CHAPTER FIVE

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Ben had never been so exhausted as he was that morning, not during his first rigorous weeks of lightsaber training, or even after the sleepless seventy hours he spent drafting the military budget proposal last year. Tired beyond measure, but so satisfied that he barely cared.

It might take a little time for Rey to be as happy about their arrangement as he was; she wasn't used to tenderness or luxury. Ben supposed that he would have to shower her in both until she took them for granted.

He found her a place on the outskirts of the city. The windows alone—two-and-a-half stories high—were probably twice the square footage of her former home. He'd come to see her like he'd promised, and had fucked her in her narrow bed. After getting a good look at that ridiculously cheap shoebox apartment, he'd felt prompted to get her something grand. A house with vaulted ceilings, polished wood floors, sparkling white walls. Empty for now, except for Rey's meager boxes of belongings and a bed.

He'd given her money to go shopping later today to furnish the house. Ben barely got a thing done all morning because he was excited to see how Rey had chosen to decorate her new home. What sort of things she might indulge in now that she was rich enough for money to be no object.

He was so distracted that Aila fetched him a cup of caf in the middle of the day without being prompted. It was as overt a reminder to get his shit together as she dared to express.

"Thanks," he said, more grudging than not.

Ransolm Casterfo had endorsed Ben's changes to the education bill, so things were moving along swiftly there. More pressing was the vote to create the position of First Senator. It was in nine days. Things were looking favorable, and there was at least one more Populist who might be swayed across the aisle.

Naturally, he'd been tasked with this job.

Ben called Aila back to his office and said, "Set up a lunch meeting with Senator Perris. Sometime this week, no later."

"I'm on it," she said.

It was as good as done, Ben knew. He'd have to give Aila a raise soon.

By the end of the day, he was so antsy that his hands were shaking, and he spent the whole drive to Rey's house thinking of all the things he'd do to her once he got there. Tickle her, kiss her breathless, fuck her on the bed so thoroughly that she'd cry, then pamper her afterwards.

When he stepped inside, he found Rey's house nearly as empty as it had been this morning. She'd clearly gone shopping, but all she'd managed to purchase were more plants than appropriate for any one person and a ridiculous number of rugs. Ben walked in on Rey tending to her plants, spilling water on a very fancy carpet.

"I like what you've done with the place."

Rey set down her watering can and covered her face with her hands.

"I don't know how to fill up this much space," she said. "There's too much. This is too much."

"Come here," Ben said, but he went to Rey, moved her hands away from her face, and dropped a quick kiss to her frown. "It's all right. You can do this, but there's no hurry. And I really do like the plants."

Rey gave him a feeble smile. "Thanks, I do too."

She twisted her arms around his neck, tousling his hair. "I missed you," she said.

Ben hoped that was true. If she'd missed him already, then perhaps Rey was warming toward him.

But she wasn't happy. He'd somehow made her sad with this spacious house, so much room to build a new life. It was far more than she'd ever had before, and maybe that was the problem. Too many things she wasn't used to.

"I'm going to order in some Nabooian food," Ben said. "It's delicious, I swear. And, well, I'd like to share something of my home with you."

Rey kissed him again, and harder, then dragged him down to the damp rug beneath their feet. After she was finished with him, they ate the decadent feast on the floor, half dressed and sprawled out like savages.

"I'll have Aila scrounge up some stylists to help you out. Do all the shopping for you," Ben said as he fed her a bite of honey-soaked cake. "It was careless of me to just throw this all at you at once."

Rey licked her lips, stretching out on the coarse rug and smiling up at the domed ceiling.

"'S okay." she said. "There are worse problems a girl could have."

Ben hummed in answer. Rey would know all about greater troubles, he supposed, growing up on Jakku. He'd never been himself, but anyone who knew anything about galactic geography had heard that Jakku was the most backwater planet in the Inner Rim, a barely populated wasteland of slaves and junk bosses. He wanted to ask Rey about her childhood there, but this was a soft moment at the end of a day that had been difficult for her, and he couldn't risk ruining it.

