This is just a fun chapter, a no brainer to simply read ... hope you enjoy it and thank you for your comments.

Chapter 59

The table they surrounded was boisterous with energetic conversation about work stories. There was a large tray chicken wings and a bowl of chips on the middle of the table, now mostly consumed, that Castle had ordered along with a further round of drinks. They were having fun. Esposito was getting fresh with Lanie who was playing along for the fun of it. The doctor was also on her phone texting Beckett who, according to the communications, had decided not to attend the evening get together.

"She's texted she's tired and she's gonna stay at home." Lanie said over the table to Rick, who in response shrugged his shoulders.

"She's probably reading a book. She likes her quiet time." In fact, when Rick had left Kate's apartment, she had been soaking in the bathtub a book in her hand, totally disinterested in going out drinking. No amount of persuasive conversation had made her change her mind. Aware his girlfriend enjoyed alone times, he decided to let her have it.

"She needs a social life." Lanie replied as she placed her phone face down on the table and replaced it with a glass.

"Who knows, she might just turn up." Rick said as he played with the wet glass his Scotch on the rocks was in. The ice cubes clinked about. Between Lanie and Esposito's shoulders, his eyes repeatedly and casually went. Beyond them was what truly had his attention.

The drink was taking longer than usual to consume, mainly because he was focussed on a tall brunette woman who had entered the bar about a quarter hour ago. What maintained his visual was how much she reminded him of Beckett. If he didn't know better, he'd swear on a stack of bibles that the long bare legs on the woman in the boots belonged to his girlfriend. She was equally as tall, perhaps a little slender than Kate, if that was possible, and her hair was dark brown and dead straight. A short time ago, like perhaps a quarter hour earlier, the woman had sat at the end of the bar, with a drink as company. He thought she'd ordered a Scotch on the rocks. During the short time she'd been there, she had politely declined four guys advances.

The mannerisms were different to Kate. Her jaw was more pointed, her cheeks more prominent. She wore plenty of jewellery.

He tipped his beer to his mouth and took a decent swig of the cold drink.

"Hey Big Fella?" Montgomery said.

Rick looked to the Captain with a smile.

He continued, "You noticed you're being watched?" Montgomery asked as he gave Castle a nudge with his shoulder. The writer instantly laughed, leaned into the Captain's touch. He acted surprised at first, when he followed the Captain's eye line, but then relaxed.

"I've seen her." Rick dismissively said, "She's probably a fan who recognised me. It happens."

"Well, my friend, she is making a modest effort to gain your attention."

Both men subtly gazed over the venue, Rick eyes drawn to her body that beautifully filled out the black tight dress. She wore a black leather jacket and ankle boots. Lengthy bare legs were crossed. "She is gorgeous." Rick stated, "Very nice."

"She's exotic."

"You have that right."

"You're a single man," Montgomery encouraged. "Go for it."

"I'm single," he agreed, "But I don't think Detective Beckett would approve."

"She's not here," he replied looking around them. "And she's not with you."

"She could be a dominatrix." Rick choked out referring to the woman at the bar, but he was aroused by the thought of being under Kate's submission. An image of Beckett standing provocatively at the end of the bed, in black lingerie, dangling cuffs from her fingers came to the fore front of this thoughts. He cleared his throat. A good part of him wanted to return to her place. However, it was time to pretend he was single, to take one for the team, for the preservation of his secret love affair with Beckett. He only needed to have the detectives and medical examiner believing he was a bachelor.

He stood. Idly gazing at the woman. There was a man in his forties lingering by the woman.

"Want another drink?" He asked, deciding he would investigate the woman who promptly told the man to fuck off. It was easy for Rick to lip read. He smiled when the woman trained her eyes back on him.

"I'm buying another round of drinks." He stated as he stood off the chair.

He weaved his way through the tables and chairs, to a place at the bar nearby the woman. As he gained ground on her, he saw just how beautiful she was. Tall, athletic, perhaps of eastern European origin. At the bar he ignored her, busy with gaining the attention of one of the four barmen.

"What can I get you?"

"Four Canadian Club beers and a Scotch on the rocks for the lady to my left in the black." He shot a glance to her as the barman did. There was something interesting about her and he wanted to know more.

