12. Dinner For Two

'This woman is going to be the end of me,' was Vader's thought as Aurren entered the room. The pale green dress she wore clung to her body in all of the perfect places. She seemed to glide as she walked into the room, and he found himself at a loss for words- any words. He had appointed his own personal tailor to create a wardrobe for Miss Farr. Her measurements were surprisingly found on her personal information file, and were confirmed by the ships laundry workers. He left everything up to the tailor and her assistant, only telling them that she should be prepared for anything that might come up- but that everything must be perfect, the work on her garments should have the same quality his had. The dress she wore fit like an absolute dream as his eyes traveled down her body admiring her tone arms, firm breasts, tiny waist, full curving hips, and perfect legs.

Next thing he knew, she was standing directly in front of him, and he was completely tongue-tied. He was saved from having to say anything by the sound of her voice.

"Good evening Lord Vader, I hope I haven't kept you waiting."

"Of course not, Miss Farr, you are in fact early, please sit." If it hadn't been for the mask, he would have kissed her hand, but he couldn't, so he settled for personally pulling out her chair and seating her.

'There's that smile again, damn it," he thought as she thanked him, again, and he seated himself.

He pressed a button on a small controller, and in seconds, several protocol droids entered with dozens of steaming trays full of food. One more entered with a decanter of wine, and poured a glass for Aurren. She did not fail to notice that Vader had not been served.

'Of course he's not eating with me… if he even eats… I wonder what's really under that mask…' she thought as she took a long draught of her wine.

Aurren put on her best manners and ate delicately while Vader explained the mission to her, not once taking his eyes off of her the entire time. They would be taking out a small ship tomorrow to scout the area and pick a few places to survey for the construction sight. Once they chose a location, she would refine her plans to the landscape and then would come the hard work. Not just construction, but the two of them overseeing every aspect of it, down to the smallest detail. It was very evident that they would soon be spending a large amount of time together.

As he continued telling her all about the mission, his mind lingered on other things… like the fact that she had 2 dimples in her left cheek and only one in her right… or that he had never seen anyone make eating look sexy- even his ex-wife and former queen Padme Amidala who had more perfect manners than anyone else in the world would look like a heathen eating next to her. Oh, and her skin… so sinfully white. Staring at the curves of her breasts at the top of her dress made him wonder if the rest of her body was covered with the same silken white skin.

He finished talking about the same time he finished ogling her. She had said not much more than the obedient "Yes my lord," or "No, my lord", and his patience was wearing thin as he chided himself for once more viewing her like a piece of meat.

He had to get out of there. The longer they sat at the table, the more he stared unabashedly at her from behind his guise. At the present time, he was telling her that they would need to find a stone quarry that could provide the proper material for construction- but his words fell from his mouth as if her were on auto-pilot. His mind was consumed with the way she gazed at him intently as he spoke- even more so with the way she unconsciously ran her finger slowly around the rim of her wine goblet.

"So as you may see, we have quite a bit of work in store for us, and it may mean we have to stay here for a while."

"My lord, if I may?"

"Yes, please Miss Farr, speak."

"Thank you my lord. I just wanted to tell you that I will do my best to make sure everything is just as you would like it. I know that I've spent the past few years only designing for the military- and also that I was chosen because of my technical knowledge on security matters… but I want to assure you that I can do this. I have dreamed of a project like this since I first saw the Royal Palace here on Alderaan when I was young."

The spill of words from her lips was like music to his ears. The way she spoke was captivating. It was always fascinating to see someone speak with passion.

"I truly appreciate the chance you have granted me lord," she continued, "and especially for your kindness. This home is breathtaking- it is a dream to me. Just to be able to see it is a gift- and I would not be here if it weren't for you. So- thank you lord. I promise I will not fail you."

Her eyes remained on him as she finished. She really did appreciate simply the chance to at least try to do this project.

Vader knew he should say something, but all he drew was a blank. Her sudden outpouring of thanks and pure gratitude was something he had not felt in a long time- and he really could feel it. Hell, the last time he had felt that transcendent feeling of gratitude had been… he couldn't remember… it must have been sometime- oh…my…- during the clone wars. He felt a chill race up his spine and then rose suddenly from his chair.

"Miss Farr-" he couldn't think, "-you needn't thank me. You were chosen by the Emperor to get first shot at designing the palace. You are obviously the best person for the job and you have proven it through the work you have already prepared." The words seemed to come from his mouth before he could even think them. "I do look forward to collaborating with you my lady. Please, enjoy the home. We will depart around 0900 hours tomorrow morning. I am going to retire now. If you need me for anything, my rooms are at the opposite end of the hall from yours."

When he had said he was leaving, Aurren rose from her chair. Once more, Vader got the full view of her tiny body in that sinful green dress.

"Thank you my lord. I will be ready at 0900. Goodnight, My Lord."

"Goodnight, Miss Farr," Vader replied, a softness in his voice he hadn't heard in a long, long time. With a swirl of his cloak, he disappeared from the room through the hidden doors.

As soon as the door closed behind him, Aurren slumped back in the chair. She was exhausted. Through her nervousness she had drunk several goblets of wine- the droids constantly refilling her cup once it got close to empty. It only added to the spin in her head from the whirlwind of events in the day. She felt so many things at once: joy from the beautiful home and finally doing work she loved; apprehension just from being here on Alderaan; sadness from the memories of her childhood; and finally, confusion when it came to Lord Vader.

She desperately wanted to explore the home, but the late hour, coupled with the storm in her head and the wine, made her craving for sleep stronger. The next few days, according to Vader, would be leisurely- she would have plenty of time to investigate later. Now…now she would get more acquainted with that luxuriously fluffy bed.

next chapter, fic rating will raise to M! be warned!