Kurt laid in bed for a few minutes, simply enjoying the view of this random expanse of nature in the otherwise concrete jungle that is New York City.

It was during these early hours of the day, when most other people were still fast asleep, that Kurt usually took the opportunity to reflect on his life. Today was one of the days that Kurt was quite satisfied with himself.

At twenty-six, he was one of the youngest executives for one of the most prestigious and exclusive luxury suit retailers in the world. Rheinhold & Co. prided itself in not only hiring the best of the best when it came to having a business-savvy mind, but also those who had an eye for fashion.

Had someone came to Kurt while he was still a cheeky high school senior and told him that he wouldn't be belting out tunes written specifically for him on Broadway, he probably would have laughed in their face and left them with a cutting remark.

Now, Kurt was quite happy with the turn that his life had taken. He had much more control over his career now that he was working with his life's second-greatest passion. As one of the top marketing executives for Rheinhold & Co., it was Kurt's responsibility to make the brand known across the country, while still keeping it exclusive to only the richest of the rich.

Kurt sighed and rolled out of bed, reluctant to leave the warmth of his bed. He relished the feel of the plush carpet greeting his toes but much preferred the warmth of his down comforter wrapped around him.

No matter how much Kurt loved his job, he would never be a morning person.

As Kurt walked into his bathroom and turned his shower on, he mentally went over all of the meetings that he had for the day.

By the time Kurt was showered and dressed, he'd ignored three phone calls from his assistant, no doubt to tell him that one of his meetings was either pushed back, pushed up or cancelled. He decided that it was time to take pity on the poor girl and see what she wanted.

Kurt finally answered his phone when it rang for the fourth time and was greeted with the all-too-frantic voice of his assistant.

“Mr. Hummel, thank god you've finally answered!”

“Yes, Rachel, I figured that there must be a reason for you to abuse my phone at such an ungodly hour of the morning.”

“I'm so sorry about that, sir, but this is an emergency.”

Kurt grimaced at this. There was always an emergency at the office. He wondered who screwed up this time.

“Well don't just waste my time breathing into the phone. What's gone wrong now?”

“Sorry, sir! Mr. Karofsky has pushed the 10 A.M. meeting up to 8:30 A.M. and it's already 8:07 A.M. sir!”

Kurt swore under his breath as he checked his watch. He'd never make it to the office on time. Traffic was bound to be hell at this point and the only way that Kurt would have a chance of making the meeting was to speed like there was no tomorrow.

And that's exactly what he planned to do.

“Well, it looks like I'll see you at 8:30 A.M. sharp.” Kurt hung up before Rachel could get another word in.

He shook his head at his overzealous assistant's panic. She really seemed to be at one extreme or another at all times.

The drive to the office was short and slightly dangerous. If it weren't for the fact that Kurt clearly drove a Lexus, his hazardous driving would have gotten him mistaken for a New York City Taxi.

Kurt pulled into his reserved parking spot in the company's garage, made it onto the elevator, and finally walked into the boardroom with exactly three minutes to spare.

“Ah, Mr. Hummel,” David Karofsky was seated at the head of the table, doing nothing to hide the mildly smug look on his face as he casually glanced at his watch.

“How nice of you to join us. I was beginning to worry that you wouldn't make it to this morning's meeting.”

Kurt fought back his sneer as he took his seat between two of the older executives. He ignored their curious looks and chose to settle himself.

“Well, it's the strangest thing. I strictly remember this meeting being scheduled to take place two hours from now. I guess you forgot to let me know of its change in a timely fashion. After all, isn't it your responsibility to let all executives know of a change in schedule at least twenty-four hours in advance?”

Kurt mentally smirked as he watched the smug look fade from Karofsky's face.

“Now that we've gotten that straightened out, shall we commence with the meeting?”

No one needed to be told twice and everyone immediately sprang into action, eager to please Kurt, lest they find themselves at the wrong end of his unforgiving ridicule.

After a morning of useless meetings, an uneventful lunch, and an afternoon of more useless meetings, Kurt welcomed 5 'o' clock with open arms. He was thankful that it was Friday so he could sleep off the exhaustion of another tiring work week tomorrow morning.

Kurt said his goodbye's to the few coworkers that he actually liked, noting Karofsky's unusual absence as we walked to the elevator. Usually, he had to put up with the brute of a man trying to fit in a few more snide comments before they left for the weekend. No matter, that was just one less thing that Kurt would have to deal with before he was free of the office building.

Before Kurt made it to his car, his phone rang. Mercedes' name flashed across the screen and Kurt was pleasantly surprised. He hadn't heard from his best friend in a little over a week because, as the head of the International Division, Mercedes was extremely busy with a new project that involved getting Rheinhold & Co. into the European market.

