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Bonus Chapter: Inara provides some companionship (Firefly Chapter 01)

"I'm just saying, this looks shady to me." Mal said for the twentieth time making Inara roll her eyes.

"That's because you're paranoid. You deal with criminals too often, it's clouding your judgement." She said bluntly. "My client has been checked and doubled checked, he's a well respected and long-time client of the Companions, and he's already paid upfront." She said calmly, looking over the file on her client. No picture oddly enough, just a record of his dealings with the companions in the past, along with his background.

Lord Kuro Tepes, owner of... seemingly half the Galaxy at this point, from companies to entire planets.

"So, lemme get this straight... some rich moron is paying more credits than we've ever seen... for what?" Jayne asked with a confused frown, he had that look often.

"For my companionship, on a... long term basis. A three-year contract to be exact, and at the end of it, we will discuss whether we are compatible enough for a permanent contract." She explained with a resigned sigh.

"Right... so he's paying for you to spread your legs for the next three years, see what I don't get is why bother? For that kinda money he could pick a planet and have a go with every whore on it, just seems like a waste to me." Jayne said again, getting a long-suffering sigh from her. In truth he almost had a point, it was a... ridiculous amount of money he was offering.

She usually wouldn't accept a long term contract, but everyone had their price, especially companions.

He asked for her, by name and was willing to pay a ludicrous amount of money to get what he wanted.

Honestly, she was flattered, he could get a dozen companions on a much longer contract with that kind of money, but he was very specific in his request.

"He simply prefers quality over quantity... that's all." She said before rolling her eyes as Jayne looked down at her breasts with consideration.

She could already hear the gears slowly turning in his head as he tried to decide if she was worth that much platinum.

Considering Jayne's idea of an offer was a gun and a handful of credits for a fuck, he probably couldn't even picture that much money.

"And why are we flying you around for this guy again?" Mal grumbled, making her smirk before Zoe cut in. Honestly, her accepting this contract had... distanced them, she knew he found her attractive, she would even admit to returning the feelings. But companions had duties, and this wasn't an offer she could turn down. It was the kind of proposal that most companions would never even hope of getting.

"Because our nice employer is paying us more than we'd make with a hundred salvage jobs to pick him up and then take them to his vacation home... which means you need to play nice and not get us in trouble... sir." The pragmatic woman said slowly, giving both Mal and Jayne a glare, making Mal flinch at the reminder of their constant financial problems.

"Yeah, yeah... I'll be nice to the dumb bastard." Jayne said quickly making Zoe sigh as she rubbed her forehead. "Maybe we should put the lil freak on a leash then? Don't want her deciding to attack him cause some voices told her too."

"Jayne, if you suggest putting my sister on a leash one more time, I'll drug you and throw you out of the airlock." Simon said bluntly making Kaylee giggle.

"Heh, like to see you try you scrawny little-"

"Enough, Simon... he has a small point, I'm not saying to lock her up or leash her... just try and keep River under control?" Mal said reluctantly, Simon going to respond hotly before he calmed down and nodded reluctantly. "I just don't get why he's getting us to taxi him around, if I've heard right the guy owns a fleet of ships, so why us?"

"Maybe he just feels like slumming it? It doesn't matter, it's the best money we're going to see anytime soon, so don't remind him that he has other better options." Zoe said sternly, once again being the voice of reason.

"Well... I'm excited." Kaylee said, breaking the awkward silence. "Lord Tepes might be a business owner, but he's also one of the best mechanics in the entire verse, hell the shiny new stabilisers I installed are one of his designs. The new engine he designed is supposed to be the-... why are you all looking at me like that?" She asked after a moment.

"Because you were starting to babble in geek again." Jayne replied calmly making her blush.

"I'm just saying... he's basically a legend in the engineering industry. Do you think he'd be okay with giving me some pointers? I'm good, but the chance to talk shop with a guy like that is a once in a lifetime opportunity." She asked hesitantly.

