Hot Garbage

16

I was still thinking about Joseph when he walked into the living room. He'd put on a suit, shaved, and styled his hair. He looked like a different person.

Joseph was wearing a gray suit with a crisp white shirt that was tucked in neatly. His shoes and the tie were matching stark black. It was perfectly tailored and I didn't know if he looked better when he came in from running or now.

He came closer to me while adjusting the cuffs of his sleeve. He smelled of cologne, a delicate fragrance that was neither too much nor too light. There was a hint of musk and body wash in it, overlaid by the faint scent of sweat.

"You look nice," I said.

"Thanks," he replied.

"You look ready to go meet with somebody important."

Joseph chuckled. "Well, I am. I'm going to go meet with the men I have decided not to kill."

He went to the TV and moved it aside on a swinging arm. I tried to see what he was doing, but I didn't want to get too close. It was probably private.

I could hear something open and close with a clanking sound. Joseph turned back to me and came over. He sat on the couch next to me.

My attention was drawn to his hands. There was a little velvet-covered box in it. I looked up at him, in surprise.

"There were some warnings from my lawyers about what could happen when we go to your stepfather's home today. There are things he could accuse me of. It would be easiest to avoid them." He told me.

Joseph opened the box and pulled out the ring inside. He slipped it onto my finger. I couldn't believe it fit. I recognized it from the pictures upstairs. It was his mother's ring.

"I can't wear this, Jo," I whispered.

"Yes, you can. My mother would have wanted her ring put to good use. If anyone asks, we became friends online. When you turned eighteen, I told you my true feelings. Last night, you left home to go on a date with me. I proposed and you stayed the night. We are simply there to retrieve your things," Joseph said.

"What good will this do?" I asked.

"It will keep the police from doing anything. You are my fiancée and an adult. You can't have been a runaway. The story will show that you intended to come back home. No one will fault me for wanting to bring you to live with me."

"What do you mean?"

"You really don't know who I am?" He asked.

"I don't really know anything about you. I've known Jo for years, but I'm only learning more about Joseph now. I know you're rich and handsome. I know you're smart and funny. You're also a nice guy and a great friend." I answered. "And the computer stuff you talked about the other night."

Joseph laughed a little. "I am a lot more than that."

"What do you mean?"

"I own a company. One that makes computer software. I also own another which is a security firm. It protects my property, handles my accounts, and so on. I own a condo building downtown and several small businesses in the area." Joseph said with a smile. "There's the newspaper and the restaurant, too."

He had a smile on his face, but I didn't. "You're a millionaire?" I breathed.

"A billionaire." He said. "My name is Joseph Williams III."

That was a name I definitely knew. One of the city's most eligible bachelors. I knew he owned a lot, but I didn't know he had all those things. I'd seen him on the news, running a business meeting in the office.

"This is going to ruin your reputation. You can't pretend to be engaged to me." I insisted.

"Why?" Joseph asked, curious.

"Because I'm not pretty enough. I'm fat and way too young for you. People are going to say you groomed me. You can just say we're friends online and I'm staying with you because I don't want to live at home anymore." I told him.

He laughed. "You think that's not going to make people ask questions? They're going to want to know why you don't want to live at home anymore. They're going to press you and your stepfamily. They might decide to hurt you by telling people you seduced them. You may not be the current ideal of beauty, Roxy, but you're gorgeous. There are a lot of men in the world who want a woman who is soft and supple like you. Didn't you tell me your mom is tall and thin? But her husband wanted you. I won't let them ruin you, Roxy. I have more than enough money to not care what people think and my companies aren't publicly traded."

"What about when you want to marry someone for real?" I asked.

"What if that someone is you?" Joseph replied.

A blush burned over my cheeks. What had my life turned into? How did I end up in this position? This was like some weird dream.

"You don't mean that." I chuckled nervously and moved away from him a little.

