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  “What do you mean?”

  “Well…” She bit her lip. She hadn’t meant to keep this detail from him the first time he told her that he worked for Glitz, but then there never seemed to be a good time to mention it. “My mom works for Glitz.”

  “Your mom?”

  “Yeah. Linh Hamilton. She’s an executive vice president for the company,” Trihn admitted.

  “Linh…Hamilton,” he said the name almost reverently.

  “Yeah.”

  “Hamilton,” he repeated.

  Trihn started laughing. “Yes! That’s my mom. I don’t know why I didn’t mention it before.”

  “Me either.”

  She shrugged. “I guess it slipped my mind. Either way, I get the work thing. I know how much time you have to put in. I decided to help out Renée with this dance Intensive we do every summer for scholarship students anyway, so I’ll be busy again.”

  The conversation veered off course from there as she started telling Preston all the crazy stories and adventures she and Renée had gotten into. He seemed to be lost in thought, but she assumed it was because of his big project at work. She hoped that he would finish it up soon, so they could spend more time together.

  Once they were finished, Preston left money to cover the check, and they exited together.

  “All right. I have to get to the magazine for a few hours, but can I see you later this week?” he asked.

  She smiled and nodded in agreement. “I’d like that,” she said, sliding into his embrace. “Actually, I have something to do on Thursday night that you might like.”

  “Another model party?”

  She shook her head. “Better.”

  He inquisitively arched an eyebrow. “You always leave me guessing.”

  “Don’t act like you don’t like it.”

  “Oh, I do. I’ll be there.”

  TRIHN COULDN’T BELIEVE SHE WAS DOING THIS.

  Just walking up the stairs to Preston’s apartment made her jittery. She had already made up her mind. She was going to take Preston with her to Slipper tonight, but that didn’t mean that she was any less nervous about it.

  No one knew about this place—not Lydia, not Renée, and definitely not her parents. And she was giving this to him.

  A part of her couldn’t believe that she was going to show him something she had never shown anyone else.

  The suspicions she’d had about Preston earlier that week seemed like a distant memory, and at this point, she couldn’t deny what she felt for him, how strongly her feelings were. And by bringing him with her today, it would be like they were taking another step forward, crossing an invisible line.

  With a deep calming breath, she knocked on the door to his apartment. Heavy footfalls sounded on the hardwood floor on the other side of the door, and then it opened to reveal Preston’s smiling face.

  “Wow,” he breathed when he caught sight of her. He drank her in. His eyes swept down her body, looking over the carefully chosen outfit she had decided on—a jeweled lace bra under a nearly sheer black shirt and tight black shorts paired with her favorite heeled booties.

  “You look…” And he just stared.

  Trihn laughed. “Thanks. I think.”

  “You think?” he asked. He took two steps forward, closing the distance between them. His hands moved up and down her sides. “I think we should skip wherever we’re going tonight.”

  “What?”

  “No need to go out. Everything I want to do tonight is already here,” he said meaningfully.

  His blue eyes seared into her, making her forget all about their plans, all about where she was going to take him.

  “As much as I’d love to stay in…”

  Preston pulled her flush against him and dragged her into the apartment. She couldn’t even protest as his lips landed on hers, hot and heavy and full of a thousand promises. Her eyes fluttered closed as she succumbed to the heat traveling through her body. She grabbed the front of his button-up and bunched the material in her hands. She wanted nothing more than to rip his shirt off his body.

  He toed the door closed behind them and her eyes popped open. His hands were already underneath her shirt, running over her stomach and up to her bra. She ground her body against him. She could feel him growing harder. Her own body was pulsing in time to each demanding kiss.

  Preston was aggressive and on fire tonight. A blush bloomed on her skin, and when he pushed her against the door, her mind returned to that night backstage, causing her lower body to throb at the memory, at what he could be doing to her right now.

  “We’re going to be late,” she breathed as he laid kisses down her neck and rocked his dick against her.

