Not a power in the 'verse (Morell & KC)

It was the same argument they had every few weeks. Inara worked on core worlds, whereas much of Mal's 'business' saw him pottering around the border planets. When Inara first rented her shuttle, Mal had spent far more time on core worlds but now that they were harbouring Simon and his sister, core worlds were a risk. Inara spent little of what she earned and didn't need to contract frequently with clients but her nest egg of credits was dwindling, not least because Mal often came to her when the crew were on the point of starving to death. It was clear he hated taking money that she'd earned on her back and always repaid her as soon as he could.

This time however, their argument had got more heated. Mal had told her to 'shut up or ship out.' Inara had raised an eyebrow and replied that it would probably be another month before she was within orbit of civilization. Rashly, Mal had re-routed them straight to Persephone.

Now she sat before her monitor, scrolling through suitors who all wished to make her their personal companion. Inara had decided that after her time on board the really poorly named Serenity, she needed some security and stability. For a companion that meant becoming exclusive to one rich client. She knew Mal could access her screen and see what she was up to but Inara was past caring. Let him see what men were willing to pay in order to have her living with them.

Lian had left her another message. The son of a business magnate, he was too busy building his empire to bother with marriage or children. What he offered Inara was staggering and included her own property a short distance from his. He was charming, if a little possessive and controlling. Inara was confident that she could handle him.

A soft sound behind her made Inara turn, Kaylee was creeping into her shuttle.

"Can't hardly believe you're alive." She said. "Mal's got a face on him like a dog chewing a wasp."

"We had a disagreement." Inara said neutrally. "I'm leaving when we reach Persephone."

"Ah, so that's it. Mal damn near broke the ship in half swinging it around. Wash won't soon forgive him and nor will I. But you can't leave. You and he... Inara everyone can see that-"

"Everyone can see that he's impossible. All I do is anger him. You know his opinion of companions. There is nothing here for me."

Inara switched off her monitor and rose, forcing a smile. "Let me do something with your hair Kaylee, it will soothe us both."

"Zoe once we're close enough, I want you to look for a job for us. We didn't fly this gorram far out of our way just to drop Her Highness off. Try to keep it easy. We don't need no Alliance trouble this close to the core." Mal spoke to Zoe as he stepped lively down a corridor heading to Kaylee's quarters.

"Yessir, do you want to use one of our normal customers?" Zoe asked, walking quickly to keep pace with him.

"Use your judgement, just make sure the cargo can be hidden or otherwise easily explained. I don't reckon I care who it is, just make sure there's no trouble." He reiterated.

"Aye Aye, sir." Zoe sighed and turned to go about her duties.

Mal reached Kaylee's room. The door was open but she wasn't there. He had already checked the engine room. There was only one other place she could be. He felt his eyebrow twitch. He was hoping he wouldn't have to see 'Her' again until she was asking permission to leave his ship.

Inara was carefully tending to Kaylee's hair when Mal walked in. "It's not enough you put the entire crew's schedule behind but you feel the need to take my mechanic from her duties?" He spoke to Inara with a glare.

He didn't even wait for an answer, still staring at Inara he adressed Kaylee. "Kaylee, we'll be in Persephone soon. I need you to get with Wash and find out what parts you need for Serenity. I don't 'tend to stay much longer than we need." He could see Kaylee looking back and forth between him and Inara.

"But Cap-"

"Go on, now. You still work for me, right? Or are you abandoning ship, too?" He flashed a half-smile at Inara as Kaylee got up and left the room with a huff. "Now, if you'll excuse me, Miss, I got things need tending to. Prepare to enter orbit. I think you'll find the men on this planet very... accepting of someone like yourself." He winked at her as he turned to walk out of her shuttle.

Inara glared at Mal as he burst onto her shuttle and demanded his mechanic back. Kaylee, as always, hastened to appease him but Inara wasn't so easily cowed. She tossed down her hairbrush as Mal sneered at her about the men on Persephone, seeking to mitigate the disgusted tone of his voice with a jaunty wink. It didn't work. Inara heard the revulsion in his words and it lacerated her heart. Like so many times before, her defensive reaction was to harden it towards him.

"Mal." She spoke the words with enough volume and authority to give him pause. "I pay for this shuttle well in advance, from the proceeds of my perfectly legitimate profession. At the rate you're making Wash burn fuel, by the time we make Persephone I'll be owed a refund of about half my last payment to you, in addition my security deposit. In the meantime this remains my shuttle, bought and paid for, just like me. You do not barge in here whenever one of your crew goes missing. Kaylee has had precious little downtime since your last... job... and now you've literally thrown a 180 on her. I'd advise you to linger on Persephone long enough for everyone to have a little shore leave, instead of shipping straight out just to prove some kind of point. I assume that you do have a point?"

