I sighed as I walked through the revolving door leading into the lobby of the grossly overpriced resort where I was staying. The trip was originally an anniversary gift to Ann, my girlfriend of almost three years, but we didn’t make it that far. She found her “soulmate” while we were still together and dumped me two months before the trip.

My trying to save money bit me in the butt when I couldn’t get a refund on the trip, so there I was on the trip alone. Surprisingly, I could have brought Ann along, she ended it with the love of her life when he took five grand from her savings and left for parts unknown, but I wasn’t going to be dumped again when she found her next soulmate.

“Hi, Foster Allen checking in,” I told the sweaty, balding, portly gentleman at the front desk. It had to be sixty-five degrees in that lobby, but he seemed impervious to air-conditioning. Maybe, it was his superpower?

“Yes, Mr. Allen,” he smiled, his cheeks red with whatever. “We have you in room 317 overlooking the beautiful pool and cabana deck. You should be very happy with the view.”

He winked as if it were some sort of lewd secret between us. After getting the directions to the elevator, I made sure the bellman was there with my bags and wandered away.

It was a beautiful island, and the hotel’s opulence fit its location well. Everything was appointed in tropical tones and smelled like coconuts. I wondered if they infused a scent through the air-conditioning.

While waiting for the elevator, a group of young women brushed past us, and it seemed as if they were each trying to hit my shoulder no matter how far back I stepped away.

“Sorry I was in your way, Ladies,” I groaned rubbing my shoulder.

The last woman turned, and I was knocked two steps back by her beauty. She was tall and thin, wistfully lanky—in a good way, and her red curls bounced when she strode towards me.

She poked my chest and I shivered at the electricity in her touch. “I don’t care where you’re from, Asshole—but where we come from, a gentleman steps aside for a lady.”

I was taken aback by the anger in her voice and the ugliness on her face.

I shrugged my shoulders and said, “When you see one, let me know.”

Her friends broke out in laughter, then she weakly slapped me, and that wiped the smirk off of my face. So much for my witty retort.

She looked me up and down, smirked, and said, “See you around, Asshole.”

I shook my head and said to the bellman, “Let’s wait for the next elevator.”

He was a weathered old man and that was probably the most excitement he’d seen for months. He laughed and said, “My wife would say she liked you, Sir.”

I snorted, “If that was her liking me, I’d hate to see what she does when she loves someone.”

We made it to my room, and he opened the door for me.

I looked around the large room and thanked the man for helping with the bags. He happily accepted my twenty, although the resort said no tips were necessary, and left me to rest.

I had to admit, it was a nice view of the pool area and my shorts tightened at the sight of some beautiful women with hardbodies glistening in the sunlight. I saw it was almost four and I was getting hungry, so I figured I’d take a shower and head down for a lonely dinner.

Thoughts of my ex permeated my mind. I didn’t know what went wrong with Ann. I worked in a machine shop until three, so even if I worked two hours of overtime, I was home by 5:30 every day. She couldn’t say she never saw me; I was always home before she walked in the door.

I did all of the little things. I gave her flowers for no reason, never forgot an important date, heck, I even got along with her friends. Her only explanation was she felt a spark when they met. I wondered what she felt when she saw her bank account was empty and he moved out.

I wasn’t going to drive myself crazy over it. I was going to try to enjoy my vacation.

I sat at a table in the middle of the room and ordered a steak and a beer. I looked around and almost left when I saw the group of women from earlier walk up and sit at the table next to mine. Worst of all, the hot redhead was sitting on my side at a kitty corner angle across from me. Every time I looked up; she was in my peripheral vision. It would’ve ruined my appetite if she weren’t so beautiful and wearing a short skirt.

She was subtly made up, with nothing detracting from her natural look. Her green eyes were captivating, and I found myself wondering if they were contacts. Her eyes simply sparkled.

Her soft green dress paired perfectly with her titian curls, and I was pleasantly surprised to see her wearing nude stockings. Topping off the elegantly sexy look were a pair of high, but not too high heels. She was by far the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen up close. It was too bad she was such a bitch.

