Cocaine-wired.

The shock sent his heart into overdrive, pumping blood until it sizzled and snapped in his veins. A high-pitched hum set his teeth grinding, his muscles twitching.

A split second later, euphoria hit. And with it, the rush of confidence, the heightened senses, the understanding he could live forever.

Ironic really, considering his plans for the day.

Using his finger, he rubbed the excess white powder over his gums, then clicked his tongue against the numbness.

He could have done the line in his apartment before coming to work that morning. But the prospect of snorting coke under Big Brother's eye added a sharp, seductive edge to his buzz.

Unhurried, he flipped the latch open and stepped out of the bathroom stall. A quick glance told him he was alone.

With a laugh, he leaned over the sink and adjusted his tie in front of the beveled mirror. He was not an attractive man, with glazed, bulging eyes of watery blue and a receding hairline. Small, red splotches appeared on his pale, slightly pitted skin, betraying his drug habit, which he tried to hide beneath a thin layer of makeup.

He washed his hands, ignoring the slight tremor in his fingers when he grabbed a nearby paper towel. Well, his reputation was about to change.

The only child of David Severs, a prominent Supreme Court Justice, Timothy had been expected to continue the tradition of law in his family. But a drug bust and the accidental overdose of an underage girl—the daughter of a senator—in his dorm room, created a scandal that even his family's connections couldn't cover up.

But with his father's help, Timothy eventually secured an assignment as junior aide to an obscure British attaché