The Muse Chapter 1

THE MUSE

Chapter 1

The sunny Place Dauphine in Paris was full of serenity and brightened by the songs of carefree birds. On a public bench, hand in hand, two young men looked into each other's eyes, smiling. They spoke to each others in soft voices. Their laughter whispered like a fresh spring in the mountains. Their faces sparkled with their joy of life.

Behind the eye of his camera, Soan Hō did not lose sight of them. Their mutual affection animated a few empathetic sparks in his gaze. His camera ensured the capture of the magic moment, what Soan called the G-spot: the final second, torrid and touching, before one of the lovers kissed the other, before your temptation gave in to the inevitable.

Soan saw them kissing languidly. He immortalized this burning moment, for them. The two men had contacted him via his online exhibition site: to mark the first anniversary of their relationship, they had wanted him to follow them through the romantic streets of Paris and photograph them. They had offered to pay him per the hour. But he had applied his usual rate, without complaining, no matter the time invested. He found them so beautiful, so charming that he had just asked for permission to publish one of their most "sensual" shots. To his suggestion to crop the image to hide their faces, the lovers had replied that they had nothing to hide about their relationship.

Soan, despite the many photos taken, already knew which one he would publish: one of the young men had opened his friend's shirt and placed a silky kiss on his chest. In black and white, the scene would have a powerful erotic effect.

The two lovers warmly shook Soan's hand, who promised them that all their photos would be available online within 24 hours. The young photographer greeted them and watched them walk away and enter a subway entrance.

He put his equipment in the dedicated bag, swallowed a long swig of warm but welcome water. A glance at his smartphone: 5:00 p.m.! It was time for him to go and let off steam.

About 685 miles from Paris, in Wyk auf Föhr in northern Germany, in his family's posh vacation villa, Meike Koch, standing on the front steps, quickly grabbed the arm of the boy who was about to leave. The latter, his face red from the effort, smiled and accepted his furtive kiss. Meike invited him to come back and see him as soon as possible.

"Please, don't wait so long for our next meeting!"

"Well, I'll come back tomorrow night: is that okay with you?", suggested Erwin Werner. "Then I have to go to Croatia with my family."

"I'm already shuddering!"

Meike smiled repeatedly at Erwin until he rounded the corner.

When he locked the door, Meike casually went down to the basement where the bathroom, linen room and heating equipment were located. A visit from Erwin was always a great way to let off steam; he was looking forward to seeing him again. Right now, he really needed a shower, which invigorated him and reawakened his hunger. Naked, he returned to the upper level.

Even though midnight was approaching, his night was only just beginning. The summer holidays allowed him to go to bed and get up late. He prepared a plate of potato salad with a light vinaigrette and lettuce, which he ate in the silence of the large villa he occupied alone, his eyes and fingers of his free hand surfing the screen of his digital tablet.

Connected to his Instagram profile, in the saved posts module, he retrieved a photo posted by a certain "Mr_Ho". He looked at the photo for the twentieth time: it showed a couple of lovers, two attractive boys, one of whom was kissing the other's neck. The latter's partial undress, whose nipple could be seen, gave a touch of eroticism that was both subtle and intoxicating to this shot.

In the commentary on it, he read "The Fire of Love in Paris". A hyperlink he clicked took him to a blog called "Mr. Ho's Gallery". Meike recognized the soft colors and the presentation. He had already visited, and liked, this site: a sort of digitalized exhibition room where Mr. Ho exhibited and sold his photos. Meike wandered from the "Nature and Landscapes" tab to the "Animals" tab and reached the last one: "In the Nude".

Meike liked landscapes and animals but especially the male nudes offered in this section. No vulgarity emerged although some shots bordered on pornography while remaining aesthetic. Some of the models, probably amateurs, full of charm, made Meike drool.

The young man tidied the kitchen, washed his cutlery and his plate. He then went to his room where he sat down in front of his laptop. Quickly returning to his Instagram profile, he hesitated but ended up opening a discussion with Mr. Hō. His fingers remained hesitant, hovering over the keyboard. Which were the better words to start a conversation with a stranger ?

"Hello, sexy pics!"

Send.

Two hours of taekwondo, a light meal with his teammates and a conversation with his parents peacefully punctuated the beginning of Soan Hō's evening. Finally, he arrived home, happy to slump on his couch. He sighed deeply and brandished his smartphone. Curiosity furrowed his eyebrow when he received the notification of a private message on his Instagram.

He selected the profile of the sender of the "Hello, sexy pics!" It was a certain Meike K., whose information included only one mention: "male model". The lack of an agency listing told him that it was probably an amateur model, the ones he preferred. On the other hand, Soan's eye was caught by the photos published on the profile, drawn primarily by the face and...

"Wow" Soan sighed as he looked at Meike's bare abdomen and his bare buttocks. "Handsome guy", he said.

He immediately resumed the thread opened by Meike and replied:

"Good evening and thank you! Yours are hot too!"

"You're kind, thank you."

"You're welcome."

Soan looked at the photos published by Meike one after the other, describing his appearance without a word: short brown hair, brown eyes, clean and perfect face, killer smile, tanned skin. But Soan lingered on two shots: the one of Meike's abdomen and the one showing his back with delicate lines and his firm and bare buttocks.

He shares the bare back with his interlocutor:

"I love it!"

"You're nice. It's my favorite!"

The discussion between Meike and Soan took the path of kindness and respect. Gradually, Soan felt that Meike was rather open. So, he frankly told him that his nude images particularly garnered his favor. Then, once he had sent his words, he thought that they might make Meike uncomfortable. Confused, he made sure of it.

"Of course not, I appreciate your comments."

"Who photographs you?"

"I am my own photographer! It's quite an adventure, sometimes!"

Soan smiled.

"Good job! You're doing well. Do you want to make a career?"

"Yes, in modeling!"

As it was getting late, Meike politely ended the conversation. Soan stayed on the profile and photos of his interlocutor for a while, going back and forth between the most juicy images. His irises searched Meike's face for a long moment. He caught himself biting the inside of his lips. He fought his own decision to cut it short.