I tried to ignore them as I ate my meal, but I was struck by their conversation. They were talking about cheating on boyfriends and husbands as if it were nothing. I was disgusted by every comment each made about whatever shortcoming they didn’t like about their partner. I noticed that the bitch didn’t say much. She seemed to be lost in thought as they had to snap her out of it a couple times.

I made eye contact with her once and she sneered at me. I simply shook my head and drank a gulp of beer.

The steak was good, the beer was cold enough, and I was ready to go when the waiter carrying the dessert tray to me tripped on her foot sticking out from under the table. The tray landed on my table sending my beer and the various pastries and slices of pie onto my lap. I always thought those show desserts were made of wax. Not at that restaurant.

All I could do was sigh. I waved off his apologies and went to the bathroom to clean up the best I could. When I returned, the ladies laughed hysterically at my plight. I shook my head and asked the waiter for my bill.

“I’ve taken care of the bill, Sir. I’m terribly sorry. I...”

“It wasn’t your fault,” I said. “The bitch at the table next to me had her foot sticking out and tripped you. There was nothing you could do.”

She stopped laughing when I called her a bitch. She didn’t look angry as much as sad. I gave him a fifty and said, “Everything was great, up until dessert, I couldn’t taste a thing.”

He smiled and nodded at my poor attempt at humor. I walked out and breathed in the humid air. “What a disaster,” I sighed to myself and walked back to my room ignoring the stares at my dirty clothes.

It was still early, so I changed and set my clothes in the laundry bag to be cleaned. The hotel was kind enough to do it gratis.

I decided to walk along the path around the resort. There were some carts spread around with locals selling their wares and I stopped at each to compare how badly they were ripping tourists off with their cheap baubles. It wasn’t as bad as I thought.

One woman had a sign on her cart that read, “Under The Rose.” She only sold roses and trinkets that featured roses. I didn’t have much need for roses, but I looked anyway and was struck by a charm necklace. It was silver and the charm was half of a rose with no stem.

“You like? It’s very special,” the woman smiled.

“Special how?” I asked, unable to pull my eyes from it.

“There’s magic in the charm. If you wear that necklace, the first woman you touch will fall in love with you.”

I laughed and said, “Oh, yeah? Whether she wants to or not, huh?”

She nodded and smirked, “As long as you’re wearing it, she’ll be yours.”

I was amused, yet I couldn’t take my eyes off of the cheap piece of jewelry.

“How much is it?”

“One-hundred American dollars,” she said as if it were a nickel.

I can’t explain what happened next, I was about to tell her I didn’t believe in that sort of thing, but the next thing I knew, I was handing her the cash and it was around my neck.

“Remember, the first woman you touch will fall madly in love with you. Be careful.”

She cackled and I walked away in a daze.

I don’t know how I got back, I don’t remember the walk at all, but I found myself standing in front of the elevator. I heard voices behind me and as I began to turn, I was bumped into by, of all people, the bitch.

“Excuse me,” I said as I lifted my arm and touched her shoulder.

She swatted my hand away and spat, “Get out of my way.”

She froze when we made eye contact and I swear her eyes sparkled.

She snaped out of it when one of her friends pulled her onto the elevator. Then I got the sneer again.

“Oh, shit!” I said as the doors closed.

The old lady’s voice rang in my head. “The first woman you touch will fall madly in love with you.” Of course, her cackling followed it.

I shook my head as if I were shaking off cobwebs and walked through the elevator doors. I figured the necklace didn’t really have any powers, so there was nothing to worry about. I didn’t believe in magic; I didn’t believe in anything supernatural. I was in the clear, or so I thought.

I was at the breakfast buffet taking a second helping of melon when I heard a voice behind me.

“You seem to keep popping up everywhere I go.”

I turned and as I feared, it was the bitch.

“Look, lady, if you’d been paying attention, everywhere I ‘pop up,’ as you say, I was there first. Every. Single. Time. If you’ll excuse me, I’d like to finish my breakfast before l lose my appetite or you trip someone carrying hot coffee this time.”

I walked away and left her standing with her mouth agape. Who the hell did she think she was?

I sat at a table as far away from the buffet as possible and hoped it would be far enough away from her to allow me to eat in peace. No one was sitting within five tables of me, and I felt a calmness wave over me. A waiter walked by with a tray of mimosas, and I accepted the citrusy goodness. I thought what I needed was a morning buzz and figured I’d get started.

