Finding Home Ch. 06-07

Chapter 6

The rest of the weekend went quickly. After waking up groggily on Saturday afternoon, Lucy devoted her time to preparing for her upcoming business trip.

"DeLane Industries," she spoke aloud as she typed into Google the name of the new client she would be auditing. Unfortunately, there weren't very many results. Ultimately, she gathered that the business was mainly devoted to research and development.

Information about the owner of the company was almost as impossible to find as information about the business itself. The place seemed to have been owned and operated by the DeLane family for at least a couple generations. But she couldn't find pictures, profiles, or anything at all about the DeLanes.

Interesting... thought Lucy. Hopefully they'll be open with me while I'm there. It always made Lucy's job more difficult when companies tried to hide things.

One problem with not knowing much about the facility is that Lucy had absolutely no idea what clothing to pack. Some sites were basically glorified office buildings, others were downright filthy. She knew that part of her job was to make a good first impression for the firm, so she wanted to look put-together and professional. Can't forget some good hiking clothes too, just in case! The thought of quality time spent in the serene countryside had her perked up in no time.

With all of her preoccupation, Lucy was able to push thoughts of the handsome stranger to the back of her mind. Mostly.

It wasn't until she had been working for hours that finally she caught herself in the mirror. On the side of her neck where it met her shoulder there was a large, dark hickey. Lucy blushed deep red when she saw it.

What is this, high school? Well... not that I got many hickeys in high school, but still!

Her stranger had marked her for all to see. She shivered at the thought.

Not long after, she found herself trying to stuff a pair of jeans into her suitcase bending at the waist, sticking her ass out, and trying to get a better angle. As she dug into the suitcase, the fabric around her kept tickling the spot on her neck. She felt a flutter in her pussy.

I bet Jackson would know just how to take me in this position. Hard.

She startled herself with the sudden dirty thought. Where did that come from?

Her nipples brushed against the fabric beneath her. She bit back a moan. I really do need to get laid, she thought as her fingers grazed her thigh.

Slowly, teasing herself, she raised her hand higher and higher until she met the waistband of her panties. She slipped a digit into her wet folds. Lucy gasped and closed her eyes. Images of Jackson's glowing amber eyes filled her head. She remembered how fucking hot he looked as he licked his lips, staring at her like she was a full course meal. She imagined his lips taking over for her fingers as she rubbed little circles over her clit.

"Oh, Jackson," she moaned aloud. "I need it, please."

Her fingers were expertly working her clit. She may have been a virgin, but she was no stranger to a self-inflicted orgasm. She slipped a finger into her hole. It was so hot and ready, primed for a good fucking. Through her frequent masturbation sessions, Lucy discovered she was not one of the lucky women who can orgasm from vaginal stimulation. Still though, she enjoyed the fullness of a finger or two inside of her every now and then. What will his cock feel like? She shivered at the thought of being mounted by her beautiful stranger. His manhood felt so big through his pants as they danced at The Den. Will he fit? Fuck, he'll make himself fit.

She pictured Jackson throwing her down on the bed and roughly sliding into her. His hands would grab her hips as he took what was his. He would hold her down and thrust into her mercilessly as she begged for more.

Lucy had never told anyone about her desire to be dominated. Her desire to be claimed. And dammit she wanted Jackson to be the one to claim her.

Jackson's deep, erotic growl rang in her ear. Lucy cried out as she came all over her fingers. As the shockwaves continued to rock through her body, she pictured her pussy spasming on his dick, which just prolonged her pleasure.

God damn, she thought as she rolled over for a well-earned nap. This man may be the death of me.

Chapter 7

Before she knew it, it was Sunday night and Lucy was pulling up to her destination: Pine Creek. It was a relatively small town with a quaint town square complete with a variety of locally owned shops.

The Pine Creek Hotel, on the other hand, was anything but small-town. This place would be better suited in the middle of the fanciest part of the city. Lucy couldn't stop looking around as she sauntered over to the check-in desk. A grand fireplace with intricate carvings was at the center of the room. Antique chandeliers hung from the ceilings. She had been expecting a roadside motel, but this... this was a sanctuary.

"Ah, you must be Ms. Prince." The mature woman at the desk smiled warmly at Lucy. She vaguely reminded Lucy of the grandmother she had seen only a few times in her childhood. The nametag on the woman's shirt read "Mae."

Lucy blushed slightly, "Um, yes, that's me. What gave me away?" She giggled nervously.

"Oh we don't give away our secrets that easily, my dear." Mae winked.

"Well, your secrets are safe with me," Lucy joked back.

