Chapter 13:

The Letter

Castle walked out on stage, unable to really see his audience due to the bright lights. When the music started, all of his reservations and nerves faded away. He surprised himself with how easy and natural the movements came. The dance flew by like a blur, and the next thing he knew, the music had stopped. Castle peered again into the crowd to see a man sitting there with a notepad in the third row, busily scribbling notes furiously upon it. Ryan was sitting two rows behind him. Catching Castle's eye, Ryan gave him a thumbs up.

"What is your name, sir?" the man in the audience asked, having finished writing.

"Rick Montgomery," Castle replied, the name still sounding foreign on his tongue.

He and Brent had decided during rehearsals that it would be a good idea that Castle have another alias, lest he be discovered during the case and completely destroy the mission. He was a little uncomfortable using Kate's boss's last name, but at the time that was the only name that he could remember. After all, he had other things on his mind….and those thoughts came rushing back to him.

Kate.

How he wanted to write a novel or two based on what had been happening between them the last few days! She was surely torturing him.

"All right then," the man replied, gesturing to Castle. "I have a few questions for you."

"Ask away," Castle answered, surprised that he was able to keep things together. "I have nothing to hide."

"What do you know about our company?"

"I know that you're one of the best to work for. Male dancers come from all over just to have a shot at working for you. I view myself honored to have been able to audition for you."

"Do you know who I am?"

"Yes, you're Sal Moroney, the club owner. You're the best. Everyone wants to be you, and every dancer wants to dance for you."

"Actually, I'm Little Sal. Sal's my father. Flattery won't get you anywhere, Mr. Montgomery, but I'm glad you're aware of your situation here. Do you have a day job, Mr. Montgomery? Our dancers practice their routines with private choreographers hired by the club. If you personally have one, as I suspect you do, I'd advise you to stop using him immediately. Outside choreographers are prohibited. We like to think they promote healthy disadvantages for our other dancers."

"I wasn't aware of that, but I'm willing to stop using mine in favor of using one of yours. I was beginning to think my dances were becoming dated and safe, anyway. I would like to try new material. No, I don't currently have a day job. I was recently laid off."

"We loan our dancers for private parties. Patrons pay top dollar for a dancer to show up and are allowed to do whatever they wish. Is this something you'd have a problem with?"

At this, Castle hesitated. He was pretty sure he was okay with most of the guidelines so far, but the idea of doing the whole private party thing didn't sit with him well. However, he promised Kate he wouldn't screw this up, so he found himself shaking his head.

"No sir, I'm eager to do whatever it is your patrons want me to do."

"These parties may or may not include sexual intercourse with clients. We don't really set boundaries because our patrons are generally very generous, and we don't want to disappoint them."

"The way I see it, why not give the patrons what they want? I mean, everyone wants to feel special, even for a little while. I'm still willing to do this if you'll let me."

"All right," the man considered, rubbing his chin in thought, "we'll give it a go on a trial basis. If we continue to be happy with your performance and attitude, then we'll consider taking you on more permanently. We usually spotlight our newest dancers on Thursdays, that way they can get used to the high volume of the crowd and their demands."

"Thank you sir. I will not let you down!" Castle replied, trying to sound excited.

He scanned the crowd, looking for Ryan. When he met his eyes, Ryan gave him a thumbs up in acknowledgement. He hoped that Ryan said something to Kate about his performance. After all, he was doing all of this for her.

Little Sal stood up then, waving a hand in Castle's direction. "You're dismissed. Practice starts tomorrow."

Castle let out the breath he wasn't even aware he'd been holding. All of his hard work that he had been putting in was beginning to pay off. However, none of it mattered to him because Kate wasn't there.

Ryan met him in his dressing room, his face all smiles. "You did it! Everyone knew you could!"

Seeing this get no reaction, Ryan's smile faded. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Castle replied. "I don't know what's wrong. I just feel…off for some reason."

"Kate sent a text to me while you were dancing. She wanted to know if you got the letter she sent with Lanie?"

Castle brought up a hand and pinched his nose between his thumb and index finger. He had totally forgotten to read her letter! He knew he hadn't had the time before his audition, but that didn't stop him from mentally kicking himself.

Glancing at his dresser, he saw the envelope where he had thrown it earlier. Castle paused for a moment before opening it, admiring her familiar scrawl on the front. He leaned himself against his dresser and began to read.

Rick,

I know I can't be there for you today, so I guess the first thing I want to do is wish you good luck. This is a huge step for you, and a huge favor to the 12th.

I've been thinking entirely too much lately about everything that's been happening between us. I'm over analytical. Logic seems to fly out the window when it comes to you. I don't really know how I feel about everything yet, but I do know that I feel something. That's scary for me. I've never felt anything close to what I feel when I think of you. I don't particularly know if my hormones are mostly doing the talking for me these days.

I wish I could tell you all of this in person. You're really great at talking me through things and making my jumbled thoughts make sense. You never cease to amaze me.

Ryan is going to be keeping me updated on how things are going throughout the case. He's promised to keep a good eye on you. I want him to bring you safely back home to me.

You are more extraordinary than you'll ever know.

Love,

Kate

Upon finishing the letter, Castle looked at Ryan.

"Let's kick a little ass," he said, his hands clenching into fists.

A/N: Thoughts? Not what you expected? I didn't want Kate to admit too much just yet…after all, this is supposed to be fairly new to her. She's the slower one in the whole series to figure out how she feels…..which is both entertaining and irritating to watch. Hope you enjoyed this latest installment! REVIEW!