"Toast? For our first official date, you want to take me out to get toast? Seriously?" Kurt looked over at Blaine as they walked down the street, hand in hand.

Blaine smirked back at him. "Yes, seriously. Because it's seriously the most awesomest toast ever. You'll see."

Kurt gave Blaine an unimpressed look. How awesome could toast be? Blaine sure picked weird outings, come to think of it. A church and now a toast restaurant. Maybe Kurt should take over the date planning, going forward. But it was nice to be actually doing something with Blaine outside of work or their apartments.

Holding the door open, Blaine ushered Kurt inside. It was a regular looking bakery-café, with simple, white walls and small bistro tables.

Blaine stopped at a table by the window. "You save the table and I'll be back soon with our breakfast."

Sighing, Kurt sat down, crossing his legs. "Fine." He watched while Blaine bustled off to the front counter, where there was a bit of a line. Looking around, most of the tables were full, and everyone seemed to be enthusiastic about their food. Maybe it was his Ohio roots showing, but he still couldn't believe a place like this existed, and was apparently thriving. Fucking hipsters and their organic, artisan, free-range toast.

Pretty soon, Blaine returned with a tray and sat down, smiling. "Mmmmm… smells so good. I've been craving this for months now." Picking up a knife, he started slicing the pieces of toast in half. "I got a variety so you can try a few types. There's rye with cream cheese and black pepper, country bread with cinnamon sugar, and raisin coriander toast with honey. I also got a side of almond butter to go with that."

Adding some milk to his coffee, Kurt watched in amusement as Blaine dug into his half of the rye toast, a look of bliss on his face as he chewed.

Picking up his half, Kurt had to admit it smelled really good. After the first bite, he couldn't help but give Blaine a smile. This was really fucking good toast. It was warm and crunchy, but still chewy. The bread was very fresh and of high quality. The cream cheese was spread in a nice even coat, not a huge blob like bagels usually had. The pepper was a nice compliment to the rye flavor.

Once Blaine was sure that Kurt was enjoying the meal, he relaxed and took a sip of his coffee. "I used to come here a couple times a week, back when I was in the office. They make their own bread and everything."

"So, is this a big fad right now?" Kurt took a sip of coffee.

Blaine nodded, as he finished chewing his bite of cinnamon sugar toast. "Yes, and I keep trying to convince Tina to do something like this, but she is skeptical."

Tilting his head to the side a little, Kurt looked at Blaine knowingly. "Ahhhh…. You want me to convince Tina to do it. You think I have sway with her."

"You've known each other for ten years. If you don't, who would?" Blaine laughed.

Kurt shrugged. "Your lawyer, maybe. Have you seen the two of them together?"

Nodding, Blaine spread some almond butter on his toast. "It's hard to pry Lucas away from her, and then during our meetings, he keeps talking about her."

"Well, if she does try to do something like this, it will have her spin on it. It won't be breads baked in-house, but the bakery that supplies our other baked goods might have some interesting breads we could use. And she could play around with different toppings." Kurt was imagining how it might work in their business, something he always enjoyed doing.

"And the costs are low… just a toaster, and maybe more staff to handle the work if it takes off."

Kurt gave Blaine an assessing look. "Any other suggestions for the business? You have travelled a fair bit, seen lots of different things. It's always good to hear an outside view."

Blaine shrugged. "Well, you could maybe get a liquor license and serve wine and beer for your evening events, especially the music ones. It would be easy money."

Nodding, Kurt considered the idea. "And the bookstore? Any suggestions for it?"

"Hmmmm… is this like asking if you look fat in those pants or something? I sense that no matter what answer I give, I'll step in it. It's your baby, Kurt." Blaine laughed, shaking his head.

Kurt chuckled at Blaine. "Yes, it's my baby, but that doesn't mean it can't be better. Please feel free to suggest anything, and I'll feel free to ignore whatever I deem idiotic."

"Actually, I think the store is fantastic. It is way above any used bookstore I've been in before, and you already have lots of great events. Maybe the only thing I'd suggest is getting a social media presence. Get a webpage where you promote upcoming events, have pictures of past events, and show results of Tina's tip challenges. Link it to a Facebook page and a twitter account. Tina could tweet the soup of the day and whatever dessert she makes." Blaine stacked up their empty plates on the tray, and brushed up the toast crumbs from the tabletop.

Sighing, Kurt reached over and put his hand over Blaine's. "Actually, those are great ideas. I don't know if Tina or I have the tech skills to really do it though, and we don't have the funds to hire some IT guy."

"Well, I bet one of Mandy's admirers could do the webpage for you, and probably give you a deal if you get her to arrange it." Blaine smiled.

