The Rhythm Method

Charlotte broke the kiss, looking up at the big man as she bit her bottom lip. She didn't need to hear the words from him. She could see them written all over his face. He had feelings for her as well, broken as she seemed to be at the moment. The thought made her reel, and she was glad that he held her in his strong arms.

Ralph kissed her again, hard, and pulled her tightly against him. Charlotte smiled into the kiss, feeling his strong arms pull her to him and demand her full attention. This was the kiss she had been waiting for, the kiss she had fantasized about. He was taking charge, and she felt her heart thump in her chest as she kissed him back, giving him exactly what he demanded of her.

Their clothes were soaked through now, but neither of them felt the chill. Charlotte could feel the bulge in the front of Ralph's pants pressing up against her body. It made her yearn for him, and she wished that they were in her room where she could tell him, show him, how much she needed a man like him in her life, instead of standing out in the vineyards in the rain. She was on the verge of not caring who saw or what anyone said when they heard footfalls approaching.

They pulled away from each other moments before Suzette came around the bend, jogging at a good clip. She stopped when she reached them, taking a moment to catch her breath.

"What are you two doing out here?" she asked.

"We came out to get some air," replied Charlotte. "And to talk about what we need to do to win this competition. We are one of the couples dancing tomorrow in the finale."

Suzette gave them a knowing smile. "Well, come on inside with me. You need to be well rested for tonight, and we don't need you catching a cold standing out in the rain."

"I guess not," Ralph chimed in with a frown. "You're dedicated going out jogging again today in this rain. Did you not get enough endorphins this morning?" he asked, trying to hang back and delay to no avail. Suzette continued to walk toward the doorway, beckoning them to follow while letting out a girlish laugh.

Reluctantly, the couple followed her back to the castle, the moment spoiled. Once inside, Suzette hooked arms with Charlotte and shepherded her off toward her room.

"I want to hear all about the competition," Suzette was saying to Charlotte as they walked, leaving a soaked Ralph standing alone in the foyer. Charlotte glanced over her shoulder at him, making a pouting face before turning away and disappearing up the stairs.

"I've been hoping for an opportunity to get to speak with you alone, but I didn't want to pull you out of the group and have the gossipers claim there was favoritism. Ralph won't tell anyone, will he?" asked Suzette. Then she laughed. "Of course not. He and his friends don't put up with all that bullshit that goes on, do they?"

"You wanted to talk to me?" Charlotte replied, appearing startled. "I have really been trying to get to know everybody this week. I admit Ralph used to scare me but that was before I got to know him. Really...this week has been a wonderful opportunity to get to know people better." She began defending herself, still unsure if she was one of the people seen as a problem in the winery, despite the reassurances that she had passed by Stuart Gresham.

"Oh, Charlotte. Don't look so worried. I just wanted to know you were okay after all that nasty business with Jeff Cartwright yesterday, but seeing how you and Ralph Watson were looking at each other, I'm gathering you aren't heart broken." She unlocked the door to her suite and ushered Charlotte in.

"Well I had broken up with him the day before. We had never truly been in love, you know. It was just a convenience to be together and I suddenly woke up and realized I deserved better. Honestly, aside from the horrific embarrassment it has all caused me, I actually feel relief that I don't have to deal with a man that never made me happy. And never could, I realize now. Turns out I hardly knew him at all," she said sadly.

"It's easy to get pulled in by the power and lifestyle of those sort of families. They are used to getting what they want from everyone. In fact, Jeff's father paid Frank a little visit at the golf club today and made a few demands," she said, grabbing a few towels and handing one to Charlotte as she spoke. Seeing the look of horror on Charlotte's face, Suzette rushed on. "Frank told him to fuck off. I think he actually said he used those words," she grinned at Charlotte, lightening her mood.

"Is that why you wanted to talk to me? Would you like me to resign for all the trouble I have caused?" Charlotte said quietly.

"Oh gosh no!" Suzette exclaimed, "Just the opposite." She saw Charlotte tilt her head. "I wanted to know that you were coping with all that has happened in the last week. Not only have we shaken up this winery, but your life had been shaken badly too."

