'I-I can hardly believe this is happening,' she murmured, completely star-struck.

'Believe it, kiddo,' Linc responded, pulling off her T-shirt. 'You got great tits,' he added, expertly unclipping her bra and flinging it across the room.

'They're real, aren't they?' She nodded, speechless. 'You got any idea how hard it is to come across real tits in this town?' he complained, caressing her nipples with his fingertips.

She didn't know and she didn't care. She only knew that, from the moment she'd met him, her destiny was about to be fulfilled, and nothing else mattered.

When Linc wanted to, he could handle a woman in bed exactly the way he knew they all craved. He gave Lucia his full attention, enjoying her full, ripe breasts, the silky mound of black pubic hair between her long legs, the smooth curve of her generous ass.

He didn't go for the gold immediately, many women along the way had taught him that plenty of foreplay led to real pleasure. So he got her hot first, spending time on her breasts, sucking on her large erect nipples until she began moaning aloud.

Then he spread her legs, going down on her as if he really enjoyed it - which he didn't - but what the hell? This one tasted sweeter than most.

Lucia was dazed and confused. How had this happened? She was not the kind of girl to jump into bed with someone on a first date. And this was not even a date. And she had a boyfriend, so obviously this was total insanity.

Or was it? Linc Blackwood was her hero, and how many times would she get an opportunity to be with the man of her dreams? An opportunity to be with a man who had the tongue of an angel or a devil... or... She gasped, struggling for breath, grabbing a pillow to cover her face as he went down on her. She was half embarrassed, half thrilled, half ashamed, half ecstatic.

WHAT WAS SHE DOING?.

WHAT WAS HE DOING?.

Whatever it was, she was not stopping him.

They stayed in Freddy Krane's bed all night, indulging in everything Lucia had ever dreamed of doing with Linc Blackwood. He made love to her every way imaginable, and he did not use a condom.

'You're clean, aren't you?' he asked, at one point. 'A virgin, right?'

If that was what he wanted to think, it was okay with her. And she didn't even care if he made her pregnant, because this time things were different, this time he would marry her and they'd live happily ever after in a big Hollywood mansion - the one she'd seen photographs of in People. And she'd become a movie star too. All her dreams would be realized.

Eventually she fell asleep in his arms, sticky and naked and satisfied.

The next morning she was awakened by someone shaking her shoulder. She opened her eyes. The events of the night before came flooding back. 'Linc,' she murmured, rolling over to greet him.

Only it wasn't Linc. It was Freddy Krane standing beside the bed, bleary-eyed in a striped towelling bathrobe, which flapped open, revealing that he had nothing on underneath.

'Ohmigod!' she muttered, grabbing a sheet to cover herself. 'Why are you here?'

'Hate ta tell ya, doll! Freddy said, pulling his robe closed, 'ya happen't' be sleepin' in my bed.'

'Where's Linc?' she asked, alarmed.

'He hadda go, some kinda early meeting. Asked me' t' tell ya he had fun last night.'

She sat up abruptly, her mind racing in a hundred different directions. 'Is that all he said?

'Ya gotta realize Linc's a busy man,' Freddy said, eyeing her as if she was prey and he was a hungry tiger.

'So... so you mean he's gone?'

'That's what I said.'

Suddenly realization dawned, and the ramifications of what she'd done became horribly clear. She'd made love to a man she hardly knew. She'd spent the night with him. She'd done everything with him, opening up sexually in a way she never had before. And now he was gone. God! He might be a movie star, but what kind of man left her in a strange bed without a word?

'Hate ta rush you, only ya gotta move it,' Freddy said. 'You can use the shower in the guest room, then hustle your cute ass outta here.'

'Where's my... boyfriend?'she asked hesitantly.

'You got a boyfriend?' he said disbelievingly.

'The disc jockey, Carlos. Where is he?'

'Oh, yeah, that's the dude who was askin' 'bout you,' Freddy said, yawning.

'Told him you were with Linc.'

'What did he say?'

'Guess he was pissed.'

'Oh, God!' she moaned, shaking her head.

'Don't sweat it, he got paid cash for last night's gig,' Freddy said, clearing his throat. 'Ya gotta getgoin', puss. I'm a busy man.

She was too embarrassed to look at him. 'Can you turn your back?' she muttered.

'Sure, doll, only you don't got nothin' I ain't seen before.' He turned around, whistling tunelessly.

She quickly grabbed the sheet, twisting it around her body. Then she gathered her clothes, which were scattered across the floor.

'What's Linc's phone number?' she asked, pausing at the door, convinced there must be some mistake.

'Ya ain't gonna get through, honey,' Freddy said sympathetically. 'Linc's got assistants an' minders up the kazoo.'

'Then I'll give you my number, and you can ask him to call me,' she said, knowing she probably sounded like some desperate fan, only she couldn't help herself. She'd honestly thought Linc cared.

'Look, sweetie,' Freddy said, in a kindly tone, 'ya had a great time. Why doncha leave it at that?'

