"This is depressing…" Padme huffed as her slim fingers spread out the slim wad of bills. She wished this wasn't a surprise, but what could you expect when you drew the short straw and had to work the early shift on a Friday? The good customers didn't come along until much later… The drunks, the newly 21s and of course, the regular sleaze bags… They'd all arrive in soon. And with them would come the tips. She was getting a little tired of pulling crumpled one dollar bills out of her undergarments… Thank god she had the next shift too.
Even for this time in the evening, it'd been slow. Remarkably slow. The waitresses were probably making more than she was right now, and that didn't do much to improve her mood. It's for school… She reminded herself silently, this is just for school… Next semester you can get a real job with the qualifications of this year. It's only a few more months and you're done here.
Just a few long, long, months.
Maybe it would pick up when the 'special' customers got here later. Satine, ever the… Modern woman, arranged for her husband and a few friends to visit them for the night. She's met the man before, Ben, very nice. Shy. Not the type to frequent these kinds of establishments, even if his wife did own the place. Padme imagined this was probably the poor man's idea of hell, especially on his birthday, but, Satine was the boss. Here and most likely at home too.
'Mandalore' was Satine's great love, after her husband of course. She'd poured who knows how much into the club and it showed. The security was some of the best, especially Typho. If a customer ever got a little too handsy, he'd have it sorted as soon as you called for him. The rich interior and constant cleanings kept the place from appearing cheap or dirty which gave off an air of elegance and splendour. Satine did a great job, and in return 'Mandalore' had built quite the reputation.
For a – rather expensive – entry fee, you were promised an unforgettable night. Not just with dancers like Padme, but the rest of the club too, the dancefloors, the gambling, the bars. Everyone wanted to spend a night in 'Mandalore' but with a waiting list over a month long, very few got to. Unless of course, you were willing to pay a little extra by the velvet rope outside… From what Padme had seen, the extravagance of the price was more than worth it, to let all your inhibitions go on the dancefloor with friends, to watch the show she and the other girls put on, to sample the seemingly never-ending list of exotic drinks behind the bar, to drink until your head spun and enjoy a night where very little was forbidden and everything encouraged. Stepping through the door was like falling down the rabbit hole. A fantasy world come to life. And in this world, Satine's rules were law.
Decency and decorum had to be left by the door.
Many were appalled.
Most were captivated.
While this kind of place wasn't where she'd prefer to spend her time, dancing paid well, and the tips paid even better once she took her clothes off. And if she wanted to pay her way through school, she had to do what she had to do. Besides, some of the customers were nice to speak to. The ones who treated her like a human being that was, rather than those who harassed her constantly for 'private time'. Those were probably the worst, and most frequent visitors to this level of the place. But one call for security almost always dealt with the problem.
Well, she thought, tucking the pathetically little amount of money into her garter, her break was over.
Her second costume for the night was laid neatly on her dressing table in a bright pink box and almost buried in delicate paler pink tissue paper – one perk of doing what she did was the free lingerie every night. One con, however, was her underwear drawer was stuffed full of sensual outfits she'd never worn again after the show. Tight thongs and impressive lacy push-up bras weren't much use beneath comfortable college clothes, after all, were they? And there were the shoes. The shoes. Every night a new pair, always gorgeous and always extremely expensive. Always the best for Mandalore's girls… That's what Satine would say. But they were always high, some even higher than six inches! They were difficult enough to walk in never mind dance. Her first few months here left Padme almost willing to saw her own feet off every night, but after a lot of practice, the pain became bearable. At least during the show, anyway. The matching pink bra and panties would leave little to the imagination, displaying her body proudly for whatever pair of hungry eyes drifted her way and even now, the thought was a little intimidating. It probably always would be.
Getting ready was always a blur backstage, hair pinned up carefully so the long synthetic hair wig all the dancers wore could sit perfectly on her head, and then make-up, her outfit… Done. Padme liked the wigs. It meant a piece of her, no matter how small, was kept hidden even if everything else was on display. Her hair was hers and nobody beyond the curtains got to see it. Her wig was blonde, and it was strange… She looked almost nothing like herself while wearing it, but it looked good, different, but… Attractive. Though most of the time it reflected the stage lights and looked pink or purple or blue. It was all part of the fantasy, she supposed. Once ready, all she had to do was wait for the DJ to call her name.
Her stage name, that was.
The very worst thing Padme could ever imagine was someone she knew, in real life, coming here and seeing her… If one of the guys from her college was here, or one of her professors or anyone really… God, she really just couldn't put herself through thinking about it. Her family was traditional, old fashioned, they didn't think women should be working or studying beyond high school. So if she wanted to get through college, she had to work for it. And without the right qualifications working anywhere in the fields she wanted was impossible. But here, well, there's a saying among some of the other girls, 'no one paid better than Satine.' Stripping paid well, unbelievably well. It was paying the rent on her little apartment and college fees alongside living costs – hell; she hadn't had to take out any student loans! Sure, at first the idea of being naked in front of complete strangers was horrifying, but Dorme recommended this place for the money and Padme needed the money, and she had to admit… Being up there beneath the hot lights completely bare save for stockings and heels… It thrilled part of her she never knew existed before working here. Dancing was letting herself out of a self-imposed cage of what she should be, had to be. Great student, loving daughter, loyal friend… Sometimes being Padme was boring and she needed a little fire, a flavour of wildness, and being Amidala provided that.
