Chapter Seven

Jade didn’t stop until she was at the diner, pulling Nata into it behind her. She spotted Obi-Wan immediately, since he wasn’t even sitting, opting instead to pace worriedly. He noted her and Nata in return and hurried to them.

“What’s goin’ on?” he asked. “Your transmission--”

“It was frantic,” she admitted. “I’m sorry. Listen, I think we need to tell Nata the truth.”

"Truth? About what?" Nata asked, looking at both of them with her eyebrows furrowed. "What are you talking about?"

“Yer sure?” Obi-Wan asked.

“Yes,” Jade said. “We can trust her.”

Obi-Wan pursed his lips and nodded. “All right.” His accent had vanished and was replaced by one completely new to Nata. “I’m not certain how much Jade has told you, Nata, but I believe it is apparent that we are not as we seem.”

"Well, yeah, obviously," Nata laughed. "Just tell me who you two are before you confuse me anymore."

Jade took a deep breath. “We’re Jedi Knights,” she sighed. “We’re here undercover to expose Cress’ illegal dealings and hopefully bring him to justice.”

"Jedi?" Nata blinked. "Well, that’s just great..." She was completely embarrassed, having done all she did with Jade, a Jedi Knight, one of the most respectable people in the galaxy.

Jade misread her and blinked with worry. “I guess… you must not think very highly of us for lying to you…”

"Oh, no! Not at all... Well, a little upset but more embarrassed than anything else." Nata bowed her head, her voice becoming quiet. "It's not like what I do is exactly respectful..."

Jade smiled gently, putting a finger to her chin to pull her face back into view. “It didn’t matter to me then, and it doesn’t matter now. As corny as this sounds, it’s what’s in your heart that matters to me.”

Nata smiled at her. "Thanks, I just wish we could have met someplace other than there." She laughed lightly then stopped, her eyes catching a swift movement behind Jade.

Nata yelped as her arm was grabbed and she was jerked sideways towards Chandar, who was glaring at her.

"What are you doing here? Where are the bodyguards?" he growled, then caught sight of Jade and Obi-Wan. His eyes narrowed at the sight of Obi-Wan. "And with him? You belong to me now, or did you forget that?"

"No, no, of course I didn't. I just..."

"You just NOTHING. Come on, you're going back, and I'm talking to Cress about this. I won’t have you wandering around again."

“Hey!” Jade shouted. “Let her go!”

“I don’t think you understand what you’re doing, mister,” Obi-Wan growled.

"Oh, I understand perfectly. She belongs to me, and I will do whatever I want with her," he growled back. Nata whimpered as his grip tightened on her arm.

“No, you won’t either,” Obi-Wan replied. His false accent was back in full force, and Jade wondered if it was intentional.

“You don’t own her until Cress says so,” Jade snapped back. “Until then, she still belongs to the Head Rush, and you have no say in where she goes or who she is with.”

"Yes, I do. It was written into the contract. Cress knows she's not allowed out of the Head Rush without bodyguards, and she's not allowed to be with any other men," Chandar snapped. "We're leaving." He yanked Nata towards the door, throwing her on the ground in front of him from the force of it.

Obi-Wan hurried after and grabbed him roughly by the back of his collar, yanking Nata out of his grip. He spun the man around and slammed him against the side of the diner. “Listen here,” he snarled. “I don’t care what Cress had you sign. What he’s doing is against the law, and if you’re apart of it, you can be arrested just as easily as him. So unless you want me to call somebody on your ass, I’d get lost.”

Jade went to Nata’s side and helped her to her feet, watching Obi-Wan lose himself in his undercover character. Careful, lion…

Chandar growled and shoved Obi-Wan off of him, brushing himself off and moving away, glaring at Nata as he went.

Nata watched him go, tears growing in her eyes. "He's going straight to Cress. I have to get back."

Jade shook her head. “You should run. There’s no point in going back now. Let me take the punishment.”

"No," Nata said, shaking her head. "Not a chance. I won’t let you take that, not to mention you don't run from Cress or Chandar. They'll hunt you down. I have to go." She started towards the door.

“Nata…” Jade went after her, staying in step. “You know what I am. Who I am. I can protect you. In fact, it’s why I am here. Let me do that.”

"I refuse to let anyone take punishment for me. It's not who I am. If I go back, I can probably convince Cress and Chandar to go easy on me."

