"I just haven't had a chance to go shopping," Brooke said with a fake chuckle to distil the situation.
"Brooke, I don't know whether or not to trust you. You just lied about eating at the hotel," Karen said. There was so much more that she wanted to say at that moment, words which were boldly written on her face for Brooke to read, but she held her tongue.
"I know what you're thinking. How much can a part-time maid earn? Definitely, less to live in this dump with minimal food in her kitchen. But you know what? It still feels better than taking favours. I'm sorry, but from now on, only Jamie and Sam will visit you. I don't know if I want to. I don't want the pitiable and sympathetic stares. I'll meet Andy when he comes here and go to Tree Hill, but I'll book a hotel room for myself. Also, the only reason I'm even taking Andy's help is because it's important to both Jamie, Lucas and Sam to live close to each other," she replied.
"Why? You are being stubborn about the wrong things, my dear. We need to fix things, and come to a compromise, not make things worse. Why are you choosing to push me away too?" Karen asked. She had already texted Lucas to get her and he was on his way. So she had very little time to deal with Brooke and her impenetrable walls.
"I'm sorry but if you knew everything, you would not want to be associated with me anyway. Everyone I love always leaves me. Hell, I have to even share my kids now, at least they can't completely leave me until they turn 18. Lucas is right, it's better that we keep it formal from the start and only interact regarding the kids and the adoption. We have ruined each other's lives irreparably and I need to be better at providing for them without help," Brooke said.
"No! This is ridiculous. You deserve better, you deserve a family and support," Karen said.
"Yes, and I have a family and support… in Jamie and Sam. Lucas and I will never be a family," Brooke replied harshly, her heart breaking as she said that.
"But you already are, don't you see. You have been a family for three years now. Jamie will always tie you two with each other," Karen argued.
"Yes, but that doesn't make me and Lucas a family. That just makes us two stupid kids who had no business being in a relationship in the first place," Brooke replied sadly. "Listen, Karen, I love your son. I think he is an incredible father and human being, but it kills me to be with him this way. It's not right to Peyton that I get the ring and his kid… it's not right to Lucas. He didn't sign up for any of it when he came to New York to celebrate his book getting published."
"And it's right for you… the kid, the menial jobs, the cold apartment in a seedy neighbourhood?" Karen asked, narrowing her eyes at Brooke.
"Karma's a bitch, right? I flaunted my riches and hooked up with everybody in High School," she said with a shrug of her shoulders.
Karen felt defeated. She could tell that Brooke was not going to crack. "I really pray that you realise that you deserve more because whenever you do, I will be standing here for you with whatever you need."
"You're helping me get Sam and move to a better place. I never thought that would be possible until Sam turned 18. So, I owe you a huge debt of gratitude already," Brooke said, hating that she needed them for all of it.
"We love her and you and that's what you do for the people you love. Isn't that right? Why are you doing what you are doing for Sam?" Karen asked.
Brooke lifted her head to look at Sam and Jamie who were watching her and Karen interact silently. "Because I love her and care about her and want her to have the best life because she deserves the world." A faint smile graced her lips as she said that.
"Then why do you doubt my love for you? I want the same things that you want for Samantha. Don't you get it?" Karen asked, making Brooke freeze.
"Hey, umm, why don't the two of you spend the night with Karen and Lucas at the hotel? Lucas would love that and maybe you two can order some dessert from room service? Go and pack a bag," Brooke directed at the two of them.
"We're fine," Sam said but Brooke glared at her so she closed her mouth instantly. "Okay, let's go pack Dweeb."
"But," Jamie protested, but Sam nudged him inside the bedroom and began to stash their uniforms, books and essentials into some bags. She was an expert at packing in record time. Foster care had trained and harnessed those skills to a pro. She was ready in under ten minutes.
Karen's phone began ringing suddenly. "It's Lucas. He is down in a taxi," Karen said to Brooke.
