"I'm gonna make you hurt," Kate Beckett announced to the delighted whoops of the other men around the table. Richard Castle had the audacity to blow her a kiss. Kate glared at him which just made Rick chuckle.

"I know who is gonna hurt and it won't be me," Rick shot back, enjoying the verbal bantering.

"You think?" Kate replied, trying to work out if he was bluffing. For the hundredth time she wondered how on Earth a writer became such a damn good poker player. More of his dark past, she decided.

"I know. Read 'em and weep." With a dramatic flick of his wrist Rick laid his cards on the table – Ace, King, Queen, Joker and ten of Hearts – a royal flush! Kate glared at him through narrowed eyes.

"That is such a cliché," she complained bitterly throwing her cards on the table.

"I'm a writer," he said gleefully sweeping his winnings across the table, "So shoot me."

"Don't tempt me," Kate replied with an overly sweet smile. The others laughed at the byplay.

"Again?" Rick asked hopefully but Esposito shook his head.

"If I have any more of that," he said nodding to the bottle of 12-year-old scotch, "I won't be able to drive." actually it was their second bottle. One thing about playing poker at Rick's place, the alcohol was better. No cheap scotch out of chipped mugs for him.

"You coming?" Esposito asked Ryan as he slipped into his jacket.

"Sure." Ryan downed the last of his scotch as Rick scowled at both of them.

"Who are we going to play with now?" he asked sounding very much like a petulant child. Ryan spun the empty scotch bottle on the table.

"How 'bout spin the bottle?" he suggested with a smirk.

"Not enough people," Rick replied.

"Truth or dare?" Ryan suggested as Esposito dragged him out the door. A huge grin spread across Rick's face at Ryan's suggestion. He turned to Kate.

"Forget it!" She stalled his suggestion.

"Scared?" he queried, with an innocent smile.

"Of you?" Kate dismissed that suggestion.

"Dare ya!" Rick countered and Kate froze. All her life she had never been able to turn down a dare. It had caused her parents more than a few headaches in her teenage years.

"What did you say?" she asked, hoping she had misheard but knowing she hadn't.

"Double dare ya!" Rick replied, refilling both their glasses and raising his in mock salute.

"Fine," Kate replied throwing back her drink and accepting another.

"I'll go first," Rick nodded "Truth."

"Truth," Kate questioned and asked what had been bugging her. "Where the hell did you learn to play poker like that?" Rick chuckled.

"You can thank my mother for that." At the startled look on Kate's face he elaborated, "Back stage at the theatre. There's not a lot for a kid to do. Some of the adults taught me to play poker. Weren't so pleased when I started beating them." Kate could well believe that. "My turn?"

"OK," Kate replied, trying to sound calm, "truth or dare?"

"Dare," Rick announced and chuckled at the look on Kate's face. One thing he had learnt about Detective Kate Beckett, she didn't back down from anything or anyone. She merely crossed her arms over her chest and waited.

"Shoulder and neck massage," he stated and Kate just raised a startled eyebrow. "Too long sitting at a computer," which was true. He usually put Alexis to use but she was in LA at her mother's for the weekend.

"OK, get it off," Kate said and was rewarded by Rick choking on his scotch.

"What?" he spluttered wiping it from his chin.

"Your shirt," she clarified, hiding her smirk. Rick didn't bother undoing all of it, just the top button and dragged it off over his head.

"You just going to sit there all night?" At Rick's prompting Kate realised she'd been staring. She finished off her scotch for courage and walked around Rick's chair.

The firelight played across angles of his body and deepened his tan. Rick's shoulders were warm as Kate dug her thumbs into the muscles, tight and knotted as he'd said.

"Hmmmm." He groaned, obviously enjoying Kate's fumbling attempts to get the kinks out of his shoulders. "Your turn," Rick muttered as Kate massaged his neck. He'd dropped his head forward to give her greater access and Kate was overwhelmed by a burning desire to kiss the back of his neck. Abruptly she stepped back, afraid she would act on her impulse.

"Mean woman," Rick complained and Kate laughed, teasingly trailing her fingers over his shoulder as she walked around him and picked up her glass.

"Might as well get comfortable." Rick picked up his glass and the bottle and went to sit over on the couch. Kate half wished he'd put his shirt back on but there was no way she'd let him know that.

"OK your turn, truth or dare?" he asked twirling the scotch in his glass.