"I don't know, the file had... very little on his personality. But he'll be with us for a while, as long as you don't pester him I don't see the harm in asking." She said calmly making Kaylee light up.

Looking back on this, she'd curse herself for not telling Kaylee to stay away from Kuro. She and Simon made a cute couple...

- Later -

Readying herself, she smirked to herself as she heard Zoe 'reminding' Mal to be on his best behaviour. Jayne had been... politely requested to stay in his room.

"Yeah, yeah... I got it the first time, don't be rude to the nice insanely rich guy, keep him nice and happy while he's with us. Maybe you should undo a couple more buttons if you to keep him- Oww! Okay, okay, I'm sorry, please let go." Mal whimpered as she sighed to herself.

Mal is stubborn and cocky, Simon is mistrustful of anyone near his sister, Jayne is an asshole, Zoe was traumatised over Wash even if she tried to hide it and River was... well, River.

Honestly, she could trust herself and maybe Kaylee around their new guest, at most. That was if he didn't mind bubbly over-eager mechanics.

This was already a recipe for disaster, but Lord Tepes had been resolute in his decision to travel on the Serenity.

As her new long-term client walked onto the ship looking around with a look of... amusement she felt her cheeks heat up slightly, every report from Companions he had been with were glowing recommendations, raving about his looks... and skills.

She could start to see why, there was something... unnaturally good looking, pale, almost porcelain skin, semi-long black hair, almost aristocratic features... and a pair of ruby red eyes that almost seemed to glow as they locked onto hers. Odd though, he was supposed to be a fair bit older than her, but he barely looked a day over twenty-five. No-one could quite work out his age, but he'd been in business for almost three decades. He didn't even look like he'd been alive for three decades.

"Lord Tepes, it's an honour to finally meet you in person." she said with a bow making him chuckle, a deep, rich sound.

"Just Kuro, please. And it is a pleasure to see you again, Miss Serra." he replied with an accent she just couldn't place. Again? They'd never met before... had they?

"Again? My apologies, Kuro... I can't say I remember ever having the pleasure before... and you certainly aren't a forgettable person." she replied hesitantly, worried about offending him, a worry that was quickly proven false by his smirk.

"We never spoke, but we attended the same party a few months back. I had business to take care off, and you had another client, so I didn't approach you. I'm surprisingly good at going unnoticed when I want to." he said with a deep chuckle... that would explain why he'd requested her specifically, it was flattering to have gained his attention from nothing more than being seen at a party. "And you must be Captain Reynolds?" he said calmly, offering a hand to Mal.

"That I am... welcome to the Serenity... If I may ask... why us? I'm sure you've got your own much more comfortable shi-" he started before Zoe elbowed him.

"It's fine... honestly, it was less about the crew... but as a Starship Engineer myself, I had to see a Firefly-class that's still in operation. I own a Series 2, but I've modified it so much it barely even resembles a Firefly any more. Gotta love the classics after all, even if they aren't as fancy as my usual rides." he said, making Mal smile back despite his mistrust of Kuro. If there was one thing that made Mal happy, it was appreciating his ship. "I'd love to meet the mechanic that's kept this girl in the sky, can't have been easy without the parts being readily available."

"I'm sure Kaylee would love to talk shop with you... is that all your luggage? Was expecting more..." Mal said far more warmly glancing at the small suitcase Kuro had in his hand.

"I always travel light." he said with a strange smirk. "I have everything I need, I'm ready to leave immediately." he said smoothly.

"Then let's introduce you to everyone else, it's a long trip to your... vacation home." Mal said, making Inara pause.

Mal was outright mistrustful before... and now they best friends? Odd. Following them into the central part of the ship, she had to admit he was more friendly than she expected from such a wealthy and powerful man.

Seeing Kaylee practically vibrate in excitement she had to hide her smirk, she'd been hyping herself up since she'd heard he was travelling with them.

