Free Unbound (The Braille Club #2) by J. A. Kerr Page B

agreements—he understood people must protect their inventions, but he was speechless when he saw what they were.
    “Let’s start with the hood, shall we?” said Guy. “I want members to have the best sound experience, like headphones—wireless, of course—is this possible?”
    Ford lifted the hood and examined it. He turned it inside out and eventually put it down before answering. “Look, I’m not sure I’m the right guy to be asking…this all seems very—” He struggled to find the right word. “Specialised,” he finished.
    “In your opinion, is it possible or not?” asked Benedict as direct as ever.
    “Well yes, I suppose it’s possible,” Ford conceded.
    “We want a flexible cuff to replace this.” Guy handed him the bindings with the bells. “In fact, we want two versions. One cuff set with just the bells and the other with motion sensors. Both must have automatic locking and unlocking functions. Is that possible?”
    Ford, uncomfortable now, nodded, wondering what had possessed him to attend this meeting. He stopped at the open chair in front of him and examined the machinery stored beneath the seat and frowned.
    “I’m sorry, I’m lost here. What does this chair do?”
    “Ford, can you come with us?” asked Guy as they all stood and he followed them through to a room with several similar chairs set out. Benedict would never allow Siena to participate in demonstrations. Foreseeing a need, Guy had asked Grace. An original member of their staff, she’d willingly taken on the teaching role.
    “Ford, will you sit, please.” Guy indicated the chair nearest him. Ford sat down warily and Grace entered the room. She smiled at them warmly. An elegant woman, her age indeterminate, she was dressed in a black polo neck and tapered black trousers.
    “Ford, I will leave you in the capable hands of Grace. She will take you through what is required.”
    Ford felt uneasy and curious. “Is all this cloak and dagger routine necessary?” he asked.
    “You are free to leave at any time. We ask, as a professional courtesy, you say nothing of what you have seen here,” said Benedict, already losing patience.
    Ford heard the note of dismissal in his voice, the flash of annoyance on his face. He hesitated looking up, but the look of disappointment in Guy’s eyes had him eventually nodding his head. This was the most unusual meeting he’d ever been to, but somehow he sensed these men weren’t fooling around. Their intense expressions conveyed just how serious they were. Hell, the payment of his outrageous fee, upfront, told him they were committed.
    “Okay.” He grinned. “I’m at your mercy, Grace. Be gentle with me.”
    These were words he would soon realise he would come to regret. Grace stepped forward with the hood in her hands.
    “Ford, this session is all about pleasurable endurance, but you will feel no pain. All I ask is that you do not ring your bell.”
    Ford looked confused. “What do you mean? What bell?”
    “Please listen, I will explain everything. There are three rules I will ask you to observe during this demonstration. The first one is you cannot see; blindfolds are compulsory. May I?” said Grace, the hood in her hands.
    Ford’s eyes widened, but Grace pressed on, slipping it quickly over his head before continuing.
    “The second rule is you must not speak, silence is mandatory; please nod your head if you wish to continue.”
    Ford sat there, the darkness absolute, trying to get his racing heart under control—what was this? He didn’t know what was happening or whether he should continue, but he remembered Benedict’s cold voice from earlier telling him he could leave at any time and this calmed him. Still it was several minutes before he nodded his head.
    “The third rule is you must not move. By this, I mean your hands. Once they are bound, should you move them, the bell attached to the bindings will ring, and the demonstration will be over.”
    Ford thought back to what