Desire's Deception
Firefly Fanfic

Chapter Rating: Hard R for adult-type concepts
Pairing: Jayne Cobb/Inara Serra

Authors notes:

1) Y'all know I don't own a bit of this… just paying homage to the great Joss as best I can manage.
2) Unbeta'd… sew theirs bound two bee a few goofs, though eye did ewes spell check. ;P.

This chapter for my cohort & fellow Jaynara aficionado , BigBadJayne … thanks for all the great comments and encouragement. Hope this may brighten your day a bit, feel better… more to come. ;D

.~.~.~

Chapter 2 ~ Finding

Aboard the Transport Ship Serenity...

.

"…at no time will I be servicing you, nor anyone under your employ…"

Jayne paused on the catwalk, letting the sweet-dark mix of exotic flowers and rare oils fill his nose. If the lingering scent of expensive perfume didn't grab his attention, the honey-smooth woman's voice flowing out through the open shuttle port would have.

In precise, lyrical tones that carried into the cargo bay, she was setting the rules, for the record. Making sure the captain of this boat didn't get any fancy ideas about taking his shuttle rent out in trade.

Jayne swallowed a chuckle. Right about now, Mal was prob'ly scratching his head, that a woman who made her coin between the sheets, would be so firm against using her professional skills as currency with the captain.

But it made perfect sense to the ship's gun-hand. A client was a temporary thing. Wine 'em, dine 'em, screw 'em, leave 'em with a smile and a memory they'd carry the rest of their lives.

But this was gonna be her home, if Mal would agree to the terms. She had to have some level of privacy, and allowing the captain to avail himself of her wares would cause more complications than it solved, even under normal circumstances.

Out in the Black, it could give a captain the sense that he had sway over her. That he could come and go as he pleased, and order her business. Even an unschooled, Rim-born soul like Jayne could see why she couldn't allow that weed to take roots and grow.

An independent business woman like a high-class Companion wouldn't want to blur the lines between what was owed and what was expected. Wouldn't give Malcolm Reynolds that kind of power over her.

Jayne applauded the little lady's shrewdness, despite her inclusion of the phrase, 'anyone in your employ.' He could see how that would also need to be spelled out, in order to suit her plans.

The mercenary smiled to himself as he sauntered on down to the hold and started pumping iron. Things on Serenity was about to get a mite more interesting.

.~.~.~

"So we're agreed on the terms, Ms. Serra?"

Jayne looked up from his workout bench, pushing the weighted bar away from his chest and letting it slam into the holding rack. Sitting up, he swiped at his brow and neck with his towel, watching the two of them seal the deal at the ramp.

He let his eyes drink their fill of her, from the dainty, embroidered slippers on her feet to the elegant veil over her lustrous ebony hair. Gods, just looking at her standing there made his fingers ache to twine his themselves through those curls, bury his face in her hair. She caught a glance of him looking her over, and her breath caught, quickly recovered.

"I believe we are, Captain Reynolds," the woman smiled with practiced courtesy, only the slightest gleam in her eye to hint that she was more than pleased with the arrangement.

"Well… good," Mal said, giving Jayne a warning glare after seeing the lady's reaction. Jayne smirked at the man, swinging around to sit with his elbows on his knees as swiped the sweat from his face. "Good, then. We break atmo this evening, if that gives you enough time to pack?"

"My belongings are already prepared for transit, Captain. I'll notify the courier from the Training House to deliver them posthaste," she assured him, nodding toward Jayne across the cargo bay. "Although some of the trunks are rather weighty. If you have no objections, I'll pay your hired man over there to port them up into the shuttle?"

"Pay – what? No! No need for – Jayne!" Mal barked, pinning him with what passed for a decent captainy stare. "Ms. Serra here will be flying with us for a spell, gonna need her things brought up to Shuttle One. See to it when the courier gets here."

Jayne shrugged and nodded. Weren't no use complaining about being used like a rented mule, it was what he'd been hired on for. Besides, weren't no shame in a beautiful woman getting to see his muscles work and flex while he got the job done. "I'll take care of it, Mal."

