Rene Pierre Lacroix survived a rough childhood at the hands of his father, waking daily to defeat and despair until his father’s mysterious death from gunshot wounds. His escape through it all was tennis. Known by his fans as Train, he is retired from a successful world pro career and is now a teaching pro in southern California. A playboy bachelor, devilishly handsome, and hypnotically charming, he leaves the country club wives begging for their next very private lesson.

Marcel Jackson, a highly ranked college player from Louisiana, has no choice but to enter the...