"Okay." She pressed her eye sockets with her thumb and index finger and shook her head at her own words. 'Really, Kate?!'
Lanie made a face and slightly shook her head, too.
They both heard him chuckle on the other side of the line. A very manly, husky chuckle.
With cold, shaky hands, she fought the lump in her throat and hissed a few more words.
"Kate. My name's Kate. Short for Katherine." And then, more words than necessary and really fast. As if she was nervous or something… pfff!
Lanie rolled her eyes at her, dropped her head bumping it on the coffee table, right next to where they landed in the middle of their fight, and let out a dramatic sigh.
"In that case, nice to meet you, Kate." He said with a playful tone "To what I owe the pleasure of your call this afternoon, Kate-short-for-Katherine?" He tried to make her a bit comfortable, maybe.
'I should hang up' She cursed herself again.
"I-uh." She cleared her throat "I found your number. In my book-"
"Oh" He sounded so amused and she wondered if he did this often. But again… it was over a year ago… he might not ever remember her.
"-instead of an actual autograph. Which I waited long enough to get" She bit hard down on her knuckles once she realized what she said.
Lanie made a gun with her fingers and pretended to shoot her head and drop dead.
"I'm sorry to disappoint?" He mocked her. "But you still called me. So…"
"So? You gave me your number. I called. Your move." She blurted, almost fainting. This close to actually hanging up. She should, right?
Lanie dramatically, again, muttered 'WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?' raising her arms and everything.
If there were a whole in the ground, Kate would gladly take it. Did she really gave her favorite author – her secret crush – an ultimatum? Over the phone? She allowed her body to crash on the couch, landing with an oof.
"Should I give you a proper autograph then? Or you'd like for me to ask you to dinner as my move?" He teased, way beyond amused.
Suddenly she felt a massive lack of blood in her whole body. She stiffened.
And she hung up.
Lanie snorted – or threatened, Kate couldn't be sure – "You did not hang up on him."
"Why the hell did you have to call him in the first place!?" Boy, that girl had some nerve. Her boy-hook-fling –that's what she and Espo were: a fling – wasn't even home, she invited herself to stay and help, messed with Kate's stuff, made her make a fool of herself over the phone and now was threatening her?! Come on! She's so annoying!
"Because he gave you his number!"
"So what?! What if I didn't want to-to… to do anything with him!?"l
"'Kate. My name is Kate. Short for Katherine'" – Lanie mimicked Kate with a high pitched voice – "My ass you don't want anything to do with him! I think you might have a little crush on writer boy here, Kate."
"It was over a year ago, Lanie! Drop it."
"And didn't even try to deny it. Oh boy… that's some crush you have on your writer, Katherine."
"That's it. Lanie, out! I have my things to put away and I've got to rest until my next shift."
"Alright, alright…" Lanie grabbed her purse and moved to the door "But I'm only letting you kick me out because you don't know better. For the next time, you will." She blew her a kiss and closed the door behind her.
What a piece of work this MD was…
If she had a balcony, she'd consider jumping it. Her head was spinning. Her favorite author just flirted with her over the phone after giving her his number – a year and a half ago, but who cares?!
She needed a drink. Beer. No. Something stronger. She poured herself a shot of vodka and let the whole thing sink in. She blurted into a laughter, not able to stop until her phone started ringing on the coffee table.
Kate just talked to her favorite author over the phone! And he gave her his number!
And the vodka worked its magic.
Instinctively she reached for the phone and answered, still giggling a little.
"Hi"
"Kate." His seductive voice purred over the phone. His voice dripping with sex.
Suddenly it hit her. Shit. Her breath caught in her throat. Her tongue went dumb, not knowing how to speak anymore.
"You hung up on me." Still with the sexy voice, come on! How can a girl think like this?
"Yes." She softly whispered, already giving in - 'What's wrong with me?!'
"And you didn't call me back" And she even felt sorry, now. Great. Wait. What?!