'Excuse me?' she said, her cheeks blazing with embarrassment. 'I'm sure Linc wants to see me again.'

'Yeah, yeah, doll, I'm sure too,' Freddy said quickly. 'But in the meantime, why don't I take ya ta dinner tonight. Who knows - you an' I might hit it off.'

'Linc wouldn't like that,' she said, fighting back tears, still living with the hope that this was all some big misunderstanding, and that Linc would come walking into the room.

'Smatter of fact, he suggested it,' Freddy said casually. 'Y'know, seein' as he's so busy an' all.'

'I can't believe he'd do that,' she said miserably.

'Hey - what's wrong with me?' Freddy said indignantly.

'Nothing,' she muttered.

'Then let's get together for dinner. You an' I can have our own party.' He winked knowingly. 'If ya know what I mean.'

She knew what he meant only too well. 'No thank you,' she said stiffly.

'Suit yourself,' he said, shrugging. 'Guest room's first on the left. Give me a holler when you're finished an' I'll get the maid t' call you a cab.'

She marched from the room with as much dignity as she could muster.

So this was Linc's deal - he'd used and discarded her like a doll, then passed her on to his friend as if she was nothing. What a bastard! How could he treat her in such a way?

Her parents were furious that she'd stayed out all night. She'd had to make up some lame excuse about getting sick and sleeping over at a friend's house. As for Carlos, he wanted nothing more to do with her, and quite frankly she couldn't blame him.

A few weeks later, to her horror, she discovered she was pregnant. How could this happen to her again? Well, she knew how, only it simply wasn't fair.

For several days she contemplated trying to reach Linc Blackwood to tell him.

Finally she decided she had too much pride to do that. Her once-favourite movie star had treated her like a one-night whore, and she was not about to beg for his assistance.

Petrified that her parents would find out, she managed to pull a double shift at her waitress job. The extra money allowed her to move from her family's home into a small apartment with her best girlfriend, Cindi Hernandez, who was also trying to break into show business.

Her parents were not pleased: they didn't like Cindi, they considered her a bad influence. Lucia pointed out to them that she was eighteen and they couldn't stop her.

As soon as she could, she scraped together enough money for a cheap abortion. It turned out to be a horrifying experience. No clean clinic. No one to help her.

Just some old gnarly Mexican man in a back room who forced her to lie on a table, spread her legs, and treated her as if he was doing her a big favour.

She'd bled for days afterwards, until Cindi forced her to see a legitimate doctor. The doctor cleaned up the botched job, and before she left his office, he callously informed her that she could never get pregnant again.

His words still haunted her.

In her heart, Lola had always known that one day she would get her revenge on Linc Blackwood.

Now, as she watched him enter the theatre, she realized that day was enticingly near.

Chapter Three.

'Y're late,' Jonas said, hurrying Cat up the red carpet, steering her by the elbow. 'Not my fault,' she responded.

'I wasn't blaming you,' he said, still fuming because they'd had to wait for the tender to bring them to shore, even though he'd informed the purser exactly what time they needed it. Once Mr Zandack left the yacht, the crew seemed to have no regard for anyone else.

'Perhaps you should've picked me up earlier,' Cat suggested, trying to shake free from Jonas's firm grip.

'Mr Zandack will not be pleased,' Jonas said, almost talking to himself.

'What's he gonna do - eat you?' Cat said mockingly, thinking that Jonas was obviously some sort of drama queen who threw a shit-fit if everything didn't go his way.

Jonas gave her a blank stare. This girl had a mouth on her and he wasn't sure he liked it. He had long ago decided she was annoying. She had an I-don't-give-a-shit attitude and a definite lack of respect toward Merrill Zandack. Mr Zandack was a powerful force in the film industry, and Jonas felt lucky to be working for him. He was getting an education that would help him tremendously when he struck out on his own, which he planned on doing as soon as he felt he'd learned enough.

A couple of lingering photographers recognized Cat and began calling her name.

She didn't know how to react - the whole posing thing was such a downer. She found it plain embarrassing.

'Stop and smile,' Jonas commanded, letting go of her elbow and taking a couple of steps back so he was not included in the picture.

Cat offered the photographers a fake smile and an awkward wave, before hurrying up the steps of the Palais des Festivals. Jonas had to sprint to keep up with her. 'I hope the movie hasn't started,' he said, worrying.

'Bet it has,' Cat said, irritating him even further.

'Maybe not.'

'Shit!' she exclaimed, stopping short.

'What now?'

'My diamond stud popped out of my navel.'

'Jesus!'

'We have to go back and look.'

'Look where?' he asked, exasperated.

'On that dumb red carpet. I must've lost it there.'

'No,' he said firmly, attempting to move her forward.

'It's my first diamond,' she complained.

'You're late,' he said abruptly. 'I'll show you to your seat, then I'll go back and look.'

'And what if you don't find it?' she demanded, challenging him with her green eyes.

'Mr Zandack will buy you another one,' he said, hurrying her along.

'He will?'

'I'll make sure.'

'Didn't know you had that much influence.'

'You'd be surprised.'