"You all should go. It's not safe for him to wait down. I'll come drop you all to him," she said quickly. "Come on, all of you."
Brooke grabbed her purse and pulled out her pocket knife to threaten anyone who tried to act smart with the two women. She kept her other hand inside her purse so that her hand was on her pepper spray. Karen gulped seeing that but stood silently, waiting for Brooke's instructions. She was out of her depth there.
"Just walk beside me and we should be fine. But Karen, promise me to never come back here," she said with a desperate sigh in her voice. A sigh so deep and defeated. She did not have the strength. She didn't want to fight anymore. She needed time to be battered and bruised and feel the pain her imaginary scars were giving her. She just wanted to lie down and be a wreck without having to put on a brave face for her kids. She just needed space to be a human, a human who messed up occasionally. She needed the stakes to not be so high one time. She wanted something to be easy for a minute, to breathe mentally, to figure things out for herself. And yet, she had mouths to feed, bodies to clothe, shelter to provide, medical debt to clear off and keep appearances that she was on top of everything.
Lucas saw the little party walk down. Jamie attempted to run to hug him, but Sam was holding him tightly. Brooke had drilled it in her head to never let go of Jamie's hand in the neighbourhood out of the fear that he would be kidnapped. Jamie knew it was futile to attempt to let go of her hand, so he matched her gait and walked to Lucas.
"Hey buddy, what are you doing down here? Didn't I read you a bedtime story?" He asked.
"Yeah, but Mama was crying and fighting with Grandma and now we have to sleep in your hotel room," he said, making Brooke's cheeks turn red.
"So, I take it that you couldn't bring down her walls?" Lucas whispered to his mom.
"You all should get inside the taxi. Waiting out here is inviting trouble," Brooke warned. "Come on Jimmy Jam, inside." She opened the cab door and helped Jamie scoot in. "Sam, be with Jamie." Sam sighed but sat inside the cab so her baby brother wasn't alone. "Both of you should head too."
"We'll be fine. Why don't you walk in and wave from your window? Then we'll get rolling?" Lucas said. Brooke rolled her eyes but didn't argue. She saw Karen get inside the cab and look on both sides of the street before sprinting towards her building. Once she got in, she bolted the door and gave Lucas a smug look. She saw Lucas get in and ride off.
Brooke sat on the floor for a minute. She was spiralling. "Hey Marty, it's me. You need a headliner for tonight?"
"Oh look who called! Couldn't escape the life, could you? What had I told you? Once a stripper… always a stripper. They always come back. Every single time. Yes, you can come in tonight," he replied with a smug and satisfied voice.
Brooke put down her phone, kept her heart on her side and opened a drawer she hadn't for a while. She went to the bathroom and shaved herself to make sure she was stage-ready. Men liked completely hairless smooth bodies and her g-strings left little to the imagination. She usually waxed, but she hadn't kept up with her bikini wax appointments. A shave would have to do. She exfoliated and went heavy on the make-up before putting on a sexy black number. She added the stereotypical sweats to hide her outfit and grabbed her bag before locking the door behind her.
Marty beamed when he saw her walk in. The festivities of the night had already begun a long time ago. She saw Yolanda at the bar and Celeste and Solaris waitressing. Jacinda and Katerina were up on the poles while Dana was stripping on stage.
"Good to see you back. Should I put you on my regular roster?" Marty asked.
"No, I'll call you when I can come," she replied. She knew that she couldn't tell Sam or Lucas that she was beginning this job again. She just hoped that Sam and Jamie would prefer to spend some nights at the hotel.
"Fine by me. Now get ready, I'm putting you up next on stage," Marty announced.
Brooke nodded her head and walked inside the staff-only door, taking her usual dresser. She noticed that nobody knew had inhabited her spot. Marty had been so sure that she would return that he had kept her dresser for her. Brooke stripped off her sweats and combed through her hair before reapplying her lipstick. She pouted in the mirror to ensure her appearance and took a twirl to ensure that she hadn't missed any hair on her body. Once she was satisfied, she walked to the curtain separating the stage and the back.