She moved towards him with slow, deliberate steps; the gliding, hip-swaying gait of a trained companion that turned every red-blooded man's mind to mush. Mal's mouth opened but he couldn't get any words out just at that moment, despite his obvious indignation. Inara moved dangerously close to him, knowing that he would smell the expensive perfume rising from her warm skin. She brushed a thumb gently across his furrowed brow, dropping her voice to a low, sultry purr.

"You need a break yourself Mal, before you run your long-suffering crew into the ground. You're so tense." Her hand moved from his forehead to his shoulder. She knew she wasn't playing fair but then neither was he. Inara squeezed his shoulder, caressing it gently, her beautifully uplifted, satin covered tits positioned directly under his nose. She leaned forwards tentatively, as though to kiss him, only feinting sideways at the last instant to bring her dark red lips to his ear.

"I'm sure you'll find plenty of women on this planet who are within your price range. For the sake of your crew's wellbeing I strongly suggest that you do."

Mal tensed as Inara drew herself closer. Her movements and sudden change of tone threw him off guard. He wasn't accustomed to being off guard, nor did he like the feeling. Every man in the universe would be hard pressed to deny a companion using her entire arsenal. As she spoke he could feel himself melting. It took every fiber of his being to maintain an authoritative posture, but inside he was being tortured. Her smell, her lips, her voice. His eyes closed as he anticipated a kiss just as he heard her voice in his ear.

He took a second to take in her last statement and to quickly recompose himself as her effect wore off. He smiled and nodded his head in feigned appreciation, "I 'spose I'll take that under advisement." He said as he turned around taking a few slow steps out of her shuttle. He turned his head and said sarcastically, "Maybe I will get me a woman to love tonight. Hell, if I pay her enough and keep her 'round, come a day she may just love me back," He continued walking and without even turning around, he added. "I got a job need doin'. You go on and get ready to break orbit, princess. You got permission to leave my boat."

Mal shut the airlock on Serenity's side. He looked down, his hand still over the switch. He paused for a second as if contemplating going back in-just for a second. He quickly shrugged it off and headed to the bridge. He grabbed the intercom and spoke into it, "This is your Capt'n. Y'all get ready to enter the atmosphere. Anybody not wanting to fly with me anymore's more than welcome to stay." He took a long pause, thinking about what Inara said about giving the crew a little break. Maybe they'd earned it and it would give them more time to find a lucrative job opportunity. "Go on and get some civilized life. Be on board in 24 hours."

"Well, looks like your girlfriend's gone," Wash informed Mal shortly after they arrived on Persephone. "What's the plan?"

Mal shot Wash a glare at that last joke. "Take us to the docks. Thinkin' bout payin 'ol Badger a visit."

"Because things always go perfectly when we work with Badger..." Wash sighed.

"Ifin things always go right, don't 'spose nobody would have no fun. You let me handle Badger, you fly my ship." He got up and walked out to prepare for landing.

---------

Jayne and Mal sat in the back of a small buggy carrying them deep into the slum district. They were escorted by two men in the front seat.

"Can't believe you wouldn't let me bring my shotgun. Badger is not going to be happy to see us." Jayne sighed.

"C'mon Jayne, aint here to rub no one the wrong way. I aim to set things straight with Badger and come out a little richer," Mal said.

They arrived at a small bar that hardly had anyone in it. This was unusual even for noon in the slums of Persephone. Suddenly, the pair heard the two men lock the door behind them as Badger and a team of his lackeys appeared from a door behind the bar with guns drawn. Mal and Jayne both put their hands in the air slowly.

"I'm really glad you saved me the trouble o havin' to find yeh. Boys... weapons!" Badger said as the two escorts searched them, confiscating their pistols.

"I should have brought my shotgun..." Jayne said quietly.

"Now Badger, I been meanin' ta pay you back, just got a little sidetracked 'sall. I hear you're lookin' for someone to do a job. Now, you wouldn't go on shootin' your favorite contractor, would you?" Mal told him confidently. "I'll tell you what, whatever the payment is you take what I owe you and then again. With your commission I reckon'nits a good haul."

"Aye... that it would be." Badger took a second to consider it, then thought of the perfect high risk job that would provide the most reward. And if they failed, he wouldn't have to worry about them anymore. It was a win-win situation. "'Olright I got a job for ye, please step into my office and let's talk," he tapped Mal hard on the shoulder three times and turned around to walk through the door. Everyone put down their guns and Mal and Jayne slowly lowered their hands and followed the group.

Inara simply shook her head and watched him go. She knew it was all bluster but even so the words still smarted. The thought of him rutting with some low rent whore just repulsed her.

The last of Inara's doubts crystallised into hardened resolve. She walked straight to her monitor and strapped herself in for landing. Pasting a brilliant smile onto her face, she tapped at the screen until Lian appeared.

