On the Subject of Morals

Seduction

"Book ain't your real name. They gave you that name at the abbey."

"All the shepherds take a new name. It's part of our devotion to God."

" Tzao gao don't fly."

"Call me whatever you want."

"You ain't a saint, you ain't wanted by the Alliance and no one is holding you here. Don't give me ca about saving my soul. I don't want your saving." Jayne sat beside him and put an arm around him. "If you didn't my attention, you'd be telling me to leave."

Book took a slow, deep breath. "I've been celibate forever."

"And you aren't leaving. I'm not blocking the door."

"Why are you trying to tempt me?"

Jayne pushed aside the hair and kissed his cheek. "You aren't bad to look at and you have a nice body for a man of any age. Besides, I have nothing better to do." Jayne figured the preacher knew his sense of humor by now. "I like you and I like how I feel when I touch you or sit close to you."

"Why me?"

"You're a prize. The chase is what matters."

"Mal is available," said the shepherd.

"I don't do anyone crazier than myself. I like to be alive tomorrow." Jayne lau. He. He had done Mal once early in his career on this ship. He didn't like the way Mal treated him after sex. He thought Mal had the same attitude as he and believed a good day was when you made it through that day alive and with a profit, in Mal's case with enough money to get fuel and parts for the ship, but Mal got all serious when they had sex and Jayne didn't like it one bit. He wasn't serious with Kaylee and they were knocking boots.

Then, Mal wasn't sly and told Jayne that was experimenting straight up. Mal didn't want to admit that he liked sex with another man and Jayne didn't need to be with anyone that acted like he was doing him a big favor by having sex with him. Book didn't needed know to know how fucked up his relationship with Mal was.

Jayne broke it off telling the captain that he wasn't sly after all and it all was a big mistake. Jayne screw three women at the next port just to prove to the captain that it was a big mistake and they did something crazy because they were horny and Kaylee wasn't giving the captain any. Kaylee got over the man of the week and returned to screwing the captain and that was the end of Jayne and Mal's affair.

"I wouldn't kill you." Book said.

Jayne put his hands up. "I'm not blocking ther. Yr. You like the attention."

"You think I'm sly."

"I know you are." Jayne put a finger over Book's lips. "Kiss me."

"I thought you didn't kiss on the lips."

"I'll make an exception or we can go straight to the main event?" Jayne put his hands on his lap. The Shepherd had the next move and he took it. He placed his arms around Jayne and his mouth over Jayne's. He opened his mouth to take in Jayne's tongue. His mouth was warm and sweet.

The tip of Jayne's tongue touched the sweetness from sugar coating his teeth. His arms wrapped around Jayne's body as Jayne pulled the old man closer. Kissing could be as hotter than the main event with their teeth, lips and tongues bumping.

"That was nice. You have kissed before."

"I left the order once to get married. She dumped me before the wedding. I was waiting for the wedding night. You asked me if I had sex; you never asked me if I had kissed," Book said, indignantly.

"I'm sorry." Jayne put his hand on Book's face. "Sex doesn't mean a lot to me. I pick up whores at nearly every port, but I know it means a lot to you. Book, I care about you. I would like this to be more than one kiss. I've never felt this way about anyone. Around you, I feel comfortable, a comfort that I never felt before but would like to come use to. I want to love you."

"Jayne, I like you," the older man said, "but I don't know if I'm ready to do this. It was a long time ago when I was jilted. I tried not to think about it since. I left the order for this woman and she left me at the altar. I didn't want to believe in love after that."

"That was a long time ago." Jayne removed his clothes except his briefs. Jayne's voice was low and soothing. "I promise to be gentle. I would never want to cause you pain."

"Why should I let you?"

"Because you're as lonely as I and I promise you that it will feel very good." Jayne put the other man's hand on his hard chest. "Feel me. I want you."

"I've never done this."

"At sixty, you must have wanted it."

"At my age, you stop caring." Book put his hand down the younger, larger man's body.

"There is no reason to be afraid. I'll take very good care of you."

"I don't want to ruin our friendship."

"This will only make what we have better."

