Chapter Two: Upping the Ante
Castle steps off the elevator with two cups of coffee and his usual pastry bag. He looks around for Beckett and spies her in the break room, her back turned to him. His eyebrows shoot up and he smiles. It must be his lucky day. Beckett's in a skirt, her fitted suit perfectly outlining her figure. And her legs, long, smooth and perfectly toned. Her hair is up, exposing the sensitive nape to her neck. Her pencil thin heels have her towering over Ryan and Esposito, but put her at the perfect height for what he'd like to do. Seeing her dressed like this, Castle's imagination takes over and a series of erotic images flash through his mind. Beckett, against the wall, shirt open, legs wrapped tightly around him, as he ravishes her. Beckett, bent over with her skirt hiked up, as he takes her from behind. Beckett, spread across the top of her desk, legs spread, with his head between her legs. Partially dressed or in nothing at all, he can picture so many different scenarios. Oh the things he wants to do. He feels his body twitch in response and resigns himself to another day spent lusting after Beckett. If only they had that kind of relationship.
Turning, Beckett sees him from the break room and strides towards him. A knowing smile transforms her expression as she catches him ogling her legs. He snaps his eyes up to hers, even though he hates to give up the view. "Hi Beckett," he smiles. "Court day?" Reaching out, he offers her the coffee and pastry.
"Yes, Castle. I have to testify right after lunch." She steps in, a little closer than usual and takes her coffee and the pastry bag, letting her fingers brush against his, lingering. These casual touches are few and far between, but he never fails to respond. Castle flushes a little and steps back. She takes a sip and lets out a soft moan. "God, I need this today. Thank you," she says, casting him a flirtatious glance as she sips. Castle gulps a breath. That's new. He likes that sound. He's gotten so used to watching her every move that he can't even begin covering up his reaction to her. A little flummoxed, he clears his throat and stares at her. With a quirk of her eyebrow, Beckett smiles and turns towards her desk. Is she flirting with him?
As she strides away, she puts a little extra sway in her hips. Castle, momentarily stunned, stands watching her for a moment. Is that for him? Or has her walk gotten more sultry because of the skirt? Confused, Castle can't decide whether he's imagining things or if this is deliberate on her part. Beckett looks over her shoulder just as he starts to follow her and catches him staring at her bottom. She mentally smirks and thinks about all the times she's acted oblivious to his stares. Not today. Today she deliberately catches his eye and gives him a pointed look. Castle blushes and looks away, before squaring his shoulders and moving to sit in his chair. He may be a little unsure of what's going on, but he's at her side in an instant.
At her desk, Kate reaches for the pastry bag and pulls off a piece of her bear claw. Taking a delicate bite, she chews slowly, letting her gaze linger on Castle's lips as he settles himself into his chair. His hair is in need of a trim and he has just a hint of stubble this morning, something he rarely allows these days. She's always found his stubble to be a real turn-on. She wonders how it would feel against her skin, scraping against the sensitive spot on her neck, trailing a path of fire across her body, before moving with purpose on her thighs, slowly working his way towards her center. She can almost feel the rasp of it against her delicate skin.
Shaking her head, Beckett cuts her fantasy short and swallows the bite in her mouth. Without thinking about it, her tongue flicks out and catches the corner of her lip, licking off a lingering bit of pastry. Castle catches her gaze and the flick of her tongue and gulps, his gaze holding hers, as they both get lost in their own thoughts. Her eyes are a bit unfocused, a little darker than usual. Just as he's about to say something, Ryan calls out to them, breaking the tension. Her eyes snap into focus and a slight blush touches her cheeks before she turns to Ryan, all business.
The morning passes quickly. Ryan and Esposito have been following up on a case they caught a few days ago, but the investigation has stalled. They initially focused on the ex-boyfriend, but he alibied out. The other leads have turned up nothing, so they are circling back to the most likely suspect. Prior to her murder, the ex had been stalking her. While waiting for DNA results, Beckett has the team re-tracing his movements and digging into the movements of the friend who alibied him. Castle, having already run out of new theories, plays with his phone while the normal grind of police work continues.