"Inara, I had hoped to hear from you."

"Noble Lian, I have the great pleasure of informing you that your application has been accepted. I would be honoured to contract with you indefinitely. I am just entering orbit."

A short while later a small army of Lian's employees trooped through Serenity to remove Inara's things from the shuttle. In order to impress him, she was wearing a sheer confection of deep red silk, shot through with gold oriental embroidery. Her hair was curled and piled loosely on her head and her make-up was dark and sultry. A lackey of Lian's insisted on holding a parasol above Inara's head as she said farewell to Mal and got the credits she was owed from him. They were both too stubborn for any pretence of well-wishing, they just went their separate ways.

Inara was driven to her hew property and handed the deeds in her own name. It was a beautiful penthouse apartment that looked out over the city, decorated in oriental silver and jade green. A young woman introduced herself as Jiao, her personal assistant.

"It is Lian's wish that you refresh yourself here and inspect your new accommodation. He has made dinner reservations at Shuìlián, the best and most exclusive of his restaurants."

Inara was already shower fresh and looking her best and supervising while others unpacked her things was hardly arduous. In the end Inara allowed Jiao to make some tea and ordered the girl to sit and drink with her. If she had hoped for a little gossip about Lian, she was disappointed. Jiao was utterly devoted to her employer

Inara was a little irritated that Lian hadn't troubled to come and meet her himself. The way he had already organised everything made Inara feel powerless, something she had rarely felt and did not like. There was an ache deep in her gut for Serenity, her crew and for Mal. Now he wasn't under her feet driving her crazy she wanted him like never before. But she was making her bed... and she would have to lie in it.

The job was a quick smash and grab. It sounded simple enough. The catch was that it had to be done tonight. Badger had provided nearly everything, disguises, information, identification, he had really come through this time, which was very unlike him.

All they had to do was break into the Shuìlián restaurant and get the manager to open a safe. Inside would be a data disk which is what Badger wanted. Whatever else was in the safe was theirs to keep, minus double what Mal already owed him. He didn't tell them what was on the disk, but something told them that since Badger had kindly waved his normal commission fee, they were doing all the hard work for a very low price.

Apparently the owner of the restaurant was some kind of business mogul and he kept some of his more valuable treasures at his prized restaurant, where he thought no one would even think about breaking into.

Mal and Jayne made their way to the back entrance, Badger had supplied them with uniforms that would make them look like servants. They were dressed in white pants with a white long sleeve shirt and maroon vest. He even provided key cards for them to gain a quiet entrance.

Jayne slid the card in while Mal stayed back as a lookout. He pulled it back... nothing. He tried again... nothing. He looked up at Mal and shrugged his arms. Mal shot him a glance to try again. Jayne tried again then clinched his fist and shook his head at Mal. Mal rolled his eyes and walked over.

"Not working!" Jayne whispered loudly.

Just then the door opened, catching Jayne off guard and causing him to tumble backward. One of the kitchen help workers had come outside for a quick stim shot away from prying eyes. Mal grabbed the young man, pushing him up against the wall. The young man looked scared out of his wits. They led him back inside and left him in a small closet. He was way too scared to even think about leaving.

They went around the kitchen to the main offices when someone tapped Jayne on the shoulder. Instinctively, he turned around and connected a right hook to the man's face. He was out cold. Mal looked at him questioningly.

"I don't like being touched," Jayne shrugged.

Just then another man walked around the corner, another kitchen helper. He tried to run away when Mal grabbed him by the collar.

"Now, I don't aim to hurt nobody, but me and my large friend here gonna need to speak with the manager." Mal told him as politely as a man can while holding another man in a threatening manner.

"That's him." the guy said, pointing down at the unconscious manager Jayne had just punched.

"Shun sheng duh gao wahn..." Mal muttered. He thought quickly, then had Jayne drag the manager into the next room while he escorted their new friend. It was the manager's office, and luckily they had stumbled upon the safe. He stepped into the young man's face, threatening him again, "Listen good. I need in that safe. Who else has the combination?"

"Th-th-the owner... he's having dinner out front now." The young man squeaked.

Mal told Jayne to stay and guard the room as he led the servant to the front of the resturaunt. They peeked through a window that overlooked the dining area. "Which one is he?"

The man pointed, "Upper section, middle table."

Mal's eyes followed his direction, finding the table he was referring to. Then, he saw... Inara? 'Sphincter of the 'Verse what a coincidence.' he thought to himself. "'Fore you go gettin out of this mess, I need something done for me. You go in there and tell that boss of yours that there's a problem he needs to come see. Now that's all you tell him. And you don't want to know what I'm gon' do to you if you can't handle that. Go on, now." Mal told him as he watched the obviously nervous boy climb the stairs, he saw the man talk to Lian, pointing toward the back. Mal thought he saw Inara look his direction and quickly ducked. He slowly looked back up to see Lian heading toward the back doors, and the servant boy waiting where he was until he could slip out the front door unnoticed. And then he saw Inara staring straight at him.

