#spacedarcy

“I’m nervous, I just really want to win, and they are making these martinis way stronger than they should be,” he grouses, leaning more heavily against the ballistraude to pout. Poe snickers from the ground floor and Rey waves down the bartender, ordering a water.

“Here, drink this,” she tells him, shoving the glass under his nose after striding up to stand next to him. Finn grunts in thanks and turns to smile down at her as he drank. “All of it, we still need to get you home after this, when did you become such a lightweight?” she laughs, punching him lightly in the arm, making him spill water down his chin.

“Rey, rude,” Finn pouts, but Rey isn’t paying attention to him anymore, because she has found their mark.

“I’ll be right back,” she mumbles, eyes catching Finn’s one last time before she moves to follow him, muting her mic. The good thing about Kylo, is that he’s stupidly tall, which made him easy to follow, the bad thing is, he’s stupidly tall, so he has long legs and travels pretty fast. Rey curses her decision to wear the heels tonight as she pushes through the crowd, following a dark, maddingly glorious head of hair. Not that she ever thought about it, much, or complained with Rose that hair that nice was wasted on a man, no matter how good looking. At least he hadn’t been equally as blessed with enviable eyelashes, and what the fuck what she doing right now.

He turns down a hall and Rey edges around a throng of people talking and makes the same turn. She’s taken maybe five steps before a hand shoots out from an alcove and she yelps as she’s pulled into it.

“Rey?” he asks, seeming shocked to find her in front of him. “You’re following me.” He frowns now, and Rey huffs a little, wriggling in the small space.

“Do you make it a habit of pulling people you suspect of following you into small spaces like this?” She peers up at him, and realizes they’ve never actually been this close before and this was probably not the best plan based on the way her pulse is now racing.

“Sorry.” He’s so tall, and looks so abashed that Rey can’t help but smile. “You were following me though, what are you even doing - hang on, this is about the bet, isn’t it?”

“What are you talking about? I love coming to the casino when the mood strikes. I was just leaving the bar when I thought I saw you, and, you know,” she waves a hand at him, accidentally backhanding him in the chest as she rambles “friendly face, thought we could maybe play a few rounds together.” She’s attempting to burn a hole through his shirt with her eyes, just to avoid lying straight to his face.

“You came here alone?” he asks, shifting his stance and drawing his arms up to cross them right in front of her line of sight. There is only one problem: they’re standing so close he definitely brushes against her front and she glares up at him, ignoring the way her nipples readily jump to attention at the touch. “Sorry,” he mumbles, and she thinks he might be blushing.

“I’m not here alone. Girls night.”

“Liar,” he smirks, and Rey fleetingly thinks he should probably do that more often, because he looks really good with the hint of a smile dancing at the corners of his eyes. “The whole team is here, aren’t they?” he asks, and Rey quickly shakes her head no, but it displaces her hair just enough that he can see the earpiece and he laughs. “I believe, my dear, you have been caught.”

Rey doesn’t care that it’s clearly sarcasm, his choice of phrase does something to her, a riot of butterflies suddenly fluttering within her. She rests her head back against the wall ignoring the sudden uptick in chatter in her ear as Poe and Rose realize she’s wandered off while Finn just keeps slurring ‘it’s fine’ at them. “Maybe that the was plan,” she drops her voice a register, trying for sultry, and watching his eyebrows pinch together. Rey has completely abandoned the original plan, but this one, she hopes fleetingly, will work out better in the long run. She shifts again, deliberately brushing her breasts against his crossed arms as she stands to her full height in her heels and hears him suck in a sharp breath at the contact. “Would you like to hear the rest of the plan, you know, since I’ve been caught and all.” Her fingers dance towards the belt loops on his pants and he tries to flinch away from her, but there’s nowhere to go, except flat against the wall.

“Rey,” his voice caught somewhere between a gasp and a groan, “we can’t - what are you -”

Her hands find their mark, index fingers looping through and pulling tight as his arms relax and unfold to settle at her hips. She hardly has to move, just a slight push up onto her toes and her lips just barely brush his. She smiles against his mouth when his fingers clench around her and she delights in the small noise he releases when she catches his lower lip with her teeth. “Kiss me,” she breathes, takes a moment to pull away to look him in the eye while she whispers, “Ben.” Rey shouldn’t be surprised when he does exactly that, but she is, and she feels the rumble of his laugh through his chest at the noise she makes when she’s the one suddenly back against the wall.

Three years, it had been three years since Leia hired her, and introduced Rey to her son, Ben (but don’t tell him, I told you his real name, that idiot son of mine is running around calling himself Kylo Ren, and that’s fine by me, as long as he’s back home) and Rey found herself with an inappropriate interoffice crush. She knew he wasn’t stupid, saw the way she looked at him sometimes, the same way Rey caught him looking at her. They were idiots for not doing something before now.