Beckett is having difficulty concentrating. Now that she's come to a decision, it's all she can do to sit still and not declare her intentions to the world. She's always aware of Castle, but she's been hyper sensitive to his presence all morning. She can smell the subtle hint of his cologne, combined with the faint musk of her arousal. She feels the heat of his gaze and watches the play of his strong fingers on his phone. She wonders about the body he covers with his tailored jackets. His button down shirts give a hint at chest hair. Is he as strong as he looks? He's a big man in so many ways, and she wonders if that rings true for what she can't see as well. Last night's dream and this morning's shower fantasy replay through her mind, only now she keeps imagining the feel of his stubble scraping against her most sensitive areas, followed by the soothing feel of his tongue. Her thoughts have her shifting in her chair and casting furtive looks at Castle when he's not looking. Every moment in his presence is an exquisite torture. Time slows and speeds up at the same time, moments of awareness punctuated by brief bursts of activity to distract Castle from her scrutiny. This knife-edge of arousal is pushing her fears aside, moment by moment, until her former doubts seem foolish. Lost in her thoughts, she jumps when she looks at the clock. It's time to go to the courthouse. But first, its time to up the ante.
Beckett turns her chair away from Ryan and Esposito and faces Castle. Seeing him absorbed in his phone, she makes a little noise to get his attention, before deliberately reaching her arms up and back behind her head into a long stretch to relieve the ache in her back. Her jacket falls open and she knows the stretch pulls the material of her blouse tight across her breasts. Aware of Castle's gaze, her body responds with a rush of heat between her thighs, while her breasts contract and push against the thin material of her blouse. Holding the position for a moment, she peeks at Castle through her lowered eyelids. His eyes are glued to her chest. From his stunned expression, she imagines that her lacy bra is clearly visible underneath her blouse, and that he can clearly see the points her nipples form in the material. Dropping her arms slowly, smoothing her blouse down, she stands up and looks around her desk. Using the pretense of a file search, she moves forward, still positioned towards Castle, looking towards the corner of her desk closest to him. Taking a step towards him, she leans down and reaches across her desk for the file she placed their earlier, knowing he has a clear view down the front of her shirt. Deliberately, quietly, she makes a small humming sound, before making some innocuous comment, as if in discovery of the file. Castle tries to act unaffected, but his eyes remain fixated on her chest. If the shifting of his posture and the bulge in his pants are any indication, she has his full attention.
Deliberately invading his space, she says softly, "Hey Castle?" in a slightly husky voice.
"Yeah?" He jumps, eyes snapping up to hers, as a flush creeps across his face. Her elusive scent teases him, the familiar smells combined with something new, a little earthier. Intrigued, he subtly inhales the scent, his body's response bordering on the embarrassing.
She leans towards him, lowering her voice, "I need a few more minutes to review the file before I testify. Would you mind driving me to the courthouse?" she asks. His eyebrows shoot up and his mouth opens and closes, as if he doesn't know what to say. Slowly, deliberately, she straightens, his eyes on her every movement. She glances down, as if she'd forgotten the state of her blouse, and begins buttoning her shirt up, closing the gap he was fixated on only moments earlier.
Surprised, a little embarrassed, Castle smiles and responds "Uh…yeah….I'd be happy to drive you….." his voice trails off, as he realizes her movements are slow and deliberate, with her gaze fixed upon him, looking like a reverse strip tease. He catches himself before he can finish the sentence. "Uh…. Lead the way." Beckett tosses him her keys and mumbles "Keep it up Castle…," glancing down and murmuring to herself just quietly enough that he's not sure she meant him to hear it or what it means, as she saunters to the elevator. Confused, a little uncertain, he follows her. She pushes the button and waits for the elevator to arrive, Castle right at her side.
After a minute of awkward silence, he blurts, "I can't believe you're letting me drive." Rushing to fill the silence, he's chosen the only thing to say that won't upset their delicate balance.
