Kim, Lynn, and Me Ch. 04

"Never you mind," Kim said. She stuck her tongue out at me.

"Don't you stick that tongue out at me unless you're going to use it, young lady!"

"Funny you should mention that…" Lynn began. Kim laughed.

"Is everything taken care of?" Kim asked.

"We should have a new king bed and mattress and box spring tomorrow by noon, she said."

"Oh, wonderful!" Kim said.

"Thank you for doing this while I'm here, John," Lynn said. She hugged me tightly and kissed me. We were in a corner with no one near us and she reached down and groped my cock, cupping it in her hand. I stiffened slightly at her touch and rubbed up and down a little, saying "Mmmmmm!"

"We need sheets that are going to fit a king bed, you know," I said.

"We're sure in the right place for 'em," Kim said. "I'd say that's the next stop in the store, then." Because IKEA is laid out in a big loop, I wasn't worried about finding sheets; it was just a matter of walking until we saw them.

We walked through the IKEA departments for furnishings and accessories big and little. Lynn kept stopping to look at things, but Kim and I would frequently point something out. It took us the best part of an hour to get over to where the sheets were.

"Did you have something in mind?" I said.

"We can always go for whites," Kim said.

"I was afraid you'd say something like that," I said. "I like sheets with color or presence."

"Yes, I know. You're a guy. It's hardwired," Kim said.

"How do you feel about colors and patterns and so on?"

"Oh, I can live with them, but I would like something a little more…."

"Girly?" I asked.

"Yup. How about white with a pattern?" Kim said.

"I could be interested. Whatcha got in mind?"

"Well… something like this, actually." Kim held up a package of white sheets with a fine pattern woven into them.

"Those look nice," I said. I held them up next to Kim's face. "They set off your skin nicely, too." Kim looked pleased. "After all, I'll be seeing you on them." I held them up next to Lynn's face and said, "Wow, these really bring out the pink in your skin. That's very attractive."

"Just wait until you have a chance to see a lot more of me displayed on these," Lynn said seductively.

"Oh, baby, oh, baby, oh!" I said with a grin.

"That's one set," Kim said. "How many should we get?"

"I'm thinking three sets will be good," I said. "One on the bed, one in the cupboard, and one in the wash."

"I've chosen one, why don't you both choose a set each and we'll be all set?"

"A very good idea, O Solomon-like one," I agreed.

Lynn looked at both of us and said "I really love how the two of you include me in this relationship. It makes me very happy." Kim hugged her.

"You're welcome to be as much a part of this as you like, Lynn," Kim said. "You're wonderful. And I love the way you eat me." She kissed Lynn's cheek and squeezed her forearm.

"I think we'd better choose sheets before we start necking here in the corner," I said.

"Buzzkill!" Lynn said.

"That's 'Mister Buzzkill' to you!" I replied. Lynn snorted and smiled.

I chose a dark blue solid sheet set with no pattern. Lynn found an ivory set with a pattern of little diamonds.

"Very nice!" I said when I saw it.

"I agree," Kim said. "They're the best of the lot."

I held up the ivory sheets against Lynn's face and said, "They bring out your eyes, too. A wise choice."

Lynn dimpled and said "Thank you, handsome!"

"Hey, we can look at towels while we're here," Kim said.

"Oh, God, honey, that's a good idea!" I said.

"While I am generally that brilliant, this was a no-brainer. They're right over there," Kim said.

We gathered the sheet sets and walked over to the towel display in the bathroom goods section.

"We're fine on washcloths and hand towels, but it's the bath sheets and the fluffy ones we're using up all the time," I said. "If no-one has a better idea, I'm going to get a half dozen fluffy towels and three bath sheets."

"Sounds good to me, sweetheart," Kim said.

I selected three dark green and three white towels and I also got bath sheets in dark red, dark green, and dark blue. It made for quite a load, so I handed the towels to Lynn (Kim was carrying the sheets), and ran off to get a shopping cart.

I returned a few minutes later and saw Kim and Lynn once again talking conspiratorially. There wasn't any way of sneaking up on them to eavesdrop, so I figured I'd find out sooner or later. I went "Yoohoo!" and got their attention. We dropped the sheets and towels into the cart and continued around the loop.

We passed the cafeteria about 15 minutes later.

"It's only about 11:30 but I'm ready for some calories," Kim said.

"Me, too," Lynn said.

"Who am I to argue with two such beautiful and intelligent women?" I said.

