Relaxing in paradise

The scent of saltwater filled her nose. Sunlight warmed her bare shoulders.

And the voice that purred, "Another margarita, Ms. Reimer?" didn’t belong to any overworked assistant.

It belonged to a shirtless bartender with abs that looked carved from marble.

Amanda grinned. Now this was more like it.

The margarita glass was slick with condensation in Amanda's hand, the lime wedge bobbing against her fingertips as she took another sip. The bartender flashed her a smile that could melt glaciers as he wiped down the counter with deliberate, slow strokes of his towel.

This is paradise.

Amanda tilted her sunglasses down, surveying the private beach stretched before her. White sand, turquoise water, and not a single spreadsheet in sight. Her CEO, some faceless suit the talisman had conjured to handle her business, had been sending daily updates, but she'd barely glanced at them. Why would she? The company was thriving without her.

She stretched out on the daybed, the sun warming her skin as she rubbed coconut-scented sunscreen into her thighs. The resort staff moved like ghosts, replacing her drinks before she could ask, fluffing pillows she hadn't even noticed were flat.

This is what success feels like.

One Week Later

The fifth margarita of the afternoon sat untouched, the ice long melted.

Amanda scowled at her reflection in the vanity mirror of her beachfront villa. The same thought had been nagging at her for days, creeping in during yoga classes and sunset cruises: Is this it?

She had everything she'd thought she wanted, no responsibilities, endless leisure, a parade of people at her beck and call. But the bartenders only flirted for tips. The cabana boys only laughed at her jokes because she tipped them to. And no matter how many tropical sunsets she Instagrammed, the hollow feeling in her chest wouldn't fade.

Worst of all, she'd caught them making eyes at a twenty-year-old influencer yesterday. The girl had legs for days and a waist so tiny Amanda could've circled it with her hands.

Her fingers found the talisman, now warm against her collarbone even in the air-conditioned villa. Realising she knew what was required to remedy this.

"I wish I was young, hot, successful, and carefree," she whispered.

The pendant flared crimson this time, the heat so intense it nearly burned. Amanda barely had time to gasp before the world dissolved in a whirl of light and sound.