Platinum (All That Glitters #3)(2)
“I’m not going to have sex on the dance floor,” she argued anyway. “But I know that people do at The Kiln. It’s just…gross.”
“Trihn, don’t lecture me about what I can and can’t do.”
“I wasn’t,” she whimpered. “I just—”
“Look, I’m going to go. If you decide to stop f*cking around and want to take us seriously, then come to The Kiln, and we can talk.”
“I—”
The line went dead in her hand, and she nearly screamed. How dare he insinuate that I’m going out to f*ck around and that I don’t take out relationship seriously!
She was the one putting all the effort into their relationship. Half the time, he would be pissed off about what she was doing and who she was hanging out with. It was blatantly clear that he didn’t trust her. She didn’t get it because she had never done anything to make him think otherwise. She was the most loyal person alive.
After the fiasco with Preston, she couldn’t even imagine fooling around behind someone’s back. Just the idea of cheating pissed her off.
She tried to rein in her emotions. The last thing she wanted was to be in a bad mood when she went out with the girls. Things with Neal would work out. They always did. He would get mad and lash out, but when they got back together, everything would be fine. He was just frustrated.
“All right,” she said, dropping the phone to her side, “are you guys ready to party?”
Bryna and Stacia exchanged equally sympathetic looks. They knew things between Trihn and Neal were rocky even if they had only heard half of the conversation.
“Is everything okay?” Stacia asked hesitantly.
“I really don’t want to talk about it,” Trihn said stiffly. “Let’s just go have a good time.”
She hoped that would still be possible.
“THERE YOU ARE!” Trihn shrieked. She threw herself into Maya, standing just off of the packed dance floor.
Maya gave her a hug and laughed. “Are you drunk already?”
“Nah! But Bri and Stacia have been trying to feed me shots like candy,” she confessed.
“Oh, dear.” Maya turned to face Bryna and Stacia. “You’ve been getting my girl drunk?”
Bryna and Stacia innocently shrugged their shoulders, but nothing else about them proclaimed innocence. Bryna was a total blonde bombshell in sky-high Louboutin heels and a skimpy red dress that showed off her killer figure. Stacia had her own short blonde hair piled into a sexy messy bun at the nape of her neck. She was decked out in a royal-blue top that plunged to her navel and shorts so tiny that half of her ass hung out. Both girls were cheerleaders at Las Vegas State and enjoyed playing the part.
“I’m not drunk,” Trihn insisted.
They hadn’t been at the club long enough, and she had been dancing so much that the alcohol wasn’t hitting her that hard.
“See? She’s not drunk,” Bryna said.
“As if I’d trust you,” Maya said. She twisted her luscious African American caramel-toned body toward Trihn and gave her the same look she would give drunks at the bar when they insisted they were sober. Maya was tall enough to stare down at Trihn, which was a rarity for someone who used to model.
“Who cares anyway?” Trihn cried. “We’re here to have fun. You never come out with us. You’re not on bar duty. You don’t have to take care of anyone. Let’s just go dance.”
Laughing, she grabbed Maya’s hand and dragged her onto the dance floor. A part of her wished that she had switched out her Gucci heels for her combat boots. They were more comfortable, but she loved being dolled up, sporting her designer grunge, as Bryna called it. She had opted for black leather shorts, a lacy racerback bralette, and a glammed up jean vest that she had reconstructed herself.
“I’m going to need a drink if you want me to dance,” Maya said. She laughed at Trihn and released her. “Here, dance with the Cheer Slut in the meantime.”
She pushed Trihn into Stacia, who started shaking her ass against Trihn.
Maya raised her eyebrows at Bryna. “And what about you? Has Eric settled you down?”
Bryna responded with a defiant look that only she could pull off. Trihn was happy that her friend had found someone who made her happy. She’d had a wild couple of years.
In some ways, Trihn envied the way her best friend could say and do whatever the f*ck she wanted without caring what anyone thought about her. Trihn had never been like that. She wore her heart on her sleeve and always wanted everyone to like her. But she pitied Bryna as well. Her life wasn’t as easy as it looked from the outside. Trihn couldn’t even imagine going through the shit Bryna had gone through last year, and Trihn was just glad that Bryna and Eric Wilkins were finally a couple.
“I’ll take that as a yes,” Maya said with a giggle. “Go dance. I’ll be back.”
Trihn fell easily into the practiced movements from years of dance training mingled with endless nights of clubbing with her friends. Dancing was her happy place. It was one of the reasons she loved to party. Expectations would disappear, and she could live through the pulse of the music, the bright lights, and the rhythm of the people around her. She didn’t need anyone or anything in that moment. She could just be herself while dancing completely alone in the middle of a crowded room.