Finding Home Ch. 08-09

Chapter 8

Lucy gulped as she looked up the narrow ladder to the roof of the building. They were standing on a small balcony outside of the conference room. She turned to her companion, "You can't be serious. Look at what I'm wearing! Look at you!"

Jackson shrugged and leaned into her, "What, afraid of getting a little dirty, little one?"

She started to blush, then quickly recovered as she remembered that she was supposed to be irritated with him for knowingly giving her a huge hickey. She retorted, "Can't you be serious for once, you big lug?"

Almost the second it came out of her mouth, Lucy stilled. Had she gone too far? She'd better apologize. "Look, I'm sorry. I-I don't know what came over me. I'm just trying to do my job here. Please."

Jackson watched her with narrowed eyes as she felt the heat of embarrassment start to rise up in her face.

He paused for a moment to remove his suit jacket. Lucy snuck a glance at his broad shoulders and arms, now with one less layer separating her from his naked skin. He looked impossibly strong.

Lucy let out a (hopefully) very soft groan. She pressed her lips together firmly to avoid any more mortifying noises or statements.

When she looked back at his face, Jackson gave a stern look but his eyes retained some playfulness. He began formally, "Ms. Prince. I have nothing but the utmost confidence in your ability to conduct your business with professionalism and skill. Hence why I personally requested your services for this audit."

Wait... did he say he asked for me specifically? How... How could he know who I am or what I do? I only gave him my first name at the club...

He paused again before continuing gruffly, "But if you don't get that mouth-watering ass up this ladder right now, so help me Luna, I will drag you up there myself."

Lucy's breath caught in her throat. She had no idea who the hell Luna was, but right now she didn't care.

"And anyone who happens to be watching from down below will know that you tried to disobey me." He added menacingly.

"Yes, Sir." The words were out of her mouth before she even realized what she was saying. She felt compelled by his obvious dominance. Trying to fight it was like a moth fighting the flame.

"Good girl."

She felt a jolt in every one of her erogenous zones at the sound of those words. Even the spot on her neck from the hickey felt warm.

She suddenly wasn't so sure about climbing up the ladder in front of him. There's no way he won't notice how fucking horny I am! I'm practically dripping down my leg! Lucy knew there was pretty much nothing she could do at this point to hide her arousal.

With a resigned sigh, Lucy realized waiting would only prolong the inevitable so she grabbed the sides of the ladder. Then it dawned on her, How the fuck do you climb a ladder in heels and a pencil skirt?

Jackson seemed to realize her predicament at the same time she did. Just as she began a slow attempt to lift her leg to reach the first rung, Lucy felt herself being lifted off the ground and thrown over his massive shoulder. I guess he wasn't joking about that.

During the ascent up the ladder, Lucy was finally able to take a good look at Jackson's luscious ass. The shapely globes pressed into the fabric of his pants with every step. She felt an almost overwhelming urge to bite it.

Being this close to Jackson and away from all the extra stimulation of the nightclub, Lucy was able to take a deep breath of Jackson's scent. Cedar, sandalwood, and an unknown earthiness. Why does that mixture seem so familiar?

She was very much aware of what a compromising position she was in. If anyone working around the outside of the building happened to look up, they would have seen the boss carrying a petulant child to their punishment, not a hard-working respectable auditor. But why did the idea of "punishment" suddenly not sound so bad to her? Her pussy clenched at the thought.

Lucy was mortified to realize just how much this whole experience was turning her on. Hell, she was practically soaking wet just from staring at the man from across a conference room table. But this... manhandling... was more than she ever could have dreamed. It was only a matter of time before he smelled her, or worse, felt her wetness drip down her leg.

Just as she was plotting excuses to leave and never show her face again, Jackson gently set Lucy down on solid ground. They had made it to the roof. She gasped as she looked around. She could see for miles. Lush greenery on all sides, as far as the eye could see. The building they were standing on was filled with people and quite literally, many moving parts. But one look out into the forest that stretched all the way to the horizon transported Lucy back to her happiest moments alone in the woods. She was on top of the world. It felt like... home.