"Right, then," Mal smiled at her again. "So… Welcome aboard, Ms. Serra."

"Thank you, Captain – "

"Mal. Just call me Mal."

"Mal," she said, inclining her head just a bit. "I'll return before three o'clock."

Floating down the ramp, she stepped gracefully into the waiting aircab and was off before the dreamy smile left Mal's face. Which was exactly long enough for the captain to turn and fix his glare back on Jayne again.

"We gotta talk, Cobb," Mal said plain as he advanced toward the weight bench. "Wanna make sure we're on the same page here, and know exactly how this thing's gonna play out."

Jayne cocked his brow in confusion as Mal stood over him. "'Bout what, Cap'n? Don't see as how totin' some trunks up the stairs calls for some intricate scheme. Ain't brain surgery, it's just totin'. I've done enough of it to figure it out, doncha think?"

Mal's voice took on the cold, deadly edge usually reserved for gunplay and gone-wrong negotiations. "Ain't what I ruttin'-well meant, an' you know it, Jayne. Now, I'm only gonna say this once. I know you got a taste for the ladies, an' there ain't a gorram thing wrong with that. Just you be clear – this woman ain't one of your backmoon brothel whores, dong ma? She's a Companion, registered with the Guild, an' all that comes with."

"Mal, I ain't some ignorant backbirth – " he growled, rising from the bench with a fluid motion to stand inches away from the captain's face.

"Bizui! I aim to make sure there ain't no misunderstandings of the unfortunate variety, so I'm gonna spell it out even if you do know, and you're gonna listen, we clear?"

Jayne held his tongue, feeling a crimson rage roiling up from his gut, but keeping it under control. Wouldn't do to screw things up with the captain now, not when it had taken him so long to find a decent crew on a half-decent boat.

"Out with it then," he gritted out from behind his teeth.

The man seemed to have enough sense not to poke too hard at the larger man whom he'd hired to kill and maim folk what needed it. Jayne had a stray thought of respect for him because he was still manful enough to get said what he felt needed to get said. Weren't too many would stand up to the intimidating gun-hand when he used that voice.

"Ain't sayin' you'd ever…. Well, I'm just gonna be plain, so as there ain't no miscommunications. Ms. Serra will be renting the shuttle from me. That means she has full run of the common areas, just as any crew. She ain't to be bothered, nor pestered, nor nagged to get her to contract with you. She ain't for you. Done made it clear, she don't contract with crew, so put any ideas of that outta yer head. An' that includes myself and the rest, so don't take it personal."

"Do you?"

"Do I what?"

"Take it personal?"

"Now, why the gorram – "

"That such a fine woman will fly cross the 'verse to lay down with another man for coin, but won't have you no matter the cost, and a-livin' right under your nose?"

Mal's ears turned red at that, his eyes growing hard like blue flint. "Jayne, are we gonna have a problem between us here?"

Jayne sighed and let his face relax a bit. "No, Mal, just wantin' to make sure you ain't gonna have a problem with her. Cause I gotta live with you on this boat. An' the only thing worse than a boss what won't pay when it's owed, is a boss what needs his itch scratched and can't have the scratchin' post he's hankerin' for."

"How exactly you figure my itches, if there was any, are any of your business?"

"I didn't sign up with this crew to get kicked around cause you got your panties in a bunch over some pretty skirt you can't have. So in all earnest, I just wanna know, Mal… she gonna be a problem for you?"

He half thought Mal would punch him just then, but the captain seemed to be giving the issue some thought.

"No," Mal said after a long moment, though he didn't look terribly convinced of that his own self. "This here is a strictly professional business relationship. Ain't none-a-mine whose bed she's filling. Just you make sure to keep yer hands where they belong, and that smart-ass mouth under control, dong ma? These Companions can be a tetchy lot. Wouldn't want a simple come-on to end you up being bound by law for … well, don't want none of my crew with that kinda trouble on their heads."