But that didn't mean she wasn't out of here the first moment she could be. Stripping wasn't exactly becoming of a future lawyer or politician, was it? Satine had already agreed that if anyone called up looking for references, she was a waitress or bartender here. Nobody had to know the truth.
When he called for her, he announced her as Amidala, and as had become her habit, she took three deep breaths before climbing the small staircase to the curtains. Just beyond the thick red material was her portion of the stage, at least for the next ten minutes. A large, black glittering platform held her pole and all around were the seats no one really wanted… No, what the customers wanted were the best of the best, the much sought after seats right where her stage ended, less than half a meter away from the pole. They were the best seat in the house.
There were other dancers on at the same time, of course, on matching stages by either side of hers and several meters away… Satine liked diversity, so whatever three dancers were on at the same time were always vastly different in looks. Blonde wigs, brunette wigs, black wigs, dark skin, light skin, somewhere in-between. She liked her customers to have a variety to choose from.
As soon as she stepped out onto the stage, she was bathed in blue and pink lights and the heat, as always, was intense. But after two years of doing this, Padme was long used to that aspect of the job. She stepped toward the pole as the music boomed from the speakers and vibrated across the floor. She was right earlier, since her last performance, the place had filled up. Only four seats around her were still available, with little white pieces of folded cards which read, 'reserved' sitting neatly to ward off potential seat stealers. This had to be for their special guests…
It didn't matter how many times she'd danced, or how long she'd worked here, this moment, right before she started, with all eyes on her – well the eyes that weren't on the other dancers anyway – was terrifying. It always took her back to her very first dance, where she'd moved with shaking hands and almost been unable to unclip her bra from the terror.
Every step Padme performed was meticulously practised, and well-rehearsed. There were ten dances in total everyone was required to know, but the ability to make the moves up as you went along was also necessary… But this didn't feel like that kind of night, better to stick with what worked. Maybe later, if she had to dance again, she'd do something more original. While she danced, warming up before the actual show, the removal of what little clothing she wore, the door to this level slammed open and the familiar sound of rowdy men for a moment drowned out her music. One glance in toward the DJ told her he wasn't happy, as did the sudden blast of volume. Drunken men were far from unusual here; he should be well used to that by now.
Dropping back to her feet after an elaborate pole trick, she was greeted with the site of three of the four empty chairs being filled, all except Ben's… He must have snuck off somewhere while Satine wasn't looking. Brave man. Two of the men watched her with matching wide grins, both tanned and eerily similar in looks… Twins. They ran in her family too, on her mom's side, though it seemed to have skipped both her mom and Sola. Those two were the standard customer, excited, the ones who had fun here, but never pushed for more… They were the best kind. But their friend… Padme almost missed a step as her eyes met the striking blue of the other man's. He was nothing like the twins, he looked closer to awed than excited. If she squinted, she could swear she saw a blush paint his cheeks…
Catching herself, she recovered quickly and continued on with the routine albeit suddenly, extremely aware of the blue gaze upon her. Something about him… Well, he was certainly very attractive. But it was more than that, the innocence in his eyes made it quite clear this was his first trip here. She didn't see that in many guys' eyes… Not here. It was sweet.
One flick of her head sent fake blonde hair cascading down her back, ensuring nothing concealed the view of her body as she writhed against the pole. "C'mon, sweet cheeks! Get the bra off!" Someone from her left slurred, somehow raising their voice as loud as the music. Hecklers. She hated them… Beyond the bright shine of coloured lights, Padme could just about make out the lift of Typho's eyebrow and understood the silent question. Did she want that guy out? Shouting at the dancers wasn't allowed; it ruined the show for everyone else. Or at least, that was their excuse to get rid of rude patrons. Her answer? Yes. One little, subtle nod as she sank down into a squat with both hands above her head on the pole prompted Typho to make his way through the crowd toward the stage. She knew the heckler, he was a regular. And an awful tipper. Crumpled ones and the occasional five was the best she could ever hope for. Hardly worth the effort.
While Typho, ahem, escorted the man off of the premises, Padme danced another circuit around her pole before flashing the audience her best mask grin – not her real smile – and bent, offering everyone a rather good look at the cleavage the push-up bra provides as her arms reached back to unhook it. To her left, one of the other girls was already naked and it drew away some of the attention aimed at her, but she preferred to take these things slowly… The anticipation was part of the enjoyment after all, wasn't it? And she knew every single beat of this song, there was plenty of time.
The bra begun to fall away, sliding down, off of her shoulders and she turned away quickly, hiding her body with a coy smile flashed over her shoulder. The tanned twins' grins had only grown since she last looked and the other one… The blonde… His poor jaw almost landed in his lap as Padme dangled her bra on the tip of her finger on an outstretched arm. This really was his first time, wasn't it? For good measure, as she turned back around, the little smile stretched into a sly smirk and with one little flick of her wrist, the piece of her undergarments flew through the air and onto the shy man's thighs.
