Author's Note: Here's where we get to the NC-17 parts of the story. ;) So if you don't like that, don't read.

Chapter Four

The next night arrived quickly, and Jade and Nata were backstage, robes pulled over their dancing clothes.

"Are you ready for tonight?" Nata asked, glancing over at the extremely nervous Jade.

Jade sighed and nodded, too anxious to speak at the moment. She remembered the night before and how easy it had been to lose herself in the music and hoped the feeling would repeat itself. Then again, she hadn't been fully nude. Tonight, she would be expected to bear all.

"Look at me and breath," Nata said with a smile. "It will be alright. I'll be out there with you. Just don't forget that once we're nude, we have to make our way around the room. Only spend a few seconds with each man. We'll work in different directions and meet in the middle."

"All right," Jade said. Already her stomach lurched at the idea of wandering around a bunch of men while completely naked. She knew they would paw her, and she would be expected to cater to them. She banished these thoughts with a quick huff. "Let's just get out there before I run away screaming." At least acting like a frightened young girl who was new in the business wasn't as hard as she'd thought.

"The warm up is just about done with her dance, then we'll be on," Nata said, pushing back her robe and hanging it over a chair. She was wearing a gold dancing costume that draped itself gracefully over her form, barely covering all the appropriate spots.

The music on stage stopped and applause could be heard. Then the first dancer ran off the stage. The lights went down, and Nata nodded to Jade as she stepped out on the stage, waiting for her friend to take her place.

Jade tossed her robe aside revealing a pink outfit that matched Nada’s in style down to the last thread. She took a deep, cleansing breath, then slunk out confidently by Nada’s side. She smirked at the crowd of men, their blood already boiling with anticipation. Her own felt frozen, but she forced playful looks as the music began.

The dance started off slowly and had the two girls working around one another, their bodies moving with the music. Nata kept one eye on Jade, making sure she wasn't getting too nervous. The first part of their clothing removal was coming up, and this was where most girls froze. Nata twirled to Jade's left side as the beat of the music picked up. The girls bodies moved in perfect unison as the music hit its full rhythm. The two twirled, their backs to the audience, and Nata used the moment to glance at Jade.

"It's now or never, Jade," she whispered.

Jade’s jaw clenched minutely. “Now then.”

She reached for Nata just as she was reached for in return and took hold of the string tying her top together. One gentle tug, and it fell loose. Jade felt her own flimsy top being jerked away and suddenly both women were exposed from the waist up. Jade held up Nata’s top, then covered her mouth as she made a sarcastic “o” of it. With a flick of her wrist, she tossed the garment into the audience and watched the men scrabble for it before one seized it triumphantly and waved it like the banner of his home world.

* * * * *

Obi-Wan Kenobi did his best to look disinterested in everything about him. In his mind, this character he was now playing wouldn’t bother to look steely-eyed or examine the other, questionable life forms he passed. The casual look was almost foreign on him, and his own apprentice would have laughed to see him. He was in civilian clothes consisting of dark slacks, a black buttoned shirt, and a long jacket. Somehow he managed to look sloppy even in somewhat nice clothes, and the few days old stubble added to this. His hair was shaggy, which wasn’t really a change. He’d been attempting to grow it out, and it was stuck in that annoying, in-between stage.

He sighed wearily as he reached the front door to the Head Rush, then smiled softly at Grunt, the Nikto bouncer that loomed over him.

“Hey, man,” Obi-Wan slurred in an accent very different from the one he normally sported. “Don’t you just hate cover fees? How much?”

“Your credits ain’t no good here,” Grunt informed him. “Members only.”

“Now that’s handy,” Obi-Wan grinned. He brought out a blank card without so much as even a name scribbled on it and lifted it toward Grunt’s snarling face. The fingers of his free hand wiggled gently as he said, “here’s my card.”

“Oh…” Grunt muttered. “My bad… You go on in, sir…”

“Much obliged,” Obi-Wan nodded, breezing past.

