The Rhythm Method

Charlotte smiled and nodded. "You could have asked me to put your number in my phone," she said with giggle. "That's how my friends usually do it."

"Ralph doesn't have many friends. What did you expect?" Sam jumped in.

"Not when they say shit like that," Ralph shot back.

"Well, you boys have fun with your spat," said Charlotte. "Thank you both again," she said as she walked to her apartment.

A short time later, Ralph was lying in his bed, feeling as if his world had shifted on its axis. The huge man's heart had been frozen solid since the day his parents had died, and had become harder still the day his love had betrayed him. But something happened as he lay there listening to the crickets chirping outside his window, thinking about the evening he just had. His heart had begun to thaw. Ralph hadn't cried for his parents or his girlfriend. In fact, he hadn't cried since he was a small child. And now, lying here in the dark, the huge man sobbed for a lifetime of loss and sadness.

Charlotte had given up trying to sleep, after tossing and turning and staring at the phone number she had put into her phone. Jeff wasn't back and she didn't really need anything, so she put the phone down again. She knew she couldn't call him; she barely knew him. She sighed and got out of bed, and in an effort to find that point of exhaustion that would send her into a dreamless slumber, she got up and cleaned her entire apartment from top to bottom.

When sleep still eluded her, she had watched an old movie, finally drifting off into a light doze. Within a dreamlike state, Charlotte saw once again the image of the young girl on her knees and the sneering face of Jeff towering over her in the bathroom stall. The image morphed into Ralph standing before his car with the barmaid on her knees before him. Charlotte woke up with a start when the image of Tammy in her dream had momentarily become her.

Breathing heavily and flushed with heat, Charlotte sat up, blinking at the now blank television screen. Feeling more than a little unsettled, she went to change. Maybe a run would clear her head. She was grateful Jeff had not shown up at her apartment during the night to create a scene, but at the same time she felt disappointed that he hadn't come to plead for her forgiveness. Did she really mean so little to him that he had just walked away? If Jeff had come, she would have had an excuse to call Ralph. He had been so different tonight. Still gruff and prickly, but also there was a gentle, caring side so different from what she had always thought him to be.

Having changed, she had begun to run on the treadmill as she looked out at the dark silhouette of the mountains in the distance and thought about everything that had happened the night before. The images from her dream haunted her. She had craved Jeff being a take charge sort of guy with her, yet that is what he had been to someone else. Was she truly so distant and pious in their relationship that he thought he couldn't be that way with her? Her mind jumped to Ralph and how he treated Tammy, his friend with benefits. She didn't look like she suffered from being used in such a way. In fact, she had heard them talk and Tammy had all but begged him for more.

Her mind drifted to what it would be like to have a man like Ralph treat her like he had treated Tammy. She cranked up the treadmill, running faster as she closed her eyes and tried to block out the fantasy that filled her mind. The sun crested the horizon, marking the beginning of a brand new day as she slowed to a walk before finally stepping off the treadmill. Charlotte stripped off her clothes as she made her way into the bathroom, leaving a trail of wet garments behind and stepping into the shower.

Once in the shower, she let the hot water sting against her skin and paint it in a pale pink color. She couldn't rid her mind of the images that continued to flash from her dreams. Jeff and the slut, Ralph and Tammy, the strange image of herself in those situations. Finally giving into the fantasy, she let everything else melt away and focused on the image of Ralph and his huge hands as they had held hers earlier to write his number.

She imagined those hands caressing and exploring every curve of her body, their size and roughness. She tilted her head back letting the water cascade over her breasts, caressing her as the large hands in her mind did. Reaching forward she cupped her breasts so that the jets of water directly hit her hardening nipples, making her gasp in pleasurable discomfort, thinking of the mouth and teeth that could deliver so much more.

Dropping her hand, she let the water cascade again and reached for the soap. Lathering up her hands she began a slow caressing wash, her eyes closed, the large hands of Ralph still in her mind as the soapy bubbles covered her neck and throat, drifting down once more to her breasts, cupping them and teasing at the nipples with small delicious pinches. She turned, letting the water roll down her back as her hands travelled lower, moving in circles across her belly.

