Platinum (All That Glitters #3)(41)

Maya laughed. “After all this, and we’re going to end up back at Posse on my night off.”

Bryna stood stiffly. “Great. Now that that’s settled, let’s go get a f*cking drink. And with you not working, Maya, someone better know how to make my martinis right.”

“Oh, you’re a bartender?” Chloe asked.

“I am. I make the best drinks in town.”

“This is just going to be the best night,” Chloe said with a giant smile. All pretenses of discomfort left her face. She seemed genuinely excited to leave and hang out with some girls who were her own age.

“The best,” Trihn agreed, sidling up to her.

Chloe gestured for them to follow her out the back entrance where a Hummer limo was waiting for them. She had a security detail with her, but she promised them that she would only have one bodyguard with her at the nightclub. Her staff were pretty chill about her going out, but she’d apparently had some incident in London that had forced them to tighten her strings. The way she talked about it made her life sound very lonely.

“Yeah. It’s just Matt and me on the tour. He’s great, but the studio keeps him in a separate bus when we travel to nearby cities, and we’re hardly together on planes. They want to stem the possibility of rumors getting out about us seeing each other or something else that would be tabloid fodder,” Chloe explained. She was so candid for someone with such tight security measures. “The only other people I’m around are my publicist, music executives, bodyguards, makeup artists, and…you know, business people—not many girls my age and even less guys who aren’t just crazy fans.”

“Sounds like a hard life,” Bryna deadpanned. She flipped her blonde hair and stared out the darkened window as they zoomed off the Strip and headed toward campus.

“You’ve been in the spotlight before though, Bri. You know it’s not all it’s cracked up to be,” Chloe said. She fidgeted with her hands every time she spoke to Bryna.

“But you’re doing everything that you love,” Maya said. She stretched out her long, lean black legs and kicked back. “I’d kill to have a job where I could sit around all day and read, but no one is paying me for that.”

Chloe laughed. “True. I wouldn’t want to be doing anything else. I’m very grateful.”

“Everyone has a different path,” Trihn piped in. “Chloe’s a famous singer and movie star. Maya is going to be a publishing editor. Stacia will be an NFL quarterback’s wife. And Bryna will be directing some incredible movies. We’re all pretty lucky.”

“What about you?” Chloe asked.

“Trihn is a fashion designer. She’s wearing her own clothes tonight,” Bryna said with a wicked glint in her eye. “You’d be lucky to wear a Trihn original.”

Chloe covetously eyed Trihn’s black dress. “Is that right?”

Trihn blushed. “She’s exaggerating.”

“Own it,” Bryna said. “She’s going to showcase her designs at a fashion show in New York City over the summer.”

“Congratulations!”

Trihn’s eyes rounded, and she shook her head at Bryna. That was so far from the truth. She would have to win the fashion show at school before that would ever happen, but that didn’t seem to matter to Bryna. It was just an obstacle that she was certain Trihn would hurdle with ease. Chloe seemed to be interested at least, and if Chloe Avana wore one of her designs, Trihn wouldn’t need a fashion show.

“Thank you,” Trihn said.

This was a surreal life—hanging out with her best friends and Chloe Avana in the back of a Hummer limo, talking about her designs. She was pretty certain things could not get better than this.

A few minutes later, they pulled up to the front of Posse, and Chloe’s bodyguard, Mateo, followed them into the busy nightclub. Mateo covered Chloe, who had pulled out sunglasses and an oversized hat to walk through the room. Trihn thought it was conspicuous, but what did she know?

They went straight up to the VIP section without any trouble and took over a booth with bottle service. Once Chloe took a seat, she tossed the hat and glasses down next to her and immediately demanded tequila.

“I love this place!” Chloe cried over the music. “Great vibe.”

“It’s the best spot,” Trihn said.

“Yeah. Trihn’s boyfriend is the DJ,” Maya said, waggling her eyebrows as she expertly poured the shots.

“He’s not my boyfriend,” she objected.

“Oh! Boyfriend! Exciting!” Chloe said. “Do all of you have boyfriends? Is it so great and totally normal?”

“Bryna is the only one with a boyfriend,” Trihn said with a shake of her head. She liked Damon and already knew they were moving in that direction, but she wasn’t ready for that word yet.

“You’re dating someone?” Chloe asked Bryna.

“Yeah. Eric Wilkins. He’s one of the coaches of LV State’s football team and used to play here,” Bryna told her, looking her dead in the eyes.

“Oh, cool. That’s great for you. I haven’t seen you in the tabloids or anything, so I wasn’t sure about…you know.”

“No,” Bryna said hastily.

“Right. That makes sense.”

Trihn looked between them in confusion. None of what they had just said made sense.