"Leave."

Jayne started putting his clothes back on. "You know where I'll be."

The shepherd's voice trembled. "No stay."

Jayne lied back down and face the other man on the bed. "Can I help you undress?"

Book removed his shirt and trousers and stuffed them into his duffle bag. "This can't be any fun for you. I'm approaching sixty and I have no idea what I'm doing."

"You're doing fine." Jayne kissed the older man's back. "You're so beautiful. A fine strong body." He dotted the man's back with more kisses. "Relax. Let all that tension out. So beautiful."

"I'm not beautiful."

"It wouldn't hurt for you to straighten that mop of yours. But even that suits you."

"River screamed when she saw my hair." Book laughed nervously, then pulled it in.

"I want you to be comfortable with me." Jayne moved his fingers over the man's back. "We can go as slow as you like. I'm not going anywhere."

"You can touch me."

Jayne put his arms around the other man and buried his head into his shoulder. "Another time. I just want to hold you."

"I made a vow."

"Other shepherds marry."

"Use my own words against me."

"Do you think I'm playing you? I'm not Saffron. I don't play people."

"I don't know what to think." Book leaned against the other man.

"Let me hold you," Jayne whispered. "I'll be here in the morning." Jayne went to sleep on the small bed beside Book. He liked the feel of sleeping next to someone. The sound of another person's heartbeat meant Jayne wasn't alone in the universe, a universe where Earth was the only planet with advanced life. Another person sharing his bed made Jayne a bit less alone; he woke up with a smile. "Good morning, Beautiful."

"I'm not beautiful," shouted Book.

"I'm going to say it until belibelieve it." Jayne dressed then kissed Book's cheek. "Tie back your hair. No frightening little girls."

Inara cornered Jayne as he was leaving Book's room. "How could you seduce a man of the cloth?"

"You have said seduction is an art." Jayne started to walk to the galley.

"You preyed on his need."

"He has the same needs as any man."

"You're scum."

"And I've never said otherwise." Jayne walked a little faster. The whore was leaving within the week.

"You're using him."

"I use him. He uses me. That's how it works." Jayne was still smiling when he took an apple to eat. "Good morning," he said to the crewmembers gathering in the galley.

"You would think Jayne was the one on his honeymoon," said Zoe.

River looked at Book then her naked feet.

Wash laughed. "You know what they say about shepherds and little boys."

"I'm no little boy." Jayne rose to his full height.

Wash pointed to his forehead.

While Jayne was in the kitchen sharpening his knife, Inara started to make tea. "Join me," she said.

"I thought you were leaving." Jayne put his knife down; he wasn't going to cut himself again.

"I'm almost finished packing. It's a small ship."

"You think I'm an idiot."

"Yes," she smiled, "but that is beside the point."

"I love him. You rather run off than face your feelings toward Mal. I told Book that I'm staying right here."

"Love him?" Inara poured out two cups of tea.

"What do you know about love? The moment you feel anything you run. I ain't smart, but I know that much."

"I'm a professional." Inara sipped her tea.

"That makes you cold. Most of us don't pick our partner from a list. We sees someone and if they look back, we go from there."

"And you never used anyone."

"Of course, I used people for profit. I've killed people for profit."

"I sell a service."

"The whores at a Heart of Gold sold a service. You sell an illusion."

"The illusion is part of the service." Inara put down her empty cup. "It's going to end badly."

"And you refuse to let anything start. I'm not as heartless as you." Jayne picked up his knife and muttered, "whore," and put it safely in his room and locked it away.

Jayne found Book in the cargo bay. "I'll spot you."

"What happened last night?" Book asked.

"You kissed me and you liked it."

Book set up his weights.

"Would you liketo kto kiss you again?"

"This is so wrong."

"You don't think you will go to Hell for loving me."

"I made a vow."

Jayne moved a finger of Book's lip and chin. "You kept you vow a very long time. No man or god could fault you for breaking it."

"I've done many bad things."

"And loving me is one of them."

Book put his hand on Jayne's hand. "No. Loving you isn't a bad thing. I felt things while you had your arms around me that I never allowed myself to feel before."

