The Muse Chaper 5

THE MUSE

Chapter 5

By David Inutookaminoma

The evening sang at the gates of the day on which the sun slowly spread its long reddish rays.

Soan, sitting on the edge of the pool, his legs half submerged, listened to Mozart's requiem K626, a work unfinished when the artist died, which floated around him from the speaker to which Meike had connected his smartphone. That the young German appreciated this kind of music was a discovery.

Meike, naked, lying on a towel, had closed his eyes for a while. Soan's iris kept coming and going on this serene body. His mind, vile and lecherous, replayed Meike's nudes for him: his firm buttocks, his back in the shower, his abdomen. When he felt that it was starting to cause an erection, he slipped into the water.

At that moment, Meike raised his torso and supported himself on his elbows. He looked at Soan swimming a leisurely breaststroke. He stood up and jumped into the pool.

Soan stopped, seeming to keep a certain distance from the model who was staring into his eyes.

“Do you have a boyfriend?” he asked him.

“Nope.”

“A boy like you doesn’t have a boyfriend: how is that possible?”

“I have dates, Meike. But no boyfriend.”

“Have you ever been in love?” Meike asked again as he approached.

“Why does that interest the model I have to photograph?”

“I don’t know: I follow my instincts.”

Soan smiled then stopped his gaze from plunging towards Meike’s lower abdomen as he approached even closer.

“I had an affair with a guy for three years. He cheated on me; I cheated on him to get revenge. We started to hate each other. We hurt each other. I’m not very proud of that period.”

As Meike watched, Soan waded into the water and swam a little further.

“I guess you’re not in a hurry to do this again.”

“You got it.”

“Not all guys are unfaithful.”

“Do you want to tell me about your friend who stands you up?”

“You were the first one to open my eyes to the fact that he was disrespecting me. I think you’re right. I disrespected myself.”

“At least you got it. Now you can move on. Do you love him?”

Meike searched for words in the water. He caught a few that were trying to slip away.

“A little. I think it’s more than just affection.”

“I suggest we go hunting tomorrow night!”

“Why hunt?” Meike mumbled.

“Excuse me?”

“I said: why not?”

“If you want to invite a date here, you have my blessing.”

“I’m not going to do that, no. I’m at your grandmother’s!”

“What she doesn’t know can’t kill her.”

They laughed. Then under Meike’s rapacious gaze, Soan got out of the pool and stood on his legs. No doubt, they were well sculpted by years of Taekwondo.

“I’m sleepy,” said Soan, “I’m going to bed.”

“May I join ?”

Soan, mouth open, surprised by the question, showered Meike with silence.

“Meike, shut up!”

The German laughed heartily as he watched Soan walk away. He felt his penis erect. He took it in his hand before realizing that Soan was coming back. He stuck to the edge to prevent his host from surprising him in such a situation.

“Tomorrow morning, would you like to come with me for a 6-mile run?”

“Of course!”

“We’ll start shooting afterward.”

“Thanks again, Soan.”

“You’re welcome.”

Then Soan, about to leave, stopped himself:

“And stop hitting on me!”

“Why: I’m not your type?”

“That’s not the point. I’m your photographer and I want to stay focused on my goal.”

“So, you want to stay focused on me!”

Soan, nodding from side to side, gave him a raised middle finger, then withdrew while Meike laughed out loud. One of his hands plunged back into the water.

Soan took out his equipment that he was preparing for work and placed it on the bed in the room where the clothes were displayed. He inserted a memory card into his camera the second there was a knock at the door.

Comfortably, Meike appeared in white boxers and a tank top. His “package” forced Soan to take his eyes off him very quickly. But for his work, he had to look at him. He got up from the bed where he was sitting, walked towards Meike, inspected his hair, looking for a rebellious spike. He gave a thumbs up.

“You look like Barbie’s Ken.”

“I don’t know how to take it,” Meike retorted, who moved on to go to the wardrobe. “Shall we start with the Boss?”

“Go ahead!”

Without hesitating, Meike undressed completely. Soan looked down and inhaled discreetly. When he opened them again, Meike was putting on one of the brand's Jockstraps. He turned to face Soan, proud:

"So?"

Soan took a picture of him. Meike turned his back to him, his lips pursed and his face a little mischievous. Soan sighed slowly. Click!

"Do you like it?" Meike asked, facing him again.

"A lot."

"Shall we start with the full suit?"

"Yes," replied Soan, who placed his camera on his shoulder before joining Meike in the dressing room. He helped him put on the long-sleeved shirt with a Kent collar that suited the model perfectly. He had a hard time avoiding the latter's gaze. Trousers, grained leather belt, nappa leather lace-up derbies: everything went perfectly with Meike.

"It's really cool, you know," said the latter, "I don't have enough words to thank you."

“Do you know how to tie a tie?”