Unfortunately, she wasn't lucky enough to catch his expression, but the wolf-whistling of his friends said enough.
As all things do, her dance eventually came to its end and the lights switched off immediately, drowning the three stages in total darkness as she made for the thick curtain again. The moment she was behind it, the heels found themselves kicked off her body and toward her small, brightly lit, dressing table. The relief was immediate and both wonderful and agonising at once. She needed a foot rub… But there was still a good four hours left of her shift. Following the shoes was the wig… Dancing with the hot lights directed right at her while wearing that thing was more than slightly uncomfortable. Getting rid of that was less of a relief, but it still felt much better to be without it. Free of its trap, her hair tumbled down out of the hold the pin and Padme collapsed onto her stool with a long sigh. The last dance was fun… Tiring, but… Different. Ben's friends looked like they were having a good time. Especially the blonde… She hoped his first time was enjoyable… The thought brought a small snigger out of her, despite a weak attempt at holding it back.
"I've never seen a guy quite so flustered in all my life!" Dorme giggled as she emerged from the black changing screen fastening a garter belt around her tiny waist, her outfit of decedent black lingerie alone would probably earn her great tips tonight. She always got lucky like that when she wasn't dancing, typical Dorme.
"You mean the blonde?" She laughed, reaching for the second box beneath the table and carefully pulling off the lid. He was pretty dazzled, but that happened with all first timers… He probably just didn't know where to look, given that there were three naked women right in front of him. Even the regulars got like that sometimes. "I don't think he's been to a place like this before."
Dorme cackled, leaning closer to her own mirror to adjust the bright pink wig she'd selected for the night. "You're telling me! You know what he did with your bra?"
Oh god… Did she really want to know? She'd heard some horror stories about what some of their weirder patrons have done in the past. And they were repeat customers! They knew better… This guy... Well, he had no idea, did he? "What did he do?"
"Politely put it back on the stage. I've never seen a guy do that in all the time I've been working here! Crazy, right?" Dorme almost howled with laughter, and Padme couldn't resist joining her. He put it back? Wow. That was so… Respectful. And respectful wasn't something she came across often in this line of work.
"Yeah…" She smiled into the mirror. "It's crazy."
Her second outfit – costume – of the night was a tight white corset with lace patterns across her breasts and mesh panels all around the back and sides. With very thin matching panties and stockings clipped tightly to the garter belt, the entire look was extremely sexy. In her first days here, Padme constantly squirmed uncomfortably just looking at the outfits she had to wear. These kinds of things are what should be worn in the bedroom, to surprise a lover – not that she had any experience in that regard – not parading around a club. But it was all just part of the job. If in the right mood, wearing these things could be empowering. It was nice. Sometimes, that was. In smaller heels this time, because her feet needed a break, she stepped into the crowded room just as the next three dancers took to the poles.
This was the time where she was supposed to mingle with the patrons but quite frankly, she'd rather collect her tips and make a beeline for the bar. She was allowed a total of three drinks all night and now seemed like the perfect time. Besides, there were plenty of other girls out already, who was going to notice her?
Walking to the stage, Padme carefully scooped up the small bundles of cash left for her. It was very underwhelming, she'd always imagined this job entailed dancing as money rained down over her, but at least this way she could get it done quickly and tuck it safely into her stocking. Customers weren't allowed to throw money anyway for of health and safety reasons apparently. She hadn't bothered looking into it, however, only took Satine's word. How she received the tips didn't matter so long as she got them. Since the other girls hadn't started yet, Padme took a moment to flick through the cash – twenties?! There had to be at least three hundred dollars here. Ben's friends were very generous… Satine should invite them more often!
Almost as soon as she stood straight again, a small tap on her shoulder followed by matching sniggers sent a wave of dread through Padme. There went her drink. One of the customers wanted her attention, which she shouldn't complain about, the more tips the better after all. But she really just wanted a little time to relax before throwing herself back into the swing of things. Oh well, she can relax when her shift was over. As she turned, her mind fell into a familiar chant many of the girls here found themselves repeating every other night, please not sweatpants guy, please not sweatpants guy…
By some mercy, there were no sweatpants in sight, but instead a pair of smirking, tipsy twins. Hm, odd that they'd approach her together for a dance… Most men preferred alone time while with friends, never mind sharing with their brother. Well, who was Padme to judge? With her best smile, she leant back against the platform of the stage as the girls danced, "is there something I can do for you?" This was probably the best part of the night, and certainly the easiest. Some men just liked her to sit with them and chat, others liked to treat her like their waitress, and some, as was expected, wanted her to dance. It was far less intense than being on stage and she didn't have to take her clothes off again.
"Yeah," one of them begun and oh, they're wearing name tags! That made things easier… Rex spoke to her while exchanging sly smiles with his brother. "You uh – you made quite the impression on our mate earlier." He chuckled and the other one – Cody – snorted. Their friend? That had to mean the blonde, right?
"So we wanted to know, what's your rate? Y'know, for the private dances?"