“I somehow doubt that,” Jade sighed. “Nata… I can’t make you stay or go. Do you want me with you?”

Nata shook her head. "It will only make things five times worse. Just take care of yourself, okay?" She hugged Jade, then took off at a jog towards the Head Rush.

Obi-Wan came up behind Jade and laid a hand on her shoulder. “That was terribly noble of her.”

Jade bit her lip. “You mean ‘stupid’.”

“Jade, we will find a way out of this for her,” he promised. “Firstly, I’d like to be brought up to speed.”

Jade nodded and motioned for him to walk along with her down the street. She told him everything she had learned, omitting the part about Lort for the moment. It wouldn’t do for him to get enraged so soon after confronting Chandar. She produced Nata’s selling order from her pocket, confirming that what Chandar had said was true. Obi-Wan told her in return that this explained why he was unable to find any information on Lathe.

Jade also timidly put in that she was to meet with Cress tomorrow night for supper. Obi-Wan’s eyes darkened at this news, and she halted in mid-step.

“Now, lion…” she began at once, putting her hands to his chest. “I have my necklace… I’ll wear it that night, just in case. But I’ve got this under control.”

Obi-Wan looked at her for a long moment, considering. “I have a safer proposition,” he said, taking her hands from his chest and holding them gently but securely. “Let me take that selling order to the Council as proof of what Cress is doing. I will tell them everything you’ve learned, and perhaps I can organize a raid.”

Jade brightened. “That would make things move a lot quicker,” she said. “You just have to promise me that Nata will make it out safely with us.”

“Of course,” he replied. “I promise. Now hurry back, since I am sure Chandar has told on you, as well.”

“Obi, wait,” Jade said, gripping his hands fiercely. “There’s something you need to know. Cress was just as mad as I knew he would be about you staying with me the other night. He wants you dead.”

Obi-Wan actually laughed, then put a hand to her cheek. “Oh, darling. How many have wanted me dead in the past?”

“I know, I know…” she huffed. “Just watch your back when you come around. That cocky disposition of yours is starting to sink in to your everyday routine.”

“Emphasis on ‘cock’,” Obi-Wan chuckled, kissing her quickly. “I’ll come to you tonight to tell you of the Council’s plan.”

“Are you insane?” she asked dully, handing him Nata’s selling order.

“Just expect me,” he replied, turning and striding away.

* * * * *

Nata stood outside Cress' office, her eyes closed as she tried to get her nerves under control. There was no noise coming from the office, but she was sure Chandar had been by, and she was sure Cress knew. With one last sigh, Nata stepped into Cress' office.

Cress had been running through the tape of Jade and Ben in bed again, listening as Jade called someone else’s name. He paused the tape and turned to Nata, his eyes glinting coldly.

“Have fun on your little trip?” he asked.

"No," Nata said quietly, bowing her head and closing her eyes, waiting for whatever Cress was going to dish out to her.

“You know,” Cress laughed, spreading his hands out in supplication. “I’m a saint compared to Chandar. You fought me with every step, and the only place it’s gotten you is with him. I admit that I try to run a tight ship here so it reduces the risk of girls running away, but I gave you every opportunity. I gave you power over your own bodyguards, I let you dance when and how you wanted, I gave you immunity from Annette and her Sith spit… All you had to do was choose me, Nata. Hell, you made me force you our first time in bed. You couldn’t even do that, and you’re a whore!”

"I didn't choose this life, Cress, in case you forgot!" Nata growled, lifting her head to glare at him. "It was thrown on me. You have plenty of other girls to choose from. You didn't have to force yourself on me; you didn't have to have me."

“It was you I wanted!” he roared back at her. “You think I trust Annette even for a second!? Or any of those other sluts!? They’d just as soon stab me in my sleep. You’re different, Nata.” He softened. “Was that too much to ask for? Someone that gives a damn?”

"How the hell was I supposed to know that you gave a damn? You never let on about that. And forcing me to be with you isn't exactly how you go about that! And then you sell me to Chandar? What kind of signal is that supposed to send!" Nata yelled, losing her temper for the first time with Cress.

Cress gripped the edge of his desk and squeezed his eyes shut. “I never said I was sane, Nata. I said I was in love.” He looked up at her. “You make me crazy.”

Nata froze, her eyes focusing on Cress. In all of her days here, she would have never thought Cress actually had feelings for her.