The smell of sweat predominated the place, and he instantly wondered how anyone could enjoy themselves enough to ignore the stench. The stage drew his attention instantly as it did to anyone who entered, and what he saw stopped him in his tracks and colored his cheeks instantly. “Jade?” he whispered. He came back to himself at once, realizing he was staring like a lost puppy. He replaced the look with one of admiration, though the blush was harder to get rid of.

Jade wriggled next to Nata, the two matching each other step for step. Kicking, bending, and winking at the crowd. They’d practiced extensively for this, and there was no question that they were doing well. Jade looked up at the newest patron to enter, hoping to spear him with a lusty grin, but it was she who was caught off guard. She gasped gently and stumbled back against the pole, missing her beat entirely.

“It’s him,” she whimpered.

Nata didn't waste a moment. She grabbed Jade by the arm and twirled her away and back into place.

"Don't lose it; ignore him," she hissed, bumping into Jade's hip with her own to push the other back onto beat. They still had to remove the bottom half of their costumes, and Nata was worried that Jade wouldn't be able to do it now that she was distracted.

Obi-Wan smiled more warmly, noticing when she lost step with the music. Jade was still looking at him fearfully, unable to believe he was actually here. Of all the moments for him to walk in…

Obi-Wan found an empty seat, letting his eyes leave her long enough to look over the other patrons. He was unaware of the coldness of his expression as he pierced each of them with his eyes. He could see how affected they were. His fist clenched slowly. This was going to be a lot more difficult than he’d originally thought.

Jade watched Obi-Wan’s fingers curl into a fist and shook her head minutely, not with any hope of him seeing her signal but more out of further disbelief at the situation. She was following Nata’s dance by mere instinct, but her eyes were seemingly glued to Obi-Wan, and eventually his eyes moved back to her as well.

Jade moved close enough for Nata to hear when she whispered, “let’s hurry this up and get down there, all right?”

"You can only spend a couple of seconds with him," Nata whispered back. The girls hands slid down their bodies together, grabbed the remaining pieces of clothing, and tugged at the strings holding them on. Their bottoms fell away, leaving them only in heals.

Jade was dying to cover herself and creep away. Instead she took her cues from Nata who was slinking offstage to her right. Jade took the opposite side, slipping past men and barely wincing as they reached out for a pinch or perhaps more. She twirled out of their reach, making it seem like part of the dance when she slipped up against Obi-Wan.

He looked eager to touch her, pull her against him, and make sure these slugs could see that she was his. These were hazardous thoughts, not only because they went against the code but more for the immediate danger that could result. He was being watched by the Head Rush’s proprietor, and he didn’t dare act falsely now.

Seeing that he meant to make no move for her, Jade closed the distance between them and straddled his thigh. Her hands ran up his chest and into his hair, and Obi-Wan could feel her trembling against him.

I would hold you if it were permissible, he assured her.

What the fuck are you doing here? she spat back.

Obi-Wan’s eyes widened, then he played it off as though she had brushed him in a sensitive spot. Backup, love.

They sent you!? She arched her back and whirled so she was still seated in his lap only with her back to his heaving chest.

Do you find me… lacking? he asked, and even his mental voice sounded harried.

Jade smirked silently. From what she could feel, that was definitely not true.

Nata stepped around the men, allowing them to brush her skin as she teased them. She allowed her hands to run across a few of the men’s chests as she made her way towards Jade. She allowed her eyes to wander around the room, and she spotted Cress near the back corner, talking to a man. They both kept looking towards Jade. She was in a man’s lap, and Nata figured that must have been her boyfriend. She stole a glance back towards Cress who was now rubbing his chin thoughtfully and staring at Jade. Nata slid up beside her and grabbed her arm as she flashed a smile at the man.

"Need to borrow her for a bit," she grinned as she pulled Jade from his lap. "We have to get back on stage. Cress is taking an interest in you and your friend."

Jade didn’t even nod, simply moved with Nata through the crowd and mounted the steps. The song was winding down, and both of them swept through a few finishing moves, stopping just as the music did. Jade was grateful when the lights went down, and she could scramble for the backstage without being seen. She snatched up her robe and pulled it over her sweaty skin, barely able to stay on her feet as her legs quaked.