I saw her sit a few tables in front of me and I groaned. As gorgeous as she was, I didn’t feel like ogling her when she was in my direct line of sight. I chugged down the drink and walked away from the uneaten plate of melon.

I tried to walk past her, but she touched my arm and said, “Please don’t leave on my account. Finish your breakfast. I won’t disturb you.”

“Too late,” I grumbled and walked on.

I couldn’t believe the gall of her. I did nothing to deserve her attitude, yet she continued to bother me. I began to think it was a mistake to go on the trip.

I walked past one of the lounges and saw that it was open and empty. I walked in, sat at the bar, and ordered a bloody mary.

It was almost noon in the central time zone, so I asked the bartender, “Is there any place I can go to watch American football games?”

He said, “Sure, we’ll have a game on the big screen in that room over there. If you’d like to make a bet, the gentleman in the white hat will take your action.”

“Thanks,” I said as he walked away.

“I checked earlier, and they will have the Bears and Vikings game on.”

I shook my head, stood without looking at her and walked towards the room with the TV.

“Please don’t go,” she begged.

I stopped but refused to turn towards her. “Why?” I asked.

“I meant to apologize this morning, but I guess I was so bad yesterday you won’t even let me.”

“Apology accepted,” I said and started walking away.

“Please, stop. Let me buy you a drink.”

I turned around and closed the distance between us, “No, thank you.”

“Look, I know I didn’t make the greatest of first impressions yesterday. I promise you, I’m not usually like that.”

I didn’t respond, I looked at her and let everything hang in an uncomfortable silence for her.

She sighed, “Can we sit? I’ll tell you my story.”

She looked so sad, I began to feel sorry for her and I wilted. “Okay, but don’t slap me again and at the first sign of the bitch returning, I’m out of here.”

She smiled brightly, “Fair enough. Let me get us some drinks.”

I sat at the nearest empty table and looked out at the ocean crashing against the beach. Before I could collect my thoughts she came back.

“I’m Kiana.” She handed me another bloody and sat across from me.

She said, “My dad liked some girl from some workout show on ESPN named Kiana.”

“Never heard of her,” I said and bit my celery. “I’m Foster.”

“Foster, I really am sorry about yesterday. This trip has been nothing but a nightmare from the moment it was first planned. I had no right to slap you.”

“Why is that?”

“This was supposed to be my bachelorette party. The crew I’m with were my bridesmaids.”

“Supposed to be?”

She nodded. “Last month I caught him screwing some slut in our bed. I cancelled the wedding, but the trip was non-refundable”

“Ouch. Sorry about that. I’m supposed to be here with my girlfriend, but she left me for another guy.”

“Seems we’re a couple of lonesome losers, huh?”

I offered her my glass in a toast. “Why the bitch routine, Kiana?”

She frowned, “Two of my friends are married, and two are dating really great guys, but they all are cheating on their partners here. It pissed me off when I found out what they planned to do, especially knowing how much I hate cheaters and after what happened to me, but they didn’t care. I had to leave them last night and take a walk just to get away from them.”

“I overheard some of their conversation at dinner last night. It sickened me and I couldn’t wait to get out of there.”

“I’m sorry, Foster,” she said as she placed her hand on top of mine. “I don’t believe in cheating.”

“I believe you.”

She looked behind me and said, “Hey, the game is starting. Do you want to watch with me?”

“You’re a football fan?” I was mildly surprised.

“I told you I asked if they would have the game on earlier. I never miss a Bears game.”

I stood and said, “Are you a Chicago girl?”

“Northwest suburbs. I live in Bartlett. It’s about a...”

“I know. I’m from Carol Stream.”

She smiled, “We’re neighbors. How cool is that?”

I was amazed that we were from neighboring towns. I followed her into the TV room and got another round of drinks and some popcorn from the bar.

“Thanks,” she said. “We’re going to get our butts kicked,” she said referring to the Bears.

“Yeah, we always do, don’t we?”

We laughed and I heard, “Hey, there you are, Ki We’re going to the beach, let’s go.”