Jayne gave Mal a stony stare. "Ain't never in my life took a woman unwilling, Malcolm Reynolds," he growled low enough just the two of them would hear. "Ain't no rock low enough in the 'verse for them what forces a woman, and I ain't gonna take bein' accused of it by you, nor nobody else, dong ma?"

"Now, Jayne, I ain't sayin' you ever would," Mal explained. "Don't reckon I ever thought on you like that. I'm just sayin', what me or you or some farmgirl from the Rim might see as a friendly invite might be mistook by a high-blood woman from the Core as somethin' entirely else. She ain't like us, Jayne. And them she answers to ain't none you wanna cross."

"Reckon I got that figured out, Mal," he said flatly. "Why do you think I stick to the paid girls? Think there ain't been more'n enough farmers' daughters or magistrates' wives try to sneak a feel, offerin' bold, not just hintin' around the bush, that they wanna go?"

"I ain't concerned in hearing how many women wanna spread out for you, Jayne –"

"Gorramit, Mal, shut it and hear me out!" he snapped, slinging the towel into the corner as he struggled to keep a scrap of patience with the man. "Ain't braggin'. I'm just statin' there's been plenty that's offered. But I don't take 'em up on it, cause it causes more trouble than a piece of tail's worth. Irate fathers and vengeful husbands and jilted lovers, ain't none of them gonna give a rat's gorram ass that she started things. And them sweet gals what's all hot to rut the night before…? Well, come daybreak they remember that husband, that boyfriend… get to feelin' all 'shamed that they let themselves have a bit of fun with a roughneck like me or you… an' then they're all with the tears and fingers pointin', sayin' how they was pressured into it, when the truth is they was ruttin' waitin' for ya nekkid and all lubed up in yer bed before you walked through the door. Ain't none of that gonna matter, ain't nobody gonna believe me or you on that."

"Sounds like you done been down that road," Mal said warily.

Jayne snorted. "No, I ain't the most edjicated hundan out here, but I am too smart for that. Done seen it happen to enough dumb bastards to learn, though. I stick to the paid whores cause there ain't no doubt as to their motives. I can trust 'em, least as far as that goes. An' even then, Mal, I make sure the gal wants to trade with me, dong ma?"

"You getting' to a point anytime soon?" Mal asked with a smart-assed smirk.

"My point is this… one, I don't stick it where it ain't wanted. Ever," he said with an edge in his tone. "End of that discussion. And two," Jayne grabbed his towel and sat down on the bench, slipping back into the manners of a hired hand. "I may be an uneducated Rim-bred sonofabitch, Mal, I grant ya that. But even I ain't so gorram ign'rant that I don't know - you don't piss off the Guild. I ain't got no death wish, I assure you. An' I don't aim to spend the rest of my years on some 'Liance penal asteroid cause I was stupid enough to get on the Guild's bad side."

Mal stared at him a second, but Jayne had had enough of talk. "So… was there anything else, Captain? Or can I rest up a bit before our new princess gets back with her luggage for me to tote? We good?"

"Reckon we'll see if we are, won't we," the captain said, giving him that friendly-not-so-friendly smile, then heading toward the passenger lounge.

"Reckon we will," Jayne muttered, waiting until Mal's boots echoed off the back stairs before letting out his breath. He laid back on the weight bench and pressed the heels of his palms to his eyes.

Gorramit, this was gonna be harder than he'd really figured. But at the same time, a thrill jolted through his belly, and after a quick look around the catwalks to make sure nobody was around to see, he let a wide, toothy smile spread across his face for a long minute.

Inara Serra, elite Companion who had graced the fancy sitting rooms and bedchambers of the rich and powerful, would be living within a dozen yards of his quarters. He would have opportunity to see her lovely face day in, and day out.

Jayne forced the grin back, but unable to keep the tight-lipped smile from twitching at the corners of his mouth. Yep, if he played his cards right, having her on Serenity was gonna work out real good.

Taking the fore steps two at a time, Jayne strolled off to his bunk for his shower kit and a change of work clothes, whistling a half-remembered waltz from what felt like a lifetime ago.

.~.~.~

To Be Continued… Reviews are manna… ;D