The Auction
CHAPTER TWO

Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars. I do not own these characters. They all belong to George Lucas. Mara Jade was created by T. Zahn.

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After Mara left the conference room, Luke's legs gave out from under him and he slowly slid down the wall until he was sitting on the floor.

"What in the Corellian Hells just happened?" Luke muttered to himself as he raked his fingers through his hair and tried to make sense of Mara's actions.

His mind was swirling with conflicting emotions and interpretations of what had just transpired. He could see Mara pulling a practical joke on him, but it seemed uncharacteristic for her to do a prank that involved flirting. Did she intend on seducing him, but panicked at the last minute and decide to pretend it was a joke? Why would she come on to him like…?

"Stang!" Luke moaned as his memory of last week's conversation with Mara flooded back to him.

One Week earlier

"I don't know why you are so reluctant to help your sister out. The money is going to a good cause," Mara said as she blocked Luke's downward lightsaber strike. They had been sparring furiously for the last hour in the Imperial gym. Luke had been off his game all morning and after persistent questioning Mara discovered what he was dreading. He was nervous about the upcoming bachelor slave auction that his sister convinced him into participating.

"I want to help my sister out," Luke replied as he backed away from Mara and closed down his saber, "It is just… well, I really don't want to be put in that position for the weekend."

Mara deactivated her saber and gave Luke a confused look. "And what position would that be, Skywalker?"

Luke bit his bottom lip and turned to the side, rather embarrassed. "Mara, you know what kind of women come to those events and what they are hoping to get."

Mara snorted. "Aren't you are being a little bit arrogant of yourself there, Farmboy? What do you think, all women on Corsucant are dying to fondle your lightsaber?" Mara laughed at him as he felt his face burn red.

"Funny Mara," Luke said through a tight smile. "Why else would women shell out money for men if they don't want to get a little…" Luke hesitated looking for the correct word, "attention from them?"

"Oh, I don't know Skywalker. Maybe they would want to talk to you, get a holo taken with you, show you off to their friends. You are a celebrity of sorts and a war hero. Now if you were one of the hot, sexy Corsucant Firefighters that are slated to be auctioned off that same night, then I would say you were right." Mara grinned, "I am planning on bidding on one of those rescue workers myself."

Luke gazed at Mara in shock. "You are going to bid on men at the auction!" he said incredulously and, he was surprised to realize, with a bit of jealously.

"Sure, why not," she shrugged, "It is for charity. And those firemen look pretty hot. I have a fire they could put out," she gave him a wink.

"You see!" Luke exclaimed, "that's exactly what I am talking about. You want more than conversation. You expect something for what you pay for." Luke grabbed a towel he had thrown in the corner of the workout room and dried the sweat from his face. "That is precisely what I am worried about… being bought by a woman who wants me to perform like a male Rancor in full rut."

Mara looked as if she was about to laugh, but then her face turned solemn. Did she now finally understand how much this really bothered him?

"Luke, you are a grown man, just say no if they come on to you." She walked over to him and gave him a quick reassuring pat on the back. "Don't worry, Luke. I am sure everything will work out for you. It always does. Hey, maybe you will be bought by somebody who doesn't want to get into your pants." She gave him another wink before she took off.



It all makes sense now, Luke thought dejectedly. Mara had bought him to help him out, and then decided to tease him about his concerns. She probably expected him to laugh and thank her for getting him off the hook. Instead what does he do? He gets a raging hard-on!

"Oh Sith," Luke moaned as he buried his head in his hands, "this is so embarrassing. What am I going to do?"

Luke sighed heavily and hung his head in despair. He feared that he permanently altered his longstanding friendship with Mara… and not in a good way. He wouldn't be surprised if Mara blasted off planet to avoid seeing him again.

"Well, I better get to cleaning her apartment," he said to himself as he stood up. He hoped he could get everything done in her quarters and be gone by the time she returned to her place. He definitely did not want to be around when Mara's hot date arrived.

'She probably bought one of those firemen,' Luke thought to himself drearily as he left the room.

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Mara was still laughing when she left the Palace Theater, but as she made her way down the streets of Corsucant her mirth slowly turned to concern. What if Luke was mad at her? If he didn't make the connection between last week's conversation and her little joke, then what in the galaxy would he think of her recent actions? If he really was attracted to her, he could have seen her flirting as being a malicious tease.

Her stomach clenched as she realized her reunion with Skywalker tonight might not turn out well. Mara sighed and her shoulders slumped as she realized she needed to do the one thing she always tried to avoid—apologize. She at least needed to clarify her actions to her friend. Of course, when he realizes the reason for her joke he'd probably be even more embarrassed at his earlier aroused state.

'Maybe I should just be honest with him and put all my cards on the Sabacc table', Mara thought. But what was the truth? Mara was attracted to the Jedi and she enjoyed his company. Today, seeing Luke… in that way, flushed and aroused… just reminded Mara how much she missed the company of a man.

Mara sighed. Before she even considered changing her relationship with the Farmboy to something more… intimate, she really needed to decide if she wanted a relationship or not. She knew when it came to Luke he couldn't have the physical intimacy without there being a romantic connection.

But could she give that to him? She never seriously considered having a relationship with Skywalker. Of course, maybe she never considered it because she never thought he would be interested in her.

Would he even want to have a relationship with her? After all, he was a Jedi and a galactic hero. Luke probably wanted to settle down with some sweet young thing who would adore him and pop out a dozen Jedi Babies for the savior of the New Republic. Not that she was adverse to the idea of having a family, but she had to be realistic. In the eyes of the Galaxy, Mara Jade was not proper marriage material for the Jedi Master.

"What am I thinking?" Mara whispered to herself, shocked by her own thoughts. Yesterday she had a wonderful platonic friendship with Skywalker and after one glimpse at a bulge in his pants she was entertaining thoughts of something much more. She went from considering a tumble between the sheets to marriage and a family within a matter of minutes.

Not just any bulge… a very impressive bulge. 'Stang, if Skywalker ever got in an accident and lost his Force abilities he probably could make a nice living in the holoporn industry,' she thought to herself with a grin.

Mara entered one of Corsucant's many liqueur stores to pick up a couple bottles of her favorite Cardooine sweet wine. 'I think I better go slowly tonight,' Mara thought. 'I don't want to frighten him off... and I don't want to do anything before I know how he feels about me.'

Mara was honest enough with herself to know that her caustic attitude toward the Jedi was a protective measure on her part. She didn't want to have her heart broken by unrequited love. She had always pushed him away with barbs and insults in the past to keep him safely at bay. She always had seen him as something unattainable. Something she could admire from a distance, but could not touch. He was the hero of the Republic and Jedi golden boy. She was an ex-Imperial assassin. But today, she had a fleeting surge of hope that Luke actually saw her as something other than the Former Emperor's Hand and occasional ally.

Today, she realized that Luke saw her as a woman.

Mara smiled as she purchased the wine. Maybe there was hope after all.