"Don't get used to it Castle. If I wasn't so pressed for time I'd never let you give me a ride," she says in a lightly teasing tone. He looks at her as if he's about to respond, but the sound of the elevator doors opening interrupts him. Beckett holds back and says "After you…" and lets Castle walk in first. The elevator is crowded as she follows him in. Perfect. As he starts to turn, she drops her hand and brushes it deliberately against his firm butt with a slight caress. The touch is light, but firm enough that he knows someone touched him. It happened so quickly he can't be sure it was her. It could have been the person hastily moving out of the way.
His head whips around and he looks at her, a surprised expression on his face.
"Beckett…?" He stammers
"What, Castle, did you forget something?" she responds, innocently. Her heart is pounding but she keeps her expression bland. She can feel the moisture in her panties, and the pleasant ache between her thighs. Her flirtation with Castle is totally doing it for her, and she can tell that she's getting to him. He studies her face for a minute and shakes his head. They descend in silence and walk out to the car as if nothing happened.
While Castle drives to the courthouse, Beckett keeps her head in the file, making a few innocuous comments as they drive, making sure her skirt stays hiked up, clearly showing off her legs and a hint of her thighs. She's secretly pleased with how the morning has gone. Her playful side usually stays carefully hidden, but its begging to come out and play. She can tell that Castle is flustered, on edge. As if he's not sure what's happening. They have verbally flirted for years, but today she's been a little more overt, a little more sexual, almost daring him to say something. She wants him off balance and uncertain, and she's succeeding.
As things return to normal during the ride, Castle relaxes, thinking he must have imagined the caress of her hand in the elevator. And she couldn't possibly have known that he got an eyeful when she bent over to get that file. Could she? And even though her legs are on display, its just because her skirt is so tight and she's so focused on getting ready for court that she hasn't noticed. Right? His writer's imagination must be getting away from him. It's so unlike Beckett. Even though she's been a little less reserved lately, a little quicker to laugh or smile, she has always had very firm physical boundaries around their friendship. She wouldn't deliberately tease him, would she? Distracted by his thoughts, Castle almost misses the turn to the courthouse and wonders how he managed to get them safely there without crashing the car.
The court case takes longer than expected, but Beckett's testimony goes off without a hitch. Castle sits in the courtroom and watches her testify. She is so poised and calm. While her mind is always strategizing at the precinct, she's different when testifying. She tempers her professional demeanor with the warmer side of her personality that she brings out when speaking to the families of victims. There's something about the way she speaks that not only instills confidence in what she's saying, but also captures the jury's attention. Castle doesn't often see this side of her, and he's fascinated to see how she handles the pressure. She really is extraordinary. He can see the speculative looks she's getting from the jury. Every eye in the courtroom is riveted on her, yet she seems oblivious. Castle relaxes as the day progresses. She occasionally glances at him and even smiles his way once or twice. All in all, not a bad way to spend the afternoon.
It's late in the day before her testimony is completed and she is released by the judge. After her testimony, she meets Castle in the hallway and asks him to wait while she checks her messages. She learns that Ryan and Esposito called and have made an arrest. According to Espo's message, the ex-boyfriend confessed when confronted with the DNA evidence on their victim's body and they were processing him now. Smiling to herself, Beckett quickly rearranged her plans.
"Hey Castle," she says on a sigh, "I wasn't expecting to be in court this long. Ryan and Esposito made an arrest and got a confession while we were here. Do you think we could pick up something to eat and swing by my place so I can change before heading back to the precinct to wrap up the case?"
"Um, sure. That sounds fine." He responds, looking at his watch, surprised that its already 4:30. "Alexis is at a friend's tonight and my mom is still out of town, so I don't have to be home anytime soon."
"Great," she smiles at him and holds out her hand, palm up.
Castle looks at her blankly…."Beckett…?"
"Keys, Castle. You didn't think I was going to let you drive again, did you?"
"Keys. Right. Here you go," he said, digging the keys out of his pocket before holding his hand over hers and placing the keys in her palm.
