Bought By The Billionaire - BDSM 18 novel Chapter 64

I must look a bit blank because he continues, tapping at the plan. “Here… As you know, the river divides the City in two. This results in some major logistics issues, be it for the general public, the police or even for me, moving materials to work sites. This…” He draws an invisible circle with a fingertip... “… will be the position of the new road-traffic bridge when it’s in place. Once the work’s completed, a lot of this traffic here…” He traces a line running out from the centre of the City to the Old Town, then hopping across the river… “… which right now, has to travel way out of town, will instead simply loop around the Belt and cross the river over the new bridge.”

I scan the rat’s nest of roads, highways and one-way-only arrows. “That will cut… what… twenty minutes off travel times for anyone wanting to cross the City?”

“More like thirty,” says my Master, “As well as diverting the flow away from what should be pleasant residential areas but which, right now, are blighted by articulated lorries and eighteen-wheelers of a kind which didn’t exist when those roads and that bridge were first constructed.”

Will snorts. “That’s good to know. I’m not sure how much longer the City can survive being sliced in half.”

He leans forward on his elbows. “Now, Beth, all that being the case, what we need are two solutions: a provisional short-term answer to keep us going until that bridge is in place. Then, the long-term solution that will do what we need without bankrupting the City or my credibility with the mayor…”

He taps the top of his pen against his teeth. “I need to put you in touch with Doug Hatherington. He’s head of Traffic. He can supply you with detailed plans on traffic layouts, the one-way system and where any up-and-coming changes are feeding into the system.”

My Master coughs. “No need. I have all that already.”

Will raises eyes ceiling-ward. “I should have known.”

I absorb what I’ve just learned. “This… kind of changes things. Is there a plan available for what the road layout will look like after this new bridge is in place?”

“Yes,” says my Master. “It’s provisional, but we have it. Just a moment.” He returns to the plan drawers, going straight to the fifth drawer down. After a moment of riffling through documents, he extracts a sheet of tracing paper, layering it over the City plan, then manoeuvring it to match what’s underneath. “I’ll get the digitised version of this to you as well if you prefer to work that way, but you may find this easier while you’re still at the pinning-notes-to-a-map stage.”

Will sniffs and rubs his nose. “Richard, what’s the timescale for all this? When can we expect to have that bridge in place?”

“About this time next year if everything goes to plan. It’s the top priority, ahead of everything else, and Bob Moran knows that.”

Will frowns. “If everything goes to plan?”

“Problems can always crop up, but we should start construction work early next summer. In fact…” My Master pauses mid-sentence, pinches the top of his nose. “Actually, let’s get it from the horse’s mouth.”

At his desk, he taps into the phone. “Bob? You got a minute? I’m looking for an update on those bridge schematics. Yes… I’m in my office.” He taps off again. “He’s on his way.”

Bob Moran’s office is right next door. In well under a minute, a knock at the door, and without waiting for an answer, my Master’s Technical Director enters.

His face florid and his breathing heavy, he moves slowly, his movement laboured. My Master frowns as he sees him, pulling out a chair. “Have a seat, Bob. Coffee?”

“No, I’m good, thanks…” He flops into the chair, his forehead is sheened with sweat… “Doc’s ordered me off coffee.” He nods acknowledgement. “Commissioner.”

“Mr Moran.” Will sits back in his seat, sipping at coffee and brandied steam. “So what can you tell me about progress with this bridge of yours?”

“That it’s good news. I’ve located an excellent man for the task. The preliminary ideas he offered were imaginative and appealing…” He glances at my Master, who nods happily… “… And the follow-up work he’s done since is top-notch.”

I interrupt. “I’m sorry, but how is something like this imaginative? Building a traffic bridge?”

“Oh…” Bob shakes his head. A short, sharp, defined movement. “I don’t think you need to do that. All that tech talk, Beth. You’d be bored rigid. All you need to know is, that bridge will funnel all the City’s unwanted traffic away for the next fifty years.”

“By which time,” says Will, “it will be strictly someone’s else’s problem.”

Bob lets out air. “Richard, do you need anything else from me today? I’m rather tired. I was planning on working at home this afternoon.”

“You do that,” says my Master. “Get your feet up in front of the fire. Have an early night, maybe.”

“Just what I was thinking.” He lifts himself from the seat. “I’ll see you tomorrow.” As his back turns, my Master’s forehead wrinkles.

The door closes behind him, Will murmurs, “Richard, is he…?”

My Master blows out his cheeks. “No, he's not. The fact is, once we’re past this phase of the work, with that bridge safely in place, then I'm going to suggest to Bob it's time to think about retiring. If he doesn’t slow down, he won’t have a retirement.”

Will clucks and flashes brows. “No one ever spent their last day wishing they’d spent more time at the office.” He puffs, then pushes the folder he brought with him over the table. “That’s for you, Beth. If there’s anything specific that’s not in there, you know where to find me. Any questions before I go?”

“Just the one for now. Shouldn’t this all be going through City Hall and the planners? Rather than a private… um… conspiracy… they’ve not had any input to?”

Both men cough, exchanging Yeah… Right… glances.