Oh… They're those kinds of friends. Alright, she understood. "You don't pay me, you see that woman in the black outfit? She handles all that." When she wasn't dancing, Dorme took care of charging customers for these things which, quite frankly was a relief. Studying law and politics meant she had more than enough to remember already, without the pressure of knowing all the prices of these things too. "How long do you want? Fifteen – twenty minutes?" That was the standard time, not too much but not too little either. The customer got what he wanted, and Padme didn't come close to running out of tricks.
The Australian twins shared a mischievous glance and a quick nod. Was twin telepathy real with these two? "An hour." Cody declared and she almost laughed. An hour! That was quite a long time for a private dance! It was by far the longest she'd ever been requested for… Well, it should certainly be interesting to see how this played out. Especially if the attractive blonde guy was as shy up close as he was earlier.
"Alright. Go toward the back, those are the private rooms. I'll be in the one behind the blue curtain." Nodding, the two men – boys really – took off, roaring with laughter as they followed after Dorme through the crowd. An hour long private dance… Good thing she'd gone for the smaller heels! Reaching back, Padme gently grasped some blonde hair and tugged it over her shoulders.
Interesting indeed.
It took a quite a bit longer to hunt down Panaka than she anticipated. Since she'd be the only one in the private booths, the security guard was mandatory… He was a nice man, quiet though. Padme respect that. He just wanted to do his job and go home, and if there was anyone in this club who could relate to that, it was her. He was strict with the rules and left no room for bending them, if Satine said something wasn't allowed, Panaka went out of his way to ensure it didn't happen. So, he was the best man for the job, much to some of the other dancer's dismay, breaking the rules was how some of them made their money. Typho was a little more lenient and thus, everyone's favourite.
Normally, when she was late to a private dance, the customer could get a little… Riled up. Usually, her appearance was met with loud demands that the time they'd been waiting should be added to the dance for free; it was really quite a pain. So, when she slipped behind the rich blue velvet curtain after a nod from Panaka as he settled into place at the end of the hallway, Padme was expecting the usual complaints. I'm very sorry you had to wait, she rehearsed the usual mantra, no there'll be no extra time, sir. Your time hasn't started yet.
But there were no complaints, quite the opposite. The blonde sat on the plush black sofa calmly, almost relaxed… That was, until she stepped inside at least. He practically shot to his feet clearing his throat as Padme pulled the curtain shut behind her. "What, uh… I'm sorry, am I in the wrong place?"
Well, it wasn't the usual greeting… But this was his first time, so she'd give him a pass. Besides, he was extraordinarily attractive. Sharp jaw, muscle hidden beneath the nice black dress shirt and his hair… She'd always liked longer hair on men, though not many could actually pull it off, but this one did. Just like before, Padme spied the beginnings of a blush painting his cheeks and battled her smile down. This was adorable… Most guys were eager to get started, but this one…
"The wrong place?" She asked with a laugh, reaching out to the thick chain attached tightly to the ceiling and the floor. It was a little harder to dance with this than the pole, full body weight placed on it was not a good idea, but Padme always liked the look of it. It was cooler than the usual boring silver pole sitting uselessly in the centre of the room, and it was aesthetically, miles better too.
"Yeah, I…" He swallowed nervously, "I – my friends said this was a private bar…"
Oh… So this was still a surprise huh? He had nice friends… Or asshole friends depending on how you looked at it. Probably nice, considering they were willing to pay for an hour of her time for him, and that wasn't cheap. He certainly was in for a surprise. "Your friends bought you a private dance." She stepped toward the small bar area, he looked like he needed a drink. "An hour-long set, actually." She'd never done an hour with anyone before. This was a new experience for her just like him. Maybe she should have a drink too?
"Shit." He breathed and Padme glanced back over her shoulder. If she thought he looked nervous before, this was a whole new level… Poor guy. Were his hands shaking? "They shouldn't have done that – I- I don't…" He trailed off with a shaky exhale and she turned around, frowning.
"Oh." She muttered quietly. Maybe he didn't want her. It happened; there was no shame in it. Every guy wanted something different; someone else could have caught his eye while she changed. "Is there someone else I can get for you?"
"What? No! No, you don't have to… That's not what I meant…"
Stepping closer, Padme smiled warmly and spoke quietly, quietly, as one would to a timid little animal, "we have guys here too, you know. If you'd like me to call one of them in -" Her suggestion only made matters worse, his face flushed three times redder and for a moment, speaking seemed impossible as he fought past whatever embarrassment she'd caused.
"I, uh… No – that's not what I… Fuck." He met her eyes with an uncomfortable smile and Padme matched it. This wasn't exactly something she'd had to deal with before either… If he didn't want her, or another dancer, or a guy, what was she supposed to do? Maybe she should have asked Satine about Ben's friends before she got ready tonight… "I'm sorry, this – I've never been here before."
