Chapter 3
Luna
The beat drops as I finish applying lipliner while my hips roll to the music. The song is sexy and flavorful, making your body move almost involuntarily in a way only reggaeton music can. I don't stop dancing, even as I apply my eyeshadow. Then the beat transitions to a soft, sensual vibe.
"Es Rio," a soulful voice croons, and my back stiffens. Though his voice complements the beat to perfection, my lips curl.
Mami, se que me extranabas
But no sweat cause Daddy’s here
Pa calentarte la cama.
The music keeps playing, but my hips still, like my grandma's old ones, Fernandito Villalona scratched records.
"You didn't know he dropped this song with Niko and Chico?" Adina asks from my bed.
I shake my head. "Why would you play one of his songs?"
She shrugs. "Because it's good, and you should have seen the way your hips shook. You were about to twerk."
I roll my eyes at her in the mirror. "I was not. And you don’t twerk for reggaeton. Perreas."
"Whatever. The song is hot, and he's perfect on it." She sighs. "You don't have to hate him anymore, Lu. I'm over him."
She's not. Her gigantic crush on Rio is still going strong despite what happened six months ago. She practically drools at parties when he’s there. I don’t know what she sees in that sleazy shithead who gets into one mess after another.
"Nope," I say, as snappish as I can. "No one tries to play with my best friend. This beef with Rio is forever," I say in my best Cardi B voice.
Her fingers form a heart. "We can still enjoy the song, right?"
Her gaze is on me through the mirror, and knowing her like I do, I shrug. It's better not to elaborate, or she will get in her own head, and I have no desire to rehash the night when fuckboy almost destroyed our friendship. "You can enjoy it."
I apply eyeliner and grab the black sheer-swirl bodysuit from the bed, shimmying into it. Then I put on my faded jeans. She watches my every move as I slip my earrings on and finally take off my doobie wrap, carefully combing down my hair. I’m wearing it straight tonight.
"You look so good, Lu," she says softly with a tiny smile on her lips. "You always find creative ways to style all that body."
There's a catch in my belly, but I dismiss it and smile at her. Because this ass is a weapon I proudly wield. "Thanks, this thing is a legend.” I wiggle my butt, adding, “You look gorgeous too."
She hops off my bed and comes to stand in the mirror with her phone in hand. We pose and snap photos of ourselves. She's three sizes smaller than me and has a killer body. My wide hips and big ass are a bombastic contrast to her sleek curves encased in the body-fitted jumpsuit.
“We look like a sexy yin and yang.” I wink at her in the mirror.
She smirks, switching her pose. We shoot from different angles until her phone rings.
"Thierry is downstairs," she says, grabbing her jacket. Her new boyfriend, Thierry Banks, is a tight end for the Giants, and a professional douche, if you ask me. But Adina is in love, so here we go.
I grab my jacket as well, throw on my mesh stilettos, and follow her out the door. My mom is standing in the living room in her blue fuzzy robe. Her brown eyes do a double-take, her gaze bouncing from Adina to me, but she strings a small smile.
"Bellas las dos."
"Thank you, Raquel," Adina says and then heads for the door. "Lu, hurry up. You know Thierry hates waiting."
The minute she is out the door, my mom's eyes narrow on me. "Why is she wearing your jumpsuit? You spent days making it."
I shrug. "She asked for it."
"Luna, you know I love her. I helped raise her, but how many times—"
"Mami, it’s just a jumpsuit, and I don't have time right now." I throw my arms around her. "Bendición?"
She hugs me tight. "Dios te bendiga," she says, then whispers in my ear, "You still look better than her."
I chuckle. "Love you."
“Love you too, Mariposita. Remember, I’m going out with Darren tonight.”
I smile. I love that Darren, Mami’s boyfriend, is taking her to dinner and a lounge. “That’s right. Show me your outfit.”
She opens her robe to reveal the slacks and cross-wrapped halter top that go together beautifully. The large, scalloped earrings are a great accessory, and her hair pulled back into a bun completes the look.