The food was delicious, the wine superb, the service excellent. All eyes were upon Lian and his beautiful companion. Persephone's high society was a small circle, so for Lian to contract with Inara rather than one of Persephone's many resident companions was something of a slight towards them. The gown Inara wore was the most costly thing she had ever been given. It was a dark green, oriental in cut and embroidered with tiny cut pieces of jade that shimmered with her every movement. At her throat was an emerald choker set in the rarest rose-gold. Jiao had very diplomatically suggested that Inara freshen up for dinner but the fact was that she owned virtually nothing that was suitable for the circles Lian moved in. Jiao had turned Inara's unruly curls into a perfectly coiffed creation set with gilded jade combs.

She could hardly breathe, hardly move. Lian was uninterested in learning anything about her, she might as well have been a lovebot; a lifeless doll in borrowed finery. Inara had been admired before, she had been given gifts before but never had she been turned into such a walking advertisement for a man's wealth and success. Lian talked at length about his 'business interests' but he was just boasting, being deliberately vague about how he actually generated his vast wealth.

And Lian was from an old, traditional family. He had neglected to mention that he did in fact have a wife and children. His wife stayed within the home however and he wanted a companion who could be seen with him at public events and service him as he desired. That was why she had her own property, why he had not met her. She was not welcome at his home and the fact he was married meant that many here looked at her askance. Inara had been a 'jumped up whore' as Mal had once put it for years but she had never felt like one until tonight... Atherton Wing notwithstanding and Mal wasn't here to challenge this conceited fatcat to a duel. Inara cursed herself for not doing enough research before accepting Lian, like Mal had given her the time.

A waiter appeared and spoke low into Lian's ear. He paused a moment, clearly irritated and then turned to her.

"I am so sorry Inara but there appears to be an urgent matter that requires my attention. This is most irregular, I hope you will forgive me."

"Not at all." Inara smiled.

Lian bowed and walked briskly away. Inara's gaze followed him and naturally went past him to see what evidence there was of some problem. There amid the oriental faces of the staff was Malcolm Reynolds.

Only a slight widening of her eyes betrayed her total shock. Inara was a trained companion. She stared at Mal and shook her head. Only afterwards did she remember Lian's private security eating at the next table, guarding their boss and the expensive jewellery that she wore. Inara's heart sank. Did they see her look at Mal? Did they see her shake her head?

What the hell was he doing here? Inara could not glance at him again. She sipped her wine and feigned mild interest in the artwork on the wall beside her.

By the time Lian had arrived at the back room, Mal was standing down the corridor in the entrance to the manager's room. "Boss! Come quick, someone broke into the safe."

Liam, concerned, quickly strode down the hall, "What!? Impossible, where is Henry? How did this, wait... who are you?"

Mal's eyes widened as he reached the last few feet and grabbed Liam by the collar. "Security!" Liam screamed at the top of his lungs.

Mal punched him in the gut and threw him in the room, Jayne was around the corner, hidden until you actually entered. Mal heard people footsteps rushing down the hallway, he quickly picked up Liam, holding a gun up to his head and facing him toward the doorway, waiting for the confrontation to unfold.

"Security!"

Inara acted as shocked as everyone else as Lian's henchmen raced towards his voice. It occurred to Inara that she was probably supposed to display concern for Lian's safety. It was also just possible that she could diffuse any situation that became potentially life threatening for her erstwhile landlord.

On the other hand, she had been left unattended while wearing more than enough jewellery to set herself up elsewhere. But it was a fleeting, idle thought. The guild would strike her off and she would be a fugitive.

Inara rose and walked as quickly as her skirts would allow towards the source of the commotion.

Two men came barreling through the doorway. Jayne pistol-whipped one as he entered, taking him out of the fight as he fell to the floor dazed, the other drew a gun on Jayne, then switched it to Mal as he saw him holding Liam hostage. Jayne pulled his gun on the guard, everyone poised for a shootout.

"Now calm down there big boy, aint nobody need gettin hurt today. Here's what you're gonna do. Your boss here is going to tell you the combination to that there safe, you're going to open it and then lay down flat on the floor. Now..." Mal tightened his hold on Liam and cocked his gun for emphasis. "Drop your gun, slowly.... Sir, if you wouldn't mind?" telling that last part to Liam.

The guard looked around, confused. Finally he crouched down, dropping the gun to the floor and made the few steps to the safe. Liam told him the combination after quite a bit of hesitation, the safe opened and the guard lay on the floor.

"Jayne." Mal nodded.

