The Rhythm Method

Ralph glanced at the paper with feigned indifference. He wasn't at all shocked to be paired up with Charlotte. Since the death of his parents, Ralph had come to expect the worst. He had yet to consider that his mood and demeanor may well have been what delivered problems to his doorstep, but he seemed to be on the verge of learning just that.

With lunch finished and her concerns about Suzette still lingering, Charlotte walked down a set of stone steps along with her coworkers, headed down to the cellars. She had sought out Ralph and walked beside him. Nervously, she spoke to the beast.

"I like to get in early and get jump on the day," she said to him. "Would you like to join me, or should I just meet you in the foyer at your normal starting time?"

Ralph glanced over at Charlotte, noticing for the first time her captivating green eyes. "I don't start before eight," he replied. "I'll meet you in the foyer."

Charlotte nodded, breathing a small sigh of relief. She felt she had to ask, but was quite nervous about the prospect of being alone in the cellars with Ralph. She turned to say something else, but her heel caught on a jagged edge of stone on the stairway and she started to fall forward, about to tumble down the stairs. In an instant, and in a single fluid motion, Ralph's hands shot out, grabbing Charlotte around the waist and effortlessly righting her on her feet. He didn't release her until she had regained her balance and composure.

"Thank you, Ralph. I guess I really shouldn't wear heels like this to work in the castle. I just thought with the meeting and all," she said, trailing off.

The big man nodded at her, but didn't say anything. In his head, he thought that although those heels were foolish to work in, they certainly did make Charlotte's legs look quite lovely. Quite lovely indeed.

Later, down in the cool cellar, Charlotte replayed the incident in her mind. It was as if she could still feel Ralph's strong hands wrapped around her trim waist, and how easily he had picked her up. It frightened her, but at the same time, sent a little thrill through her body. Checking the temperature on the wall thermometer, Charlotte wondered why it felt so warm down in the cellar all of a sudden.

Charlotte had little time to check her barrels and the cellar documentation about the fermentation process for each before having to return to her office. The lunchtime team building exercise had gone way past mid-afternoon, and being in such close proximity to the dark brooding gaze of Ralph still gave her the creeps while she worked in the cellar. It was as if she could feel those deep brown eyes penetrating through her back as she worked, but each time she turned around he seemed to be busy with his tasks. "God," She berated herself, "It's not all about you." She put away the folder of charts and started towards the stairs, glancing around casually as she walked.

"Don't trip on your way up," a cheerful voice called out to her. She turned, half expecting to see Ralph, but instead a smiling Sam stood there watching her while nodding his head as she acknowledged him. "Ralph will carry you up if you need him to," he chuckled, which caused the huge man beside him to glare at him with an angry expression.

"She's got two legs," he grumbled in a deep baritone.

"I'm sure I'll be fine, unless you'd like to walk with me and make sure for yourself, Sam?" she asked playfully. Charlotte thought this was an opportunity to show that she was approachable. She hated to think that Suzette thought her one of staff members causing the problems.

"Shit! Don't ask him, he'll talk your ear off before you reach the top. I'll do it," a third man volunteered, making Charlotte rifle through all the names she had memorized the prior week before coming up with one she hoped was right.

"Oh truly, I'll be just fine. I was only teasing Sam because, well, he started it," she said with a genuine laugh in her voice. "Thank you for the kind offer though... Mark," she said tentatively, happy to see him smile in response. "I'll see you all tomorrow," she said as she moved quickly up the stairs and out of sight.

"Not quite the stuck-up bitch you told me about, Ralph," Mark said easily. As the newest cellar rat, he had been surprised that she even knew his name and gave her credit for stopping and joking with them for a moment.

You haven't been here long enough to know," Ralph grumbled, but he had to admit he had just seen a different side to the woman. He considered how small her waist was as his arm went around her when he had caught her. He had not realized just how dainty she was. In fact, she had felt so light he wasn't sure if he had managed to catch her at all.

"Why is she seeing us all tomorrow?" Nick asked curiously.

