Sappho's Amulet

Las Vegas is one of the more interesting towns on Earth. You've just finished an incredibly boring conference and thought you'd throw a little money down the drain while you were in town. After two hours of feeding the one-armed bandit, you were down to your last ten bucks and decided, on a crazy whim, to throw it all into a single high-payoff slot machine at the center of the Luxor casino.

Ten seconds later, you were a multimillionaire.

The thing is, that wasn't the strangest thing that happened all day. Your new-found wealth allowed you to get a considerable upgrade in lodgings, and so you soon found yourself in the penthouse suite of the Mirage Hotel. It seemed that its previous occupant had a rather unluckier night than you, and had been booted out moments before you arrived. The result was that the cleaning staff wasn't quite as thorough as they might have been, and you found something strange in the room's safe as you were putting away a few thousand dollars in discretionary cash.

It was a strange... amulet, for lack of a better word. About the size of a quarter, it was in the shape of two interlocking circles with crosses beneath them, and at the center of each cross was a dark red ruby. When you touched it, you felt a curious sensation, a strange power, and you felt compelled to place the amulet chain around your neck. It touched just above and between your breasts, and where it touched, the skin was slightly whitened, as if you'd been wearing it while tanning. Although you'd been awake for almost twenty-four hours and jetlagged besides, suddenly you felt as fresh as if you'd just awakened from a twelve-hour slumber.

That wasn't all - you noticed (in one of the dozens of mirrors in the room) that subtle changes had taken place on your own body. Your lips became slightly fuller and darkened to a rich, lusterous red, your breasts swelled at least a whole cup size and firmed to the touch, minor blemishes on your skin vanished without a trace - except the new white mark under the amulet. Your hair, which had been matted slightly from your full day, suddenly blossmed into full body and shine as if you'd just stepped out of a shampoo commmercial. Looking closer at the mirror, you discovered that your eyes, which had lookjed a little tired and red, were suddenly clear and bright, and their color seemed enhanced somehow.

There was no doubt in your mind that the strange amulet had done this.

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So now, being unable and unwilling to sleep, you decide to dress and head out on the town to enjoy the nightlife of the City that Never Sleeps. You select a hot black dress that you'd bought with some of your winnings - astonishingly, your new breasts don't seem to require any support, so you toss the bra away. The amulet goes perfectly with your new jewelry (not that you'd consider for a moment taking it off!) You start to apply makeup, but realize immediately that you don't need it - your face is flawless. Nor do you need to do anything with your hair. In record time, you're ready to head out.

Your suite has its own elevator, so you ride it down to the casino level with no stops. As you step out of the cab at the bottom, a bellhop starts to greet you - but finds himself unable to get any words out at the sight of you. You remember that upon your arrival you thought he was pretty cute, and even imagined enticing him up to your room for a little celebration, but for some reason he doesn't interest you at all anymore. Trying to imagine a sexy guy you once knew, you find that that image does nothing as well. It's as if you've lost all interest in men.

Well, everything comes with a price, and this seems to be it for the little miracle around your neck - it's made you the hottest, sexiest woman alive, but you've lost all interest in sex. Or so it seems at first...

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The crowd seems to part for you as you make your way to the High-Roller lounge. There's a lot of really attractive men in the throng, but, as if to confirm your suspicions, none of them has any effect on you. You find a table with a view, and order a bottle of expensive wine. You begin to wonder if the effects of the amulet are permanent, and whether it's worth it to accept its gifts as well as its price. The idea of never being able to enjoy sex again is made less heart-wrenching by its very absence, but still... you sit and try to conjure up sexual thoughts, trying to inspire some kind of response.

The cocktail waitress brings your wine over to you. You hear her stumble and gasp as she draws near, and turn to look. Your eyes catch hers ands time seems to stop.

She is a tall, slim, beautiful green-eyed blonde, her hair twisted into a becoming style. Her cheeks are flushed, her eyes wide, and even in mid-stumble she seems uncommonly graceful.

"My God," she whispers. "You're beautiful..."

You look down at the amulet. One of the rubies seems to glow before your eyes. When you look back up at the waitress, you feel a surge in your blood, and the lustful feeling you thought were gone come to the surface with a suddenness that makes you catch your breath.

The symbol on the amulet... the Venus symbol, interlocked with itself... it all makes sense now. You've become irresistible to other women... and they to you.

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Sipping your wine slowly, you turn over the possibilities in your mind. You haven't actually gotten around to quitting your job yet. You used to enjoy your work, but ever since the new boss lady came in, things have been going to hell - she's a real driver, but, credit where credit is due, she has quite a body under that power suit. You used to fantasize about marching into her office and quitting - now your fantasies have taken a decidedly different direction.

Then of course, there's those two obnoxious girls who just moved into the apartment above yours. They remind you of the "popular" kids you used to know in high school: self-centered, rude, egotistical, and annoyingly pretty. For months you've had to put up with the loud, thumping music coming through the ceiling, and their petty little annoying habits like dropping their empty beer bottles on your porch and double-parking across your space. You'll get home in plenty of time to enjoy them before work the next morning..

But then again, you're in Vegas - why not make the most of the nightlife right here?