Game of seduction

AN: What happens when Rick asks Kate to go over his place in order to read a certain scene from his upcoming book "Naked Heat"? Read and find out. This chapter is from Kate's pov. Next would be form Castle's. I hope you like it.

Chapter 1

The invitation

Castle had asked her to go over his place in order to read and approve his new upcoming book. The whole book or just a few pages from it, she didn't know for sure. She didn't ask him for any details over the phone but it didn't really matter for Kate. She guessed that he just wanted her opinion about the book. Though she found it a bit odd since Castle usually didn't ask her permission or her opinion about anything and he probably didn't care that much about it either. He obviously didn't even bother to ask her about his first book. And she could say that he always did whatever he pleased. Though she had some doubts about his motives she decided to go. After all she felt flattered that he was willing to ask for her opinion at least this time.

So she knocked on the door and he opened it pretty quickly. She was dressed up - she was wearing a dress and high heels - because she wanted to look good. Not for him though, that wasn't her aim. She wanted to look good for... well, for no apparent reason, she just wanted to look good. But it definitely had nothing to do with Castle. She didn't dress herself up for him. Or at least that was what she told herself. Not that she wanted to look like she had neglected her appearance in front of Castle. Maybe he had a small, just a tiny little part for her unusual look. But of course he didn't need to know that.

"You look... uhm um... great," Castle muttered, looking at her or more precisely drooling over her. He instantly spotted her appearance and she liked that she had made an impression. That was what she wanted to do. Well, not for him but for herself.

"Thanks," she answered nonchalantly, entering his apartment after Castle had finally considered to move away a little bit so she could enter. "I got a date later so I am in a hurry," she stated, sitting on the couch. She lied to him because she felt a bit silly. Actually, she didn't know why she did it but it was like an instinct. She was all dressed up for him but he didn't need to know that. She didn't want him to think that she was dressed up for him because his ego was big enough already. So she just quickly made up a reason, saying that she was dressed up for a date. That was the first thing that crossed her mind. A date. And plus, she didn't want to sound or look pathetic in his eyes.

"So, do you want something to drink?" he asked nicely, going near her, ready to bring her whatever she wanted.

"No. I told you I am in a hurry so-"

"Right," he cut her off. "So, I guess... since you are in a hurry... uhm, you could sit on my laptop," he pointed at the table nervously, "and start reading."

"Okay," she quickly agreed. "So what's the name of your new novel?"

"It's uhm... umm, something with heat. I mean... that is her name after all... uhm and so I uh... I wanted to-"

"Castle," she cut him off and gave him one of her dirty looks. He was playing around and there must be a reason for that. So she wanted an answer immediately.

"It's uh... N-n-na-naked Heat, Naked Heat," he repeated, stuttering his words nervously, looking away from her.

"Naked Heat," she exclaimed and got up abruptly from the couch. She got so angry with him the second she heard the title of the book. "That's a catchy title, Castle. When were you going to tell me? She asked, stepping closer toward him.

"I was going to tell you... soon-ish," he answered, stepping back away from her.

"Soon-ish?" She repeated with a threatening tone and raised her eyebrow. "After you have published the book-ish?" She asked and he smiled but when he saw the serious look on her face his smile faded away in a matter of seconds.

"I am telling you now," he tried to justify himself. But it wasn't working because she was still very angry with him.

"She's going to be naked on the cover again, isn't she?"

"Uhmm... well... I uh... kind of... Yeah."

"That's great," she said, folding her arms, "no one's gonna make fun of me."

"Oh, good. I thought you'd be mad at me," he stated, sighing in relief.

Was he blind? Of course she was mad at him for naming the book "Naked Heat". It sounded so dirty and plus, there was going to be a naked woman on the cover again. How could she stay calm and not get mad? She didn't even want to think about what he had written in the book since the title was so... well, it definitely sounded dirty. Was there going to be a sex scene? She tried to put that thought away and not think about it anymore because the more she dwell on it the angrier she got.

"Let's just start reading and get this over with," she said and he led the way to his desk and she sat in front of his laptop.

"So the scene I want you to approve is the next sex scene in the book," he stated and he seemed so calm, saying it so casually like he was asking her for something very usual and ordinary. Like she had always read his sex scenes and approved them after that.

