Dirty Beginning (Dirty 0.50)

I put the jacket on. She’s probably right even though I have no idea what we are doing. But I hate to cover up the gorgeous gray lace shirt I’m wearing .

I loop my arm through Eden’s arm. “Let’s go, friend, to wherever you are taking me .”

Eden’s grin brightens. “We are going to a lecture .”

My excitement drains. Leave it to my studious friend who has a body of a model and the brains of a rocket scientist to get us all dressed up and then take us to a lecture .

* * *

W e walk into the large auditorium already filled with fifty or so people. The one nice thing about auditoriums here versus the US is that, here, they have beautiful balconies, chandeliers, sculptures, and paintings around the room. It’s full of history even if the lecture that she brought me to is going to be boring as hell .

I look at the words on the screen as we take a seat in the front row .

“Why are we at a lecture for entrepreneurs of the future? We don’t want to start a business. We want to teach or work in a library or museum or gallery. Our future is the exact opposite of starting a business or something new. Our jobs are very old .”

Eden rolls her eyes. “There is nothing wrong with keeping our options open. What if we want to start our own business someday ?”

“We won’t .”

“Well, that’s not keeping an open mind .”

“I don’t care about the future. I care about the past. About the beauty in the world. About how to keep it alive. Not how to start some tech company that just cares about making money. Neither of us needs money. How long is this thing anyway ?”

“Three hours .”

“Three hours !”

A group of college students sitting next to us stares at us .

I glare at them, and they turn away. If only it were that easy to make everyone stop looking at me .

“Three hours? Are you serious?” I ask a little quieter .

“Yes.”

“And what are you going to do for me after we get out of this three-hour torture ?”

She turns her attention to the front as someone with a mic starts talking .

“You are going to find a way to thank me for bringing yo

u .”

“Why in the world would I thank you?” I hiss .

Eden nods her head toward the stage .

I face forward. She’s right; I’m going to have to find a way to thank her after this .

“I would like to introduce you to our speaker for today. He’s an Oxford grad, he runs a multibillion-dollar company, and the ladies tell me he’s one good-looking man .”

Women start screaming like they are at a rock concert .

“Let me introduce you to Mr. Carini .”

Everyone applauds as Arlo walks onto the stage. He’s dressed in a three-piece gray suit, his hair is tousled artfully on his head, and he has a nice five o’clock shadow going .

“Thank you. I know you are all here to listen to me talk about what it takes to be a young entrepreneur. You want to know the secret to making billions of dollars. Or as my friend Vito Abele said, you are here to swoon over my body. But I’m not going to talk to you about any of those things today .”