Luis Manuel Jimenez had done well for himself, due in no small part to his stewardship of the success of Valentina Vargas. Colombian women were rumored to be some of the most beautiful women in the world and Valentina definitely fit the bill. Her beauty, coupled with her fiery spirit and the fact that the camera loved her, had made her an instant success with the Latin American community. Factor in her natural acting ability and she was a surefire ticket to prosperity.

But, unbeknownst to Valentina, the Ramirez family, especially the oldest son, Victor, had long had other plans for her. Those men were really from the Middle Ages in how they approached matters of love -- or lust. Luis didn’t care what the man’s intentions were toward Valentina, he just knew he needed to make the most of the time he had left with her. The clock was ticking -- and it was costing him money.

Luis was pleased with himself for persuading her to sign the ironclad addendum that gave him authority to sign her for roles in straight-to-video movies that would be little more than softcore porn. Of course, he wouldn’t present them to her that way. No, as far as she was concerned, she would be taking on more artistic roles, and every actress worth a damn knew nudity was okay in the name of art.

He had had a hell of a time over the years convincing the telenovela director to keep her onscreen love interests at bay. Her sultry brand of innocence was part of her appeal. She was a stunningly beautiful, sensual beauty whose sexuality simmered just below the surface; however, he had always insisted on keeping love scenes more suggestive than outright sexual, leaving it all to the audience’s imagination.

But those days were over. How long would her adoring fans put up with that? In this day and age, you had better give the viewers what they wanted, and what they wanted was to see touch-me-not-Valentina-Vargas get hot and bothered at a man’s touch. She didn’t know the particulars and there would be no need for her to know until everything was in place. Next week, the telenovela would go on hiatus, so while viewers were enjoying re-runs Valentina would be hard at work filming, getting up close and personal with her new, yet-to-be-named male co-star.

Luis couldn’t help but feel a little smug that he’d been a savvy enough businessman to lock her into a commitment. These actors were flighty at best and he wasn’t going to take a chance on another agent coming in and undercutting him. He didn’t want to pull the control card just yet, but if it came down to him losing the hefty portion of his income that she represented, then all bets would be off. If he needed to be a hard ass and remind her that she’d signed a contract, then in the name of greed, so be it. She was a big girl now, and she would damn well do what had to be done -- or he’d sue her for everything she had.

Luis twirled the Graf von Faber-Castel pen between two fingers. It had been a gift from Valentina when he had landed her the starring role in the telenovela. Cuentos de Amor had shot to the top of the ratings, taking both of them to heights of success they had never imagined. Whether Luis wanted to admit it or not, she had him over a barrel and he didn’t like it one bit. It was taking all the self-control he had to hide his true feelings, to mask the depth of his resentment. Hell, maybe he was the one who needed acting classes.

And yet, as talented as she was, Valentina didn’t have the connections he did. In this business, it wasn’t what you knew, it was who you knew. She had no family, no man, no friends. She was a workaholic who typically worked 12-hour days. It wasn’t like she had anyone watching her back either. Yes…television was a cutthroat industry and egocentric machismo ran rampant, fueled by the ambitions of women who would do anything to be the next ‘it girl’, who would stop at nothing to climb the ladder of success.

Of course, the task at hand would be much easier if she wasn’t so fucking strong-willed. Yes…it was good that he had a cutthroat lawyer on retainer. Valentina might have big dreams but he had big guns and if she pushed him into a corner, he wouldn’t hesitate to use them.

He stretched his legs out in front of him and leaned back in his chair, crossing his ankles and interlocking his fingers behind his head. As he idly looked down at the pen he’d tossed onto his desk, he felt a twinge of guilt that was gone as quick as it had come. The girl had a good heart, it was true. And he had every intention of using it against her.

She had no idea it was Victor Ramirez who had paid for her English language tutor and self-defense lessons, and been the heart and soul of her rise to stardom. The man’s fascination with her was more than a passing interest. The poor guy had loved her from a distance and Luis had capitalized on that sentiment, giving Valentina the impression that it was he who had masterminded her rise to stardom. Valentina was nothing if not loyal and he needed her to remain loyal; he was banking on it.

Luis pushed away the nagging thought of what Victor Ramirez would do to him if he ever found out he had been playing both sides of the fence. If this game played out as Luis intended, he would be long gone, basking in the sun on a tropical island somewhere. Better to keep her in the dark as long as possible.

But he had to tread carefully. He didn’t want Valentina to ever view Victor as her generous benefactor or, even worse, her hero. No, he couldn’t allow that to happen. Why? Because he was a sneaky bastard—an incredibly greedy, sneaky bastard.

Valentina gave herself a final once-over in the mirror before heading back out to shoot another scene. She’d have to talk to the wardrobe girl about the clothes she’d been given this week. Too little fabric showing too much skin. She was no prude, but after shooting that shower scene earlier in the month, she was more critical of changes to her usual wardrobe choices. This cocktail dress was strapless and sexy, but far too lowcut for her tastes. Her breasts were showed off to advantage, but one deep breath and she would be treating the cast and crew to a ‘nip slip’. No way did she need something like that finding its way onto the internet for depraved men to jerk off to for all eternity.