"Sure. I'll check she'll accept it first." The barman took cash from Rick and made a direct line to the woman. He spoke several words. She nodded then looked at Rick, giving him a bit of a shy but nonetheless provocative smile. Dark eyeshadow, heavy eyeliner and mascara were applied to her eyes and her full lips were coloured a rich red, the colour he was drawn to. Again, there was something familiar about her. She was edgy. Had a presence. The barman poured the drink Scotch then collected the bottles of beer. He passed Rick the change, then stepped to the woman and placed the glass of golden brown liquid on the bar. Once again, she gave a nod to the barman then looked to Castle who smiled. She was stunning. Model material. The make up applied to her large brown eyes was quite heavy but nicely done. Somewhere deep inside his instincts were aroused. She was sensual and he wanted to know more about her.

He glanced at the time. It was almost ten thirty. He was due to go home to Kate's place by eleven thirty. The beers he'd ordered arrived. He thanked the barman and gave the woman a final scan. She was a beautiful woman but she also looked mighty dangerous.

The men accepted the beer and they clinked bottles before taking a mouthful.

"Did you say anything to her?"

"I bought her a drink. See if that lures her in," Rick replied sitting back on the seat where he could easily watch the woman. He re-joined the conversation and pulled his phone out of his pocket to check if Kate had contacted him. Nothing.

Inquisitive, he texted Beckett. Hey Hon, what you doing?

"Eight hundred words." Rick replied to Ryan question. "Minimum per day."

"Every day?" Ryan asked.

Rick gave a nod as he read Kate's response.

Reading in bed.

"Do you write only one story?"

"No. I have several stories. Sometimes I write letters." He replied, then smirked when he saw Lanie's expression, "Yes, and sometimes I write sexual stories, Lanie." The table broke into laughter.

Rick tapped back to Kate, Ok. Don't start without me. I'll be home soon.

Seconds later her reply came. Hurry.

He put the phone away, a smile over his face, then glanced to the woman who stared at her phone, her left thumb swiping the screen. Her eyes flickered to his, and she stopped fiddling with the phone. Her eyes stayed on him as she finished her drink. She put the glass down, stood up and shook off the leather jacket.

The writer almost choked on his drink at the sight of her body in the fitted black sleeveless dress tight dress. Elegantly she walked towards him. Beside Rick, Montgomery gave him a nudge.

"She's coming." The Captain said. "My Lordy she is stunning."

Rick smirked, listened to Esposito pray in Mexican. Rick prayed in simple English that he wished Kate had decided to join them tonight. "I'm in so much trouble." He replied to Montgomery.

"I think this woman could kill with her bare hands." Montgomery stated.

"Yo, writer boy, you're getting …."

Rick waved off Espo's comment as he stood up to greet the woman who approached. His body responded the same way it did whenever Kate was with him - the chemical reaction was identical. The woman stopped in front of him, toe to toe.

"You've been observing me," she stated with a strong eastern European accent, a soft, seductive tone. Brown eyes scanned his features, then flickered between his lips and eyes.

"You remind me of someone," he replied, not hiding his inspection of the woman. Closer, she was more shapely than he'd noticed at the bar. The black dress was low cut, exhibiting a lovely full cleavage and tastefully showed of her long slender legs. Her waist was fine, slim. Gorgeous dark eyes.

She leaned in so he would hear her over the noise of the patrons, "A good reminder?"

"Very good, yes."

"As sensual as me?"

He smiled, amused by her brazen approach, attracted to the way she was telling him she wanted to fuck him. He leaned back, gazed down the black dress to her boots, back up to her eyes and gave a simple nod, "She'd give you a run for your money."

"Really?"

"She would, but she's not here."

"She let you out on your own?" She tempted.

Rick was focused on her lips, generously covered with red lipstick. He loved red lipstick. He'd seen it end up all sorts of places in his life time. Yes, it brought back some very fond memories. So, did her height, something he liked in women. She was surprisingly tall, almost level with him in the fuck me boots she wore. The lean body screamed at him she wanted him. She was every man's fantasy.

The accent was cute, "You live around here?"

"On vacation, looking for … how do you Americans say it, some good times?"

"A good time," he corrected, staring directly into large brown eyes. He would let this go on for a bit then would pull the pin. He knew Montgomery suspected Beckett and he were sleeping together, so he needed to keep it cool.

Long fingers softly stroked above his belt buckle which caused him to glance down at her hand then back at her eyes. She came in closer. "Will you do that? Will you show me a good time?"

He swallowed, sensed the table of his friends were watching him with the woman. She smelt exotic, of jasmine, and something he didn't recognise. Whisky was on her breath. The drink he'd bought.

She had crept in closer, and she quietly said, "You are a very good looking man."