Ah, well that, Padme could handle. In or out of this place, she was good at making people feel at ease. Being a good listener helped. "I could tell." There was no stopping the small bubble of laughter that escaped her mouth and thankfully, he joined her. "But there's nothing to be afraid of…" She trailed off, flicking her eyes down to the white name tag stuck against his chest. "Anakin. I don't bite." If she were Dome, she'd add a, 'unless you want me too…' But Padme was no Dorme. And she sensed that would only make it even worse. So she settled for a small brush of her fingertips against his shoulder. Anakin visibly relaxed into the brief touch and she used the moment of ease to nudge him back, so the back of his calves collided with the edge of the sofa and his weight gave out, sending down onto the lavish velvet again. Customers were supposed to sit, after all. "Now, do you want me? Or was there someone else out there who you'd prefer?" Time was ticking; he'd better make use of what his friends paid for.
"Yo- no, uh… I like you." His awkward choice of words made her laugh again, but poor Anakin cringed and brought up a hand to run through his wavy curls with a frustrated sigh. "I'm making a complete idiot of myself, aren't I?" This made her laugh even harder as she returned to the bar again and tugged open the cooler built into the wall. Well, he wasn't being suave if that was what he meant, but this was better. This was genuine and sweet. She liked him, he seemed very nice. Much younger than Ben, but so did the twins, they must make a rather odd group of friends.
"Believe me, Anakin, I've seen a lot worse. You don't have anything to worry about." The bar needed restocking… That was less than ideal. But there were a few beers left, which could work for now at least. She'd tell Panaka to radio to one of the bars once they were done here. Reaching for one of the glass bottles she threw another smile over her shoulder and worked to free the beverage of its tin cap with the provided tool. "I'd take you over half our regular customers any day." Pop. The cap flew off and landed somewhere on the other side of the room – she'd find it later. "Here." She walked back toward him, holding the bottle out with an outstretched arm. This, at least, might make him feel a little calmer.
"Thanks." He murmured gratefully and brought the tip of the bottle to his lips as she grasped the chain in one hand. "You know, you don't have to," he started and chewed at his lip for a moment. "I mean, you don't need to dance, y'know. We could just, talk or – or something."
Talk? Well that was certainly a first. But Padme couldn't lie; it was something of a relief. Dancing and stripping, it was a thrill and all, but if she had another choice, she wouldn't be here. "You're probably the first guy who ever walked in here and asked me to keep my clothes on." She could do that, but she had to dance at least for a while, just in case Panaka poked his head in to check on things.
He grinned widely and leant back against the seat, sipping at the beer again. "Does that make me special?" Either that beer was extremely strong and had hit him after only a few sips, or he was finally getting comfortable around her… Both were equally interesting. And very cute.
"Very." She drawled with a roll of her eyes. "See that little remote beside you? Press the play button." If they spent much longer talking, his time would be over before she even got started and that meant there would be cause for a refund which meant Satine wouldn't be happy. Anakin did as he was told and a moment later the first song pulsated from the speakers built into two corners of the room. Ah, this one… For all the – many – times she'd danced to it before, the title always eluded her. She'd always meant to ask someone about it, these things tend to get stuck in your head after all, but by the time her shift ended, it always slipped her mind.
"So, do – do you do this a lot? Like, is it your job?" He really liked to talk, didn't he? Well, it was his hour… And the change was nice. There was no hiding Padme's smile as she danced, and she knew he saw it when one of his own stretched across his lips. That was a complicated question… Did she do this a lot? Was every Friday and Saturday night a lot? Well, most Fridays and Saturdays anyway, even she needed a break from studying and dancing every now and again. Was this her job? For now. It wasn't her only prospect, and suddenly, it felt important that he knew that.
"For now, yes." She fell into a squat, both hands resting on her thighs. "I study law and political science in Stanford." His earlier blush returned with a vengeance as her thighs parted, showing off the unmeshed panel of the panties. She was completely covered, yet Anakin still glanced away breathing heavily through his nose.
"Law and politics?" He croaked, holding his gaze firmly at eye level and the attempt was adorable. "That's – that's impressive." She shimmied her way back up on the chain with a smile. Not everyone here got to hear anything about her real life. It worked to her advantage that most people shrugged her off as 'just a stripper', the less people knew meant the less chance of exposure to people she interacted with outside of this place. They may not be in the best place right now, but if her family ever found out… It would kill her. And them. She could almost see the horror in her dad's eyes… "What're you gonna do with it?"
"Excuse me?"
"The law and politics degrees – once you have them, I mean?" He was full of questions, wasn't he? Well, she could indulge him just a little, couldn't she? From the looks of things, talking settled his nerves and that was always a plus… She shouldn't, but Padme couldn't help smiling to herself at the thought. How could someone so good looking and sweet be so… Awkward? Surely he got a lot of female attention, but he acted like no girl ever looked his way.
"I don't know yet." She answered truthfully, there were so many options she could pursue, and it could be a little overwhelming sometimes. "I could work toward becoming a lawyer or use my political sciences qualifications to go into politics or…" Trailing off, a nervous laugh of her own fled her lips and Padme shook her head. "I don't know. I just want to make a difference out there. That way I can know my life was worth something, in the end." If she became a lawyer, that meant she could defend the innocent or if she became a politician, she could help people all over the country… It was a tough choice, one she just couldn't figure out the answer too. Childishly, part of Padme wondered sometimes, if she could ever do both…
"Ugh, I hate politics." He moaned with a roll of his eyes. "It's all pointless." Pointless? What… How could he… It took a moment, to recover her senses enough to begin to form any response. Politics was not pointless! It dictated how their country was run and who led them. It ruled everything in their lives – how could that ever be considered pointless?
