SHINE BRIGHT (Diamond Girls #4)

Chapter 3

3

“Give it up for my main man, Damon, killing it on the dance floor!” the DJ called over the speakers. “Damon will be back in the DJ booth, bringing you all your favorite mixes, after this break.”

“Oh my God!” Bryna shrieked. “That’s how I know him!”

“How?” Trihn asked.

Maya laughed. “This should be good.”

“Not like that actually,” Bryna said.

She turned her fierce gaze on Maya, but Maya just rolled her eyes. She could deflect Bryna like no other.

“Would it have really surprised anyone though?” Stacia asked.

“I suppose, he isn’t her type. She liked them older and filthy rich,” Maya said. She laughed and tipped back her drink.

Bryna shrugged her shoulders, unperturbed. “He was the DJ at my party last year when I moved into the mansion. I just couldn’t remember his name, but that’s definitely him.”

Trihn looked up at Damon again. He had this air about him, like nothing could change his good time. He was so carefree and utterly intoxicating to watch. He wasn’t even the best dancer that Trihn had seen before, but he’d moved with such confidence that everyone in the place cheered for him.

“Are you sure it’s the same guy?” Trihn asked. She found it hard to believe that she wouldn’t have noticed someone like that at one of Bryna’s parties.

“I’m positive that he is the same guy,” she said.

“Hmm…” Trihn shrugged and backed out of the circle as it started to close in on itself.

Damon caught her eye in a way that said he knew all her secrets.

She shied away from his gaze. It wasn’t like she wanted to jump into the middle of the circle and take over. Her best friends were more likely to do that than she was. It’d be better to forget all about Damon and just walk away.

So, she did.

The girls followed her back to the bar where Maya promptly ordered them all drinks. Trihn sipped on her gin and tonic and pushed her hair off the back of her neck. It was boiling hot inside. The dancing certainly hadn’t helped to cool her down.

Some guy started talking to Stacia, and then she promptly disappeared onto the dance floor, dragging Bryna with her. Ever since Stacia and Pace Larson—Bryna’s stepbrother and the backup quarterback for the LV State football team—had broken up, Stacia had been all over the map. Sometimes, she’d mess around with other people. Other times, she’d slip off to try to make amends with Pace even though she had been the one to break it off, only to come home and cry herself to sleep over the loss of her quarterback because she’d decided it would be best for them not to work it out. Trihn suspected she hadn’t seen the end of them while Bryna thought it was all done with.

As Trihn danced with Maya near the bar, she kept the girls in her line of vision. She finished off her drink and dropped it off on the counter. She was getting ready to drag Maya out on the floor when someone sidled up next to her.

“Hey,” he said. His voice was rich and deep with a posh British accent that sent shivers down her spine.

She slowly turned around, already knowing who she was going to see. When she got a full look at him, she had to pull back a step because they were basically on top of each other. She hadn’t realized how close he was.

“Um…hey,” she said with a smile.

“I was waiting for you.”

She laughed softly. “Waiting?” she asked, thinking she had heard him wrong.

“Yeah, out on the dance floor.”

Her eyes widened in surprise. She knew that he had been staring at her out there, but he hadn’t made it seem like he was waiting for her. He had just looked…inviting.

God! She needed to stop thinking about him like that. Who cares if he looks inviting? She was dating someone, and this was exactly what she had been worried about with Neal going to The Kiln. Well, she had been more concerned that an orgy would break out in the club, and he’d somehow be a part of it, but a hot British guy talking to her wasn’t that far off.

“Well, you didn’t gesture,” she said offhand. She looked away from his eyes and the welcoming tilt of his head.

He had his hat back on, but it was effortlessly tipped up. She didn’t know what to make of him.

“I’m gesturing now,” he said. He swept his arm back and motioned for her to take the floor with him.

When Trihn glanced over at Maya for support, her eyes were as big as saucers.

“What’s it going to hurt?” Maya asked.

Trihn couldn’t answer that because he was really hot. And the way her stomach was fluttering at his bold statements wasn’t helping anything.

She shrugged her shoulders and looked back at Damon. “You looked good out there,” she deflected.

“I know,” he said.

Her jaw nearly dropped to the floor at that statement, but laughter bubbled up before she could show her surprise. “Cheeky.”

“But you’re good, too,” he said easily.

His gaze locked with hers, and she tried not to beam at his compliment.

“I know you are. I was watching you from up there.” He pointed at the DJ booth. “You don’t just know how to move. You dance, right?”

She nodded. “Yeah, I do.”

“I could tell.”

“Thanks.”

Maya nudged her, but Trihn didn’t dare look at her. Trihn knew that Maya was going to try to get her to say more, to encourage her to do things she knew she shouldn’t.

“Show me,” he told her.

“I don’t even know who you are,” she shot back.

“Does it matter?”

“I…”

No, it didn’t.

Who cares who this guy is? It was just dancing, something she had done her entire life. She’d come from a renowned dance studio in New York City. Dancing at a club for some guy she’d just met shouldn’t even matter.

“I don’t have space,” she told him.

