Chapter Two

Nata had taken Jade aboveground to one of the upper layers of the city to a nice little diner that she and some of the other girls went to from time to time. They had been followed by two of the Head Rush’s big bodyguards. Jade had questioned about them, but Nata had explained that it was for their safety. Not all of the clients at the Head Rush understood that the only times the girls removed their clothing was for a show.

They now sat at a small, corner table waiting for the food they had ordered to be brought back to them.

"So, Jade, what did you do before you decided to join the Head Rush?" Nata asked, leaning back in her chair.

Jade gave a timid look, ready to deliver her prepared story. “I’m almost afraid to tell you. Afraid you’ll think I’m just some spoiled kid…”

"Naw, I don't think I could. You don't act spoiled." Nata smiled at her.

Jade returned the smile and sighed. “I’m not from Coruscant. In fact, this is my first time here. I’m originally from Naboo, and my parents are… a little on the overbearing side. They can’t accept that I’m an adult with a mind of mine own. They wanted me to go into that stupid handmaiden program when I was ten.” She waved her hand dismissively. “I absolutely refused… Started running with a more interesting brand of people that my dad despised when I was fifteen. Finally, push came to shove, and I packed my things. I’ve never really wanted for anything… My friends thought I was an idiot for leaving a sure deal behind. I mean, they paid for everything!” She paused and looked down at her hands. “But it was at the expense of my freedom, and I couldn’t handle that. I wanted to do something crazy… And this is it.”

Nata shrugged slightly. "I can understand wanting freedom, that’s for sure, but I'm afraid you won’t find it at the Head Rush." Nata leaned forward slightly, resting her elbows on the table in front of her. "Like I already told you, I've been doing this nearly all my life. It's the only thing I can do, but I've never understood exactly why people would choose to do this of their free will." Nata shrugged lightly.

Jade shook her head. “For people like me, it’s an adrenaline thing. Thrill-seeking. And I know that must seem so wrong when you’ve been practically a…” She glanced up at the distant bouncers then back at Nata. “A prisoner. Surely this isn’t the only thing you can do. Everyone is able to learn new skills or hone their natural abilities. There should be something…”

"The only thing I can do is dance. I'm not much good at anything else. I've never had proper schooling or anything like that." Nata leaned back again as the waitress brought their food over to them.

Jade took her meal and began eating quietly, unable to find words that could brighten their now bleak conversation. Across from her was a young woman with no way out, and she felt powerless to help her as she was now playing a part. She could not stand and fight. She had to simply sit and watch. This was a situation requiring patience, a virtue she was sorely lacking.

Halfway through her meal, Jade set her food aside and put her elbows on the table before her. “Nata, don’t ask me how I know, but there is hope for you.”

Nata looked up from her food and frowned slightly at Jade. "It's nice to know someone thinks so." Nata stared at her for a few moments longer, not sure exactly what to make of the other woman’s comment.

“How long before Cress starts to wonder if we’re coming back?” Jade asked. “I mean… should we be hurrying?”

"Nope," Nata shook her head then jerked a thumb back over her shoulder to the two huge bodyguards. "That’s what they are for."

“That’s not technically protection then,” Jade said. “Sure, if we get in a scrape, they’re there. But if you decide you want to hitch a ride off planet, they’re there for that, too. Ever hear about anyone suffering from their ‘protection’?”

"Well, the bodyguards aren't exactly allowed to harm us. A scratch on our body means Cress has to charge less for us, but one girl did try to get out. She tried to fight, but they sedated her with the stuff they carry around in case of something like that. They took her back to Cress, and none of us have seen her since."

“Was she the one that I’m replacing?” Jade asked, looking a bit troubled by this new information.

Nata glanced down, then back up at Jade, nodding slowly. "Lathe? Yeah, that was her, but we're not allowed to speak of that."

Jade picked up her food and began eating again, forcing herself to look casual. “Does anyone know what happened to her? I know Cress wouldn’t say anything, but Annette, maybe?”

"If Annette knew what happened to her, then she wouldn't tell anyone else. She loves to prance around as Cress' personal pet." Nata wrinkled her nose with disgust.

“I have this strange feeling she and I are going to end up butting heads at some point,” Jade sighed. “I don’t look forward to it.”

"She'll try to get you to react to her. She won’t touch you physically, just try and beat you with words. She wants you to respond to her physically, because if you touch her, Cress will have your head."

“I’d like to see him try,” Jade smirked, then shook her head. “I’m tougher than I look.”

"A lot of girls think they are, but please take my advice and do not piss him off." Nata looked at Jade with a long, hard look. She had once tested Cress' patients, and it hadn't turned out well.

