Chapter 42: Building Works

Business was certainly getting back to normal. When I next saw Freddie he had quite a chirpy air about him. I was still worrying about Rachel, I couldn't help admiring the way in which she had held on, even if it now looked as though she been irreparably damaged by it. The one encouraging thing was that Rick reckoned she was showing signs that her catatonic state was easing. He hadn't found any potential buyers yet. I suggested that he held off for a bit until we had a better picture of her prognosis. It didn't sound like smart business to me to be selling stock on unless you were certain what you were delivering.

Clegg had asked me to join a meeting. I got there before he did. Sarah was there looking as efficient as ever, sitting beside Clegg's desk, demurely dressed in a white blouse and a long black skirt that reached almost to the floor. I'd have asked her what the meeting was about but her mouth was filled with one of the Prep Centre's standard issue ball gags.

There in the middle of Clegg's desk was an architectural model. It looked like quite an old house — a late Elizabethan manor house butted onto the keep of an earlier castle was my guess. The house was surrounded by a moat and outside of that by a circular bank. I was peering closely at it when Freddie came in with Harry and a visitor, a young man wearing a loud check sports jacket.

"Ahha," said the visitor, in an ear splitting Brooklyn accent. "You're admiring my new home. Whaddya think?"

"This is Ross," said Clegg introducing me. "Larry Ross."

"Sure, sure," the visitor said. "I've heard about you. Big help around here."

I tried to smile modestly but it was difficult to hide the pleasure of being recognised for the work I was doing.

"This," said Clegg, pointing at the newcomer, "is the Emir of Kolin" Clegg saw my look of surprise. He certainly didn't sound like any of the Kushtians that I had met so far. "He has recently inherited the title. He's been living in the States for the last fourty years,"

"Like forever," the Emir cut in with a grin.

Clegg smiled tolerantly and continued "And he's coming to the UK to establish trading links between Kushtia and with various UK companies. The Kalinin is apparently very keen to have commercial links here. We have another little project on for the Emir with one of our other divisions," Clegg gestured at the model, "and now he would like us to help out with the sort of task that you and Harry are such experts at. Harry; thank you for bringing Sarah along, she can take notes, there will be quite a lot to do."

"Ah, she works too, does she?" The Emir smiled. "Thought she was just the office eye candy." Sarah looked as though she was embarrassed by his remarks — she still hadn't really got used to being viewed as a sex object — but she liked being noticed too.

The 'other division' turned out to be the company that Clegg used for construction projects. Most of that was legitimate work but they also had a side-line constructing dungeons and other secure accommodation for slave keepers. They had lots of experience with concrete set metal bars, heavy doors, underground construction, that sort of thing. Clegg's team had been extending and converting the Emir's new home in the Worcestershire countryside. He'd bought it cheaply after a plan to convert the building into a hotel had collapsed. The developers had got as far as installing the pool, the gym and the spa and creating 20 bedrooms in what was the old castle keep. They'd built the golf course. Then the money had run out.

"Work is going fine," the Emir said. "All on schedule and to what I understand to be Mr Clegg's usual standards of quality. What's needed now is the final preparations for the soft furnishings."