"Roxy, you're the only person in the world I've told about my interest in those books. It made me open up to you in ways I never opened up to anyone else. I never thought you'd know who I was. I thought I would be angry if you ever did, but I'm not. I like having you here. I like you knowing my secrets. You're still my friend. Let me take care of you," he said.

"I don't know," I sighed.

"We need to go get your things. It's going to be fine. Trust me." Joseph said.

"Okay," I replied.

Joseph smiled and stood. He grabbed my hand and pulled me up. I wobbled a little, almost falling over.

"Careful. I don't want my fiancée to get hurt." He joked.

I shook my head and let him lead me out of the house. Instead of going to get in his truck, there was a big black SUV parked in front of the house. I looked over at him.

"I thought we were going this afternoon."

"If you're going to be my fiancée, I need to have you dressed properly when we go out. I'm taking you to a boutique I own. We're going to get you something to wear to your stepfather's house and to dinner tonight. We will also get a few outfits that you will wear when I tell you to." Joseph said coolly.

"Seems a little controlling."

He sighed. "I have to maintain a certain image when I'm not at home. Even if we're just pretending, I need you to have a certain image as well. Please, trust me, Roxy."

"Fine. I trust you." I replied and got in the SUV.

I looked down at the ring on my hand as Joseph got in. He smiled and put his hand on my leg. He caressed it with his thumb and I shivered.

We arrived at the boutique and Joseph took my hand to walk in. It was a high-end place. Women in suits were around and fancy clothes hung in the windows. I never shopped here. I didn't have the money. I was too afraid I would rip something.

Joseph led me inside to the back. A beautiful woman with long blonde hair, wearing a suit, was standing behind the counter. She smiled when she saw him.

"Mr. Williams." She said in a professional tone.

"Hello, Amelia. I would like to borrow your dressing room for a moment," Joseph said.

"Of course." She replied and turned to lead us to the back.

Joseph stopped us. "Roxy, this is Amelia. She's going to help you find something to wear and make you look gorgeous."

"Thank you, Mr. Williams," Amelia said and led me inside.

We went through the racks until she found a few things in my size. She handed me a few pieces and told me to change. I went into a small dressing room and tried them on. I went out and Amelia was waiting.

"You look lovely." She told me.

"I feel a little awkward," I admitted.

"It's natural. You're on display." Amelia said.

She grabbed a few things and went back in, handing them to me. I chuckled and changed. She was pushing me to be comfortable standing in front of people.

"You look beautiful. Let's get you some shoes." She said and led me to the back, into a small section of the store.

Amelia grabbed a few pairs of shoes and brought them to me. "These will match the dresses," she said.

I thanked her and went into the dressing room. I tried them all on, then put my clothes on and went out. "Which one is best?" I asked.

Amelia looked me in the eyes. "I think the black dress would be best. With those shoes and wearing your hair down, you will look stunning."

"Okay." I nodded.

We gathered up all of the clothing and the shoes. Amelia got them rung up and put them into bags. The number was terrifying. We weren't even buying that much!

Joseph didn't seem to be bothered by it, though. I thanked Amelia, who smiled and waved back. Joseph took me home and I went to my room to change into the black dress. It hugged my body in all the right places. I put my hair up and put the shoes on. Keeping my hair down might look nice, but I had work to do.

I went downstairs and Joseph whistled. "You look beautiful, Roxy." He said. "I'm going to take a few pictures and send them to Amelia."

"Okay." I nodded.

Joseph pulled out his phone and took a couple of pictures of me. I probably looked like a deer in the headlights. I was a little scared of what I was doing. I didn't feel like a billionaire's fiancée at that moment.

He called the company that would be bringing us to my stepfather's house and arranged for the bodyguards. He wanted his driver to come. I thought it was weird.

Joseph then got on the phone with a restaurant, telling them he would be arriving with his fiancée. He had them reserve his preferred table. I didn't know what to do, so I stood there and played with the ring on my finger.