Shannon and Mark's Story

"You gave this? How did you get it?" I asked.

"I drew it a while ago." He said plainly.

"What? Bull shit." I said bluntly.

He laughed hard and nearly spit out his wine. "Why is that so hard to believe?"

"Because it's so good." I said in disbelief.

"Thank you. That's really sweet." He said sincerely.

"You said you drew it a while ago. Do you still draw...others?" I didn't know quite what I was trying to say.

"Do I still draw naked women you mean?" He laughed. "Sadly not since I moved to this town. I came from a much bigger city. The art scene was more active there. It was easy to attend an open figure drawing class or find models willing to pose."

"So no one will pose for you here?" I asked. Seems like women would throw themselves at a guy like this. I found that hard to believe.

"Afraid not. It's a smaller community here. People are not that open." He looked up at his drawing. "I do miss it, though."

"Seeing random naked girls pose for you? I'm not surprised." I teased him.

He laughed. "Well mainly the artistic, expressive part of it. I guess I don't feel like myself when I don't get to express myself through my art." Then he added with a smile, "I suppose it is fun to see a naked girl every now and then."

That made him blush. He was so sweet, even when he was trying to sound like a typical guy, he wasn't.

"Why not just have Ashley pose for you?" I asked.

"I've asked her to pose for me, but she didn't really like the idea. Which is totally understandable." He said.

"Well maybe I could pose for you." I said before even realizing the words left my mouth. Why on earth did I say that? I wondered if it was the fact Ashley wouldn't do it that made me jump on it. I wanted to give him something she couldn't.

"What?" He laughed. "I couldn't ask you to do that."

"You didn't ask me. I offered."

"Stop doing this!" I screamed in my head.

"Shannon, that is incredibly nice of you to offer. But you really don't have to. Think how awkward that could be." He said, not giving in.

"Awkward? Awkward was in the shower when I had no idea you were there." I laughed. "At least with this I'm aware you're there...watching me."

He blushed. "I meant awkward like you're dating Jason and I'm engaged to his roommate. That kind of awkward." He blushed but this time it was for me. He knew that statement would embarrass me.

"Oh, right. Of course." I felt so stupid. Of course I would be the one to bring up the shower and prove to him I've been thinking about that nonstop. I looked at the drawing again just to avoid eye contact.

"Besides I'm rusty." He offered.

"What?" I wasn't sure what he meant.

"I haven't drawn the female form in quite some time. It might not be good at all...no matter how attractive the muse is." He said giving me a gentle smile.

He said that just to make me feel better, I know it. But I didn't care. "Well if you're rusty, that's all the more reason you need to practice before you lose your talent altogether."

He raised his eyebrows contemplating what I just said. "Perhaps." He paused and added, "What would Jason think?"

"Oh I'm sure he wouldn't care." I said, but I meant I'm sure he wouldn't care because I'd never tell him. "What about Ashley?" I asked.

"The same. She knows this is a passion of mine." He said

I wondered if he meant that he wasn't going to tell her either. "Then it's settled." I gulped at that realization. "When shall we do it? Uh, I mean when shall I pose for you?" I hope he didn't catch that awkward slip.

"How about tomorrow?" He asked.

That was much sooner than I anticipated. "Oh, uh sure. I think I'm free."

He eyed me up and down quickly and smiled. "I think it will be a beautiful drawing." He said with a genuine smile.

I blushed. Was he just undressing me with his eyes? Normally that would creep me out, but it just seemed flattering now. We exchanged numbers and then didn't talk much for the remainder of the party.

I met up with Jason after speaking with Mark and he introduced me to a few people. I don't recall any of their names I was too distracted. Did I really just offer to pose for Mark nude? I've only met him twice. My heart was fluttering, and my stomach had butterflies for most of the night.

I ended up sleeping over in Jason's room. I didn't plan on spending the night and didn't have much to change into. I got ready for bed and kept on my bra and panties.

"You alright? You seem a little, I don't know, uncomfortable?" Jason asked me as we got into his bed.

"Just tired is all." I lied and thought about what might happen the next day. The fact that Mark was with his fiancé in the room across the hall was not lost on me.

Jason just fell asleep without making a move on me. That was the first time in a while he didn't at least try to have sex with me before we fell asleep. I wonder what changed? My mind was elsewhere. I couldn't have done much anyway. It's for the best.

I tossed and turned all night. When I finally drifted off and woke back up, Jason wasn't in the bed. I checked my phone to see the time and saw that I had a text.

"I'm not much of a morning person, but I can't sleep. Text me when you're ready. -Mark"

Oh god, it wasn't just a dream. Would I ever be ready? I wondered. Probably not but I didn't want that to stop me. I texted back, "I can't sleep either. Might as well get this over with." I read that last sentence over again and deleted the whole text before sending.

