Chapter 10 – The Employment Agreement
A black Mercedes-Benz panel van with darkly tinted windows was idling in front of the shop as Juliette stepped out onto the sidewalk. She entered the van through a large rear passenger side door, and James began driving toward her estate. The panel van had a luxurious burgundy interior. Juliette smiled and relaxed on a rear-facing Italian leather sofa behind a soundproof glass wall separating the passengers from the driver's compartment. She took in the view of Dan bound and frightened, still attached to the dolly James used to load him into the vehicle.
Dan's mind and senses were working overtime. He was physically aware of the stress caused by his predicament, but his thoughts were mostly of Amanda. Juliette made a big production about using a timer to release Amanda, but Dan wondered if that was just a show for his benefit, and he wondered if the brief stop they just made had something to do with her. Not knowing she was safe scared him more than whatever might happen to him.
Juliette regarded him a few moments more before she reached for the remote controller embedded in the arm of the couch.
"As much fun as this is, I'm afraid I need to teach you a little something about being a slave," she said ominously as she manipulated several controls on the touch-screen of the remote.
Without warning, all of the restraints binding Dan fell to the ground except for the crotch harness and the head harness with attached blindfold and gag. After a few more taps on the screen, the LCD screens of the electronic blindfold became completely transparent, enabling Dan to take in his surroundings. He slowly stood up, stretched his limbs and looked around. Uncertain what to do with his new found freedom of movement, he decided to sit in a leather chair on the driver's side of the van. He glanced out the window, and he realized that they were traveling north toward the more affluent suburbs.
"The human anatomy can withstand tremendous stress and difficult circumstances, but it isn't designed to do so for extended periods. That is why I have released your restraints," explained Juliette. "You will continue to wear the thong and head harness as a safety precaution."
Juliette reached under the sofa and pulled out a leather briefcase. She set the briefcase on the couch next to her and opened it. Looking through a few documents, she selected one and handed it to Dan.
"Do you recognize this?" she asked.
Dan looked at the document's title "Leather or Not Employment Agreement." He nodded his head, wondering where this was headed.
"Turn to the last page. Is that your signature?" continued Juliette, pointing to the page.
Dan examined the signature above Juliette's index finger and nodded. Then, he noticed the signature to the right of his own. It was Juliette's signature, and the title under her signature read "Juliette Bouvier, President, Leather or Knot, Inc." After a moment of initial confusion, he realized that Juliette was the reclusive owner of the boutique. His revelation gave him some solace that Amanda would not be hurt, but he wasn't too sure he could say the same.
"This employment agreement is one of the documents you signed on your first day of employment with Leather or Knot, Inc. In this document, among other things, you acknowledge that any and all bondage activities related to your employment at Leather or Knot are completely consensual. In fact, to ensure that the activities are consensual, you were provided a safe word which you could use with your co-workers in order to be immediately released. Were you aware that you had such a safe word?" Juliette inquired.
Again, Dan nodded.
"Did you use your safe word at any point this evening?"
Looking down, Dan shook his head.
"Then your bondage must have been consensual, right?"
Dan vigorously shook his head.
"Silly me! I forgot. You've been deprived of your voice. Of course you couldn't use your safe word, isn't that right?" Juliette said understandingly.
Dan's head bobbed up and down.
"Were you aware that you had a safe gesture?" she said smiling.
Dan sheepishly nodded.
"You didn't use that either, though, did you?" Juliette questioned with a knowing smile.
Dan took a moment to think, and then pounded on the floor with his feet once, then twice in rapid succession, then three times in rapid succession. He looked to Juliette with his eyebrows raised.
Juliette let out a hearty laugh. "Is that your safe gesture?" she asked rhetorically. "Please review section 10.3 of your employment agreement," she said, still chuckling.
Dan read: "Employee's use of the Safe Word/Gesture is effective when provided to any employee having a position of Store Manager or lower. Employee may use the Ultimate Safe Word/Gesture to be released from any bondage situation applied by any employee, officer, director, owner or agent of Leather or Knot, Inc., including employees having a position superior to Store Manager."
Dan looked at Juliette quizzically.