"Truth," Kate replied and nibbled her lower lip for a few minutes trying to think of something Rick would not admit to.

"Have you ever lied to your partner to avoid sex?" She was expecting a flippant 'No' but Rick actually took his time answering.

"Yes, I have," he admitted and Kate had to admit she was stunned. "When I found out Meredith was having an affair." He tried to laugh it off but Kate could hear the hurt in his voice. Stupid woman, she couldn't help thinking.

"Dare," Rick said quickly, not wanting to go into depth about his first divorce. "Say the alphabet back wards."

At Kate's chuckle, Rick was slightly worried about his dare. "z-y-x-w-v-u-t-s-r-q-p-o-n-m-l-k-j-i-h-g-f-e-d-c-b-a" she recited without a single hesitation and laughed aloud at the look on Rick's face. It quite clearly said wiseass.

"Truth or dare," Kate asked as she finished her scotch. She was having fun.

"Truth," Rick replied.

"What is the craziest pick up line that you have used?" Rick laughed and looked slightly embarrassed. "I'm a world famous author and need to research French champagne and silk sheets, wanna help?"

Kate was stunned "That did not work," she declared laughing.

"Yep," Rick raised his glass in salute "A few times actually," Kate threw a pillow at him. She'd never quite appreciated how funny he could be. Somehow, his quick wit seemed out of place at a murder scene.

"Truth or dare?" Rick asked having fun. Hell he'd not played this since his misspent teenage years.

"Dare," Kate, said, the scotch giving her courage.

"What's your most embarrassing moment?" Rick asked chuckling as she laid her head on the back of the sofa and groaned. This was going to be good. She didn't say a word, just held her glass out for a refill. He complied and waited.

"Prom night when I was 15. I had a huge crush on Bobby Goldsmith, had since I was 13 or so. I couldn't believe it when he asked me to the prom. I was walking on clouds. He told me to meet him there. When he arrived, Lisa Black was on his arm and everyone laughed."

Rick felt like a rat for making her bring that up. Before he could apologise, she continued, "I threw my pink cocktail over both of them, totally ruined her dress." She grinned at him and lightened the mood. "What's yours?" she asked, not really playing by the rules.

Rick chuckled and dropped his head to his hands, shaking it from side to side. He peeked between his fingers. "You don't really want to know that?" he asked, making Kate even more curious. She just nodded. "Night I lost my virginity, well tried to anyhow," he said and Kate waggled her fingers at him in a give me more gesture. He sighed and settled back on the sofa, drink balanced on his knee. "I was 14 and at a beach party. I was horny and very drunk. Even with her umm…experience, there was no way I could get it up. It was all around school by Monday morning." Kate grinned at him. "She had to eat her words a couple of weeks later when I wasn't drunk." Kate toppled over on the sofa with laughter, tears streaming down her face. Delivered with such simplicity she could just imagine the scenario. "14?" she gasped through laughter and he just nodded, quite clearly pleased with himself.

"Truth or dare?" she asked, still trying to catch her breath.

"Truth," Rick replied throwing back his drink and refilling their glasses. They both had a nice buzz going now. If anyone had told Kate, she'd spend a Friday night sitting in Rick's penthouse drinking scotch and playing truth and dare she'd have had them admitted to some psych ward.

"What do you wear to bed?" she asked and Rick just lowered his glass and gave her his do you really wanna know look over the top of it.

"Nothing," he replied and a vivid image of Rick naked in a rumpled bed sprang into Kate's mind. "You?" Kate was just drunk enough for her inner tease to want to come out and play.

"French silk mostly," she replied and watched Rick swallow nervously. He looked rather like he'd been caught in headlights. It was a much sexier image than her Snoopy pyjamas.

"Truth or dare?" he asked, trying without much success, to get the image of Kate Beckett in silk out of his head.

Kate came back with, "Dare," which started Rick a bit. His alcohol-fuelled brain kept coming back to one "dare" but he was sure she would not do it, which of course would make him the winner. At his hesitation, she pounced.

"What, scared of losing Rick?" she needled him.

"I wanna know your wildest sexual fantasy." He said and she glared at him. "Act it out," he said and grinned as she stared at him, a blush slowly staining her cheeks. Now he was curious. If he'd been a betting man, hell he was a betting man, and he never would have thought anything could make Kate Beckett blush.

"Ummm…I don't know if I can Rick," she admitted twirling her drink in the glass.