“I’ll drape the sweater over my shoulders like you told me.” She makes the motion with her hands to illustrate.
I kiss my fingers like a chef with a signature dish. “Perfection. Meghan Markle would be proud. Wear the black-and-gold mules with it.”
I rush down the stairs as fast as my heels allow me and step out into the cool night air, still smiling. I’m so happy when Darren takes Mami out, and she gets to do more than work. Thierry's Maybach is parked right in front of my building door. All the guys on the block stare at it.
"Damn, Luna, let me come with you,” one shouts.
“Luna, tell your friend to let me borrow his car real quick," yells my neighbor out of the window.
I laugh and wave, then climb into the front seat of the vehicle and say hello to the driver.
"Hey, Luna, looking good," Thierry Banks chimes from the back.
"Thanks," I say, only slightly turning to look at him.
"What about me?" Adina asks.
"Baby, this little catsuit thing you got on is going to get you in trouble tonight. It’s so fucking sexy." He whispers something in her ear that I can hear as if he had yelled it. “Maybe I’ll fuck you in it.”
I try not to wince and keep my eyes on the road as the driver maneuvers us out onto the Major Deegan Expressway. Adina’s giggle from the backseat fills the car, along with the kissing noises, rustling of his hands over the fabric of her clothing, and—dear God—the slurping.
She can definitely keep the jumpsuit.
Emails for Enlace, the small PR company my cousin Sel and I run together, become my saving grace, as I dive into them.
I respond to a couple messages and then review the social media comments for Amber Bijoux, one of the companies we work with, mining the data to create and curate content.
People are loving their new bracelets. A couple of celebs have tagged us in their posts.
I copy some quotes and add them to my OneNote app, along with the dates.
Next month's calendar is mainly done. I just love how organic it will all feel.
Having quotes is automatic content you don't need to edit.
Soon, I’ll be working for my dream company, Elevate, as a public relations specialist. Elevate has high-profile clients, and I’ll get to help them manage those portfolios and PR management for their clients.
I’ve never wanted to be in front of the camera, but helping people manage their image has always been a dream.
It’s also where the money is. Sel and I will need to hire someone to help us with Enlace until I settle into my new job and can handle both workloads, because I do not want to stop doing this.
"Luna." Adina's voice penetrates the work fog.
"What?" I ask, looking up to find we're already close to the venue.
"What the hell are you doing? I’m talking to you." Her tone is tight, tinged with annoyance.
"Oh.” I look down at the screen and hit save. “Gathering some data for work."
She groans. "Do you ever turn it off? We're going to a Chico Sparx concert, and you're here working."
I don't miss the way the driver's eyes slide to the side of his head to meet mine. I can almost hear the comment "some of us have to work for a living" hanging in the air. But Adina doesn't know better.
"Girl, I am riding in a car, doing nothing. I might as well put my brain to good use."
"We're here, and you're hanging out with us. We need your attention too,” she whines.
"I'm letting you and Thierry have your time alone," I insist. Because there’s no way I’m going to be sitting around watching them make out, even if their tongues didn’t slip out of their mouths so often.
Yuck.
"I'm obviously not doing it right because she's more worried about you than me." Thierry’s tone is testy.
"It's not that, babe. You know you're my number one, but I want my number two to chat it up with us."
More slurping sounds, and I'm ready to jump out of the still-moving vehicle. Thankfully, we arrive, and in the next two minutes, we are ushered inside the Coliseum. The interior is designed like a Roman amphitheater, with the stage situated in the center.
Thierry takes us backstage, where we get to say hello to Chico Sparx.
He’s short but muscular, with a sharp sense of style.
His baby face does justice to his name. He hugs Thierry and Adina, who turn away to greet someone else.
Chico turns to me and despite meeting him at a few parties, I’m not famous, so I always feel like I have to introduce myself. "I'm Luna Santos."
His eyes light up. "I remember you, gorgeous Luna. We definitely need to have you in one of our videos." His gaze drifts behind me. "Rio, let me introduce you to some friends."
