The Muse Chapter 2

THE MUSE

Chapter 2

Every morning, just after his shower, in his simplest attire, Soan would sit on a high stool next to the kitchen bar, recording the orders placed on his website. He would personalize a thank-you message for each customer, while eating a hearty breakfast of fruit, cereal, milk and, in general, drinking a good coffee.

That day, however, his mind was struggling to concentrate. He let himself be tempted several times by the online photos of Meike, the black and white ones, the nude ones, which had caused, upon waking, a violent erection that he had had to tame.

Also those of his face with his intensely smoldering eyes, his fine eyebrows and his incredibly infectious smile. Soan could reason with himself, but his interest in the novice model increased a kind of feverishness in him. He sighed.

He had to pull himself together to get equipped and find beautiful landscapes. His phone rang just as he decided to move: his grandmother Aline always brought sunshine to his days.

"Hi Granny!"

"Hello, Soan," sang the old woman, "how is my grandson?"

"I don't know: I'll ask him!"

Aline burst out laughing.

"You're so teasing with me!"

"What about you, how are you?"

"Oh, I'm lucky to still be alive."

"Stop it! You're unsinkable!"

"You're kind. How about enjoying the villa for a month?"

"A month!" said Soan, smiling. "That's really great. Of course I accept. Where are you going to?"

"To Thailand and then to Korea!"

"You'll find a second youth there! Be careful, Grandma, the Koreans are hotties!"

"Stop your nonsense! I'm long past that age!"

"No age for fresh meat, Grandma! You can have some fun!" Soan joked again.

Aline couldn't help but laugh. Soan was the only one of her grandchildren who allowed himself such jokes with her. He loved to amuse his grandmother.

"It makes me feel good to hear you! I'd like to meet you more often too!"

Soan bit his inner lips while his irises seemed to capture ideas whirling in front of him.

"When are you leaving?"

"In a week..."

"Okay then I'll pack my things and hit the road."

"Oh you don't have to..."

"You're going to take those words out of your mouth; I'm happy to come see you."

He heard a suppressed sob, smiled and offered:

"I could accompany you to the airport."

Aline sighed and thanked him.

"It's normal, Granny!"

The loan by his paternal grandmother of her villa in Sainte-Atlantes changed Soan's immediate plans: the search for landscapes to immortalize could wait. So many things would be possible in Sainte-Atlantes from this point of view.

Driven by a sort of reflex, he connected to Meike's profile: his face, his abdomen, his shoulders, his chest...

"You do sports," he commented.

He visited a few posts offering montages on which Meike staged himself with a famous actor that Soan knew better for his career as a model.

A painting showed them in front of the Eiffel Tower. This amused Soan who easily imagined Meike's heart beating for this actor whose devastating beauty and crazy charm Soan recognized.

The young photographer tried to guess, beyond Meike's gaze, who he was, his story, his daily life, what he was looking for. Instinctively, he began to bite the inside of his lips and frowned: what if..., what if... what if...?

"I live in France, and you? How old are you?", sent Soan, who got carried away, writing again: "Maybe we could talk on video, right?". But he deleted this last question.

He stretched and realized that Meike had just answered him. Like a hungry kid rushing to a bar of tasty chocolate, he read:

"Germany. 20 years old. And you?"

"25."

Soan stared at the screen: three dots animated in the dialog box, indicating that Meike was writing. Then they disappeared, came back but disappeared again.

"How are you doing?" he asked him: "do you have any contacts?"

"Not really."

"You're just starting out; it'll come!"

"I really like your nude photos."

"Thanks!"

"They're erotic... I love them. Do you still do more erotic ones?"

"Some of the ones I don't publish are quite... Let's say, they're almost pornographic."

"Damn!"

Once again, Soan saw three little dots moving at the bottom of the screen. He smiled when they disappeared, came back before leaving again. Pause. Then they came back.

"What kind of photos would you do with me: artistic or erotic?"

"Both!"

"I'd love both too. And what kind of erotic photos would you do with me?"

Before answering, Soan looked at Meike's posts.