"Ready when she is done," Brooke announced.
Marty looked at her and gave an approving nod. He couldn't help but be hypnotised by Brooke's beauty as well. In fact, he had tried to book her for a blow job himself, but Brooke had flat-out refused him.
"Okay, she is almost done. I'll go announce you," he said and walked to the mic. "Fellas, we have a surprise in store for you today! You're going to get hard instantly as I announce our next act. You have been asking about her for a while now, waiting and wanting and it's my great pleasure to bring her back on stage.. Miss Penelope Cruz!"
Brooke put on a megawatt smile and walked up the stage towards the blinding lights as if she was about to receive a lifetime achievement award. The crowd literally began to hoot and cheer and holler upon seeing her entry. They couldn't believe that she was back. The people in the club were fewer than Brooke was usually used to seeing and she couldn't help but wonder if that was because of her absence. She pushed those thoughts away as she began to give flying kisses to the men on stage with a beaming chirpy smile. She was practised to the peak for this. She could get through the routine easily, no matter how hard her inside will was breaking.
The music began and Brooke began to dance, showing every bit of her perfect body to the crowd. She got on the pole and began to swing on it, hooking one of her hands and foot on it and swinging down so that her heavy breasts plunged out towards the crowd as her hair flew around like a feisty lion's mane. She climbed out and walked to the centre, beckoning a man towards her. Enticed, the man came close to the stage. Brooke took hold of his hand and brought it to the hook of her bra. The man unhooked it eagerly as Brooke pretended to be shocked. She allowed the man to pull down the straps for her and get a quick feel while he stuffed her g-string with dollar bills. Next, she walked to another man and shimmied her ass close to him. The man gave her a gentle rub before smacking her and turning it red. Brooke was used to harder smacks so she just widened her eyes to show excitement as she extracted more dollar bills from him. She then continued her routine pretending to show that she was contemplating pulling off her panties. She asked the crowd whether she should and the crowd roared. So she hooked her fingers and played with the strings, opening one side and letting the tiny ropes fall. The entire crowd was breathless as they waited with bated breath for her to do the same on the other side, but she never did. The panties, albeit loose and giving a peek of what she hid inside, never really came off. Her set ended and she walked down, sitting on every man's lap who gave her over a fifty-dollar tip to say thanks.
Brooke had to admit, she felt good seeing all that cash in her hand. What she had just earned was worth a month of working part-time at the hotel. She quickly tied the side strap of her g-string and put away all her earnings.
"Good to see you back, Penelope," Melody said as she sat knitting in the dressing room. Brooke felt something fall in the pit of her stomach. Marty had told her about Melody and her fate. It was she who had tried to get out and failed. It was her that she was destined to become.
"Hey, thanks," she replied awkwardly and left to go start on lap dances and whatever private affairs men booked her for.
She began to make her way table to table, making her bookings, taking her hundred-dollar advance for each song. Then she started to pick them out and take them back to the curtained-off area to show them a good time. Their hands on her breasts stung her, she realised that she had begun to forget what that felt like… a crack in her armour. She had to fix that up, she realised and allowed every man's hands to linger and pinch as they pleased. She didn't even stop them if they trailed too far south as long as they didn't grope her and only slightly grazed her sex. She wanted to be able to deal with that. She was worth that only in her mind. So she let whatever was happening happen without a lot of protest. The crowd was thin today anyway, so her earnings would naturally be low. Plus, the club had a strict cell phone policy to avoid the girls getting recorded, so it wasn't like the patrons in the club could spread the word about her return. The club would be packed tomorrow, for sure. She would try to make the kids have a sleepover at Lucas' again to return.