Her entire group of friends was standing there in the skimpiest bikinis I’d ever seen. There was a group of guys standing a few feet behind them.

“I’m watching the game with Foster, go on without me.”

“We didn’t fly all this way to watch football, Ki. Get your skinny butt into a bikini and let’s get some sun.”

Kiana stood and growled, “Jen, if you don’t get your cheating ass out of my face, I will text Ryan and tell him who you were with last night.”

Jen stood there shocked. “You wouldn’t dare.”

“I told you guys last night. Leave me alone. I’m not here to fuck every swinging dick that smiles at me.”

There were various murmurs from the group of friends. Most were concerned about Kiana telling their partner about their activities. It didn’t take long for them to leave us.

“Fucking ridiculous,” she said before she chugged her drink. She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and belched.

I laughed and handed her a napkin.

“I don’t know what’s so hard to understand,” she moaned. “I hate cheaters. Period.”

“Me too. So, Kiana from Bartlett, what do you do for a living?”

“I own a restaurant. Well, with my family. Napoli’s over on...”

“I know it well. I get delivery from you guys a few times a month. Your linguini with clams is the best I’ve ever had.”

“Ah! A customer, huh? That’s great. It’s the only place I’ve ever worked. I’m in the back now doing the books, though. Mom and Dad run the front and the kitchen. You’ll have to quit ordering delivery and come in to visit now.”

I raised an eyebrow.

“Well, I mean, now that you know one of the owners.”

“Sure. I knew what you meant.”

“How about you, Foster ... HEY! That’s a hold!” she shouted at the television.

I laughed and said, “I work for the family business too. Dad has a custom machine shop in Elgin. I run most of the production we do.”

She nodded as if she knew what I was talking about.

“You’re a leg man, huh?” She asked with a smirk and her eyes glued to the television.

“Huh?”

“I saw you checking me out last night. To be honest, that’s why my foot was sticking so far out. I was giving you a bit of a show. I guess it backfired.”

“I’ll say.”

We laughed and she said, “When I woke this morning, I hoped I’d run into you again. I had to apologize for yesterday and I’m glad I did.”

I was about to say something when the Vikings scored, and I thought she was going to throw her empty glass at the screen.

“You’re a pretty big fan, I take it?” I asked.

“Yeah. We always had a Bears game special in the bar at the restaurant when I was a kid. Every game, I sat at the bar with a Pepsi and the regulars that came in. I learned a lot about the Bears from sitting in that bar. I also learned how to play darts, but that’s another story.”

“Well, that sucked,” she said as the final score flashed across the screen and her beloved were on the losing end.

“Did that ruin your mood for the day? I was going to ask you to have lunch with me?”

I hoped I wasn’t pressing my luck. She was so gorgeous, and I had the completely wrong first impression of her. I wanted to get to know her better.

“No, I’ll be alright. I’d like to have lunch with you.”

“How about the seafood restaurant on the other side of the resort. I hear they have a pretty good cioppino.”

She smiled and said, “Sounds good to me.

I was surprised when she took my hand as we walked along the path around the resort. Her charm bracelet jangled with the many pieces hanging off.

“When do you go home?” She asked.

“My flight is early Saturday morning.”

“Mine too. I bet we’re on the same plane.”

I said, “Could be.” As we walked, I saw where the rose cart was the night before, but the old lady and her cart was gone. I could swear I heard her cackling laughter as we walked by.

“What’s up?” She said as she noticed me looking around.

“Nothing, sorry. I was looking for a cart I saw here last night.”

“Oh,” she said and gripped my hand a little tighter. “I guess you should have bought whatever it was last night.”

I smiled and said, “It was a cart of roses. I was going to get you one.”

“Aren’t you the King of the sweet,” she chirped.

I laughed, “Yeah, that’s me. King Sweet.”

She leaned her head onto my shoulder for the rest of our walk. I was genuinely surprised at her flip in personality. She was fun to talk to and I hoped to continue to get to know her.

We separated after lunch but exchanged numbers. I asked her to join me for dinner, but she declined saying she had to spend some time with her friends. I was surprised to hear that after she talked so badly about them cheating on their partners, but I suppose they were her friends whether good or bad.