"Who, indeed?" Kim said. "Let's get lunch."

I parked the cart next to three other carts belonging to people who were eating in the cafeteria and we got in line.

"What's good?" Lynn said.

"Everything," Kim and I said together.

Lynn laughed and said, "Maybe I should rephrase that. What are you two getting?"

"Meatballs," Kim and I said together again. We all laughed.

"And lingonberries!" Kim said.

"I'll have to go with the recommendation," Lynn said.

We got three plates of meatballs in gravy with lingonberries and bottles of juice. We sat down at a table. Lynn took her first forkful of meatball and bit into it. A look of satisfaction crossed her face.

"Those are really good," she said.

"It's one of those things you just gotta have when you go to IKEA," Kim said. She scooped up a meatball and some lingonberries. "Although I always think they need salt." I passed her the salt and pepper and she doctored her plate, after which Lynn and I did the same.

The next five minutes were spent eating and mopping up bits of gravy with rolls. When we were done with everything, I slotted the dirty trays in a pick-up cart and dropped the empty juice bottles in the bin for recyclables. Lynn got our cart full of stuff and we left the cafeteria.

There wasn't a lot more of IKEA to see, but Lynn did enjoy the lamp department. "I never knew there were so many different sizes and shapes of bulbs!" she said.

We got to the checkout area and, not surprisingly, there was already a long line. It looked like about 10 minutes of waiting.

"Is it always this crowded?" Lynn asked.

"It's certainly always like this on the weekends," Kim said. "Everyone thinks about things they need to get and makes an excursion of it. It's a lot of fun to come here."

The line moved slowly forward. We'd covered about half the distance when we heard someone say "Hey, Kim!" We all turned in the direction of the cry and Kim said "It's Trish!'

Lynn looked confused and I said, "She's a neighbor and good friend of Kim's." I leaned forward and added quietly "She's something of a show-off herself. Be cool, play along, and we'll see what happens."

Trish came over and hugged Kim. "It's good to see you again," she said. "I've been out of town for a sales conference in Michigan since Tuesday and I got back yesterday afternoon and immediately started thinking I was sick of the old lamps. So, I figured I needed to get down to IKEA, decompress, and look for a couple of good table lamps."

"It looks like you found some," Kim said, looking at Trish's cart. "They look like something out of 'The Brass Bottle.'

"Yup, I saw these brass lamps and I thought they'd be perfect in the living room. I was really tired of those old pottery things. I've had them since college and I just needed something new." Trish looked at me and said "You're John, right? It's nice to meet you at last."

I shook Trish's hand and said "And the same here, Trish. I'm glad to finally catch up with you." I gestured to Lynn and said "This is our friend Lynn from Alaska, who's down for the weekend." Trish and Lynn shook hands and Lynn said, "I'm really pleased to meet you, Trish. Kim's mentioned you several times in the last month."

"How do you come to know Kim?" Trish said to Lynn. "I met her about 2 years ago when she moved into the apartment complex a few months after I did."

"John knew her originally," Kim said, "and then the two of us ended up getting to know each other in the last month. We all have an interest in high-tech stuff, so it was kind of a natural." Lynn and I smiled inwardly at this--webcamming was certainly high-tech--but I saw Trish smile an odd smile, too, and I made a mental note to ask Kim later just exactly how much she had told Trish.

"So I had an opportunity to pop down to Seattle for the weekend and I figured it'd be a great way to meet Kim in person and here I am," Lynn said.

"Um, Kim?" I said. Kim looked at me and I gently waggled my left ring finger.

"Oh!" Kim exclaimed. "Yes, Trish, I have to tell you: John and I are engaged!"

"Oh, my God, that's wonderful!" Trish said. "Not that I'm in the least surprised, but I didn't think it would be happening this quickly. Have you set a date yet?"

"Oh, heavens, no! We're still working on the just the idea of being engaged," Kim replied.

I cleared my throat. "Actually, I did have something in mind on that subject." Everyone looked at me. "I was sorta thinking I might buy you a ring today. Or at least we could go shopping for one," I said. "We are engaged now, after all."

"Oh, you!" Kim said. She hugged me hard and gave me a kiss. I could see Lynn make a slight movement towards us and then she caught herself, not knowing if this'd be okay in front of Trish. I honestly didn't know, myself.

"So that's been our weekend," Kim said, smiling.

"Beats the heck out of shopping for lamps," Trish agreed. She looked at our cart. "Setting up house already?"