"Handsome," he suggested and placed a hand to her hip. She didn't react, didn't object. "Ruggedly so."

"Handsome." She repeated with an accent. The beer was put down on the table. He needed two hands for this woman. She was deserving of his full attention.

"What is your name handsome man?"

"Do I need to have a name? What is your name?"

She bit her bottom lip, smiled, then purred out, "Katarina. Kat. You can call me Kat."

"Alexander," he replied, "I'm Alex."

"Alex?" She hooked her finger into his, "Come Alex." She shot her eyes to a seat. He followed and at the point she was about to sit he hooked his arm around her slight waist and pulled her into his embrace, her face very close to his.

Rick felt the heat of her breath, dared himself to kiss this woman. He did, his hand reaching into her hair. And he found he couldn't stop, couldn't pull away.

She pushed softly to his chest breaking their kiss.

Rick scanned her face, "What would you like to do."

"Take me home with you."

The writer moistened his lips, touched her upper arm. "Let me get me jacket."

He let her go, turned to the table and grabbed his jacket. He said to the group, "I'll see you guys on Monday."

He saw their expressions, the signs they thought he was cheating on their colleague, their friend. With a hand to the small of her back he left the venue.

In the sedan, on the way back to his apartment, Katarina straddled his lap, their lips locked together. City lights flashed through the windows. They barely spoke a word. They were hungered. Crazy for other.

"Hey love birds?" The driver called.

Rick pulled back, his hair ruffled, his lips smeared with lipstick. He looked to the driver, a crooked smile appearing. "Wow, that went fast." His partner looked around them through the windows.

"Sure did. You're home, Romeo."

"Thanks." He opened the car door, allowed the woman time to unpeel herself from his lap, taking the hand held out for him as he followed her out of the vehicle. He walked her inside the lobby to the waiting elevator. The security card was scanned so he could press on the floor they were headed to. The door closed, he pushed her gently to the wall his left hand between her thighs. It excited him she wanted him that much.

They kissed, hungered for each other, as they had been in the car, their bodies pressed together. Her hips pushed against him, grinding her pubic bone on his groin. A soft sweet groan of pure want came from her. The tone set in motion his desire to have more.

The elevator tinged and the doors opened.

"Come." He found her hand and led her into theHe grabbed at her dress, pulling it up as he backed her up to the bedroom. Their trip to the bed was jagged, Rick spending most of his time holding the woman so she remained vertical while he tried to keep up with her.

The bedroom door was shoved shut with a kick of his leg.

He lifted the woman off her feet, in a hurry to get her to the bed.

"You're so strong, Alex." She laughed.

Rick also laughed out loud, and hoisted her body up high to secure her, "Oh, Kate, you were fucking awesome tonight. You had me guessing for a while."

"When did you realise it was me?" She gasped out as he lowered her to the bed.

"The closer you came." He touched over his heart, "Sure it was you. Then you glanced between my lips and eyes, the way you do that. We kissed, I really knew then." His hands ran up the length of her left leg to the boot that he pulled off. "The taste of you. The way you kiss." He dropped the boot to the floor as he pressed his lips to the arch of her bare foot watching her toes curl and stretch and it caused her to giggle like a girl which he loved to hear. Her laughter.

"I slipped up." She held up her right leg for him to take of the second boot. He obliged.

"Sure did. The brown contacts in your eyes put me right off."

"They're crazy."

"Your accent was phenomenal. Your movement was different. You took on a whole new persona. You should take up acting."

"Ha." Kate giggled, "I bet your mom wouldn't be impressed. "Thought I had you totally fooled." She said, and stroked his jaw.

"I was playing along with her, well you, and let the flirting go on, let the guys think I'm single. When I knew it was you, well, then I really got into it. So fucking hot as Katarina, Baby." He coerced her to the middle of the bed, held both her feet and once she was comfortable he widened her legs apart appreciating how relaxed she was. How much she trusted him. The desire to have her was overwhelming him.

"You like foreign girl, Richard?" She asked using the accent again.

He laughed. "I love foreign girl."

They both paused, stared at each other and Kate's mouth fell open a little as though she was about to say something. He let go of her feet, that instinctively bent at her knees when he lowered his body between her legs and covered her. He smiled softly, brushed the hair of the wig from her face.

"But it's you I really love," he whispered.

"You love me?"

Brown eyes welled up. He smiled as he replied, "I've never been so sure of anything in my life." Long slender fingers caressed his jaw. He murmured, "Don't cry."