My back stiffens, but he's in my line of vision before I can even fix my face. Our gazes meet, and his eyes do a quick scan over me. Then, he makes that face like he just had a shot of vinegar. No, he’s not happy to see me either.
Thankfully, it’s been a while since our paths have crossed. I let my gaze slide over him, too. Is it me or does he seem a little more jacked? The black t-shirt clings to his body like honey to a jar. Yeah, those shoulders and arms have definitely filled up since the day we chatted at Niko’s party.
"Hi, Luna." The face that makes thousands of girls scream and panties rain on the stage dissolves into a half-smile. It's tight, polite, and dry.
"Rio," I say, matching his energy.
"You know each other?" Chico asks.
"Yeah," we both say but don’t elaborate.
Chico opens his mouth, but Thierry hands me a drink. I thank him and take a sip while all three men stare at me.
Chico looks at Rio. “I was telling Luna she should be in one of our videos. People would love her face and her body—no offense.”
"Hi, Rio."
He turns to Adina and smiles from ear to ear, and it’s genuine, unlike his strained expression for me. "So good to see you."
I fight the urge to roll my eyes. What a perro.
They exchange pleasantries while I chat with Chico and Thierry. I take a big sip of my drink, suddenly thirsty. It's only when Rio walks away that I can easily breathe. I hate that man so much that I'll never be comfortable around him. I just wish he wasn’t so fine.
I need to vet the places I go with Adina more carefully from now on to avoid running into him.
When we get to our seats, she leans to whisper in my ear, "Rio is such a dog. He was coming on to me with Thierry only a few feet away."
Funny, I didn’t hear any of that. He talked to her about the weather, her new energy drink campaign, and his upcoming tour. At no point did he seem to get close to her. But I wasn’t paying close attention.
All I can say is, "Oh, wow."
"What did you and Chico talk about?"
My mind goes blank. Fuck, I can't remember. Wait, he kept asking if I would be in one of his videos. I know better than to say that to Adina. “Just chit chat. Nothing big.”
“You sure?” She stares me down, but the DJ starts the warmup. She leans over. “This concert is going to be so good. I can't wait to see him perform his song with Rio.”
I frown at her. "How are you not disgusted?"
She shrugs. "The song is fire. It also feels kinda good to know he still wants me. He’s been hitting the gym hard. He looks yummy right now."
"I guess, if you're into that."
She laughs, her eyes peeled on me. "Come on. You thought he was hot."
"Until I found out he was a dog trying to play us both."
"I think he was just drunk the night he made a pass at you. It happens. I can forgive him. Let it go, Lulu."
"You can," I say, because I still hear the anger in her voice when I told her he asked me out. The whole thing changed our friendship. I no longer feel like I can fully be honest with her, even about the little things. Something always stops me. Maybe it’s that I finally began to see all the things Sel has been saying for years about Adina being an envidiosa. "Let's forget him."
"You need another drink," she says to me then turns to whisper in Thierry’s ear.
There’s a slight numbness in my cheek. I need to slow down. “No, I still have some of this one left. Maybe later.”
She thrusts a new full glass into my hand, and when I sip, I can taste the intensity of the alcohol and something sweeter that sticks to my tongue. The buzz begins, and I place the glass next to me on the floor as the music starts with the classics.
“Let’s take it back with some classics before we get to Chico,” the DJ practically screams into the mic.
"Noche de Sexo" comes on, and everyone starts screaming when it transitions to "Dime Mami.” I’m on my feet, so buzzed that I forget how much I hate Rio, and dance with my hands in the air like the first two hundred times I’ve heard it.
The music feels more intense. I match it with my movements.
When Chico brings out Rio, everyone screams. I’m in a zone, watching him move to the music and dance for the audience. I follow along with my hips.
A rush courses through my body, and I could dance all night like this. I close my eyes and sway, letting the feeling drive me. When I open them again, Rio is practically right in front of me. I blink a couple of times, and he’s back on the stage. Jesus, I’m twisted as fuck.
I’m only on my second drink. Why am I flying like this?