"It's so beautiful." She whispered.

Jackson stepped in close behind her and wrapped his arms around Lucy's waist. He gently rubbed his nose against the spot he'd left on her neck just a few days prior. Lucy sucked in a quick breath.

"Yes..." he said in his sensuous deep bass tone, "It's a perfect view of every single smoke stack coming out of our facility."

She blinked a few times and turned to look at him, sincerely confused. What the fuck is he talking about?

"What? Why else do you think I brought you up here? Can't you be serious for once?" He was using her words against her. Jackson held a straight face for only a moment before falling into a devilish grin.

Asshole.

Chapter 9

To his credit, Jackson spent the rest of the morning answering Lucy's questions with straightforward answers and minimal teasing. Lucy was relieved that he'd apparently decided to take it easy on her.

Maybe I'll actually get this job done after all.

He was honest when he didn't know the answer to something. He spoke with obvious pride in his business. He seemed authoritative, but not a dictator or micromanager. He trusted his team to do their jobs. And he expected them to do those jobs well.

She settled into an easy rhythm with her questions and note taking. She felt so comfortable, she almost forgot about their earlier unbearable sexual tension. Almost.

Every so often, Jackson would touch her. Nothing too aggressive and certainly nothing obscene. But he seemed to be reminding her of his presence and his effect on her. A hand on her arm as he gestured to a diagram on the wall. A quick rub of their knees under the table. It was all very innocent.

Lucy snorted inwardly. Yeah, this guy is anything but innocent.

When lunchtime came, Lucy turned up from her notes, "I was thinking of heading to the little diner in town-"

"I'm afraid I have a few calls to make, but maybe another time," Jackson interjected with a dazzling smile.

Lucy stared at him, confused, "I'm sorry, what? I'm just letting you know I intend to go offsite." Then it dawned on her. Does he think I'm asking him out? On a date? Me?... Wait... Would he say yes if I asked him out? Should I ask him?

She was mulling over the risks of mixing business and pleasure when she heard him chuckle softly.

"I should be offended, Ms. Prince. You shouldn't tease a man like that." He mock-chastised her.

Lucy laughed, relieved that he wasn't actually offended. "Excuse me, Sir. It wasn't my intent." She added quietly to herself, "Not that I've had much opportunity to practice propositioning someone..." She realized she hadn't been on an actual date since she had moved to the city.

"Good." He said staring hotly into her eyes. He gazed appreciatively over the voluptuous curves of her body and added, "though I very much doubt the lack of opportunity." Lucy blushed.

He stood from his chair, "The diner in town is excellent, though for convenience we have a cafeteria for staff here on the 1st floor. I recommend you give it a try. I'll have one of my assistants escort you. You can return here after you've finished your meal." He grabbed his suit jacket from the back of his chair and nodded to her. "Ms. Prince." Then walked out the door.

She got the feeling that a "recommendation" from Jackson DeLane was as good as an order.

A moment later, a much shorter man entered from a door across the room. She stared at his face, trying to place him. He looked so familiar...

"Tyson?" The bellhop from the hotel!

He winced slightly at the sound of her voice. He cleared his throat and spoke, "Ms. Prince, I'm one of Al-... Mr. DeLane's... assistants. I'm here to escort you to the cafeteria." His voice was deep, but had nowhere near the same effect as Jackson's.

As they entered another elevator together, Lucy couldn't resist her curiosity. "I thought you worked at the hotel?"

"No, that was kind of a one-off thing. I do a lot of odd jobs for Mr. DeLane." He shrugged.

"Oh. What else do you do for him?" She asked, trying to sound casual. The more she knew about Jackson DeLane, the more questions she had.

"Pretty much whatever. Errands, personal security, tracking, recon..." he seemed to relax as he spoke, but suddenly stiffened. "Sorry. I've been told I talk too much sometimes."

Lucy smiled at him, "No, not at all. You sound like a jack of all trades." His obvious loyalty and commitment to his boss was impressive.