The lap dances ended quicker than Brooke imagined and she did not have any blowjob requests, so she decided to ask Marty to go up for another set on stage if he could squeeze her in. Marty happily obliged to her request. He had seen how wild the crowd had gotten for Brooke and the more she earned, the more commission he made, the more drinks people bought and the longer they stayed.
Brooke went back on stage and did another dance, a different one though it covered the same basics. She smiled and winked, moving to the beat flawlessly. Men clinked their glasses and touched the strippers in their laps a little hard as they were enticed by Brooke's magnetic dance. She interacted with the crowd, getting a man to come up on stage and using him as if he were a pole. Brooke was smart at picking men out for those things. She had been the queen of shopping after all. One look and she could tell what item was from what brand. She only allowed the men with thousand-dollar watches, shoes and suits on stage because they also left hundred-dollar tips for the ego boost. What she didn't enjoy was the feeling of their hard ons, but she was used to that by then.
Once the song ended, Brooke did another round collecting all her tips. They weren't as many as her first set, but it wasn't too bad. She would see if the new patrons were interested in a dance or she would waitress for a while. Being the top gun, Marty let her pick when she wanted to perform, give private time or waitress.
"Hey, what are you doing right now?" Marty came up to her and asked her.
"I was just about to put my tips away and see if anyone wants a lap dance," Brooke informed him.
"Those can wait, you need to get upstairs," Marty informed her.
"What? Why?" she asked.
"Someone booked you for a blowjob. He paid a thousand dollars for it too. Here's the money after deducting my commission."
"Huh? You can't book me for anything. You know that Marty. I pick the clients and they give me the money. You get a cut at the end of the night," Brooke reminded him of his own rules.
"Don't you think that I know that? The guy said that he couldn't wait and to send you upstairs immediately," he said, raising his hands.
"Is he someone new?" Brooke enquired. New ones were always scarier.
"No, I've seen you with him before," Marty let her know.
"Oh God, please not Mr. Daniels!" Brooke prayed.
"It's not him. I don't know the guy's name but he paid a pretty buck for you. So get upstairs and show him a good time. I sent him to your usual room," Marty said.
"Fine," Brooke acquiesced. She first went to put away her savings, wondering why the man would pay double her rate.
'Must be Mr. Coleman's brother. He paid a thousand the last time and didn't even hit me like his brother always does. Easy money,' she thought to herself and made her way upstairs.
She knocked on the door and entered, putting forth her sexiest self.
"What! No! How? How did you know?" Brooke asked cowering as she saw Lucas inside the room, waiting for her. Instinctively, her hands went around her body to cover herself, although she was wearing a bra and underwear, however scanty they were.
Lucas was seething. He was pissed. Brooke saw his breath rise and fall heavily. He clenched his knuckles in anger, paralysing Brooke in fright,
"Strip," he said softly yet coldly.
Brooke looked up immediately, shocked by the words she had heard. He wouldn't. It was impossible, right? No way would he make her give him a blowjob. Lucas was not that kind of guy, he would never…
"I said strip," Lucas repeated himself. Brooke on the other hand continued to remain frozen, choosing to look down at her feet.
"Isn't that your job? To strip for whoever pays you," Lucas asked and dangled hundred dollar bills in front of her. Brooke still refused to look up. She was still frozen in her spot. Lucas threw the dollar bills at her feet. "Strip for me."
The bills by her feet got her attention. Brooke looked at him angrily and metaphorically and ironically put her armour on as she unhooked her bra, pulled it off her body and threw it on the floor.
"Here are you happy? Well, no you paid two times my rate, so you must want special services. Do you want me to take my bottoms off too? Huh? Everybody wants that. I only did it for one guy before you at this club, so congratulations Lucas Scott, you get to be a part of the exclusive club!" she screamed and pulled off her underwear.
It was Lucas' turn to be shocked and frozen. Yes, he meant to scare Brooke and hurt Brooke with the intention of making her realise how ridiculous she was being. Never had he imagined that Brooke would actually strip for him, that too completely. Also, he was shocked to see her perfect hairless body.