"You hate politics? I understand it can be a little boring sometimes if you aren't particularly interested in it, but –"
"I hate it because it's outdated. A bunch of people sitting around deciding what's best only ever leads to arguing and division across the country. What we need is one leader, someone wise and strong, who knows what's best for the people and just does it." Padme's teeth sunk into her lip as her hips gyrated to the beat. There was a naivety to what he said, a childish vision of how things should work, and when worded the way he did, something about it was appealing. But one person fully in charge of an entire country? It could never work, power was addictive, and it was corruptible. One person leading a nation would be dangerous; it was everything democracy stood against.
"You're a Palpatine, supporter, aren't you?" She forced a laugh with narrowed eyes. It wasn't meant to be an accusation, but Anakin arched a curious eyebrow anyway. There was an allure where that man was involved, he was good at speeches, very good. And charming too, that much was obvious. But the country he wanted to shift America into wasn't right, Professor Organa always said Palpatine was an enemy of democracy and in private, freedom itself. Something about him scared her…
Amusement danced in his eyes, clear to see even in the dull light, as he sat forward, bracing his elbows on his knees. "And I bet you're a Mothma supporter." Well, he had her there. Not only was Mon Mothma extremely intelligent and politically savvy, but the idea of the first female President… Someone who was wise and strong, just like Anakin said, but in all the right ways with all the right intentions… She was who the country should be rallying behind. "You don't like her?"
He gave a nonchalant shrug, "she's alright… There's something about her I don't like." Padme rolled her eyes and leant back on the chain, giving up the pretence of her dance for now. He didn't like Mom Mothma, but supported Palpatine? How – how was that even possible?
"You're crazy, do you know that?"
"Says the one wearing the Walmart wig…" He quipped with a smirk and Padme tipped her head slightly. How did wearing a wig make her crazy? And it was not from Walmart… Satine spent a fortune on this place; she probably did the same on the wigs too.
"It's not a wig." A weak argument, and wholly unconvincing, wasn't it? Dammit. Maybe she should have just gone for the pink one like Dorme and had done with it… "Alright, it is. But it's supposed to make us look different, so it's harder to recognise us outside." This time, it was Padme's turn to feel uncomfortable as Anakin laughed at her, and loudly too. "What? What's funny about that?" She was just trying to protect her identity in whatever small way she could – with some of the… Stranger people who frequented the place, it was very necessary! There was nothing funny about it.
"If you don't want people to recognise you, then why not masks? You'd be a lot harder to track down if we didn't see your face…"
"Satine chooses what we wear, not us."
"Or lack thereof…"
"You think you're funny, don't you?" She huffed and his grin only grew. How exactly was he friends with Ben again?
"I'm here all week." Despite her best efforts, she couldn't hold back her smile… Maybe he was slightly funny, though that was being generous.
"All week? That's really going to cost you… It's expensive in here." Standing still for so long was really beginning to hurt her feet, but Padme made no move to begin dancing again. Talking to him was fun, and she wanted to keep doing it, despite the unprofessionalness of it. Satine would want her to keep going… But she didn't. And Anakin didn't seem to mind either, so she stepped away from the chain and toward the bar again because if she wasn't dancing, she definitely wanted to drink.
"Damn… I was getting used to being here for free…" She opened the bar and reached for the last two beers waiting inside, not because she particularly enjoyed the beverage, but like she said earlier, choice was limited and there really wasn't enough time to call for a restock right now.
"Satine let all of you in for free? She really must be eager for Ben to take in a show." Free entry here was practically non-existent, not even staff was privileged enough to receive it. Then again, being married to the owner probably earned you some perks… Not all women would encourage their husbands or boyfriends to come to a place like this. But Satine was different and enjoyed being so. Padme always respected her for that.
"Thank you." Anakin murmured when she handed him a new bottle and eased herself down beside him. "Well, she's going to be disappointed when she hears he spent the whole night on the gambling floor." That certainly sounded like the Ben Padme knew. He headed straight for the poker tables whenever his wife was able to drag him along here with her, and she was pretty sure he knew how to cheat the game…
"And here I thought you were having one of those lost weekends…" She'd seen plenty of those in her time here, drunk men escaping their realities by drinking too much, speaking too loudly and reverting back to, well childhood really. It was mostly bachelor parties but birthdays were quite common for this too. Just last week a group of five men burst through the doors wearing giant adult diapers… She was still trying to wipe the image out of her brain.
"Oh, we are. Rex and Cody want to hit up every bar in town between tonight and tomorrow." That was definitely a… Commitment. These twins sound like quite the handful, and just like Anakin, they were probably the last people she'd expect to be friends with Ben.
"You sound like a lot of the guys who come through here – or your friends do at least. Bars are their happy place." Anakin let loose a loud bark of laughter and she suspected she hit the nail on the head there. When you worked somewhere like this, reading people became easy quite quickly.