"I'm just fine," Charlotte smiled. "In fact, I feel better than I have in a long time." An image of Ralph looking strong and protective flittered across her mind. "I admit I was a little rattled yesterday after the... well you know, but I think it's been good for me having this weekend and keeping busy. No time to dwell on whether or not I made the right decision dumping Jeff, which I know now for sure was absolutely the right thing."

"And Ralph?" Suzette asked with a knowing look.

"He's ummm, my dance partner," Charlotte hedged. "I probably shouldn't have followed him out into the rain. I'm freezing now," she smiled, hoping Suzette would let her leave to shower and change.

Suzette nodded, "You should go get cleaned up and ready for dinner. We can talk more later."

"Sure," Charlotte said, folding the towel in her hands and placing it over the back of a chair. "Thanks for reassuring me about Jeff and my place here," she said uncertainly, not really understanding the whole conversation except that she wasn't about to be fired or asked to resign for her part in the drama of yesterday.

Suzette walked Charlotte to the door of the large penthouse style suite and impulsively hugged her. Charlotte squeaked in surprised. "Don't let the hard ass bitch routine I do downstairs fool you. I have to do that here with all these men around. You of all people get that," she laughed. "I'm pretty easy going usually...once I get people doing things the way I want them." She winked and Charlotte let out a laugh. "See you at dinner," she said as she waved and closed the door.

Suzette had been where Charlotte was, with an abusive boyfriend, and she thanked her lucky stars every day that Frank had been there to pick her up when her world fell apart. She could see the chemistry brewing between Charlotte and the hero of the day Ralph, and she wondered if she should push it along a little. Grinning, she made some plans for the dancing they would do tonight.

Having showered and changed, Charlotte sat in one of the big comfy chairs in her room to gather her thoughts. She had been rerunning the conversation with Ralph through her mind over and over. She wondered how far things would have gone had Suzette not interrupted them. The feel of his lips on hers was soft at first, but became more demanding.

Her mind went to Suzette. Was she trying to warn her that it was too soon to be seen with someone else? Or that relationships at work didn't work and could end disastrously as hers and Jeff's had. It would have been hard to work here if Jeff had stayed, and it would be worse if things didn't work out with Ralph. It could give her the reputation as that girl, who was passed around at work.

She knew she shouldn't even be thinking about a relationship so soon, but she couldn't help the way she felt when Ralph was near her. Hell, she couldn't help thinking about him when he wasn't. She lowered her head, covering her face with her hands. If Jeff hadn't reacted so badly no one here would even know what was going on. The thought suddenly occurred to her that she had never considered how Tammy would react to what had happened. What if she went off the deep end as well?

She sat there quietly for a long time, thinking over everything that had happened in the last week. She had never wanted to risk her job and that is exactly what happened. She couldn't go back to her old life and she wondered if in the worst case scenario, Stuart would give her a reference. There was a knock on her door and looking up, she realized the light had faded and the evening air filtered through the windows.

The knock sounded again, this time more insistent. Charlotte got up and turned on the light before opening the door. Ralph stood there, the brooding worried look on his face scattering to clear his features as a lop-sided smile appeared in its place.

Unable to help herself, Charlotte smiled back. In the back of her mind she knew she shouldn't, but wanting to be able to talk to him she said, "I lost track of time. Is it dinner time or do you want to talk about our dance tonight?" She suddenly felt shy about what had happened and gushed her words in a big rush like a nervous school girl, rather than the professional young woman she was.

"It's a while before dinner yet," Ralph frowned at her. "What'd Suzette want? I thought you might like to talk about it and..." he took a step forward into her room, taking her in his arms. "I needed to know I hadn't dreamt this..." he said, lowering his head to take her lips again in an ever deepening kiss.

Charlotte's knees went weak, feeling herself succumbing to the beast of a man holding her in his arms. He held her tightly against his body, his tongue exploring her mouth, one hand drifting down to cup a cheek of her ass in his strong hand. He pulled her against him, and she could again feel his hardness between them, which pleased her and fed her hunger. She was feeling overwhelmed by all that had happened, and she was scared. Scared she would be nothing more to him than Tammy was. Scared she was caught up in the emotions of the past few days, and wasn't in a position to think straight. Scared about her job. Scared, most of all, that this man had her ready to risk everything for him.

