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wiping her fingers on a hand towel. “All right,“ she challenged. “Let’s see what you can do.“
    “Are you serious?“ he half smiled, eyeing her curiously.
    “Why not? I’m hiring a magician, aren’t I? I might as well see how good a magician I’ve got!“
    Lucian hesitated. “You’re not hiring me, Ariana, remember? This is a partnership.“
    “Sorry, I’ll try to remember,“ she murmured and reached into a cupboard for two brandy snifters. “Show me your stuff, magician,“ she commanded, leading the way back to the living room with a bottle of brandy and the glasses.
    “Something simple, I think, to start,“ he said with a trace of amusement as he sat down in the center of the papaya-colored rug. “Got a dollar bill?“
    She might as well get into the spirit of the thing, Ariana told herself, locating the required dollar bill in her purse.
    Then she sat cross-legged in front of him and poured brandy into the two glasses. She assumed he would need a few minutes to arrange whatever little trick he intended to perform, so she occupied herself with pouring out the brandy.
    The sound of the dollar bill being torn into shreds brought her head up sharply. “My dollar!“ she gasped with the natural chagrin of someone who has a very healthy respect for money. The last of the shredded dollar was just going into Lucian’s left hand. “You’ve just destroyed my money!“
    “I thought that would get your attention,“ Lucian said pleasantly. He showed her the ball of once perfectly good money which was now in the palm of his hand. Then he closed his fingers back into a fist, made a pass or two with his other hand and proceeded to unroll the wad which had been the torn bill.
    The dollar bill was again in one piece.
    Ariana frowned, her suddenly intent gaze going from the dollar bill to Lucian’s topaz eyes. “How did you do that?“
    she demanded.
    “Magic,“ he reminded her blandly.
    “Don’t give me that,“ she ordered impatiently. “How does that trick work?“
    “I just told you. Magic.“
    “Do it again.“
    Obediently Lucian repeated the trick, tearing the dollar bill into several pieces and then unrolling the ball of fragments to reveal a complete and whole dollar.
    Her brows drawn together in a line of unswervable concentration, Ariana inched a little closer and took a sip of her brandy. “Do it one more time. Slowly.“
    Lucian smiled and obligingly repeated the sleight-of-hand. Once more Ariana was forced to admit that it looked very much as if her dollar bill had been torn to shreds and then magically made whole. She shifted a little closer on the papaya carpet. Her curiosity was -thoroughly aroused now.
    “Given your interest in money,“ Lucian said in low, luring tones, “you might like this little piece of magic, too.“ He reached into his back pocket and removed a handkerchief and a coin. Then he picked up an empty glass he’d carried in from the kitchen and carelessly rolled up the handkerchief into a small ball which he dropped into the glass. He set the glass with the wadded-up handkerchief onto the carpet between himself and Ariana and then casually made the coin, which had been sitting beside the glass, disappear.
    “You palmed the coin!“ she accused at once.
    “Did I? Look inside the handkerchief,“ Lucian advised, mouth crooked upward in amusement Suspiciously Ariana reached into the glass and pulled out the handkerchief. Out fell the missing coin. She shook her head in annoyance.
    “Do it again.“
    “What’s the matter, Ariana, don’t you believe the evidence of your own eyes?“ he mocked, obediently making the coin disappear and then reappear inside the handkerchief.
    “Tell me how it’s done!“ she insisted, moving a couple of inches closer.
    Lucian took a sip of his brandy and regarded her speculatively over the edge of the glass. “No,“ he said finally. “I don’t think I will. But I’ll give you another chance with another bit of magic. Hold out