Standing up, Kurt took the tray of dirty dishes. "Sounds good. I'm going to buy a couple loaves of bread for Tina to try, and then we can head back, OK?"

Blaine nodded, smiling as Kurt walked away. It felt good to help out his friends with their business after all the help they had given him.

Walking towards the backroom, Kurt stopped so suddenly that Blaine bumped into him. "What the hell….?"

Looking down, Kurt scanned the feature table. The table he had allowed Mandy to set up last night.

There was a sign that said simply 'Get That Guy'. Books were filled up such titles as 'The Good Girl's Guide to Great Sex'. Walking around the table, the other side of the sign said 'Get That Girl', and it was surrounded by books like 'She Comes First: The Thinking Man's Guide to Pleasuring a Woman' and 'The Bro Code'.

Kurt just turned to Blaine. "Find Mandy and get her to get over here. Now."

Blaine's eyebrows shot up. He'd never heard that tone from Kurt before, but he didn't question it. He simply pivoted around and walked quickly over to the café.

It was only a couple minutes before Mandy appeared at Kurt's side. He turned slowly, looking her over with an arched eyebrow. "So, can you tell me why there is a big table of sex manuals in the middle of my store?"

"They aren't sex manuals…" Mandy objected, smiling widely at Kurt. She was not at all concerned by Kurt's expression.

Huffing, Kurt pointed to a book. "Time to check your reading skills, Mandy. What's the title of this book?"

"The Joy of Sex." Mandy said quickly.

Kurt pointed to another.

"The Complete Kama Sutra."

Arching his brow again, he pointed at another.

Mandy rolled her eyes. "Tantric Sex: The Path to Sexual Enlightenment."

He turned to her, leveling a cool look at her. "Didn't we discuss making a table of dating guides, and self improvement books for men?"

Shrugging, Mandy gave Kurt a wicked grin. "There are dating books on the table too. Look, there's the 'Rules' book and 'He's Just Not That Into You'. But you have to admit, the table is very eye-catching. A lot of customers have been checking it out."

"And where did all the condoms come from?" Kurt waved a hand over the table, where dozens of little foil packages were scattered over and around the books.

Mandy nodded. "Donated by the Planned Parenthood office the next block over. Effective, don't you think?"

Kurt could only shake his head, sighing. "OK, explain to me exactly why you have all these sex books on a table about dating?"

"Isn't it obvious? The condoms and books about sex will grab people's interest, and if they are single, they will automatically be more motivated to get a partner. Ergo, the dating manuals." Mandy looked very pleased with her logic.

With a sigh, Kurt gave Mandy a steady look. "OK. We'll give it a few days and see the response from customers. But if this offends our regulars, we will have to tone it down."

Over the next few days, Kurt was amused to see the various reactions to the Seduction Table, as the staff had nicknamed it. There was no doubt that it got second looks, and a lot of people stopping to read over the titles and flip through a book or two. And they had a fair number of sales from it too.

On a quiet morning, Kurt went into the café for a coffee refill, and Tina was reading on the stool. On seeing Kurt, she closed the book and set it facedown on the counter.

Kurt smirked as he added milk to his mug. "So, what are you reading, Tina?" Settling down on the other stool, he arched his neck towards the closed book, trying to read the back cover.

Shuffling some paperwork over the book, Tina shrugged. "Just a book about time management."

Not convinced in the slightest, Kurt nodded along, watching her closely. "So, how are things going with Lucas? You've been on a few dates now, right?"

Tina brightened up right away. "Yeah, it's going well. We've done the dinner thing, the movie thing, the drag queen bingo thing."

"Sounds like fun." Kurt nodded along with her, and then leaned over, quickly grabbing the book from it's hiding spot. Tina let out a surprised yelp, and tried to take it back, but Kurt held it out of her reach, laughing.

"'Sex Tips for Straight Women by a Gay Man'…" Kurt read the title out loud, and glanced over a blushing Tina. "Honey, you could have just asked me if you had any questions." He couldn't resist bugging her.

Tina scoffed. "As if you've had much experience to draw on! I can tell that you and Blaine aren't getting busy… there's way too much sexual tension between you."

Kurt couldn't argue with that. Their schedules made it hard to see each other. And even though they'd sworn not to make out at the store, a few rushed make out sessions was all they'd been able to squeeze in. They both ended up feeling more frustrated by it all.

Nudging her shoulder, Kurt passed the book back to her. "So, you and Lucas….?"

Tina shrugged. "Well, not yet…. But it doesn't hurt to brush up my knowledge a bit."