"Why stop here? You want to grope me?" Brooke cried, not realising Lucas' shock.
"You want to manhandle me? Hit me?" She asked, grabbing his hands and putting them on her body. Every touch of her body felt like forbidden fruit burning his palms. This was not what he wanted. This was not how she was supposed to react. Lucas, too, began crying at that point. This was obviously not a well-thought-out plan.
"Maybe pay some more and turn me into a prostitute, huh?" Brooke sobbed and screamed wildly as she moved Lucas' hands south, closer and closer to her centre. It was Lucas' turn to be a terrified child for the first time since he found Brooke in New York.
"Is that what you want?" She asked and looked at him dead in the eyes that time. Lucas was the one cowering and unable to meet her gaze. His hands fell to his sides and stuck to himself as his eyes did not go further away from his feet. Brooke folded her hands at her chest, very aware of her nakedness but she did nothing about it to prove her point.
Lucas wanted to say so many things but he opened and closed his mouth repeatedly. His brain had fogged up from what he had seen and what he had felt. He was about to leave, but he couldn't see her that way. There was just no way that what she was doing there was okay.
"I'm sorry, but no, Brooke. Just No!" Then without thinking, he picked her up and put her on her shoulders.
Brooke whelped as she felt herself being hauled up by Lucas' sinewy arms. "Lucas! What the hell! Put me down!" she screamed, punching him as hard as she could but Lucas didn't care. He grabbed the ratty blanket from the bed in the room and covered her up. Then he began to walk out with Brooke still perched on his shoulders, hitting him as hard as she could to make him stop.
"What are you going to do? Lock me in a tower and call me Rapunzel?" Brooke yelled, trying to make a point.
"If that's what it takes, yes. This isn't going to happen ever again," he replied. Brooke's punches and protests did nothing to stop him.
"You cannot make decisions for me! You don't own me!" she hollered, not giving up, but unable to get out of his arms.
"Yes, you're right," he replied because well, she did have a point there.
"Then put me down!" she yelled. Lucas didn't listen and kept walking.
"We're entering the club now. I'll make a scene and the bouncers will maul you!" she warned him.
"I don't care."
Brooke began screaming, but since the music was loud, they weren't as shrill and piercing as she had hoped they would be. "Marty! Celeste! Solaris!" She screamed. Lucas smiled at the girls and kept walking ahead, unflinchingly. Marty was behind the stage and hence couldn't see what was happening outside. Brooke screamed again and the bouncers were alerted. They began to run towards Brooke, but Lucas was athletic. He began to run as well. He didn't bother with coats, hell, he didn't even bother with the fact that Brooke was naked and had nothing but a blanket protecting her modestly. He just kept running while Brooke continued to scream in his arms, not liking the bumpiness that came with being perched on his shoulders like a gunny bag. Lucky for Lucas, just as he entered the street, a cab was dropping some creepy old man at the perch.
"Oh my! Penelope! Are you really back!" Mr. Daniels asked, delighted to see her.
"Mr. Daniels! Help!" Brooke screamed although she was beginning to lose hope.
"No, she isn't back. I'll pay your cab fare, don't worry!" Lucas replied for her. Then, he threw Brooke into the cab and got in just as the bouncers reached them.
"Step on it!" he ordered and the black and yellow taxi jetted off, camouflaging with the other cabs on the road, making the bouncers lose them.
Brooke began to pout as she wrapped the disgusting blanket around her breasts more tightly. She felt disoriented from hanging upside down on Lucas' shoulders. She held her head, all the surprise had run its course and become normal. Of course, Mr. Hero came to save the day. "My stuff is still at the club," she complained.
"You can tell Solaris or whoever her twin wannabee is to bring it to the hotel for you," he replied, solving the problem for her.
"Stop dictating everything," Brooke said with a frown.
