Chapter Two
Mara turned over in bed, untangling herself from twisted sheets and tossing them aside. She couldn't sleep. Again.
Ever since the night that Luke had come to the club she'd been working, her dreams had been plagued with visions of – what? She'd not seen all the details, but Luke had been thinking about her and him doing things in a romantic nature. She had not heard her name as it escaped his lips, but it had been called out loud and clear through the Force.
Why?
They'd never been anything more than friends. She had seen him in relationships with plenty of women in the past, some more serious than others, but he'd never made a spectacle of his emotions before. It just wasn't like him.
She had looked for him that night when her shift was over, but Luke had left the club posthaste. In the debriefing the next day, he had avoided her completely and she had not pursued him, sensing his horrified embarrassment even after he'd shielded all other thoughts.
That had been a week ago and she had not seen him since. In a way, she was glad. Even now, she wasn't sure how she felt. Angry? Embarrassed? Flattered?
It hadn't been the first time she'd been subjected to men's fantasies while dancing. Back in the days when she'd posed as a dancer and Imperial courtesan in Palpatine's palace, she'd learned at an early age to disregard the thoughts and emotions of her audience. Though typically unpleasant, she acknowledged them peripherally, like the brush of rough fabric over an abrasion, and continued her job.
That night at the strip club had been particularly intense. She'd allowed the mental images emanating from dark corners to wash over her briefly, long enough to attempt to discern harmful intent from a suspect Black Sun agent, then banished them from her mind to disintegrate in the music.
She would have never known that Luke was there if his thoughts hadn't been so powerful. So…passionate.
The visions from his mind tormented her nightly now: blazing blue eyes, sweat-damped blond hair, strong arms holding her close, his tender touch bringing her pleasures she'd never known…
Her breath caught in her chest and she sat straight up. Damn him. She didn't get flustered over a man. Ever. Certainly not Luke Skywalker.
They were friends. Friends who happened to work exceptionally well together and had connected in the Force even before they'd met, but still just friends. And sure, he was attractive and well-put-together; she had discovered exactly how well-put-together once at the Jedi academy when she'd caught him skinny dipping in a local lake…
"Arrggghh...stop thinking about him," she groaned.
Abandoning sleep, she climbed out of bed and made her way to the refresher where she splashed cold water repeatedly over her face. There was another debriefing this afternoon at NRI headquarters. Perhaps it was time to talk to him and clear the air. Or at least find a reason to be irritated enough at him to forget the kriffing dreams.
.
.
.
Luke wasn't there when she arrived in the large conference room, but she felt him enter shortly afterwards. He stood at the back against a wall so that she could not see him unless she turned around in her seat.
"If everybody would please take your seats we will start this briefing," Colonel Staven, the commander of the Internal Security Division of the New Republic Intelligence, announced to the large gathering of law enforcement personnel, intelligence officers and Jedi in attendance. A silence fell over the crowd as everybody found a seat and looked up at the commander expectantly.
"I called this meeting because as of 0200 hours today we finally made a break in this case." The announcement met with a few cheers, but mainly a collective sigh from the group who had been searching so diligently for clues for the last few weeks.
The colonel smiled. "It seems that our discrete offer of an award has loosened some tongues and a young informant came forward last night with the information we have been looking for. The Black Sun is operating out of the Naughty Imperial nightclub in sector twenty-six." The officer paused for a moment, making sure he had everybody's attention, then continued.
"This information couldn't have come to us at a better time because the informant claims that the weapons shipment will be coming in tomorrow night. I sent a couple of our deep operatives to the club to try to verify the information and they have informed me there is an increased security presence, plus at least one Black Sun operative at the location. The buy is supposed to go down at 2300 hours. We will have undercover agents covering the entire city grid area surrounding the club to prevent escape. I intend to send in an undercover team two hours prior to the buy to reconnoiter the main floor and to act as an early warning system of movement inside the facility. At 2310 hours I will send in my breaching team to storm the building and make the arrests."
The colonel nodded to his aide. A young lieutenant, who didn't look old enough to be wearing a uniform, began handing out datachips to the crowd.
"These chips have the details of the mission plan and the old blueprints of the building. It will be 'couples' night at the club, so, unless there is an objection, I would like to send Master Skywalker and Mara Jade in as our undercover reconnoiter team." The colonel looked up expectantly at Mara and Luke.
Mara tensed. This would be awkward going undercover as a romantic couple… holding his hand, perhaps kissing.
"I don't think that is a good idea," Luke spoke up, interrupting Mara's thoughts. "I think it would be best if I went in with a female NRI officer and Mara stayed outside with the command team."
