Chapter 14 – The J-2010 Training Harness
For 45 minutes, Dan sat silently in the passenger seat of Amanda's car as they drove to her apartment. Even if he had been allowed to speak, he probably wouldn't have. He was stunned. He was having problems processing what was happening to him. Somehow, he had to tell Amanda that his captivity at the mansion was just a cruel deception by Juliette, but he didn't dare speak until Amanda deactivated the harness.
Amanda's drive home was quite the opposite of Dan's. She had never felt so alive. All of her senses were operating at a heightened level, and she continually looked over to Dan with love in her heart. She simply couldn't stop talking, telling Dan how much he meant to her and how she would take care of him for the rest of their lives.
She couldn't believe that he had trusted her enough to give himself to her completely, and although she never knew that he had wanted that kind of a relationship, she was determined to please him. The video presentation and Juliette's impromptu training session convinced Amanda that she needed to be loving but firm – even if Dan resisted. After all, this was his choice.
Amanda parked in her assigned space, and she asked Dan to get the wheeled case out of the trunk. As they walked up to Amanda's apartment building, one of her neighbors passed them and said "hello." Amanda returned the greeting with a pleasant "good morning," and Dan nodded once with a half-hearted smile.
Once they were inside her apartment Amanda threw herself a Dan, and they landed on the couch. She laid on top of him straddling his waist and kissing him beneath his ear. She nuzzled close and whispered "I love you." She continued to kiss him for a few more seconds. Then she pushed his shoulders down and sat up to look down at him.
"No I love you, too?" She said with a pout.
Dan opened his mouth and pointed into it, and Amanda giggled, suddenly feeling silly.
"Of course, your vocal chords don't work," she said knowingly.
Dan shook his head and reached under the collar of his shirt to remind her of the harness.
"Oh, right," she said more concerned. "The harness… Silence slave off," she said in a friendly but confident tone.
Dan tentatively cleared his throat, and a rough grumble sounded deep within. Having felt no pain, Dan gave the expected response.
"I love you, too," he said sincerely.
With that, Amanda dove back down to kiss him, and even though he was confused and concerned, Dan responded instinctively. He thrust his hips slightly and began to unbutton her blouse. Once finished, he removed her bra and began nibbling at her nipples. She unbuckled his belt and pushed his pants down to his knees.
Caressing his balls, Amanda purred "Mmmm, good slave."
Dan immediately felt the cock ring of the harness come alive. It began to vibrate and randomly emit the slightest of electrical charges.
"Oh my God!" he exclaimed as the sensations drove him into an uncontrolled frenzy. He became harder than he ever thought he could, and he needed to have Amanda right then. He raised her leather skirt and lowered her black lace panties to reveal his target. With her natural lubricant, he easily slipped inside of her and unwittingly pressed the cock ring against her sensitive vaginal lips.
She was quickly overcome by the vibrations and minor shocks of the harness, and within seconds they both collapsed in satisfied exhaustion. The sensations of the harness slowly tapered off leaving them embracing, trembling and panting. Half on the couch and half on the floor, they slid down between the couch and the coffee table, as though they were one, and Dan fell into a contented sleep.
Two hours later, Dan awoke to find he was alone in the apartment. His pants at his feet and his shirt unbuttoned, he looked down at the harness still holding him prisoner. He wondered whether Amanda had given the harness any commands before she left. He also wondered what else the harness could do. He knew Juliette well enough to know that he could only imagine the full range of possible commands. He walked toward the window to check for Amanda's car, and as he reached the window, he was startled by a pleasant voice that emanated from of a pair of miniature speakers embedded in the shoulder straps of the harness.
"Perimeter reached. Remain within the designated area. Disobedience will be punished."
His heart pounding from the sudden scare, Dan noticed that Amanda's parking space was empty, and he backed away from the window toward the center of the room. He collected his thoughts and reasoned that Amanda must have somehow defined the perimeter of her apartment for the harness before she left. He decided to have a closer look at the harness and possibly find a way to remove it.
He purposefully strode to the bathroom and removed the remainder of his clothing except for the harness. With the aid of the bathroom mirror, he examined the harness in detail. It was apparently made of synthetic leather. A metal ring encircled the base of his shaft, and a connected strap wound around the base of his sac. From the episode with Amanda, he assumed that electrodes were embedded in the strap.