He shot her a devil-may-care grin and then started backing up with his hands spread wide to either side. “I’ll make space.”

The look he was giving her said, Bring it.

How can I back down from the challenge?

She could dimly hear Maya’s exclamations behind her, but the knowledge of what she was about to do deafened her to everything else going on around her.

Damon kept backing up until he had formed a circle big enough for her to dance in.

She stared in awe for a minute. How is this happening to me?

Then, her mind whirred to life. Ball change, prepare, double pirouette, floor drop, roll, tilt kick, prepare…

And on it went.

Choreography filled her vision like a fight in a Sherlock Holmes movie. It was euphoric. Adrenaline kicked into overdrive. All that existed was the here and now and the drive to not make a fool of herself in front of a large group of people…in front of him.

Damon stopped moving, crossed his arms, and just looked at her. That was her cue.

Taking a deep breath, she moved into the space with as much grace as she could muster from her years of training. Then, the dance took over. She executed the choreography in her head with her eyes glued on Damon’s face. Her friends back home would have called it s*x eyes—picking one person out in the audience and making love to them with your eyes while you were onstage. She hadn’t believed it would enhance her dancing…until that moment.

She dropped to the ground to crazy screams from the surrounding crowd. Then, she rolled forward and got up in Damon’s face. The challenge was there. She might as well act on it. At this point, it was too late to back down.

He gave her a heart-stopping broad smile. He was nodding his head as he slowly clapped his hands. “That’s right,” he murmured. “That’s what I thought.”

She twirled in place, avoiding that sexy gaze. It felt good to be acknowledged for something she loved. He’d picked her out in the middle of a crowded club—not for her looks or anything else, but for her own ability. It was refreshing.

One of his friends had moved to the center of the circle, and the attention deviated from her as he started showing off his breaker moves again. Her body was still moving though. She was too energized now not to keep going. Her heart was pounding, and her head felt light. It was as if she had sparks under her skin, igniting her flesh and keeping her in motion.

Damon was near her, and he reached out for her hips, guiding her against him. She let the dance take them away with her body pressed to his chest and their hips moving in time. She raised her hands above her head and laughed with pure joy at the freedom in the dance.

He didn’t just stand there either. She was right. He definitely knew what he was doing. He grabbed her hand and twirled her until she was facing him. Then, their hips rocked seductively back and forth. Her breathing was quick, her chest rising and falling in time with the music.

“God, you can move,” he breathed into the small space between them.

Her head snapped up to look at him. They were so close, so achingly close together. His hands were like fire, one against the small of her back and the other gripping her hip. For some reason, she couldn’t stop looking at his lips. He had these lips. Oh God, those lips. They were perfect lips—full and sexy and utterly kissable…and something she most definitely should not be looking at.

She forced her gaze back up to his eyes, and it was as if he knew every thought in her head. He knew she had been staring at his lips. He knew exactly where her treacherous mind had been going.

And she froze.

Paralysis hit her like nothing ever had before.

Her hips stopped, and she dropped her hands from around his neck.

It was no big deal. It was just dancing. But her thoughts were another thing—a very bad thing.

“I’m sorry,” she muttered.

“For what?”

“Leaving.” She turned and started walking away. Her heart was beating so fast, and she just needed to find Bryna.

Bryna would calm Trihn down and know what to do. Bryna took control of situations, and Trihn needed her to take control of this one because having thoughts about kissing some other guy was absolutely not okay.

She nearly made it across the room before Maya caught up to her. “Hey. What the hell happened back there?”

“Nothing.”

But something had happened.

She felt ridiculous. Damon and she had been having a good time. It was just dancing, nothing out of the ordinary. Then, she had thought about kissing him, and she couldn’t believe herself. She wasn’t upset with Damon but with herself. That was not the person she was. It wasn’t the person she ever wanted to be. She would never put anyone in the position she had been in herself.

“That sure as hell didn’t look like nothing.”

“Well, it’s nothing. I just want to go,” she said softly. She wasn’t even sure if Maya had heard her.

When she looked back up, she saw Damon running after her.

“Hey,” he called.

“Oh God…”

Maya looked between them and then shook her head. “You’re right. We should just go.” She put her hand on Damon’s chest before he could get any closer and gave him the best don’t-f**k-with-the-bartender look. “Back off, buddy!”

He looked at her quizzically. “I didn’t mean to upset your friend. I don’t even know why she left.”

“She’s not interested, so just back off,” Maya spat.

“Maya!” Trihn was freaking out, but Maya didn’t need to lie. Trihn was interested. That was the problem.

“Sorry. I just…” He pulled his hat off and started self-consciously flipping it between his fingers. “I don’t even know your name.”

Trihn pushed past Maya and smiled hesitantly. “I’m Trihn, but I have a boyfriend so…” She trailed off. What more do I need to say?

“Oh.” He nodded his head and took a step back. Already, his eyes were searching elsewhere. All of that confidence that had been in his dancing fled him at the first sign of her rejection. “I’ll see you around then,” he said. He took one last look at her and then left the floor.

She hated the way her stomach plummeted in his absence and the way doing something right felt so wrong.