"I believe that," Mae said simply. "Now, let's get you to your suite!" After a few taps on the computer keyboard and a signature, Lucy waved to Mae as a short but rather stocky young man collected Lucy's luggage from the car and escorted her into an elevator.

The bellhop stood as far as humanly possible away from Lucy as the elevator ascended. He'd probably climb on the ceiling just to get further away, she snorted. The young gentleman glanced briefly in her direction at the noise, then turned to once again face front. His face was blank, expressionless. She sighed inwardly. Her previous years spent at a plus size weight had taught her that this was normal male behavior towards her. Some girls aren't worth a second look... I guess some things don't change.

The bellhop stiffly opened the door to Lucy's suite. As he rushed to place Lucy's luggage in the room, Lucy kept her distance but snuck a peek at his nametag: Tyson.

He scurried out of the room and Lucy decided to have a little fun with him. "Bye, Tyson! I'll miss you!" She called out loudly as she entered her room giggling. Tyson ran even quicker, but she noticed he looked even more ashen than before.

Stepping into the room, Lucy took a deep breath. She normally wasn't known for having a keen nose, but she picked up subtle notes - cedar, sandalwood, and a delectable earthiness - that created a wonderful combination to her senses. She stood still for a few moments, just taking it all in.

The room itself was an equally gorgeous, if smaller, replica of the great room downstairs. A fireplace with similar wood carvings was on the far side of the room. She approached to get a closer look. The level of detail in the carvings was absolutely insane. There were forests so clear she could practically see each pine needle. And wolves so detailed she caught herself trying to pet the fur. She shook her head, chastising herself. Get a grip, Luce, she thought as she stripped down preparing for bed. She had a big day tomorrow and she needed to be ready.

***

The next morning, Lucy arrived at the large building marked "DeLane Industries". The place was massive- much bigger than she had anticipated. No wonder Ed thought this might take two weeks.

Typically, the first day of a full audit included gathering basic information and administrative items - these are the relevant employees, this is where we keep our records, here are the bathrooms - that kind of thing. The walking, climbing, and sometimes crawling usually happened in the next day or two. With that in mind, Lucy chose a navy blue pencil skirt that hugged her curves, a soft pink blouse with high neckline that gently hugged her other curves, and navy blue peep-toe pumps for today's outfit choice. Her chestnut hair was pulled back in a loose bun. Smart, appropriate office wear with subtle sex appeal. And thankfully the high neckline of the blouse covered the red hickey from the handsome stranger in the club.

Some may have chastised her for playing up her femininity in the male-dominated industrial world, but looking good gave Lucy the confidence to look the men in the eye and get the job done. She grabbed her briefcase from her car, took a deep breath, and walked into the lobby of the facility feeling like a million bucks.

It's a good thing she started off feeling so confident because when she stepped into the lobby, she instantly felt knocked down a peg or two. Dark slate tile floors, crisp contemporary furniture, and a slew of very attractive men and women gave the place an aura of sophistication and prestige.

Sitting below a huge ultramodern light fixture was a youthful blonde receptionist who looked to be about 20 years old. She gave Lucy a toothy grin and waved her over. "You're Lucy Prince." Was that a question? It didn't sound like a question. "Almost everyone is ready for you. Come on, I'll take you to the conference room." The girl shot out of her chair rather ungracefully and bounded over to the elevators. Lucy struggled to keep up in her heels. "I'm Emma, by the way."

"Nice to meet you, Emma." Lucy couldn't help but smile at the younger woman's enthusiasm. In fact, she reminded Lucy a little of herself.

"Good luck!" Emma whispered behind her as Lucy walked into the conference room on the top floor of the building. When she opened the door, she was so taken aback by the view of the surrounding forest through a large picture window that she almost forgot to introduce herself. Three men were staring at her expectantly.

"Hello there, I'm Lucy Prince," she said as she firmly shook the nearest and oldest man's hand while looking him directly in the eye.

"Hank Francis, Plant Manager." Hank looked to be about 60 if Lucy had to guess, but he was no frail senior citizen. His biceps bulged in his grey sport coat and his eyes looked every bit as sharp as a man half his age.

Joining Hank were the Chief Operations Officer Dan and Chief Security Officer Adam, each looked to be in their 40s and had a similar aura of strength emanating from them, if just a little less so than Hank. After shaking hands, the four sat at the large table.

"Before we get started," Hank spoke just as Lucy was about to run through the day's schedule, "Your job in the coming days is to go through all of our dirty laundry-"

"Potentially dirty laundry," Adam interrupted.