Jane opened the safe, finding a few trinkets and a large stack of credits, and most importantly a small data disk. "Lets see what Badger just couldn't wait to get his hands on." Jayne said as he slid the data disk into a nearby console. He tapped on the screen a few times, "Mal, this is the delivery routes and times of every Alliance contracted shipment of med supplies for the next 5 months..."

"Why would an upstanding citizen like yourself need this kind of information? You the one been selling this information to the highest bidder. We ran into some of your friends not but a few weeks back said they could get us a job workin for a man with low morals. The kind of job that pays well. I 'spose med supplies fetch quite a hefty price when sold illegally to the border planets." Mal said.

During all the distraction, nobody had been paying attention to the guard Jayne hit a few minutes earlier.

She rounded a corner and nearly tripped headlong over one of Lian's guards. Inara stepped carefully around him and reached the stand-off just in time to hear Mal announce that her new employer was a shady crook who stole med supplies. Credits were one thing, vital drugs quite another and although the border planets sorely needed med supplies, they certainly did not need to pay the kind of price that a crook like Lian would wring from them.

Mal looked up as Inara gasped but did an admirable job of pretending he'd never laid eyes on her before.

"Inara!?"

Mal shot Jayne a look that should have killed him. Jayne simply shrugged apologetically. Lian's shrewd almond eyes slid possessively over Inara's stunning form, his lip curling.

"You filthy little cunt." He hissed. Inara watched as Mal's trigger finger immediately depressed perceptibly, shaking her head at him. "I set you up in your own property, dress you like a queen and you repay me by conspiring to rob me? You'll never work again, whore. The guild would tell me I was within my rights to wring your neck with the emeralds I placed there!"

Inara ripped the jewellery from her throat and flung it at him. Jayne reached for the choker.

"No! If I do steal from this man the guild will strike me. let him have the trinkets he bought with his blood money."

"Begging your pardon Inara but we ain't all registered companions here and if it's all the same to you, I'll steal from who I ruttin please." He snatched up the costly bauble and added it to their stash. Inara glared at Mal to intervene but the corners of his mouth were twitching upwards in a manner that told her he was with Jayne on this one. Inara sighed and regarded Lian once more.

"I did not conspire to steal from you but this unhappy coincidence may have some advantages. You will release me from my contract with you immediately, without prejudice. You will not contact the guild or make any kind of complaint. A complaint to the Alliance law enforcement here on Persephone from a registered companion such as myself would bring down all manner trouble on your head. I could tell them about the shady deals this place is a front for and be believed. I could even accuse you of sexual assault, false imprisonment, mental cruelty and... well, anything else I dream up in the meantime. I have been a registered companion for seven years and there has never been a single complaint made about me, nor have I ever made a complaint to law enforcement about a client." That wasn't strictly true but Lian could not know that... steps had been taken some years ago to doctor Inara's file.

Lian regarded her coldly.

"So... it would be in all our interests for my friends and I to go our way without fear of reprisal." She surmised.

Inara gasped again but this time because a hand snaked around her throat and yanked her back against the chest of Lian's other guard, the one she had stepped over. Lian eyed the guard over Inara's shoulder.

"Take the disc and the credits, have the gorram necklace but I will not be so disgraced as to have a filthy whore steal from me without... reprisal." Inara fell incredibly still as cold steel compelled her to lift her chin. "Slice the bitch's face off. She's never working again."

The guard hesitated, eyeballing Mal. Now it really was a stand-off. He yanked Inara's head back and pressed his knifepoint until a thin trickle of blood snaked down her cheek.

Mal struggled to remain calm under the circumstances. He wasn't bothered so much about the standoff they were having. He had been in this situation countless times and would likely be in them countless more. No, he was burning with rage at Inara for making the situation infinitely more strenuous and for even thinking about spreading her legs for the likes of this man.

"Easy there, big fella..." he told Lian's guard his face was straight and stone cold. "Now... there's a couple ways this situation might take. You go on and cut up that pretty lady's face, be a gorram shame though, don't you think? If you do that, now I'm going to need to be putting a bullet in your employer here. Now I would really hate wasting a bullet on an situation could be avoided."

"There would be no way I could live with myself if I let a pretty lady like this get hurt so I would be forced to take it out on you. Now... a pretty lady is hurt, and you and your boss is dead, and we still have the disc and credits. You seem like a smart fella... kinda. Now how is that going to be better than if'n you just let her go?" Mal watched as the blood continued down Inara's face. He was trying to keep the calmest face possible though. He had to make the guard know he would actually do it.

The bodyguard considered the situation as Mal's eyes wondered over to Jayne, giving him the slightest nod. The guard took the blade off Inara slowly.

"That's a good boy..." Mal talked him down. "Now. Let her go and we'll walk out of here. Seems everyone here deserves at least one more night in their own bed." Mal began uncocked his gun and lowered it at the same time as the guard.

