Caleb

The warm, wet slide of a tongue in my ear is what drew me out of my unconscious state. Slowly returning to consciousness after an unending week of hell, I raised a hand to push away the cold nose that had replaced the tongue slobbering in my ear.

"Sunshine," I grumbled sleepily. "I'm not in the mood for this!" I lolled my head to the side and squinted my eyes open against the sunlight flooding my bedroom. Perched beside me was my Golden Retriever, her mouth wide open in a smile as though waiting for me to play with her.

"Fuck," I mumbled, catching a glimpse of the clock on my wall. It was already mid-morning, and I had to be at the apartment by noon. As I peeled myself from the warm bedsheets, I groaned in discomfort at the aches radiating from my muscles.

It had been a fuck long week dealing with a massive acquisition that had nearly slipped through my fingers at a stupid mistake made by one of the managers. I'd been in the real estate game long enough to know how quickly these things could happen, but they didn't happen to me – not on my watch.

Thank God I'd caught the error in time, and the deal was finalized at dinner last night. The client's wife had been making eyes at me - either that or her eyelash glue was wearing off, causing her to blink excessively - but I had a tight lid on my desires these days, and it had been many years since I'd allowed myself to have any sort of release, other than my own hand.

My thoughts turned back to the beautiful blonde, but I pushed her to the back of my mind. Me and blonde women were bad news, in the most deliciously satisfying way, but I wouldn't let myself go down that path again.

Instead, I turned my focus to the task of getting myself out of bed and dressed. Time was running out before I had to get to the apartment to make sure it was up to spec before we put it on the market. We'd bought the high-rise apartment complex six months earlier and had a contractor gut the interiors and put in a whole new set of fixtures and flooring. The units had been ready for weeks, but I wanted to ensure everything was perfect before they hit the market.

By the time I got myself into the shower and was clean, I had twenty minutes to make it to the apartment complex.

The day was hot and sunny, and the air was already stifling as I pulled into the parking lot of the building. I began the arduous task of checking the units - silly maybe - but something I felt was important so I could keep in touch with what was happening in my company at the ground level.

Each unit on the lower levels had the same floor plan, with one or two bedrooms and an open-plan kitchen and living room. They were fully furnished, and I nodded approvingly as I checked that the fixtures in the bathrooms and kitchens were all up to spec and the carpets had no blemishes. Satisfied that the units were up to scratch, I headed to the penthouse.

As I pushed the door to the apartment open, I swear I heard a sound from the back bedroom. Glancing through the open space to see if anything was out of place, I headed warily toward the bedroom at the back of the unit.

"Hello? Is anyone in here? You know this is private property, so I'll call the cops if you don't come out!"

There was a quiet shuffling from behind the closed door, and finally, I heard a faint voice whisper, "Please don't call the police."

My brows wrinkled at the young female voice. "Are you alone in there?"

Another moment passed as though she was trying to decide the safest thing to say. Finally, the voice responded, "Yes, I'm alone."

God, she sounded so young. I'd seen this type of thing before - squatters coming into abandoned apartments so they were safe from the street. If she was a young girl, I couldn't blame her, but I couldn't allow her to stay, either.

I backed up a few steps to give the girl the space she needed and called, "I'm going back to the living room so you can gather your things and come out when you're ready."

Retreating into the large, open living space, I sat on the leather sofa and waited patiently for the girl to appear.

Finally, there was a rustling from the hallway, and I turned my head, curious about who would emerge. My heart stuttered when she finally appeared. Her golden hair was tousled around her heart-shaped face and hanging down her back in long waves to her ass. Her porcelain skin was slightly flushed from the hurry to gather her things. She was a tiny little thing, no taller than five feet, and looked to be in her early teens.

My heart swooped in my chest when her icy blue eyes landed on mine. She was the most beautiful girl I'd ever seen in my thirty years, and before I knew it, I fell. Fucking curse of the blonde hair.

She was frozen still at the mouth of the hallway waiting for me to say something, but I was absolutely tongue-tied. Unable to make a sound, I gestured for her to enter the room and sit on the couch. The girl tiptoed across the hardwood floor carrying a scruffy duffle bag. As she neared me, I slid the bag from her shoulder and placed it on the floor, then took her hand and sat beside her.

I had to swallow a few times to clear my throat. "What's your name, sweetheart?"

"Calla Sanders, sir." Her eyes were worried, and she could barely keep them lifted long enough to look at me.

Shit. My cock jumped at the appellation she innocently gave, and I shifted uncomfortably on the couch.

"Sweetheart, you don't have to call me sir. My name is Caleb."

Calla pursed her rosebud lips and nodded. She blinked her watery eyes a few times and let out a little sniffle.

"I'm very sorry I broke into the apartment. I-I-I just needed s-s-omewhere to stay for a little while." Calla started trembling beside me, and I couldn't help but pull her onto my lap.

"Baby, it's okay. It sounds like you've had a rough time, so if you felt safe here, I'm glad."

Calla snuggled under my chin like a little doll, her chest rising and falling quickly with her heightened breathing. The poor baby was trembling in my hold, and I couldn't help but press a quick kiss to the crown of her head.

"Calla, can you tell me how old you are?"

She squirmed on my lap for a moment until I grasped her thigh firmly.

"Are you afraid to tell me?" I asked quietly, dreading her answer. If she's as young as I thought she was, I needed to know. I was willing to go to hell for what I wanted to do to her, but I wasn't willing to go to jail.

Calla lowered her chin slightly and said, "I just turned eighteen last week. That's why I ran away."

I took a deep breath, and my heart settled a little. Okay, it was bad, but at least she was legal. I held her by the shoulders and pushed her away from my chest to see her little face. "What do you mean that's why you ran away?"

Calla's eyes filled with tears that ran down her face in crystal rivulets. She shook her head as her face crumpled. I swept her back into my arms and held the sobbing girl tightly. "Okay, sweetheart. You can tell me when you're ready."

.....

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