Prologue

Tony

With Matt and I getting out of business school and starting this new business, it’s been hard getting the capital to purchase all of the stuff needed to get our place up and running. I wish we were much farther along than we were, but shit happens. My deadbeat father was supposed to help out and be a financial backer for our company but decided that it wouldn’t be a good investment for him and pulled out.  I didn’t want to bank on him helping us, but I knew Matt was really hoping he would come through because my sperm donor had the financial means to do so. And just like I assumed, he didn’t come through; I had been dealing with that all my life. That’s why my Mom moved on as soon as she could. 

All is not lost though, I have a plan to build up the capital needed to get our e-commerce sporting goods company up and running. I just don’t want my Mother or Matt to find out what I’ve agreed to do. I don’t think it’s really bad at all, it’s actually the greatest thing that I could have decided to do because of the experience I get, the networking contacts I can generate for the business which may help us sign on a secret partner, as well as being the object of someone’s affections. 

“Hey Alex,” I called a buddy of mine from school who had graduated a year before me and was already working at the same place. “Are you sure this job is real? It seems way too good to be true.” I was always a skeptic when it came to making a lot of money fast, there was always a catch. 

“I’m tellin’ you dude, it's the real deal Tony. I work there.” He answered laughing. “You should come and meet Peabody.”

“Who?”

“Peabody. Or Mr. Peabody to you for now. I promise, he will be able to explain it all.”

“I dunno man.”

“Would I steer you wrong? You know the Elegant Hotels, right?” He asked. 

“Yeah, I know them.”

“Well the owner of those hotels, also owns the company I work for as well.” He quipped. 

“Really?” I hesitated. Elegant Hotels are huge in Chicago and nationwide. “Interesting.”

“Just come down and talk to Peabody and you can make your decision from there.” He offered.

“Fine, set up an appointment for me to meet with him then.” I agreed. 

“Great! You have an appointment tomorrow at 10:30 AM.” Alex said as I received a text message notification. 

“Wait, how did you,”

“I was setting it up when you called. I’ve been telling you to do this to get the capital for the longest. At least try it for a little bit. How can you go wrong? It’s a win-win!”

“I’ll give it a try.”

“Trust me, you won’t regret it.”  Alex chuckled.

“So I have to live on campus, right?”

“Yeah, you do. At least until you finished with your training. You can move out to your own place if you want thereafter or have them find a place for you.” 

“How long is training?” I wanted to know how long I would be away from the apartment. Matt wouldn’t worry, but I think he’ll think it was a bit strange that I wasn’t sleeping at the apartment I’m paying for.

“Training is usually anywhere between 3-6 months. It really depends on you, but at a minimum it will be at least 3 months. He answered. 

I could get away with that and just tell Matt and Mom that I have training with weird times.  “I guess that will have to work.”

“Like I said, you won’t regret it.” 

“Ok, I’ll see you tomorrow then.” I hung up and decided to pick out my interview suit. 

The next day I met Alex at the offices of AT YOUR SERVICE. It was a very nice office building, located in downtown Chicago. Alex stated it was located in the Elegant Industries building which also owns the Elegant Hotels.  I saw him in the lobby as I entered, he smiled as I approached. 

“I thought you weren’t going to show!” Alex said as he gave me a ‘bro’ hug.

“I told you I would.”

“Yeah, but I’ve been telling you about this company for a while now and you thought it was a joke.” He said as we walked to the front desk. 

“I’ll admit, I thought this was too good to be true.”

“Well, Peabody will fill you in.” He said as we approached the desk. “Hi Samantha, Can you give my buddy here a badge? He’s here to see Peabody.”

“Hi Alex,” She replied with a smile so wide, I could see almost every tooth she had in her mouth. She was blushing so hard, her cheeks began to get red. “Does he have an interview?” she managed to ask. 

“Yes he does. It’s for 10:30 AM.”  

“Oh ok, he’s a bit early.” She replied.

“Yeah, I wanted to show him around a bit.” Alex said, leaning in towards her. She blushed again and began typing on her keyboard.  Alex has a way with women, I can see he was a great fit for this company. 

“Oh ok, that’s so sweet of you Alex.”  She said as she typed away. She quickly turned and grabbed a label off of the printer and handed it to me.  The label displayed my picture, which I never posed for but Samantha was able to snap a picture of me standing in front of the desk. 

“Thank you.” I peeled the paper backing off and stuck it on my jacket.  

“Great, Thanks Samantha. See you later.” Alex flashed a winning smile and she melted. 

“See you Alex.” She said as we turned towards the elevators. 

“I see you have them all eating out of your hand.” I laughed, motioning about Samantha.

“Not all of them, but you’ll know which ones got a thing for you, for sure.”  He smiled as the elevator door opened and we entered. 

We arrived at a floor in the building which seemed as if we were transported into another realm. It resembled a country club atmosphere, yet adorned with black marble flooring and fabric on the walls. Brown leather couches and chairs patterned throughout the office with round cocktail tables and lamps giving the warm ambience of a gentlemen’s club.  I was surprised as it looked nothing like the first floor, which was all white and clinical. 

“Alex,” a gentleman appeared from out of an office and walked over to us. “Is this your friend?”

“Yes, it is.” Alex turned to me and smiled. “Tony, this is Peabody.”

“Mr. Hamilton, nice to finally meet you.” He extended his hand for me to shake. 

“Hello Mr. Peabody.” I said taking hold and squeezing his hand while giving him a firm shake.

“Alex has told me so much about you. He told me you have a few questions, is that correct?”

“Yes.” This guy doesn’t miss a beat. 

“No worries, follow me into my office and I’ll answer any and all questions.”

“Tony, I’m leaving you in good hands as I have a contract to fulfill.” Alex patted me on the shoulder, gave me a wink and he was off. 

I followed Mr. Peabody into his office and my entire life changed thereafter.