I am a 25 year old woman, who recently endured a horrible experience while out of town on a business trip. This incident happened just a couple of weeks ago, and is still difficult for me to talk about, but I feel the need to get it off my chest anyway.

I traveled on behalf of the company I work for to a convention taking place at a hotel in the city. The convention was scheduled for Thursday through Saturday, and I was to fly back early Sunday morning. Since I was traveling alone, I took a number of necessary precautions to try to ensure my safety, like not giving out personal information about myself, etc., and staying in the hotel the entire time I was in town. That last part wouldn't be too difficult to stick with as I was going to be quite busy anyway.

On the last day of the convention, everything wrapped up around 5PM or so. I returned to my room, finished up my paperwork, relaxed for a while, then prepared to turn in early, im order to make my flight out the next morning. By ten o'clock, I was in bed asleep. I was jolted awake not too much later when I felt something on top of me. At first I thought I was dreaming, but it only took a few moments to come to the sickening realization that I was not. By the time I came fully awake, a naked man wearing a ski mask had clamped his hand over my mouth and put a knife to my throat. He told me either I did what he said or he would cut my throat. He asked me if I was going to comply. I had no choice. I shook my head yes. He ripped away my nightgown, the yanked my panties off. He then forced me to perform oral sex on him, and then raped me. When he was finished, he picked up my purse and took out my driver's license. He read it off and said that he knew who I was and where I lived, and that if I reported the rape, he would come and find me and do it all over again. Before he left, he used a pair of my pantyhose to tie my hands behind my back He then walked to the door and left. It took me several minutes to free my hands, and by the time I walked out of my room, he was long gone.

I went to a nearby hospital and had a rape kit done, which they were able to collect his DNA since he didn't wear a condom. I had tests done for STD's and for pregnancy. I still haven't gone to the police because he does have my name and home address, and I'm scared that he might come back. I just hope at some point that I will be able to get past this and start feeling like myself again.