A slightly larger strap ran from the bottom of the metal cock ring through his butt cheeks to the small of his back. The strap terminated at a thin, flexible, rectangular pad. Two larger straps ran from the top of the pad, over his shoulders, to the top of the cock ring. They were essentially a pair of kinky suspenders with high fidelity speakers embedded in the shoulder straps.
Connecting straps ran horizontally around his upper chest and waist to prevent the harness from being removed. In the center of the chest harness was a second thin rectangular pad similar to the pad at the small of the back. Dan assumed that there were sensors in the chest pad, such as a microphone, or a heart monitor, for example. He also considered whether there were additional electrodes in the chest pad or anywhere else in the harness. Given what he had seen at Juliette's compound, this harness might be equipped to do just about anything, but one thing it was clearly not equipped to do was be removed by the wearer.
He saw no visible means for mechanically removing the harness. So he concluded that one or both of flexible pads housed some type of locking mechanism that could only be activated by the synchronized collar worn by Amanda. He briefly considered trying to cut the harness off using household scissors, but he decided that the designers would surely have made the device tamper resistant, and he didn't want to find out the punishment for trying to escape.
Concluding that he wasn't going to be able to remove the harness without help, he considered calling 911, but he didn't want to implicate Amanda or publicize their alternative proclivities. Of course, he ruled out calling friends or family members. So he deduced that the only person who could help him was Linda, the soon-to-be former store manager of Leather or Knot.
Dan stood in the center of the living room, wearing nothing but the harness, and dialed the shop. The phone rang at the other end, and Linda answered on the third ring with "Leather or Knot, Linda speaking. May I help you?"
"Lin…" Dan began, but before he could utter the second syllable of her name, an electric shock to his cock and balls took his breath away and left him doubled over in pain. He instinctively dropped the phone and reached for his privates. The phone hit the floor hard enough that the battery compartment broke open sending three AA batteries skittering across the hardwood under the couch. Although Linda didn't hear it, Dan reflexively yelped after catching his breath, and then he covered his nose and mouth to prevent any more sound from coming out.
At the other end of the line, all Linda heard was a dial tone.
"That's weird," Linda said turning to Amanda. "That call came from your home phone. It sounded like Dan, but we were cut off before we could talk."
Amanda's eyebrows raised in surprise. "Hmm, I've been having trouble with my home phone," she lied after a short pause. "I'm sure if it's important he'll call back."
"Yeah, you're probably right," Linda replied, dismissing the topic. "So, you were telling me about Juliette's place. What's it like?"
"Well, it's huge and beautiful," Amanda said mimicking the description with her eyes. "It's a small village really, and her house is like a really nice hotel."
"Wow. I'm envious that you've already been there, but she's invited me there tomorrow. She was really cool on the phone this morning when she revealed that she actually owned the store. And before I could even process that news, she told me that things weren't going to work out for me here." Linda paused. "At first I was totally bummed out, and angry with you for taking my spot, but honestly she's right. Kinky retail isn't really my thing. The kinky part is fun, but I hate the rest of it. Besides, she offered me severance pay that I can live off for a couple of months if I need to, and she asked me to interview for a position on the security staff at her house. So, maybe things will work out after all."
"I was bummed out about it, too," Amanda lied. "I hope you're not still mad at me. I really had nothing to do with it."
"No, I'm totally over it," Linda said unconvincingly.
"I'm glad. Just keep an open mind when you go there to meet her," Amanda offered. "She's not as bad as she appears. She's just really eccentric and hard to read."
"I'll try," Linda replied. "I've been wondering, though, how are you going to run the shop all by yourself? I'm gone after today, and Juliette told me that Dan had found another position."
"You're right. I can't run the shop alone, but I was able to round up two new sales associates this afternoon on the drive over here," Amanda said smiling.
"No way! We've been advertising for weeks, and you were able to find two in one day?"
"Yeah, I called Beth, the sorority sister who organized the bondage-themed pledge party. It turns out that the party was a hit. So I asked Beth if she would like a part-time job at the shop working 3-4 days a week. She accepted over the phone, and her roommate Tara accepted, as well," Amanda bragged.
"Well, congratulations. I thought that you'd have a hard time taking over, but it seems like you were made for this job," Linda said, secretly hoping that Amanda would fail.
"It gets even better," Amanda continued, as if to rub salt in the wound. "Beth said that she knew another girl named Lisa and her boyfriend Steve who might be interested. Beth is going to check with them and let me know about them tomorrow when she and Tara come in for informal interviews and training."
An uncomfortable silence fell on the shop.