  “Then, we’ll be quick,” he growled.

  His hands grabbed her ass, hoisting her legs up and around his waist.

  “Oh God,” she cried. She could feel him very easily through her shorts.

  He lifted her effortlessly and carried her to the wooden dining table. He didn’t even bother with walking all the way to the bedroom. His eyes showed that he couldn’t wait. Clearing some of the papers off the table, he laid her backward and then unceremoniously wrenched her shorts down to her feet.

  He undid the button and zipper on his jeans with a flick of his fingers. His pants dropped to the floor. His hand went into his boxers, and he pulled his dick free. She groaned at the sight of him. Her lower half was already wet when he pressed against her opening. Throwing her head back, she bit her lip at how amazing he felt.

  “Mmm,” he groaned. “I want to take my time with you.”

  He pushed in an inch deeper. She moaned and clenched her hands into fists.

  “D-don’t,” she pleaded.

  “Don’t take my time?” he asked, teasingly sliding the tip in and out of her.

  “Please no.”

  “You want me to fuck you?”

  She begged him to do with her eyes.

  “We don’t have a lot of time. You’re going to have to tell me what you want.” His eyes were mischievous in the dim lighting.

  “Oh God,” she said. Embarrassment flushed her skin, but she wasn’t about to deny him anything, not with where he was standing at the moment and how desperately she wanted him. “Fuck me, Preston.”

  He didn’t need to be told twice. He shoved all the way inside her without complaint, filling her to the hilt. She closed her eyes and moaned at the feel of him, not having enough cognizant thought at the time to wonder if anyone could hear her.

  Preston pressed her legs farther apart and grabbed her hips for leverage. Then, without warning, he started pounding into her. There was nothing gentle in his touch, nothing tender in the way he slid in and out of her. This was nothing but straight violent fucking, and she was enjoying every minute of it.

  She felt some pain, but it was so overwhelmed by the intense pleasure rocketing through her that she forgot all else.

  Somehow, he picked up his pace. His thrusts were sharp and measured, driving her into a heated frenzy. He said it would have to be quick, and the way he was working her was clearly doing the job. She could already feel the friction pushing her to a climax.

  Then, he moved one of his hands to her clit and started rubbing her in demanding slow circles. Her eyes flew back open, and she cried out. It was so much, almost too much. She couldn’t think. She could hardly breathe. Everything silenced all around her. She was going to come undone at any minute.

  Preston grunted and slammed into her harder. “Come for me, Trihn. I’m so close.”

  She shuddered, feeling her body release at his command. She had been so worked up and ready to go that the feel of him coming had sent her straight over the edge and into oblivion.

  Her breaths came out in uneven spurts as she finally relaxed back against the table.

  “Fuck,” he murmured.

  “What you said.”

  “Fuck,” he repeated.

  She laughed. “We’re definitely going to be late.”

  “So
worth it.”

  “Mmhmm,” she agreed.

  They cleaned up and righted their mussed clothing as best as they could before exiting the apartment. Preston flagged down a cab, and Trihn gave the cabbie the address to Slipper. Fifteen minutes later, they were dropped off on the sidewalk outside the club.

  While Preston paid, Trihn tried to get herself together again. She was now bubbling with energy after what had just happened. She didn’t care that they were late for the show. She found it hard to care about anything right now.

  “Where have you taken me?” Preston asked.

  He nuzzled her neck, and she giggled.

  “Come on. I’ll show you,” she said.

  She took his hand and walked him down the stairs, passing the sign with a shiny glass slipper on it. The girl at the door was dressed in a tiny dress that sparkled with thousands of tiny sequins. Her hair was pulled up into a blunt bob wig, and she had the most dramatic makeup on her face.

  “There you are!” she said, fluttering her two-inch fake eyelashes at Trihn. “We thought you might have bailed on us.” Her eyes turned to Preston, and she licked her lips. “I wouldn’t have blamed you.”