"I'm afraid that the safe gesture you just provided won't work with me. You see, I'm the President of Leather or Knot, Inc." She paused for effect. "Yes, right about now you're probably wondering about the "Ultimate Safe Gesture" mentioned in the agreement, aren't you? Check out Section 1 where all of the safe words and gestures are defined," she said in a tone a teacher might take with a pupil.
Dan flipped back to the second page and found his safe word and safe gesture defined just as he had expected, but the ultimate safe word and gesture were obscured by a black marker. He turned to Juliette angrily.
"Oh, my. This copy seems to have that information redacted," she said in mock surprise. "Of course, I have the original in my safe with all of my other important papers, and I'm sure you have a copy of this somewhere at your house, right?"
Dan gave a resigned nod.
"Well, there you have it. If you can remember your ultimate safe word or gesture, you will be immediately released. Otherwise, I will assume that you are a man who abides by his employment agreement, and I will consider this little endeavor we are on completely consensual."
Dan turned away sharply. She knew that there was virtually no chance that he would ever come up with the right word or gesture. She also knew that he hadn't bothered to read the agreement when he was hired. "Who reads that stuff, anyway?" Dan thought. At the time, he figured that they were just standard employment papers, but he should have known better. After all, his job was certainly not standard employment.
They drove along in luxury and silence for 45 minutes or more, and along the way the roads became progressively more remote. Finally, the van turned off of a 2-lane drive covered by a canopy of trees onto a driveway secured by a large metal gate and flanked by two massive stone columns. Each of the columns supported a large figure carved out of stone, and small dots of red light gave away security cameras perched at the foot of each figure. They drove up the driveway for 300 yards until it intersected with a large circular drive which followed the contour of an enormous reflecting pool. An array of water fountains pulsed and sprayed in a beautiful, rhythmic, and slightly erotic pattern as the van came to a stop under a covered breezeway in front of two oak doors at least 30 feet tall.
Without speaking, Juliette gently ushered Dan, still clutching his redacted Employment Agreement, out of the van. Together, they walked up a set of stone steps and into the opulent three-story manor house. The front hall was like something out of a fairy tale. The floor was silver-gray marble that had been polished to a shine. A sprawling circular staircase emptied into the hall from a railed balcony, and several beautiful hand maidens were available to attend to anything that Juliette may have desired. She motioned for one of them to accompany Dan.
"Cynthia, please show our new guest his accommodations," Juliette said, as though Dan was a client at a quaint bed and breakfast.
The attendant touched Dan above the elbow and motioned up the staircase. Still unable to speak, Dan followed the woman in numb disbelief.
As they ascended the staircase, Dan tried to take in as much information as possible for a future escape attempt. He noticed that each of the attendants wore a white translucent 2-piece nightie as a type of uniform. Each of them also wore a harness around their waist and crotch, most likely to allow Juliette to maintain control over their actions. Whether it was because of the harnesses, job satisfaction, or some other reason, the staff seemed to operate like a well-oiled machine. Dan figured that escaping from this prison-estate would be an extremely low percentage proposition.
Cynthia led Dan down a long corridor with doors on either side. As they approached a room about three quarters of the way down the hall on the right, Dan heard a door automatically unlock. They entered the room which was to be Dan's bedroom for the evening. It looked like a five-star luxury hotel suite with a desk and credenza, a computer, and a large HD video monitor in front of a king-size bed.
In a professional voice that was in stark contrast to her appearance, Cynthia began to recount the amenities of the room like a flight attendant providing safety information before a flight. "You will sleep here tonight. For your protection and the protection of those around you, the door will automatically lock once I leave the suite. Another attendant will come to get you in the morning before your breakfast with Mistress Juliette and your friend Amanda. In the meantime, feel free to make yourself at home. You may take a shower, bath or Jacuzzi to relax if that suits you, as all of the equipment that you are wearing is completely waterproof. For your peace of mind, you should further know that each piece of equipment has a variety of safety mechanisms in the event of any malfunction, including a water-induced electrical short. Of course, we will do our best to make sure your stay with us is safe, sane and consensual."
"Cynthia, you have no idea what you're talking about," Dan thought. "Clearly, you're in no position to judge sanity."
Cynthia continued. "The television receives a variety of movie channels and in certain circumstances may operate as a video conferencing station. There is a workstation with a high-speed Internet connection over on the desk if you prefer on-line entertainment. I hope you have an enjoyable evening."