"When's your birthday?" he asked. "I don't want to miss it."

Rey shook her head. "I dunno. I just use the middle of the year."

Ben closed his eyes. He didn't want Rey to see pity there, although he'd rarely heard anything sadder. When he looked at her again, she'd turned her face away.

"I'm nineteen, by the best I can figure," she added. "In case you were worried about that."

Ben took a large bite of roasted winter plums and whitefowl to avoid answering. He'd been ignoring the reality of Rey's age. She was eleven years younger than him, and he didn't particularly want to think about that either.

Rey rolled onto her stomach and touched a finger to his nose. "When's yours? I just got this great new job and I can afford to buy you something good."

Ben laughed, only half amused. "Two weeks from tomorrow. I'll be thirty."

"Old man," she teased. "Sure you can keep up with me?"

Ben pushed aside the last of their food, pulled her to him, and said, "That sounds like an invitation."

Rey shrieked as he dragged her to the bedroom, slung over his shoulder.

Two days later, Ben met with Senator Perris at a large restaurant on Kellso Street. It was famous for serving every kind of wine in the galaxy. Exaggeration or not, the selection was excellent.

Setha Perris was a grey-haired, golden-skinned woman. Not quite human but not far from it either. She was famously hardheaded, like most people from Calenthi, and she'd been stubbornly straddling the line between Populist and Centrist for years.

Ben asked Perris about her wife and children, but she cut through his pleasantries with a sharp wave.

"We both know why we're here," she said. "You want to know how I'm voting."

Ben shrugged, took a sip of his Alderaanian wine (still stunned that they had a bottle here), and said, "More or less. I'm also planning to sway you if you're leaning against the proposition."

Perris laughed. "Straightforward. I like that. But I've heard every argument there is, and as much as I appreciate the idea of centralized leadership, I'm not sure the galaxy is ready for it."

"The Empire is over thirty years dead," Ben said flatly. "We're ready."

Perris tapped the tabletop, squinting at him. "You only say that because you weren't alive to witness the war. If you had been, you'd feel differently."

Ben leaned closer. "Maybe so, but there are more present matters to consider. Smaller worlds are getting left behind while larger planets flourish. Slavery and poverty dominate half the galaxy. And the Senate is deadlocked on nearly everything; nothing is being done, and something has to change."

"And those decisions should be left up to one person?" Perris asked. "That's quite a gamble."

Ben wanted to take a quick look into the senator's mind, see where her weaknesses were, how she might be swayed. But he shouldn't, and he didn't.

"Think of Calenthi," he said. "Your homeworld's concerns are being pushed aside. Don't you think the people who voted for you would be better served by stronger leadership?"

Perris gave him a long, worrying look.

"Are you trying to bribe me?" she asked.

"What? No." Ben downed the rest of his wine in one go, which was practically a crime considering the vintage. "How could I? I can't promise what a First Senator, if elected, would do. It could as easily be a Populist as a Centrist."

"Probably will be a Populist if your mother runs," Perris said.

Ben smiled, though he had to keep his teeth gritted to manage it.

Perris promised to think on his argument and kindly allowed him to pay for their lunch. He stayed at their table, and as soon as she was gone, he ordered something stronger than wine.

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Even with the now fully furnished house and a closet full of pretty, though simple clothes, the money sitting in Rey's personal account was uncalled for. Scrolling through the ledger on her holo, it was like Ben moved money when he got bored, deposits at all hours of the night and day.

She knew he was stressed at work, had an important vote coming up very soon, but she hardly thought funneling money to his mistress—who was decidedly not spending it—was a good way to decompress.

Ben brought home three gifts that night: a box of her favorite orange chocolate truffles, a bouquet of scarlet lavablooms, and a broken down speeder.

Rey raised her eyebrows when she saw it. "You shouldn't have."

"It cost less than the flowers," Ben admitted. "I think the old man who sold it to me just wanted to get rid of it."

She kicked the side and a rusty panel fell off.

"Well I can see why." Rey circled the speeder, taking stock of all its broken parts. A lot. "I can't believe this thing still runs. It's held together with spit and hope."