"You want me to read a sex scene?" She asked, turning to face him. She was surprised and felt a bit awkward by the thought of reading it right in front of him. Reading it all alone in her bathtub was another thing. But just the thought of reading it in front of Castle's watchful eyes made her feel really nervous.

"Yes," he nodded casually in agreement as if was nothing. Not a big deal.

"Seriously?" She asked, not knowing what to say or do next. He definitely caught her off guards with his unusual request. Was he joking? Maybe he was pulling something with it. Probably he was just messing up with her.

"Seriously," he answered back and it seemed that he was talking very seriously. "Because you were utterly surprised to find that there was a sex scene in the first book. So why not read and approve the second one?"

"And that's why you asked me to come over here?" She asked again, trying to make sure it wasn't some kind of joke and he was talking seriously. She needed to be a hundred percent sure.

"Yes," he confirmed once again, nodding.

"Castle, I am not gonna read a sex scene!" She declared, making herself sound offended by his request. She needed to back off and just leave. Immediately. The sooner the better.

"Why not?" he asked, looking a bit shocked by her reaction. "You read the first one," he pointed out.

Oh no, he didn't! How dare he mention that!? And he had the audacity to say it straight into her face! That bastard! The moment she thought about the sex scene in the first book and the fact that he had caught her reading it in the bathroom she stared blushing.

"I..I wasn't..." she started but trailed off, not knowing what to say. He got her there. He had a point. She was so busted.

"Don't deny it. I caught you in the act," he reminded her like she didn't know it already. Like she didn't remember it. But she did. She remembered it pretty vividly. She remembered the way she started stuttering her words when he saw her reading the book. The way she tried to deny it but he had caught her in the act so she couldn't say anything more. That was so very true. He needn't remind her that because she felt awkward enough already. And she needed to get a grip of herself. She wanted to make him feel embarrassed of the fact that he asked her to read a sex scene, not the other way around.

"Oaky. But let me ask you something first," she said turning to him. "Were you thinking about me when you were writing this..." she said, making a pause, thinking how to put it, "scene," she finished her sentence and looked at him. "You know... about us?"

"I Uuh... well...uh...I uhm-"

"You know what? Never mind," she interrupted him, waving her hand in order to stop him from saying anything further. "I don't wanna know," she said, turning her head away from him. She couldn't even look at him from embarrassment.

"Oh, come on. Don't act so innocent," he said and she turned around to face him again. "Don't tell me you have never wondered what it would be like if we, you know..."

"No," she exclaimed, trying to sound pretty convinced at what she said, making his statement sound preposterous.

"Liar," he answered her with such a confident tone like he knew she was lying. Like he could see right through her.

Oh, crap! Maybe she overplayed it. She shouldn't have said it like that - like the most outrageous suggestion in the whole world. It was way too much. She should have said it more natural. Damn it! How could she be so stupid!?

"Okay, Castle, would you just leave me read it?" She asked and turned away, and then she started reading.

She finally decided to read the scene. Since she was already there she decided to read it and fulfill Castle's request. It couldn't hurt, could it? And plus, she didn't have much of a choice. So she focused her eyes on the screen before her and started reading. Castle, from the other hand, was pacing up and down through the whole room while she was reading, and she was having a hard time focusing on the book. But all that pacing up and down became just a white noise when she focused on the words of the scene. She got hooked up from the very first word and she quickly became engrossed by the story. So engrossed that she didn't hear any noise anymore, nor did she feel Castle's presence. And while she was reading the scene she couldn't help but imagine her and Castle doing all the stuff written in it. She was trying to get that thought out of her mind, she really did, but without much success. It wasn't helping. She was Nikki Heat after all and Rook was Castle. That was that and she knew it. And Castle, that damn bastard knew it, too. She could bet the house that he was thinking about them when he wrote that scene. It sounded too authentic and so much in her character. Did he know her that well? Were these all just his fantasies? With every sentence she read, the clearer she saw the picture in her mind. And oh boy, it was steamy! And it was written in such details that she could see the picture in her mind pretty vividly. And couldn't get it out anymore. It was really steamy so she crossed her legs, pressing her thighs together and continued reading. She knew she was probably blushing. She felt her cheeks burning because of the heat. It was getting hotter and hotter for her and she started sweating and not just from shame but also from arousal. His words were so arousing, so sexy and so dirty. So well-written.