"Didn't you hear?" Sam chuckled, stepping back out of the huge man's reach. "Ralph got his dream girl as a partner!" The thundering look of disgust Ralph gave their laughter immediately silenced the comments that should have come following that announcement. Quietly snickering to themselves, the men got back to work. They continued chatting about their own partners for the following day as the last of the afternoon waned. Nick and Mark had both been paired with Cellar Masters but Sam had been paired with a winemaker's assistant as well, Charlotte's friend Lincoln Hayes.

Once back in the friendly confines of her office, Charlotte plopped into her chair and let out a deep sigh. Lincoln was busy tasting and testing the several dozen samples he had drawn earlier. He meticulously documented the results on the computer located on the testing workstation.

"You look happy," he joked.

Charlotte looked at him and rolled her eyes. "I'm trying to figure out what I'm going to do with my partner tomorrow," she said. "I'm behind on my testing, so I think I'm going to have to do some of that. But bringing him up here...I don't know."

"You drew Ralph, didn't you?" Lincoln asked.

"Yes. Lucky me."

"And you're going to bring him up here? Talk about a bull in a china shop. Are you sure there isn't stuff you can do downstairs with him? Like breaking rocks apart or something?"

"Funny. We'll gather samples first. But if I don't get this testing done and anything goes wrong, Stuart will have my head."

"Well, good luck with that. I'm working the cellar with Sam the first half the day, so by the time I get up here, you two will be together down in the dungeons," snickered Lincoln. "You think he lives down there somewhere? Maybe they just throw some raw meat to him a couple times each day?"

"You're really a comedian, Lincoln. It's good to know that you can laugh at my expense."

"Yeah, well. If we can't laugh about this, we'll be forced to take it seriously."

Charlotte didn't reply, and went about planning what she and Ralph would do the next day. She was taking it very seriously. Suzette had made it clear that she expected them to work together, and she felt as if there was already a mark against her. Charlotte had no intention of failing over the next few weeks.

At the end of the day, Charlotte packed up and headed out to the parking lot to go home. She was opening her car door when a large figure approached from between the cars.

"Charlotte."

Startled, she let out a little yelp and jumped, turning toward the voice. Ralph was standing near the rear of her car, an amused smile on his face.

"If you're going to work with me tomorrow, I expect you to be appropriately dressed. I want you in jeans and a t-shirt that you aren't afraid to get dirty. Wear work boots if you have them, or at least a good pair of athletic shoes. If you come in heels, I'll have you work barefoot, understand?"

Charlotte cast her eyes down to the ground and shook her head up and down. "Yes, I'll make sure I'm dressed the right way," she said.

"Good," said Ralph as he turned and walked away.

Charlotte watched him as he went, her tummy doing a little flip. She was quite nervous, but was determined to make this work. She got into her car and headed off for home. She was cooking dinner for Jeff, and wanted to get started soon. She knew she'd need a good night's sleep.

Charlotte and Jeff were finishing up the last of their dinner of grilled sirloin steak, asparagus and baked potatoes. Jeff was whining about his partner for the next day. He was paired up with April Barnett, a woman that had been at the winery for a number of years. April was a lesbian of the butch variety, wearing her dark hair quite short. In some ways, she looked like a miniature female version of Ralph.

"I mean, really. How the hell is a woman named April a dyke?" asked Jeff. "It's almost like a joke."

"Do you think they knew that when they named her, Jeff?" asked Charlotte with exasperation.

"Whatever. This is just such bullshit," Jeff complained. He went on bitching and moaning as Charlotte cleaned up and loaded the dishwasher. Once finished, she took Jeff by the hand and guided him into the bedroom. Charlotte felt needy, but she also wanted to make an early night of it. Jeff was still talking as she undressed in front of him.

Disrobing, Jeff moved the conversation to Ralph. "Well, at least I don't have to work with the beast like you do," he said. He climbed onto the bed and lay on his back, staring at the ceiling with a faraway look in his eyes. "I still can't believe we saw him standing there in that parking lot and getting a blow job," Jeff continued. His cock was stiffening as he spoke. Charlotte looked down at it, considering her need. She wanted a good fucking, and even more so, she couldn't bear to listen to Jeff another minute.