Jade nodded. “Okay, I’ll hold myself in check.” She eyed her carefully. “You’re speaking from experience, aren’t you? Is this related to when he…?”

Nata fidgeted nervously in her seat, suddenly standing up. "It's time we got back to the club. You're gonna need your sleep tonight. I have to teach you your first dance for tomorrow’s opening." She walked off from the table and back towards the bodyguards who paid for their meal. The subject Jade had asked about was a hard one for Nata to speak of.

Jade followed after her, and the two of them said little as they made their way back to the Head Rush’s backdoor. The bodyguards saw them in until they got to the dancers quarters. Jade stopped in front of her door and smile at Nata.

“I don’t know if I’m going to like this job as much as I thought, but… I like you,” she said gently.

Nata smiled at her new friend. "You're not bad yourself for a newbie. Now get some sleep. I'm gonna be banging on your door early tomorrow to start working you." She smirked at her then moved off down the hall to her room.

Jade let her head hang for a moment as she snorted a laugh, then let herself into her room. She changed into a nightgown, as much as it bothered her to change when she knew someone must be watching. Obviously, she would have to get used to the feeling. She laid down in bed, her mind drifting to Obi-Wan in this quiet moment. She would have given all the stars in the universe to be lying down with him rather than awaiting a full day of pulling her clothes off tomorrow. She concluded that it was better the less she thought about it and forced her eyes closed, falling into a restless sleep.

* * * * *

"Wake up, sleepy!" Nata called cheerfully from her place beside Jade’s bed. It was extremely early in the morning, but Nata figured it would be good to get a start on Jade’s training.

Jade sprang up with a gasp and turned wide, horrified eyes on Nata. Her first instinct was to reach for the lightsaber that should be waiting on her bedside table. Her hand struck the wall, and she realized where she was instantly. She fell back onto her pillows and laid there as she stared at the ceiling.

“Well, now that I’ve enjoyed my early morning heart attack…”

Nata laughed and sat down on the edge of Jade's bed with a bounce. "Sorry about that, but your reaction was incredibly funny to watch. Now get up and put on one of your costumes. We are gonna get some training in before we eat."

Jade pushed herself up on her elbows and leaned back, giving Nata the once over. She was dressed in a sequined, purple outfit. It sparkled and shifted against her, revealing her midriff and ample bosom. Jade shifted her gaze back to Nata’s face and nodded.

“All right, I’m up,” Jade said, rolling out of bed. “I need about fifteen minutes.”

Nata gave her a thumbs up and exited as Jade peeled her nightgown off. She selected one of the darker pink outfits in her closet. It was composed of a bra, panties, and skimpy dress that fit over these and could be easily torn away. It shifted beautifully when she moved, but there was little covering her thighs and the swell of her breast. She stepped out to Nata, moving in such a way that it was obvious she felt exposed. She continuously tugged at all the part of her dress, trying to make it cover more skin than it was able.

If I were wearing this for Obi, there’d be no problem… her mind growled.

"Relax, Jade, you look beautiful!" Nata beamed at her then motioned for her to follow. She led her to the end of the hall and into a small room. It had two poles inside of it and a wide space for dancing.

"This is a private room used to train new dancers. I've got it for the whole day so we won’t be bothered."

Jade nodded and looked about for peepholes or cameras. “You’re sure we’re perfectly alone here?”

"As alone as one can get in this place. Let’s just say we won’t have any interruptions." Nata took Jade to the center of the room and turned towards her. "We'll start off with the tease then have a break for breakfast. Then when we come back, I'll start teaching you how to fully strip. The more you take it all off, the easier it is."

Jade sighed worriedly at the idea of being totally nude before an audience. She shut her eyes against the thought, blocking it completely from her. Her mind teased her with thoughts of what Obi-Wan would think. What he would say… He need never know. If this mission was as tentative as the Council made it sound, it would be a secret even from him. She let her eyes ease open again and nodded.

“I’m ready,” she announced.

"Alright. Now first before we start I just want to ask you, do you trust me? Because if you don't, you're going to make this much harder then it needs to be and much more uncomfortable than it would be otherwise." Nata looked at her gently, with a soft smile on her face.

Jade sighed. “It’s just… Can I tell you something in confidence? I probably shouldn’t say anything with us being under surveillance, but it will make things easier on me if I get this out.”

"Yes, of course. I promise I'd never betray your confidence," Nata replied.