He had never seen her hesitate for a second so he was more than a little curious. "Course you can Kate, you have my sworn promise I won't tell Ryan or Esposito." He crossed his fingers in front of his heart.

Could she tell him the one thing she'd always wanted to do?, admired the girls that did it, if she was honest? Truth was Kate had never been overly comfortable with her sexuality. She'd been tall and skinny as a teenager and still felt rather…lacking in the breast department. Her sister had told her often enough she should grow her hair but long hair bothered Kate so she'd kept it short. She'd been told often enough that she wasn't desirable, sexy, or womanly.

"Lap dance," Kate said quietly, so quietly that Rick wasn't sure he'd heard her.

"What?" he asked indelicately. Kate looked up at him, took a deep breath and repeated it.

"I've always wanted to be a lap dancer."

Rick really did choke on his scotch this time. "What!" he spluttered, maybe for the first time realising they were both affected by the alcohol and very much alone. Alexis was in LA at her mother's and who knew where Martha was. "Why?" his brain was still trying to unscramble the fact that no nonsense Detective Kate Beckett wanted to be a lap dancer. She just shrugged her shoulders, seemingly very engrossed in her scotch.

"Why Kate?" he asked and she glared at him. She could not keep a professional distance when he called her that, and he damn well knew it. She shrugged again.

"It's so sexy and," she paused, sipping her drink "they know how to attract a man's attention." She muttered downing the rest of her drink.

"Go on then," Rick said, filling her glass again. When she gaped at him, he just grinned, levering himself out of the sofa and walking a very unsteady line over to the stereo hidden in the corner. Rick bent over and searched through a couple of drawers before triumphantly holding up a CD case. Seconds later the room was filled with a sexy, daring, up beat sound.

He danced back to the sofa, swaying his hips, somehow not spilling his drink and dropped down untidily onto it.

"Go on, you have the music and a captive audience." He was deadly serious and Kate realised that he was probably the only person in the world she could do this in front of and not feel very stupid. The bottles of scotch they had managed to get through didn't hurt either.

She slid her high heels back on and wobbled slightly unsteadily to her feet. She had taken her jacket off earlier but was dressed in a skirt and blouse today as they'd been in court. The perp was sent down for 25 years so they'd all been on a high. Somehow, it just felt right to share it with Rick.

She shut her eyes and started to sway to the music. It was a throaty ballsy ballad. Kate slid her hands down her throat and over the buttons of her blouse. She pulled it from her skirt and undid the bottom one. She kept eye contact with Rick as she undid her sleeve buttons. Her hips gyrated to the sound of the music as she very slowly undid all but two buttons but didn't shrug out of the shirt. She was captivated by the look on Rick's face. His eyes followed her every move, the pupils so dilated his blue eyes were nearly black. He took a sip of his scotch but his eyes never left her. It was quite a heady sensation, knowing she had his full undivided attention. The lace of her bra rubbed against her erect nipples making her groan.

I think this was a really, really bad idea Rick thought as he watched Kate grind her way through the striptease. He'd always thought she was beautiful but dancing in the firelight, he was mesmerised. He'd been on the receiving end of quite a few lap dances in his time but Kate put them all to shame.

She'd given up on the blouse, it was held closed by two small buttons so all he could see were flashes of her bra. From the few glimpses, he could see it was definitely lace and dark, black maybe, or blue. Hell, he didn't care what colour it was he wanted to see it. She undid the narrow black belt and cheekily flung it at him. He caught it one handed and dropped it to the sofa, never taking his eyes from her.

He's far more potent than the scotch, she thought watching Rick watch her. She'd done this a few times in the privacy of her own apartment but never for a man. She slipped the catch on her skirt open and very slowly lowered the zip. Rick's relaxed pose was shot, he was sitting on the very edge of the sofa now, elbows on his knees watching her every move. Feeling reckless, she blew him a kiss, which he caught and tucked into his pocket.

She slid the zipper the rest of the way down and shimmied out of the skirt, never taking her eyes from Rick as it pooled at her feet leaving her in her shirt, underwear and not much else. Kate was very glad that she'd taken extra care with dressing this morning, never guessing she'd be undressing for Rick. He caressed her with his eyes. As they roamed over her body, Kate gasped as her nipples tightened as if he had touched her. His eyes dropped to her legs and Kate could feel her insides flutter with desire. Lust shone from Rick's eyes, bright and hot.