"Well, I'd better be getting back home," Amanda finally said. "Dan's waiting for me to help him prepare for his new position. You can just give the keys to the shop to Juliette when you see her tomorrow."
Amanda left the shop feeling rather superior. She was now the manager of Leather or Knot. Her boyfriend at home was her devoted slave, and she had $100,000 in the bank. "What a difference a day makes!" she said to herself.
Once in her car, Amanda reached into her purse and withdrew a booklet entitled "J-2010 Training Harness User Manual." She sat in her car reading the manual like it was a best-selling novel. After each page, she turned to the next with anticipation of more amazing information.
She was particularly intrigued by the 3G connectivity that allowed 2-way communication between the collar she was wearing and the harness. She loved the fact that the system was currently configured so that the communication link could only be activated and terminated by the wearer of the collar. Further, it could be activated without the harness wearer's knowledge.
She was also interested in the summary command list at the back of the manual. It included a handy tear-out card that listed all of the harness commands, and it was small enough to fit inconspicuously in her purse.
As she began to drive home, she said in a self-assured voice "3G communication enabled." Glancing into the rearview mirror, Amanda noticed a tiny red LED illuminated on the jeweled collar. Through tiny speakers embedded in the collar, she could hear rustling sounds.
"Hello, Dan," Amanda said sweetly. "Linda said you called her, but you weren't very talkative."
The rustling sounds suddenly stopped. Although Amanda couldn't see him, she knew that Dan was startled by her voice, and she was amused by his silence. Having already been punished earlier for talking out of turn, she expected no reply.
"Cat got your tongue? You'll talk to Linda but not your girlfriend? Now is that anyway to treat the woman who loves you with all her being?" Amanda smiled imagining Dan's frustration.
"Okay, I've toyed with you enough. Silence slave off. Now you can speak without getting zapped."
Still Dan didn't answer.
"Seriously, I was calling to find out if you're okay after your call to Linda. Are you alright?" Amanda asked with sincere concern in her voice.
"Yes, I'm alright. It hurt like hell, but I'll survive," Dan said. "Of course, I wished I known that you turned that damned thing on, but you left without telling me."
"Well, I didn't want to wake you up. You were sleeping so soundly after making love," Amanda explained. "By the way, you were incredible."
"You too, but we really need to discuss this harness," Dan said, getting straight to the point. "I need you to release me. Juliette has tricked you into believing that this was my idea, but it wasn't. It was hers."
As clearly as Amanda heard Dan's words, she also heard Juliette's advice ringing in her head. Juliette warned her that Dan might say something like this.
"Dan, I saw the video," Amanda said in a tone that suggested Dan had just insulted her intelligence. "I saw you ask to be restrained for me even after you knew there wasn't a safe word. I think you're just having second thoughts."
"Look Amanda, that's not for you to decide. I want out of this damned thing, now deactivate it," Dan said raising his voice.
Amanda was hurt, shocked and angry. "How dare you talk to me like that!"
"Look Amanda," Dan said, realizing he may have gone too far. "I love you, but I don't want to live like this. I want to…"
Without warning, Amanda shouted "Silence slave," causing Dan to be punished for trying to finishing his sentence.
After taking a moment to compose herself, Amanda continued. "I have agreed to take complete care of you, and in return I expect complete obedience from you."
She heard Dan pound the floor either in frustration or pain. She didn't know which.
"You had better get used to your situation, because it isn't going to change any time soon. I'm coming home, and although I considered having you make our dinner, I've decided to just pick up our favorite Chinese food, and we can watch a movie. After the movie, I will have to punish you further for your call to Linda." After a short pause, she added "Of course, once the punishment is over, we might be able to have a little make-up sex. After reading the user manual for the harness, I think I can make it up to you. In the meantime, be a good boy and watch TV. 3G communication disabled."
Smiling to herself, Amanda thought how great it was that she could have the first and last word in any conversation. She loved the feeling of superiority that the equipment gave her.
In her apartment, Dan knew that the longer Amanda controlled him, the more her perceived superiority would affect her judgment. He knew that his best chance for escape was now, before she learned more about the harness and before Juliette began his training sessions. He now realized that even if he could convince Amanda that his bondage was nonconsensual, she might enjoy it so much over time that she still wouldn't release him.
With Amanda having already read the user's manual for the harness, Dan decided to search the open toy case for any other devices that Juliette may have given to Amanda. Even if he couldn't use them to his advantage, he would rather know what weapons Amanda had at her disposal. On the inside of the toy case door, Dan found an inventory of all of the items originally in the case. Some items didn't make sense, like the "locking rope" and the "licking machine" – he almost didn't want to know what those did. One item that caught his eye, however, was the "J-2010 Installation Disc." He located the CD and concluded that it stored software for the harness.
