PROPINQUITY (noun):
affinity of nature; similarity
CHAPTER FIVE
Kate was getting increasingly frustrated as the morning went on. She'd been trying to reach Castle for almost two hours, needing to confirm another fundraiser, and he wasn't answering any of her calls. He hadn't been in the paper since the NYPD event two weeks ago, and while that was technically a good thing, it still made her mad when he didn't answer his phone.
As far as she knew, he could be shacking up with someone, probably paid, maybe more than one, and just keeping it quiet. That made her more nervous than him acting out in public, because he at least had some filter when he was in the public eye. But at home? He could do just about anything, and no one would be wiser until it hit Page Six. And everything inevitably did.
Finally, shortly after 9, her phone rang, and she snatched it up without even looking at the caller. "Kate Beckett," she snapped.
"Ms. Beckett, it's Matthew Brewer, Mr. Castle's lawyer."
Kate sat up straight. Shit. She'd only talked to him a few times, but any time she got a call from a client's lawyer, it was usually bad. "Mr. Brewer, what can I do for you?"
"I'm afraid I need to ask you for another favor." He sighed. "Rick's been arrested again and Gina refused to bail him out, again."
Kate groaned. "I'm on my way. Is he at the Twelfth?"
She arrived a half hour later to find Castle laughing with Roy Montgomery and Javi, and saw him clap Roy on the shoulder while the other men laughed. "Castle," she barked, approaching them.
Castle turned to see her and glanced down her body briefly before settling his smile on her face. "Kate! Nice to see you."
Kate could only stare. "'Nice to see you? Nice to see you?!" She couldn't help it; she reached up and grabbed his ear, twisting it, only letting go when he yelped and yelled "Apples!" She heard snickers from the precinct all around her, but she didn't care. She was there only to bail her client out of prison - again - although it seemed like he was getting along just fine at the moment. "Your lawyer called me. Again. Because Gina was happy leaving you in here. Again. What the fuck, Castle?"
"You didn't have to come down here," he said happily. "Nobody's pressing charges, so I'm free to go."
Kate was silent, waiting for Castle to continue. When he didn't, just stood there, she crossed her arms, tried to fix her best glare on him. "And?"
Castle shrugged. "And, I guess I can go?"
Kate grabbed his sleeve and pulled him towards the elevator. "I don't believe it," she snapped at him in the elevator. "You haven't been in the paper in two weeks, good or bad, and you choose now to get arrested again? And for what?" She eyed his face, noticing the purple bruise next to his eyes. "Holy shit, Castle, were you in a fight?"
"Yeah," he said with a laugh, bouncing on the balls of his feet. "I was in a bar fight. Can you believe it, Kate? A bar fight!"
Kate rolled her eyes. "I think you're still drunk."
"No, listen. Roy and I got to talking when I was in holding, and I've invited him over for poker night."
"What the hell does that have to do with the bar fight?"
"Oh, that happened last night," Castle said, waving his hand dismissively. "Bachelor party, it got a little rowdy."
"Oh my God." Kate walked out of the elevator when it opened on the first floor, the familiar sound of footsteps the only indication that he was following her. She led him around the corner to a diner, where they were quickly seated and given breakfast menus. Glancing up, she noticed Castle looking around the restaurant, taking in the 50's decor, an intrigued look on his face. "Have you been to Remy's before?"
Castle shook his head. "No, never. Is it good?"
"Is it-" Kate set her menu down. She didn't even need to look at it to know exactly what she wanted. "Life-changing, Castle."
"Oh, I'm sure there are a lot of things you can show me that are life-changing," Castle teased with a wink and a smirk.
Kate scoffed. "You'll never know." She ordered her standard eggs and french toast, one of the few indulgences she allowed herself, and Castle had the same. "So, a bar fight," she said after he took a few sips of coffee.
"It's not as bad as it looks," Castle insisted, pressing his fingers to his eye with a wince. "Hurts like hell though."
"So what happened, you got drunk and picked a fight with the wrong guy? Maybe tried to pick up the wrong girl?"
"No, actually, nothing like that. We were at a strip club-"
"Of course."
"Will you let me finish?"
Kate waved her hand. "Sure, whatever."
Castle leaned back in his booth with a smirk. "So we're at a strip club, and a few guys in the party were getting a little rowdy, a little handsy, and Alex - the groom - and I tried to stop them. So one of them punched me, and that started this whole thing."
"Oh." She sat back, a little deflated. "I just assumed-"
"That I got punched and arrested because I was being an ass? I had a couple drinks, but I wasn't drunk." He accepted the ice pack the waitress brought by with a smile. "Thanks. No, I was actually behaving this time. Although, speaking of behaving, why are you doing this? Taking me out for breakfast?"
Kate scoffed. "Well, technically you're paying. I'm expensing all of this."
"But aren't you afraid of being seen with me in public? People could think that we're together," he pointed out, the glint in his eye betraying the serious tone of his voice.
"That would truly be horrible for my reputation," she said, going for teasing, but the laughter caught in her chest.
He must not have noticed, because his smile only widened. "Who cares about reputations anyway?" he asked.