"Hell," Rick exclaimed in awe at her thigh high stockings. Kate grinned at the look in his face, bent forward, and ran her hands up her legs from the ankle. She was going to roll them off but Rick shook his head "Leave em on," he asked in a strained voice.

She turned her back on him and wiggled her hips as she undid the last two buttons and slid her shirt off, dropping it to the floor and gave him a cheeky grin over her shoulder. The black bra and panties were in stark contract to her pale skin. The stockings firmly gripped her upper thighs, encasing her legs in sheer silk. Rick's mouth was suddenly very dry. Kate put one heeled foot up on the coffee table and smoothed her stocking, pretending she was checking if the seams were straight. Rick was damn glad she wasn't wearing seamed stockings, he wasn't sure if he would have survived. Hell, he still wasn't sure if he would.

He couldn't understand why she was worried. She was gorgeous swaying and grinding to the music. Rick had finished his drink but was too captivated by her to pour another one. She sipped hers, licking the scotch off her lips and trailing one finger around the edge of her glass. She dipped it in the scotch and dabbed it between her breasts as if it were perfume. Rick's mouth watered. She did it again, slightly higher and Rick could see the trail of wetness in the firelight. He licked his too dry lips.

"Do you want some?" Kate asked huskily, slightly raising the glass. Rick was speechless so he just nodded.

Kate swayed over and held her glass to his lips, never taking her eyes from his she deliberately tipped the glass too far so it dribbled down Rick's chin. He never bothered to wipe it away.

"You're supposed to dance in my lap, not all the way over there," he muttered taking the glass from her and putting it on the side table.

"Is that right?" was all Kate could think to say as Rick ran his hands up her legs.

"Yep," he replied with a voice that was deep and husky from the scotch and desire. "Come here," he said and pulled her onto his lap until her knees rested on either side of his hips.

The rough denim of his jeans scratched the inside of her thighs but she hardly took any notice as he lightly ran his fingers down her naked back. She arched into his touch and he chuckled.

"I thought I was supposed to be in charge here?" she muttered and Rick gave her a lopsided smile, her heart thudded in response. That smile was dangerous.

"You under any impression you aren't?" he asked, skilfully unsnapping her bra one handed. He made no move to take it off, leaving that barrier for her.

"Am I?" she asked, feeling beautiful, powerful and everything she'd ever wanted to be and it was all because of Rick and a childish game of truth and dare.

"God yes," he pulled her forward and buried his head in her cleavage, feasting off the scotch she'd dabbed there earlier. Kate threaded her fingers in his hair to keep him close and could not hold back her moan of arousal as his warm tongue lapped at her breasts.

Rick cupped her lace-clad backside in his hands and shifted her further forward, his jeans rough on her overly sensitised thighs until they were chest to chest. He made no further demands, just trailed feather light kisses across her breasts and lightly scratched his nails up and down her spine, making her purr.

"Sexy witch," he murmured and Kate felt like it. Sexy and wild and free and so turned on. The room felt uncomfortably warm, she could feel a fine film of perspiration across Rick's shoulders and her lace bra felt far too constricting. She pushed back slightly and Rick immediately let go. She smiled at him and teasingly slid one bra strap down her arm and then the other.

"Should it stay or should it go?" she asked Rick seductively and was rewarded with another one of those nervous swallows.

"Go," was all he could croak as she peeled the bra away and dropped it onto the floor. "Hell," he exclaimed before cupping both breasts in his warm hands and massaging them.

"You're beautiful, don't you ever let anyone tell you otherwise," Rick told her just before he lowered his head and sucked one nipple into his mouth. Kate arched into his touch, lost in the sensations he was so effortlessly bringing to life.

"Rick," she moaned, threading her fingers through his hair "Oh God, Rick!" He let go of her breast with a plop and devoured the other one. "You're driving me crazy." She moaned, desperately wanting more.

"You think you're the only one?" He swore expressively and moved her further forward so she could feel the long hard bulge in his jeans. Her eyes widened in realisation of what she'd caused.

"Oh!" she breathed, feeling quite pleased. Kate decided being more than half-drunk had its advantages. There was no way on earth she could have done this sober. She cupped his face in both her hands and kissed him. His lips were firm under hers and the stubble rough against her palms.

Rick let her take control, even though he wasn't sure if he'd survive. She drove him to distraction during the daytime, at night, half drunk and mostly naked she was more than his alcohol-fuelled brain could handle. Those slow little gyrations of her hips were going to kill him.