Jayne smiled as he looked at Book's hand on top of his. "What did you feel?"

"I felt worthy of being loved. I understood why men would believe that the angels would be jealous of humanity. It felt wonderful to be in your arms and know that you wanted nothing more than to hold me."

"I want you to feel love. I know I'm just a simple man, but I want to make you feel good. I want you to know how it feels to be loved. You're human like the rest of us." Jayne took Book hand and kissed each of his fingers.

"You aren't a good man."

"Good men don't know what you know about torture."

Book adjusted his weights.

"Very nice." Jayne moved a hand over Book's firm pecks.

"We did our farming withoechnechnology at the abbey. Farming is backbreaking work."

"I don't doubt that. How many years have you been at the abbey?"

Book lied down under the bar. "I can't talk and focus on my breathing."

"Answer the fucking question."

"Seven." Book lifted the weight and focused on his breath.

Jayne watched Book lower the weight. "It's too heavy. Hurting yourself isn't going to impress me." A picture formed in Jayne's head. Book had gone to the abbey as a young man, gone off to see the world, obviously got himself in favor with the Alliance, then became disgusted and went back to the abbey.

Book took some weight off. "It isn't all about you."

"It's about us." Jayne took Book's hands off the bench press, put his hands in his then looked him in the eye and started kissing him. Slow and long like last night.

"Everyone is getting married," Mal said.

"You're just missing your wife. Next time, you get naked with her remember not to leave your clothes on the shuttle," Jayne said.

Book returned to adjusting the weight.

"That is not what happened," Mal said.

"Sure, Captain. You thought you would get some and she went all crazy on you. The first rule of having any relationship is not to sleep with anyone crazier than youself," Jayne explained. "Since you and River are make me look sane, that don't give me many options."

"You figure," Mal said.

Jayne walked over to a ladder and sat down. "My mother's letter got me thinking. I used to believe that I save up some money and buy myself a little house on one of the border worlds, but I'm not saving any money. Old gunfighter don't fade away; they die."

"I see what you're saying."

"I have to get my happiness where I can find it," Jayne said.

"Yeap." Mal looked at him disgusted. He was probably thinking about their relationship that lasted as long as it took them to get from Orisis to one of the more distant border planets. Kaylee was grieving over a man that she had the two weeks that they were in Orisis and wouldn't give the captain any. Kaylee thought the man in Orisis loved her, but when she said that she would stay behind he ran and she cried to Zoe, not the captain.

Jayne took the opportunity to seduce the captain, and when they were at each other's throats more than ever, Jayne used all his share of the profit on whores to forget about the captain. The man was crazy, but he was good in the sack. Jayne wanted more than some trim when he had the money for it. Jayne didn't like feeling vulnerable and he felt rather vulnerable at this moment with the captain looking him over like he was the most vile creature in the universe.

Book walked over to Jayne and touched his arm lightly. "We could go to my cabin and talk."

"Or not." Jayne could get over one man by fucking another. Jayne didn't think Book was ready for an ass fucking, but he might be able to give the shepherd a blowjob and maybe even get a hand job in return. The man looked so good covered in sweat.

Book swallowed hard.

"Shepherd, what are you looking for?" Mal asked.

"Serenity."

Mal said, "Very funny."

"Not the ship. I'll go check on River." Book smiled and walked away.

"Jayne, we're starting a big project and we did manage to sell that gun with Inara's contacts," Mal said. "We'll have more money than you can imagine in a few weeks."

"You promised me that before," Jayne sneered. "Inara's leaving because she loves you."

"I know."

"If you were any kind of man, you would get down on your knees and ask her to marry you."

"I'll spot you."

"I rather not."

"If I sold this ship, I still wouldn't have enough money to buy out her contract and I can't ask a lady to go on the run for me," captain explained. The guild owned Inara. She chose that life. She could buy out her own contract and be a free agent.

"So what this new job?"

"Buying savage, fixing it up and selling it as new," the captain said.

"Depending on what we sell, we could make enough to buy my ranch after the first shipment."