"And this is how you show someone you love them? You sell them as a sex slave?" Nata asked quietly.

Cress began to look in on himself, on his own black heart. He’d never thought of himself as a good man, but his actions made sense. It was part of the business of making credits. He did what he had to in order to get by, so that he would never be that poor kid begging for spare change again. Nata had turned him down one time too many, talking behind his back and conspiring against him… He did the only logical thing, which was selling her to the highest bidder.

“It makes sense,” was all he said.

"No it doesn't. If you love someone, you tell them. You don't force them into your bed; you don't sell them in to slavery; you tell them. You treat them to nice dinners and expect nothing in return. You open doors for them, seat them, send them flowers and sweet letters." Nata bowed her head again, then looked up at Cress with big eyes. "I may have loved you in return if you had done any of those things, but now you'll never know."

Cress shook his head. “You know what I have to do, Nata. Chandar has ordered it. And I can’t say that I disagree with him.”

Nata closed her eyes, tears dripping down her face. "And because of that, you'll never find true love, Cress. You'll keep forcing girls into your bed, but none of them will ever, truly love you."

“Love like your backstabbing Jedi friends?” he growled. “I can see very clearly that they have it made with each other. But that won’t last so long as I’m here.” He sighed. “Yeah, I saw the ‘Ben’ guy, if that’s even his real name, using one of his tricks to get in here. I know you’ve been working with them.”

"Working with who? Cress, I don't know what you're talking about. I wouldn't intentionally backstab you. You are the one who took me in off the street! Why would I do something like that?" Nata could feel her breathing quicken. Cress was backing her into a lie, and she hated it.

“Because I’m a insensitive jerk that buys and sells girls,” he smirked. “Isn’t that right? And knowing that, why wouldn’t you?”

"Because maybe I had feelings for you. Because maybe I thought I could help change you. But I can see that’s not going to happen," Nata snapped, turning on her heel to leave.

Cress was at her back in an instant, grasping her arm and jerking her back into the office. “I am who I am, Nata,” he told her, his voice dangerously low. “There’s no one left alive who can change that.”

He wrenched and wrestled with her, pulling her into a room hidden in the back wall of his office. He put the code in for the door to open with one hand and thrust her in with the other.

"You could change if you wanted to!" Nata cried as she caught her balance and turned to Cress. "You don't have to do this. You can tell Chandra ‘no.’ You can give his money back!"

“Not for a traitor,” he grinned, then let the door slide shut and seal between them.

Nata slunk into a corner as the room went black. She slid down the wall and pulled her knees to her chest, her body wracking with sobs. How could anyone who claimed to love her do this to her?

* * * * *

Jade paced the floor nervously, wringing her hands. She’d not seen Nata since the other had run down the street that morning, running toward her fate. It was far past show time, and Nata had not danced, which didn’t bode well. She knew Cress well enough by now to know that he wouldn’t kill her, but it was very likely that she was with Chandar. There was also a smaller chance that she was still somewhere in the Head Rush, hidden away in some room she’d not seen yet.

Jade’s frantic thoughts were interrupted by the opening of her door. She braced herself, cursing silently for not sealing it as she’d been reminded time and again. Not to mention that her scant attire, which included a pink, cotton camisole and matching sleep shorts, was less than she would like an intruder to see her in. She wilted with relief when Obi-Wan let himself in, shutting and locking the door behind him.

“Ben,” she cautioned. “I warned you about coming here…”

“There’s no reason to worry with personas any longer,” he told her, his cultured tones shocking her for a moment.

Jade hesitated before asking timidly, “Obi?”

“I temporarily disabled all the surveillance equipment on this floor,” he said. “If Cress goes to check, it will simply show itself as a glitch in the system. Nothing more.”

Jade was flabbergasted and laughed a bit when she managed a reaction. “I don’t believe it.”

“You certainly don’t have Anakin Skywalker as an apprentice without learning a thing or two about machines and how to manipulate them,” Obi-Wan smirked.

“Oh Force,” Jade groaned. “Don’t tell me Anakin knows about this…”

“He has a basic overview of the mission, yes,” Obi-Wan said. “I discovered that he does indeed know what a ‘bordello’ is.” He rolled his eyes, then paused, offering Jade a sweet look. “He’s worried about you.”

“I’m starting to worry about me,” Jade admitted. “I haven’t seen Nata all day. I don’t dare ask about her, and I searched high and low, going as far into restricted areas of the club as I could.”

