The Strip - Collection

IASB Sample

The following is Chapter 1 - Mathilda, WhereTF Are You? from In A Stranger's Bed as it is currently published

The sharp din of a hangover pulsing in my brain made me wish I could slip back into a deep sleep for another day or two. My eyes refused to open, but certain parts of my body demanded the start of a morning routine. I could hold it and snuggle into my bed, under my cozy blankets for a little bit longer.

As my body started to wake, something didn't feel right. My bed didn't feel right. Since when did my sheets have the cool, slick feel of silk? I willed my eyes to open as my hands groped my surroundings. As the dimly lit room came into view my heart stopped and my mind raced to make sense of what I saw.

I'm no stranger to waking up from an afternoon nap feeling disoriented and at a loss to put time and space together. This was nothing like that. I didn't recognize anything around me. Soon, the entire room came into focus and was no more recognizable and the brain splitting pain gave way to panic.

I was wearing a T-shirt with a beer crest on the front. Not mine! Bra? Check! Panties? Check! I scanned the room for my clothes but came up empty. Pants? Nope! Shirt? Nope! My phone? Nope! I focused my reluctant mind on what else might be missing. I felt myself over the shirt and panties as if I could tell by gentle touch if I was still a virgin. Surely, I would have some sort of pain if I had had sex. I would feel pain if I had been... you know... Wouldn't I know? I felt like me, just very hung-over.

My vision faltered as tears bubbled over my eyes. I clutched the unfamiliar sheets as if they could protect me from whatever had or might happen. Another panicked scan of the room turned my attention to a pink stuffed bunny sitting like a guard on the bedside table. A note on its lap had my name written on it, 'Matilda'. The missing 'h' meant it couldn't be from anyone that knew me very well.

"Matilda, don't worry. Come down for breakfast when you're ready," read the note.

I climbed out of the bed and moved towards the window. The curtains and blinds held back the sun. Only a few needles of light pierced my eyes as I crossed the room. Perhaps a look outside might reveal something familiar. Nope! The bedroom looked out across a massive yard that backed onto a ravine. There's only one area of town that could have a view like this and it was pretty much as far away from my neighborhood as one could get without leaving the city limits, and I didn't know anyone that could afford to live there.

Don't worry? My ass! I woke up in a stranger's bed! How am I not supposed to worry?

As I glanced back at the bed, I could see that the side I had occupied was disturbed, as expected. But the opposite side also appeared to have been occupied at some point. I slept with a stranger.?!