She scowled. She did.
"Oh good, you're ready," Kate said the following Saturday when Castle opened the door. She tried to ignore the butterflies in her stomach again, thinking to herself yet again just how good he looked in a tux. Jeez, Beckett, you really need to get laid.
Just not by him.
"Of course I am," Castle replied, a smile on his face, as he straightened his tie. "I've been to this fundraiser before, it's my favorite." He grabbed his coat, wallet, and phone, and closed the door behind him. "Free booze, and women spending money to win a date with me? Last year the winning bid was six grand. It's like the ultimate ego boost."
Kate couldn't help but roll her eyes, even as she turned from him to hide her smile. Over the month that she'd been working with him, he'd softened a little bit, but he was still an arrogant ass. It was much less annoying, though. And he'd managed to stay out of publicized trouble since the DAR event, which hadn't gone unnoticed by Gina or Paula.
Maybe he was finally learning.
Maybe he'd come out of the summer with his contract still valid, after all.
She was silent throughout the short ride to the event, Castle spending most of the time talking. She tuned most of it out; it seemed to largely be him reminiscing about years past, and how wild his dates had been, or how much money women were willing to spend.
They were greeted by several photographers when they arrived, and Kate made sure to keep her face neutral as she followed Castle out of the car. She did take his offered arm, however, her fingers curling around his bicep. Unlike the previous week, however, nobody shouted any questions after them, and they entered the ballroom with relative ease.
"You ready for this, Castle?" she murmured, leaning up to speak directly in his ear. She froze when he turned his head suddenly, his forehead almost touching hers. His eyes flicked to her mouth briefly, his blue eyes darkening a few shades before he regained eye contact with her.
Castle cleared his throat. "I was born ready," he responded, his voice low, face inches from hers.
Kate couldn't stop the sharp intake of breath at the feel of his breath across her cheek. Shit. Get a hold of yourself. "Right. Let's get you auctioned off." She forced herself to turn and lead him away from the door, in towards the crowd.
He was swept away by someone he knew almost immediately, and after mingling for a while, Kate made a stop at the silent auction table before finally relenting and heading to the bar.
"What can I get you?" the bartender asked promptly, a bar towel over his tuxedoed shoulder.
"Vodka," Kate responded after a moment. "Lots of vodka." She downed the glass that was set in front of her, relishing the burn and resulting warmth in her bloodstream. It was a cool night, but between her wrap and the alcohol, not to mention the man she'd come with, she didn't think being cold would happen.
"Come here often?" a voice piped up on her left, and Kate turned to see a tall, handsome man, dark hair and olive skin contrasting nicely with his crisp white shirt and tux.
Kate chuckled despite herself. "Nice line. Does it work?"
The man smiled, showing off a row of perfect, white teeth, and dimples. "You tell me, I hadn't used it yet."
Kate leaned against the bar, and ordered a glass of champagne. "Oh, so I'm your guinea pig?" she lobbed back, fingers curling around the stem of the glass.
"Well, I wouldn't put it that way. Test subject, maybe?" He held his hand out. "I'm Josh."
Kate took his offered hand, marveling at the strong grip from his otherwise soft hands. "Kate. Kate Beckett."
"You came with the writer, right? Rick Castle?"
Kate rolled her eyes. "We arrived together, yes. I'm mostly here to keep him out of trouble. Act as a chaperone, if you will." Suddenly, she felt a hand on her arm, and as she turned her head and opened her mouth it was covered by another one, and she only had a moment to realize that it was Castle before his tongue was swiping against her bottom lip and he was pulling away.
"There you are," he said cheerfully, but his eyes were serious, and he slipped his arms over her shoulder, squeezing just a little harder than normal. "I've been looking for you."
Kate just blinked up at him, her brain trying to catch up with the rest of her body. "What the hell?" she hissed, her jaw clenched.
He ignored her and thrust his hand out for Josh to take. "Rick Castle, bestselling mystery author, writer of wrongs. I see you've met Kate."
"Josh Davidson, cardiac surgeon," Josh replied coolly, and even Kate could feel the tension radiating off of the two men. "I didn't realize the two of you were an item."
Castle looked down at Kate. "Yeah, we were keeping it quiet. Keep what's private private, you know." He started to pull her away. "Come on Kate, I've been wanting to get you on the dance floor."
Kate let him lead her to the dance floor, even letting him take her hand and rest his other on her lower back. She automatically wrapped her arm around his shoulder, and tilted back so she could glare at him. "What the fuck was that, Castle? I was having a nice conversation with a very pleasant, and hot, man," she said, keeping her voice low so they weren't overheard.
The headlines were going to be interesting the next day already; she didn't need to add fuel to the fire with loose lips.
Castle just smirked at her. "He seemed presumptuous," he explained with a shrug. "A little full of himself, cocky. Plus, I didn't like how you were looking at him."
Kate scoffed. "Excuse me, just who do you think you are? I can look at whomever I want, however I want."
"That may be the case," he agreed as they swayed to the soft jazz, "but you're supposed to be focusing on me and my life. Dip," he added as warning before dipping her, his hold on her tightening so she wouldn't fall.
