First, I just want to apologize if I offended anyone who thought the last chapter was too steamy for a "T" rating. Thank you again to everyone who is taking their time to leave reviews. Please feel free to criticize or comment on anything. I've been leaning in a lot of different directions with the actual prior connection between Julian and Brooke. Anyway… I hope you guys enjoy.

Ch. 3

Julian Baker hated the fucking paparazzi. They were an unwanted and inescapable nuisance in LA, and they were just annoying in New York. He was holding Brooke tightly against his side, leading her towards the front lobby of the restaurant when he saw the commotion outside. Someone must have tipped the photographers about their whereabouts. He knew that anyone he or Brooke would've been out with tonight would inevitably draw interest, but at these moments he wished he was an anonymous person to avoid the hassles of celebrity.

Never releasing his hold on Brooke, he leaned away from her to whisper to the host and hand him a one hundred dollar bill. Josh, the host, nodded in understanding and motioned for Julian to follow him to the left. Josh led the two notorious celebrities through a maze of servers and chefs in the back of the restaurant. Eventually, Julian and Brooke were in a back alley behind the restaurant. Josh continued to lead them to another street to catch a taxi away from the frenzied photographers.

Julian was worried that in the process to avoid the paparazzi Brooke would have had the time to regress back to her previous frostiness and the evening would be prematurely over. However, she continued to grip his hand as she snuggled deeper into his chest as he held his arm up to signal for a cab. She clumsily wrapped an arm around his neck and waist, lightly kissing his neck. It was by divine intervention that Julian didn't take her on the street. He could smell her intoxicating spicy perfume and the tender softness of her hands on the back of hands made his pants uncomfortably tight. She looked up at him and gave a soft smile and wrinkled her nose in what was perhaps the cutest expression Julian had ever seen. "Hi" was all she said in her raspy voice that was lowered with desire.

Julian was about to crush his lips into hers when a cab finally pulled over waiting for them to get inside. Julian was tempted to wait for another taxi so that he could finally kiss her red lips, but decided the sooner they were inside a taxi the sooner he could begin to ravish Brooke. He opened the door and ran his hand up her thigh as she entered the cab. Julian near jumped in his haste to be next to her and be able to run his hands along her body regardless of the driver's presence. As soon as Julian shut the door, he instructed the driver to take them to his hotel and he turned to kiss Brooke.

Just as Julian's lips were about to finally meet Brooke's, she saw flashing lights and heard a bizarre jingling sound. How drunk am I? Brooke wondered as she looked around in a daze at the ceiling of the cab. She thought it was just her at first considering Julian's lips remained dangerously close to her mouth and his hand was underneath the hem of her skirt skimming the skin of her inner thigh. But he let out a repressed sigh and she heard him exclaim, "What the fuck?!" with as much sexual tension and frustration she felt.

"Welcome to the Cash Cab!"

"The cash what?" Brooke mumbled as she struggled to sit up straighter. She felt Julian's hand slip from her thigh and she watched him run it through his hair in agitation. He hissed "son of a bitch!" under his breath. Julian thought he was hallucinating as he listened to the driver prattle an explanation about the premise of some game show that was apparently based in a taxi cab. "You've got to be freaking kidding me!" Julian began shaking his head no, and couldn't believe this turn of events, but he was dumbstruck when he heard Brooke clap her hands and squeal.

"Oh my G-d! I freaking love the Cash Cab!! Are we seriously in it?" Despite easily drinking a bottle of wine over the past hour or so, Brooke's words were not slurred, but her actions and emotional reaction were definitely exaggerated. She turned her head to look at Julian with a huge grin and wide eyes, she grabbed his arm and shook it back and forth in excitement. Julian laughed and rubbed his hands over his face. This was definitely not what he anticipated. He looked at Brooke and tried to rationalize with her, they were both too tipsy, and horny, he silently added to be on a freaking television show! Brooke reluctantly agreed with him and she agreed to exit the cab.

Julian began to signal for another cab, but the mood had definitely shifted. Brooke was sulking several feet away from him. Any other cab, any other fucking cab and I'd be fucking fucking Brooke Davis. Julian bitterly thought as he kicked a rock off the curb. Brooke was on her cell phone as he looked over at her with regret and longing in his eyes. She wasn't meeting his gaze and he could tell that whatever heat was between them had cooled, perhaps permanently. Cabs were flying by them without stopping, so he decided it was better for him to reach for Brooke than wave for a cab. Brooke, however, deftly sidestepped his touch and shut her phone. She looked up at him and gave him a polite smile, "I called my driver. He'll be here in a moment. I'll instruct him to take you to your hotel."

