EASTER EGG HUNT

by Becky

These are Janet's characters, I'm just having fun with them

"Rise and shine, Cupcake!" Joe whispered in my ear as his hand skimmed my back. "Bella'll put the eye on you for sure if we're late for Easter mass."

"No, I can't ever show my face in that church again." I grabbed Joe's pillow and pulled it over my head. "Someone should have told me Father Corolli had the flu and the new guy, Father McCutchin, was hearing confessions"

"What's wrong with Father McCutchin?" Joe wanted to know, burrowing his nose under my pillow. "Ummm, you still smell like Cinnamon Buns."

"What's wrong with him is that he's a baby. Did you see him – he's sixteen!"

I could feel Joe chuckling as he lifted my hair off the back of my of my neck. "Cupcake, he's got to be at least twenty-five to make it through the seminary."

"Well, he looks sixteen! They shouldn't let someone that young in the confession booth."

"What difference does it make?" Joe asked. He was circling the nape of my neck with his tongue.

"I told him I was living in sin."

"So? Everybody in the Burg knows that." Now he was blowing softly on my damp neck and warm shivers were making their way down my spine.

"I told him about the birthday present I gave you."

"That was the best birthday present I ever had Cupcake." His mouth was following the same path as the shivers now and I stifled a moan. "But why don't you refresh my memory? I love it when you talk dirty."

"I didn't talk dirty to him Joe. Honest I didn't, but his face was blushing as red as his hair when I saw him by the vigil candles. And then Gina Hallatucci told me that he'd been in the confessional all morning and it was his first time!"

Joe was kissing the small of my back now and my pelvic muscles contracted from the vibrations of his laughter.

"This isn't funny Joe! He was a virgin confession listeningtoer, or whatever you call them, and I told him about the banana flavored condom."

"Did you tell him how you loved that banana Steph?" Joe lightly nibbled my bottom and suddenly it was way too hot under that pillow.

My mother was hand mashing the potatoes with a vengeance when I walked into the kitchen. Joe had gone straight to the living room to watch the Sabres–Flyers game with my father. "How could you be late for Easter mass?" My mother demanded, coming down hard on an innocent potato.

I opened the cabinet drawer next to the stove. "Where's the mixer?"

"I don't want the mixer! I want to know why you were late for church. You only go two times a year. Is it too much to ask that you get there on time?" Another potato bit the dust.

I opened my mouth, but my mother thrust her hand out in a stop gesture. "No! Don't tell me!" There were definitely not going to be any lumps in those potatoes. "Did you think no one would notice? What were you and Joseph thinking?"

"Well, actually …."

Another stop sign. "I don't want to talk about this anymore. What's done is done. Just go set the table." My mother had an uncanny ability to make me feel ten years old again.

We'd just sat down at the table, when the front door burst opened and Mary Alice came galloping in. "I'm so sorry we're late," Val said in a gasp. "Angie couldn't find her Easter basket."

"That's because I'm too old to go on an Easter Egg Hunt. Mo-ther." Angie said on the exasperated sigh of a twelve year old. Val looked heart-broken.

"You're never too old to go hunting for candy, Angie." Joe smiled and winked at her. "That's the best part of Easter." He said as he reached for the mashed potatoes.

"Really?" Angie asked, her voice filled with adoration. She had such a crush on Joe. "You'd look for candy?"

"Absolutely. It's been a long time." Joe said almost wistfully. "But I always had a lot of fun trying to find where my mother had hidden it."

Aww, I loved this little boy side to Joe and he was so sweet to try to make Angie and Val feel better. Oh boy, I just had an inspiration on how to make this his best Easter ever.

"Val, you still have those bunny slippers?" I asked as we were cleaning up in the kitchen.

"Of course I do, I love my bunny slippers." Val sad, running her index finger over the cake knife. "I know I shouldn't, but I am eating for two, you know." She patted her belly with one hand and licked the icing off her finger on the other."

"Yep, I know. That must be the best of being pregnant. The old 'eating for two' excuse." I teased.

Val laughed. "Well, it is one of the perks. But did you see how cute Lisa is toddling around on her toes and Mary Alice hardly whinnies at all anymore and Angie is getting so grown up." She said proudly. "By the way, that was so sweet of Joe about the basket and did you see the way he swooped Lisa up before she fell against the coffee table. He's going to make a terrific daddy Steph."

"Yeah, I know, but that's a ways off. Right now I just want to give him an Easter present, not a bambino." I said. "Can I borrow your slippers?"

"Sure. What are you going to do with them?"

"Well, what do you think I'm going to do with them? I'm going to be the Easter bunny." I felt my face flush with anticipation. "Did you get any Dove's dark chocolate eggs for the girls?"

"Yeah, but I got them more for me than for them." Val confessed.

"Perfect!" Ah – my plan was really coming together. "I'll stop by on the way home."

"Tell me again, why we had to stop at Val's." Joe wanted to know as I hopped into the car with a Macy's shopping bag and waved good-bye to Mary Alice standing on their front porch. "If I'd known, I'd have stayed and watched the third period with Frank. It's the last game of the season, I don't want to miss it."

"That game doesn't mean anything." I welcomed the chance to change the subject. "We've got the Rangers' first play-off game next weekend. Do you want to have a party?"

My tactic worked. Joe forgot about the shopping bag and we made party plans the rest of the way home.

Joe went straight to the TV, but the game was over. The Flyers had won but it wasn't nearly enough to salvage their dismal season. He clicked over to the Masters'. Good. Watching golf was better than an Ambien and fit perfectly into my plan. I took Bob for a nice, long walk and by the time we snuck in the back door, Joe was sound asleep on the couch.

I chose Lemon Custard for my shower gel and body lotion. Much Springier than Cinnamon Buns and Joe loved Lemon Custard pie. I did a quick blow dry of my hair and opted for au naturel make-up. I grabbed the Macy's bag, finished my present preparation, grabbed my fluffy white robe and headed for the stairs.

"Joe?" I called from the top of the steps. "Joe, you awake?" I heard some murmuring and rustling coming from the living room.

"Uh ha," Joe yawned.

"Can you come here a minute?"

"mmmm … I'm watching the Masters.'"

"Who's winning?" I was sooo bad.

"Okay, so I was sleeping." He confessed.

"Time for your Easter Egg Hunt." I cooed.

"Huh?" Sounds of movement from the couch.

"Don't you want to find your candy?" Joe appeared at the bottom of the stairs and I left the robe fall from my shoulders behind me. Leaving me standing there in bunny slippers and Kiss-Me-Pink lip gloss.

"What kind of candy are we talking about?" I was treated to his big bad wolf grin. Ahhh, he catches on quickly.

I pushed my hair up from my neck and swished my hips. "Dove's dark chocolate eggs."

"My favorite." Joe said from half-way up the steps.

"I know." I stretched my arms over my head and my hair came tumbling down.

Joe's beautiful brown eyes were dilated and dark when he reached the top and gave me a very slow up and down appraisal. I brought my arms down around his neck and pulled him towards me so my breasts were just brushing his chest.

"God, you're amazing Cupcake." His voice was low and I swayed from side to side tickling his chest with my nipples. "Where's my candy?"

I stepped out of my bunny slippers and pulled myself up to wrap my legs loosely around his waist so I was barely touching his hard . . . belly. "Right here." I whispered in his ear as I tilted my hips against him. "Better hurry . . . it's melting."

"You're going to send Father McCutchin to an early grave with this one, Cupcake."