“Hey, stranger,” Kurt answered with a smile.

“Hey yourself! I heard about that little stunt you pulled this morning. Showing up Karofsky first thing in the morning? Mr. Hummel, I am impressed.”

Kurt could practically hear Mercedes' teasing smile through the phone.

“Yes, well, you know me. I don't take kindly to those who try to make a fool of me. I merely exposed only a fraction of the hideous personality that he tries to hide beneath an equally hideous exterior.”

“Mhmm, I hear that. So, what are you doing tonight?”

“Nothing special,” Kurt finally reached his car and fumbled to find his keys. He could never locate them as quickly as he would have liked. “I'll probably just grab some take-out and watch old movies until I pass out. I think My Fair Lady is supposed to be on tonight.”

“Oh no, that just won't do at all. How about you come with me to that new bar that just opened downtown. From what I've heard, it's supposed to be better than The Crane.”

“Better than The Crane? Aha! Found them! Sorry, I just found my keys. But seriously? Nothing is better than The Crane.”

“Ahh that's what they all say. So you'll meet me there to find out, right? Be there at eight. I'll see you later!” Mercedes hung up without waiting for a reply.

Kurt sighed and couldn't help the small smile that graced his lips. He knew that he would end up going to the bar. He and Mercedes hadn't spent much time together lately and he was a little curious about the bar.

He checked the clock in his dashboard and saw that it was already 5:30pm.

'Well, I won't be able to make it through my whole routine before I go out, but I'll make do.'

Two hours and a few drinks later, Kurt and Mercedes were in deep discussion about the benefits of going with tweed instead of cotton for Rheinhold & Co.'s fall collection.

“No, no, no. You simply can't expect to gain sales from tweed suits when it's been so unseasonably warm this year. If we go with a more breathable cotton then we won't have to worry about our customers sweating through their clothes.” Mercedes was steadily sipping her drink as Kurt tried to explain his reasoning.

“I see what you're saying, but with a tweed suit will last longer. It's the perfect option for when the weather finally does get colder, it's more durable than cotton and it's a nice break from all of the more toned down suits that our customers usually buy. Besides, I know how much you enjoy being ahead of our competitors. We set the trends, not follow them.” Mercedes smiled when Kurt didn't respond immediately. She knew she'd won this round.

“Yes, well. That's enough about work. Did you really drag me all the way here just to talk about our fall collection?”

“Of course not, silly!” Mercedes paused to finish her drink. Kurt finished his as well and signaled for the bartender to bring them another round. He wasn't one for copious alcohol consumption but he figured he and his best friend have earned a few rounds after all their hard work.

“I, as you so carefully put it 'dragged you here,' simply because I want to spend quality time with my best friend while enjoying the town's latest new addition to the already spectacular nightlife.”

“And...?” Something about the way Mercedes kept looking at her drink with more interest than was necessary made Kurt think that 'quality time' wasn't the only reason for their outing.

“And...well, I was just wondering if you had given any thought to seeing anyone.”

Kurt forced back a monstrous sigh and settled for rolling his eyes at Mercedes' statement. This was not what he had in mind for his Friday night.

“'Cedes, we've already been over this. Though this obviously isn't the time, nor is it the place to have such a conversation, I will say, for the umpteenth time that I'm quite happy where I am and I don't need anyone else for that happiness.”

Mercedes' face fell and Kurt immediately regretted his choice of words.

“Come on, you know I love you. You're my partner in crime.” Kurt nudged Mercedes' shoulder gently, trying to coax a smile out of her. “But I don't need anyone else. I'm happy flying solo for now. Besides, as long as I have you, what more could I want?”

Mercedes chanced a look up at Kurt. He could see that she still wanted to say more but she just smiled and returned to her drink.

“You're right. I'm just being silly.”

“And I love you for it. So, enough about my nonexistent love life. What about yours?”

At the sudden change in direction of the conversation, Mercedes immediately busied herself with taking long, slow sips of her drink. If she were too busy drinking, she wouldn't have to answer the question.

“Oh no you don't!” Kurt teased, prying the glass from Mercedes' hand. “You don't get to avoid the topic, Miss Jones.”

“...Well, since you've asked, do you remember the guy that I hired to extend the closet in my guest bedroom?”

“Yeah, I remember you practically running into my office the Monday after that weekend to gush about what a hottie he is. What was his name? Shaun? Scott?”

“Sam. Sam Evans. Well, he did a great job with the closet in that room so I figured he could extend the closet in the master bedroom as well. Which he did. But, before he left after that second job, he asked me out on a date.”

“What?!” Kurt quickly quieted himself since he earned several alarmed looks from other patrons around the bar. “What? That's great! Wait, how did that even happen?”