“As soon as we have Cress in our custody, we will find her,” Obi-Wan replied stalwartly.

“And just how are we to do that?” Jade asked.

“Tomorrow night, when you are to spend the evening with Cress,” Obi-Wan began, “I will be waiting with a team of Jedi. Your necklace will serve as our signal to advance. You need only activate it as soon as you’re ready. The Council thought it best to catch him at a vulnerable moment, one in which he could not run or cover up his intentions as he has in the past.”

“That’s putting me in a corner in the process,” Jade sighed, plopping down at the foot of her bed.

“I tried to offer a different plan,” he said gently. “They wouldn’t hear me.”

“Not surprising,” she said. “They seem to think I’m expendable.”

“That’s not true.” Obi-Wan moved to her side, placing an arm around her and pulling her against him. “You should have heard the wonderful things they said about you when I told them of all you’d discovered. Mace Windu himself said that he had known from the beginning that they’d made the right choice in giving you this mission. They put you in this position because they have faith in you. Not for any other reason.”

Jade laid her head on his shoulder and smiled. “I suppose you have a point there. It’s just…”

“What?” he prompted, brushing his lips against her hair.

Jade sat up and put a bit of distance between them, taking no pains to hide the fear that had been festering and mounting in her since she first arrived at the Head Rush. “I haven’t told you everything,” she said quietly.

“Has something happened?” he asked, bracing them both by putting his hands on her shoulders, expecting bad news.

“Last night,” she began halfheartedly. “There was a man named Lort. He… Obi, he was grotesque. He’d arranged some deal with Cress to have me for the evening.”

Obi-Wan’s jaw clenched, but he nodded for her to go on.

“That precaution I told you about?” She swallowed nervously. “It was a pill that incapacitates whoever ingests it. It’s meant to dissolve instantly when placed in any kind of liquid, so I tricked him into having a drink with me. He slammed the thing back and… nothing.”

Obi-Wan wasn’t aware of how wide his eyes had gotten, how tightly he was gripping her.

“He was getting restless to the point that I was afraid he might stoop to violence if I didn’t do as he said,” she went on, her voice growing more distressed as she did. “So I… took my nightgown off and just sat down, waiting for the ax to fall. He grabbed me and threw me on the bed. He was on top of me, and… he went out like a light.”

Jade shook her head as her lip trembled, and Obi-Wan shut his eyes, unable to express his relief in any other way. He brought her trembling, weeping form close against him and held her there.

“That was far too close,” he murmured, kissing her neck.

“I know,” Jade sobbed, gripping onto his back and shoulders. She despised losing herself in tears, but she’d held them in for too long. “I just kept thinking of you, and how I couldn’t stand this. I hate being bare before other men and having their hands on me. It makes me sick at them and myself. Obi, I keep saying I have this under control, that I have control, but I don’t. I just don’t.” She pulled back to look into his eyes, though she still gripped him fiercely. “He would have… Obi, if that pill hadn’t…”

Obi-Wan shushed her tenderly, brushing at her tears with his thumbs. “I know, kitten. But he didn’t. It worked, albeit a tad late, but it did take affect. You’re fine.”

“I can’t help but think of Nata,” Jade sniffled weakly. “How she goes through that and worse almost every night. This wasn’t the life she wanted, but she never allowed that to darken her spirit. I don’t want to face Cress, but for Nata’s sake, I have to.”

“I will be close,” he reminded. “I would not have you walk willingly into his clutches unless I was able to run to your rescue at a moments notice.”

Jade nodded and cupped his cheek in her palm. “Your heroics won’t go unrewarded.”

Obi-Wan cradled her against him and sank into her soft kisses. As their mouths opened and their embrace deepened, Jade moved herself into his lap. A light sigh brushed her lips, and she shifted them in a journey across his jaw line. Obi-Wan pushed his hands under her camisole, running his palms over her skin and pulling them forward again to fondle her breasts.

“We don’t have to do this,” he shuddered, rubbing his rough cheek against her smooth one. “I understand what you’ve been through and will go through… I can abstain just as easily.”

His arms moved back around her again, embracing her securely. Jade returned the gesture and pecked at his shoulder. “No, I want this,” she assured him. “What has happened here only strengthens my need for you to see my body. To touch and taste the parts of me that are solely yours to have.” To emphasize this, she pulled away and slipped her top off over her head.