"This is our mechanic, K-" Mal started before Kaylee interrupted him.

"Kaywinnet Lee Frye, at your service... but you can just call me Kaylee, everyone does. It's an honour to meet you! I've read all your engineering journals a thousand times." she blabbered making him chuckle as he took her offered hand, placing a kiss on the back of it making her turn slightly red, a giggle leaving her... as Simon frowned deeply.

He wasn't exactly confident in their relationship, and it wasn't surprising to see him so threatened by a simple gesture.

"A pleasure, Kaylee. It's always nice to meet someone in the same business." he said with a kind smile, unbothered by her rapid words.

As Kuro was introduced to Simon, he seemed mostly just amused by Simons anger, River and Jayne were being put off for now... Jayne never stopped running his mouth, and River... well, she was unpredictable at the best of times.

Despite her worries about things going wrong, Kuro managed to fit in easily enough, joking with Mal and happily promising to show Kaylee a few things. She almost felt left out at how little attention he seemed to give her, or she would be if he hadn't taken her hand into his beneath the table as he got to know the rest of the crew.

Honestly, he seemed far more refined than any client she could remember.

When it came to dinner, he even happily helped cook... and by help, she meant he completely took over.

No-one could complain afterwards however, despite using their usual materials, he managed to make a masterpiece. A man of many skills.

There was a slight... issue at dinner as he was cautiously introduced to River. She simply stared at him... non-stop. Never speaking or blinking. Fortunately, he was utterly unconcerned by River's... Riverness, shrugging it off easily.

"And this is my room... I'm afraid it's not quite as fancy as the rooms I'm sure you're used to..." she said as she led him into her shuttle, dinner over and done with.

"It's fine, really. I've slept in far worse." he chuckled, his arms wrapping around her waist after a moment as he placed a light kiss on the back of her neck.

She couldn't say she was surprised, or put off by his actions... there had been a lot of small touches between them, and he'd made no efforts to hide the lustful look in his eyes.

She was his companion now... he wasn't doing anything she hadn't agreed to when she signed that contract.

"My, my... you don't waste any time..." she giggled, feeling something hard press into her ass, leaning back against him.

"I've wanted you for... a while, and I always get what I want." he said with a growl, the kind gentleman vanished as the shuttle closed behind them.

"Mmm, so confident... well, come and take me then." she said pulling away from him with a sultry smirk and turning to him and walking backwards till the back of her legs hit her bed, pushing her dress off her shoulders she let it pool at her feet before she fell back onto her bed.

She had no delusions about what he wanted from her, nor did she mind as he removed his shirt, tossing it off to the side with a smile.

His body was... superb, not too beefy but his muscles suggested a far more active lifestyle than she would have guessed from a businessman or an engineer for that matter. He had a runners build, well-defined muscles while remained slender... and he had a littering of scars across his chest.

"Surprised? I've had a busy life..." he said, moving onto the bed and crawling towards her with a smirk, moving atop her as he gave her a deep kiss. "I only kept the scars that I wanted to, got rid of the boring ones." he explained between kisses. Her hands moved down to his belt without prompting, undoing it and pushing is trousers down, him taking them off entirely.

"Maybe you could tell me about them..." she said, running her hand over a particularly long one directly over his heart. It looked like a stab wound... but that couldn't be right, a stab would there would be fatal. They didn't detract from his looks. Instead, it added a sense of mystery and intrigue to him as he smirked at her.

"Perhaps... but there will be time for that later, as I said... I've been waiting a long time for this, and I'm not that patient now that I've got you." he said with a chuckle, kissing her again as she moaned, only somewhat faked as his tongue danced with hers.

To her surprise, the thick shaft resting against her abdomen wasn't just roughly inserted into her as he started to move down, a trail of kisses along her neck and chest as he slid down lower, taking one of her breasts into his mouth for a moment as she truly moaned this time, his tongue skillfully toying with her hard nipples for just a moment before he continued his path south.