In her last moment before complete surrender, she used all of her will to break the kiss, putting a hand on his chest and pushing him away just the tiniest bit. Ralph looked at her in surprise, wondering what was wrong.

"Ralph...I'm...I'm just so scared," she whispered.

"I thought we were past that," he chuckled.

Not in a joking mood, she searched his eyes with hers. "I mean it. I know what my heart is feeling, Ralph. But what if it's all just the stuff that's happened in the past few days...I don't know. You saved my life. You were my hero. How do I trust that this is something more than that? How do I know this isn't some intense rebound thing I'm feeling?"

"Did you save my life, Charlotte?" Ralph asked. With his eyes locked on hers as he awaited her reply, he knew that she had, but she would never know it. "How do you explain my feelings for you?"

"I don't know, Ralph. Maybe...maybe it's that you saved me. Maybe it's that I'm available and you feel like you should after...well...saving me?"

Ralph frowned, and Charlotte could see the hurt in his eyes.

"What about your friend Tammy?" She tried again to express everything she was feeling. "You two mean something to each other. How do you feel about that? How will she feel?"

"Tammy? She's a good friend, Charlotte. As you well know, she and I have...well..."

"I know Ralph. I saw."

"That's what we do. What we did. We both knew it was never going to be more than that."

"Come on, Ralph. People say stuff like that all the time. That doesn't mean they believe it. She could be very hurt by this," she sighed. "Whatever this is."

Ralphed laughed.

"What's so funny?"

"The other night, she practically threatened to hurt me if I let you slip through my hands."

"She what?"

"You heard me. She saw us together, and just knew. Before we did. She knew how we felt about each other, or at least how I felt. There is no way she would try to ruin this for us. That's the kind of friend Tammy is, Charlotte."

"I'm just confused, Ralph. Or rather, I'm not confused, I know what I'm feeling, and that's what's worrying me."

"Okay, Char. I'm in no rush. You want to take it slow, we'll take it slow, okay? No pressure. If you're with me, I want you to want to be here fully in the moment, because you want to be with no doubts. I want you to feel comfortable here, in my arms. I know how I feel. When you feel ready, you let me know. If you feel it's a mistake," he said with a wince, "then you talk to me about that, and we'll see how we can fix it."

Charlotte smiled and nodded. "Okay. I'm sorry, Ralph. I just want to be sure...."

Ralph put a big finger to her lips, hushing her. "Are you ready for dinner, or would you like to share a shower or something first?" he grinned.

Charlotte shook her head with a small laugh, punching him in the arm in jest.

"Dinner it is, then," said the big man, and they left the room together.

They entered the dining room together, searching for their team members. Sam spotted them first, and waved to Ralph from across the room. Maggie was sitting with him, as were several other members of their team.

"They sure are spending a lot of time together, aren't they?" she said quietly to Sam. "Do you think anything was going on before...?"

"No way. Ralph pretty much couldn't stand her," he replied with a chuckle. "Somehow, all that crap with Jeff...I don't know." He watched his boyhood friend approach, looking happier than he had in years. "He had some shit go on in his life that allowed him to feel empathy towards her. They just seem to be connecting ever since that shit went down."

"Really? The beast has a heart?" laughed Maggie.

"I've never seen him this happy in his life, Mags. Truthfully. It's like he's the Ralph I knew back in high school again."

Ralph and Charlotte arrived at the table and took a pair of seats together. Maggie tried to avoid being too obvious about watching them, but failed miserably.

"Spit it out then Maggie, what was it you were saying about us?" Ralph asked, but the smile on his face held no malice.

"I was telling Sam here, that if you two don't get us that bonus and day off, there will be dire consequences. Dire," she repeated, cracking her knuckles.

Charlotte broke into a giggle. "I don't know, Ralph. I've heard that cellar crew is a tough bunch. We'd better be damned sure we win this thing."

"How can we lose with you as my partner?" he shot back.

"Oh, brother," Maggie laughed. "I hope you have more game than that, Ralph, or you're in trouble."