It’s desperate and hungry and messy and when he wedges his thigh between her legs Rey can’t stop the moan that builds low in her throat. He drags his mouth away from hers, leaving wet sloppy kisses against the line of her jaw as her left hand lifts and she cards her fingers through his hair while he works his way to her throat and then it’s his turn to moan when Rey shifts against him, letting her weight fall onto his leg, pressing into him, body warm and wanting for more as her other hand curls carefully around his back. Why had they waited so long, she thinks hazily, jolting when his teeth sink in where neck meets shoulder and sucks hard for a moment. Rey trembles against him as his tongue laves against the spot, soothing what she knew would be quite the mark.

“I’m waiting,” Ben hums against her skin, one hand drifting below the hem of her dress to find purchase on the bare skin of her thigh.

“Yeah, I’ve been waiting too,” she says breathlessly, cheek pressing against his ear as his mouth continues to work on her exposed skin. His laugh is a tickle of air across her shoulder and she jolts, realizing what he actually means. “Oh - oh, the plan,” she moans when he deliberately shifts his thigh beneath her, the pressure and friction causing a jolt of pleasure to shoot through her body. She pulls away, chest heaving. “Got it.” There, held between her middle and ring fingers of her right hand is Han’s business card. A loud cheer from somewhere down the hall, overlaid by the sounds of the slot machines half a hall and a balcony away jolts Rey back into awareness of just where they are. Through the earpiece she can hear Rose fussing over Finn, who still kept assuring them it was fine and she could hear Poe grunt as he smothered a laugh. Right, they were totally in public right now.

“What - when?” His pupils blown wide and Rey smiles softly at him, tugging gently on the hair that she was still running her fingers through before kissing the corner of his mouth.

“Before the kiss, actually,” she tells him, moving to tuck the card down the front of her dress, watching as his eyes darken further. She runs her hand up his chest, winding it around his neck to meet her other before pulling him even closer still. “I beleive that means we’ve won.” Rey laughs at the disappointed groan Ben releases and she shifts her hips closer to his, finally bumping against the erection that tented his pants, making Ben moan as she shifts again. “Don’t be such a spoilsport, it doesn’t suit you,” she teases.

“I didn’t even feel you take it,” he grumbles, moving away from her gently before adjusting himself in his pants while looking out of the alcove to make sure no one was watching them.

Rey rights her dress and smiles up at him, “A story for another time, but I wouldn’t be much of a pickpocket if you had felt me take it. Now,” she runs her fingers through her hair as she watches him fidget and try not to show his surprise, “let me let everyone know I’m fine.”

“And that you won.”

“And that I won,” Rey laughs lightly, switching on her mic once more. “Rogue squadron, this is Scavenger reporting.” She frowns at Ben when he snorts before she shrugs, flicking at his bicep in retaliation.

“Jesus, Rey, where have you been?!” Poe nearly shouts into the ear piece, making Rey wince.

“Oh, so we aren’t using the dumb names you came up with now? Even though I’ve completed the mission?”

“Yes we aren’t using the - you did what?” he is still yelling and Rey reaches for Ben’s hand, gripping it tightly before stomping back through the hall and the crowd to where she had left Finn, and sure enough, the rest of the team is there, fussing and anxious.

“I got the card,” Rey growls, plucking it from where it’s tucked against her chest and waving it at Poe.

“Girl, you definitely got more than just the card.” Rose drawls with a wink, leaning against the railing as Finn leaned against her. “Lips like that, I want to hear everything about it.”

Ben coughs from behind Rey, “Need I remind you, that I am your superior, Tico?”

“Meh, laterally,” Rose brushes him off, “but please feel free to let your mom know exactly why you’re throwing your weight around trying to get me fired. Honestly, you’d have a better time if you were throwing your weight against Rey, if you know what I’m saying.”

“Everyone knows what your saying, Rose, that was the least subtle thing I’ve ever heard come out of your mouth,” Poe groans, pinching at his nose as he takes several steps away from Finn and Rose, “how many drinks have you had?”

“None! I was counting cards!” she defends, kicking out at Poe.

“Shit, Rose, say that louder,” Rey hisses, taking a step away from the loud cheater, only to bump into Ben, who steadies her with a hand on her hip, while looking like he’s fighting a laugh.

“Please, they can afford to lose the money, it’s a goddamn casino. Odds are stacked for the house to win.” Her eyes dancing in delight as she took in her two kiss-mussed coworkers. “Alright, Finn, lets get you home.”

“It’s Bond, James Bond.” He slurs at them all, leaning forward a bit too far and stumbling, but Rose and Poe are ready to catch him.

“You’re a mess, buddy,” Poe sighs, slinging an arm around Finn.

“They were strong martinis!” Finn defends, letting himself be dragged forward and towards the elevator.

“See you kids on Monday!” Poe calls over his shoulder.

“You’re barely two months older than I am, Poe!” Ben shouts back.

“Counts!”

Ben lifts a middle finger to Poe’s back and Rey laughs before stopping abruptly when Ben turns to look at her. “I should go,” she chirps, “Finn told us your mom said you actually come here to play, and I’m sure -” Ben’s mouth met hers again, quick and hard. “Oh,” she sighs when he pulls away.

“I have two questions,” Ben says, leading them to stand in the space Rose and Finn had vacated, “one, what kind of terrible location are you guys picking? Two, would you like to get dinner with me?”