"You know... normally it's me going down on my clients... not that I'm complaining." she giggled as he stared up from between her legs with a smirk.

"I'm not normal... you're about to find that out first hand, my dear. You might want to cover your mouth, the shuttle walls aren't that thick." Kuro advised making her hold back her eye-roll. She'd heard that before... all men liked to brag about how goo-

As a loud moan left her, her eyes shot wide open... a hand moving to her mouth as the other clutched the bed sheets tightly. His tongue plundering her depths far deeper than it had any right to.

Was it... vibrating?

Her hand let go of the bedsheets as it moved to his hair, clutching it tightly, her moans and screams barely suppressed as his eyes smirked up at her, her legs wrapping around his neck by instinct.

"O-oh... verse... you've d-done this before..." she moaned out, hearing him chuckle into her slit, the vibrations just making her moan again.

Despite her experience, despite her training... it took him mere minutes for his unnaturally long and talented tongue to drag her to the edge, and then promptly kick her off it, a loud scream escaping her as she writhed in pleasure, her legs unwrapping from his head and falling limp as she panted deeply, staring down at him in shock.

"You could say I'm experienced... it's always fun watching you companions squirm around like that." he said with a deep chuckle as he moved back up, his hard cock resting against her slit.

"Maybe... I should be paying you if that's what I can expect for the next few years." she said with an exhausted giggle.

"Daily... several times a day, to be exact. I hope your companion's stamina is impressive as you all claim, usually I outlast the companions I've been with. But do try to be quiet, my dear... what will the crew think?" he asked with a chuckle, kissing her as she moaned again, the taste of his own saliva, a sweet almost berry-like taste, and her own juices mixed to make a surprisingly enjoyable sensation.

Feeling his shaft start to spread her lower lips, she spread her legs wider, he was... well endowed, and as the bulbous tip pushed into her, she could only be thankful that he'd prepared her first.

As he sped up, his full length suddenly inside her, her eyes widened in shock.

She was starting to see why one of the companion's reports mentioned him ruining sex for her... as her mind went back to the reports, she felt her heart race.

Didn't one of them say he could go for hours without cumming... and that he was ready to go again in mere moments?

Oh, dear...

As he started to move, sawing his massive pole into her far smaller slit, she failed to heed his advice, moans and screams leaving her mouth, her nails clawing at his back as she begged him to keep going.

- The Next Morning -

"There he is! You beast!" Jayne cheered as they entered the room, her face darkening as she saw the rest of the crew staring at them. "Gotta say, I figured you'd be some boring rich prick taking about numbers and deals and shit, but damn if you dint bring some entertainment." Jayne said with a chuckle, wrapping an arm around Kuro's shoulder as he pulled him into the seat next to where Jayne had been sitting.

"I hate numbers, I leave all the business stuff to my second-in-command... her names Emma, great at business... and more importantly she wears jeans about three sizes too small, and this tiny corset she has to squeeze into... almost makes all those meetings worth it." Kuro laughed, smirking at Jayne as the brute smirked back.

"Now that is a rich prick I think I'd like..." Jayne chuckled.

"I doubt it... she can read minds and has no problems with having people who annoy her killed. She'd probably have you castrated, executed by firing squad and thrown into a dumpster within an hour... damn if she isn't sexy though." Kuro laughed, Jayne flinching as he covered his manhood.

As they devolved into... baser conversations about the women of the verse, she had to admit she was impressed by his ability to get on everyone's good side, Jayne was acting like they had been best friends for years. Well... except Simon, who felt threatened.

"Are you serious about knowing someone who could read minds?" Simon butted in, making Jayne frown in annoyance as Simon interrupted Kuro's description of a woman called Venelana. It wasn't really surprising, all things considered, anything that he could use to try and help River he latched onto.

