Side Effects

Chapter 19

I was woken up the next morning by a phone call from Anna. I was surprised that I hadn't heard from her after I'd sent the message to her about the minister, but I guess she contacted him first, and shockingly he claimed that Alaya had set him up. My sister wasn't happy.

"Kian, you lost us a valuable client!" she snarled over the phone. "She led him on and you attacked him!"

"Bullshit. I stopped an assault. Whatever he told you was lies. I was with them for every single interaction, and if we were going to set him up, we would have kept pictures for blackmail, not just leave without an agreement," I fired back. "The asshole took one of the samples, and hoped to try it on my assistant, because he's a fucking pig."

"Kian, how many times have you slept with a client for a deal? Next time let her," she told me, making me drop my jaw in shock.

"What the fuck? The only time that almost happened to me was because you promised someone that I would without even telling me, and I never did it. I've never done that for a deal, nor would I expect anyone else to, let alone when it's against their will!" I could feel Alaya's hand on my chest trying to calm me down, but with everything going on, I was beginning to think I didn't know my sister anymore. This was a ridiculous position to take, plus the crap with the house? Would she do anything for money? "If you want the deal so bad, you go visit him and give him what he wants."

I hung up the phone and took a deep breath as Alaya pulled me into a hug. "Thank you for standing up for me, Kian. Even against your sister."

"Even if I wasn't dating you, I would have done that. You deserve a defense after that. She's full of shit and I have no idea what she's thinking."

"Come on, we can still enjoy the day together. Forget the call." She leaned over giving me a soft kiss. "We're in one of the most romantic cities in the world, so let's have a good time."

How could someone be so good?

I won't bore you with the details of the jewelry shopping that happened later morning, but suffice it to say I spoiled Alaya. I know, you're shocked. She was getting three new dresses, and I got a matching set of jewelry for each one. A yellow diamond, purple amethyst and a stunning orange sapphire set worked for each dress. There were earrings, a pendant necklace and bracelet in each of those gemstones that would match the color of the fabric, and then a fourth one in clear diamond for everyday use. Did I need the last set? No. But they looked gorgeous, and I couldn't resist it. Were there happy tears when we were done? Yes, but I was okay with that. If I was ever to make her cry, those were the ones I wanted.

We ended up taking a guided tour of the Colosseum after lunch and going into places I'd only seen pictures of. It was a great day, one that was made better by the constant smile on Alaya's face. Having these extra days off was really paying dividends. Like on the drive to the hotel after we'd landed, I'd seen the Colosseum several times through a car window, but I'd never had a chance to go see it.

Hell, now I was touching it. Smelling it. Experiencing it. Seeing the history, knowing that thousands of years ago, there were gladiators were here fighting for their lives, was a very different experience. Were those people so different from us? Just caught up on the wrong side of history, while trying to survive? I didn't think many earned their freedom, but I'd like to think that if I was in a situation like that, I'd do everything I could to live. Hell, if Alaya was there, I'd kill anyone to protect her.

That was a pretty scary thought, this early into our relationship.

But I liked it.

The previous night had been a revelation. No, we weren't into the aggressive fucking that had been in her book, but that wouldn't work for us. We were too busy laughing, and having fun, and giggling when we were done. If I was going to call Alaya a bitch, it would only be because she stole the last cannoli, and even then, I would quickly kiss her and lick the mascarpone off her lips because I cared much more about her than anything else.