“What, now?” Rey asks, she didn’t know what time it was, but it had to be nearly ten.

“Yes, now.”

“Uhhh, okay, sure, yes. I would love to.”

“Perfect, there’s a restaurant downstairs I think you’ll love. Now, about the location.”

Ben’s hands tighten the silk a hair more than comfortable, thrown off by her statement. “Excuse me?”

She brushes her hand next to her ear, though there’s no stray hair to push back. A nervous tick, perhaps. “I’m going along as security.”

He turns and narrows his eyes at her. It’s hard to determine the amount of muscle, or perhaps weapons, hidden beneath the ill-fitting garments. Still, it doesn’t matter. “I don’t need a bodyguard,” he dismisses.

“I’m not–” she starts, then cuts off the thought, as if calculating her approach, trying to gauge how he’ll react even before she delivers her retort. “I’m not here for you. I’m here to ensure these make it back to your uncle.”

He blinks – once, twice. “You’re here to protect my accessories?”

She places the briefcase on the coffee table in front of the loveseat, putting in a combination and scanning a fingerprint to open the latches. The girl turns the case in his direction; inside are a gold watch ringed with an inlay of diamonds, an equally bedecked tie clip, and golden cufflinks in the shape of dice which belonged to his father. She waves her hand over the family jewels like she’s a model on The Price is Right.

“Luke said they’re invaluable,” she reports. “Irreplaceable.”

His uncle may be on to something there, but it doesn’t change Ben’s attitude about having a shadow all evening. Growing up as an ambassador’s son, he’s long since had his fill of someone watching his every step. Then there’s the fact that he doesn’t wish to wear the pieces in the first place; it was only at his mother’s insistence that he agreed, only at the reminder that the award he’s presenting is to honor his late father that he gave in.

“They have more sentimental value than anything else. There’s no reason for you to stay,” he repeats, taking up the watch and sliding it over his wrist.

“With all due respect, Mr. Solo–”

“Ben,” he abbreviates with a wince, finally understanding why his mother hates when people address her as ma’am; he doesn’t want to be a mister anything in this girl’s eyes. “Formalities aren’t necessary.”

Her shoulders set against the friendly shift in his formerly detached tone. She won’t be turned from her duty. “I don’t take my orders from you.”

She’s staring him down more intensely than any sponsor or politician ever has, all over some baubles that his uncle dug out of the Skywalker vault. She looks just as ready to lay him out on the floor as she looks ready to protect him from red-carpet thieves. And, while he wasn’t sure at first, he now believes she’s capable of both.

Ben decides then that he likes her – that even as his exasperation grows, so does his respect.

His curiosity has always been an insatiable thing, and it’s found someone new to whet its appetite. They’ve only just met, but he finds himself with a list of questions on the tip of his tongue. Everything from the mundane, comprehensive where are you from? types to the ones which will synthesize her personal philosophies and life goals into a deeper understanding of who she is. He wants to listen as her dreams fall from her full, pink lips.

Restraint, he scolds himself, tamping down on the romantic notions that pop up suddenly, unexpectedly, while meeting brown eyes that seem to see him, not the founder of a startup so successful that they can hold a celebratory gala. She’s here for a job, not a date.

“Fine,” he acquiesces, sliding the tie clip into place and holding out his hand to her for the cufflinks. “I guess that makes you my plus one.”

An eyebrow stretches tall as she drops the cufflinks into his open palm, then retracts her hand. “Does that actually work for you?”

His neck heats, and he does his best to look sheepish. “What? You’ve been tasked to keep my uncle’s valuables safe, haven’t you Miss…?”

If you want to know her, you should probably start with her name, he thinks belatedly.

“Rey,” she finishes, not backing down from the way he leans forward into her space. She isn’t intimated.

“Rey,” he repeats, drawing the name across his lips slowly. And, just like that, he needs another day – maybe a week – to understand her, to have the opportunity to say her name again and again.

Her eyes go dark, arms crossing over her chest. “I can do my job from the sidelines.”

“Where’s the fun in that?” His grin is a challenge as he secures the cufflinks in place and shakes his wrists to settle his shirt. He moves to the closet and unzips the garment bag holding his suit jacket, then slips into it with a shrug. “I’m only trying to make your job easier, Rey.”

“You are, huh?” She takes a step toward him, closing the distance between them in a bold move that stirs something within him.

“As my guest, you’d be able to keep your eye on…things.”

He nearly says me but chickens out at the last moment. It’s been a long time, too long, since he’s tried to openly flirt with anyone. It’s not something he should be focused on anyway: he should be focused on the queasiness rolling through his stomach at the thought of the speech he has to deliver in a little under two hours.

“Oh, I won’t be letting you out of my sight,” she guarantees, casually pulling the lapels of his jacket closer, as if she’s done it for years. She taps her index finger against the jeweled tie clip. “Alright. You’ve got yourself a plus one.”

“Excellent.” His hand motions up and down in the air, indicating her attire. “Of course, you can’t go like that.”

Now it is her turn to flush with color, though she quickly places her hands on her hips and puffs out her slight chest; it practically grazes his own. In a pointed tone, she reminds him, “I dressed to blend into the background.”