not ripping each other's head off every time we see one another. I like where things are now and I don't think we need sex or romantic entanglements messing everything up again. Remember, it's not just us anymore. We have someone else to think about."

"But…but I thought you wanted this. What is it that's bothering you, the sex? Do you still want more from us?"

"I did but I think we both know that's never going to happen, Brooke. Friends with benefits is crap and you know it. I didn't just want the benefits…I wanted the benefit of the doubt."

"Lucas…"

"It's okay", he said, kissing her cheek. "I think I better go now. I'll see you and Harmony in the morning. Good night, Brooke."

"Yeah…good night."

Brooke dressed and walked upstairs to her room, a million thoughts in her head as she finally slipped beneath the covers. She couldn't believe that Lucas had turned her down. It was definitely frustrating considering she was becoming increasingly hornier by the moment but it had been more than that. She was a bit pissed off and dare she admit it to herself but a little hurt.

Lucas had not only walked away, he had looked her in the eyes and laid down the new law. They were over, really over. As part of a subconscious revenge scheme for his affair, Brooke had secretly taken pleasure in denying him her body. Now it was Luke's time to reject her. He had given her a dose of her own medicine. For so long she had been the one calling all the shots in the relationship. Now there was no longer a relationship at all and that had been her decision as well. But had it been the right one?