"Then stop making stupid decisions. Stop putting everyone before you and stop not asking for help!" Lucas screamed. His hands moved through his hair in frustration, making both Brooke and the cab driver look up. He was already suspicious of his passengers. After all, the girl looked like a hooker and she was only on a blanket, no clothes.
"Lucas, I cannot go to the hotel like this. I'm in a freaking blanket! Even if I enter the hotel from the back door, there is only one door to your suite and Karen cannot see me this way. Also, how the heck did you know I was where doing what?"
"It wasn't me. It was Sam. She forgot her Physics textbook and tried to call you to ask if you could bring it to the hotel in the morning as she needed it for school. But you didn't answer her calls which she found astonishing because the only times you were unreachable at night were when you were working. So she called someone at the club who confirmed that you were in fact at the club," Lucas filled her in.
"Can you please take me to my apartment? I have an extra key to the place at Mrs. Garcia's for Sam in case she forgets them. I cannot enter your suite like this," Brooke begged again.
"Okay," Lucas said and asked the taxi to turn around and the long distance to Brooke's house. Both of them remained silent for the remainder of the ride, choosing to be immersed in their own thoughts.
"We'll go get your stuff from the club in the morning. I'll come with you," Lucas said once they were almost near her apartment. Brooke refused to look in his direction to even acknowledge his words.
When the taxi halted outside her building, Brooke got out of the cab while Lucas was paying the driver the exorbitant fare and tipping him generously for taking them around the city, while one of them was clothes-free.
Suddenly, he heard a loud shriek. He turned around to see that it was Brooke. She was being attacked by a man who was holding a knife to her throat.
"I don't have any money!" he heard her crying. "I don't have my purse or anything! Let me go!"
The man seemed pissed by that and he began to tug on the blanket Brooke had wrapped around her body. Sweat dripped from Lucas' eyebrows as he witnessed the scene before him. No! He could not let her get attacked. "Hey! Hey! Stop! Let her go!" Lucas said and jumped out of the taxi to save his fake fiance. The taxi driver realised how bad the neighbourhood was and refused to wait and see what would be happening, leaving the place at lightning speed.
Lucas ran like a bull, ready to ram his head against Brooke's attacker. The man fighting her had already managed to push Brooke onto the road and was trying to assault her! Brooke was screaming as she fought back.
Lucas was quick to push him off Brooke. He was about to lay him on the floor and punch him unconscious, but he managed to swerve past and take off. Unfortunately, his hands still held the blanket that was covering Brooke and he did not let go of it, literally taking away the last vestiges of Brooke's modesty. The man was swift and it was futile trying to catch him.
Brooke was horrified, finding herself stark naked on the street. Lucas was equally scared. He did not have his jacket as he had left that at the club. It was a chilly night, He pulled off his t-shirt and handed it to Brooke who put it on. It covered her top, but everyone could still see her bottom. She pulled and stretched the material to try and make it work, but she was struggling.
"Do not say another word to me," Brooke warned him. "The one time I don't have my bag on me!" The second line was directed more to herself. She walked into the building, hoping not to come across anybody while Lucas followed her.
She repeatedly knocked on Mrs. Garcia's door to try and wake the old lady. It was really late at night, She had left for the club so late, it must have been close to closing time by then. Brooke was scared that she would wake the rest of the building if Mrs. Garcia didn't open her door soon and she was right.
A man who had a string of B&E charges opened his door to peep out. Brooke immediately hid behind Lucas to cover her modesty.
"Do you two need any help?" he asked.
"No, we're fine. You can go back in," Lucas replied to him as Brooke kept banging on Mrs. Garcia's door.
"Oh my! What is going on?" she asked as she finally woke up and opened the door in her nightgown.
Brooke made sure that the man had returned to his house. He did not need him to know that she kept a spare key to her apartment at the old lady's house. Once she was sure he wasn't lurking she said, "I am extremely sorry to bother you this late, but I don't have my purse and I need the keys to my apartment."