Brooke had quickly sobered in the few minutes after they discovered they had been inside the Cash Cab. While Julian signed the paperwork for the show not to use the footage and talked to the host, Brooke decided to call her driver. She wasn't sure how things between her and Julian had become so heated and ripe with sex, but she was also slightly relieved that the evening was ending now. Sure, she was disappointed to end the evening so abruptly, but she did not want to be another conquest for Julian Baker. She was no longer the easy party girl even though her reputation with men had been greatly exaggerated by the press.

Brooke saw the hope in Julian fade and his shoulders slumped as if he was deflated. He gave a forced half smile and thanked her for the ride, and his mind began to desperately try to conspire some circumstances in which to continue in the direction they were head with before the stupid freaking Cash Cab! He hesitantly edged closer to her and awkwardly put his arm around her waist. Shit! I feel like a fucking freshman trying to yawn and cop a feel!

Brooke stiffened when she felt the warmth and weight of Julian's arm around her waist. She was self-conscious and felt exposed. She was determined not to allow things to progress the way they had at the end of dinner, but she felt strangely obligated to soften the blow and not hurt his feelings. Fortunately, the car appeared and they no longer had to speculate or try and guess what to do next. Julian sighed in resignation and Brooke simply headed for the opened door.

She instructed the driver to head towards her apartment and then to take Julian to his hotel. He was silent and sitting on the far side of the car, not looking at her and careful not to make any bodily contact with her. Fuck! Why do I feel like I'm in high school on my first date with an upper classmen?! Brooke took a deep breath to try and clear her thoughts of the surreal evening when she had a blinding moment of clarity. I know Julian Baker!

She slowly turned to face Julian and she examined his strong profile as if seeing him for the first time. His hair was much shorter and darker than before, and his face was more chiseled than the softer features she remembered. She couldn't stop her fingers from reaching out and touching his cheek as she stared at him in wonder. How could I forget this face? How could I not remember him?

The feathery touch of Brooke's fingertips startled Julian and he looked at her almost wounded by her earlier rejection of him. His eyes softened as he saw recognition and curiosity in her hazel eyes. Julian straightened and turned to her, his knee brushed against hers in the process sending a bolt of fresh tension through both of them. She slowly smiled at him as she softly cupped his cheek with the palm of his hand, relishing the feel of his stubble on the palm of her hand.

"I like you better with stubble," she gave a throaty chuckle and looked at him from under her eyelashes. Julian's heart leaped at the implications of what she just said. She remembers me. His lips pulled up into his sexy, irresistible grin. He leaned closer to her, his lips only inches from hers and said "I'll keep that in mind" before his lips made such soft contact with hers Brooke thought it was only his breath at first.

The car suddenly bumped over a pothole or something, and Brooke had never been more thankful for the notoriously uneven pavement of the city as it propelled her and Julian closer. The jostling car pushed Brooke body into Julian's more than receptive arms. He quickly seized this opportunity and rolled her onto his lap, his hands roaming through her hair, up her outer thighs, her hips, and back. The kiss had quickly transformed into a searing, wet kiss with hungry tongues. He broke his mouth away from hers as she grabbed his head to bring his lips back to hers. He wanted to consume Brooke all at once and he fought her insistent hands to place his lips on her neck. She softly moaned his name as she felt not only his tongue on her neck, but the swelling hardness beneath her which seemed to practically lurch against her when Julian heard her cry his name.

The driver was unaware of the steamy situation in the back seat of the car as he pulled in front of Brooke's apartment building. The two froze in mid kiss, limbs locked in their embrace, as they felt the car slow to a halt. Brooke and Julian both muttered against each others lips, neither wanting this moment to end, but unsure of what next step to take. Brooke look of uncertainty was met with Julian's look of anticipation. Brooke lowered her lips to Julian's and slowly pulled herself off of his lap and attempted to straighten her dress. Julian licked his lips as he noticed for the first time that at some point during their embrace Brooke's dress had slipped and he caught only a glimpse of a pale breast before she had righted the top of her outfit. Julian couldn't control himself and pulled her roughly against him for another passionate kiss.

"Come on." Wait… did she say something? Julian was too afraid that it was only his imagination, but then again he heard her softly say "Come on" against his lips. He opened his eyes to see her staring at him with a lusty determination. He swallowed hard and accepted her hand after she exited the car. She remained eye contact with Julian as she told the driver there was a change in plans and he was no longer needed. Julian laced his fingers with Brooke's as he followed her through the doors of her building and into the elevator.

Standing behind Brooke, Julian's hands were lifting her skirt and he was kissing her neck before the elevator doors closed. Brooke moaned again and turned around against his chest attacking his lips with her own. Julian pressed Brooke up against the wall of the elevator as she wrapped her legs around his waist. The elevator made a noise letting them know they had arrived at Brooke's floor. Julian was reluctant to let Brooke go, but began to try and ease her off of him. Brooke shook her head no and tightened her legs around him. She whispered, "It's the penthouse… go" as Julian started walking with Brooke still wrapped around him.