"Well, kinda," I said. "You know how it is, Trish: you can never get out of IKEA without buying something that you desperately need for the house. And towels and linens were high on the list."

By this time, we'd gotten up to the cashiers, who were looking at us expectantly. Trish said "Looks like we're done. Give me a call and fill me in on all the details as soon as you can!" She looked at us and I thought I saw another little smile flicker briefly across her face. "John, I am so glad to meet you at last, particularly with such great news, and Lynn, it was lovely meeting you, too."

"I'm glad to have finally met you, too, Trish," I said.

"I'm sure we're going to run into each other again. Kim seems to have us firmly in her universe," Lynn said. She smiled and shook Trish's hand again.

We offloaded the towels and sheets from the shopping cart for the cashier and I handed over the paperwork for the bed. The cashier looked through the paperwork, detached some of it and put that in an envelope and handed it to me. The towels and linens were scanned, the tax was computed, and a total popped up on the display.

"I didn't think we were going to get out of here cheaply," I said. I handed over a credit card.

"It's not every day you buy a hardwood king-sized bed and mattress and box spring," Kim said. She peered at the register's display. "But dropping two grand in a day at IKEA is a bit unusual, I have to say." The cashier got my signature on the credit receipt and handed me some more paperwork for the bed and said "Thank you for shopping at IKEA."

We carried the bag of linens and towels out to the car. I put the bag in the trunk and we got in. Kim got in the passenger seat and hugged my arm tightly. "You did it for meeeeeeee!" Kim batted her eyes at me.

"Just think of how big and comfortable it'll be," Lynn said, running her hand over my chest from the back seat.

"I'm sure that I shall have absolutely no upside to this," I said mournfully. "There will be no benefit to me whatsoever. All I ask is a corner of the blanket and a morsel of food." I paused. "Oh, and hot squishy sex frequently. From both of you, preferably at the same time, as a matter of fact."

"Gawd, he does get uppity, doesn't he?" Lynn said to Kim.

"Oh, yes, but I suppose we'll have to keep humoring him. He's such a good cook," Kim said.

"I like the way he eats me, too," Lynn said.

"He's no slouch there," Kim agreed.

"Okay, we've got the bed ordered, I have linens and towels, so I think the next stop is Southcenter," I announced. "First things first: I need coffee and I think Lynn and I have a question or two to ask of you, Kim."

"Is everything okay?" Kim said, sounding a little alarmed.

"Everything's fine, honey, but I was noticing that Trish had an odd smile a couple of times and I'd be really curious to find out more about what you've been telling her."

"Oh!" Kim said. "Actually, that's fairly easy. You remember that I told you we've shared a number of things in the past and I walked in on her in the sauna and so on?"

"Abundantly."

"A couple weeks ago, I told her about webcamming."

"You did?" Lynn said. "How'd she react?"

"She seemed to like the idea," Kim said. "She wanted to know how private it was and what the men were like and a lot of other questions that I had asked when I got started. Trish sounded like she was interested in trying it some time. She didn't feel comfortable doing anything with us around at first, she said; she'd be too self-conscious."

"I'd be glad to dig out a few reflectors for her that I don't normally hang out on but are pretty good and that I think she'd enjoy," I said. "You can show her the, uh, ins and outs of it all and then let her romp around on her own."

"Did you tell her about me?" Lynn said.

"I did," Kim said. "I told her last week that someone that John and I knew through webcamming was coming down for the weekend to visit. I didn't say anything more than that, but Trish is smart enough to add two and two, or two and one in this case. And I think she's already figured out I'm just a slut in really sharp clothing."

"We all knew that, Kim" Lynn and I said together, then laughed at having said the same thing, as did Kim.

"You must've been hanging out with us too long already," Kim said.

"You'll never get rid of me now," Lynn replied. "I'm ruined. No one else would have me. And besides--" Lynn pulled her blouse up and flashed us both for a second "--I'm shopworn. You've opened the package and gotten finger marks all over me!"

I looked at Kim briefly, then said, "I'm not sure I saw enough for you to make your claim, Lynn. You wanna try that again long enough for us to make sure?" Kim snickered

"You're just going to have to take my word for it for now," Lynn said haughtily. I started the car and backed out of the parking spot, then headed out towards Southcenter half a mile away.

"Are people still interested in coffee?" I asked.

"Yes, but we could just hit a Starbuck's or something while we shop," Kim said.

"Lynn?"

"Sounds fine to me," Lynn said.