The lady saw her in a T-shirt and with a man and looked at her funny. "Where are the kids?" she enquired, not liking what she saw.
Brooke rolled her eyes. "The kids are fine. They are with Jamie's grandmother. This is Jamie's father," she said, introducing Lucas who gave the old lady a quick wave.
"You're back with that punk? Who left you pregnant and alone?" she asked judgementally.
"No! It's really complicated. Can I please just have the keys?" Brooke requested.
"Fine, come in and grab them," Mrs. Garcia replied and went back to the room to go to sleep. Brooke grabbed them quickly and ran up the stairs to her floor. Once she had unlocked the door, she breathed in relief.
Brooke didn't bother to look at Lucas or ensure that he was comfortable, although how comfortable could he be without his shirt? She realised how cold it was and neither of them had their jackets. So, she just breathed heavily and pulled off Lucas' shirt off her body. He had seen her naked that day anyway, another peep would make no difference, her mind argued. Lucas got frightened seeing her that way. Brooke didn't explain herself but just handed the shirt to him before sauntering to her drawer to grab some clothes for herself. She then proceeded towards the bathroom and locked herself inside, leaving Lucas alone with his confusing thoughts.
She showered, washing away all the hands that had touched her, all the lustful eyes that had stared at her, all the desires that had wanted her. She washed away the scent of the many men who were cheating on their families with her although she wasn't sleeping with them. She washed away the feel of their hard-ons pressing under her. She washed away all of them, except the one she brought back home with herself.
Brooke emerged out of the bathroom to find Lucas rubbing his hands together to generate some heat. She felt guilty. "I'm so sorry. Would you like a shower? The water's at least hot," Brooke offered.
"No, I'm fine," he replied.
"Sorry that I didn't grab our coats, or give you a chance to wear clothes or anything. It's all crazy," he said, unsure about whether or not he should have been apologising. He had done the right thing, albeit in the wrong way.
"Listen, I know that you will want to talk about this in a long elaborate fashion, but I have no energy at all. Can we please take this up tomorrow?" Brooke requested.
"Yes, fine. Tomorrow," Lucas replied. "I'm exhausted too."
"My phone's in my purse. Can you text Sam or Karen to ask if Jamie's okay?" Brooke requested.
Lucas pulled his phone out and did that, letting Sam know that Brooke was safe at the apartment.
"What did you tell Karen when you left the hotel?" she queried.
"That we needed to talk and I had to come and see you," Lucas said. "I didn't know what else to tell her."
"As long as she bought it," Brooke replied while her teeth clattered.
"Okay, we have Jamie, Sam and my comforters. Sorry, I don't own more coats. If we pile the blankets on top of each other, I think we can survive the night without becoming popsicles," Brooke suggested.
"You can take two and give me one," Lucas said generously.
"Don't be ridiculous. We need them and we need the body heat. Let's try and squeeze on Sam's cot. It's a single, but it's our best shot," Brooke said, surprising Lucas.
"Get your mind out of the gutter. I don't want to have to wake up tomorrow and tell Jamie that I killed his father and clearly we cannot leave the building now as you saw with the pickpocket. So can we please sleep?" she requested.
Lucas nodded and entered the bedroom while Brooke pulled out every blanket in the house. She allowed Lucas to scoot in and piled the warm layers on top of each other, Lucas instantly felt good once the thick comforters were around him. He tried to make place for Brooke by his side, but the single bed barely offered any place for them. Brooke squeezed herself onto the bed and inside the covers, to find herself lying on top of Lucas. She blushed again at how sexy it all felt to her.
"Sorry," she said, trying to move away.
"It's fine. We both fit and it's cosy. Just sleep, Pretty Girl. We have a lot to discuss tomorrow."
With that, Brooke closed her eyes and fell into the best sleep she had had since she moved to New York.