Page 1 of Betting Her Curves

1

Patrick

“Patrick,pleeeease,” my little sister whines. “I really need your opinion!”

I barely look up from my phone.

“Ainsley, that shit doesn’t interest me, and you know it. I’ve never been interested in fashion, and especially not purses. That kind of fuckery is for society ladies. I’m not even sure why I’m at this boutique.”

My little sister rolls her eyes at my foul language, even if it doesn’t bother her. She’s exasperated at my behavior, and I can feel it rolling off her in waves.

“It’s because the salesladies are so much nicer when you’re in the store. When I’m here alone, they practically treat me like Julia Roberts fromPretty Woman. And that’sbeforeRichard Gere shows up. They look at me like I’m a whore who should be runout of town as quick as possible, and who’s leaving germs on their wares.”

That makes my head snap up.

“Are you serious? Is that actually happening?”

Ainsley rolls her eyes.

“Okay, so no. It’s not that bad. They don’t treat me like garbage because salespeople are well-trained these days, especially if they work for high-end designers. But Idoget better service if you’re here, Paddy, and it’s because you’re so handsome and charming with the salesladies,” she wheedles. “They practically faint when you’re in the vicinity, and I wouldn’t be surprised if one of them asks you out on a date by the time we’re done shopping.”

I shoot my younger sister an unamused look, but Ainsley grins right back, totally unashamed. This time, it’s me who rolls my eyes because why do siblings have to be so fucking annoying? Then again, maybe we’re not related because Ains looks nothing like me. Whereas I have dark hair, a bronzed complexion, and flashing black eyes, my younger sister has red hair, pale skin, and green irises. I suppose I could be classified as “Black Irish,” whereas Ainsley has the fair complexion and ruddy tresses common to the Emerald Isle.

Still, wearerelated (as far as I know) and it’s my job to take care of Ains. After our parents died, I became my sister’s guardian and it wasn’t too bad at first. She was a child and trusted me one hundred percent. But then, Ainsley hit her teenage years, and can I just say I deserve an award for the shit I’ve put up with? Don’t get me wrong because I love my sister. But the combination of hormonal, boy-crazy behavior and an uncannyability to push my buttons would make any man lose his shit. Again, I can hardly believe I’m in a women’s boutique at this moment, waiting on my ass while she shops.

I take a deep breath before staring at my sister, eyes like daggers.

“You tell me if the salesladies are rude,” I say in a terse tone. “I’ll have a word with management about it.”

Ainsley laughs merrily, her chubby cheeks still child-like.

“You’re not going to have a word with management, Patrick. You’re going to tear this place apart! Figuratively, of course. You’re going to buy every outpost in this chain, and then bankrupt them. Everyone here is going to lose their jobs, and all because they got on the wrong side of an angry Irishman.”

I nod sardonically because it’s true. I’ve been CEO of our family business, O’Lachlan Distillery, since I was twenty and I run the joint with an iron fist. My hard work put our lagers onto the map, and we’ve branched into a chain of microbreweries that have seen international success. People don’t just drink Guinness anymore. They reach for O’Lachs, and we’re currently in the process of getting our bottled beers into U.S. stores. Once we corner the American market, who knows what comes next? I have an itch for total world domination, and more than likely than not, I’ll succeed.

But getting here wasn’t easy. I was an untested boy when I took the reins at O’Lachs, and it was hell on Earth for the first couple years. Don’t get me wrong because my parents, Marty and Luanne, left us with a thriving family business, and I had trusted advisors counseling me from the start. But I had to learn the ropes overnight, and the transformation from college boy into cunning businessman was rough.

But ultimately, the hard work paid off, and the company’s experienced astonishing growth and unparalleled success in the last twenty years. People in the Emerald Isle have always been familiar with our shamrock logo, but now, all of Europe knows us. My first million was made at twenty-five, and I’ve never let up. In fact, I’m not even sure why I’m still grinding so fucking hard because I have good people working for me, and they’re more than capable of handling our U.S. expansion. There’s no need to bust my ass like a rookie who needs to prove his worth.

But I enjoy wheeling and dealing, and a solid work ethic is something that was passed down to me. My ancestors used to till the fields from dawn to dusk, trying to coax crops from the loamy Irish soil, and I’ve applied that same assiduousness to my work. Except now, my attention is directed towards closing deals and making money hand over fist. Hell, my bank account is bursting, and it’s hard to know how to spend my cash sometimes. Yet the siren song of deal-making still calls, and as a result, we’re here in Vegas to further my business interests. I’ll meet with distributors to discuss creative ways to get our product into consumers’ hands, and there are a couple marketing activations scheduled too. Meanwhile, my sister’s in town because she wants to explore the world of plus-size modeling. Evidently the industry is located here, in the City of Sin.

“Really?” I asked when my sister first broached the topic. “Vegas is where models hang out? I thought it was Paris, Milan, or New York. Or even Tokyo. Definitely not Las Vegas.”

Ainsley frowned, her mouth turning down at the corners.

“Those cities are great for straight-size models, but I’m not straight-size, Pat. I’m not even mid-size. I would be in the curve division, which means that I need to be in Vegas.”

I stared at my younger sister.

“Okay, so I have no idea what you just said. You look normal to me.”

Ainsley sighed and tossed her red hair over one shoulder.

“All it means is that bigger girls don’t necessarily end up in Paris, Milan, or the usual European capitals because we’re not the “usual” product. We’re extraordinary, not ordinary, and Vegas is the place where it happens. It is what it is,” she shrugged. “So do you think you can swing it, big bro? Can you fit a trip to Vegas in your schedule?”

I nodded.

“Yeah, it dovetails with some of my business interests, so let’s do it. I’ll make it happen. Does next month work?”

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