I made my way down to the steakhouse again and was surprised to see I was a bit of a celebrity after the dessert tray incident the night before. The host assured me I wouldn’t have the same server and I laughed.

I said, “It really wasn’t his fault. I don’t care if I’m in his section again.”

He accepted my word and led me to my table without incident.

“Have a pleasant meal, Sir.”

“Thank you,” I said as I sat in and perused the menu.

I was taking a drink of water when I saw Kiana and her friends walk in with their men accompanying them. I wasn’t happy to see Kiana walking with a young gentleman who had his hand on her back, just above the top of her ass.

It was then I noticed the table near to me was the only one large enough for their group of ten. “Her reaction ought to be interesting,” I thought.

Sure enough, they were led to the table near me, and I brought the menu up in front of my face to try to hide from view. I wasn’t noticed and Kiana and her beau had their back to me.

I couldn’t help but watch Kiana throughout the meal and everything looked fairly innocent. She looked amazing, in a shimmering silver short dress, but I didn’t get a good look at her legs. I watched her for at least a half hour as I ate my appetizer, then entrée, but she never noticed me.

Of course, that would have been difficult as I was to her right and her date was to her left. She was far too engrossed in his conversation.

I had an itch on my chest, and when I scratched it I remembered that I took off the rose charm necklace. “No way,” I thought as I watched Kiana laugh at whatever the asshole was saying. I couldn’t believe the stupid charm actually worked and I lost her when I took it off. There’s no way that magic crap worked.

When the waiter brought my check, I added a twenty and said, “Give the girl in the silver dress, there, a bloody mary. Extra spicy.”

“Shall I point you out as the buyer, Sir?”

I laughed as I stood, “No, she’ll get the hint.”

I walked to the bar and sat where I had a good view of her but was blocked by the bar and people around it. The waiter brought her the drink and I saw her gasp and stand. She looked all over but couldn’t find me and it was almost funny watching her heated conversation with the waiter.

She said something to her friends, grabbed her purse and walked out of the restaurant, presumably to look for me. I smirked as I watched her look around when she got outside.

She strode off as quickly as her heels would allow towards the hotel, so I left the bar and walked in the opposite direction down the path that circled the resort.

A few minutes passed, and my phone buzzed with a text.

“Can I call you?”

I sighed and responded, “No.”

“It wasn’t what you think.”

“Not my problem. We aren’t a couple.”

I didn’t have any claim on her. I thought we had hit it off and were going to continue to see each other, but it seemed she wanted a vacation fling as well. I had no interest in competing for her affections.

My phone buzzed again, “I like you. That guy was just one of the group.”

I shook my head. He was more than one of the group. How much more, I didn’t know, but the way she allowed him to touch her and the way he had her attention showed her interest in him. I wasn’t going to argue about her intentions. I turned my phone off and put it in my pocket.

I saw a bench off the beach with a nice view of the sunset, so I sat and took in the beautiful sight. Sunsets seemed different down there, than in Chicagoland. The colors seemed more vibrant. Almost like standard definition compared to high definition. The 1080p sunset was bathed in innumerable shades of pinks, purples, and oranges. I turned my phone on to get a picture and saw she had texted again.

“Don’t ghost me over what you think you saw.”

I ignored it and took some pictures. From behind me, I heard, “It’s a beautiful sight.”

I groaned and Kiana sat beside me.

“Foster, it was just a guy. I know you’re turned off by me sitting next to him, but he was the only one not hooked up with one of my friends. I had no choice.”

“Kiana, it’s none of my business what you do. We only just met and we’re not a couple.”

“No, but you think that I’m playing the field out here, don’t you?”

“Well, the thought crossed my mind.”

She shook her head, and the bitch came out, “I thought you were worth getting to know, but you’re just an insecure little man who’s not worth my time. Fuck off!”

She stormed away and she struggled in the grass with her heels. I laughed as she almost fell and then took them off and continued along the path in her stockings. I noticed she wasn’t wearing the bracelet she always seemed to be wearing. I guess it didn’t match her evening wear.

I returned to watching the sunset.

I walked into my room and smiled when I saw the rose charm necklace sitting on the table. I decided, I’d leave it for the housekeeper and let her use its magic. It was nothing more than a pain in the ass to me. I shook off those thoughts. I didn’t believe in stupid magic anyway.