“Oh, well, while he was working, he noticed my record collection. So, we got to talking and it turns out that we have a lot in common, at least, musically.”

“Ahh, I see. So when's the big day?”

“Next Friday. Do you mind if I stop by beforehand? You know I can't go out on a date without running my outfit by you.”

“And I wouldn't have it any other way,” Kurt said with a smile.

The conversation continued in the same fashion. The topics jumped from the atrocities that the pair saw people wearing in the bar to the best way to clean a pair of suede boots. Before they knew it, midnight was upon them.

“Jeeze, I can't believe we've been here all night,” Mercedes said, as she gathered her belongings.

“I know, but I have to admit, this wasn't a bad way to spend my Friday night. It sure beats sitting at home eating greasy food and watching television alone.”

“See, I told you it was a good idea!” Mercedes smiled triumphantly and Kurt found himself joining her. “Okay, I'm going to go to the ladies' room before we head out. I'll be right back.”

Kurt nodded his acknowledgement and watched his friend disappear into the crowd. He was just making himself comfortable in one of the empty seats near the exit when he felt a presence next to him.

“God, I thought she'd never leave.”

“Excuse me?” Kurt turned to see a woman sitting next to him. From what he could make out in the bar's limited lighting, she wore a red, low-cut cocktail dress and had her long, dark hair pulled back over her opposite shoulder. She only wore one piece of jewelry, a single diamond on a silver chain. Kurt supposed that it was meant to draw attention to her ample cleavage.

“Oh, I'm sorry,” Kurt noted that she didn't sound the least bit apologetic. “Is this seat taken?” Without waiting for a response, the woman took up residence in Mercedes' recently vacated seat.

Kurt had no idea what this woman wanted from him and he didn't particularly care to find out. He just wanted Mercedes to hurry up in the bathroom so that they could be on their way.

“Now, I'll make this quick since I'm sure that your friend will be returning any minute. From what I can see, and from what I've gathered in my adventures in eavesdropping, you're in desperate need of a good lay. Luckily for you, I can get you exactly that.”

Kurt had to stop himself from snorting. He knew that he wasn't the most flamboyant gay man in the world, not by a long shot, but usually, it wasn't difficult for people to pick up on his orientation. So, Santana's apparent eavesdropping on his and Mercedes' conversation and her subsequent decision to hit on him made Kurt think that she was either incredibly determined or incredibly dense. He wasn't sure which was worse.

“Look, before you say anything more, I'll just stop you right there. You're beautiful, but you're definitely not my type.” Kurt tried to look apologetic and found himself failing. Instead, he settled on studying his cuticles, silently willing Mercedes' swift return.

“Oh, sweetie, I'm flattered. But you've got the wrong idea. You see,” Santana shifted a little closer, completely breaching Kurt's boundaries to what he considered personal space. “I run a business that specializes in helping people, usually wound-up businessmen like yourself, relieve all that pent up...tension.” The way she practically breathed the last word into Kurt's ear let him know exactly what sort of 'tension' she was talking about. The woman leaned back and held out a business card for Kurt to take.

'Where on earth did she pull that from?' Kurt thought distractedly.

“Believe me when I say that my business caters to everyone's needs. Even yours.” The woman winked and before Kurt could respond, she'd gotten up and was immediately swallowed by the crowd. Kurt glanced at the business card in his hand.

Masquerade
See anyone. Be anyone.
333 Sub Rosa Street
New York, NY 10017

“Kurt!” The man in question's head shot up at the sound of his name, and he immediately shoved the card into his back pocket.

“Hey, what happened? Did you get lost?”

“Oh god, the line was an absolute nightmare!” Mercedes exclaimed. “I waited for ten minutes without moving so much as an inch. In the end, I decided to use the men's bathroom.”

“Oh, how I would have loved to see the looks on those guys' faces.”

“They were a small price to pay for the immediate relief of my bladder.”

The pair chuckled as they stepped out of the club and walked to the end of the block.

“All right, hon, it was great to finally catch up with you.” Kurt leaned in for a hug, smiling when it was returned with enthusiasm.

“Yes, it was! We definitely need to get together again next week, preferably before my date.”

“I agree. Text me when you get home so that I know you're safe,” Kurt called before they parted ways.

“I will!” Mercedes gave one last wave before turning and heading to where her own car was parked.

Kurt couldn't help but smile throughout his drive back to his apartment. He was really glad that he got a chance to catch up with his best friend. His phone buzzed to let him know that Mercedes made it home safely. Kurt typed out a quick response and went about readying himself for bed.

The last thought Kurt had before his head hit the pillow was how happy he was for the arrival of the weekend, completely oblivious to the business card that still sat in the back pocket of his discarded pants.