For the first time since graduating, his Information Technology degree might work to his advantage. Knowing that time was limited, Dan quickly inserted the disc into Amanda's computer which he had unsuccessfully used to send an e-mail a few minutes earlier. An auto-play menu appeared allowing him to either view the user manual or install the J-2010 controller application. Immediately opting to install the software, his heart sank as the PC requested a 16 digit CD-Key that could be found on the inside cover of the printed user manual.
Disheartened, Dan reviewed the interactive user manual for the J-2010 Training Harness instead. Reading quickly, he learned that the harness could be controlled in any of several different ways: using the necklace, using the microphone on the harness, using the software and using a mobile telephone. He found the command list and determined that he could transfer control to the computer or the harness itself if he had the CD-Key.
After scouring the interactive user manual for information, Dan silently resigned himself to his predicament for the time being. He put his clothes back on and sat down to watch television until Amanda came home.
A few minutes later Amanda entered the apartment smiling like the Cheshire Cat. Her purse was slung over her shoulder, and she was carrying two bags of Chinese food in her hands. She tossed her purse onto the couch and took the food into the kitchen. As they unpacked the food and prepared their plates, Dan was silent, but Amanda was talking so much she seemed to be out of breath.
She told Dan about Linda's reaction to being let go and that Linda might get a position at Juliette's estate. She continued by rhetorically wondering whether her relationship with Linda was still solid and by telling Dan about how she had already hired two new sales associates.
"You actually know them," she teased with a grin. "They are two of the sorority sisters who organized their bondage-themed pledge party, Beth and Tara. You remember Beth. She was the tall blonde one who spanked you for being such a naughty little sales associate."
Dan remembered. Under different circumstances, Dan would have just laughed the comment off, but restrained in the harness, he felt degraded. His feelings came through on his face, and Amanda became concerned.
"Silence slave off," she said quietly. "Look, I was just kidding around. I didn't mean anything."
"You just think this is a big joke, don't you?" Dan responded. "You're feeling so powerful controlling me with this harness, and it really doesn't become you."
"Look, you're the one who wanted this situation, not me," Amanda responded defensively. "I'm doing you a favor here."
"Juliette has you totally fooled, but I'm telling you again that this was not my idea."
They both fell silent staring at each other. Dan was frustrated and angry that he was Amanda's puppet instead of her boyfriend, and Amanda was confused and hurt, not knowing what to believe.
Finally, Amanda said "I just don't know what to think. If I let you out of that harness, I might be ruining it for you. When there's no safe word, I can't tell if 'no' really means 'no.' But since I'm the one in charge, at least for now, I've decided that we can have a movie night like we used to. Let's just forget that you're wearing the harness, and we can talk about it tomorrow. Deal?"
"Well, if the past two days had been normal, we'd probably be having a movie night, anyway. Of course, it's really hard to pretend that I don't have a metal ring around my penis that could zap me at your slightest whim."
Dan turned to walk toward the living room, and Amanda followed. They sat down on the couch, and Dan grabbed the remote.
"I promise I won't use the harness… unless you want me to," she said with a smile. Pointing at the manual spilling out of her purse on the couch, she continued. "I had a chance to read the manual, and the harness can do some amazing things… not all of them bad either."
After eating, they snuggled together on couch and watched a romantic comedy chosen by Amanda. About halfway through the movie, Dan got up. He collected their dirty dishes and said "I'm going to get some more Sprite, would you like some?"
"I would have done that," Amanda said nodding to the dishes. "But if you're going anyway, sure. Thanks."
Once in the kitchen, Dan decided he couldn't simply abdicate his freedom to Amanda's whim. After putting the dishes in the sink and pouring two glasses of Sprite, he quietly opened the cupboard door above the sink and removed a bottle of Tylenol PM. Hurrying so as not to attract Amanda's attention, he broke open the pills and emptied the contents into one of the glasses. A quick but silent stir later and nobody could tell the difference. Dan consciously kept the glass of doctored Sprite in his left hand, and he offered it to Amanda when he got back to the couch.
By the time the movie was over, Amanda was fast asleep, and Dan was sitting next to her reading the J-2010 Training Harness User Manual. After reading for an hour, even though Amanda controlled the harness, and him, through her necklace, he thought he might have a solution to his problem.
* * * * *
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