Forest of the Forbidden

by W. J. May

  “Sure. I’d like to find a quiet place if we can.” Natalie said, making her way to one of the restaurants.

  “Leave it to me. I’ll find us something.” Sean smiled and gave her a quick wink.

  ***

  Natalie lay back on her bed and closed her eyes. With her finger she traced her lower lip. She recalled the way Ryan had kissed her deeply and passionately that night at the lake. Chills ran up and down her arms. She’d loved the way his body felt against hers and how he’d held on to her. The same way he did when she’d nearly fainted during orientation. She longed to see him tonight but her inner voice reminded her to take things slow.

  Her phone chimed. She opened her eyes and picked it up. Ryan’s text message flashed across her screen:

  Can’t meet up tonight. Kronberg’s having a big shindig next Friday night and we’re busy helping out. Not sure what time I’ll leave.

  She sighed and her heart ached. Regardless of what that inner voice told her, she wouldn’t be able to see him after all.

  She texted him:

  No problem. Maybe we can meet up tomorrow. Did you see Lise?

  He texted back:

  Yeah, we’re working together. She told me to tell you she’ll be at the dorm later tonight. I’ll give you a call when I get to my apartment. Gotta go. Bye beautiful ;)

  Natalie’s heart soared. Beautiful. Beautiful. She held the cell phone to her chest. Ryan always knew the right thing to say, every time. If only she was as gifted with communicating her emotions to him.

  She searched her phone for the right emoticon. She found a smiley face blowing a kiss in the shape of a heart. Perfect. She pushed the send button. Ryan flooded her mind. Everything about him felt so right, so natural. She’d never felt this way about a guy before. Not even with Tony. She winced at the thought of Tony and her kissing. Why did she make such a stupid mistake and have sex with him? Why didn’t she save herself?

  If only she’d gone out with Ryan first, she would still be a virgin. She shook her head in disgust. Despite her mistake, she couldn’t believe that Ryan wanted to go out with her. It was unbelievable that he valued sex the way she did. Never in a million years did she peg him to be that type of guy; saving himself until marriage. That was practically unheard of when it came to a guy. Only girls did that sort of thing.

  Giggles and smiles poured out. She was actually going out with Ryan Garrett! What would her old high school friends think? They wouldn’t believe her. One thing for certain, he was with her because he truly liked her and not because he wanted to get in her pants. She refused to mess things up with him regardless of how uncontrollable her desires were. She’d respect his promise.

  Her phone rang and she quickly picked it up. Her Aunt Sharon’s picture showed up on the screen instead of Ryan’s.

  “Hi, Aunt Sharon.” Natalie sat up in her bed.

  “Hey darling. How’s school going? Have you started your internship yet?” Sharon sounded a little winded.

  “I started summer classes today and tomorrow will be my first day at Kronberg. Are you okay? It sounds like you’ve been running.”

  She sighed heavily. “Yeah, I’m scurrying around the condo, trying to pack. I’m headed to Europe and wanted to remind you to stop by this week if you can.”

  “Sure. No problem. I’ll stop by Wednesday.”

  “Oh that will be great. Like I said, if you want to spend the night here you are more than welcome. I won’t be back until the end of July so I need for you to check on the place each week.”

  “Okay, no problem.”

  “Well, gotta go. I’m staying at Chad’s tonight so he can take me to the airport in the morning. Tell your mom I said hi. Luv ya.”

  “I will. Be careful and have a good time. Bye.” Natalie hung up the phone. She got up and went over to her dresser and changed her clothes. Since Ryan had to work late, she decided to workout and grab a bite to eat afterwards. Besides, the workout would help her get a good night’s sleep and be ready for her first day at Kronberg.

  ***

  Natalie headed up I-35 to Round Rock, a small suburb outside of Austin, to Kronberg Laboratories. She glanced at the thermostat in her car; one-hundred and three degrees. Summer had arrived. She fidgeted in her chair, peeling her skirt off her legs. Between the Texas heat and the adrenaline pumping through her veins, she felt like she’d just finished a boot camp class. She reached over and turned up the air conditioner. She couldn’t go in looking all sweaty, especially on her first day.