  Trihn chuckled. “Just running behind. How much did we miss?”

  “Just the opening act. Just wait another minute, and I’ll get you two into seats…unless you want to share mine,” the girl purred.

  She leaned toward Preston, and he shifted an inch closer to Trihn. He raised an eyebrow at her, and she had to cover her mouth to keep from laughing out loud.

  “I think we’re okay. Thank you,” Trihn said.

  They heard applause from the other side of the door, and the woman opened it for them. Once they stepped inside, they were transported into another world, a fairy tale. The club had taken over the two floors above it and created a large open room with a giant floor-level stage in the middle. Plush couches fit for royalty circled the stage. People dressed in mock court attire circulated the room, taking orders and offering drinks. It was magical.

  “Right this way.”

  Trihn and Preston followed the woman to an empty couch one row back from the stage. A man in a jester costume approached, and Preston ordered drinks for the both of them. He slid his arm around her shoulders, drawing her in closer.

  “You brought me here when we could have stayed at home?” he asked. Confusion was evident in his voice.

  “Just watch,” she said. She had to agree that, in that moment, she would much rather be at home, laid out on his dining room table. But she also wanted to share this with him…even if it seemed kind of meaningless now that they were there.

  The lights dimmed, and a spotlight shone on a single woman in a white dress in the center of the room.

  When she began to move, Preston’s eyes widened. “Wha—”

  The music was soft and sensual but endearing, and it picked up speed with the girl’s fluid movements. Two other girls appeared, as if from thin air, mirroring the dance on the stage. They danced together and apart. Their bodies slid against each other, morphing into one, and then pulled back to reveal two men in their midst. They had the first girl between them, lifting her into the air. She did an aerial flip onto the ground, and the men joined in on the dance.

  A cube trapeze contraption descended from the ceiling in the middle of the performance, and the two men lifted the girl again, tossing her into a flip before she caught the bar.

  “This is…not ballet,” Preston breathed into her ear.

  “No, it’s not.”

  They watched, mesmerized, as the two guys performed acrobatic flips with the girl on the square a dozen feet above the ground. It was terrifying and beautiful and erotic.

  When they finished, the crowd applauded the dance and feats of athleticism.

  Preston turned to her and cocked his head to the side. “I feel like I’m at Cirque du Soleil.”

  “Well, some of these people used to work for them,” she confessed. “Usually, it’s just a burlesque club. The acrobatic dance, trapeze, aerials, pole—”

  “Pole?” he asked with raised eyebrows and a dirty smirk.

  “Not stripping,” she insisted. “Just acrobatic pole dancing.”

  “There’s a difference?”

  “Trust me. It’s much more difficult with many more bruises, and it’s not half as sexy as you might think it is. Plus, they keep their clothes on, and they even go to competitions, just like dance or cheer or gymnastics or anything else.”

  He held his hands up. “I see you’re passionate about this. Forgive my ignorance,” he said with that same dirty smirk, like he wanted to take her right there on the couch the more vehement she’d become.

  “I forgive you,” she joked. “But really…I’ve never brought anyone here before.”

  “How did you even find this place?”

  Trihn shrugged. “My friend Cassidy started performing here after leaving the company at NYC Dance House. She’s performing tonight.”

  “So, do your other friends from the company come here, too?”

  Trihn shook her head. “Nah. Cassidy kind of…rubs people the wrong way. She’s very…spirited,” she mused. “This is my secret. No one else knows about it. So, now, I guess…it’s our secret.”

  “I like secrets.”

  “Good, because my family would probably kill me if they found out I hung out at places like this.”

  He laughed and turned back to the stage as the next performers started their routine, and they watched for another hour and a half. As a regular of Slipper, Trihn had seen some of the amazing performances before, but some were brand-new for the show tonight. Every single one of them had given her a rush and reminded her all over again why she loved this so much. It was different than ballet, which was so structured. This was utterly freeing.