"We're hoping. Kaylee is going teach River how to do the repairs. Simon claims part of her problem is that she's bored."

"She can kill us all in our sleep. Why not teach her how to use heavy equipment?" Jayne laughed.

Captain shrugged his shoulders.

Jayne went off to find Book so he could continue the kissing and maybe get into the man's pants.

Book was in his cabin reading his Bible.

"May I come in?" Jayne asked.

After Book nodded, Jayne stepped inside and closed the hatch.

"I need to sort out what happened." Book sat up on his bed.

Jayne put a hand on Book's shoulder. "What are you running from?"

"Myself."

"I may not be bright. Wherever you go, you keep finding yourself." Jayne touched Book's thigh.

"Must you touch me?"

Jayne sat beside him. "I'm horny and you have a might fine ass."

"You have such a way with words."

Jayne put his hand on Book's face. "Your ministry looks down upon sodomy."

"It's a sin. Sex is only permitted in marriage between one man and one woman."

"Murder your neighbor, but don't dare kiss him."

"Do you want me to kiss your feet and admit I'm a hypocrite?" Book looked at his Bible.

Jayne smiled, took the Bible from Book's hands and put it on the counter. "I was going for somewhere a bit higher." Jayne kissed his feet. He moved a hand over the other man's calf. Jayne put his hand over Book's crotch and felt the bulge there. "You're hot for me."

"Jayne, don't."

Jayne unzipped the trousers and lowered them. He pulled out the other man's organ. It felt hot and heavy in his hands. Jayne got on his knees in front of the other man. He licked the tip and then slowly licked the rest of it.

"Oh," Book's stared down at Jayne.

Jayne licked it some more before taking it in his mouth and swallowing it.

"Shit."

Jayne pulled his mouth off. "Enjoy it." Jayne returned to giving the man head. He moved his hand over the man's balls as his mouth caused gentle pressure over the length.

"So good." Book moaned as he collapsed against the bed.

Jayne swallowed Book's load then licked him dry. "I'm not taking your cock in my mouth again unless you tell me your name."

"John," Book mumbled. "That was so good. I should have messed with the other shepherds when I was Simon's age."

"John. Really." Jayne wouldn't comment on the other shepherds committing sodomy in the abbey.

Book nodded.

"I'm guessing that you couldn't find the peace that yanteanted in the Abbey so you hoped you could find it out here." Jayne removed all his clothes and climbed into the bed beside the other man.

Book put his hand on Jayne's face. "We'll be landside for the next three to five days. coulcould find someone much younger than I and knows that his doing."

"And I wouldn't love him." Jayne smiled. "You do me."

"I don't know what I'm doing."

"That's OK. You bite anything off; the doc will reattach it."

"It isn't funny."

"He did a great job on Mal's ear."

"How can you laugh about sex?"

"It's awkward, amusing and the best fun two people can have. Just touch me." Jayne licked around Book's ear. "There's no hurry. Just enjoy feeling your body close to mine. My body doesn't seem to mind as long as the body near me is warm." Jayne woke beside a corpse once. In his line of work, that wasn't completely surprising. "In my line of work, one learns not to be fussy." Jayne licked then lightly sucked on Book's neck. Jayne chewed gently around the older man's Adam's apple.

"I never touched another man."

Jayne laughed. "All we have is time." Jayne smiled. He kissed Book's nose. "Don't take it so seriously." Jayne took Book's hand and placed it on his equipment. "I'll help you." Jayne moved Book's hand over it. "I'm so hard just from holdyou.you. I can get off from the memory of holding you. We don't need to do more."

"When I was a young man, I have my convictions to keep me on the straight and narrow. Then, I left it all for this woman and she took the next ship out. I threw myself into my work and you know the rest."

"I won't take the next ship out." Jayne continued to move Book's hand over his boy parts. "Unless you're on it."

"Why?" Book pulled his hand away.

"I like you. You're the only person that I've shared close quarters that I didn't want to shoot out his knees or throw out the airlock."

"I don't know if I should be flattered or insulted by that."

"I like seeing you smile." Jayne started tickling him. "See no pressure."