Disclaimer: Not mine, not paid. Love ‘em, all the same.

Thanks: To dear Jacqui, who corrals my excess commas and to Rion, my own Big Bad Man, who doesn’t mind if I write while he watches robot shows.

Rating: This section is NC17, mostly on account of a little self-entertainment - it goes downhill from here.

Feedback: Oh yes, kind readers. I grovel nicely, do tricks even. Praise or gripe, it's appreciated, especially if you like a particular bit. If you missed the first two chapters, click on my name and you can find them. Makes a lot more sense if you read them first.

The Birthday Gift

Chapter Three

In the quiet moments that followed Inara’s exit Kaylee realized she was hungry, so she took a few moments to explore the selection of fruit and small sweets Angelina had left for her. Zeroing in on several tiny, perfect berries, she rapturously enjoyed them then selected a small crisp tart with a sweet/sour lemony filling, licking the crumbs from her sticky fingers when she was done. Yum.

After poking through every drawer and exploring every corner of the lush space, Kaylee kicked off her shoes and flopped back onto the bed. The expanse of pink softness lulled her, and before she knew it, all of the day’s excitement caught up with her and she dozed off into a dreamless sleep.

When she awakened, the room was dark and it took her a few minutes to remember where she was. She carefully made her way to the oil lamp on the dresser and lit it, filling the room with a soft glow, then concluded that it was bath time.

After stoppering the tub, she turned on the water and dumped in a portion of bath salts. Fragrant bubbles foamed up on the welling, steaming water. Kaylee lit several of the candles and left the tub to fill. She returned to the bedroom to undress, laying her dress, bra and panties on the chair. At the night-filled window she stopped and momentarily looked out, observing the alley below before drawing the lace curtains closed.

Turning, she ca