Chapter One

“Do you believe in magic?” Toby slammed another shot of whiskey down his throat and banged the glass on the table.

“Dude. Seriously,” Martin yelled over the loud tribal music. “Tell me your secret.”

“Magic,” Toby said, spinning the shot glass between his fingers. His mood turned dark. “But even with all of the magic in the world, stuff still ain’t right.”

“What’s not right, man?” Martin opened his arms to showcase the VIP lounge of the most popular nightclub in Manhattan. “You have everything.”

Toby poured himself another shot from the bottle on the table and looked around the nightclub. A redhead at the bar beckoned him with her eyes, chewing on her straw seductively. Her weight swayed to one hip as she crossed her legs, which were wrapped like a birthday present in sheer hosiery.

“It’s time for me to open my gift.” Toby slapped Martin on the shoulder and rose from the booth. Straightening his tie, he went to fetch the woman. He looked exactly how a big shot analyst on Wall Street should look. His short-cropped dishwater-blonde hair was styled to perfection. His closely fitted suit highlighted a body he spent hours a day sculpting at the gym. His blue eyes sparked with intelligence. He was concise and precise. From the outside, it appeared that he had harvested the bounty of the land, but inside, it hadn’t rained in decades.

“I’m Toby,” he said to the redhead with red lips.

“Jillian,” she purred into his ear.

“Do you want to get out of here?”

“That depends. Where are you taking me?”

“The question isn’t where I will take you, but rather what I will take you in.” He held up the keys to his Ferrari.

“Your place or mine?” Her eyes flashed.

“Mine,” he answered, taking her hand and pulling her to her feet.