Breaking from her professional demeanor, she smiled like a gushing school girl and said "Between you and me, I think it's so romantic that you are offering yourself to your friend Amanda like this. I actually requested to be part of the breakfast detail, but my request was turned down since I don't really have any seniority."
The mere mention of Amanda's name caused Dan to raise his eyebrows in surprise. How could this woman know about Amanda, and what did breakfast have to do with anything?
Cynthia mistook Dan's expression for one of disbelief at her lack of seniority, and she elaborated accordingly. "No, really. I just started here. I probably don't even make as much as you and your friend do tending the Mistress Juliette's shop."
Forcing himself back in the moment, Dan suddenly and swiftly flipped to the second page of the contract he almost forgot he was holding. He pointed to the section defining his safe gesture, and he proceeded to stomp on the floor in the sequence described on the page.
Cynthia laughed. "How cute, you want me to know your safe gesture. Very good, now I know," she said nodding.
Dan shook his head back and forth as he flipped to the section about levels lower than Store Manager.
A concerned look came across Cynthia's face as she read. "You're serious," she said. "You have just given me your safe gesture, and you expect me to free you."
Dan nodded quickly and tapped the page of the employment agreement.
"Well, I don't know. Nobody said anything about this. I'm going to have to check with my manager."
Dan flipped the contact to the last page and pointed at his signature and Juliette's signature.
"Yes, yes, I see that this is between you and Mistress Juliette. I'll call her."
Dan vehemently shook his head and he pointed to the gag preventing him from speaking.
"Are you suggesting that I take the gag off so that you can explain?" she asked, as though they were playing a game of charades.
Dan first gave her a "thumbs up" then held up his thumb and index finger to suggest "just for a little bit."
"I don't know…" she said thinking a moment. "Well, alright, but just long enough for you to tell me what you absolutely need to."
Cynthia reached behind her back and produced a remote controller seemingly out of thin air. "There must be a well disguised pocket in that outfit," thought Dan "because I thought I could see everything."
With a few taps of Cynthia's finger on the touchpad, Dan's tongue was released, and Dan turned his head allowing the gag to fall harmlessly onto the bed. Dan breathed a deep sigh of relief, and swallowed hard before speaking.
"Cynthia, please don't contact Juliette or your manager. I don't trust them. This is my employment agreement with Leather or Knot which requires that I be released from any bondage equipment when I provide my safe signal to an employee at a store manager level or lower. Unfortunately, I don't know my "Ultimate Safe Word or Gesture" since I didn't pay attention when I signed the agreement, and Juliette won't tell me what they are because if she did, she knows that I would use them."
Surprised, Cynthia said "Wow. That's a lot to take in. So, how do I know that you didn't just make all of that up?"
"Well, I guess you really don't. Not yet," Dan said considering his situation. "Look, let's take one thing at a time. Are you at a lower level in the organization than a store manager?"
"I'm really not sure, but I would bet that I am. I just started working here last week, and it is an entry-level position," she reasoned.
"Is there someone you could ask other than your manager? Maybe a co-worker?"
Cynthia agreed to call her roommate who was also a co-worker. Cynthia used the telephone next to the bed, and after a short conversation she hung up and said "Yes, my friend Vickie said that we are at the same level as a janitor which is far below a store manager."
Cynthia then tapped her finger on the remote controller a few times, and picked up the gag from the bed. "Okay, time to put the gag back on," she said nicely.
"Wait a minute. We aren't done yet. What about my employment agreement? You should be letting me go since you are at a lower level than a store manager," Dan implored.
"I'm sorry, but we can settle all of that once we get your gag back on. Vickie also warned me not to let you go without proper authorization because unlike your employment agreement, my employment agreement includes my consent to corporal punishment for breaking the house rules. So, even though I want to help you, I'd rather not find out what will happen to me if you're lying," Cynthia explained. "Now please, just put the gag back on, and I promise I'll try to help you."
Dan knew that he had no choice. Even if he overpowered her and took the remote controller, the minute anyone found out that he was gone, they would send a signal to his helmet or thong that would make him regret his actions. He started to reason with her, but she insisted and threatened to do it "the hard way."
Just as he was putting the gag back on, a woman in a blue translucent nightie entered the suite.
