Azure Planet

** This is the first chapter of the story I'm already in the middle of the second chapter, so I don't expect there to be too much lag time between submissions. I hope you enjoy and please leave comments, criticisms, and advice below. I look forward to reading them!**

*

It had been a long work week. Meetings, business lunches, report deadlines had swirled around Lyra Minot like a frenzied whirlwind. She ran herself ragged all week making sure she tied any and all loose ends up before leaving work. No one would have any reason to call or email her for anything. Freedom! At least for a few weeks. If anything did come up (as Lyra tended to worry about) Greg had been left with explicit instructions on how to manage everything. She knew she could trust him.

This was going to be Lyra's first real vacation in nearly 8 years. She could hardly believe she'd been with Advantis Solutions that long. She had started as an intern making minimum wage just after finishing her business degree at Emory. In 8 years, she had fought, kicking and screaming, up the ranks. She ate, slept and breathed work. Now, she was a Senior Business Analyst and loved what she did. Her career was incredibly satisfying, but over the years her social life had been kept to a dull roar. She'd had little time for friends and even less time for romantic entanglements. There had been a few flings along the way. Some hot and heavy, some barely sparking, but over all her Saturday nights were spent with a pint of Ben and Jerry's Cherry Garcia and her DVR. Whenever the mood struck, there was a pile of overly dramatic romance novels and a good vibrator to take care of things.

The street lights were glowing strong by the time Lyra pulled into her carport. She had a little less than 2 hours to pack and get to the airport. Her flight was from Atlanta to Orlando and then she was taking a taxi to Port Canaveral for a 7 day cruise. And that was just the beginning of her vacation! By this time tomorrow, she thought, I'll be sipping mimosas on the private balcony of my suite. Normally, she wouldn't have spent such an extravagant amount on a room for just herself, but she felt it was fair to splurge after all the hard work she'd done. Why not have the best?

Lyra hurried into the house and into her bedroom where everything she was planning to bring with her was layed out in piles. She was the most scatterbrained, yet organized person she knew. She had to write out a list with catagories just to make sure she packed everything she would need, and admittedly, she still would forget something. Thankfully, her Visa card was her friend and she could buy anything she'd need.

She pulled out her luggage and began packing everything in it. She eyeballed the lacy pile of underthings she had purchased one night after a long day and a few too many glasses of wine. In her tipsy stupor, she'd decided that she NEEDED to have a nice little collection of new bras and panties just for this trip. Who knew? Maybe she'd meet a sexy stranger who would sweep her off her feet. She wouldn't want to be caught in an 18-hour bra and Hanes Her Ways. She shook her head at the thoughts. What had she been thinking? That I need a thorough rough and tumble came her thoughts. Her pussy was seriously under-satisfied and her vibrating friend had kicked the bucket a few weeks prior. She finally gave into her drunken mental shoulder demon and stuffed them in her case right before zipping it up. If nothing else, she had options.

Looking at her watch, Lyra realized she had a enough time to shower and change before she needed to leave. She stripped off her suit coat, blouse and skirt and threw them on the bed. She'd worry about dry cleaning when she got back.

She padded into the bathroom and started the shower. As the steam started to rise in the room, she stared at her reflection in the mirror. Her dark brown hair was pulled up into a tight chignon. It was very neat looking and gave off the uber-professional vibe she tried to exude. She pulled each pin out until her wavy hair cascaded down her back. Her hair was her favorite feature. Long and soft and silky. She took great pride in the care of it.

Lyra was wearing a very practical, no fuss white bra and matching cotton panties. She laughed at how innocent and young it made her look. "Virginal" popped into her mind. "Far from it!" she said laughingly to her reflection. Her eyes roamed further down, taking in her body.

