He carried her into the kitchen, stumbling in the darkness. She was surprisingly heavy. He put her on the table. She lay unmoving, oblivious of what was happening to her. He turned and switched on the harsh, neon light-strip, which illuminated the table as if in an operating theatre.

 

He could see her clearly now. The light picked out her dimples – she looked young and sweet. He leant over and caught a whiff of her perfume – tantalising, with a hint of citrus. His mouth felt dry with anticipation.

 

Slowly he opened her coat and peeled it off revealing a tight-fitting white sheath. He stood uncertainly – what was the best way to remove it? He had not meant to use a knife so soon but if he was very careful…..

 

He removed a Kitchen Devil from the block and stood, balancing it in his hand. The neon bulb reflected off the blade making him narrow his eyes against the sudden glare. Carefully he ran his thumb along the edge – yes it was nice and sharp. He bent over her and slid the point of the blade carefully under the sheath, it parted easily and he pulled it away. Again he cut the sheath but this time he was more careless and he sliced into her. She moved slightly and he held her down, feeling her firm young flesh yield beneath the palm of his hand.

 

The white sheath now had an ugly stain and the knife felt slippery under his hand. The wound excited him. He was breathing more quickly now and his hands trembled slightly. He swiftly removed the last of the coverings that hid her from his hungry gaze.

 

He could see now that he had cut her more than once – he was getting careless. He bent over and ran his tongue along the wounds feeling the sharp taste of her flesh. He licked his lips then shifted his grip on the knife.

 

Gently at first and then with increasing force he thrust his knife down through her body until he could feel the surface of the table hard beneath its point.

 

Someone had come into the kitchen. He froze then slowly looked round – it was his wife.

 

“For God’s sake Bernard,” she said. “How long does it take you to eat an orange?”