I'd say you got pwned way worse than you think you did.
You 'lost' the harness? What? You mean you put the harness down IN THEIR BUSINESS and someone else picked it up. The harness didn't get lost, it got moved, and it's just about guaranteed that they still possess the harness.
Then the douchebag tells you he'll 'take the hit'? What? He charged you retail for the lost harness, that's not taking any **** hit at all. He certainly told everyone involved that you 'lost the harness', once you left, at least, even if not in front of you. Dude didn't take a hit for ****, and he wouldn't hand the boss retail price for the ****ing harness IF he did lose it; he'd pay the cost the business paid for it.
You got ****ed dude, and you begged for it.