The Texts before We Met

By Matilda Swinney

Tilly dreams of becoming an oscar winning actress. She also dreams of something far less family-friendly. She has always longed to be dominated. During an acting course in Brighton, she decides to embrace her desires and makes a risky decision. She agrees to meet the online stranger she has been talking to for a mere few weeks.

As the acting course progresses and Tilly begins to make friends, her texts with her online mystery man accelerate too. She worries whether she has made the right decision. Should she listen to her heart’s desire or pay attention to the warning signs? He pushes her to complete tasks and send photos. Is she in over her head?

On the day they are due to meet, she races to the five star London hotel her date has arranged. She's running late, but she's ready to finally find out who he is. Will he live up to her expectations and be the sexy dominating guy she's always wanted?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Matilda Swinney
• Release date: Jan 4, 2022
• ISBN: 9781739902452

Matilda Swinney

Matilda Swinney is a freelance writer, author and mother of two girls. Her novelette, The Texts Before We Met, is the prequel to her debut novel, The Girl Who Jumped (05 April 2022).

Book preview

1

24 October 2016

I looked up at the polished skateboard sign above my head. It read Happy Hostel. The thing was, I wasn’t exactly feeling happy. My fragility could be down to three main reasons.

It was too early in the morning. Seven a.m. was a sickening time to getup.

It was day one of my acting course. I always got nervous when startingsomethingnew.

My recent love mission. My new dating venture was highly risky andcompletely out of my comfort zone. It was taking over my mind. Icouldn’tthinkaboutanythingelse.

As I washed my spoon and bowl in the industrial hostel kitchen sink, my phone pinged. I jumped in fright. It was him.

What are you doing today?

I texted back quickly. He didn’t like waiting.

I’m starting my acting course today.

I want to buy you lingerie.

That was intimate. We’d only been texting for a few weeks. Should I tell him not to? But I could do with some new knickers. My favourite ones had lost the elastic in them and my nude bra’s lining had started coming out. My

THE TEXTS BEFORE WE MET

underwear was in a sorry state.

You don’t have a matching white set, do you?

No. I don’t. Thank you.

My texts felt wooden but I knew he preferred it that way. He liked me to be straight to the point and just answer questions rather than talk too much. He had so many rules already.

Are we still at 97%?

I smiled. We had a secret code already. Ninety-seven meant how much I was thinking about him. If it got to one hundred it would mean I was totally consumed and had no other thoughts whatsoever.

Slightly less, 96%. I thought I should be truthful. It’s only because of this course. Yes. I’m happy about that. It allows me to push you more when I meet you. Because my percentage is higher it allows you to push me more?

Yes exactly, I demand 100% for just one moment . . .

He was so intense. He was the only guy who’d felt right online. I’d chosen well. He made me feel like we were in a film.

Have a good day beautiful.

Thank you.

I breathed out shakily. Why did this feel so scary? I couldn’t get distracted though. For now, I had to focus on my acting course. It was only a week long. I wanted to give it everything I had so I’d win an Oscar in two years’ time and nudge into the exclusive acting circle of Hollywood. I’d talk to Leonardo about dolphins and stand next to George silently. He’d appreciate silence. Plus, it would be nice to smell him. I bet his scent was intoxicating. I’d probably faint and have to be carried out on a stretcher. Hopefully, a famous film director would volunteer to accompany me to the hospital. Once I’d regained consciousness, we’d talk about my expressive face and how I’d be perfect in his next film.

* * *

An hour later, I entered a tired school hall. It was a fifteen-minute walk along the coast from the hostel. I was ten minutes early and ready for my first day.

24 OCTOBER 2016

A girl with baggy floral trousers and an orange top smiled at me and said, "Hey, perfect timing. We’re just getting to know each other with a game of Zip Zap Boing."

Amazing, I said happily.

I was great at this game. I’d had plenty of practice over the years because it was the go-to game of every acting workshop. It would be a good way to shake off my nervous energy. My face was probably bright red. Any minute now, I’d start sweating and ruin my chance at an excellent first impression. I glanced around self-consciously to see if anyone