Mara whirled around. "And why is that, Skywalker?" Regardless of what had happened in that club last week, this was business. And she did not back down from a challenge.
Luke glanced at Mara uncomfortably, not looking her in the eyes. "I think it would be best to not have all our Jedi resources in the same location. I am just being practical. If Black Sun jams communications, we still could communicate with each other through the Force. We would have a way to get a SITREP back to command if there were any problems."
Mara's eyes narrowed. That explanation sounded good… in fact it sounded rehearsed, as if he had come prepared with an excuse to avoid her on this mission. And there was no denying that he was avoiding her. Luke barriers were up tight, but Mara could still sense his disingenuousness.
"Jedi Jade," Colonel Staven said. "Do you have any objections to remaining with me at the command post? We will be located in a warehouse across the street."
Mara tore her eyes away from Luke and turned back to the division chief. "No," she said evenly. "I have no objections."
The colonel nodded his head. "Good, I will give you all time to review the report, brief your teams and rehearse. We will meet back here tomorrow at 1800 hours for a final mission briefing. Dismissed."
Everybody stood and started milling through the aisle, most heading for the doorway. Mara quickly stood and moved to the back of the room to talk to Skywalker, but he was already gone.
She pushed her way through the crowd and into the corridor. Glancing down the hallway, she spotted Luke heading toward the lift.
Luke was almost to the lift doors when she caught up with him. "Hey!" she called out.
He stopped, his shoulders visibly tensing, and turned to face her. "Mara," he said simply.
"You got a minute?"
"Sure," he answered, avoiding eye contact.
Mara spotted an empty conference room and motioned him toward it. He followed her but stayed close to the door even after it was shut.
"Any particular reason why you don't want to work with me? The real reason." Mara challenged, not sure what else to say.
Luke answered quietly, "I think you know why."
"Right." She studied him carefully. "And you don't have anything to say to me about it?" If she could goad him into an argument, she could think about that tonight instead of how good he looked in those snug, black pants.
Sighing heavily, he met her gaze squarely for the first time. "I'm sorry."
Mara blinked. "You're sorry? That's it?" Damn, he was hard to fight with.
"What else do you want me to say, Mara?"
She wanted him to say something infuriating so she'd have a reason to get mad and ignore those brilliant blue eyes. "Sorry for what? That you got caught having sexual fantasies about me?"
"I didn't break any laws," he retorted. "But I am sorry-" he swallowed and his voice softened. "I am sorry if I, in any way, humiliated you."
Humiliated? Mara was briefly taken aback. From what she'd seen, she had been anything but humiliated by him. Quite the opposite, in fact.
She shook her head. "No."
Silence settled awkwardly between them until Luke reached for the control panel to the door. "Well, if we're done then-"
"Why me?" she asked quickly before she could lose her nerve. "Or is it your custom to fantasize about every scantily-clad dancer you see?"
Luke paused in the doorway, glancing hesitantly over his shoulder. He opened his mouth as it to speak and then closed it again. Even through his shields, she could tell he was weighing his words carefully. "No," he finally answered. "Just you."
Then he left, leaving Mara more confused than ever.
.
.
.
Dreams assailed her again that night, but not from anything Luke had imagined. Instead, her dreams took her back to a recent encounter they'd had aboard the Starry Ice…
She stands braced against the airlock bulkhead as his body flies toward her from open space. As he neared she moved out to attempt to catch her zero-gravity human missile. 'Welcome aboard', she says waking him out of his trance. She catches him with her hands and the Force and falls backward, grunting under his weight.
He smiles down at her and the look in his eyes makes her suddenly and acutely aware of his knees straddling her and his arms pinning her wrists to the floor.
"So, you want to get off me or were you just getting comfortable?"
"Actually," he murmurs, lowering his hips onto hers. "I think I could get very comfortable like this."
Without another word, he leans down and kisses her. His advance is bold and unchaste and she parts her lips to allow him full access. She feels his maleness pressed against her and her body responds, growing warm. She rocks her hips against him, experimentally, to increase the friction. He moans, whispering into her ear, I want you.
"Luke!" Her senses explode with desire. "Take me!" she gasps...
"Ahh!" Mara awoke with a start, panting up at the ceiling of her bedroom. The details of the dream were already fading but she found her hands trembling in excitement and her heart pounding with intense arousal.
Damn him...
.
.
.
Luke! Take me!
Across the city, Luke was jolted from sleep, flooded with sensations of arousal and desire from…
He sat up, looking out the window. "Mara?"