  She parked in the garage and then walked into the ten-story, silver and black building. A part of her couldn’t believe she’d actually gotten an internship in the laboratory. They only hired a few interns every semester for the lab operations. Even though they had over thirty interns this summer, all of them, including Ryan, Lise, and Sal, worked on the business operations side of the company. All the hard work and determination would hopefully allow her to reach her dream one day as head research scientist. Kronberg made that dream seem so much closer.

  “May I help you?” A lady wearing a gray uniform sat at the front desk. Several armed security guards stood nearby.

  “Yes, I’m Natalie Vega and I’m interning in the lab.”

  The lady gave her a flat smile. “Welcome to Kronberg Laboratories.” She turned to her computer and typed in some information. “Yes, here you are. You’re working in the main lab area, reporting to Franz Rousseau. Let me get your badge.”

  Natalie waited while the lady searched through a stack of ID badges. “Here is your badge. You will need to wear it at all times.”

  “Yes ma’am.” Natalie took the badge. She studied the photo on the front of it. It was only two weeks ago that she took the picture but she sure did look different with her straight hair and eye glasses. She clipped the badge to her shirt.

  “Please have a seat over there.” The lady pointed to an area filled with several young people who appeared to be interns too. “Someone will come and get you.”

  “Okay. Thank you.” Natalie walked across the gray slate floor to a sitting area of sleek leather chairs and sofas. The modern décor and color pallet of white, gray, and silver gave the building a futuristic feeling. She recognized many of the faces from orientation, even though she didn’t know them personally. Before she sat down, she heard someone call her name.

  “Natalie. Ready to go?” Sean waved and smiled, walking in her direction. He wore a long white lab coat that made him look pencil thin.

  “Hi Sean. Am I the only one?” She glanced back at the group of students behind her.

  “Yes. The other two interns started yesterday.”

  “There are only three interns working in the lab?”

  “No. There’s a total of five. Two stayed on from last semester. Come on, I’ll show you how to get into this place.” He motioned for her to follow him.

  They walked up to a large turnstile, located next to the side of the front desk. “You scan your badge and then press your thumb up to the scanner.” Sean showed her by doing his first.

  She followed his instructions. A green light illuminated on the display. “You can walk through now.” A guard standing to the side informed her.

  “Thanks.” She gave the guard a friendly smile and walked through. He didn’t smile back. She hoped her coworkers would be friendlier. Everyone seemed so tightlipped and serious. “That was easy,” she said to Sean, while straightening out her badge on the lapel of her shirt.

  “Yeah, nothing to it.” He led her through the main common area. “Did you get a tour of the facility?”

  “Yes, during orientation. This place is amazing. It feels like I’m walking through a scene from Star Wars or something.” She gawked at all the transparent computer screens displaying information and videos along the walls.

  “Yeah, it kind of feels like that or a scene from Iron Man.” Sean led her down a long corridor and then made a right turn. A set of clear glass double doors marked with the words ‘Clearance Required’ greete
d them. She watched Sean scan his badge and the glass doors slide open.

  “All you need is to dress the guards like Imperial Stormtroopers.”

  Sean broke out in laughter. “Now that would be cool. Speaking of dressing up, next Friday is Kronberg’s big annual masquerade party. Everyone’s invited. You don’t want to miss it.”

  She followed him down another hallway to the main laboratory area. “My roommate, Lise, is working in Marketing. She told me all about it last night. Sounds like it will be epic.”

  “Man, you have no idea. They go all out. It’s like a Vegas show on steroids. I’m sure Lise’s head is spinning trying to get everything prepare for next week.”

  “That’s an understatement. She’s already stressed out, worrying how they will get everything done in time.”

  “Sounds like you have the scoop on it. So are you going?” Sean scanned his badge again which opened a set of opaque glass doors. They slid open diagonally, disappearing into the wall.

  Natalie followed Sean in to the lab. Her jaw dropped. “Wow, this is impressive.” She stumbled around in a circle. High tech gadgets surrounded her, lighting up in neon colors. Transparent computer screens hung along the walls, scrolling data and showing different video clips.