The next morning, I groggily stepped into the shower and realized I was wearing the necklace. I tried to remember when I would have put it on, but I couldn’t recall doing so. The next thing I remember was being dried and dressed and standing in front of the mirror. I wondered what was happening to my memory.

I made my way to the elevators and groaned when the doors opened. Kiana and her posse were standing in my way.

“I’ll get the next one,” I said and stepped back.

Kiana reached out and pulled me in by the hand, her charm bracelet jingled. “Don’t be silly. I’m sure you can stand in the same space with me. We’re adults.”

“Fine,” I sighed. As the doors closed I realized we touched. Here we go again.

They followed me into the restaurant, where I filled my plate with fresh fruit and a healthy amount of bacon.

“They don’t cancel each other out,” Kiana said from behind me. “The bacon and fruit.”

“I like them, so I eat them,” I said as I walked away.

Of course, she followed with her plate and sat across from me.

“Foster, I’m sorry about last night. I don’t know why I keep acting like a bitch in front of you.”

I didn’t look up but said, “Maybe that’s just who you are, and now you’re realizing it.”

She touched my hand, and said, “Don’t be mean to me. It’s not like you.”

“Maybe, you just bring out the worst in me.”

“I hope that’s not true, Foster. I like you a lot. Can’t we start over? We had such a nice day yesterday.”

I looked into her sparkling eyes and sighed.

“Your eyes betray your thoughts,” she smirked. “You know you want to.”

“So, what happened to last night’s stud?” I grumbled, ignoring her previous comment.

She shook her head, “After I left you, I went back to my room and read. Alone.”

I annoyed her by not responding and ate a piece of bacon.

“What’s your plan for today?” She asked.

“I was going to look for some Cuban cigars.”

“Doesn’t the resort have some?”

“Maybe, but where’s the fun in that? I want to go into town and see some shops, some variety.”

“Sounds like fun.” She was fishing for me to invite her along, and I wasn’t playing games. She could either ask to go along, or not go.

She dramatically sighed. “You’re not going to make this easy for me, are you?”

“Nope,” I answered with a mouthful of melon.

“May I join you on your shopping trip?”

“Sure.”

She smiled, amused with my feigned disinterest. “Foster, we’re going to have an amazing day. I can feel it.”

And we did.

“Oh, you have to try this on,” she said as we looked at hats in a small shop. “You’re gonna look fantastic.”

She slid the Panama Hat on my head, and I had to admit it was a great fit and did look good on me.

“Oh, we’re so getting that!” she shrieked and pulled me to the clerk. “It’s on me.”

I acquiesced and allowed her to pay for the hat. I had bought her a wrap at the previous store, so we were even.

She put it back on my head as we walked out of the store and said, “That’s my island man.”

She giggled and dragged me across the street, “Look!”

There was a small building with a cigar sign on the front.

“Looks like we found one,” she heralded.

“Come on!” she shouted as she skipped along the street. “Oh, my God! It’s so perfect.”

“Perfect for what?” I thought as she waltzed into the store.

She looked around as I enjoyed the smell of old wood and cigar smoke. The shop keeper walked over and asked, “Looking for Cuban, yes?”

I said, “Yes, Sir. I was hoping to find some Partagas number 4’s.”

He frowned and said, “You sure? We have Cohiba Behikes. Very good. Very top rated.”

“Also, the most expensive and the most faked. Here we are,” I said as I grabbed a handful of the cigars I wanted. I examined the bands and then the box.

He smiled and said, “Good, good. You’re smart, Amigo. Look at the Montecristo. We have number twos. Very good price.”

They were, and they also looked legit. I took a few and walked over to Kiana, who was smelling every cigar she looked at.

“Find one that smells the best?” I asked.

“The whole place reminds me of my papa. He smoked a cigar every night after dinner. His den smelled exactly like this store.”

I laughed and she said, “What’s so funny about that?”

“You should smell my basement.”

I walked to the counter to pay, and she followed.

“I want this one,” she said as she handed me a long, thin panatela.

“Sure,” I said and handed the man my credit card.