After Kate read the whole scene she thought about it for a few minutes. She was looking at the screen, pretending she was still reading while million thoughts started running through her head. What Castle was thinking when he wrote that steamy scene? And why did he give it to her and asked her to read it? Did he have any hidden thoughts that she didn't know about? Did he expect something to happen after she read that? Because if Castle thought he could seduce her with his writing he thought wrong. That bastard was way too arrogant to think that his words and the whole scene could have any effect on her. Well, it was true she was turned on a little bit... okay, she was turned on a lot but he didn't need to know that. She needed to calm down a bit and look nonchalant in front of him. She didn't want to let him see how much his steamy scene had affected her. She turned to face him and let him know that she was done. She had finished... with the reading of course. She just hoped that Castle wouldn't ask her too many questions about the whole scene and about her opinion because she thought she wouldn't handle much more.

"I am done," she declared to let him know she had finished reading.

Okay, that was a bad choice of words, she thought to herself. She needed to relax and stay focus.

"So?" he asked and looked at her expectantly.

"What do you want me to do? Point out any mistakes or spelling errors?" She asked, wondering what was she supposed to tell him about the scene. She really didn't know what to say.

"No. Just tell me your opinion."

"It's nice," she said, feeling a bit embarrassed. She could still see the picture that he drew with his words in this steamy scene in her mind. It was really hard to forget such a thing. So sexy and steamy and oh, she just had to stop thinking about it.

"Nice?!" He repeated her word in a questionable demeanor. "Just nice? Not hot... sexy... steamy... racy," he was listing the words and with each one his voice got deeper.

"Yeah, just nice," she repeated and looked down.

"Then what do you think about the characters?" He asked her, looking into her eyes. "Do you think I managed to stay in character of Nikki Heat? Is this something Nikki would do? Hm?"

Why was he asking her such embarrassing questions? How could he did this to her!? She didn't know what she was supposed to say to him. And in that very moment she founded it really hard to think of something. Or to focus on anything else than his sexy words and the way he looked.

"Well, you said she was kind of slutty so I guess it is," she quickly murmured under her breath, wondering how she could make him stop with his embarrassing questions. She felt awkward enough already.

"And is that something the real Nikki Heat would do? Are you slutty?"

She knew what he was doing. She knew that he was trying to affect her. And damn him, it was working.

"I have to go," she said as she got up abruptly from the chair and turned around. But he was right there, standing at her way very near her. And he didn't back off so she couldn't walk away from him freely. She ended up trapped by his body and the desk behind her. And that bastard wasn't moving even an inch furthered so she could go.

"Wait, I am not done here. I have more questions for you." He said and stopped her, showing her that there was no escape.

"What?" she asked, trying to look bored or just annoyed. Or even mad at him. Whatever. Anything but turned on. Because she really was. And she was scared that it would show.

"You didn't tell me what exactly you think of the scene. Was it turning on? Did you find it steamy?"

"I-I don't know. I am not an editor, Castle." She said, trying to avoid his questions.

"Come on, I am asking you seriously. The scene should be moving, sexy... you know, racy. My aim is to turn on the readers. So are you turned on?"

She could believe he had the audacity to ask her such a direct question. Right into her face. He didn't sugarcoat it.

"Oh, your aims are so high," she said sarcastically, mocking him. She was hoping she could offend him and he would just let her walk away from him because she was getting more and more nervous with each question that he asked her. And it was getting hotter with each passed second.

"Rude...but," he said, and went nearer so she had to step back until her lower back hit the desk, "you still have to answer my question, Kate."

"I..I uh-"

She didn't know what to say. It was true that her voice was a bit shaky from want. But not want for him! It was just want. Because of that steamy scene that he wrote. Definitely not for him. Or for his sexy body and his muscles that she could see through his blue shirt. They had nothing to do with it.

"You what?" he asked, tilting his head, looking at her.

"I uh-"

"Tell me... are you dripping wet, Kate?"