Obi-Wan needed no further goading and lavished her throat with hungry kisses, moving steadily downward until his mouth covered her breast. Jade cradled his head in her arms as he switched to the neighboring breast. Air made ragged journeys in and out of her lungs as she watched him, her rosy nipples going hard against his tongue. Finally he raised his eyes to her, long eyelashes fluttering up from reddened cheeks.

Jade hardly knew what to say at the look he offered, one swimming with need and shyness alike. Somewhere within him was Ben, the honest-tongued persona that spoke freely and ineloquently. This other was as much a part of him as any other side she’d seen, and the truth of it stuck her without any explanation from Obi-Wan. Ben was all the things he suppressed. All the times he’d wanted to tease Jade naughtily but couldn‘t find the words; those moments of pure honesty when he wished he had spoken his mind unabashedly; the villains he would grab by the throat and strangle if he hadn’t his natural honor holding him in check. Those deep, never-constant eyes held more secrets than Jade had given him credit for, and they danced now with giddiness and lust as Obi-Wan turned with her and pressed her back into the bed.

Jade’s hips rose as her cotton sleep shorts were tugged away, and she sighed shakily at her own nakedness. She’d been nude very often in the past few days, suffering from an array of mixed emotions each time. Now the feeling was very clear. She was glad to be in the presence of this man without her clothes. Relieved, in fact.

Obi-Wan kissed her bellybutton, shifting until he was just below it, crouched temptingly. He looked up at her as his hand ran from her hip to her inner thigh and caressed her there.

“You told me not moments ago that these parts of you belong to me,” he said, his voice reaching barely above a whisper. “Were you being sincere?”

“My body is yours, Obi,” she said. “And I don’t mean that at all lightly.”

“You realize that for me to claim possession of you goes against the Code,” he said.

Jade paused. “You don’t want me then?”

“I didn’t say that,” Obi-Wan corrected. “I’m merely saying that we have found ways of skirting around the issue of the Code many times, and in this there is no denying it. For you to say that I am the only one who can have you… That is attachment, possession. To say it is…”

“After what we’d gone through, I thought it would reassure you,” Jade said, her voice unsure. “Was there ever any doubt that I wanted only you?”

“Never,” Obi-Wan said resolutely. “As there should never be any that I would have only you, Jade.”

“Then?” she prompted.

Obi-Wan cast his eyes down, running his tongue across his lips. “Then you are mine alone.” His voice was low and unsteady. “To do with as I please?”

“Yes,” Jade answered, arching gently at his hungry look, knowing well what he intended.

Obi-Wan’s head lowered until his lips made tender contact, pressing against her privates for a moment before penetrating them with his tongue. He moved smoothly, taking time to taste each part and savor her. He smothered himself against her, groaning as her delighted voice reached his ears. Jade made an attempt at staying still, but her hips would not allow it and rolled each time her nub was brushed even slightly.

Jade began to tremble with an imminent climax, and Obi-Wan raised his head, sitting back to hurriedly remove his clothes. Jade took this opportunity to watch her lover’s well-worked body appear inch by inch as she caught her breath. When he was fully exposed, she sat up and let her hands and lips travel across cherished regions of him. Her lips met his, and she was guided over his lap so that their aching needs met.

They moved as one, guiding each other seamlessly and calling out with soft endearments. Their pace was gradual and grew steadily until every particle of them screamed for release, growing tighter and hotter with every thrust. Jade peaked and gave a harsh sob, Obi-Wan meeting his end when she wilted against him. They remained locked together, and the afterglow settled over them like a warm, too-soft blanket.

Jade raised her head from Obi-Wan’s shoulder, kissing the sweat that was beginning to chill on his cheek. “You can’t stay, can you?”

“I’m afraid not,” he sighed.

“It’s all right,” Jade said. “There are so many factors working against us right now it’s a wonder you made it here at all.”

Obi-Wan nodded, still having yet to relinquish her from his secure embrace. “I love you.”

“I love you, too,” Jade replied.

Obi-Wan eventually found the strength to let her go, but not until he had tucked her into bed and assured her yet again that they would see one another tomorrow at the end of all this.

In a room just down the hall, Annette pressed the side of her head against the air ventilation shaft as the voices of the Jedi echoed through to her ears. She grinned wickedly when the voices died down. Cress was going to love this.

To Be Continued...

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