"Well, I saw Lucas lingering by the table the other day, and I'm pretty sure he was looking at that book with all the hot sex tips." Kurt waggled his eyebrows at Tina, and got off the stool as some customer came up to her counter. Leaning over, he whispered in her ear, "Help yourself to as many condoms as you want from the table."

He could hear Tina laughing as he walked away.

Going over to the table, he straightened it up and moved the books around so there weren't any big gaps. Sheesh, Mandy even had LGBT books on here. Kurt picked up a book he hadn't seen in the store before. 'Gay Dating 101: Finding Men, Sex and Love in a Complicated World', and flipped through it.

"Hmmmm…. Should I feel scared that you are reading a book about finding men?"

Kurt looked up from the book to see Blaine standing beside him, and he nodded. "Well, I might just have to read this book if you don't step things up."

Blaine gave Kurt an exaggerated shocked look. "Step it up? What do you mean?"

"So far, you've taken me to a church, even though I'm an atheist, and then to a toast restaurant, and that was more of a business meeting than a date." Kurt's teasing tone softened his words.

Laughing, Blaine tilted his head to the side. "You are right. I've been horribly amiss in my wooing. I will need some time to plan a date worthy of you."

Stepping closer, Kurt put an arm around Blaine waist, and kissed his neck near his ear. "It doesn't have to be anything fancy, Blaine… but it would be nice if it ended with us being alone somewhere other than my office." He bit Blaine's earlobe gently, loving how his skin tasted and how he smelled.

Blaine's eyes were considerably warmer when he pulled away reluctantly. He cleared his throat. "When's your next day off?"

Checking his hair for the tenth time, Kurt had to admit to himself that he felt nervous. Blaine had been planning for this date for a few days, dropping little teasing hints that really didn't reveal anything. And the closer it got, the more Kurt felt a sense of nervous anticipation. When was the last time he'd been on a real date with someone he was this attracted to, someone he liked this much? It had been too long to remember.

Finally, there was a knock on his door, and Kurt rushed over, but took a deep breath and paused before opening it. Didn't want to look over-eager, after all.

Blaine's wide smile greeted him. He whistled. "Wow, Kurt. You look so amazing."

Pleased, Kurt smiled to himself as Blaine walked around him, taking a good long look at Kurt's carefully selected ensemble. He was wearing charcoal grey dress pants with a wide pinstripe in burgundy, a lightly patterned charcoal grey button-up shirt with a well-matched burgundy scarf loosely looped around his neck. The narrow pants were tucked into black ankle boots.

"But I'm afraid you'll have to change." Blaine bit his lip, shaking his head.

Kurt's eyes widened. "What?!"

Blaine shrugged. "I'm so sorry, but I should have warned you to wear some really warm, comfortable clothes. We will be outside a lot on this date."

Looking over at Blaine, Kurt noted his clothes. Casual jeans, a long sleeved tee, a hoodie, and sneakers. Sighing, Kurt nodded and turned to go to the bedroom to change.

Blaine grabbed his arm, stopping him. "Wait, before you go, I think I need a few more minutes to appreciate this wonderful outfit of yours." And he stepped closer, crowding right against Kurt to wrap his arms around his waist and giving Kurt a slow, deep kiss.

Laughing, Kurt squirmed in Blaine's hold. "How are you 'appreciating' my clothes with your eyes shut?"

"I was thinking of using my hands for that." Blaine slid his hands up Kurt's back. "Mmmm… This fabric feels nice. Cotton?"

Kurt groaned at the feel of Blaine's hands on his body. He just wanted more. "Uh, yeah…"

Kissing the side of Kurt's neck, Blaine slid his hands down Kurt's sides, ending on his outer thighs. "And I must say I admire the fit of these wonderful pants…" Blaine's hands slid up to his hips and then back to cup his ass.

As tempting as it was, Kurt knew they wouldn't be leaving the apartment at all if this continued. And he'd been looking forward to the date too long to give it up now. He pulled back, giving Blaine a little kiss. "Um… thanks… but I should go get changed now."

Blaine's fingers tugged on Kurt's waistband. "Do you need any help with that?"

Grabbing Blaine's hands, Kurt moved them away. "Maybe later tonight…" he said teasingly, before walking quickly into the bedroom and closing the door firmly behind him.

A few minutes later, Kurt emerged from the bedroom dressed in similar clothes to Blaine's. Not really sure what would be happening, he had veered away from his tightest, sexiest jeans with regret, and picked ones that were a little easier to move around in.

Blaine had the front closet door open, and he pulled out a light windbreaker. "You should bring this along, OK?"

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