"No." 'Again, Kate. Well done...'
"The Ritz. 7 o'clock. I'll be at the bar."
"Okay" 'Okay? OKAY? What?!'
And he hung up.
Shit.
Wait.
The Ritz? That cocky son of a bitch! How presumptuous of him to think she'd sleep with him! Unbelievable! There's no way in hell she'd be going to this date.
On the other side of the city, Rick Castle sat on his regular booth at The Old Hunt nursing his drink to sooth his daily hangover. Summer vacation and his little girl is with her mother. He'd better make it a double. He signed it to the bartender as he stared at the blinking cursor in the screen. Writer's blockage. That's just great.
"Tough chapter?" James, the bartender made conversation.
"You can say that. Pour me another, will you?"
He was sipping his drink when his phone rang. He took it out and stared at the screen. Unknown number.
"Gina?" James was familiar with Rick's publisher, she had just started on her job and they put her to stock him. As if he didn't deliver his chapters.
"I don't think so… Maybe it's the girl from last night" He smirked at the bartender's face and answered with the huskiest voice he could.
"Hello?"
The tension in the bar increased in expectation.
"Hello? Is anybody there?" He covered the phone with a hand and whispered to James "I think it's a fan. A shy one"
"Uh. Yeah. Hi." A barely there whisper replied to him.
He fist bumped James muttering "booty call".
The smug grin just didn't go away at the shy voice on the other side of the line. These ones were the best. When it wasn't weird.
"Hi." He replied enjoying torturing her a bit more.
"I'm sorry, I don't know if I have the right number…" and she didn't even stutter this time. Feeling bold, are we?
"Rick Castle, at your service." He tried to intimidate her again, looking for that little stutter again.
He heard muffled squeals in the back and chuckled.
"Okay." And he chuckled, amused, wondering how she got his number, since she didn't seem to be his usual.
He ordered another drink.
"Kate. My name's Kate. Short for Katherine." And she sounded barely legal. Inexperienced maybe. Oh, this is gonna be good.
"In that case, nice to meet you, Kate." James shook his head at his customer's change in voice, postured and everything "To what I owe the pleasure of your call this afternoon, Kate-short-for-Katherine?" He sipped his drink grinning at James.
"I-uh." He heard her cleared her throat, gathering her courage "I found your number. In my book-"
"Oh" this changed everything. She might be shy but if he gave her his number that could mean only one thing: she's hot. Really, really hot.
"-instead of an actual autograph. Which I waited long enough to get" she blurted out. Ok, she's a bit nerdy. He can do nerdy-hot.
"I'm sorry to disappoint?" He was beyond amused "But you still called me. So…" and he took another sip of his scotch.
"So? You gave me your number. I called. Your move." She was getting nervous. How cute! Maybe he should end her agony and ask her out already.
"Should I give you a proper autograph then? Or you'd like for me to ask you to dinner as my move?" He teased with a more serious tone.
And she hung up on him.
Huh.
"She'll call me back." He grinned at James.
And then, she didn't.
And fifteen minutes later, still nothing.
James chuckled. Rick could absolutely not take a no for an answer. Surprisingly it happened often enough. So he called her back with his bedroom voice. The one nobody could say no to.
After that call he sipped his drink and made another one.
"Patrick, my man! Could you please arrange the usual? Yeah, yeah. For tonight. Yes, dinner too. 7 o'clock. Don't forget the champagne in the ice. And the strawberries. Not the rose petals, no special occasion. Yeah. Thanks, man!"
It's been a year since his last book signing. Strange. Very strange.
He ordered another drink. Just in case.
It was not time to panic. She wasn't going anyway.
Shit.
She bit down on her lip. No no no no no! No!
Shit.
She squeezed her eyes shut and fisted a pillow.
Shit!
Goddammit, she needed to get waxed ASAP. And get her nails done. Maybe her hair, too.
And for crying out loud, what the heck was she supposed to wear?!
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