Luis was supposed to have final wardrobe approval. He was really getting sloppy about this sort of thing. She couldn’t shake the feeling that her agent might not be all he was cracked up to be. She’d spent her life surviving on gut instinct and it had never failed her. When she had signed the original contract with him she hadn’t foreseen ever being able to seek fame beyond her home country. Even though she’d learned to speak English fluently with the help of the tutor Luis had provided, she never thought she’d leave Guatemala after making it her home.

She had left Colombia to do television work and had never looked back. But now her ambitions and her ability to fulfill those ambitions were being stifled; by a man, no less. Knowing she had done this to herself didn’t make it any easier. Hindsight really was a bitch—an unforgiving, smirking, and laughing-in-your-face bitch! It wasn’t easy to look in the mirror and admit you were the one to blame.

Well, now she had two choices: she could wallow in her regret, or she could pull up her big girl panties and make the best of a bad situation. Valentina was never one to indulge in self-pity. With one final adjustment of her precariously positioned cleavage, she headed out the door to the soundstage.

She was so fucking beautiful. Under the studio lights, her long black hair had a blue sheen, causing the tint of her hair and depth of her blue eyes to meld together and hold him captive. Her beauty was something so unusual, so perfect, that he couldn’t resist staring.

He’d seen the way other men leered at her. She was even more beautiful because she didn’t see herself as the exquisite creature she was. Most of the women he’d seen on television thought they were God’s gift to men. Not Valentina Vargas though; she was accessible and easy to talk to. She was always nice to him.

She didn’t know the depth of his devotion to her but that was because he was smart enough to blend in. He’d done well so far flying under the radar. She had no idea who was stealing her personal items, moving things around in her dressing room, and taking pictures when she didn’t realize she was being watched. And he preferred it that way. There was no sense in giving her any warning of the depravity he had in store for her.

The day would come soon enough when he would be her whole world. He just needed to get her away from all those pesky little distractions that came along with her career. He wouldn’t be her captive forever, most certainly the day would come when she would be his.

It wasn’t just her beauty or her talent that made him do the things he did. It was her authenticity, her innate charisma, that compelled him to pursue her in a way that would surely be frowned upon by polite society.

He peeked around the corner into her dressing room, ensuring the room was unoccupied before hurrying inside. God, he could smell her. Baby roses and something else, something fruity and sweet wafted through the air -- proof she’d been here only moments ago.

Just breathing her in like this, taking her very essence into his own body, had his cock clamoring to be released from behind his zipper. If only he could be sure he had time, he could leave something of himself behind for her…an offering. Discreetly, of course.

He’d done that only once before, when he’d jerked off to completion and smeared his cum on the inside of the panties that the wardrobe girl had put out for her. An hour or so later, he’d nearly come in his pants while she filmed a scene, knowing that his semen was so very close to her, and that it was likely mingling with her feminine essence. As he’d watched that particular scene when it aired several weeks later, he had climaxed harder than he ever had in his life. But, sadly, there wasn’t time to leave any such offerings today.

He moved over to her makeup table and stroked a fingertip along the hairbrush that she had probably been using moments ago. Touching it enflamed his predatory nature, assuring him that he was on the right path—the path of destruction. Whether it was hers or his didn’t matter, he simply needed the darkness. He usually took something each time he visited her dressing room, just to watch her complaining to an assistant later about someone stealing from her. Lately she hadn’t been saying much, even though he knew she’d noticed things being moved around or missing altogether.

He had listened in when she discussed her career plans with Luis. He didn’t like Luis. Luis was a parasite, leeching off her talent and beauty. The man who called himself her agent was doing nothing but riding on the coattails of her success. It wasn’t like she needed the man to find her work because her talent spoke for itself. That bastard Luis was going to die and he might make her watch the execution, to make sure she understood how much he loved her.

He’d learned long ago to embrace his darkness, and it was all because of her. It was why he adored her—simply by existing, she had made easier for him embrace his demons rather than rise above them. Being near her was all he needed. They were soulmates. He knew it and soon she would know it too.

His heart raced as he stepped over to the rack that held her clothing. Each outfit was picked out carefully right down to the lingerie worn beneath it. He fingered the lace bra and panties hanging beside today’s cream-colored dress. He pulled the panties off the small hanger and stuffed them in the pocket of his jeans with a grin. There was a method to his madness. That specific dress had to have a certain type lingerie beneath it or it would show up on camera.

Stalking was an art to him. Playing psychological games like this was as important to him as his cat-and-mouse game of following her. He would find some reason to stay in the vicinity so he could see how she reacted. Part of him wanted her to throw a fit, and yet he dreaded ever besmirching his angelic perception of her. No, he would never do that, the cost would be far too high.

He palmed his hard cock as he patted the panties that were tucked away safely in his pocket. It would be a shame to have to hurt her -- then again, it might be kind of fun.