Platinum (All That Glitters #3)(62)

She called a cab, and ten minutes later, she was breezing through Posse’s crowded entranceway with nothing more than a flutter of her fingers to the bouncer as she bypassed the fifty people waiting in line. The nightclub was jam-packed. It was usually busy, but since Chloe’s appearance, Posse had been unstoppable with lines out the door, a full dance floor, and flowing drinks. Even the VIP section was crowded.

Luckily, Trihn knew everyone who worked there. She found Maya under a mountain of drink orders.

“Trihni!” Maya cried when she saw her. “You don’t happen to want to pour drinks tonight? I’m swamped.”

“I’d be useless. You should ask E.”

“If I wanted margaritas, I would.” Maya passed over a round of shots, two beers, and a few mixed drinks to the people in front of the bar. They were quickly replaced by another group desperate for drinks. Maya handed Trihn a drink. “Gin and tonic, right?”

“Thanks. I’ll take a Peppermint Posse martini, too, when you get a chance.”

Maya stopped what she was doing and looked at Trihn. “You want to get f*cked up tonight?”

Trihn shrugged. “Basically.”

Maya shook her head but started making her the drink. She handed the potent mix over to Trihn. “I don’t even want to know what lover boy did, do I?”

“I’ll give you one guess.”

“Chloe Avana?” Maya asked.

“Bingo.” Trihn downed the gin and tonic and handed the glass back to Maya.

“You made it!” Stacia cried, barreling into her from the dance floor.

Bryna was hot on her heels with Eric and Marshall following close behind. “A Peppermint Posse martini?” she asked. “I didn’t know we were getting belligerent tonight. Make that two, Maya.”

“Oh! Three!” Stacia said.

Maya shook her head but started working on the drinks.

“What happened?” Bryna asked intuitively.

“Nothing. Damon is staying in LA for a few more days to help Chloe with promotion and to get an agent and manager.”

“Those are important things,” Bryna rationalized.

“Yep. I’m just going to sit here and drink until it really feels like that’s the reason he’s there.”

“That boy is crazy about you,” Maya said.

“And you’re crazy about him,” Stacia added.

“I don’t get why you’re stressing. I mean, Chloe is a bitch, but Damon digs you. I’m not entirely sure where this is all coming from.” Bryna searched Trihn’s eyes. “You act as if he’s already cheated on you when he’s only going to be there for a few more days. Neal was an *, but you didn’t even really love him. I don’t get the extent of your fears. What am I missing?”

Trihn grabbed her martini from the bar and started drinking. Of course they didn’t get it. They didn’t know her whole history. She had always compartmentalized her life. Maybe it was time for her to open up.

“You know Preston, my sister’s fiancé?”

“Yeah,” Bryna said, clearly wondering about the abrupt shift in the conversation. “You said he was a douche.”

“Yeah, that’s because he was my first real boyfriend. I fell in love with him, and then it turned out that he’d been with my sister the entire time. They didn’t even break up when the truth came out the summer after graduation. I’d been planning to go to NYU, but two weeks before classes were going to start, I dropped everything to come here. It was all because of him, all because he ruined my life.”

All of her friends were staring at her with their mouths hanging open. Even Maya had stopped pouring drinks to look at Trihn in shock.

“So there…trust issues on full display. And, yes, Damon knows all about this. And he’s still in LA and he still didn’t call right away and he still is with another girl at a club. And in case anyone has a shoddy memory, a club is where we met. So, don’t mind me if I decide to drink heavily tonight.”

Eric put his hands on Bryna and Stacia. “Maybe we should give her some space, y’all.”

“All right, Cowboy,” Bryna said, taking a step back. “We were just trying to help.”

He kissed the top of her head. “You did what you could, Hollywood.”

Trihn closed her eyes against the image of how freaking cute they were.

Stacia reached out and rubbed her shoulder. When Trihn opened her eyes, she was staring directly into Stacia’s baby blues.

“I know I’m not normally the serious one of the bunch, but just for the record, I don’t think Damon is cheating on you. I think he’s very much in love with you, and you have nothing to worry about.” Her voice dipped lower. “If I had something like that, I wouldn’t let it go, no matter what, Trihn. You’re really lucky.”

“I don’t feel particularly lucky tonight,” Trihn admitted. It was really strange to see Stacia be visibly vulnerable.

“Just have fun with us tonight, okay? It’ll be better in the morning with fresh eyes.”

Stacia held her hand out, and with a deep breath, Trihn put her hand in Stacia’s.

Maybe Stacia was right. Maybe things would be better in the morning.





DAMON HAD ALREADY STAYED a week longer than he’d expected. It was a lot more work than he’d thought it would be, and Chloe had been introducing him to a lot more people. But he had been prompt in calling Trihn every single day, which lessened her stress.