Meike’s grimace triggered a brief burst of laughter from Soan, who grabbed a black jacquard tie. He put it around his own neck. Under Meike’s attentive and amused gaze, he prepared a harmonious knot. With a slow gesture, he removed the knotted tie before handing it to Meike. He took over from the latter to properly adjust the collar of the shirt, realizing once again that his young partner kept looking at him. Did he really find it unpleasant? Finally, he accompanied him to put on the jacket of the suit. He took a step back and scrutinized the young model.

“You look amazing!”

“Thanks, that’s nice.”

Soan pointed to a full-length mirror in the room; Meike stood in front of it and smiled.

“I love it. Where are we going for the photos?”

“Meike, do me a favor: I’m interested in your ideas. So don’t hesitate to say if you want us to do something you want.”

“Like a kiss ?”

Soan saw his guest’s entire face sketch a sneer. Meike didn’t detect any sign of disapproval in Soan.

“Meike, I’ll kick your ass!”

At the photographer’s urging, Meike joined the room’s balcony, bathed in sunlight. Practically at attention, Meike stared intently into the lens of the camera that immortalized him.

“Now, imagine that you’re visiting this place for the first time… You’ve just arrived…”

The clicks followed one after the other. Soan controlled each shot.

“Do you like it?”

“You’re really made for this. You look so impeccable in this outfit. It suits you very well. A true gentleman!”

Then, Meike took off the jacket. Soan, who had spotted his pointed nipples, froze him in his shirt.

“Now you’re going to take off the shirt and put the jacket back on next to your skin.”

And so, the productive afternoon brought many shots of Meike into the computer memory: in suits and blazers with or without a jacket, with and without a shirt, in designer T-shirts, then bare-chested in designer jeans. When it was time for the final shot, Soan wanted Meike to wear one of the suits again without a shirt. In doubt, Meike hesitated and then put on the one from CK, his favorite brand. The slim black blazer hugged his curves with formidable elegance.

While he was getting ready, Soan had gone out and came back from the bathroom with a small basin of water, some hair wax and a towel. He came to stand straight in front of the model who frowned. He ran his hands through Meike's hair, taking remarkable care to mess up his impeccable hairstyle. Meike's lips animated with a charming smile.

Then Soan took a good dab of wax in his palm, rubbed his hands together and spread it through Meike's brown hair, giving the wildness of his new hairstyle a bit of hold.

"Meike, among your favorite songs, which one do you like to sing and dance to at the same time? The one that makes you happy!"

"Tainted love," replied Meike.

"So here's what I want: you're going to start playing this song at full blast in the speaker. And I want you to have fun, to sing. We're going down; show me how happy, young and crazy you are!"

Enthusiastic, a big smile in his eyes, Meike started playing the title through his smartphone to the speaker. Immediately, his body seemed to bounce, crossed by the rhythm that hit the walls of the villa. Carried away by a whirlwind of invisible joy, he spun around, arms raised, and began to sing while shaking his butt.

Click! Click! Click! Soan multiplied the takes while following his young talent in the corridor, who headed towards the stairs. He began to go down them; Soan photographed him from the landing: Meike looked up, smiled like an angel to the angels, dancing, singing at the top of his voice. On a step, he jumped in rhythm, arms hanging then clapped his hands while wriggling. Soan in turn began to go down the steps.

Meike resumed his boisterous progress towards the ground floor. He seemed to be in the middle of a grand party. Caught up in his momentum, he bared his shoulders and spun around. Click! Finally, he got rid of the blazer on the couch, continuing shirtless towards the terrace. He performed a feline dance, running his hands along his thighs, his hips and then his neck. Click, click, click! He stopped when the long version of the song ended. Soan watched him without moving. As the seconds ticked by, he became serious again, catching his breath with ease. Soan swallowed his saliva. Meike's skin was oozing discreetly under the effect of the heat and his dynamism. What did his sweat taste like? He looked down, exhaled and regained control of his thoughts:

“The spiky hair gives you a crazy charm, a youth and a madness that make you irresistible. It’s a side of you that you have to highlight.”

“Irresistible…” Meike mumbled.

There was no other word.

In the company of the photographer, Meike, shirtless, sitting just to his left, scrolled through all the photos on the screen.

“So, what do you think?” Soan asked.

“Well, I think it rocks!”, the model was moved. “I felt good all afternoon. I was in my element.”

“That’s what I saw. You have to hang on because you’re really made for this.”

“Thanks!”

The German immediately placed a kiss on his cheek before getting up to walk around.

“What’s wrong with you?”

“You knew what you were doing when you invited me here, didn’t you?”

“I just followed my instincts…”

“I’ll give you a wild kiss!”

Soan exhaled a laugh as he opened a messaging app on his laptop. When he looked back at Meike, he saw a streak of water running down one of his cheeks. He couldn’t find a word.

“May I go for a swim, boss?”

“Yes! I’ll join you!”

“Are we still going out?”

“What do you think?”

“I’ll follow you no matter what you do.”

(To be continued)