Eric laughed. “Fair enough.”
“Fuck, I need a drink,” she said before heading to the bar. She elbowed her way through the crowd and walked straight into someone. “Ugh! Watch where you’re going!”
The guy stepped back and held his hands up. “Trihn, your New Yorker is showing,” Pace said.
Pace was the person she hadn’t wanted to run into. Stacia would have a fit if she knew that he was at Posse tonight. Their on-again, off-again thing clearly wasn’t working for anyone and made Pace even more irritable than usual.
“Whatever, Pace,” she said. “I’m really not in the mood.”
“Well, have you seen my girlfriend?”
“I have seen my friend, who you are currently not dating. I recommend you just walk right back out of here because you tend to make a fool of yourself when it comes to Stacia.”
“I’ll take that under consideration, but I know the real reason you’re trying to keep us apart,” Pace said with a wink. His blue eyes twinkled.
“Oh God, I don’t think I even want to know.”
“I heard that you and Neal broke up, and you’re dying for a good rebound.”
Trihn rolled her eyes. “It’s good to see you, too, Pace.”
She pushed past him without another word and hoped for the best for Stacia. She knew Stacia could take care of herself. She just prayed that, when Pace found Stacia, she wasn’t having sex with Marshall somewhere. Trihn could only deal with so much drama in one night.
“Gin and tonic,” Maya said, pushing a glass full of clear liquid toward her.
“Just keep them coming.”
“It didn’t go so well?”
“By not so well, if you mean, it was horrific and humiliating, then yeah, I’d agree with that.”
Maya frowned. “I seriously never would have guessed that.”
“You know, everyone keeps saying that, but it doesn’t really help.”
“You’re right. Well, forget Damon, and let’s focus on you. Have another drink, and go dance the night away. You don’t need a man to make you feel amazing. Show him what he’s missing,” Maya said with a wink.
Trihn nodded and raised her chin. Maya was right. The world was beating her down, and running away would mean it’d won. Neal had broken up with her and left her in pieces. Damon had refused her and humiliated her. She didn’t need either of them.
Or at least that was what she told herself as she made her way out onto the dance floor.
Dance was always her outlet, and she hadn’t been doing as much of it as she would have liked. She used to take Cassidy’s pole class in her spare time, but last semester, she had been swamped with work, and then she had been gone for break. Ballet was a close second. After her time at the New York City Dance House, she had enrolled in a ballet class at LV State, but that had only lasted a semester. Those classes hadn’t really fit into her schedule.
But she still had this.
She raised her hands over her head and started dancing seductively in the middle of the crowded room. Her body moved perfectly in sync to the music blaring through the speakers, and she let adrenaline fuel her forward. This was power and passion, lust and love, all rolled into one incredible package. And it was free for her to claim at all times.
Her eyes landed on the Patrick guy who Eric had pointed out to her. She had no interest in being with a football player and knew that she wouldn’t stoop to Stacia’s level, but he would do for dancing. He was hot enough.
She crooked her finger at him, and he lumbered over to her with a smirk on his face. He tried to engage her in conversation, but she ignored his attempts and danced up on him. She pressed her back to his chest and let her head drop backward.
He was all right but nothing compared to Damon. She figured it didn’t matter if she was just trying not to think anyway.
Trihn had downed her drink and was halfway through another one that Patrick had bought for her when someone interrupted her dance with Patrick.
“Mind if I cut in?” he asked in his posh British accent.
Her head snapped to the side, and her mouth dropped open.
“Fuck off,” Patrick said.
He eased his arm around Trihn’s waist and tried to pull her away, but she was rooted in one place.
“What do you want, Damon?” Trihn asked.
“A dance,” Damon said.
He had his hat in his hand and was twirling it between his fingers. She didn’t know if that was a show of confidence or nerves.
“I thought you made your position clear.”
“You know you’d rather be dancing with me.”
Patrick flexed like he was going to butt in, but Trihn just pushed him away.
“Save a dance for me later,” she said to Patrick.
“Man, whatever,” Patrick said. He glared at Damon before stomping off like a kid throwing a tantrum.
Damon tipped his hat back onto his head and smiled. “You’re way too good for him, you know?”
“We were just dancing. Last I checked, people could do that without having a relationship.”