Page 2 of Deadly Designs

He gave her a droll look. “You know I won’t do that,Aja Blue.”

Jay had developed a significant fear of theauthorities after they had arrested him for no reason one night andtossed him in jail, leaving him there over the weekend. He’d beenin drag, and the other inmates had made his life miserable. Shewasn’t exactly sure of what had happened to him, but he’d admittedhe hadn’t slept for over sixty hours while he’d been behind bars.The charges had been dropped the following Monday morning sincethey were bogus, but the damage had been done, especially to hispsyche.

The ordeal had happened before Aja Blue had met himseven months ago, but his scars ran Grand Canyon deep. It hadn’tbeen his first brush with the law either. They had harassed himbefore, and she was pretty sure it had been unimaginably terrible.He hadn’t shared details, and she’d never pried. Instead, shewatched him practically wet himself anytime he spotted a policecar.

She placed a hand on his arm. “Jay, I’m worried aboutyou.”

“Oh please, Aja Blue, I’ll be fine. I always am. Youknow me. Teflon. Nothing sticks.”

Aja Blue gritted her teeth. He was so stubborn.Pushing wouldn’t do any good, so she changed the subject. “What areyour plans for tonight? We should try that new seafood restauranton the boardwalk. It’s getting rave reviews. The crab cakes arerumored to be the best on the East Coast.”

“I’d love to, but I’m highlighting at CrystalGalaxy.”

Crystal Galaxy was the nightclub he’d promoted on TV,the one that had caused him so much grief. “Do you think that’swise?”

“Aja Blue, I will not let some homophobic psychosstop me from living my life. I’ve dealt with them since the day Icame out.” He waved a breezy hand. “I’ll be fine.”

Jay had a point. As much as she wanted him to, hecouldn’t hide. That was no way to live. If he did, the bullieswould win. “Who are you tonight?”

“Nice to meet you. I’m Electra Stardust.”

Aja Blue laughed as she shook his hand. “That’s agood one.”

“Thanks. I used an online drag name generator.”

“You did not.”

“So did.”

They continued to chat while sitting in traffic forover an hour until the accident cleaned up. The delay gave themtime to catch up on Mrs. Sinclair’s project, as well as otherbusiness. When she’d hired Jay, she’d planned to take on individualclients since it was his specialty. However, Jay had been helpingher with the corporate clients and merchandise line. When Mrs.Sinclair had reached out to her, Aja Blue had known it was theright time to make the foray into personal design.

They were over three hours late when they finallyreached the estate. A guard in a blue uniform with a baseball capstepped out of a booth as she approached a black iron gate. Shegave him their names, and he checked his tablet.

“I have you listed as the only visitor, Ms.LaLonde.”

“I informed Mrs. Sinclar that I would be bringing myassistant.”

“Okay, I see that note here. I’ll need both of yourdriver’s licenses.”

Aja Blue removed hers from her purse while Jay dughis out of his wallet. The guard took them inside the booth andreturned, handing them back. He reached inside the building toactivate the gate and motioned them through.

Jay tugged his sunglasses down and leaned forward topeer out the windshield. “My God, this place is incredible. Itlooks as if it belongs on the coast of Marseille.”

“It does,” Aja Blue agreed. She rounded the circulardriveway and noted three black sedans parked in front of thesix-car garage. Instead of infringing on them, she stopped by thestone steps that led to the entry, grabbed her iPad, and slid out.She’d seen pictures of the massive brick and stone French chateauthe Sinclairs called home. It’d been featured on television showsand splashed across the pages of several magazines, but they hadn’tdone it justice. It was magnificent, right down to the perfectlymanicured lawn and landscaping.

Mrs. Sinclair had hired Aja Blue Designs to decoratethe recently reconstructed pool house. It was a blank canvas, butAja Blue wanted to tour the mansion to get an idea of Eleanor’staste and her likes and dislikes. It was one thing for Eleanor totell her how she wanted it designed, but Aja Blue preferred lookingat existing décor, colors, and styles to draw a comprehensivepicture that would please the client.

“I’m intimidated by even looking at this place,” Jaymuttered as he approached her side. “I don’t understand this kindof wealth.”

Aja Blue had been around it her whole life, havinggrown up in Hollywood, where glitz and glamor were the norm. “Theyput their pants on one leg at a time like everyone else.”

Jay shook his head. “Nah, they have people to do itfor them.”

Aja Blue chuckled as she jogged up the steps andpushed the lion’s head doorbell. A few seconds later, a man in ablack suit with a white bow tie appeared.

“I didn’t know people still had butlers,” Jaywhispered.

“Hello. I’m Aja Blue LaLonde, and this is myassociate, Jay Guitterez. We have an appointment with Mrs.Sinclair.”

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