He released Inara first and Jayne shot him in the gut. The guard slumped backwards to the wall and slid down, holding his wound. Lian started struggling desperately in his grasp but Mal was having none of that. He hit Lian in the back of the head with his pistol, dazing him and letting him fall onto his desk.

Then Mal took the data disk and brought it in front of his eyes before snapping it in half and dropping it on the desk. "Lets go." he said as he walked over to Inara, grabbing her by the arm to help her up, but obviously angry at her, pushing her toward the doorway.

Jayne was in shock. Now they were not going to be able to finish Badger's job. Mal noticed his disapointment and spoke first, "Don't nobody need that kind of information, especially Badger."

Lian started laughing, "Fool, I'll hire people to chase you around the universe. There is nowhere you can hide. And I'll be back in business before you know it. You think crushing a disk is going to stop me?" He held his head, groggily.

"No, don't 'spose it would." He turned around and fired two shots into Lian's chest. He felt nothing. Lian deserved it. He turned around and continued to push Inara out of the office. They were out the back door before the wounds from Lian's bullet holes stopped smoking.

---------------------------------------------

"So, the kind of rich men you fancy sure are all civil like," he told Inara. Upon returning to the ship he marched her directly to her former shuttle. He didn't even see the crew as he passed right by some of them including Zoe who was ready to give him the details of the cargo she found to ship. The room still smelled of her perfumes, she had been gone such a short time. "Of all the liou coe shway duh biao-tze huh hoe-tze duh ur-tze you had to pick him?!"

"Inara you could have died back there, and what's worse, your poor judgment almost got me and Jayne killed!" still grabbing her arm, he shoved her into the middle of the room right in front of the bed.

Inara rounded on Mal, rubbing her arm where he had frog-marched her through the ship and then pushed her.

"My poor judgement?" She was shouting now, teeth bared, snarling up into his face. She had ached for Mal ever since she stepped from Serenity but as usual, all that longing evaporated completely as she stared exasperatedly into his stubborn face.

"You ordered me off this ship and then burned Serenity's ass to the first core world you could dump me on! You think I had the time to look into Lian's background in the kind of detail that would have flagged up the discrepancies in his finances?"

The moment she had laid eyes on him in that restaurant, Inara's only thought had been for Mal's safety. She had walked into a potential firefight without a second thought and this was the gorram shit she got for her trouble?

Her shuttle was virtually empty now. "Every personal possession of mine is in Lian's custody. I don't know if he will go to the guild but if he does, there'll be a tribunal. I'll have to go in there and explain how my former landlord set out to rob one of the richest and most powerful men on Persephone, without my foreknowledge or collusion. How do you think that's going to go Mal?"

Before he could answer she was throwing another barb at him, pacing up and down the length of the bed.

"And to crown it all, you've broken the datadisk! So if Lian doesn't have us all killed or destroy my career, Badger's henchmen are going to follow us off this rock and take the ship! And you're telling me that your primary concern right now is my taste in men!"

"Get out!" She pointed at the door. "I'll pay you more rent when I next get access to more credits but for now you can just leave me alone!"

The real reason Mal was mad was because he couldn't stand the thought of Inara being with some scumbag like Lian. In fact, he couldn't stand the thought of her being with any other client. She was so beautiful and strong. She belonged to him, but her chosen profession would never allow the kind of relationship he wanted. In fact, his chosen lifestyle would not allow it either. But right now he was absolutely livid with her for choosing such a bad person over him.

"Anybody on this ship goin' be deciding what the primary concern is, is me! Now, you may see yourself as a guest on this boat, but the fact of the matter is, anybody step foot on this ship is part of my crew. I am the boss. I make the rules. I decide what is best for everyone. Badger aint worth no troubles in my mind. Same as your precious career." he was shouting a little louder than normal. He wasn't used to anybody telling him how to do things around his own ship. "That will be all... Inara."

He turned around and walked toward the door, stopping with his hand over the button. He stood there, staring at his boots as he thought for a few seconds, trying to calm down. He laughed at how ridiculous the past couple of days have been.

He turned back around, crossing his arms over his chest and looking at Inara a little more concerned now. "Now you listen up. I won't let Badger harm anyone on this boat, never. You hear me? And if the 'verse decides I need to, I'll strangle him myself. As far as your tribunal," he took a step toward her. "I'll do what needs doing to see you out of harms way." There was still a hint of anger in his voice, as he was hardly used to being so sincere.

Off he went again, strutting and shouting. Inara would never know how she had managed to fall so hard for such an impossible man.

She answered his bitter laugh with one of her own, stepping towards him to punctuate her words. It wasn't like Inara to swear but today had been sorely trying and wasn't looking to improve.

"Tsway-niou! Anybody who steps foot on this ship is a part of your crew... except me."

His gaze darkened again but Inara was way past caring.