  “You’ll get used to it. Come on, I’ll take you to your workstation. Franz left early and asked me to show you around.”

  “Okay.” She followed him slowly, trying to assimilate everything around her.

  “Let me introduce you to Dr. Kronberg.” Sean ushered Natalie over to a short older man standing in front of a computer screen.

  “Excuse me, Dr. Kronberg.”

  The white headed man turned around. “Yes, Sean.” He spoke with a heavy Swedish accent and it was exactly how she imagined him sounding.

  “I’d like for you to meet Natalie Vega, one of the new interns.”

  Dr. Kronberg’s thin lips parted into a flat smile. He stuck out his hand. “Hello, Natalie. It’s nice to meet you.”

  She shook the ingenious scientist’s age worn hand. “Hello, Dr. Kronberg. It’s an honor to meet you.”

  “Thank you. We are glad you are here. This will be a great learning opportunity for you. If you need anything at all, I’m here. Please don’t hesitate to ask me any questions. Remember, there is no such thing as a dumb question, only those not asked remain unknown and a mystery to all.”

  Natalie smiled. Not only was he intelligent, but kind too. “Thank you. I’m looking forward to learning everything I can while I’m here. This is a dream come true.” The doctor pulled his hand back and she realized she hadn’t stopped shaking it. She retrieved her hand, feeling like a complete rambling fool.

  The doctor adjusted his thin metal frame glasses. “I’m glad to hear that. We’ll talk later.” He gave a slight nod to both of them and turned back to his work.

  She followed Sean to the back of the lab. “He is so cool.”

  “I told you. Over here is your locker to store your things. You’ll need to make sure you put on your lab coat before going to your workstation. There are some areas that are designated as clean room only. I’ll show them to you later. What you do is swipe your badge in the slot right in front of the lock and it will open.”

  “Thanks, Sean. I appreciate everything. Really, I do.” She scanned her badge and waited for the locker to open.

  “No problem. You’re going to do great here. I know it. By the way, you didn’t answer my question.”

  “I’m sorry, what question?” She put her purse in the locker and took the white lab coat off the hook. She struggled to get her arm through the sleeve.

  Sean helped her. “The masquerade party, do you think you will go?”

  “Thanks.” She fixed her collar and stopped when a weird vibe struck her, making her feel uncomfortable. Why was Sean always helping her out? Oh no. Did she give him the wrong impression and now he liked her? She closed the locker door. More than anything, she wanted to crawl inside and tell him to go away. She couldn’t coward down. She turned and faced him. “Probably. Lise won’t let me back out of this one. That’s for sure.”

  “If she doesn’t go or she’s too busy you can go with me and some friends.”

  She smiled, not wanting to be rude. “Thanks, but I’m sure I’ll go with Lise and ...” What was Ryan? Her boyfriend? They were going out so he must be her boyfriend, right? “My friend Ryan, who’s also interning in marketing.”

  “That’s cool. We can get a table so we can all sit together.” He shoved his hands in the pockets of his lab coat and rocked on the back of his heels.

  “Okay. That sounds like a good idea,” she agreed, unsure of his motives and slightly confused. But she’d worry about it later.

  “Ready to get started?”

  Natalie nodded. “I sure am.”

  ***

  Natalie motioned for Lise to stop. “That’s good. It looks great.” She pulled away, not allowing Lise to curl any more of her hair.

  “I know. I just want Ryan’s mouth to drop when he sees you. By the way, I noticed you haven’t been wearing your glasses.” She twirled a few more strands of Natalie’s hair around her finger, spraying it with more hair spray.

  “Yeah, I’ve been wearing my contacts. By the way, thanks for helping me. I know you’re tired from working all week.” Natalie got up and stepped into the bathroom to change her clothes.

  “No problem. I think it’s sweet that you’re inviting him over for dinner. Besides, I didn’t mind cooking in your aunt’s gourmet kitchen.”

  “It’s awesome, isn’t?”