As her fingers close over the keys, Beckett makes sure her fingers softly graze his palm in a light caress that could easily be mistaken for the feel of her hand closing over the keys. Goose bumps immediately break out on his wrist, letting her know he felt it. If she hadn't been watching for his reaction, she would have missed it.
"Thanks Castle. Let's go." She says, leading the way outside. Snatching back his hand, Castle holds the door open and follows Beckett outside into the warm spring day.
As they approach the car, Beckett, thumbs the remote and unlocks the doors. Before stepping off the curb, she calls out "Hold on a second Castle." Stopping next to her, Castle looks over at Beckett as she hands him the case file before shrugging out of her suit jacket. He instinctively grabs at the file, while watching her carefully orchestrated movements.
After squirming out of the jacket, she holds out her arm and asks "Can you hold this a moment?" shoving the jacket into his hands. The bright sunlight hits Beckett's blouse at the perfect angle, creating a stark contrast between the thin white material of the blouse and the darker shades of her bra underneath. Before Castle can say anything, Becket reaches up, popping open the first few buttons on her blouse, freeing her neck from the confinement. Transfixed, Castle watches as she shakes out her collar and fans it a little, causing a little puff of air to fill out her blouse before escaping again, before she adjusts the collar to lie in a more normal position.
Feeling the weight of his stare even as her eyes are looking down at the fit of her shirt, Beckett notices that her bra is more visible than usual through the thin material due to the angle of the sun. Feigning ignorance of the rapt attention he's paying to her every move, Beckett reaches up and removes the pins from her bun. The pull of her arms above her head causes the material to tighten further, clearly outlining her breasts against her shirt. Risking a peak, Beckett sees Castle's adam's apple bob up and down as he quickly swallows. Using both hands, Beckett shakes her fingers through her hair, fluffing and releasing it from its confinement to tumble down her back and frame her face, causing her breasts to jiggle slightly in the process. His mind immediately snaps back to another time when he watched her unbutton her blouse in order to look less like a cop. Looking back at Castle's dumbstruck expression, Beckett grabs her jacket before tossing out a quick "Thanks Castle," as she steps off the curb and around to the front of the car. Tossing her jacket and file in the back, she climbs into the driver's seat and patiently waits while Castle quickly takes his seat. Her thoughts are racing as she plans her next move.
"Uh, what was that Beckett?" Castle asks, clearly unsure what's going on. He has a determined look on his face, like he's not going to let things slide.
"What's what, Castle?" She replies innocently.
"That little act just now in front of the car? Taking off your coat, letting your hair down…" he continues, letting his voice trail off.
"Oh, please, Castle," she says, injecting a note of exasperation in her tone. " You don't expect me to stay cooped up in that jacket all day when the weather's so nice do you? I'm done with court and I'm tired. I just wanted to feel the air for minute. It's been a long week," she pauses before looking at him, pinning him in place with a look.
As he swallows nervously, she sharpens her tone and musters her best glare, "Wait, you didn't think that was for you, did you?" she states, in an incredulous tone.
Backpedaling quickly, hands raised in supplication, "What? No. NO." He squeaks "Of course not. It just seemed a little odd, that's all. I didn't ….I thought maybe…"
Interrupting him firmly. "It's no big deal Castle. Let it go"
"Right. Never mind. Letting it go now." He states, clearly still wondering what's going on, but now falling back into his regular habit of not pushing her too far or too fast.
Beckett starts the car and checks the traffic, her mind racing. Inside, she's laughing, knowing she has him right where she wants him and looking forward to what's next. On the outside, she's trying to maintain her calm façade. But her heart is pounding and her palms are sweating. Her center throbs and it's all she can do not to reach across the car and climb into his lap right now. But her fear of the unknown is competing against the desire that's pushing her to pursue what she wants. She knows what she's doing really hasn't been fair to him and that they can't continue the way they've been. But this isn't what she has in mind, so she reins in her desire. Hesitating for a minute, she reaches for her cell phone and sends a quick text to Ryan before putting the car in gear and pulling into traffic.