Page 1 of Their Little Foursome

CHAPTER 1

Blake

“No running!”

He skidded to a stop seconds before he banged into her where she stood in the middle of the aisle. “Sorry, Mommy, but look what I found!”

Her gaze flicked to his prize. “Pumpkin, was that on our list?”

“No, but it’s way better!” When her brow began to arch, he rushed to state his case before she could say no.

“Think of all the money we’ll save if we get these.” Blake shook the box, but when he didn’t hear a single snap, crackle, or pop, he decided a visual aid would be more effective. Plucking an item out of the basket, he held it aloft.

“This costs a whole bunch, right?” Not waiting for confirmation, he lowered the bottle and lifted the box higher. “If we buy these, we won’t need any syrup ‘cuz you get chocolate milk for free! It’s like magic or something!”

“Why, aren’t you a clever boy?”

The curl of Mommy’s lip and her praise had him beaming. He’d have given a fist pump of victory if his hands hadn’tbeen full. Instead, Blake did a little happy dance, turning in a complete circle.

“Of course, what you haven’t factored in is that eating your choice will require Mommy needing to purchase a few more of these.”

She reached past him to take an item off the shelf, and Blake could feel the butterflies in his belly taking flight as his vision zeroed in on the large bottle. As if parroting his performance, Beverly shook it so the contents shifted, and Blake swore he could actually smell the peppermint scent and feel the slickness of the fluid even though the cap remained securely closed. Tearing his eyes away, Blake looked around as if expecting to see that everyone in the Pick and Pack grocery store in Porter’s Corner had joined them to stare at the bottle his Mommy was brandishing.

“Mommy!” he stage-whispered, reaching out with the intent of putting it back where it belonged only to discover he still held the cereal and the chocolate syrup. That didn’t stop him from trying to keep it from joining the other items in their basket. Blake shifted slightly to stand at the side of the cart. “We don’t need that!”

“Oh, but I assure you we do,” his Mommy countered, managing to transfer the bottle to the basket despite his attempt to body-block her arm. “But, if you are suddenly concerned about our budget, I suppose we can do without this.”

If his eyes had been huge when she’d blatantly shaken the bottle so that anyone could see what it contained, they grew to the size of saucers as she lifted a jar of petroleum jelly out of the basket. When he heard what sounded suspiciously like a whimper, it took Blake a moment to realize it had come from him.

“Are you all right?”

The question had him looking from the jar to his Mommy. “We… umm, I-I need that,” he managed, praying she could hear him as he did not want to have to repeat himself.

“I agree the lubricant makes certain things a bit easier for my Little boy, but I’m sure we can manage without it.”

Blake’s head began to shake even before she continued. “I’ll tell you what. Since you are so anxious to help with our budget, I’ll let you choose. If you really want cereal that has absolutely no nutritional value whatsoever and can make your tummy ache instead of the petroleum jelly which will make your little bot?—”

Before she could finish her statement which would have him expiring from embarrassment right where he stood, Blake cut her off. “If I put it back, will you put that back?” he asked, pointing to the bottle where she’d put it… not hidden deep in the basket among the cans of tomato sauce and bags of fresh produce, but in the top where small children or purses often sat while their Mommies did the weekly shopping.

“That stays,” she said and from her tone, Blake knew there was no argument that would have that huge bottle returning to the shelf. “You know Mommy is a firm believer in maintaining good personal hygiene, and Dr. Bonner’s castile soap has been helping Mommies and Daddies do so for almost a century. Doesn’t that make you a lucky Little boy?”

Define lucky.

Of course, what he said was, “I guess,” huffing in defeat.

With a smile, Beverly reached out to ruffle his hair. “I only want what’s best for you, pumpkin.”

“I know.” Blake knew she spoke the truth. He was also aware his Mommy wouldn’t hesitate to mix the contents of that bottle with other ingredients and pour them all into what she called his “bootie bag”. It might be her attempt to make the reality less unappealing, but the solution would be used to give him an enema just the same. As his Mommy, what she said was law.Acceptance didn’t mean he couldn’t voice his opinion, though. “But does that mean I have tolikethe icky stuff?”

The sound of her laughter made him smile despite himself.

“No, babyboy, you don’t have to like it, you just have to mind Mommy.” She stepped closer and spoke softly next to his ear. “But, we both know you very much like what comes after the ickies, don’t we?”

Blake could feel his face heat at her words. The warmth of her breath on his neck and the kiss she pressed to his cheek had far more than the butterflies in his tummy stirring as he thought of all those sensations that came from her hands, her mouth, her tongue. When he shuddered, she gave another soft laugh before stepping back.

“How about I keep this?” she said, placing the lubricant back into the basket. “And after you put back the cereal and get the correct item, we will visit the candy aisle and you may pick out a treat.”

His day became brighter as he pictured all the treasures lining the shelves. Dropping the chocolate syrup back into the cart, Blake said, “Thank you, Mommy,” and was already halfway down the aisle when he heard her calling, “No running!”

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