“What the hell?” Maya demanded, swiveling to face Trihn. “He was totally into you!”

“Yeah, that’s the problem,” Trihn said. She chewed on her lip and averted her gaze from where Damon had just disappeared. “Thanks for having my back though.”

“I only did it because you had given me that terrified look. I immediately went into bartender mode, but maybe I shouldn’t have.” Maya placed her hands on her hips. She leveled Trihn with a knowing look. “I think you were into him, too.”

Trihn shrugged. “He’s cute.”

“He’s cute? That’s all you have?”

“Really cute?”

“Hot. Smoking hot. And he can move.”

“And I still have a boyfriend,” Trihn said.

It really didn’t matter how hot Damon was or how he could move because she was taken. If she had learned anything from the bullshit with Preston, it was that dating two people at once was never a viable option.

“I’m not Bryna or Stacia. I’m not going to tell you to break up with Neal or that he’s an asshole. I know the things they say about him.”

“Thanks.”

“But,” Maya said, “I want you to know, we’re all just looking out for you. We want you to be happy.”

“I am happy,” Trihn said. “I just want to go home to my boyfriend. That’s all.”

“Okay.” Maya held her hands up, but she looked sad. “Are you sure you want to leave already? We haven’t been out that long, and I don’t get many nights off.”

“I just haven’t seen Neal in a while, and I miss him,” Trihn told her. “There will be plenty of other nights like this.”

Maya frowned but nodded. “All right. Well, catch a cab, and be safe. I’ll tell the girls that you headed out.”

Trihn pulled Maya into a hug. “Thank you for being such a good friend.”

“You know I’d do anything for you, Trihni. Call me if you need anything.”

“I will,” Trihn said. Then, she turned and walked out of the crowded club.

Her head was fuzzy, and for some reason that she couldn’t quite pinpoint, she felt disoriented.

Walking away was the right choice. Finding a guy attractive was one thing. Fantasizing about kissing him was an entirely different matter.

Maybe Neal was right after all, and she shouldn’t have come out to the club tonight. She had thought The Kiln was bad, but she had been in a world of temptation all on her own.

Trihn flagged down a cab, and on the way to her place, she pulled her phone out and dialed Neal’s number. It rang four times before going to his voice mail.

She sighed but waited for the beep. “Hey. I’m leaving the club now. You were right. I probably should have just stayed in with you tonight. I miss you. I’d love for you to stay the night with me. Call me back. Love you. Bye.”

She slumped back in the seat and stared out the window as the Las Vegas Strip disappeared behind them. She lived in an apartment with Bryna and Stacia. It was just off the LV State campus, which was only a couple of miles from the Strip.

The cab dropped her off outside her building, and to clear her head, she trudged up the steps to the top floor instead of taking the elevator to clear her head.

Her phone dinged just as she got into the apartment.

Too loud to hear your voice mail.

Trihn stared down at the message and grated her teeth before replying to Neal’s message.

Left the club early. You were right. Stay with me tonight?

I know I’m right.

Trihn rolled her eyes at the return message. She was jotting out a response when she got another text from him.

I’m going to be out all night. I’ll just stay at my place.

Should I come over in the morning?

Trihn waited and waited for a response.

“f**k that,” she groaned with a shake of her head.

She tossed her phone onto her bed and changed into something more comfortable. She didn’t know what the hell she was doing. She could go to The Kiln to see Neal, but she honestly hated that place. And he wasn’t responding to her message. The last thing she wanted was to get there and start an argument. She was tired of arguing. Lately, every conversation had been ending up in an argument, and it was getting to be exhausting.

Rubbing her temples, she pulled out her sketchbook and flipped it open to her latest work. She was lucky to be in the Teena Hart School of Design as a fashion design major. After discovering that her boyfriend, Preston, had been secretly dating her sister, Lydia, behind her back, Trihn had dropped out of NYU to come to LV State two weeks before school started her freshman year.

When the whole thing had blown up in Trihn’s face, her sister had chosen Preston over Trihn, and rather than be around them, Trihn had chosen to leave New York City for good. She still couldn’t believe that Preston and Lydia were still together a year and a half later. Preston was a manipulative cheating scumbag, and Lydia had never held a boyfriend for longer than a couple of weeks. They were a match made in hell.

Thankfully, Trihn had ended up loving Las Vegas, and the design school was a dream come true. Teena Hart herself—a world-renowned fashion designer with her own line and a boutique in Caesars Palace—would personally work with the students. Trihn had been taking art classes to fulfill major requirements, and she completed her first round of intro design classes last semester. This semester she would be into more advanced program work. If everything went as planned, she might even get to help with the senior fashion show in the spring. The winner would go on to New York City in the summer.

In her spare time, she would work on her own clothes. It seemed to calm her down when her anxiety took over.

Like right now.

Trihn worked on her artwork until she heard Bryna and Stacia coming home. Not wanting a confrontation with them, she quickly switched off her light and got into bed. They knocked on her door as they passed, but Trihn ignored it and pretended to be asleep. She just lay in her bed and stared at the ceiling until she finally fell asleep late that night.