Kate gripped his shoulder tighter and waited until he pulled her back up before she responded. "Wow, I did not know that my personal life meant so much to you," she said sarcastically. "I'm sorry that you're so shit about separating your personal and professional lives separately that you feel the need to manage my social calendar." She stepped back as the song ended, and before the next one started she was walking away, acutely aware of him following her.
"Kate-"
"No, Castle," she interrupted him, grabbing his arm and leading them to an empty corner. Turning to face him, she poked a finger into his chest. "And where do you get off thinking you can just kiss me?
Castle smirked. "Like you hated it."
She glared for a moment, fighting with herself. Surprise kiss by someone she disliked on a personal level aside, it wasn't a bad kiss, per se. His lips were soft and warm, and he'd tasted slightly like champagne. She could definitely imagine how he'd kiss when in private, maybe in the bedroom, how his lips would feel against her-
Shit, maybe her idea about the auction wasn't a good idea after all.
"Ladies and gentlemen." The MC's voice rang from the speakers, interrupting her train of thoughts and causing everyone to turn towards the stage.
Thank God.
"Thank you all for coming. All of us at Metropolitan Arts and Dance Theater thank you for coming. We're so excited to announce the results of the silent auction, where everyone could bid to win a date with one of New York's most eligible bachelors while contributing to a great cause."
Most of the names were unfamiliar to Kate, although Castle seemed to know a few of them, and he chuckled at some of the low dollar amounts. To her surprise, Josh was among the exhibits, as it were. They made brief eye contact before he was swept away by his date, a busty woman wearing too much hairspray and too much makeup.
"Finally, our most esteemed bachelor," the woman announced with a nod in Kate and Castle's direction, "Rick Castle. The winning bid this year is a record, bid by an anonymous donor. So Rick, if you want to stay put, your date will present you with a slip of paper. Thank you all, and please, enjoy dinner."
Kate just stood a few feet from Castle, watching him look around nervously, presumably wondering who this anonymous donor could be. She took pity on him after just a few minutes; the man was sweating, and he looked like he was about to faint. Fingers toying with the slip of paper she'd pulled from her clutch, she finally approached him, a smilh on her face, feeling confident.
"Set a record, huh?" she teased, reaching a hand up to touch his arm. "I wonder who had the winning bid."
Castle shrugged and ran a finger in the collar of his shirt. "Yeah, this'll be a story to tell, that's for sure. Most of the regulars are off with other men though, so it must be someone who I've never met."
Kate followed his Adam's apple as he swallowed, and finally held out the paper. "Oh, you've met her."
Castle stared at the slip, which showed both Kate's name and her winning bid of $10,000. "No fucking way."
"Yes fucking way."
"So what, were you jealous that I'd have a good time with another woman?"
Kate scoffed. "Yeah, right. No, I did this to keep you from doing something stupid that would end up on Page Six."
Castle stared for a few moments, long enough that Kate shifted under his gaze. "Come on, let's go eat."
They stayed for an hour or so after dinner, but when she couldn't handle his incidental touches against her shoulder or back, and she was having a hard time refusing his requests to dance, she announced that it was time to go.
"Where to first, Ms. Beckett?" the driver asked, opening the door.
"Why don't you drop me off, I'm on the way," Kate suggested, letting Castle get in before sliding in next to him. She made sure to keep as much space between them as possible; she hadn't been able to stop thinking about his kiss, brief as it was.
Even though he hadn't even attempted to make another move, he'd been her shadow for the rest of the event, never more than a foot from her side, except when she had to go to the ladies' room. Her body was absolutely humming, and she clenched her fists against her thighs to keep from reaching out towards him.
"I had a good time tonight," Castle said cheerfully. "I definitely wasn't expecting you to win me. Ten thousand bucks? What, did you just have the money lying around? Stop at the bank this morning?"
Kate scoffed. "No. Like I said, I just did it to keep you out of trouble." She could expense it, but it was borderline unethical since it wasn't completely a business-related cost, so she planned on absorbing the cost. It wasn't like she couldn't afford it, anyway. To have him paying attention to her, and only her, throughout the evening?
It was worth it.
She heard his seatbelt click, and Castle's thigh was brushing against hers within a few moments.
"Keep me out of trouble, huh? Is that all?" he asked, his voice low, almost a whisper.
She turned her head just enough so she could see him out of the corner of her eye; he was just inches away, his head tilted towards her, his breath washing over the side of her face.
She shivered.
Shit.
The limo couldn't get to her building fast enough. She'd managed to avoid answering his question, because she truly didn't know the answer. Why did she bid on him, tell the auction organizer she'd beat the highest bid by ten percent to win the evening with Castle?
She paused with her hand on the door handle, frozen with indecision. She didn't want the night to end, but he was a client, he was off-limits. But it had been so long since she'd been with someone, and he made no secret about his attraction for her, which was definitely mutual…
She pulled the handle, pushed the door open a few inches before closing her eyes and making her decision.
She turned.
"Do you want to come up?"
A/N: Again, the support for this story makes this all worth it. Many thanks to you, and as usual, to Callie the beta superhero!
