Side Effects

Chapter 10

The flight to Kuala Lampur was much easier than the flight to Bangkok, only a few hours, and since we were exhausted from our day long trip to Chatuchak Market, and we left in the evening, we slept the entire way. I was just glad that Esme always seemed to be awake, and we entrusted ourselves to her care in order to get to our destination.

Since we landed in the same time zone, we changed up the schedule a little. We weren't suffering from jet lag, so the plan was to check into the hotel, sleep some more, and then meet with the minister the first thing in the morning, then take him to lunch, before having two straight days to relax in Malaysia. Then we'd be off to Rome, for a charity gala.

I woke up holding Alaya again, and we didn't even pretend to have different rooms this time even though the hotel had us in another two bedroom suite. We checked in, went to the room, and then just collapsed back into the first bed we saw and fell asleep with me spooning her. We still hadn't kissed, nor done anything but snuggle, but yet it all seemed so intimate. It made me feel warm all over, and I couldn't wait to see where we'd be after a few more stops.

We woke up late, though that was on me. I had been awake for almost an hour while Alaya was still lightly sleeping on my chest, the gentle rise and fall of her body making me feel things I'd never felt before, and I didn't want to ruin it by moving. But of course, I had to, because when Alaya finally woke up, we realized we had to hurry, and had to race to get dressed and out the door to go meet our contact at the ministry.

"This is an interesting product," Minister Jawaad stated as he looked us over. The talks were relatively standard, with introductions and the usual platitudes made about the fine country and our strong company and past medicinal successes. It had taken a bit of time to wade through all that, which we'd skipped in Bangkok thanks to our existing relationship, but now we were finally talking about the product at hand.

I was dressed in my normal suit, while Alaya was in a sharp looking black skirt and blazer combination that she'd brought with her and looked as stunning as ever. Did I check out her legs a little on the way over? Yes. Did she notice? Yeah, she might have, and then pulled the hem up while smirking at me. I wasn't trying to be bad, but damn it was hard to resist her. I had a feeling that if she made another move on me after the last night in Bangkok, I wouldn't turn her down.

"It is sir, and it will hopefully work well for the citizens it is prescribed for," I assured him.

He grunted, turning the packet of pills over in his hand. "And these are for me to sample?"

I nodded lightly. "Yes. I would check with your personal physician to ensure that they're safe for you, but if so then they are yours to use and ensure that they do as they were advertised."

I could see his eyes wandering over Alaya's figure, and I didn't like it one bit. I could see her fidgeting, as she saw it too. "I would imagine with an assistant like that you wouldn't need a pill like this!" He chuckled at his own joke, though neither of us did.

"Alaya is a wonderful assistant, though we don't mix business with pleasure."

"Ahh. Well then perhaps we could try out these pills here!" He pointed out the well-worn leather couch against the wall.

My head was ready to explode, and I knew Alaya was upset too. I'd been propositioned many times by female ministers, though never so boldly, and never before we'd actually gone out to dinner. This was also the first time I'd ever had to worry about anyone else's wellbeing in this kind of situation.

"I'm afraid my assistant isn't a part of negotiations like that," I told him quickly, lowering my voice as I sat up straight. I wasn't going to let this asshole say anything like that to Alaya!