Here' when the disaster begins for our two unlucky detectives. I hope you enjoy this one. Gregg;
Disclaimer: I don't own, or profit from, these characters or franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.
"What do you mean my room was given away?" Ryan exploded. He looked carefully around to make sure that Esposito wasn't in ear shot or poor little Kevin Ryan would be a dead man.
"As I explained, Detective, you failed to confirm the deposit when you booked online, and when you didn't respond to the e-mail we sent you to try and rectify the oversight we did not receive a response," the hotel manager explained calmly. "This morning another individual requested the room, and we acted accordingly."
"Are there any rooms available in hotels nearby?" Ryan looked sick.
"I'm afraid not, Detective," was the reply. "There are several conventions in town at the moment, and all hotels are booked solid."
"Then what am I supposed to do about a room?" Ryan asked.
The manager actually looked embarrassed. "There is one possibility," he started.
"We'll take it," Ryan jumped on it. At least they'd have a place to sleep.
"I can let you have this room, and it is small, for $200, however, as we did hold the suite for you most of the day yesterday, you are responsible for the quoted price of $800 for that as well," the Manager told him.
Ryan tried hard not to cry. No mini-Suite for the honeys, and now losing $400 apiece. Esposito was not going to be happy. "Alright," he grumbled, handing over Esposito's $400 and then his credit card. He wasn't going to ask his pal for another $100. The man was going to be pissed enough as it was. Looking across the lobby he saw Esposito talking to a rather gorgeous woman, who had the same folder that all the conference attendees had been given. He groaned.
"And here is your room card keys for you and your friend," the Manager said handing over the keys and the credit card plus receipt. "The bellboy will show you to your room."
"If you'll come this way, Sir," the bellhop said politely.
On the elevator Esposito was told of the problem. To put it mildly, he wasn't happy.
"No mini-suite?" he asked, a look of pain on his face. He'd already cast the first line and it looked like he'd landed a great one if the interest from the lady detective he'd been talking to in the lobby was any indication.
"And we had to pay for the mini-suite because they held it all day yesterday," Ryan admitted.
"WHAT!" Esposito roared loudly. "I lose 400 of my hard earned dollars because you couldn't take the time to open a damn e-mail? I swear, this backup room better be nice!"
They came up to the room, and the bellhop looked a bit sheepish when he slid the card key into the slot and opened the door. Ryan and Esposito walked in and stood stalk still.
"I am going to kill you, Bro," Esposito said as he took in the horrid sight.
The room was a damn closet! There was only one double bed. Not a full or queen, but a small double like a kid would have upon graduating from a twin bed! The damn thing took up most of the room. There was a tiny television and one simple chair with a writing table. A single bedside end table was what was left. A dinky closet with a curtain for a cover, and a small, almost microscopic bathroom with a short tub shower closed out the room.
"This is a room we keep for traveling workers the hotel contracts out who stay one night or less," the bellhop explained. He actually felt sorry for these guys. He left the card keys on the table and left right away. No way was he going to look for a tip from these two. They'd been seriously screwed in his opinion.
"We could be in the penthouse suite right now enjoying the damn hot tub," Esposito growled.
"You think Castle will let us back in on the deal?" Ryan wondered.
"We are not going to Castle and admit all this!" Esposito exploded. "I've had enough humiliation today just by even being in this room!"
"Well, I guess the bed will fit both of us," Ryan shrugged, not really liking this any more than Esposito was.
"Oh, Hell no," Esposito glared. "You get the damn tub! There's not even enough room in here to put a rollaway in!"
"The tub!" Ryan exclaimed.
"Suck it up, Mr. I Got A Honey Of A Deal!" Esposito said in a near shout as he glared fiercely, letting Ryan know he wasn't kidding. He looked around again hoping this was a bad dream, but it wasn't. Well, it looked like there would be no honeys on this trip. "Okay, let's go meet the others. And not a damn word about this! If anyone asks, the suite is awesome!" He sneered when he said the word "suite".
Ryan followed him out glumly. One lousy e-mail and it could have all been avoided. How the Hell had he missed it? He always checked his e-mails!
