Platinum (All That Glitters #3)(47)

She listened and then nodded. “Yes, perfect. Play that version, and mike me.”

“What?” Damon asked. He stilled on the computer and looked at her in confusion.

“Everyone down there already knows that I’m here. What better way to give a show than for me to sing the song while miked to your sound system?”

“Chloe,” Mateo said stiffly from the corner.

“It’ll be fine,” she insisted.

“You’ll have to leave right after,” he told her. “I’m going to call the limo.”

“Ruining all my fun.”

“I’ll need the full detail to escort you out of here.”

“Fine,” she snapped. “Cue it up,” she said to Damon.

“Okay, yeah,” Damon said, energized. “Just give me a second.”

Chloe was excited. She was bouncing up and down while softly singing scales to herself. Despite how much she’d had to drink earlier, she was still warming up her vocal cords like a pro.

Trihn couldn’t believe this was happening. When Chloe had said she wanted to hear Damon’s version, Trihn had thought they’d listen to the song, and that would be that. She hadn’t thought Chloe would want to sing to Damon’s music.

“Your boyfriend is mega talented,” Chloe said to Trihn. “That mix? Ah, love!”

“He is, isn’t he?” Trihn said with a smile, watching her boyfriend work.

“Uh, yeah! And hot! And that accent! You’re so lucky!”

Trihn laughed. “I guess I am.”

“All right,” Damon said. “You’re good to go.”

“Announce me.”

Damon didn’t even hesitate. He’d worked at the radio station long enough to know how to introduce an artist even if he’d never had anyone on the show as big as Chloe Avana.

“Posse! Have I got a surprise for you,” Damon said into the microphone as the end of the last song changed into a synthesized instrumental. “We’re about to take down the house, and I’ve got someone here all ready to bring it down with me. This is ‘Heartbreaker,’ and here with me tonight is none other than the international superstar Chloe Avana.”

The crowd below them roared with approval.

Damon and Chloe smiled the same smile. They were both in their element.

“Heartbreaker” started on cue. Damon worked his magic on the board, getting into the music and letting loose. Then, Chloe’s vocals came in, and she sang her heart out. To Trihn’s surprise, Damon silenced the backup vocals he had recorded and sang into his microphone. He dropped the sound on it so that it came out in the background, but it was perfect with Chloe’s high notes. It was hands down the best performance of the song Trihn had ever heard. It was even better than the one Chloe had sung at her concert that night for the final encore in front of seventeen-thousand people.

The song came to a close on a heartbreakingly mellow note, and Damon quickly mixed it into another song, letting the track take over.

He sank back into his chair and looked up at Chloe. “That was killer.”

She smiled. “That’s my life, baby.”

“You guys were great together,” Cadence said.

Trihn had completely forgotten that she was there. “Yeah, it was perfect,” Trihn said.

Anxiety gnawed at her stomach. She wanted to be happy and just live in this moment with her boyfriend. But all she felt was fear, a mingling deep fear, because they had, in fact, sounded incredible together.

Damon stood from his seat and walked right past Chloe, as if she weren’t even there. When he kissed Trihn, it obliterated every bad thought she’d ever had. There was nothing between him and Chloe. Trihn had been overreacting all over again.

“Thank you,” he whispered against her lips.

She laughed, a little light-headed from that kiss. “You’re welcome.”

“And thank you, Chloe. That was a lot of fun.”

“It was,” Chloe said, her cheeks pink. “Now that I’ve announced my presence to everyone, I guess I have to go, but this was a great time. I hope I come back to Las Vegas soon, so I can hang out with you all again. Tell Bryna good-bye for me, okay?”

Trihn nodded. “I will.”

Chloe gave Trihn, Damon, and Jimmy each a quick hug and then followed Mateo from the premises.

Cadence had a huge smile on her face. “Sorry again about earlier. I’m going to head out.” She nodded at both of them before following Chloe.

As soon as the door shut, Damon started walking Trihn backward toward the soundboard. His hands roamed up the sides of her tight black dress. When her butt hit the table, Damon pushed his computer out of the way and hoisted her up so that she was sitting on the edge, facing him.

“That was crazy,” he said. His lips hungrily landed on hers. A heated desire rose off of him from his adrenaline rush.

“I know. You were amazing.”

“You know what’s amazing? The way you look in this dress.”

Trihn laughed huskily. His hands ran down her sides to her exposed thighs and hiked her legs up around his waist.

“I thought you were trying to stay professional at work,” she murmured.

“I was thinking I could go back to that after I f*cked you.”

The lights were dim, and from a distance below, they had to be just silhouettes. Up until she had started dating a DJ of her own, she had never really looked up at the man behind the music.