Her tongue probed his lips and he gladly opened up to give her access. She tasted of mint and scotch and something uniquely Kate Beckett. He threaded his hands in her hair and deepened the kiss. Her breasts flattened against his chest Rick slid his fingers into the top of her panties and caressed her backside, pushing her down harder on his erection. God she felt so damn good.

Minutes or hours could have passed, he had no idea but eventually Kate pulled away, gasping for breath. She tucked her head under his chin and licked the salty perspiration from his neck. He shuddered at the feel of her lips on his neck.

"Rick?" She was playing with the hair on his chest, twirling it around her fingers one-way then the other.

"Hmmmm," he replied too content to say much.

"Make love to me," she asked, wiggling against him and Rick froze and then swore, creatively and with feeling.

"I can't, Kate," at her hurt look Rick hastened to explain, "I don't have any protection."

"What!" she hissed and proved that Detectives can be creative in the swearing arena themselves. "I'm so worked up Rick and it's your fault." She poked him in the chest.

"Don't worry, my fair lady," he nuzzled her neck, "I won't leave you stranded." Kate wanted to laugh but it turned into a frustrated groan as Rick latched onto a nipple and sucked it to a hard peak.

He twisted slightly, pulled Kate tighter against him and dropped back on the sofa until he was flat on his back, glad he'd bought a sofa long enough for him to stretch out. He precariously balanced her on his chest and slid one hand down her stomach. She quivered and moaned under his touch, the sound sending shocks of delight straight to his groin.

Rick slid his hand down her flat stomach and under the band of her panties. She was wet and slick between his fingers. He groaned, loving the feel of her arousal and the little twitches of her body as it sprawled over his. The moans she made as his long dexterous writer's fingers found her bud and played with it, lightly at first and then harder, slightly rougher as he deepened the kiss, their tongues intertwined as badly as he wanted their bodies to be but with no protection it was not going to happen.

"Rick," Kate moaned as her hips twitched uncontrollably "oh God, Rick!" She bit down on the side of his neck and Rick felt his jeans tighten considerably. He slid two fingers into her wet tightness and could not control his own groan as she tightened around him.

"God Kate, you're gonna kill me." He traced the inside of her ear with his tongue and she shuddered in his arms.

"Only fair," she replied, licking his nipple "You're murdering me here." She gently bit and Rick shuddered under her touch.

Her body was strung so tight Kate was sure she was going to shatter. Rick's body surrounded her. She was sprawled rather untidily on his chest. One of his large hands was cradling her lace-clad backside while the other was creating delicious tremors of pleasure between her legs. His lips were nibbling and gently biting her neck and laving her ear with his tongue. She groaned with frustration as his thumb skimmed over her clit, sending shock waves through her body again.

"Ahhh hell," she swore as her body arched under his touch. "Please Rick." It was as close as she would ever come to begging and they both knew it. Kate was so worked up all she could think of was coming, of blessed relief.

Rick kissed his way from her ear to her mouth and devoured her while his hand teased and tormented in her panties. She was wound so tight he decided to put her out of her misery and a bit roughly slid his thumb across her clit, wet and slippery with her arousal. When he pushed down on it hard Kate reared up and his mouth caught her scream as she came, harder and stronger than she ever had in her life. She slumped over him boneless.

After some time, she came back to earth. "That was…"she muttered "Wow…"

Rick had to chuckle at her inability to string a sentence together. He lightly kissed her forehead and hugged her close.

"Kate," he gave her a small shake, "Kate?" He shook her slightly harder and was rewarded with her snuggling up to him, fast asleep. "Great!" he muttered resigned to being a beautiful woman's mattress for the night.

"Honestly Richard, you'd think we have enough bedrooms in this apartment that you didn't have to make out on the sofa?" his mother chided him. Rick opened one eye and noted it was still dark outside. He glared up at his mother who had her hands on the back of the sofa watching him with an amused look on her face.

"Shhhhh," he said sleepily "Don't wake her." Kate was still fast asleep and he really didn't want her going anywhere. His mother shook her head and disappeared for a moment.

"Well don't catch cold," she threw a cashmere blanket over both of them "Night dear,"

Rick called out a good night, pulled the blanket over Kate, kissed her forehead again and went back to sleep with a smile on his face. It had turned out to be a great night.