This is part of a prompt table I am working on. You can find it Here. All the stories from it are standalones unless otherwise noted.

Notes: Post film.

Just a little something I had sitting around to post while I work on a much longer, multi-chapter story.

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37.Cherries

Kaylee bounced into the galley, eyes staring widely over the boxes of fresh fruit they’d gotten as part of a payment for a job well done. She licked her lips and peered into the three different boxes sitting in the center of the table, trying to decide which fruit she wanted to taste first. Jayne was already there, eagerly munching on a large apple, no doubt imagining it was something else. And River was daintily peeling an orange, piling the skins in front of Jayne so that it looked like he was being greedy. Kaylee’s mouth watered in anticipation as her hand hovered over the apples. But then she caught sight of something even more rare and instead plucked a handful of ripe, plump cherries out of the next box and sat down at the far end of the table, admiring them adoringly. Mal, Zoe and Inara all came in, each choosing particular piece, and sat down at the table savoring the freshness and the taste of the rare fruit. When Simon walked in from the passenger dorms and caught sight of Kaylee staring lustfully at her little pile of cherries, he grinned. With a lopsided smile, he snatched one out of her pile and popped it into his mouth. Kaylee’s shocked gasp caused everyone to glance over at her. “That’s the only cherry ya gonna get outta lil’ Kaylee, doc.” Jayne laughed heartily at his own jab. Simon rolled his eyes determined not to take the bait as he so often did. Zoe, had she been close enough, would have kicked him under the table, Mal simply glared in exasperation at the mercenary. Inara did an exact imitation of Simon’s eye roll and River simply smiled at her orange. Kaylee didn’t even bother to look over at the man-ape. She simply stared at Simon, licked her lips and picked out a cherry from her coveted pile. “I have a special trick. Wanna see?” Simon sat down beside her and nodded, his attention completely drawn to the young mechanic. Tilting her head back, she puckered her lips and brought the little bulb into contact with them. With a sultry glance over it at Simon, her tongue darted out and rolled around cherry before she popped the thing in her mouth, leaving the stem carefully situated between two fingers. “Yeah, great trick, lil’ Kaylee,” Jayne said around a mouthful of apple. “That how ya eat –“ “Jayne!” Inara and Mal cried, stopping the man from finishing his thought. River glanced toward Jayne and calmly said, “not quite” before popping a piece of orange into her mouth and returning her attention to Kaylee. Simon refused to let his attention be swayed by the comments at the end of the table and simply watched Kaylee slowly chew the juicy piece of fruit. He raised an eyebrow when she finished and held up the stem. With difficulty, Kaylee tore her eyes from Simon’s and glanced around the table. “Eatin’ it ain’t the trick. Anyone can do that. But,” she held up the stem for all of them to see. “Not everyone can tie this in a knot with their tongue.” Simon had an idea this was what she was going to do and having a first hand knowledge of what her tongue could do sent a rush of pure desire racing straight into his groin. Conversation at the table ground to a halt as everyone turned their attention on Kaylee. Jayne, of course, couldn’t resist directing one more comment in Simon’s direction. “Bet she can do all sorts of nasty things with that tongue, huh doc?” Between Mal’s boot impacting with his shin and River’s tiny fingers pinching the flesh of his arm, he missed the sultry look Kaylee shot at Simon. Kaylee licked her lips before putting the stem into her mouth, rolling it over her tongue a few times to tease him. She could see him straighten in his chair, and fold his hands onto the table oh-so properly. Kaylee nearly giggled since she knew this was his way of hiding how aroused he was. Encouraged, she watched as his heated gaze swept down her face and settled on her lips, watching hungrily for her to begin. She twisted and bent the stem inside her mouth, lathering it well enough so it would slide into a knot. It took very little time for her to complete her task and soon she pulled the newly tied cherry stem from her mouth and held it up for all to see. Kaylee did giggle this time when Simon took a deep breath, desire swimming in his pretty eyes. Jayne stood quickly, the fruit he was eating completely forgotten. “Got things to do in – on the – ship. Ah hell, I’ll be in my bunk.” Kaylee licked her lips and handed the stem to Simon before gathering up her small pile of uneaten cherries and standing. “I got things to do too.” She wiggled her hips at Simon, pouted prettily at him as she walked around his chair. She could feel him tremble when she trailed a solitary finger around his neck as she moved. River looked up at Kaylee as she passed. “Teach me how to do that sometime?” Simon shook his head to clear it and stared at his sister, about to forbid it when Kaylee interrupted. “Oh, it’s real easy!” Kaylee exclaimed excitedly. “Gotta be real good with your tongue tho’.” Kaylee glanced back at Simon, eyes twinkling with mischief. “You don’t need to learn something like that, River.” Simon said quickly, snapping out of his lust-filled haze. Kaylee’s eyes narrowed and she shoved a hand onto her hip. “An’ why not? You liked it.” Simon floundered for a moment, struggling to say something that would put off his sister’s interest and not anger Kaylee further. Everyone else just looked on with amusement. The doc may have loosened up since bedding Kaylee, but there were some things that he was just not comfortable discussing – anything resembling his sister’s not yet existing sex life being one of them. “I’m an – I’m not –“ Simon groaned at his inability to speak his mind when flustered by the women in his life and settled on, “River is under age.” River rolled her eyes as did Inara and Kaylee. “It’s just a little fun trick, Simon,” Kaylee said with an exasperated sigh. “Ya only turn it to somethin’ sexy when ya want your man to follow ya.” She let her eyes slid down his tense body. “But now ya went an’ ruined the mood.” She turned back toward the door and walked out, leaving Simon staring after her his jaw hanging open. Simon stood suddenly and followed on Kaylee’s heels, hoping to win back her good cheer and collect on the promise her eyes and mouth had made while she worked on that cherry. “Huh,” Mal said as he glanced down at his apple. When he lifted his head, his eyes met Inara’s. “Companion’s trained in parlor tricks too?” Inara shot him a sultry look from beneath her lashes. When she stood, she reached over and plucked a single, solitary cherry out of the small crate. “Wouldn’t you like to know?” She turned and walked out of the room and back toward her shuttle, leaving Mal staring after her, stunned speechless by her wordless invitation. Mal stood suddenly and cleared his throat. “I – uh – have Captainy things to do.” Without waiting for River or Zoe to respond, he quickly went in the opposite direction. After he was gone, River glanced in the direction he’d walked and shook her head. “Sure he does, in Inara’s shuttle.”

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