"Even Simon and River are more a part of your crew than I am, after all the time I've been here. Whenever there's a decision needs making and if my opinion isn't exactly the same as yours, suddenly I'm nothing but niou fun! I've saved your pig headed pee-goo more times than I can count but I've never been offered a slice of the booty or a moment's credit!"

His temper began rising quickly again. Here he was trying to be civil and understanding and she just keeps running her mouth in disrespect. Mal laughed again in contempt, "So it's credit you want? You wish to become a cutthroat pirate like the rest of us? What's the matter? The thrilling life of laying with complete scoundrels isn't enough for you anymore, then? Or maybe you need a real man to sate your sense of adventure..." he stepped right next to her now, as he talked his face was mere inches from hers. His eyes traced the line from her neck down to her cleavage.

Inara began looking very delectable to Mal. He had always lusted after her but as a companion, and part of their arangement, he was not allowed to touch her or otherwise get in the way of her work. Their arrangement had ended yesterday when she was escorted off the boat with Lian's men. Right now she was just another whore on his ship. He did care deeply for her, but her continued insubordination and insults were driving him over the edge.

"Do you want your own special spot in this crew, is that it, Inara? I just so happen to have a position need fillin'. Perhaps it's time for us to make a new arrangement as to the nature of your stay aboard Serenity. I'll give you the only job you're suited for. " He slid his hand up the side of her hips, then up her stomach and over her breasts. His hands glided smoothly along the delicate red silk. He roughly grabbed the strap of her dress off her shoulder and pulled it down her body, exposing her divine breast. He then took her arm again and shoved her toward the bed. With another shove he took the liberty of forcing her to take a seat. "And don't worry about rent... you do your job and you can stay for free."

She was so profoundly shocked that Mal had freed one of her breasts before she even had time to react. The only job she was fit for? Inara could handle every other man treating her like a worthless piece of ass but for Mal to try getting away with it was just too much. All the nights she had lain awake fantasising about him, touching herself till she cried his name into her pillow. For this to be the first sexual contact between them was more than Inara could stand.

Her ass hit the bare mattress and Inara couldn't stand because of the way Mal was leaning over her. His breeches started to swell right before her eyes as his calloused hand mauled her supple breast. Inara felt her nipple harden and inhaled sharply, covering her arousal by slapping Mal's hand away. One of the combs in her hair came loose and glossy dark curls cascaded down one side of her face.

"Hwun dan!" Inara arched away from him, covering her breast with one hand but Mal's taller, broader frame had the reach on her. She slapped him hard in his smug, smirking face but the answering pulse in the hot, hard erection pressing through his trousers against her suggested that Inara wasn't exactly being successful at dissuading him.

Mal brought his hands up to his face, massaging the sting into his flesh. He smiled at her devilishly. He brought the back of his other hand across her face, now fuming with rage and lust. Then he grabbed her by the back of the head, with a fistful of her hair. He yanked her head upward as he leaned down to her, stopping when his mouth was hovering over her left ear.

"I've been wanting to do this for a long time, Inara. You should try to enjoy it. I know I'm going to." he said just before releasing her hair violently, causing a little strain on her neck. He pulled a knife out of his holster and grabbed her dress. giving a slight cut to the area of the dress between the cleavage. He put the knife back in it's place and with two hands ripped the dress halfway down it's length in one pull. The sound of tearing fabric was the only thing he could hear over her labored breathing.

He then pushed her back on the bed, carefully unbuckling his belt and holsters, trowing them across the other side of the bed to the floor. Then he kneeled down on the floor, tucking her legs under his arms and running his hands up her entire body. One hand trailed across her face and violently pinned it down, turning her head to face away from what he was doing. The other roughly tugged and pinched on her nipples as he began roughly licking and kissing her stomach.

His fist twisted in her hair, yanking her up towards him. Inara had been with demanding men before but never one this physically strong, capable of pinning her down and raping her without even breaking a sweat. Her eyes blazed up at him with indignation and fear.

"I've been wanting to do this for a long time, Inara. You should try to enjoy it. I know I'm going to."

"I'll send you a bill." She hissed, teeth bared, not giving an inch.

Mal drew his knife and Inara's eyes widened further as she tried to recoil. He stuck the wickedly sharp tip of it into the front of her dress and rent the expensive fabric. She watched in total shock as Mal gripped her dress and ripped it all the way down past her naval in one savage motion. Even after he put the knife down Inara was aware of its presence and his skill with it. The terror somehow kicked her arousal into gear, a heady cocktail of adrenaline and endorphins that totally over-rode her rational, conscious mind.