  “It’s a chef’s dream come true.” She yawned. “I think I’ll sleep in tomorrow. Wow, this bed feels great.”

  Natalie peeked out the door to see Lise lying back on the big overstuffed bed. “You’re not going out with Sal tonight?”

  Lise let out a long drawn out sigh. “Tomorrow. I’m way too tired tonight. Don’t get me wrong, I love my new internship but this event planning is so much work. I can’t believe I put in thirty hours this week. I’m not supposed to work more than twenty hours. Besides, I have homework and reading to catch up on, that’s if I can stay awake to do it.”

  Natalie checked herself in the mirror, making sure the underlining of her dress was not stuck in the back of her panties. She didn’t need that embarrassment. “Ryan told me he worked about thirty hours too. I hope they don’t expect you all to continue working that much.”

  “I hope not either. After all, school comes first. All I can say is this is going to be one epic party. Kronberg is going all out for this event. We should go shopping Sunday for our costumes.”

  “That works for me.” Natalie’s cell phone chimed. She stepped out of the bathroom to get her phone. Lise was still lying on the bed with her eyes closed. She checked the message. “That’s Ryan, he’s on his way.”

  Lise opened her eyes and sat up. “Wow! That strapless dress looks great on you. The fire orange color makes you look hotter than hell.” She motioned for Natalie to turn around. “Let me fix your sash.”

  “Thanks. Aunt Sharon bought this for me, along with a few other outfits. I guess her way of saying thanks for keeping an eye on her place.”

  “What? You didn’t show me what she bought you.”

  Natalie shrugged her shoulders. “Sorry, I forgot. They’re in the closet.”

  Lise got up to take a peek. “Nat, you are so lucky. You know that?” She stepped out holding a denim romper up to her. “I may have to borrow this.”

  “Sure.” Natalie put on her matching earrings and bracelet, also from her aunt. “Hey Lise, Ryan’s on his way.”

  “Okay, I’m leaving.” Lise grabbed her purse. “Have fun and don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.” Lise winked and let out a huge smile.

  “Lise, you know me better than that.” Natalie shook her head and walked her to the door.

  “See you tomorrow.” Lise waved bye as she walked out the door.

  Natalie shut the door behind her and dashed
into the kitchen. She checked the food, making sure it was still warm. She lit a few candles and turned on some music from her MP3 player. It sounded awesome on her aunt’s state of the art sound system. She did a quick scan, making sure everything looked just right. It didn’t take much in Sharon’s lush condo; from the sleek leather couch to the chic platinum upholstered arm chairs and the glass accent tables decorated to match the Pottery Barn catalog. She rearranged a few of the cushions on the couch and stopped when she heard the doorbell ring.

  Her heart raced and she had to slow her steps as she walked to the door. It had been almost a week since she saw him, thanks to the demands of his new internship and summer school. She literally couldn’t wait any longer. She did one last check in the mirror and fixed a stray strand of hair. Lise had her more self-conscious now and she caught herself paying more attention to how she looked. Before opening the door, she checked the small surveillance screen. Leave it to her aunt to have high tech gadgets. Ryan waited outside the door with his hands behind his back, wearing a pressed button down shirt, faded jeans and cowboy boots. So he did remember to wear his jeans and boots.

  She opened the door and leaned against it. “Hi handsome.”

  “Hi there beautiful.” He pulled out a dozen red roses wrapped in soft pink tissue from behind his back.

  “Thank you, they are gorgeous.” She took the bouquet from his hands and raised them to her nose. “They smell wonderful too.”

  “You’re welcome,” he said, stepping inside.

  She bit down on her lower lip, trying to keep herself under control. It was pointless. She threw her arms around his neck. He embraced her, picking her up off the floor and swinging her around. She clung to him as the room spun around them. Her forehead touched his and their eyes locked. Like magnets, their lips drew together. They shared a deep long kiss that made her heart soar and her body swirl with butterflies.

  He stopped spinning her around. Slowly his lips pulled away from hers. “I’ve missed seein’ you.”

  She kept her fingers buried in the back of his hair. “You have no idea how much I’ve missed you.”