"I am. Emma Frost, the CEO of my company, is a telepath, the verse is a vast and strange place... I've seen people who could use telekinesis, mind readers, people who could change the weather with a thought, I've even seen immortals who can't be killed by bullets or blades and men who could bring back the dead." he explained with a smile, she tried to ignore the way Zoe snapped to attention with that last line. "As you can imagine, being able to read minds makes her an amazing businesswoman, it's why I leave that stuff to her."

It sounded ridiculous... but then, so did River's abilities to anyone who hadn't seen them.

"How does she control it? I've heard of mind readers before, but I heard they were all... mad, that they'd hear the thoughts of everyone around them at once." he said, trying to be vague. Anyone with any experience reading people could see his... personal interest.

"Lemme guess, the ones the Alliance grabbed and experimented on? Trust me, Emma is in a whole different league. Telepaths require careful training and gentle guidance, not having their cut heads open, but then when have the Alliance done anything the smart way?" he said with a scoff.

"You aren't worried about the Alliance going after her?" Mal asked after a moment.

"Those bureaucrats? Not on your life, I know where too many bodies are buried, too many secrets the Alliance can't afford to come to light. They've tried to take me on, but I... well, let's just say they won't be trying again. They know to keep out of my way. You don't get as rich and powerful as I am without breaking a few eggs after all." he said with a... cold touch to his tone, before it vanished. "But that's between them and me, let's not spoil breakfast with such chatter." he said, back to his usual friendly tone.

"What if stories bout fucking over the Alliance are my favourite breakfast tales?" Mal asked after a moment.

"Then we should talk, but not now." he replied calmly, a smirk on his face.

"I'm more interested in what happened last night... the hell did you do to her for her to be making those noises?" Jayne asked, getting back on to the 'important matters'.

"You're a simple man, Jayne Cobb. A gentleman never kisses and tells... you'll just have to imagine it yourself." he chuckled... wait, had they introduced him to Jayne?

No... no, they hadn't.

Odd.

- Later -

Falling limp onto the bed once more, she panted heavily as she rolled over, resting her head onto his bare chest.

"They definitely heard that..." she mumbled as he chuckled.

"I'd be surprised if they didn't... you aren't exactly quiet." he replied dryly, a proud smirk on his face as she felt herself blush.

"It's going to be an enjoyable three years..." she admitted after a moment.

"More than three years if I have my way..." he said after a moment making her frown against his chest... her eyes flickering over to the medicine box on the desk. "I'm a selfish and possessive man... I don't like anything taking what's mine." he said, his hand moving down her side and gripping her behind. "Not other people... and certainly not something as mediocre as illnesses." he said calmly, her eyes shooting open as she looked up at him, her mouth opening and closing in confusion.

"How did you... but..." she stuttered as he chuckled at her.

"I do my research, I knew about your illness long before I arranged for this contract. It isn't as incurable as you are thinking, my dear. You've seen the best of the Alliance doctors, but I have far better ones on my payroll." he said calmly, her mind racing. "As I said, I don't like what's mine being taken from me."

"...so you're saying I'm yours?" she asked after a moment, looking up at him with sultry eyes... if he was telling the truth...

"Am I wrong? Even without the contract, do you really think you could walk away from this?" he said confidently.

"Well... I can't be sure... might need a bit more convincing before I can decide." she said coyly, before yelping as she was suddenly on her back, his face inches from hers as he smirked down at her.

"Well... no-one can say I'm not good at... extensive negotiations. Give me an hour, and you'll be screaming your answer to the whole ship." Kuro said with a dark chuckle. "You've seen my C-Game, let's see if you can handle my B Game... maybe in a few weeks you'll have built up enough of a resistance for me to actually try..."

Oh dear... perhaps challenging him wasn't the best idea...

- Zoe -

It was nonsense, nothing more...

Ignore it, he was just making up tall tales.

Knocking on Inara's shuttle she facepalmed, his words had been echoing throughout her head from the moment he said them... bring back the dead.