The day wasn't so bad as the conference was interesting. The whole group enjoyed themselves in the various seminars, and even Esposito seemed to relax a bit as the day wore on. By late evening Castle invited them to drinks in the Penthouse Suite and the two unlucky guys accepted, not really wanting to head down to the cramped quarters that they had.
"I am really going to kill you, Man," Esposito said as he took in the sight of the interior of the Penthouse Suite. The place was a damn palace!
The floor looked like polished marble, and there were large, lush plants all over the place. In the massive living room the couches were plush and enveloping, while the entertainment center boasted anything a person could imagine for anything. The flat panel was a mind boggling 72 inches. There was a formal dining room, a full kitchen with all the best fixings. The two guys went to the sliding glass door and went out onto the rooftop balcony, which was huge. There was even a small, artificial putting green on the thing! Over to the side with a spectacular view of the city was a large hot tub that could easily accommodate ten people with room to spare.
"So, how's your suite, Guys?" Castle asked.
"Not as nice as this, but pretty good," Esposito managed to choke out. He barely managed to avoid glaring at and strangling Ryan.
"Good," Castle told them. "Oh, by the way. I set up a reservation for you two to get the full treatment at the Pleasure Garden. It's on me."
"Huh?" they looked at him a bit nonplussed. Pleasure Garden? What the Hell was that?
"The Pleasure Garden," Castle explained. "You'll be pampered and everything by beautiful scantily clad women for the whole evening tomorrow. I figure that the two of you deserve it."
"Does Beckett know about this?" Ryan asked, looking around to see if she was about.
Castle chuckled. "No," he assured them. "She'd probably make me a eunuch if she found out I know about places like that."
"Trust me, Bro, she has no illusions about what you know," Esposito said with a knowing look.
"What time's the appointment for?" Ryan asked eagerly.
"Tomorrow evening at eight," Castle told them handing over a slip of paper with the address.
"Now this is going to be fun!" Ryan smiled.
"What's going to be fun?" Beckett asked as she and Montgomery joined the group.
"Nothing," Esposito said quickly. "Ryan and me are going out tomorrow night."
"To find some honeys?" Beckett asked, rolling her eyes as she leaned into Castle comfortably.
"Well you've got your own snuggle bunny, so why can't we?" Ryan asked.
"I am not a snuggle bunny," Castle said, trying to maintain somewhat of a masculine image. Somehow snuggle bunny just didn't do it.
"Speak for yourself, Snuggles," Beckett smiled playfully. She knew she was acting a bit out of her normal character, but this was among friends and on their free time. She enjoyed the freedom of being involved with Castle, and she wasn't going to hide behind a false professionalism when off duty.
"That is way too much information, Beckett," Montgomery said, a hint of a smile on his face. He was glad that Kate was relaxed and in a positive relationship. After what had happened the previous summer, he'd been nervous about the potential fallout for her.
"Details later, Snuggles," Esposito solemnly told Castle. He was going to get as much mileage out of that one as he possibly could. Not too much, as Castle was providing him and Ryan a great night the next day, but he had to have some fun at the guy's expense, didn't he? Yeah. He did.
"How about we all enjoy the hot tub for a while?" Castle suggested, now desperate to get beyond the Snuggles teasing. Naturally everyone agreed to the idea.
It was a little after midnight when the guys got back to their dinky little rat trap of a room. The great feeling and enjoyment all left the second they opened the door and looked at the room once again.
"Flip for the bed?" Ryan asked.
"No," Esposito said bluntly.
"Share the bed?" Ryan asked, almost pleading. He had no desire to sleep in the short tub.
"Hell no!" Esposito. "You get the tub!"
Twenty minutes later Esposito and Ryan were in their respective "beds" and each were thinking that this was definitely the Trip from Hell. They only hoped that the next evening, which Castle was treating them to, would make up for the nightmare that this had degenerated into. Ryan also hoped that his back would survive the tub experience.
A/N: There is the Hell that the hotel has become and how they wound up in the "closet" of a room. The next chapter will be when they get to enjoy Castle's generosity, and we see how they wind up in the same bed. I hope you enjoyed this one. Gregg.