"Please Jeff. Could you just shut up and fuck me?" she asked. She lay down next to him and he rolled over on top of her and fiddled around with his cock until he was inside her. He didn't even bother trying to kiss her, but rather buried his face in her neck. He was lost in the memory of the blond bimbo blowing the beast in the parking lot. Charlotte was just beginning to get warmed up when she heard Jeff grunt, and with a few more thrusts, he came inside her. He rolled off and lay beside her, breathing heavily. Charlotte lay staring at the ceiling, feeling unfulfilled and unhappy. Jeff got up to pee, and in that fleeting moment, Charlotte had a thought that Ralph would not leave her bed until he had turned her inside out. She pushed the thought away, getting up and putting on her robe. She went into the kitchen for a drink of water and waited for Jeff to finish in the bathroom.

Charlotte was relieved when Jeff decided to go home for the night. She removed her make-up and brushed her teeth, then dropped into bed, falling asleep quickly. Much later, Charlotte dreamed that she was deep in the cellars of the castle, working in a dark corner when suddenly Ralph appeared in front of her. He had startled her and before she could say a word, had grabbed her by the hair and tilted her head back and up toward his. He leaned forward and kissed her roughly, his tongue invading her mouth as he did. Charlotte put a hand to his muscular shoulder and tried to push him away, but his kisses were having an effect on her. She grabbed the material of his t-shirt sleeve and pulled at it, scared and angry and something else too.

The incessant beeping woke Charlotte and she smacked the top of the alarm clock, silencing it. She lay there on her back, a hand to her chest, breathing heavily and quite aware of the throbbing feeling in her pussy. She stayed there until she regained her composure, then got up to prepare for the day.

Once she had gotten ready, Charlotte stood before the mirror as part of her daily ritual, examining how she looked. The green t-shirt she wore brought her eyes out, and her jeans hugged every curve. Even so, they were quite comfortable and she was sure that she would have no issues working in them. As instructed, she had on a comfortable pair of sneakers. She wished she had work boots, but had to settle for these instead.

She grabbed her bag and headed out the door, nervously driving to work. She arrived only ten minutes early, and impatiently waited in the foyer for Ralph to arrive. Several minutes later, he filled up the entryway, searching the now crowded area for her. Spotting her, he looked at her up and down, gazing long enough to make Charlotte blush bright red. He walked over to where she was standing.

"I'm glad you followed my instructions," he said.

Charlotte felt pleased, and gave him a little smile. "I figured I'd better listen to you, not really knowing what to expect."

Looking at her body once more, Ralph nodded. "Should we get started?" he asked her.

"Oh, yes." Said Charlotte. "Let me start this way. I don't know that we have ever really been formally introduced," she said to him. "My name is Charlotte Simons," she said as she held out a hand to him.

Ralph reached out and took her hand, enveloping it in his huge paw. "Ralph Watson."

They shook somewhat theatrically, and she gave him a shy smile.

"I thought we would start in the cellar," she said, turning away and heading for the stairs. She was blushing again, wondering how such big, strong hands could feel so gentle when holding hers. Pushing the thought away, Charlotte focused on her plan for the day.

They descended the stone stairs into the dark cool cellars. Ralph stayed close to Charlotte, watching her carefully. His sleep had been unsettled the night before as he dreamt of her stumbling again and his arm winding around her waist, pulling her body up against his. He shook his head, concentrating on their foot falls and trying to get the dreams of the night before from his mind. They had work to do and he had every intention of being professional, despite his status as a cellar rat.

Entering the cellar, Charlotte immediately went to the shelves that stored the paraphernalia of the science of winemaking, choosing several pipettes with which to draw samples from the vats. Without being asked, Ralph took them from her hands, startling her. She felt the need to explain exactly what she was doing, and why this morning. As they approached the three large vats that had been sitting for almost a month, she spoke with quiet authority.

"These vats have been fermenting for a few weeks now, and first and foremost we need to test for and adjust the original sugar levels in the musts. Higher sugar levels mean more alcohol and possibly some unfermented sugar in the finished wine; too high, and the wine might not ferment at all. However, if the grapes were picked too soon, additional sugar might be necessary to achieve a better alcohol level. On the other hand, high-sugar musts might have to be diluted a little with acidulated water to lower sugar. It might reduce flavor intensity a tad, but at least the wine will ferment -- and you get a few extra bottles." She turned and smiled at him, noting that he did not look impressed.