Inara had been a maid in the guild house until she blossomed into a young girl beautiful enough to train as a full-fledged companion. Less fortunate girls, who turned out to be plain or dull witted either stayed as maids or wound up in cheap brothels. Inara's virginity had been auctioned when she was sixteen and from that moment she had become a registered companion. Since that day she had had very few sexual encounters that stirred her emotionally and fewer still that she wasn't in complete control of. Men who wanted to fling a girl around like a rag doll went to the low rent brothels, where the stablemasters weren't that concerned with the state their stock was returned in. Companions reviewed their clients, so being heavy handed with one girl could easily put a man off-limits to all the rest.

It had been years since anything approaching passion had stirred in Inara. He pinned her down by her face, which was a very dominant act that somehow liquefied her. Inara struggled desperately, scared that her arousal would become evident. This only served to make her torso arch up towards him however and he took the opportunity to grab at her breast, pinching and tugging on it. Sensation ricocheted down her spine to her pussy. He would find her wet there and she hated knowing that. Mal kissed and licked her stomach, the gentler sensations in sweet counterpoint to the rougher way he was handling her tits. Inara's nipples hardened and ached, drawing a guttural moan from her. Usually all her sex noises were contrived, an artifice to maximise a client's enjoyment. It was cathartic to give herself up to Mal and let her body react how it would. Inara was shocked at her own arousal, it gave her a deep sense of shame.

Mal had wanted her so badly for so long. His desire was now flaming as he had now, to take her however he could have possibly wanted. The thought of her being so vulnerable only served to increase his drive and his aggressiveness toward her. Hearing her moan also did nothing to deter his advances.

While still licking and sucking on her body, Mal reached down with a fist full of dress in his hand, pulled the dress away from her body, causing it to rip more. The expensive fabric now nothing more than a pile of rags as the only thing holding it together in front was about 3 inches where he material still desperately held together. His breathing became labored, not from exhaustion but from pure lust as he pinched and grabbed and groped his hand down her body to her trembling pussy. His hand cupped her nether region for a second, relishing in finding its prize before he roughly sank two fingers inside with his thumb rubbing circles around her folds, looking for her button.

He shifted his body upward as his mouth attacked her neck, biting her collar bone and licking and kissing his way up her nape to her ear. "And now... princess..." He said as his thumb found what it was looking for, "I'm going to show you how a real man makes love to a woman." His hand released her head only to grab the other side of her face and violently turn it toward him as he gave her the most passionate kiss he had ever given a woman. He wanted her so bad for so long and now he finally had her. He couldn't help but notice her own wetness, as surely even the most trained companion couldn't hide such arousal. He smiled in his kiss as he realized she was enjoying this just as much as he was.

His two thick, work calloused fingers stretched Inara as he forced them into her body. She was wet and open but it still stung. Panic began to rise inside her as she wondered just how big his cock was. His lips and tongue found their way to the nape of her neck and all conscious thought ceased. Inara actually shivered as his deep voice rumbled into her ear.

"And now... princess...I'm going to show you how a real man makes love to a woman."

The rough pad of his thumb found her clit and set about stimulating it. Inara bucked beneath him, desperate to let Mal have his way. She couldn't shake the knowledge that she was the one ceding ground here, that things were changing irrevocably between them that would leave her at a disadvantage. She still couldn't believe that he had forced himself on her, even if she hadn't exactly run screaming.

He brought his hand up to their faces. He licked and slurped one finger clean and then shoved both fingers into her mouth. "Mmmm you are even sweeter than I ever imagined. As talented as you are, not even that can be learned in Whore School. Have a taste..." He teased her, shoving his fingers to the back of her mouth until she gagged before pulling them back out for her to lick clean. "Lick it all off..." he told her.

Pulling his fingers away he brought his now saliva-drenched hand across her neck, squeezing a little as he leaned in to kiss her again. He released her, allowing her to breathe normally again as he slapped her across the face lightly, but enough to jerk her head to the side. He did it again three more times.

"You really have no idea how much I'm going to enjoy this." Mal taunted her through clinched teeth. "Now..." he slapped her again. "Take my cock out." He told her with his head hovering over his. He held up his hand threatening to slap her again until she did as she was told.

Inara was more than familiar with the taste of herself but she had never been forced to gag on it before. Her eyes narrowed as he forced his fingers to the back of her throat and her tenuous consent to this was swiftly withdrawn. Before she could stop coughing enough to say as much, Mal squeezed her throat and started slapping her face. Her face snapped sideways with each blow and she began to struggle, panicked by the thick saliva in her throat and the compression on her windpipe.

Inara was enraged. She writhed like a scalded cat, for all the rutting good it did her.

"Take my cock out."

She glared up at him and the meaty hand he was brandishing in front of her face. Inara did as she was told but handled him roughly, one hand holding his shaft and the other his balls. Her nails dug lightly into his sensitive flesh and her grip tightened beyond what he could find pleasure in.

Once again it was a stand-off. Either he let her go or she would gouge holes in his manhood.