She wasn't a tiny girl. She had her share of curves. Her breasts were on the high end of average. She couldn't complain much there. Her waist was slim, but her hips were wider than she liked. Her stomach wasn't as flat as she'd like, but she did like its soft look. If she pressed on it, she could feel her muscles just under the surface. She had her mom's ass and thighs. They were strong and firm, definitely not made for skinny jeans. Her skin was soft and the color of porcelain, though not for lack of attempt to tan. She'd spent hundreds of dollars at the tanning beds before she realized there was just no use. Her skin was never going to stay darker. There was a light dusting of freckles over her face and arms, as well as a few across the top of her breasts. She felt attractive in her own skin, which was all that mattered to her.

Lyra unclasped her bra and let her breasts pop free. The cooler air in the room caused her nipples to tighten and pucker. She ran her hands over them enjoying the tingling sensation than ran through her. Yes, it had been a while. She'd make a point to find time when she got back to reach out to a few former flings. It'd be nice to feel a man's hands on her skin and his cock between her thighs. Nothing could replace that sensation. That heavy, filling thrill that coursed through her body as a cock slid deep inside her. The feel of strong hands touching and massaging her breasts and pinching her nipples lightly. A pair of soft lips and roving tongue to occupy and satisfy her mouth.

Flinging off her panties she hopped in the shower, all too aware that her thoughts were causing a slickness down below.

The hot water hit Lyra's body and instantly she felt relaxed. She ran her hands down her body and over the tops of her thighs. Her right hand wandered to the slick folds of her pussy and began to explore, while her left slid up to tug on a hardened nipple. Mmmm, yes, she thought, this is just how I want to start my vacation. She tentatively slid a finger inside and swirled it around. It was warm and wet and begging to be filled. She slid a second finger in and gently began to finger herself. The walls of her opening clamped down on her fingers and her clit began to throb incessantly. She let her thumb slide up and rub over the taut bud in rhythm with her fingers sliding in and out. Her orgasm was a slow build, increasing to a crescendo. She peaked and had to lean against the wall as it broke over her. Wave after wave of pleasure washed over her as she felt herself clamp down on her fingers. A small moan hissed out past her lips.

It took a minute to get her barrings afterwards. Her thighs were quivering and her heart felt like she had run a marathon. She felt the usual post orgasm euphoria as she finished up in the shower. She hurriedly got dressed in her favorite t-shirt and jeans and headed out the door to the airport. This vacation was going to be awesome! ~

Her trip did not have an auspicious start. A five car pile up had delayed Lyra getting to the airport. She missed her flight and had to change to a red eye flight. Then, her red eye had engine issues. They had to be deplaned and wait for another plane to come in its place. By the time she made it to Orlando, she had just enough time to hail a cab and get to the port. Thankfully, she was now happily strolling down the beach in Costa Maya, goggles and snorkel in hand, taking in the last of the day's warm sun. The sun was on the verge of setting and Lyra wanted to take one last dip in the water before heading back to the ship.

With goggles and snorkel on, Lyra swam out to where one of the locals had said there was a coral reef. She watched the colorful fish swim and anenomes sway with the water's motion. It was sort of mesmerizing to watch them dance in the water. It was so much prettier than what you saw on TV.

She swam the length of the reef and was about to turn towards the shore when she noticed what appeared to be a s mall underwater cave. A dim light glowed from inside it and her curiosity took over. She swam towards it, and as she got closer the light was getting a little brighter. She wondered if it was one of those glowing anenome creatures she'd seen on the discovery channel. She knew they thrived in dark places and the cave looked pretty dark.

A small underwater current seemed to be flowing in the direction of the light. The current slowly picked up momentum as Lyra approached the cave entrance. What could that little light be? she thought.

Suddenly, Lyra realized she was being pulled by the current. She tried to swim against it and head back the way she came, but it had grown in strength and speed. She wasn't a strong enough swimmer to fight it. Thoughts of being pulled into the cave and drowning began to flash through her mind. By the time any rescue workers could find me her, she'd be long gone. Still Lyra fought against it until her lungs burned from holding her breath and her muscles began to feel the fatigue from the struggle.

Just before Lyra lost consciousness, she remembered the feeling of a strong pulling force and then a sudden sense that she was falling. Then her world went dark.