"No." She grasped his cheeks, raised her head to kiss him at which second, he met her half way, kissing her slowly, deeply.

Out of breath they broke, "I wish I could see your eyes right now."

She smiled, "Contacts. They are itchy."

He pulled back, knelt on the mattress and tugged her to a sit, "Go take them out. I'll get the mood happening."

She hurried off to the en suite. For the time she was gone, which he was certain would be about eight minutes, Rick worked like a mad man. He fetched a half dozen candles from the large selection Kate had collected for years. She had transported probably half her stock to his loft once the nights started growing cooler. He placed them in the usual places and lit each wick as he went.

"Babe?" Kate called.

"Yeah?"

"Do you realise it's seven months since we started dating?"

For some reason, he had to look at the time after he lit a wick. "About a week over." He called back. "Are you ready yet?"

"Gotta brush my teeth."

He had two minutes.

With the ambience sorted to capture right mood, he managed to fit in a couple of dozen push ups to have his muscles pumped. Who said he wasn't vain. He wanted to be attractive for Kate, because she sure as hell took care of her body.

By the time she returned the bedroom, the lights were out, candles were aglow, the bedsheets were pulled down. His body was naked and tactfully positioned on the bed ensuring his chest was prominent. She appeared, her hair down, wearing only a white lace bra and thong panties.

"Oh Castle, you got out the candles." She gleefully exclaimed.

"I did." He smugly smiled, "C'mere."

She took the two steps to his bed and crawled across it to him. He smiled looking into her eyes. "Arr yes. Hazel eyes are back."

"Shut up, writer boy." She hissed, giving him a gentle push to lay right down. Her fingers trailed down his chest making a direct line to his groin. A naughty smile appeared as she looked from his engorged cock to his bright blue eyes.

"I dare you." He whispered.

"Oh Ricky, you're a sitting duck."

His right eyebrow shot up. A gasp escaped him as her lips clamped over him.

"You are in for a night, Honey." He groaned, closing his eyes to thoroughly enjoy his girlfriend.

"Nobody will notice it." Rick insisted. Internally he was laughing so hard he barely maintained composure. He stepped into a fresh pair of boxers, fixed them to his hips at the place he preferred the band to sit, then looked at Kate who was busy studying the right side of her neck in the bathroom mirror.

"Everyone will notice it, Castle. What will I say? That I'm dating you?"

"Yeah. Sure. No, don't say that. Keep us a secret. Anyways, I went home, Beckett, with my eastern European one night stand remember?" He replied, "I wasn't with you."

Kate spun around and faced up to him. "Various parts of you, including your thing were inside me most of the night, and it was you who latched on to my neck."

"My thing?" He squeaked, "Just to clarify here, Detective Girlfriend, it was my thing that had you powerfully grinding against me and you were talking dirty things in my ear. Foul things. I got right into the moment by the way. My sign of affection there, had you climaxing."

"Sign of affection?" She scoffed. "Fucking hell, Rick." She spun back around to once again to examine the hickey on her neck a grimace over her face.

"Don't they have make up for that sort of thing?" He carefully asked waggling an index finger near her neck. He immediately heard the deep growl bleed from her throat. He avoided connection with her eyes mainly because he feared he would laugh when she was taking it very seriously. He threw the towel over the rail to dry.

He felt her eyes on him and via the mirror he saw she was checking out his bare chest. A smirk escaped him, "Yeah, it was so worth it, Beckett. You enjoyed every second of it."

In response Kate laughed as she strongly scoffed, "I did not."

"No fucking way. When I had my face …"

"That part was great." She cut off, blushed, then focussed on the circular bruise. "Jesus, Castle how hard did you latch on?"

"Latch on? C'mon! I-" He paused, saw the laughter begin to spill from her, "Yes, I sucked. Okay?"

"Hard." She replied as she tapped over the bruise.

"Nothing on what you can do. You're like a vacuum." He grinned and copped the fist that hit his shoulder. "Hey, that was a compliment."

"Sure."

"You have a heap of scarves." He offered up as he followed her from the bathroom to her bedroom.

"It's not exactly scarf wearing weather, Castle."

"Okay," he replied, pausing to watch her strut about the bedroom in her underwear. She was so cute, "So we're back on use the make up."

"I have no choice, Castle. There's no hiding this one."

"You'll be fine, Honey. Hurry up. We have a murder."

"Lucky there isn't one here this morning," Beckett retaliated.