Impossible, crazy, ridiculous.

"Zoe, was it? Is there something I can do for you?" Kuro asked, a large leather book resting in his hand. Inara was gossiping with Kaylee, so she had time.

Kuro had been on the Serenity for almost half a week now, and she'd realised just how fond of his solitary time he was, spending a good portion of each day sleeping or reading in Inara's shuttle.

"We need to speak, in private." she said storming in, closing the door behind her.

"I see." he said with a sigh, moving back and sitting on the bed with a stretch, the book resting next to him. "And what can I do for you?" he asked with a casual smile.

"You said you knew someone who could bring back the dead. Did you mean it? I swear if you're lying I'll-" she muttered before he held up his hand, a strange green glow coming off it as a mist formed around it, her eyes widening as she saw... faces floating in the mist.

"This stays between us... if you tell anyone, I swear I'll rip your soul clean from your body." he said coldly, far colder than she'd ever heard the usually friendly man. "I am a practitioner of the art of Necromancy, the art of raising the dead." he admitted.

"Parlour tricks... it's not real." she reasoned, making him smirk at her.

"Is it? If that was true... why did you come here? If it wasn't gnawing at you, why did you come to me?" he asked coldly. "Hoban Washburne, that was his name, right? You see... when someone dies, they leave a trace... call it an echo, and the pilot's seat of this ship has a strong one... a Reaver harpoon to the chest? His presences lingers in the cockpit even now..." he said bluntly making her eyes widen, a horrified gasp leaving her mouth. "Oh, don't worry, his soul has moved on... it's just an echo, a lingering memory... most people would never even notice it." he assured her.

"I... your... you could have found that out from Inara, or Jayne." she reasoned, the mist vanishing while his smile took on a sinister tone.

"I could have... but I didn't. When it comes to Death, you could call me the verses foremost expert... but you don't believe me." he said with a smirk.

"I don't, it's just... tricks. Nothing more." she said, reassuring herself.

"Tell me... what would you do to see him again? To speak to him once more?" he asked after a moment, making her freeze.

"Anything... but you're just a conman, nothing more." she said, convincing herself more than anything else.

"And if I could prove it? I could recall his soul for a single night with ease, tonight even... in your room after everyone else has gone to bed, for a single hour." he offered. "But I don't do anything for free, it's how I got this far."

"What's the catch? What do I have that someone as rich as you would want?" she asked as he smirked at her in amusement.

"Money is worthless to me, Emma excels at making more than I can ever spend, but I'm a fairly simple man... with equally simple desires. What do I want in exchange for this service? That's just as simple... I want you to strip." he said calmly making her eyes widen as she reached for her gun, drawing it and aiming it right at him. "Now, now... I'm not asking much."

"Not asking much? Give me one reason I shouldn't put a bullet in between your eyes..." she growled.

"Because I'm the only shot you have at seeing 'Wash' alive again. If after tonight, you still don't believe me... you can shoot me. If you aren't interested, you can leave, and this offer will be rescinded." he said evenly. "All I'm asking is that you give me a show... Isn't that worth a night with your lost lover?" he said with a shrug, her gun lowering after a moment.

Would she really throw away her common sense and risk falling for some conman's tricks out of some wild hope?

"If I do this, and I don't see Wash tonight...I'm cutting your dick off and shoving it down your throat, then shooting you." she growled after a moment.

Yes, she was absolutely that desperate.

"I'll provide the knife... you'll find I'm a man of my word." he said easily, unconcerned by her threats.

"I just have to strip? No touching?" she asked as she fiddled with the straps to her leather top.

"Strip, and remain naked until I am... satisfied. No touching." he promised before she let out a growl, undoing the straps with a glare. "I know that's supposed to scare me... but you're just making this more enjoyable." he remarked as she dropped the leather, undoing her the buttons of her shirt.

If he was lying, he'd be dead this time tomorrow.

