Disclaimer: Not mine, not paid. Love ‘em, all the same. Oh yeah.

Thanks: To dear Jacqui, who corrals my excess commas and to Rion, my own Big Bad Man, who contributes great dialog.

Rating: NC/15, on account of nudity. Down that slippery slope I mentioned…

Feedback: Oh yes, kind readers. I grovel nicely, do tricks even. Praise or gripe, it's appreciated, especially if you like a particular bit. To read the previous three chapters or any of my other stories, click on my name. Makes a lot more fun when you’ve read the lead-up.

The Birthday Gift

Chapter Four Jayne quickly made his way back to Serenity where he caught a quick shower and changed into clean clothes, holstered a reasonably discreet sidearm, and began to track the two women.

It wasn’t really so difficult. After all, Inara Sera was a Registered Companion, a beautiful woman whose business it was to get noticed. And take note of her folks had, from the dock registry clerk to a newsboy to a street side vendor.

The trail that Inara and Kaylee left was as clear to a man with Jayne’s skills as if someone had followed them with a trumpet, announcing their passage. Of course, the fact that Jayne was motivated by his lust-fueled imagination certainly didn’t hurt, either.

Their trail ended at a handsome old boarding house, reasonably up-scale, perhaps the sort of place the Companion might go with her clients. Or had she decided to make an exception to her “no servicing the crew” for little Miss Kaylee?

The thought made the merc’s mouth curl in a wry grin. Oh yeah, now that would be something to see. After all, Kaylee was often given to disappearing into Inara’s shuttle and on those occasions, much giggling and low girl talk could occasionally be heard. The possibilities were definitely titillating and it wasn’t as if Jayne could just walk up to the front door and ask if the Companion and his occasional girlfriend were tickling each other’s fancies somewhere upstairs.

Jayne scouted the surroundings of the old place, a task easily accomplished in the growing dusk, and noted a series of tall windows that gave him a reasonably clear view of the upstairs hall and several of the rooms. Figuring he’d be able to see more once it was dark and folks had lit their lamps, he leaned back against a large tree and waited patiently.

Soon after dark his patience was rewarded. The merc’s sharp eyes were drawn to one of the windows by the flicker of lamplight, and soon after, a clearly nude woman stood softly silhouetted at the same window for a moment before drawing the curtains. No doubt about it, that woman was Kaylee.

Jayne thought about the situation for a minute and weighed the possibilities of what might occur if he was to interrupt the two women. Upon reflection, he concluded that, with neither of them armed, the worst they could do was hurl breakables at him. Who knew – perhaps by that point they’d have gotten their second wind and be ready for a little help from someone well equipped and sincerely willing to contribute to the fun.

Might as well be hung for a sheep as a lamb, his mama used to tell him, and the hung part of him was definitely encouraging him to continue. He quietly made his way around to the back of the building and finding the door to the laundry open, slipped carefully inside. The laundry opened onto a set of back stairs and he gently tiptoed up them, praying he wouldn’t hit a creaking board or run into anyone. At the top of the stairs, he opened the door just a crack and saw that it gave way onto the main upstairs hall which had been visible to him from outside. Good, he thought, ‘means I’m close.

At the far end of the hallway, just outside of the last door, sat a small tea table with a cake resting on it -- a birthday cake decorated with pink frosting and fresh strawberries. That could only mean two things and there was no longer a doubt in Jayne’s mind where Kaylee was.

At this point, it also dawned on him why Kaylee had been in such a funk - this must be her birthday! Glancing quickly from side to side, he found the hallway clear and quickly made his way to the end. With great care, he tried the doorknob and realized the door was locked from within. Ai ya – it figured.

He’d done his share of burglary in years past and with great care, he used the tip of his knife to flip the tumbler of the lock, then crouched to peek through the keyhole. Big bed, no women – hmm…

He eased the door open and peered around the edge. Only the faintest hint of Inara’s jasmine perfume, so it looked like he’d have Kaylee-girl all to himself, not such a bad outcome all in all. No one in the bedroom, although he could see candlelight on the wall though the slightly open door to the bath.

With all the stealth he could muster, Jayne picked up the cake and set it on the dresser, closing and softly re-latching the door. Mouse-quiet, he slipped back to the dresser, scooped up a big glob of pink frosting from the edge of the cake and popped it into his mouth then unbuckled his gun belt and slipped off his boots and socks before tip-toeing over to the other door.

Wuo de ma! In the middle of the biggest bathtub that Jayne had ever seen floated Kaylee in all her naked glory, her head cradled on a rolled up towel and her breasts bobbing in the foam. Her angelic face was turned toward him, but her eyes were closed and the soft rhythm of her breath told him that she was asleep.

The puckered tips of her breasts glistened wetly and her hair eddied, dark and wet. Small clumps of bubbles clung in places to her lithe, floating limbs, the sight of her just plain delicious. At the junction of her gently parted thighs, through the drifting wrack of dark curls, he glimpsed the tender flower of her sex. Thank you, God, he thought.

For a full five minutes he simply stood and looked, drinking in the luscious beauty of the woman who had become his lover. Yes, he admitted. That was how he thought of her -- his lover, not just someone for casual sexin’. Someone who gave him peace and comfort, someone who made him laugh and helped to ease the shame and self-doubt that always stalked him. This woman stirred his soul, made his body ache and bewildered the hell out of him. Now what to do about all that?

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(To be continued...)