The group engaged in good natured banter throughout dinner, everyone enjoying the company of their coworkers. At one point, Suzette peeked into the room, a huge smile showing on her face. She recalled the first day she had pulled them all into the same room, and how they had all formed their little cliques. It was hard to believe this was essentially the same group of people.

At dinners end, Suzette stood at the dais table and called for attention. Everyone quieted down, and turned their eyes to her.

"At this time, I'd like to direct our finale contestants to follow their instructors. Tonight, you will be learning to dance the tango. It will be up to the individual dancers and their instructors whether the dance is performed with an open or a closed embrace. I'm anxious to see what you choose. In order to make it a little more modern, you will dance to the Roxanne version of tango. We have a special exercise for those of you not in the dance finals, so stay put and we'll get to you very soon.

Brian appeared at the table, inviting Charlotte and Ralph to follow him into the room they would be working in. Ralph was a little nervous about actually having to dance the tango. Until now, he had let his athleticism propel them along, and the routines they used allowed a lot of room for improvisation. But a tango? That was a real dance. He wondered how the hell he was going to get through that without letting Charlotte down.

He glanced at Charlotte as they walked, and could see that she was distracted. She sensed his gaze, and looked up, giving him a tight smile. She was engaged in an internal battle, and wished she had some more time to be by herself and think.

Once in the room, Brian immediately began.

"Okay, kids. The tango. The dance of love. That chemistry I saw between you two earlier? You're going to have to bring it now."

"I may be in over my head," said Ralph. "I can't really dance."

"I think you're wrong, my friend. I'm quite confident that you can."

Ralph shrugged and let out a big sigh, then looked at Charlotte.

"Don't look at me, Ralph. If we blow this, you'll have to answer to Maggie," she quipped, trying to break the tension he felt.

"Okay now. We're going to start by learning the eight count basic step. Ralph, you must take the lead here. This dance will be about timing and moving together. Remember the point of all this? Teamwork? The two of you will have to be in sync at all times."

Brian walked over to a laptop and projector sitting on a table. He turned the projector on, and the image of a website appeared on the wall. It was a site that had instructional videos of ballroom dancers.

"Ordinarily, I would work with each of you individually, but we don't have time for that. I want you to watch, then work together to try to duplicate what you see the dancers in the video doing."

Brian started the first video. They watched it several times before Brian spoke again.

"Okay. Notice how the male dancer is leading the female, and how she moves with him. She knows what he is going to do, and is ready to move with him. You can see how they move as one. That's what we're going for here. The two of you as one, okay? Now, I want you to try it," Brian instructed.

He worked with them on the starting position, and played the video as they danced the steps.

"Slow-slow-quick-quick-slow. Slow-slow-quick-quick-slow," Brian counted out the time for them as they struggled with the steps. He had them spend about ten minutes repeating the steps over and over, but they were having a lot of difficulty. Charlotte was feeling unsettled, her mind still reeling. They were standing apart in an open embrace, space between them. Ralph, trying to be respectful of Charlotte's wishes, was doing his best to keep his distance and just concentrate on the dance moves.

"Okay, stop," Brian yelled out in disgust. "What gives with you two?" he asked, waving his hands about. "You're stiff as boards, and you look as if you're afraid to touch each other. This is a dance of love, remember? You need to play the part," he almost growled at them. His joking side had vanished with the appearance of these two cardboard cut outs of themselves. "Get back into position," he commanded.

Ralph and Charlotte stood in starting position, and Brian came and stood beside them. He shook his head as he took in their stance, then put a hand on the back of each of them, pushing them against one another.

"There. That's better. Why the hell did you think you could dance together from opposite sides of the room? Stand like that for a few minutes. Get comfortable being up against one another. You had no trouble earlier so don't act like virgins on a first date."

The seconds passed into a minutes, and Charlotte looked up at Ralph with a smile, then began to giggle. Ralph looked down into her smiling green eyes and felt his spirits lifting. He also felt something else lifting, and so did Charlotte. Her smile changed as she let out a slight purr along with her breath. They stayed like that another minute, until Brian finally spoke again.