Having coated her torso with the sweet smelling soap, she ran her fingers over the small strip of hair that sat above the throbbing heat that drove the fantasy playing out in her mind. She moaned and let her fingers dip slightly lower to graze over her clit, the noise filling the small shower cubicle. The swollen nub sent a thrill into her body as her fingers brushed past it further into her slippery slit.

Charlotte sighed loudly as she pushed a finger inside herself, feeling her muscles contract around it as her free hand rose to her breast once again. She widened her stance and pushed two fingers into her tight hole and began to rub her thumb over her clit. She angled her fingers as the visions continued through her fevered brain. She rode her hand until, arching her body hard, she twisted a nipple and cried out as her orgasm swept over her. Her legs shook with the impact and she reached out to brace herself against the wall as wave after wave travelled through her.

Panting, she finally straightened and rinsed herself off, rewashing and cleaning away the evidence of her arousal. Leaving the shower, she felt the tiredness of a sleepless night overwhelm her and grimaced. She toweled off and walked to her room, flopping onto the bed. It was Friday and the beginning of the weekend stay at the winery. She was determined to prove she was not one of the problem people at work, or she might have considered taking the day off. At the very least, she might have gone in late, but she knew she couldn't do that.

Getting dressed and thankful she had packed her overnight bag during her overnight restlessness, she decided to make herself a decent breakfast and possibly even a cup of coffee. She rarely drank coffee, preferring instead the cooler health shakes made with fresh fruit that she had discovered during her time in college.

Ralph was awake at first light, and for the first time in quite a while, he was looking forward to the day. As he lay in bed, he decided that he'd fry up some bacon and eggs this morning. Throwing the covers back, Ralph spun sideways and put his feet to the floor and got out of bed. He paused at the bedroom door, thinking that splattering bacon grease didn't go well with exposed flesh. Although he liked to sleep naked, he didn't feel the need to cook the same way. Pulling on a pair of shorts and a t-shirt, Ralph exited the room and headed into his kitchen.

A minute later, his coffee was brewing and bacon was in the pan. His mind wandered to Charlotte, wondering if Jeff had tried to reach her and if she'd given in. He replayed their conversations from the prior night over in his mind. He had been very wrong about her. He had been wrong about a lot of things. Sam had been trying to talk to him, but he had refused to listen. Somehow, this woman had opened his ears.

Ralph looked at his phone, checking to see if he had missed any calls. Finding nothing there, he chuckled at himself. Did he really think Charlotte was going to call him? What an idiot. He now began to try and convince himself that he was reading too much into the events of the prior evening.

Ralph removed the bacon from the pan, then poured the hot grease into the sink. Placing the pan back onto the stove, he cracked four eggs into it, scrambling them up with a fork as they cooked. Once they were finished, he put them on a plate with the bacon, poured himself some coffee, and sat down to eat.

Once he had finished, Ralph shaved, then went into the bedroom to pack a bag. He packed like a man. He'd be there two nights, so he threw in two pairs of boxers, two pairs of socks, two pairs of jeans, and two t-shirts. He put a razor, shaving cream, a toothbrush and toothpaste into a Ziploc bag, and he was done. Elapsed time was about forty five seconds.

Ralph went back into the kitchen and cleaned up, and minutes later he was driving down the road on the way to the winery. When he pulled into the parking lot, he was surprised with how empty it was. It was then that he looked at his watch, realizing he was there over an hour earlier than he normally was. He sat in the car laughing at himself when he saw another car pull up beside him. Looking over, he saw Charlotte's smiling face outside his window. She had pulled her car up so that the driver's sides were adjacent to each other. Ralph rolled his window down, and Charlotte followed suit.

"You look like you got some sleep. I was a little worried about you," Ralph said to her.

"Do I?" she answered. "You know you're an hour earlier than usual, Ralph. I think maybe you're still a little groggy." Charlotte was blushing, as the thought of him worrying about her combined with the recollection of that morning's shower fantasy had its effect on her.

"I didn't even realize what time it was. I guess I'll go into the cafeteria and have some coffee until my shift starts," Ralph said with a shy smile.