“Holy shit, Nata,” Jade said simply. “Rotten timing. That’s all I can say.”

"Sorry about that," Nata said as she pulled her robe on and sat down in a chair. She looked up at Jade. "How did he know you were here? I thought you he didn't know you were here?"

“He must have…” Jade shrugged, attempting to slip back into her prior lie while letting the truth pepper it. “Asked around? I don’t know. I did tell a few of my friend before I left, but I made sure they wouldn’t tell him. So much for that, huh? He must be furious at me…”

She was sincerely afraid that Obi-Wan may be angry, even though he didn’t let on to anything of the sort. It was hard enough stripping before a crowd without Obi-Wan wanting to tear their dicks off. She buried her face in her hands, but her attention snapped back up when a male cleared his throat near her.

Obi-Wan stood a short distance away, waving feebly. Jade swallowed a lump in her throat, then charged him, leaping and throwing her arms around his neck as soon as she was near. Obi-Wan gripped her, his eyelashes fluttering closed.

“I’m so sorry,” Jade said in a quavering voice, shocked to find that her tears were real. “But I… had to.”

“I know, baby,” Obi-Wan said, letting his false accent come through in full force. “I’m not mad.”

Jade sniffled and blinked at his voice. “You seem different…”

“I think we both are.” All part of the act, love. By the way, it’s “Ben”.

“You’re right,” she said, giggling softly. The uncultured accent would take a great deal of getting used to. He sounded like a backwater hick. “I’ve missed you, Ben.”

“I missed you, too.” Mustn’t say much more until our stories are straight.

Jade nodded against his shoulder. “You can’t be back here… If Cress saw you…”

“Cress can be an understanding guy sometimes,” came a voice over Jade’s shoulder. It was decidedly not Nata’s.

“I…” She turned and saw Cress standing near with another, equally sleazy man in tow. “Cress. This is… Ben. He’s an old friend.”

“Apparently,” Cress chuckled. “Jade, I have someone here who’d like to be your new friend.” He gestured to the man at his side.

The man stepped forward and gave Jade an eager grin.

"This is Chandar Neeq, a very important client," Cress said. He looked at Chandar and smiled. "I'm sure you will find her pleasing."

"I'm sure," Chandar smiled as Cress turned to leave.

Obi-Wan had yet to relinquish Jade from his embrace and actually tightened his hold, his eyes narrowing. Jade rubbed his shoulder and blinked up at him with false bravery.

This is part of it, too, lion… You have to let go…

No, this is not part of the mission. You are not to be taken advantage of by any man as long as you are undercover.

I have precautions I can take.

I don’t want to hear about precautions. This is not happening, Jade, and that is final.

“‘Scuse me, sir,” Obi-Wan said with a lazy smile. “Pleasure to meet you and all, but it seems that man there gave you the wrong impression. This one ain’t up for grabs I’m afraid.”

Chandar narrowed his eyes slightly. "I'm afraid you're wrong. I've already paid, and any girl here is ‘up for grabs’ if enough credits are put down."

Nata, who had been listening from a distance stepped forward, sliding up beside Chandar and running her hand down his back.

"Chandar," she purred, "Welcome back." She smiled up at him.

"Ah, Nata," he grinned at her, "I was just talking to your friend here, but it seems this one," he jerked a thumb towards Obi-Wan, "doesn't realize that I have first dibs around here."

Nata laughed, "This girl is a bit new. She doesn't have the experience to please a man like you." Nata turned towards him and rested her hands on his chest. "Forget about her. Come to my room, and I'll show you some new moves I've been working on." Her hands moved slowly down his chest to his inner thighs, and she could see the heat rising in his cheeks.

Chandar gulped and nodded. "I'll meet you in your room tonight."

"I'll be waiting." Nata smiled as he walked off then turned towards Jade.

Jade blinked rapidly several times, looking from Nata to Obi-Wan and back again. “Did you just… take a screw for me?”

"I wouldn't put it in those exact terms, but yeah, I did. I don't want you to have to deal with Chandar. He has the reputation of being incredibly rough." Nata smiled. "Besides, I figure out may want to catch up with your friend."