Jade took a deep breath and crossed her arms. She thought she had a way of forming her story around the truth without truly admitting anything. “There’s a guy… Back home. We were really heavily involved, and I thought we were going to get married. I left before he could make his move, and… I really do love him. I’m beginning to think I shouldn’t be doing this. That he would be ashamed and hate me for… this.” She let out a long breath and seemed to wilt slightly. “I couldn’t keep anything from him, because he’d find out. He knows me too well. A big part of me wants him to be the only man who’s ever seen me disrobed, but I have little choice now…”

Jade wished now that she could have resisted the Council. There was no way she could have explained these particular misgivings, and she was cursing their Code of supposed honor now. How was this honorable? All of this lying was tearing her apart, and she’d barely begun. There was more shame in store when she would be forced to show her body before a crowd against her will. Emotion flitted across her face as she awaited Nata’s reply.

Nata stepped forward and placed her hands on Jade’s shoulders.

"I wish I could tell you to leave, to get away and get back to the man you love, but you've pledged yourself to Cress now. And if you try to back out…" Nata shook her head sadly, lowering her gaze. "He'll do the same thing to you that he did to me."

It was more than merely escaping that Jade worried for. That part was easy in her mind. It was forfeiting her mission and a chance to help Nata that she couldn’t afford.

“You’re right,” Jade said, adding vaguely, “there’s too much risk.”

"You'll be fine, I promise." Nata offered an encouraging smile. "Look, I'll see if I can't get your first few full strip dance with me. That way you're at least not alone."

“I’d really appreciate that,” Jade said. “I’m not entirely sure I can get through tonight without a little… stage fright.”

"You're not taking all your clothing off today, but I'll be backstage with you." Nata went over to the side of the room and picked up a remote. "Alright, you ready to learn your first tease dance?"

“Ready as I’ll ever be,” Jade said, putting on a big, false smile.

"Alright, I took the liberty of picking out your first song. I really hope you like it." Nata pressed a button on the remote, and the music began playing.

The rhythmic beat immediately assaulted them, and Jade immediately took to it, wiggling gently to the music’s pace. She smiled broadly and nodded that she was pleased as she let her hips take to the beat a bit more.

Nata stepped in front of Jade and crossed her arms in front of her, a hand by either side of her face. Her legs were crossed over one another as her hands took up the beat of the music, swaying with it. Jade mimicked her movements, shaking her hips in time. Nata’s body moved sinuously as she reached out then pulled her hands back toward her own hips, letting them bob and rock in time to the music. Jade decided to simply let herself go, feeling the music in the same way she allowed herself to feel the Force. Nata and Jade shimmied in front of each other, their moves mirror images as they spun and threw their hands into the air, completely free.

The music ended as the young women spun, their arms moving behind their heads, their backs arching. They stayed like that for a moment before Nata broke into a smile and turned to face Jade.

"You're a natural! That was great!"

“Well, I am a physical person by nature,” she said. “So I guess it translates to dance, too…” She grinned and crossed her arms modestly. “Are we ready for some breakfast now?”

"Yes, we are," Nata nodded. "We'll just head down the hall. They have a room set up with breakfast foods," Nata said, moving towards the door.

Jade followed her, unused to traipsing around in a state of near undress. When they reached the room, the buffet Nata had mentioned was set up and several of the other dancers were helping themselves. Most of them were just as scantily clad, and all of them seemed quite at home. Jade spotted Annette across the room and averted her eyes, heading toward a bowl of fruit without comment.

Annette moved away from the table of pastries and moved purposely towards the table that Jade was at. She went to the other side so she was directly across from her. She didn't reach for any of the fruit but just stood, her narrow blue eyes burning into Jade.

Jade looked up and met her eyes. “Can I help you?” she asked gently.

"Yeah, I believe you can," Annette sneered. "You can go back to whatever sewer you crawled out of."

Jade took on a demure look and sighed. “Listen, I’m not interested in taking your place as the local suck up, and I mean that in the most literal way possible. So just shove off, okay?”

Annette's red lips curved into a cold smile. "Well, looks like you have a bit of a backbone. Won’t help you much here, though."

“Help me with what?” Jade asked. “I’m not competing with you, so you can get that out of your head right now.”

"Any girl who steps onto my stage is competing with me. This is my territory. You don't ever forget that," Annette growled.

Nata glanced up from where she was getting a drink and spotted Annette near Jade. She sighed and walked over in time to hear Annette's last comment.

"Annette, shouldn't you be off sucking some guy’s dick? That seems to be the only thing you're capable of." Nata cocked a hip as she took a sip of her drink.