The woman looked directly at Cynthia and said "I came as soon as I received your signal. What seems to be the prob…" She stopped short, looked at Dan and then looked back to Cynthia. "Who authorized you to remove his gag?" she demanded.
Cynthia searched for the right words. "Well, he gave me what appeared to be a safe gesture, and I needed to be certain that I understood. So, I temporarily removed his gag for him to explain, but we put it right back on. I'm so sorry if I did anything wrong."
"Of course you've done something wrong!" the woman said, raising her voice. "What in the world made you think he would have a safe gesture, and how would you have known what it was, anyway?"
Dan, having reinserted the gag, held up his contract and pointed to the section describing his safe gesture.
"Yes," Cynthia explained. "He has this employment agreement that identifies his safe gesture, and requires anyone at a store manager level or lower to remove his restraints."
The woman dismissed the thought. "That's nonsense! They're just words on a page. There's nothing here to suggest that this is a real contract."
"Actually, there is," said Cynthia taking the agreement from Dan and turning to the last page. "It appears to be signed by Mistress Juliette. That's why I called you."
Cynthia's manager studied the document. She spent a considerable amount of time reviewing the signature page.
"Well, there's only one way to settle this. We'll call Mistress Juliette."
Dan stared at the ground resigned to his fate.
The women stood in front of the HD monitor, and the manager tapped the remote controller touch screen several times. The monitor displayed "Connecting… please wait" superimposed over a beautiful panoramic shot of the estate grounds. Twenty seconds later, they were on a video conference with Mistress Juliette.
With an air of skepticism, Cynthia's superior reported the events in a fairly accurate fashion to Juliette. Juliette asked Cynthia "Did he give you the correct safe gesture as described in the agreement?"
"Yes, ma'am. He did. That was what prompted me to call Miss Francis," Cynthia said, gesturing to her manager.
There was an uncomfortably long pause. Dan expected Juliette to order the women to add more restraints. Cynthia was certain that she was going to be punished for even considering this. Miss Francis was contemplating the appropriate punishment for a first-time offense.
Finally, a smile crept across Juliette's face. She began to nod. "Nicely played, Daniel. Nicely played. I wondered whether you would use the clues I provided. I wasn't sure you would be able to identify a staff member at the right level in the organization, but you managed to make quick work of it."
Dan looked up, eyes wide, stunned that she admitted that he was right.
Juliette continued. "Ladies, I am a woman of my word. Please see to it that you remove all restraints from Mr. Learner, and offer him every amenity that you would offer any of my most honored guests."
The women were amazed, but they promptly complied. Miss Francis reached down to operate the remote controller, and Dan's head harness, goggles and gag slid off of his head to the floor. The harness covering his manhood gently opened. Dan gladly removed it and tossed it on the bed. Suddenly naked, Dan felt extremely self-conscious.
"I don't suppose there are any men's clothes in the closet?" Dan said sarcastically.
Cynthia immediately walked to the bathroom and held open a luxuriously thick terrycloth robe. Dan put his arms in the sleeves, wrapped it around his body and began to feel human again. Walking over an armoire near the closet, Cynthia said "We have a variety of clothes for you. I believe that they will all be your size." She opened the armoire and the closet to reveal an immense wardrobe.
Stunned, Dan said "The robe will be fine for now."
Juliette spoke again from the HD monitor. "Daniel, you are now free to move about in any of the public areas of the estate, but if you don't mind waiting, I would love to give you a personal tour. Please relax. Settle in for a bit, and I will be down in just under an hour. Agreed?"
"Sure," replied Dan, not knowing what else to say. This day had been long and eventful, but it wasn't over yet.
* * * * *
Links to Leather or Knot Chapters 1-20:
1. First Impressions
2. The Job Interview
3. Dan's First Modeling Session
4. Things Get Personal
5. Amanda’s in a Bind
6. Dan’s Private Modeling Session
7. A Lapse in Judgment
8. Honesty is the Best Policy
9. Dan’s New Position
10. The Employment Agreement
11. Juliette’s Domain
12. Dan’s Preparation
13. Amanda’s Decision
14. The J-2010 Training Harness
15. Amanda’s Mistake
16. Linda’s New Job
17. On The Job Training
18. The Final Tests
19. Test Results
20. Epilogue