"If this is your happy place, then…" He trailed off and Padme raised an eyebrow as he ducked his head, avoiding her gaze.
"Then what?"
"Nothing…" He took a long swig of beer and she shook her head. She had a pretty good feeling she already knew where he was going with that… Then you were sad or pathetic or had no life. And for many of the people who came here a lot, it was true. But there were some nice people too, people who just wanted to have fun who pictured this as their happy place because it meant escape and fun and no responsibilities. When you looked beyond the stigma, it was actually very understandable.
"Alright then, where's your happy place? The beach?" That was a common one, easy to guess… Most people closed their eyes in the midst of a stressful situation and pictured themselves far away on some foreign beach under the spell of the hot sun and colourful cocktails. He looked like that type.
"God, no." He cringed. "I grew up by the beach… Always hated the sand." He hated sand? What kind of person hated sand? Her shock must have shown because he laughed again as she sipped from her own drink. "You'd hate it too if your house was practically built on top of the stuff. It gets everywhere…"
That was valid, she supposed… But he hated sand! That just wasn't normal. "Fine." She giggled, "where is your happy place then?" If it wasn't the beach or a place like this, where was it? Everyone had one, and she was curious about his.
"I don't know…" His fingers idly picked at the label of the bottle as a frown crossed his handsome face. "I've never thought about it before. What's yours?" Oh… For Padme, that was an easy question. When she was sad or stressed or whatever else, she'd just close her eyes and think of the red roses growing outside her parent's house or the lake just a mile away where she'd swim with Sola when they were kids, or even the dining table, where they'd all gather for ridiculous family meals every night…
"Home." Came her honest whisper, barely audible above the music and it was difficult not to let herself be swept away by an overwhelming wave of homesickness. She still talked to her family, not as much as she would like, but it was something… Until they got over that Padme just wasn't Sola, that she could never just settle down and be a housewife and a mother for the rest of her life. She wanted more, and one day, she hoped they'd come to accept that.
A loud knock startled Padme back to her feet and a few steps away from the couch, if anyone saw her sitting on the couch just talking to Anakin she'd be in big trouble. She was supposed to be dancing not chatting… What if Panaka heard them? What if he told Satine? She could lose her job! "Ye – Yes?" She called out, through the curtain and held her breath. If it were Typho, she wouldn't be so worried... He wasn't a strict man, and he was her friend here. And while Panaka was avery nice man who just wanted to do his job, sometimes that loyalty to the rules could be a little frightening. He wouldn't hesitate to turn someone in if he believed they were going against Satine's word…
"Hour's up, Amidala." Oh… Oh, thank god. The time was up, that was all… She pressed a hand against her chest where her heart pounded and sighed as relief soared through her tense body. Had it really been an hour already? Time really had gone fast; it felt like they'd only been in here for ten minutes!
"Yes, alright, thank you. I'll be out in a second." Padme slowly turned back to Anakin as he stood, tugging on the hem of his shirt to adjust it. He was a lot of fun to talk to, when the stutter faded. Definitely one of her better clients. "I…" She began but Panaka had other ideas.
"I'm gonna need you to come out now. The boss wants to see you."
"Look, can I –" Anakin spoke but with Panaka just outside, she couldn't risk hearing it – or more specifically, him hearing it. So she stepped backwards, toward the velvet curtain and carefully tossed the half-empty bottle into the trashcan as she moved. He could be about to say anything, innocent or not. It could be a mere thanks or compliment, but it could also be something about how they'd spent this time and she just couldn't risk Panaka hearing that, even if she was dying to know what was on the tip of his tongue.
With another smile, Padme pushed open the curtain to reveal the security guard waiting impatiently outside. "It was very nice to meet you, Anakin." She called over her shoulder and followed Panaka out, toward the end of the corridor. It was nice, very nice… And part of her wished – stupidly – that they'd anywhere but here.
She had a free day, no classes to rush across campus to get to on time or work to go to tonight, no scheduled time with friends – nothing. It was so rare that Padme intended to enjoy every moment of it. She was a busy person, and free time was something she didn't get very often, and while part of her wanted nothing more than to just stay in bed and sleep the day away for once, it was a nice day, the sun was out and the campus was quiet – most students were nursing their post Saturday hangovers – so she wanted to take advantage.
There were a few people out as she settled down on the black painted bench by the fountain and the quiet was splendid. Usually, this area was full of activity of some kind or another and to see it so… Empty was odd. But it was nice. It'd been a long weekend… Working both Friday and Saturday was always exhausting, but the money was worth easing her abused feet into comfortable flat shoes for three days after. It was a vicious cycle.
Though she'd read it what had to be a million times already, there was nothing Padme would rather spend her morning doing than rereading 'Sense and Sensibility'. It was one of her all-time favourites and when she had spare time that didn't involve furiously studying for one test or another, Padme always found herself reaching for the old, worn out copy her grandmother gave her years ago. It was a habit and a wonderful one at that.