Ben tugged on the end of her braid and said, "I thought you might like to fix it."

"I gathered that." Rey smiled up at him. Did he have any idea how valuable this piece of junk was to her? "Thank you. I've been getting restless, and there's only so much money I can spend a day."

Ben pulled her hand to his mouth and kissed her knuckles. "It's not as if you're trying very hard, sweetheart."

The speeder kept her busy until Ben dragged her away for dinner. It was delightfully ancient, nearly every part needing replaced or repaired, and almost none of them would be available new. She'd have to visit a junkyard (or several!) and the idea excited Rey as much as a diamond necklace might excite another mistress.

That night in bed, when Rey reached beneath the waistband of Ben's linen pajama pants, he stilled her hand. "All right if we just sleep tonight? I'm kind of exhausted."

Rey chewed her lip, tired as well but anxious to show him just how pleased she was with her gifts. "If… if you're sure?" This was what she was here for, to keep him happy in bed. If he began to tire of that, she might very well be the next thing he got bored with.

"Sadly yes." He smoothed Rey's hair away from her forehead. "I promise to wear you out tomorrow."

She couldn't stop the eager nod at his words. So long as he kept wanting her. So long as he kept her. He turned to his side and Rey snuggled up close, spooning him and nuzzling the back of his neck.

"Thank you, Ben," she whispered, her voice dreamy and soft. "I love—everything you got me."

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Ben couldn't sleep, no matter how tired he was. He couldn't stop thinking about how little it took to please Rey. This poor, vulnerable woman-child he'd found at the bottom rung of the city. He kept her well fed on lies, and she ate up all of them.

He had to tell Rey the truth about her Force sensitivity, and soon, before she found out on her own and hated him. She'd leave him for sure then.

Fear spiked through him, so startling and hot that Ben turned over and rolled Rey onto her back.

"Wake up, sweetheart."

Rey smiled up at him, sleepy and soft. "Ben…"

"I changed my mind," he said, and started to pull up her nightdress. "Can I have you?"

Rey nodded, then grabbed his hair and guided him down, until he was between her legs.

He would keep her here, no matter what it took. If he had to spend every credit in his accounts, drag home a thousand junk speeders, get on his knees for her until she couldn't stand it once more, he would do it. He'd give her everything he had, if only she would stay.

He didn't love her, but he wasn't willing to part with her either. Rey was his, bought and paid for.

She tried to keep him in bed with her the next morning, but Ben had to leave. Work would be hellishly demanding until the vote, and he couldn't afford any days off until the next recess.

"I'll be back as soon as I can." Ben kissed the fragile pulse at her wrist, slow and steady from sleep. "Miss me while I'm gone?"

Rey groaned, head thrown back against the pillows. "More than I should."

That admission was almost enough to make him shirk his responsibilities. Almost.

Ben's mother showed up at his office later that afternoon, sans her usual entourage of assistants. It was a rare thing for her to visit. Collaborating with the opposition was poor form, even if the opposition was her son. At least, that was the excuse.

Ben didn't stand to greet her. "You can sit."

Leia claimed the chair across from his desk, one eyebrow raised and mouth thin. Unimpressed or disappointed or both.

Ben set aside his datapad and asked, "What can I do for you?"

"This is a personal visit, not a professional one," she said. "Your father's coming into town in a few weeks, and I thought you might like to have dinner with us."

"Send me the exact dates and I'll check my calendar. Is that all?"

His mother rolled her eyes. "You'll check your calendar? I know what that means, Ben."

That he'd get back to her with an unfortunate schedule conflict and a promise of maybe next time.

"I'll think on it," Ben said, more honestly. "He's been gone for months. Why don't you just get a—"

He didn't finish that question. Divorce was beyond his parents' capabilities, no matter how much sense it made. They still wanted each other, even though they were as ill suited as any two people he'd ever met.

Ben had scorned his parents for their unwise relationship for most of his life, but lately he was starting to understand them better than he'd like to.

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Author's Notes: If you have a chance to leave a review, please let me know what you thought. :)