"Pretty black and white, suggestive: the kind that makes you hot. I think I would like to put you in a scene with another boy, photograph you just before the kiss, before the caress…”

“That would be very funny.”

“Tell me, what are these references to William?” Soan amused himself.

“Oooh, I love this guy! He is so handsome. I have been a fan for years.”

Soan’s features were tinged with amusement as Meike exclaimed; the young model shared several photos of the famous William. Soan appreciated these images but read Meike’s admiring comments carefully.

“If I understand correctly: you have a crush on him.”

“Oh yes! I dream of us being together on a shoot… You would take a picture of us together, naked next to each other and we would get hard! Then, he would take me to the bedroom and he would enter my ass. He would fuck me all night long.”

“Huge fantasy!”

“Oh if you knew the dreams I have with him… It’s hot.”

After a few seconds of pause, Soan asked:

“Are you going on vacation?”

“My parents are in the middle of a divorce. So I’m taking advantage of the vacation villa before they sell it. I’m going to stay here. And you?”

“I’m going to the south of France, near the Spanish border, on the Atlantic coast. My grandmother is lending me her villa for a month.”

“Wow, I envy you! You’re going to be in the sun!”

“Yes, man! Sun, unlimited swimming pool, no vis à vis, absolute tranquility! There are magnificent spots to take beautiful landscape photos.”

“By the way, how do you select your models?”

“I surf online, I spot profiles and I get in touch. They often get in touch first.”

“Would you select me?”

“Well, you’re photogenic, handsome and quite inspiring. Yes."

"Thanks, you're nice. It was nice talking to you but I have to go. Shall we get back in touch?"

"Yes!"

At Wyk auf Föhr, Meike Koch received a simple message from Erwin:

“Sorry about tonight. Can't come. Kisses.”

Meike sighed, disappointed. He decided to go to the beach and swim. The contact with Mr_Ho… Mr. Hō? He hadn’t even thought to ask his first name. He grabbed his smartphone:

“By the way, what’s your first name, Mr. Hō? And where is it from?”

“My first name is Soan. Hō is of Vietnamese origin. My grandfather had his roots there.”

“Thanks Soan. See you later!”

Meike, while getting ready for the swim, was thinking: he really liked Soan’s work. It would really be a new experience to entrust a photographer with a job on him.

No! He had to get back to his daily life: he had to swim. As he was about to leave, Soan called him on video. When he accepted the call, he almost fell over: the thin face of his French interlocutor had strong roots in Southeast Asia. His short black hair went perfectly with his slightly tanned skin.

“Sorry to be a bit of a hassle, Meike! By any chance, would you like to join me at my vacation spot? We could start making a portfolio for you.”

“Wow, but… Would you do that?”

“Yes!”

Meike barely concealed his smile. The suddenness and importance of the proposal took him a little off guard.

“I… Can you give me some time to think about it?”

“I can have you in a week, if you’re up for it.”

The young model sat on his bed, his gaze lost.

“Good grief, Soan! But why would you do that?”

“What photographer wouldn’t like to photograph you? You’re handsome. It would be a stroke of luck for me. I’d like you to work with me for a few days.”

“I’ll think about it and get back to you. Thanks, Soan.”

The conversation stopped. Meike slumped back on the bed. He covered his face with his hands, fell silent and blew out a breath.

He jumped out of bed and left the villa for the beach. In his black and red speedo, swimming goggles over his eyes, he ventured into the calm swell of the North Sea and swam.

In the Paris region, Soan’s suitcase was quickly packed, as was his professional equipment, including his precious laptop. Living in a maid’s room suited him perfectly. His old landlady charged him a very modest rent; this allowed him to limit his costs. The sales of his photos, especially the prints on quality paper, brought him good margins. Without excessive advertising, he had started to make a name for himself. Now he even received original orders for weddings or baptisms that generated good income for the service and for supports such as frames.

So, he liked his Toyota Yaris hybrid. Comfortable, malleable, efficient, it took him everywhere. He put his things in the trunk, greeted his landlady whom he had informed of his absence for a little over a month and took the wheel. Let's go for a long road.