"I'll come too, if you don't mind. I could use some coffee. I tried making some at home, but it didn't turn out too well. I usually make a health smoothie of some kind, but I had eggs instead today. And bad coffee."

They got out of their cars and walked beside each other, Ralph holding the door for Charlotte on the way inside. They went down to the cafeteria, and each poured themselves a cup of coffee and added cream. They found a table and sat together.

"I wanted to thank you again, Ralph. You were very sweet last night."

Ralph nodded and shrugged. "I guess this is why Suzette is having us do this. I had this vision of you that was just plain wrong. I really am sorry for how I've treated you."

Charlotte smiled. "Lessons all around, Ralph." She took a sip of her coffee, glancing at him over her cup. He really is a rugged kind of handsome, she thought as she watched him. Once again, she blushed.

"What?" he asked her.

"Nothing. I was wondering what Suzette had planned for the weekend."

Ralph glanced at his watch. "I guess we'll find out pretty soon. I've got some work to do in the cellars, but we're supposed to meet in the foyer for lunch as usual this week."

"I know," said Charlotte with a sigh. "I hope Jeff stays the hell away from me today. I'm not in the mood to deal with him."

Ralph's mood darkened considerably. "I don't like him very much. I never did."

Charlotte laughed, patting his hand. "You know what, Ralph? I don't think I ever did either. I wanted to, but that's not the same thing, is it?"

"No. Not the same thing at all," replied the big man. "Okay, off to the dungeons with me. You go play with your pipettes and computers while I do the real work around here."

"Whatever you say, sir," Charlotte replied as she rolled her eyes. They got up from the table and each walked out different exits to start their day.

Charlotte smiled as she walked up the stairs to her lab and the office she shared with Lincoln. She was glad she had run into Ralph this morning and been able to thank him for looking after her the night before. Something about being near him made her feel safe now. She laughed at the thought. Up until this last week he had scared her, and she could think of nothing worse than being alone with him. Now she could think of nothing she would like more.

She walked into the lab and found Lincoln talking to Jeff. Charlotte considered turning and walking away but she knew she would have to face him eventually here. She walked in and and ignored his presence, straightening her back with determination as she stowed her bag and turned on a computer.

"What, no hello or anything?" Jeff said as if nothing was wrong at all and it was just another day.

Turning slowly, she glared at Jeff. "Hello," she said stiffly, before turning to Lincoln. "I'm going to check those samples in the lab." She pulled on her white coat and gathered a chart, intending to move out of the office. Before she could, Jeff had closed the distance between them and reached out to grab her arm, roughly spinning her around to face him. Charlotte squealed, "Let go of me!" She tried to yank her arm from his grasp, but his fingers dug in as he hissed in her ear.

"Let's not make a scene, shall we," he said, and he felt her relax slightly. "I apologized last night. It was a mistake, and you are making too big of a deal out of this. I love you, Charlotte," he cooed at her.

"Actually Jeff," she said loudly enough for Lincoln, who stood there watching them, to hear. "You did me a favor. Seeing you having sex with that cheap woman cured me of any delusions I had about wanting to marry you. You really did do me a favor," she repeated, her tone calm and unemotional. "In fact, I'm having trouble remembering why I stayed with you as long as I did." She paused as she noticed his face coloring in anger and incredulity. She could see the warning signs and knew his temper was about to cause him to explode.

"No! You love me and you will marry me one day," he said, raising his voice as his fingers dug deeper into her arm. The pain made her wince and she felt her legs buckle.

"What are you going to do Jeff? Break my arm if I don't forgive you and say it's all okay?" She goaded him, not really knowing why. Lincoln stood up and moved to help her.

"Back off Linc. This doesn't concern you," Jeff yelled in anger.

Charlotte tried to pull her arm away again while he was momentarily distracted, but his grip was too tight and she only succeeding in making it worse. Tears sprung to her eyes, but she spoke once again with a clear calm voice. "Jeff, it's over. Nothing you can do now will change that." He turned back to her with a face full of rage.

"It's over when I say it's over, he sneered through gritted teeth. He pushed her backwards into the desk as he let go of her arm, making her fall at his feet. He stood over her and reached down to help her up. "That was very clumsy of you. You're distraught. You don't know what you're doing or saying. Don't worry. I'm here for you," he said as he tried to pull her into his arms.

