Hot Garbage

17

Joseph hung up with the restaurant. "All is set. We should go." He said. "The guards will meet up with us outside the gate. Paul, my driver, is waiting."

He held out his arm and I took it. Joseph guided me outside. The SUV was waiting for us and a tall, brunet man was waiting in it. The man opened the back door as we approached.

"Hello, Mr. Williams," The man said.

"Good afternoon, Paul," Joseph replied.

The man held out his hand to help me in. He smiled at me, but he looked a little nervous. I smiled at him, staying polite. Joseph went to the other side and got in. Paul closed the door. We drove off to my stepfather's house. I didn't say anything at first, but then I got a little nervous.

"What are you thinking, Roxy?" Joseph asked.

"I don't know. What if Gene gets mad and hurts me? What if he hurts you? What if he decides to tell my mom I seduced him and she hates me forever? I already lost my dad. My mom isn't perfect, but I love her. I don't want her to hate me," I told him.

"You have nothing to worry about. The guards will be with us and they will keep you safe. Gene is upset, but he'll calm down. We're just pretending to be engaged. He will understand that. It is possible he will be upset, but he will not hurt you. No one will hurt you," Joseph promised.

"What about you?" I asked.

"I doubt he can. I'm younger, more fit, and trained to protect myself. If Gene hurts me, you get to a phone and call for help," Joseph said.

"Okay." I nodded.

The car pulled in front of my stepfather's house and parked. He was waiting for us on the porch. Paul got out of the driver's side and opened my door. Joseph held out his arm and I slipped my hand in.

He led me up to the porch and stopped. Gene was standing there with Dane. Their eyes went slowly up and down my body. Then they turned a glare on Joseph.

"Roxy, we've been worried about you. Why didn't you say you were leaving?" Gene asked.

It was almost a perfect impression of a concerned parent. I even felt a little guilty. My stomach twisted.

"She doesn't have to answer your questions and we're not going to do this out here. Step into the house." Joseph ordered sternly.

Gene looked at Joseph. He looked like he was trying to decide if he was serious. Joseph had the look of a man who was used to being listened to. I could honestly say no one really ever listened to me.

"Fine," Gene said.

He and Dane stepped back into the house. We, and a few guards, followed them and Dane closed the door behind us. My heart was racing and my palms were sweaty.

The feeling in the room was tense. Dane and Gene looked like they were itching for a fight. I didn't want to be there.

"One of my men will take Roxy to her room to gather her things. We will leave afterward." Joseph said.

"Her mother is on her way home. She was worried when I had to tell her Roxy disappeared. Are you planning to keep my wife from her daughter?" Gene asked.

"I have no intention of doing that. She can contact my office. The number is listed. I will make sure she knows how to reach Roxy."

"You can't take her from us! We're her family!" Dane growled.

Joseph raised an eyebrow at him. "You are the son of the man married to her mother. You are not her family."

He moved my arm off of his and got in close to them. "Which you reminded her of when you r***d her." Joseph hissed.

They looked at me like I'd betrayed them. They were the ones who betrayed me. I trusted them like family. I tried to love them like family.

"That's not what happened. You don't know what she's like. The things she reads. She got some idea to--" Gene was cut off by Joseph grabbing him by the collar and shaking.

"If I have a doctor test her for every medical aphrodisiac on the market, what do you think the results would tell me? I'll give you three guesses, but I bet you can get it in one." Joseph snarled. "Roxy will get her belongings. You will not talk to her, touch her, or even look at her. When her mother gets home, you will tell her that you didn't realize Roxy had a boyfriend and that she had snuck out for a date. If you ever try telling anyone Roxy seduced you, I will rain down hell on you like you have never experienced."

Joseph released Gene from his grip and turned to me. "Roxy, one of the guards will take you to your room to pack your belongings. We'll be leaving shortly."

I nodded and followed the guard out of the room. My heart was pounding in my chest. I couldn't believe what was happening. Joseph had really stood up to my stepfather and Dane like that. He had protected me.

The guard led me to my room. He stood outside the door while I packed my clothes and personal items into some bags. I wanted to make sure to take the mementos from my father and his family, along with the things I had gotten as gifts from my mother and friends. I left behind anything Dane, Matt, and Gene had given me.

When I was done, I called the guard in and he helped me carry my things out. I was a little sad it had come to this, but I was also glad that their plan hadn't worked. I wouldn't be trapped in this house with those men anymore.

We loaded my things into the car and Joseph told Paul to take us back to his house. I sat in the backseat, hugging one of my bags close. I felt like I was in a dream. This whole day had been so surreal.

Part of me was still worried that something would happen to ruin everything. That my stepfather or Dane would find a way to get to me. But Joseph promised he would protect me and I believed him.

When we got back to Joseph's house, Paul, Joseph, and the guards carried my things up to my room. There wasn't a lot, really, but they made sure I didn't have to lift anything. Joseph dismissed them and told Paul we would be leaving for dinner in a couple of hours.

"Do you want any help, Roxy?" He asked me after the men left.

"No, thank you. I can take care of it myself." I replied.

"I'll leave you to it, then. I'm heading to my office to get a few other things settled. Go there when you're done."

"I will," I answered. "And, thank you again for saving me, Jo. I don't know what I'd do without you."

He smiled. "Thank you for not shunning me when you found out I was a man. I'm glad to have a friend to share my secrets with."

Joseph left my room, closing the door behind him, and I started to unpack my things. I put my clothes in the drawers and closet. Set up my pictures and decorative things. Put my computer and charger on the desk in the room. Then I hung up my uniform.

Once I had everything put away, I went to Joseph's office, but he wasn't there. I wasn't sure what to do. He told me to come here, so I did.

It was a large room with a desk, a window, and a couple of chairs. A comfy-looking couch sat in the corner. He had a few bookshelves that were already full.

I looked at the titles. None of these were fiction. A lot of them were books about computers and stuff like that. I wandered around looking at things.

"Having fun?" Joseph asked from the doorway.

It made me jump a little and I laughed at my nervous reaction. I wasn't doing anything wrong. He smiled when I looked at him.

"You scared me."

"I noticed." He chuckled.

"I'm sorry. I just got distracted looking at your books. I didn't mean to snoop."

"You're not snooping. It's all right to look around here. I have nothing to hide," Joseph assured me.

"I'm used to having to be so careful about everything. Gene didn't allow me in his home office. It's a lot to take in."

Joseph nodded in understanding. He knew he didn't have to say anything. I appreciated that he didn't try to make me feel better about this. I always felt like it was an argument when people did that.

"I need to finish up a couple of emails, and then we can go out to dinner. I have a nice table booked for us." Joseph told me.

"Are you really sure about that? I mean... I'm only eighteen. You got me out of that house. You scared off my stepfamily. I think you've done enough," I replied.

"This isn't just for you, Roxy. There have been some whisperings that I shouldn't be running my mother's company because I don't have any heirs and I don't date much. I just... I can't risk some ex-girlfriend finding out about the things I like to read and telling everyone. Being engaged to a much younger woman who I have only just met in person is one thing; finding out about the stepfamily porn books.... I would lose the respect of everyone who works for me. It's not something easily understood." He sighed. "They wouldn't understand that I wasn't like that."

"What are you like? You kissed me and proposed this fake engagement. You also told me you couldn't be with me. I don't understand where this is going or what your intentions are." I said and walked over to where he stood. "What am I to you? Am I just a fake fiancée and friend? Am I more? Can... can I be more?"