“I think my daughter was right after all, about you not wanting to be eaten,” she mused, “Natalie’s very intuitive, for a child who has never met you, isn’t she?”

Yvanne sat in the lounge room with Dan.

“Natalie did bring to light the fact that you’ll be missing out on a lot of television after today,” she said, with that same arousing amusement in her voice, “Would you like to see what’s on television now?”

“Will you watch it with me?” he asked.

“Naturally. You don’t think I’d leave you alone after your mischief with that small bed sheet, do you?”

“I guess not,” he said.

“There’s a cooking program on in just a few minutes,” she said, “It might give me a few ideas.”

Yvanne turned on the set, and they soon saw a pretty female cooking show host. She began demonstrating how to prepare a delicious dessert.

“She’s rather pretty, isn’t she?” said Yvanne.

“Not as much as you,” said Dan.

She kissed the back of his neck and upper body.

“You always know how to ingratiate yourself to me, and yet I go out for a short time and find you’re trying to leave me,” she said, in a mischievous role playing voice.

“You do still believe that a large part of me wanted you to eat me, don’t you?” asked Dan.

“Of course. But the part of you (that doesn’t want me to do it) is the part that I’ve most effectively interrupted in the hallway, when I got home not long ago.”

“How can you rationalize or justify doing this to me?”

“I’ve enjoyed many things in life, that other people have missed out on. I suppose I’ve become accustomed to the better fortunes which I seem to attract.”

“She does look very exciting, as she stirs the food, and licks little bits from her fingertips,” said Dan, turning his eyes back to the television, “Would you be able to do gestures like that, when you’re getting me ready?”

“I’ll do my best,” said Yvanne.

The program came to an end, and they sat and talked for a while, as Yvanne told him her life story. It was one easy success after another, narrated by the woman who would just as easily despatch him into her mouth.

“It must be time for lunch,” she said at last, “And how is the lunch-to-be feeling about the rapid approach of that event?”

“A bit nervous, and very excited,” he said.

She took him out to the kitchen and placed him gently into a pavlova slice, so that his head and shoulders were sticking out the top. He watched her whip some cream with her hands, a bowl, and a manual beater.

At one point, she looked at him, smiled, and dipped a finger in the cream and licked the finger.

“See, I didn’t forget your request,” she said.

“It looked thrilling,” said Dan.

She took four strawberries, removed the stalks, cut them into pieces, and placed them gently all around the remaining part of the pavlova not occupied by Dan’s head.

“Now this is going to cover your shoulders and your neck, right up to your chin,” said Yvanne, and gently poured the whipped cream over the pavlova, and the aforementioned parts of Dan.

“I think we have a culinary masterpiece,” said Yvanne, “What would you say, Dan?”

“From a visual perspective, I’d rather look at you,” said Dan, “But it does feel rather nice in this pavlova.”

“I wonder how it will feel when you’re inside me,” said Yvanne, “Not that it’s anything for me to worry about.”

She washed the bowl, and utensil, and then took the bowl to the dining table. She went to the kitchen and soon returned with a spoon and a drink.

She sat down and began spooning the outer parts of the pavlova into her mouth, along with cream and strawberries. He watched her mouth in awe.

“How are things looking from down there?” she asked, when there was just a little pavlova and cream surrounding him.

“Every time your tongue comes out of your mouth to receive the contents of the spoon, I wonder if I will feel it with all the white sticky stuff already surrounding me,” he said.

“Let’s remove some of that now,” said Yvanne, and lifted the bowl to her face.

Her tongue came out and licked much of the cream from his shoulders and neck, swishing excitingly over his face in the same motion.

“Wow!” he said.

“Anything to please the meal,” said Yvanne.

She then passed the spoon under Dan and all of the surrounding pavlova, and raised the lot to her mouth, lowering the bowl to the table again.

“I’m just going to spoon the whole lot into my mouth, and suck the pavlova from you and swallow it first,” said Yvanne, “I’ll pour a little drink into my mouth. When you see the glass approaching, hold onto my side teeth, to make sure you don’t fall into my throat yet. It’ll clean you up, as well as my mouth. Then we’ll have a chance to say farewell, before I eat you all up.”

She spooned it into her mouth. He felt the pavlova oozing away, and soon it was only her tongue which pressed against him. He was still sticky. Then her mouth opened again, and he saw that the glass was already there. He held onto her teeth, and pushed forward, so that his head pressed against her lower lip. She gently poured the water into her mouth and then put down the glass.

She took him from her mouth, and reached for a serviette. She wiped him down delicately. It was almost as though she shared his infatuation, except that hers was a desire to consume his meat.

“Well thank you for everything,” she said, “It’s been nice to make it a bit more enjoyable for you than I expected, but the rest of the fun is mainly for me. By the way, before I start, how old are you?”

“I’m 26.”

“So was the last boy I ate. I had no choice with him. My daughter had found him, and I couldn’t take a chance on her telling other people about him. His name was Charlie. You and I might have fallen in love, on the other hand. It’s a shame for you, but rather fortunate for me, that you’re so delicious, isn’t it?”

“You don’t seem to mind about the shame it is for me.”

“No, I honestly don’t,” she said and gave him a long soft kiss, “That’s what I might have been doing with you for many years to come. I just wanted you to think about that, while you come to terms with the fact that you’re going to be eaten by me instead. You haven’t had a girlfriend, have you?”

“Not so far.”

“A poor choice of words, Dan. You’ll never even have a first date, let alone become someone’s husband. I’m going to live to see my daughter bring me grandchildren, and you’ll be long gone. That’s how far removed our futures will be from each other, Dan. It doesn’t matter how much you enjoy or fear the next few minutes. The reality for you is that you’ll never have any of the things I’ve had. When you look at it that way, I do seem to be gaining the much better side of this exchange, don’t you think?”

“Yes,” he said nervously, “You caught me. I fell in love with you. I didn’t escape. I’m losing everything, and you’ll be happier for the experience for many years to come.”

“Thank you, I just wanted to hear you acknowledge that,” said Yvanne, “It’s time to remove any last dreams you might have of averting that fate. Farewell Dan.”

“Goodbye, beautiful Yvanne.”

She licked him again, slid him into her mouth, and soon slid him down her throat.