Jade shook her head slowly. “Nata… I would have dealt with it. You have to trust me. You shouldn’t have done this.”

"You don't need that, not on your second night. Chandar is extremely hard to please, and when he's not satisfied, he tells Cress. Then Cress takes it upon himself to teach the poor girl a lesson." Nata shrugged. "Besides, what are friends for?"

“This is…” Jade smiled and moved out of Obi-Wan’s arms long enough to embrace Nata tightly. “I owe you something huge.”

Nata laughed, "No, you don't, but if you really feel like you do, then you could introduce me to your friend here." Nata turned her smile to man.

“Oh, Force, I am so brain-dead,” Jade cackled as she pulled back. “Nata, this is Ben. Ben, Nata.” She gestured back and forth between them as she made the introductions. “Ben’s the guy I told you about. The one I was scared would hate me forever for doing this.”

“You worry too much,” Obi-Wan laughed affectionately.

“And Nata has taken me under her wing,” Jade went on. “I didn’t know a thing about dancing until she helped me out. So if anything looked good, you have her to thank.”

"It wasn't that hard. You have a natural grace about you," Nata said. "Are you sure you haven't had any dance lessons? You're very aware of how your body works."

“She always has been light on her feet,” Obi-Wan interjected smoothly. “And limber.”

Jade was shocked at him and turned with wide eyes. “You’ve gotten bolder in my absence.”

He merely battled a smirk, and Jade noted how his cheeks glowed. “Well, I did learn from you how to make a good, dirty joke.”

“Don’t listen to him,” Jade laughed. “He’ll have you believe anything. He’s very charming that way.”

"I can tell," Nata smirked. "Now, I hate to end this, but you should go back to your room. The last dance is on the floor, and we're about to get bombarded by drunken men back here." She sighed, "Besides, I have to go to my room and prepare for Chandar."

“Be careful,” Jade urged, then took Obi-Wan’s hand and led him back toward her quarters. As soon as she pulled him in, she could hear him laughing at the color of everything. Before he could comment, she told him, this is not a safe place to talk.

“Someone knows you well,” he said, keeping his fake accent studiously in place.

“Too well,” was all she said. All the pink in here is why I’m positive I’m being watched and listened to right now.

He nodded, half at her telepathic message and half to make himself seem even more casual. He’d done a precursory feel for her story, overhearing her with Nata when he’d snuck backstage. He thought he had enough information to play along without any missteps.

“So why did you go?” he asked lightly, then turned with a mixed look that could have gained a holovid award. “Everyone kept saying you were probably scared of me, but I couldn’t see why. I think I have an idea, though. You just didn’t want to settle down. You were afraid I’d pop the question.”

Jade was caught a bit off guard by these accusations and found herself sitting down as she prepared to play her part in return. “I’m just a kid still, Ben. You’re not much older than me. Besides, you know as well as I do that you’re a great guy, but you’re not ready to have a family either. I have stuff I want to do.”

“Like?” he asked, leaning over her.

“Like this,” she shrugged, gesturing around the room.

“You wanna sleep with other men?” he asked, tilting his head. “You coulda just said so. I’da broken up with you, and we’d both be just fine that way.”

Jade felt tears stinging her eyes. “You said you weren’t mad.”

Part of the act… “I reckon I am a little,” he replied, moving away so as not to crowd her. “Jadey, I thought we were for real. Then I hear you done went and skipped town on me… I can’t make you understand how much that hurt. How bad it was to have to pry the name of this planet out of people I thought were my friends. Baby, the last time somebody gave up and left me like that…”

Rather than make him go on and let herself get any further into their scenario than she already was, Jade sprang up and embraced him. “I’m sorry. I can’t apologize enough, lover. I shouldn’t have done this. It was a mistake.”

“Why a mistake?” he asked.

Jade could sense that this was where she would tell him the most truth. “I think Cress has some kind of plan for me. Something bad. Nata told me that there was a kind of initiation that all the new girls go through. I thought I would just be dancing, Ben, but it’s a lot more complicated than that.”