"That's what family's for." Tyson said simply as they entered the large cafeteria.

She had been told this morning that the facility employed roughly 200 people and operated 24/7. Lucy estimated about 100 of them were in the cafeteria at that moment. And as she walked in, nearly every pair of eyes turned to look at her. The sound of whispering voices filled the air. Lucy's blush was building the longer they stood.

"So, uh, this is everyone. Well, some of them, anyway. Come on." Tyson led her to the food service area. He stayed close to her side, standing in between her and the watchful crowd. He nodded to several people as they passed.

Once she grabbed her food free of charge ("Mr. DeLane's orders." Tyson had said), he escorted her to a small room off the corner of the cafeteria. "Thought you might be more comfortable in here for now."

"Thank you, Tyson. That's really thoughtful." Lucy replied earnestly. A moment later the door opened as the young blonde receptionist she met earlier this morning bounded into the room. "Oh, Emma, hi!"

But Emma was focused on Tyson. The girl grinned broadly as she pulled up a seat next to him. Well, 'next to him' was putting it mildly. Emma was basically sitting in Tyson's lap.

"Hey baby," he said quietly as he placed a soft kiss on her lips. Emma sighed and returned the kiss eagerly.

Lucy looked at the pair, clearly infatuated with one another. Ah, young love. As their kiss began to deepen, Lucy shifted in her seat. She didn't want to interrupt their reverie but she felt like an intruder. Emma was thrusting her chest out to Tyson lewdly when Lucy decided to clear her throat.

Tyson seemed to remember they had company and broke the kiss. He placed a beefy arm over Emma's shoulders, and wasn't able to take his eyes off the blonde's face.

"Sorry," Emma giggled. "We're recently ma-... um, dating. It's new." Lucy noticed that the couple's eyes each appeared to have a soft bluish glow. She couldn't get a great look though- they certainly weren't interested in looking at her.

God, they're so in love. Must be nice... Lucy tried to suppress her jealousy. They really were quite cute together.

Still though, she wanted to avoid them having outright sex in front of her if she could help it. Not that it wouldn't be hot... She pushed down the raunchy images flashing through her mind and tried to change to a less erotic subject. "So, Tyson. You said before that you and Mr. DeLane are family?"

"Yeah, he's my uncle." Tyson replied, still looking at Emma. He grabbed Emma's hand and began to place gentle kisses all over it.

"Oh. So you're one of the DeLanes, too?" Lucy asked, suddenly very curious.

"Well, of course. We all are." Emma laughed as if it was a silly question.

Tyson interrupted quickly, "She just means we're all very close here. We're all like family. But yes, I'm related by blood. My full name is Tyson DeLane."

"When you say you're 'all' very close, who do you mean?"

Emma closed her eyes as Tyson continued to place kisses on her hands. Despite the spell he was clearly casting over the girl, he answered Lucy's questions dutifully. "Pretty much everyone in Pine Creek. The crew here and at our other businesses in town, and even some in the city."

The gears in Lucy's head were turning. "Let me guess, including the hotel?"

Tyson nodded.

"And Mae at the hotel front desk?" This was all so fascinating.

Tyson chuckled. "Oh yeah. She's Jackson's aunt. My grandfather's sister. Don't mess with her, by the way. She's a tough old broad."

Wow. Lucy thought. She knew that small towns tend to be close-knit, she came from a more rural area herself, but this was a whole new level. It was so foreign to her. Lucy had been an only child growing up. Her parents worked so much that their relationship to her was basically perfunctory. Even now, she only saw them maybe once a year. Her friends Melanie and Briana were probably the closest thing she could consider family at this point, and she'd only known them for less than a year.

As they made their way back up to the conference room (Emma almost literally attached to Tyson's hip) Lucy imagined how different her life would have been if she had grown up in a place like Pine Creek. Surrounded by family and friends to support her. To share in life's ups and downs. And maybe even a couple of big brothers to deal with her tormentors.

She sighed wistfully. How could she be homesick for a home she'd never had?