"I'm not one of your little protégé's," Ralph grumbled. "There's no need to patronize me with a lecture. I know why the barrels are tested. I've worked here fucking long enough."

"Oh," Charlotte said, a look of surprise evident in her bright green eyes as she looked up at Ralph. "Do you know how to use these then?" She pointed at the pipettes he held for her.

"Of course," he grunted.

"Good, then you can collect the samples for me," she said surprising him. "I find it hard to reach sometimes, especially if the barrel needs topping off." In truth she had not liked the thought of climbing up the makeshift stairs beside the big vats and stretching over the top with Ralph right behind her looking at her ass as she struggled with the rubber bung that sealed the testing hole.

"They don't let rats do that. You don't let rats do that," he said, confused by her statement. He looked down at her, and standing this close to the woman while she was not wearing the heels that normally clattered on the cellar's slate floors he noticed once again just how diminutive she was.

"We're supposed to be working together today, or were you just planning on standing around and watching me all morning?" she asked with tone in her voice, making the hackles on Ralph's neck rise. This was the bitch he knew. The condescending lecturing bitch who looked down her nose at him. Well two could play that game. Just wait until she had to help him with his work this afternoon, he grunted, and turned walking toward the barrels he knew she would be testing.

Almost expertly, he drew the samples she needed, quite enjoying being the one to say, "Here hold this." Much to his annoyance Charlotte did not seem to be bothered by his dour mood and barked words.

Charlotte seethed inside as he treated her with such off-handedness, barking orders at her rather than asking her to hold the samples he had drawn. On the outside though, she kept a pleasant smile on her face and did as he asked. She was determined not to be seen as one of the problematic people in the winery, so she told herself to keep smiling. It was only one day, and it would be over soon enough.

She led the way up to the lab where she could tell Ralph was out of his element, though perhaps not as much as she might have thought. No lab coats came close to fitting his massive form so he remained dressed as he was, looking all the more out of place. This time she asked what he knew before explaining the tests they were running and how she collated the data on spread sheets for the winemaker to view and make decisions on. Stuart was a very exacting man, which is why he rarely took on assistants and he relied on them to work with absolute precision and alert him to any anomalies immediately.

One of the samples had not tested well and she ran the test three times in total. She checked and rechecked the data and asked Ralph to use her computer to look up past runs with the same blend of grapes to compare it to. In the end she had to call Stuart.

Printing out the extra data and gathering the test results and the pipette in question, Charlotte hurried down to the cellar again with Ralph walking after her feeling a bit confused by her obvious anxiety of one simple sample. Stuart was waiting for them, standing with his hands on his hips as she scooted to a stop before him. Ralph hung back, seeing the look on Stuart's face but staying within earshot, curious as to what was truly going on.

Moving to a bench, Charlotte spread out the data and charts and holding up the pipette as she explained the testing results. From his vantage point, Ralph could see that Stuart was angry at Charlotte for something that, in his mind, was beyond her control. Lincoln, who happened to be in the cellar with Sam as they came back in from lunch, wandered over to look at what had brought Stuart down to the cellar.

Seeing the problem would take some time to work out, he suggested that he stay and rerun the test with Stuart, freeing Charlotte to go with Ralph to serve the other half of her day in the cellar. She had tried to protest, but under the command of the winemaker she finally turned to walk away. As she left, Stuart called to her, and as he looked her up and down he remarked, "I certainly hope that isn't a new dress code you are adopting."

Charlotte let out a sigh as she followed Ralph across the cellar floor. He began to climb the stairs, prompting her to call out to him.

"Where are you going?"

"It's lunchtime," Ralph replied.

"Oh." Recalling Lincoln's pun about the raw meat, Charlotte let out a little giggle.

"What's so funny?" asked Ralph with irritation in his voice.

Charlotte was now following Ralph up the stairs. "Nothing. I was just surprised the morning went by so quickly. Where are we going for lunch?"

Ralph was taken aback by Charlotte inviting herself to lunch with him. He glanced over his shoulder at her and shrugged. "I was going to go for barbeque at that place up the road. It's kind of a hole in the wall, but they have the best pulled pork sandwich I've ever had."