"If you don't let go of me I'm going to start screaming and I won't stop until every person on this floor is in here," Charlotte snapped, looking at him coldly. Lincoln moved to help Charlotte, unable to stand by anymore. The scene he was witnessing made him falter initially; the Jeff he knew was an all-around nice guy. He was the life of the party, generous and kind, but the vision before him shocked Lincoln to the core.

"You'd better go Jeff," Lincoln said seriously. "Go cool off before you do something you regret."

Jeff looked wild eyed between Charlotte and Lincoln. Who did these people think they were dealing with? He was Jeff Cartwright Jr. People did what he wanted all the time. His brain snapped, unable to comprehend Charlotte's rejection of him and the look of shocked seriousness on Lincoln's face. Fine, he thought. They will come around, as people always did. He was an important man and a good friend to have, with his connections. He would let them come crawling back to him. Without uttering another sound he turned and stormed out of the room.

Charlotte began to cry silently, the tears rolling down her cheeks. She really didn't know what she had expected, but that wasn't it. Her arm ached and she slowly shrugged off the lab coat she had only put on minutes earlier so she could inspect the damage. Her biceps were coloring quickly, the finger marks clearly outlined on her skin.

"We'd better get you some ice," said Lincoln. "Come on. Let's go to the first aid room," he said as he put his hand gently in the small of her back to guide her out of the office. Grabbing the lab coat, Charlotte draped it over her shoulder, essentially hiding her arm as she put on a smile.

"It's okay. I'll be fine and I don't want to make a fuss with Suzette here and the weekend thing and all," she said, wiping the tears from her face. "It will be fine. Honestly."

"You need something for that bruise," Lincoln said softly, "It will only get worse."

"I have some ice-cream in the fridge." She gave a half laugh and went to get it, placing the small tub against her arm. "See? I'm fine," she reassured him as he looked at her dubiously. "Please Lincoln. I really just want to forget it and get through this weekend without having to deal with him again."

"Not sure you'll be able to avoid it, with all this team building stuff," Lincoln said with concern in his voice. "Does he lose his temper often?"

"Never at me before." She laughed, unconvincingly trying to lighten the mood. Lincoln moved back to his desk satisfied that for the moment she was okay, but he wasn't about to let it go. He outlined the details of what he had witnessed in an email and sent it to Stuart Gresham, including the fact that Charlotte was refusing any treatment for her arm because of the whole team building event.

It was twenty minutes later and with ice-cream dripping down her arm that Charlotte saw Stuart walking toward their office through the lab. Dropping the melting tub of ice cream into the trash she dragged on the lab coat and gathered a chart, preparing to go down to the cellars to test a barrel. Stuart walked through the office door and nodded at Lincoln before turning his full attention on Charlotte, "Let's go for a walk shall we?" Confused, Charlotte stood. She had worked under and respected the man greatly for the last two years, so she prepared to go with him without a seconds thought about it. "You too, Lincoln."

They walked through the lab and Charlotte realized that there was a lot of movement around the room, as each of the winemakers gathered their assistants into the small meeting room that adjoined the lab itself. Being the most senior member of the staff, Stuart walked towards the front podium and indicated that Charlotte and Lincoln should take seats close to the door. "This will only take a few minutes, then I will need both of you to accompany me to my office."

"This meeting was planned for this afternoon, and you'll find that you will have time to check on any urgent projects during that time as each of the other employees have their own team meetings. Given events of this morning, however, it was decided to move our meeting up," Stuart began, gaining everyone's attention.

"Several years ago," Stuart addressed the crowd. "Quite a few now actually, we had an incident of tampering with wine samples and some reckless behavior with particular blends that caused the winery a large loss." He paused letting the information sink in. "It was at that time that security cameras were installed throughout this floor to ensure not only the integrity of the wines we produce, but the integrity of the staff we employ. I'm sure you have all seen them installed in an upper corner of each room, as well as the hallways. You'll also recall that they are mentioned in the employee handbook you each received when you began working here. It's funny how people forget about such things, though."