She flicked through the first few pages to the beginning of the story just as someone dropped down heavily onto the bench beside her, but Padme paid the intruder no mind. As long as they didn't disturb her, she was happy to share the bench… Otherwise… Well, she just really didn't want to move. "Y'know, I thought you looked familiar…"
She knew that voice.
No, no, it couldn't be… Not here. It was impossible. Her head snapped up as her hands trembled, almost dropping her book as panic spread through her body… Beside her, smirking too smugly for someone who by all rights should be in bed, hungover, was him. Him! Anakin… What the hell was he doing here? How did he find her? Oh, god she was a stripper with a stalker… No, it had to be something else… It had to.
"Anakin? What – what are you doing here?" She told him she went here, is that why he came? He knew what she did and… And he was here… This was just her luck! Why did she think it was a good idea to talk about herself to a customer? What was she thinking? The immediate panic had her glancing around, frantically, for someone, anyone else just in case… And also in hopes that there was no one to overhear what might be said. She wanted witnesses and didn't. What was happening?
Just like the other night, his charming laughter filled the tense quiet as she waited for an answer and it didn't soothe her worries. Far from it. "I go here." He pointed toward the building to the far right as his laughter faded to an amused grin. "Engineering scholarship."
Oh…
He went here. He went here. Where she went. And he knew what she did… This was it, her worst nightmare. What if he told someone? Padme felt her face flush at the very thought. It was alright, it was. She could always transfer if she wanted, there were other schools who offered law and political science classes, she had options if she needed them. "Anakin –"
"You don't have to worry; I'm not going to tell anyone. Not if you don't want me too." He spoke with such sincerity; it practically oozed out of him. And his eyes… The gorgeous azure hue lit up with an earnest truthfulness she'd never seen before. He meant it. "I promise." Oh, thank goodness… Relief poured through her so powerfully that Padme felt herself almost move to hug him. Thank you, thank you thank you. But somehow, she restrained herself and offered a purposely weak smile instead. "It was nice meeting you too, you know." And then she laughed, because what else could she do? She'd been pretty quick to run out on him when the hour ended because Panaka was looking over her shoulder and Satine wanted to see her. There hadn't been any more time for talking then. But, if she was honest with herself, and she had been all of Saturday, while constantly glancing at the door in the club because maybe… She did want to spend a little longer with him. But that was silly, ridiculous even. At most, she'd made a new acquaintance, a friend even. She was just letting her imagination run away with her a little… That was all.
"I'm sorry; the rules are pretty strict about what happens when your time is up." Anakin nodded slowly and Padme reached for her bag to return the book to its place. "How was your weekend? The lost boys made it home alright?"
"Well, Ben had to make his curfew." He chuckled and Padme couldn't help but join him just a little. She'd feel sorry for the man, but she'd never seen a more awkwardly in love couple in her entire life. It worked, and they fit together perfectly. Everyone should have a love like that. "But, honestly… I was glad to get back. There isn't enough coffee and Advil in the world to save someone from what I went through yesterday."
"Poor you…" She snickered.
"Hey! I almost died – I swear. Seen the light and everything."
"I'm sure you did…"
Silence descended upon them again, but it was strangely comfortable in every way it had no right being. They were strangers, and of all people they had every right to feel uncomfortable around each other – he'd seen her naked. But it wasn't and just like last time, it was nice. Well, it was at least, until Anakin spoke again.
"You look better like this. I – I mean, you hair. The brown, it's uh, it's better, more natural I mean. Than the blonde – the wig." There was the stutter again… But there was something very charming about it, he was nervous and very few guys ever got nervous around her. It made her want to just reach out and squeeze his hand to calm him down, even just a little. There was really no need to be so nervous, she was only human. He was adorable. And extremely attractive and… Stop it. She shouldn't be having those kind of thoughts, should she? It wasn't right, he'd been to the club and it broke her rules.
"Should I take that as a compliment?" She should, right? There was definitely something flattering in there somewhere… Or there was meant to be anyway.
"I'm sorry," he breathed, "it's just… You're so beautiful and I – the wig, you don't need it." That was definitely a compliment… And against her will, her face flushed eight shades of red – at least he blushed first. That was very nice of him to say, she truly appreciated it. He didn't have to be so lovely to her, but he was and the determination to follow the rules was weakening by the moment. How could someone so handsome and sweet be on his own? It just didn't add up.
"Thank you, Anakin… That was… Very sweet of you to say."
"Do you want to grab some coffee? I figure it's my turn to entertain you for an hour…" Her hand flew to her mouth to confine the giggling his words created but it was hopeless. What a thing to say… And surely he did not intend to entertain her in the same way, especially in a coffee place. Not, that she would mind too much if he did.
"Only if you dance for me too." His entire face lit up with her agreement, however jokingly and the sight only added to her smile. Goodbye rules… Something told her they wouldn't do her any good here, so just this once, maybe she should just ignore them. Take a risk – a bigger risk than her weekends. What was the harm in a cup of coffee after all?
"Well, I don't know about that…"
Padme reached forward, gently placing her hand on his and entirely laced their fingers together… She had to be the one to do it, that much was clear, but she didn't mind that. His hesitation was as cute as the stuttering. "Then, if I have to settle, coffee sounds wonderful."