Hank shot his Chief Security Officer an amused look, "Sure, sure. Of course. But I think in order to engage in an activity so potentially embarrassing, we should get to know our guest a little bit better first. Don't you agree, Ms. Prince?" Hank didn't wait before continuing. "What do you think of our little Pine Creek so far?"

Lucy cleared her throat, determined not to be shaken by the older man. "I admit I haven't seen much of it yet, but I must say it's lovely. There's such a unique mix between the new and the old, the traditional and the modern. It's quite..." Lucy trailed off, searching for the right word.

"Intoxicating." A deep, sensual voice finished for her.

She knew that voice.

No, there's no way.

It can't be.

It was the voice of the man whose image burned into her brain had brought her to orgasm just a couple days before. And the man whose real-life talented mouth and hands had brought her to orgasm just a day before that.

I must be going insane. He can't be here. I can't believe I'm so desperate to imagine his presence here.

Hank chuckled, clearly oblivious to Lucy's inner turmoil. "And here's the man we have to thank for just about every good thing to come out of this town, or so he would have you believe. Mr. Jackson DeLane himself."

Lucy slowed turned over her shoulder to watch a sexy smirk form at Jackson's lips. "In the flesh." His eyes raked over her body with the suggestion that she might get to know his flesh much better very soon.

Today he was dressed in a navy blue suit with a tight white dress shirt underneath. The suit jacket was unbuttoned, and Lucy took the opportunity to once again study every muscle and ridge presented to her. The top couple buttons of the shirt were left unbuttoned, revealing a small patch of dark chest hair. The hair on top of his head was perfectly disheveled, just as before.

Damn.

And she thought he was hot in the dim light of the club. In the light of day he was downright scorching.

Lucy forced herself to snap her jaw closed to keep from drooling. She offered her hand to him, "Lucy Prince, Sir." Jackson's eyes flashed amber as the honorific left her lips.

Hank cleared his throat.

Jackson seemed to take a large breath then extended his hand to meet hers. Instead of the expected handshake, Jackson brought her hand to his lips and stared deep into her eyes as he placed a soft kiss. His eyes were black now and they were drawing her in.

The others in the room were either too distracted to notice the raw sexual tension radiating off of the pair, or frankly, didn't care. Hank at least seemed to want to get back to the task at hand. "Wonderful. Now that the introductions are finished, Ms. Prince, please, why don't we get started with the audit? I'm sure we'll find time for more small talk."

Lucy realized almost a moment too late that Hank had been talking to her. She was still staring at Mr. Sex-On-A-Stick DeLane. She bit her lip before shaking herself out of the fog. "Yes, right. Great idea, Hank. So. As you know, my firm was hired to perform a full compliance audit..." Lucy continued, explaining the process.

As she spoke, Jackson's mouth twisted into the cockiest goddamn smirk. He eyed her playfully as she gave the well-rehearsed speech about the importance of environmental compliance. She was underscoring the importance of honesty and transparency in every part of the process when Jackson interjected.

"Oh, Ms. Prince, I assure you, I will allow you to see everything we have to offer." He leaned closer to her from across the table as he emphasized everything.

Lucy blushed, but couldn't resist looking up at him through her lashes, responding, "Thank you, Mr. DeLane. I look forward to it."

Jackson raised his eyebrows, seemingly surprised that she would be bold enough to return the open flirtation in kind.

Hank's phone started to buzz. The older man excused himself and took the call at the corner of the room. The other two men present, Dan and Adam, took the opportunity to check their own phones.

Jackson capitalized on the opportunity to push Lucy a little further. He leaned towards her casually, "You look lovely, Ms. Prince. Your choice of shirt is especially stunning. But I have to wonder about the modest cut of the neckline... Could you be hiding something there?"

Lucy's eyes flashed in anger and embarrassment as it dawned on her what Jackson was hinting. So he knew he left me with this giant goddamn hickey! He probably even did it on purpose!

Jackson smiled at her like the cat who ate the canary as he leaned back comfortably in his chair folding his hands behind his head.

Hank finished up his call and got the attention of the group. "Apologies everyone, but I'm being told I'm double-booked today." Hank turned to Jackson, "Mr. DeLane, would you prefer to participate in an apparently pre-scheduled conference call with some potential vendors or to continue here with the audit? I'll handle whichever you don't want to do."

"Hank, I think you and Dan are probably best suited to dive into the nuts and bolts of this place for our prospective vendors." Jackson smiled as innocently as he could manage, which wasn't very well at the moment.

Adam piped up, "If it's alright, Mr. DeLane, I have a few other things that could use my attention, too..."

Jackson waved Adam off and turned to stare at Lucy once again, "I'm sure Ms. Prince and I will be just fine by ourselves."