Obi-Wan pulled back and framed her face with his hands, pressing his forehead to hers. “Then I came just in time,” he murmured.

Before she could reply, their mouths had met. She kissed him hungrily, part of her clinging while another part wanted to shove him as far away as possible. If they were being watched by surveillance equipment, then there was no question that they were also being recorded. She frantically sent him these fears, but Obi-Wan seemed unfazed.

But what about the Council? Jade asked, still kissing him with almost violent fervor. If they were to find out…

They gave me strict orders not to break whatever character I chose under any circumstances, Obi-Wan informed her. I’m merely doing as I was told.

But Cress… The stubble he’d allowed to grow was scratching against her face, and she found her lips aching to plant kisses across the forming beard. She gave in to the temptation, panting desperately with each peck. He’ll be furious.

He’ll simply have to stew in his anger then, Obi-Wan replied, a smirk touching his lips as he slowly pulled her robe from her shoulders and she was bare before him once again. Perhaps this will draw him out more quickly.

Jade had lost track of their mental conversation and decided to eliminate it altogether, her hands running hungrily over him and yanking his jacket away. Obi-Wan laughed low in his throat at her zealousness, his palms resting on her hips. He led her toward her pink sheets and kicked his shoes away as he did. For the slightest of moments he marveled at how much easier it was to remove those shoes than it was his boots, but the thought vanished when Jade climbed onto his lap.

Jade deftly unfastened each button on his dress shirt, then made short work of his pants as well. Obi-Wan merely laid back and put his arms up in surrender as she stripped him and left kisses across bare skin as a loving afterthought. Obi-Wan stopped her short of removing his boxers, and Jade furrowed her brow at him, ready to remind him that this was his idea. He was already pulling the covers back, and Jade saw what he meant to do at once. They both crawled under the silken sheets, hoping this would block them from any camera views.

Plausible deniability, my love, Obi-Wan purred. Besides which, I do not relish our most private and tender moments being viewed like a holovid. I would not have it tarnished or lessened in such a way.

“I love you,” Jade sighed, then removed the last of his clothes that stood between their union. She curled her fingers around his member and smiled as it became ever more rigid with her touch. She then laid across him and kissed his throat as he gasped and groaned at the ceiling. Her lips drifted up to his ear, giggling richly and whirling her tongue to nibble on his earlobe. He pressed helplessly into her fingers as they clenched and massaged, then allowed his own hand to move up her thigh.

Jade could feel Obi-Wan’s fingers tease her opening, which was suitably dampened. She adjusted herself over him and thrust him within her, moving gently at first. Obi-Wan’s head pressed back into the pillow, hips pumping lightly into her as he reached to guide her movements. One hand rested around her hip and backside as the other reached for her breast. Jade moaned with a voice that shook from need, putting one hand to the back of his while he teased her hardened nipple. His hand then slid around to her back, urging her to lie on top of him. She fulfilled his unspoken request and kissed his cheek as she rolled her hips relentlessly. Her hands went to his hair, and she gave in to his movements, finding them irresistible, heightening, and secure all at once. Their bodies blushed and sweated while their mouths and privates locked in a sacred dance.

Jade began to whimper with each thrust and pressed her lips to Obi-Wan’s ear so he could hear every timid sound she made. His hands ran up her back, and he reveled in the way her legs trembled against his thighs. Gentle kiss rained along her neck, then he lapped at the hollow of the throat, moaning in time with her when she tossed her head back. At last, Jade’s body could take no more, and her climax rippled through her and left her shaken.

Obi-Wan allowed himself to complete within her, crying out, then burying his face against her shoulder where she had collapsed. He rubbed her back and nuzzled his stubbly cheek over her charged skin, smiling when she giggled at the sensation. Jade moved to his side, still clinging and enjoying the feeling of him embracing her.

“You gonna stay?” she asked quietly, peeking up at him with eyes that drooped from fatigue.

“If you’ll have me,” he drawled.

“I will,” she smiled, pecking at him before allowing them both to drift off.

Chapter Five

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