With that in mind, she opened her shirt, clenching her fists at the feeling of his eyes lingering on her mostly bare chest.

Not wanting to make a show of it, she undid her bra without fanfare, letting it join the rest of her clothes after a mere moment of hesitation, her breasts hanging free in the air.

"Not a word." she growled as he went to speak, her belt thrown to the floor next as she pushed her trousers down, her underwear going down with them as she stepped out of them.

Now completely naked, she glared down at him with a scowl, hating the feel of his eyes moving over her bare body.

"Give me a spin... let me see that sexy chocolate ass of yours..." he said making her roll her eyes, quickly turning around before she turned back.

"Don't look so angry... I'm offering a service you can't get anywhere else, and this is all you have that's worth my time. You could have declined, could have walked away, but you didn't. I'm not forcing you to do anything." he said as he undid his belt, pulling his shaft out and taking it into his hand.

"I'm not touching you, and you aren't touching me." she said, ignoring the truth of his words as he took his shirt off.

"I know... but I can touch myself." he said easily, stroking his shaft as he stared at her naked body.

"Hurry it up, I don't want to get caught like this." she barked, looking away from his act.

"Then do something enticing to speed things up... without some entertainment, this could take a while..." he said, making her glare at him again.

"Hurry up, or I'm leaving." she said again making him chuckle.

"My words were that you will stay naked until I am satisfied, if you leave early then you are breaking our agreement. You'll have done this for nought. You want me to speed up? Get on your knees in front of me... give me some encouragement." he said bluntly.

Her glare intensified as she hesitated... before she scoffed, moving closer and dropping to her knees, fiercely glaring up at him as he grinned down at her, his jerking speeding up.

"That's a good girl... play with your tits for me." he ordered.

"I'm not one of your companions..." she growled out, her hands remaining firmly at her side.

"Make this entertaining enough, and I'll give you two hours with him instead of one." he said bluntly as she froze before her hands moved up and started to grope her own breasts. "You aren't a companion... but everyone has a price." he chuckled, falling silent as he stroked himself for a few minutes, his movements becoming more rough and rapid as time passed by. "I'll make it three hours if you let me finish on your body, four for your face... and six if you swallow it." he said, making her gaze heat up. "Your choice..."

"Get it over with." she said, leaning back and closing her eyes. "I'm not taking it in my mouth or on my face, just do it..." she said in annoyance, flinching slightly as she felt something thick and sticky land on her chest... it lasted longer than she expected, spurt after spurt painting her chest before it finally came to a stop, her eyes opening and a frown on her face as she looked down at her cum-stained breasts. "Ugh... I'm using Inara's shower." she said, standing up. "If I don't see him tonight-" she growled.

"Yes, yes... you'll do terrible things to me... heard it all before, experienced most of it as well. Feel free... however you have about ninety seconds before Inara returns." he said calmly, making her eyes widen as she looked at the innocently shut door. "Have fun explaining why you're here... and naked."

Not willing to risk it, she grabbed her clothes, throwing them back on with a shiver at how her shirt stuck to her chest.

"Have a nice time tonight... and then you can think about how you're going to be paying me for any future services... you know, you have lovely lips, very full and pouty. Just food for thought." he said as she walked away, leaving the shuttle just in time to pass Inara on her way to see Kuro.

- That Night -

Tears pouring down her face, her hands passing through the vanishing spectral form of her husband, just as her timer went off... three hours on the dot.

That was no trick... he knew things no-one else could possibly know, acted exactly as she remembered...

Oh god... he was telling the truth...

Pulling herself together, she already knew that she would be going back to Kuro tomorrow, she'd told no-one of what had happened...of what she'd done.

Not even Wash...

What would see do just to see him again? Now that she knew that he spoke the truth? Anything... and he knew that.

Authors Note: I am aware that Inara would have lost her Companions Licence, but just call it Kuro pulling strings in the background to make things... ideal for his arrival.

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