Platinum (All That Glitters #3)(52)

They watched the remainder of the show from the sidelines. Near the end, a guy came over to collect Damon for his role in the closing number.

“I’ll see you after the show,” he said.

“Have fun.”

“I will.”

And then Damon was gone.

A few minutes later, Chloe had made another full costume change, the last of some ten outfits she’d worn during the two-hour show. It was a black front-zipper high-waist miniskirt and a jeweled black bra top with spiked high heels that Trihn would die for.

Chloe had a rhinestone microphone and spoke into it, “Hello, fabulous Las Vegas!”

The crowd cheered for her.

“I have one last song for you tonight before I go. You might have seen my new single ‘Heartbreaker’ online today. Did everyone watch it?”

The stadium practically shook with cheers from her dedicated followers.

“Well, my good friend is here tonight to sing that version of ‘Heartbreaker’ for you. Everyone, DJ Damon Stone!”

Damon walked onstage with confidence in every single fiber of his being. The crowd cheered just as loud for him as they had for Chloe, and he soaked it up. What would terrify most people was a straight shot of adrenaline to his system. He was purely in the zone when he stepped up to the booth.

The drummer kicked in. The guitar melody thrummed to life. The bassist started up the backbeat. And then Damon mixed it all together with his soundboard until it sounded as amazing live as it did every single time he had played it in Posse.

Chloe was cued up for her intro, and then she went full swing into her number one hit. Damon picked up the backup vocals with ease, and soon, they were singing together. Their voices mingled, hers shining above his, and the harmony was perfect. Near the end of the song, when her big vocals came into play, she turned to face Damon, and with their eyes locked, they sang the final words to each other.

Trihn’s heart stuttered.

The crowd cheered for the finale. Chloe turned away from Damon and took a bow, and then she ran back and grabbed his hand, forcing him to bow with her.

“Thank you,” Chloe said breathlessly. She waved at her audience and then strutted offstage, still holding Damon’s hand. Once they were offstage, Chloe threw herself into Damon’s arms. “That was incredible!”

He hugged her briefly and then put her back down on the ground. He hastily removed himself from her, but he was smiling wide from their performance. “That crowd! You have the best fans.”

Trihn just stood there and watched with a sinking pit of worry in her stomach. She was happy for him. The show had been incredible. He had the world at his feet. She didn’t want to think about anything else—not the fear clawing away at her or the knowledge of what fame could do to people and definitely not the look Chloe had on her face when she looked at Damon.

In that instant, he turned to Trihn, as if knowing she was watching. His smile lit up, and he called her over. She walked to him, and he pulled her to his side.

“Hey, Damon, stick around. I’ll be right back,” Chloe said.

Mateo was already hurrying her away to her dressing room.

“See you in a bit.” Damon turned his attention back to Trihn. “What did you think?”

“You were great out there,” she honestly told him. “Truly amazing. You were meant to do this.”

“Thanks.” He pulled his hat off his head and then ran a hand back through it before plopping it back down. “It’s easy to do with you watching me.”

“You’re silly. It’s easy to do because you’re incredibly talented.” She ran her hands up his chest and pulled him in for a kiss. “And very sexy.”

“Oh, I like where this is heading.”

He grabbed her real tight and started slow dancing with her right there in the middle of the backstage area, as if no one else was around.

“What are you doing?” she asked with a giggle.

“Dancing with my girlfriend.”

“Right now?”

He twirled her around in place and then dipped her without warning. She giggled again, but he looked completely serious and in his element. His lips touched hers, and she melted into him.

“Sorry to interrupt,” Chloe said from behind them. Someone had blown out her hair and retouched her makeup. She looked fabulous.

Damon immediately righted Trihn and then turned back around. “What’s up?”

“I just have some autographs to sign and then a meeting with my manager.” Chloe glanced over at Trihn. “You don’t mind if I steal him for a minute, do you?”

“No,” Trihn croaked. She cleared her throat and shook her head. “No, of course not.” She turned to Damon. “Go. I’ll wait here.”

Damon kissed her again. “I’ll see you in a minute.”

She watched him walk away with Chloe and sighed. She didn’t know how to handle this. She knew the lifestyle well enough from having modeled back in high school, but being an international musical superstar was a totally different story. She needed to talk to someone who had been through this.

Trihn pulled her phone out and texted Bryna. When Bryna had dated Gates Hartman, he’d been an up-and-coming movie star. Now, for his age range, he was the it male actor in Hollywood. Bryna had been raised in Hollywood. She would know how to deal with this.