Jade snorted and covered her mouth abruptly. Somehow she simply couldn’t hold in the laughter. Oh, I’m going to get it for that…

“You should know,” Annette smirked. “I still remember when you were jailbait, sweetheart. Cress told me about that night he got his taste of you. Frigid was the word he used, I think.”

Jade’s humor fell at this. “I guess it’s easy for someone who can’t keep their knees together around the boss to throw around words like ‘frigid’, eh, Annette? Tell me, have you ever felt someone’s hot breath on your neck, knowing they were going to drive home any moment no matter what you said or did to try and stop them? Ever cringe at the sensation of a blaster at your temple while a man who can barely be called a man runs his greasy hands all over you? No?”

Annette’s face drained of hate for a moment and was nothing but fear. Jade caught this and nodded.

“Yeah, you have,” Jade whispered. “You shouldn’t speak so loosely. Leave that shit for the bedroom, love.”

"I'm sure Cress is waiting for his morning screw. Go have fun, Annette." Nata took Jade by the arm and pulled her back to the training room.

"Do you see why I warned you about Annette?" Nata asked with a sigh once they were back in the training room.

“Yeah,” Jade said, laying her face in her hands. “I’m sorry if I shocked you with what I said back there. I just didn’t expect her to go that far…”

"No, no, that's okay. Annette pushes everyone to their brink. It's her favorite thing to do. That is, when she's not screwing around in bed." Nata shrugged. "Really, it's girls like her who give us such bad reputations. Most of us do what we're paid for, and that’s it. Girls like Annette, they'll sleep with anything that is still breathing in order to make it to the top."

“The top here doesn’t look like an attractive place to be,” Jade said. “Not if it involves staying on top of a guy like Cress…”

"Exactly," Nata rolled her eyes. "Annette has been after me for some time. Keeps trying to get Cress to throw me out into the streets, but he won’t. I've been here longer than her." Nata sighed again then looked up at Jade. "Well, you ready for your first, full strip dance? I'll show you how to get the pieces of clothing off easily and smoothly."

“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” Jade said, putting up her hands. “Slow down. I just now got the hang of the teasing part…”

"Yes, and you can still work on the teasing, but we'll just take it another step and remove everything. You need to start on this as soon as possible," Nata said.

Jade sighed. “If you say so… You know, I don’t have to strip before a crowd until tomorrow…”

Jade felt like a whiny padawan all over again. Only this was a far cry from the lessons she learned at the Temple.

"I know you don't, but would you rather I just throw you up on the stage tomorrow and say ‘take it all off’? You need to get comfortable with the idea. Look, I'll go first then you follow suit." Nata raised her eyebrows. "Okay?"

“That would probably be best,” Jade said, leaning back against the far wall. “Although I have to admit that I’m not really comfortable with seeing all your…” She gestured vaguely at the other woman. “You know.”

Somewhere inside herself she wondered when she became so inhibited. When she was with Obi-Wan, the walls came crashing down, and she would do or say anything. If it got him in the mood, shocked him, or simply made him laugh, she felt like she’d done her job. Now she couldn’t even refer to Nata’s privates without trailing off nervously. She was acting more like her lover than herself.

Some tiny voice, perhaps her master from the other side, reminded her that love changed things. It made you brave, and you were only truly yourself with the one you love. Here, she was deprived of his gentle spirit, the one that led them through their lovemaking in the most perfect way. She never felt rushed or used or exposed when she was with him. There was no such thing as being overwhelmed when Obi-Wan guided her through the motions and listened to her body.

Jade was beginning to blush and shifted where she stood. “Go ahead. Whenever you’re ready…”

Nata eyed Jade for a moment. "You are about as red as a cherry." Nata gave the other woman a smile. "You know, I haven't got anything you haven't seen before. Just try to relax and not think too much about what you're doing."

Jade chuckled at her comments and nodded. “Okay, let’s pretend I’m at school…” In the Temple… “Treat it like a lesson…” She breathed out sharply and shook her head, sending her red hair flying. When she settled again, her cheeks didn’t feel quite as hot. “Okay, concentrating.”

"There ya go! Okay, just follow along, right? I'll do a move, then a pose, and you do the same. Sound good?"

When Jade nodded, Nata started some music and began moving her body in seductive motions. She brought her right hand up and grabbed the shoulder of her small dress, pulling on it and removing it from her body, leaving her in just her bra, panties, and high heels.

"Alright, Jade, now you go."

Jade nodded and shut her eyes. In her mind, Obi-Wan was propped up in bed, watching her with a mix of amusement and need as she slunk across the room in time to the music. She pulled her dress away in the same manner as Nata, then paused and opened her eyes slowly.