"Hokay, then," I said. A couple moments later, I pulled into the back parking lot of the Southcenter Mall. Traffic was as heavy as it had been for IKEA, and it took me a little while to find a parking place.

We got out of the car and I hugged both women, who were happy to hug back. After a quick smooch all around, we walked arm in arm as a group with Kim in the middle towards the mall. We had to break apart when we got to the door, so I held the door for Kim and Lynn and followed them inside. We looked at the map at the information kiosk just inside the door.

"I'd like to hit a clothes store or two," Lynn said. "Kim can help me choose clothes if you don't want to come along."

"Are you kidding?" I said. "I'd be glad to help you choose clothes. What are you after?"

"A little of everything, I think," Lynn said. "But definitely on the prettier side. Functional stuff I can get plenty of at home, but I'm always on the lookout for the pretty, frilly stuff."

"And there's…" Kim started to say, then stopped.

"What?" I asked.

"Oh, I had a brain fart. Never mind."

"You're still cute."

"I know." Dimples flashed briefly.

"Jewelry?" I said.

"Ummmm…" Kim said. "I think I'd like to wait."

"Sure, honey, but how come?" I said.

"I love the idea of being engaged and having a ring and everything, but I'm still trying to figure out what I'd like. If I see a whole bunch of designs right now, it may derail the train of thought I'm working on." Kim hugged both of us. "But I do want a ring, you can count on it!" She kissed me and then Lynn.

"Well, okay, we'll hold off on that for today," I said. "Which means that we should go looking for coffee, first, 'ere I perish from lack of caffeine and steamed milk."

We headed down the mall to the Starbucks. When we arrived, I said "Care to try something sweet and daring?"

"This'd be a bit too exposed even for Kim, I think," Lynn said. Kim looked confused for a second then laughed as she got it. I smiled and leered at Kim.

"It probably would, but I was referring to a caffé borgia."

"Coffee with poison?" Kim asked.

"Not the version I had in mind, although you may care to watch your step. No, it's got whipped cream, chocolate, and grated orange zest."

"Ooooh, that sounds yummy!" Lynn said. "Yes, please!"

"I'll go along with that," Kim said.

"Grab us a table, then." I ordered three caffé borgias and sat down with Kim and Lynn.

"Lynn, was there anywhere in particular that you wanted to hit for clothes?" I asked.

"Victoria's Secret, although they don't stock nearly as much for the full-figured woman as I'd like," Lynn said.

"No, they don't," Kim said, shaking her head sadly. "Nordstrom's is where I actually have the most success for frilly and fun in my size and they're not bad at all for selections."

"Then let's do Victoria's Secret just because and Nordy's because that's where we'll likely find something," Lynn said.

I heard my name called and said, "Excuse me a second," and went over to the pick-up counter. I took all three drinks to the side counter, dusted mine lightly with nutmeg, and brought them back to the table. Kim and Lynn picked their mugs up and took a sip. Their faces lit up.

"Oh, that's good!" Kim said. She took another swallow.

"That's very warming," Lynn said. She looked at mine and said, "Yours is different?"

"I like mine dusted with a little nutmeg," I replied.

"Sounds good to me," Lynn said. She stood up and said to Kim "Would you like nutmeg on yours, honey?"

"No, I'm going to do this one straight, thanks," Kim said. Lynn carried her mug over to the side counter and stood behind someone sugaring their coffee.

Kim leaned over to me and said "I love you very much and I am very happy with Lynn being here." She kissed me, then giggled and said "You taste faintly of nutmeg."

"I love you, too, honey, and I'm very glad you and Lynn hit it off. I'm hoping she stays with us for a long time." I kissed Kim and said "You just taste like you, which is quite exotic."

Kim shut her eyes and said "Mmmmmmm!" She took another sip. Lynn returned with her caffé borgia dusted with nutmeg and cinnamon. She sat down, took a large sip of her drink, and sighed.

"Pretty good, aren't they?" I said.

"They're heavenly!" Kim said.

"Caffé borgias are a special treat, so I only do 'em occasionally," I said. "Although I have been known to do them more often in the depths of winter."

"I can understand that," Lynn said. "They warm me right down to my toes." She plucked a thread of orange zest from the whipped cream and nibbled it slowly.

"These can only be improved by adding biscotti with lots of anise and fennel," I said. Kim made a little moaning noise.

"I never appreciated that this was going to be such a gourmet relationship," Lynn said.