"Excuse me sir, but the gentleman over there in the Stormtrooper uniform sent this bottle of Champagne over for you with this message," the waiter said as he handed Kurt the note then left.

Kurt looked over and the man nodded and smiled. Kurt opened the note and read, "You are the most beautiful man I've ever seen. Please accept this poor token of my appreciation of your beauty." The note was signed, Wilhelm Klaus, Oberfuhrer, SA.

Kurt's breath caught in his throat at the realisation that a man who was a Brigadier General in the Nazi Stormtroopers was not only making a pass at him, but had sent a gift which required a personal response. Kurt excused himself and walked over to Klaus, who was sitting at a table with friends.

"Good evening, Oberfuhrer, I'm touched by your note and the Champagne. Thank you for your kindness," Kurt said softly enough that he hoped only Klaus would hear him. He wanted to keep it formal, but not insulting.

"How could I resist? You are easily the most attractive man in here tonight, or any night for that matter. Won't you join us?"

"Ordinarily I would, Herr Oberfuhrer, but I'm with friends and I'd like to share some of that Champagne with them. Another time, perhaps?"

"Ah, you disappoint me, and very few men are brave enough to do that!" he said with a slight smile. "Very well. You know my name, but I don't know yours."

"Forgive me. I'm Kurt Mueller, Oberfuhrer," Kurt said with a slight nod of his head.

"Well, if you're sure you can't oblige me, I'll take you up on that offer of another time, Kurt."

"Thank you for understanding. You are very kind, sir." Kurt smiled and stepped back, before turning around to cross to his table.

When he returned, Kurt's friends grilled him about his conversation with Klaus. While he answered their questions, he opened the Champagne and when it popped, he looked over at his admirer and found him smiling back.

The Champagne added more merriment to the night. Kurt and his friends enjoyed the drag shows for which the club was famous throughout Berlin and Europe. When the show was over, he watched as two of the performers went over to Klaus' table, hugged him and sat down. It was then Kurt realised they were also SA men. Rumours had always been whispered that the SA was full of gay men and that the leader, Ernst Rohm, was himself gay. Rohm was reportedly the closest friend to the man trying to become Chancellor of Germany--Adolf Hitler.

Finally, Klaus and his party stood up and made a grand exit everyone noticed. Kurt was intrigued by the man's power but found nothing attractive about the man himself. A short time later, Kurt and his friends also left the club and walked home.

The next day Kurt got up and followed his usual schedule of going to work at a large bakery, where he was learning the trade of baking everything demanded by the buying public--from bread to strudel. Not having had the money for higher education, Kurt had been talked into learning a trade by his father who had said, "As long as you know how to make something people want, you'll never go hungry." His father was right.

Each loaf of bread baked by the Brunner bakery had its dough kneaded and the loaf formed by hand. It then travelled along a conveyer belt before going into an oven long enough to bake the different varieties of bread into golden loaves. This was the premier bakery in all of Berlin.

As he kneaded bread dough all day long, Kurt dreamt about what it would be like to find a nice guy and fall in love. One thing he loved about Berlin was that it contained thousands of good-looking men, and he could find at least a hundred or so in the clubs and bars every night of the week.

Finally, the work day ended, and Kurt went home to take a bath and lie down for a long nap. That way, he was rested enough to go out as often as his funds would allow. He fully intended to find a nice, hot guy tonight and get laid.

When it was time to get ready, Kurt took a shot of schnapps then put on trousers, shirt and tie, topped with a jacket and hat, and headed out for the Eldorado. He briefly wondered if he should go to a different club tonight so as to not run into Oberfuhrer Klaus again, but decided he wasn't going to be run out of his club where he knew everyone.

As he passed the door man, he was given a quick pinch on the arse. He feigned anger and continued in. He was given his usual table, which was two tables away from the dance floor and stage. Looking around, he saw a couple of his friends who immediately headed towards him.

"It's about time you got here. We've been waiting to have our first drink until you arrived!" complained Fritz.

"Well, I didn't ask you to wait for me. What if I hadn't come out tonight? Would you have gone without a single drink all night?" he asked and laughed.

Before anyone could answer, the expressions on the faces of his two friends changed as if the undertaker had just entered the club.

"Excuse me, Herr Mueller, the Oberfuhrer would like you join him tonight."