"Good! Very good!" Nata grinned. "But you're gonna have to do it with your eyes open when you're on stage. Don't want to tumble off it."

Nata moved again in time to the music, taking a few moments to work her way around the room, then coming back near Jade. "Always remove your top first. Gets the men riled but not falling all over themselves. Besides, it's easier to get that off then the bottoms."

She moved her hands along the sides her breasts, pushing them together then grabbing the clasp and undoing it. She slid the bra off then turned to Jade.

“Heh, yeah,” Jade said nervously, swallowing as her cheek turned rosy again. “My turn?” She took a few moments to twirl and dance as Nata had, leaning forward with a glint in her eye as she copied the bra removal as well. She shocked herself at feeling more natural as the dance progressed, actually smiling when she didn’t feel intimidated by Nata’s presence.

"You're a natural, Jade. Final part now."

Nata shimmed across the room, making sure to wiggle in ways that cause her breasts to bounce as she moved. She stopped, her back to Jade as her hands moved down her waist to grip the sides of her panties. She began moving her hips in beat to the music, starting to slide her panties down. She turned with the music and pushed the panties all the way down, then stepped slowly out of them. She finished her dance with a few more moves around the room.

Jade whirled and rocked her hips, matching Nata move for move. Absurdly, she remembered her master teaching her lightsaber techniques when she was younger. She’d used the same methods of copying her master then as she was using to imitate Nata now, and both the similarity and difference in experiences was making her want to laugh hysterically. Finally she wiggled temptingly out of her panties and stood with them hooked on her finger, legs slightly apart.

Pausing, she asked, “what about the heels?”

"The heels stay on. Guys love naked women in heels. ‘Specially ones that wrap up the legs." Nata shrugged. "You did great, Jade. It wasn't so bad, was it?"

Jade dropped the panties and put her hands on her hips. She gazed down at herself and frowned thoughtfully. She was pale, toned, smooth, and completely exposed. Then she looked back up at Nata and grinned softly. “Not bad at all, really.”

"Nope, not at all." Nata nodded. "Now, we need to get you into a tanning booth, because you are seriously lacking in color."

“Hell, no,” Jade laughed. “Not only would I burn to a crisp, but my boyfriend would kill me. He goes on and on about my beautiful, pale skin… Besides, I can’t think of one man who likes burnt, peeling breasts.”

Nata laughed, "probably not, but Cress likes his girls to have some color to them. We may have to get you some of that spray on tanning stuff." Nata shrugged. "Alright, unless you feel like you need to practice again, I say we're finished for the day."

Jade nodded. “I’m ready to be done for now,” she said. “And… maybe being unattractive to Cress is a good thing.”

Nata raised her eyebrow and brushed a finger across her lips, hoping Jade would catch the warning. "We're not free to talk here," she whispered as she moved to pick up her garments.

Jade nodded surreptitiously, not alluding to the fact that perhaps she wanted to draw him out… The best way to understand him was to get his attention and watch his reactions. It would bring her closer to the answers she needed and get her out of this place faster. She felt a sudden swell of pity for Nata. Jade was an undercover Jedi and would go back to being a Jedi when she left The Head Rush. Nata was doomed to this life until she was kicked out or killed, most likely by Cress or one of his overprotective bodyguards.

“You think I’m ready for tonight?” Jade asked, changing the subject.

Nata nodded. "Oh yes, I think you'll do am amazing job, girl. And I'll be backstage if you need me." Nata finished pulling her clothing back on and patted Jade on the shoulder. "Now, we don't start work until seven, so what do you want to do until then?"

“Get some clothes on,” Jade said, shimmying back into her pink panties.

Nata laughed, "yes well, that takes all of five seconds. What do you want to do after that?"

“A holovid?” Jade offered with a smile. She hardly ever got to watch them with her busy schedule, and now seemed as good a time as any.

"That sounds fun! There’s a great little megaplex a short speeder ride from here. We could go catch a vid, some dinner, and then get ready for tonight." Nata beamed, clapping her hands together.

Jade laughed. “Okay, your breasts are bouncing with your joy, so go get dressed.”

Nata bounded off to her room, and Jade sighed affectionately. That young woman had such limitless kindness and inherent innocence despite all she’d been through. In that moment she resolved that this mission would not be in vain, and she refused to watch Cress continue on with these girls… Jade slipped out of the training room, holding her dress up against her and popped into her own room.

She went to check herself in the mirror and found a black envelope lying on her vanity. She opened it and found a single, dried flower, as dark red as blood. She blinked up at her own reflection and knew that it would not be long before Cress called on her.

Chapter Three

Back