  Then, Cassidy stepped onto the stage. She was about Trihn’s height with a fire-engine red pixie cut and a toned lean body that was accentuated in the tiny silver crop and shorts combo she was wearing.

  A long silver pole, reaching up to the ceiling, materialized in the center of the stage. Her movements were unlike anything anyone could have envisioned. The pole was an extension of her body. Watching her move was like a living art piece.

  Anyone who believed that pole dancing was only for strippers had never witnessed Cassidy perform. Just because poles were in strip clubs didn’t mean that the art form belonged to them. Most strippers couldn’t even do the incredible aerial stunts that Cassidy pulled off, thanks to years of training and her incredible gymnastics and dance background. She had come in third this past year at the National Pole Championship in Los Angeles.

  Trihn would kill to be in her shoes—to be so sure of her life after high school, so set on her path, so free to do whatever the fuck she wanted.

  “She’s really good,” Preston admitted.

  “I know.”

  “She could be making so much money.”

  Trihn laughed and nudged him. “She is. Just look at her.”

  Really, no one could tear their eyes off of the stage when Cassidy performed.

  Cassidy climbed the pole higher and higher until she could almost touch the ceiling. The music hit a crescendo, and then in her final move, she dropped straight to the ground, a full thirty-feet free-fall, before tightening her body all around the pole and saving herself from certain death, landing a hairbreadth from the ground.

  The crowd gasped and then cheered in an uproar. She was brilliant.

  Trihn leaped to her feet, applauding her friend. Preston stood next to her, also mesmerized.

  Then, Trihn felt Cassidy’s eyes on her. She smiled broad and then rushed from the stage, heading straight to Trihn.

  Cassidy latched on to Trihn’s wrist. “Come on.”

  “Cassidy, what are you doing?” Trihn demanded in a panic.

  “Your turn, little ballerina.”

  “What? No!”

  “Ladies and gentlemen”—Cassidy’s voice boomed through the room—“I would like
to present our newest member of the Slipper company, Trihnity,” she cheered, pulling a dumbstruck Trihn onto the stage.

  THE CROWD WENT WILD.

  Trihn’s mouth dropped open. She was standing on the stage at Slipper in front of more than a hundred people and her boyfriend. Cassidy was speaking, but Trihn felt as if she were in a vacuum. She couldn’t hear a word of it. All she could do was stand there in shock and wonder what the hell was going on.

  Cassidy and some of the other members of Slipper had worked with Trihn backstage and at clubs, teaching her the ropes. She knew enough about pole dancing to perform, but she had never in a million years thought she would actually do it. It was a skill set she’d closely guarded…and had never intended on showing Preston, let alone a roomful of strangers.

  Then, Cassidy took a step back with her hand out.

  Trihn met her wicked gaze and mouthed, I’m going to kill you.

  Cassidy cackled. But there was nothing Trihn could do. She had to either perform or slink away and lose face in front of everyone. There wasn’t really a choice.

  With a heavy sigh, she squared her shoulders and made up her mind. She reached down for her booties, unzipped them, and started taking her shoes off. Her feet sank into the soft spring floor just as the music started. She would have laughed if she wasn’t so nervous. She had danced to this song before when they were messing around. Cassidy must have planned this ever since Trihn had told her that she was coming tonight. That girl will pay for it later.

  The crowd cheered as her shoes were discarded, and Trihn slowly stripped out of her shirt. It was probably completely see-through anyway, thanks to the harsh lighting on the stage, but she would need all the skin she could use to stick to the pole. Thank God she had chosen one of her best bras for the evening.

  She could feel Preston’s eyes on her, and for a second, she let herself find him in the crowd. He was intrigued, leaning forward in his seat—no, not just intrigued. He was fascinated and desirous.

  With the power of that look, she let expectations wash off of her, and a haughty smirk touched her lips. She could do this. She wasn’t as good as Cassidy, but that didn’t matter. The crowd wanted a show, and a show she would provide.