"You can't sleep because you're thinking about me naked?" Send. My heart raced. Why did I send that? It was too much.

Only a few seconds passed and I wondered why he hadn't responded yet. I scared him off.

"Perhaps..." He wrote back. It was such a simple text but made me feel so good. He quickly sent another, "Let's go say goodbye to Jason and Ashley. I just need to throw on some clothes first."

Was that some kind of a mental game he was playing? Did he want me to think about him sleeping naked with Ashley? I realized I was overanalyzing it; he actually never said he was naked...I just assumed. I put on my dress, the only clothes I had here, and met him outside the room. There was a nervous excitement in the air before we even said a word to each other. We just smiled. It was an exhilarating silence.

"Come on, they're on the balcony." He said as he led the way.

We seemed to startle them as we opened the balcony door. Ashley was wearing a skimpy robe and Jason only had on his flannel pajama pants. That seemed odd to me, but then again I was about to go pose for Mark nude so I tried not to get mad...they at least had on clothes, barely.

We said our goodbyes and headed out. Mark told me he texted me his address as we walked to our cars. "Fuck!" I said.

"What's wrong?" He asked.

"I must have left my phone in their apartment." I said starting to panic thinking what if Jason saw that Mark sent me his address. "Fuck! I got to go get it."

I raced back to their apartment and knocked on their door. Jason answered and I barely looked at him as I scooted past to look for my phone. Jason had no idea where my phone was, so I took that to be a good sign he didn't see any texts from Mark. This is so messed up that I'm afraid of Jason seeing my phone. I couldn't deny it was kind of exciting, too.

I finally saw it on the nightstand next to the bed. "Found it." I called out and gave Jason a quick peck on the cheek and headed out as fast as I came.

My heart was racing as I left their apartment. That seemed to confirm what I was doing was wrong, but didn't stop me. I got in my car and headed over to Mark's place and contemplated if I should really follow through with this. I wondered how suspicious I must have looked to Jason. Wait a minute. My mind flashed back to when I raced out of Jason and Ashley's apartment. Did I really just see...? No it couldn't be. I had a vague image of Jason's dick sticking out of his flannel pants fly. But surely that wasn't possible. Just my guilty mind playing tricks on me. Quickly I forced the thought out of my head.

I arrived at Mark's place and he buzzed me in. He lived in a cool studio loft with exposed brick, a high ceiling and industrial vents up over our heads. It was nearly the opposite kind of place to Ashley's.

"Let me give you the tour." He said jokingly. "Here it is." He gestured to the open space, commenting on how it was so out in the open. His bed wasn't made, he had drawings and artwork framed on the wall. A small kitchen and a bathroom off in the corner.

"Are all these drawings yours?" I asked admiring the beautiful charcoal figures. There must have been 20 of them in different sizes.

"Yes. But I did them a long time ago." He said modestly.

I felt a little intimidated. There were so many beautiful and naked women that he's seen. Why was he interested in me posing for him? I feel like a slob next to some of these models.

"You've seen a lot of naked girls." I laughed nervously. Better to acknowledge it than pretend I wasn't affected by it.

"I suppose. But I don't really see them as that. I see them as works of art. Curves, light, shadow, color, moods, even feelings." He said sincerely. "Not just tits and ass." He added jokingly to lighten the mood.

I laughed. He always knew what to say to calm my fears and nerves. "How do you want me?" I asked, thinking that sounded dirtier than I wanted it to.

He smiled. "I'll prep my easel for now and you'll be posing over here." He pointed to a corner where he had set up a drape as a backdrop. "You can get undressed in the bathroom. And feel free to use a shirt of mine to cover up. I'm guessing you didn't bring your own robe."

"No, I'm afraid I didn't plan for that." I smiled nervously and headed into the bathroom. What are you doing? I asked myself over and over again as I stared in the bathroom mirror. It's not too late to back out, I said to myself as I slipped off my dress. I reached behind and unhooked my bra, let it fall off my shoulders and then lowered my panties. I was so naked. Beyond naked.

I stared at my bare reflection in the mirror, squeezing my small handful of breasts. Were these pretty enough for art? I turned and looked at my behind self-consciously. He's going to run out of charcoal if he tries to draw my ass, I thought. I grabbed a red and grey flannel button shirt he had hanging on the back of the door and put that on. It went just to my mid thighs, effectively covering up almost everything. I was still showing a lot of leg, but I'd be showing a lot more in a minute.

I wrapped the shirt around me tightly without buttoning it and held it closed over my front. The shirt smelled manly. It wasn't clean, but wasn't dirty either. It just smelled like a man had worn it.

I stepped back into the room quietly and watched him assemble his easel and sort his drawing tools. He had long charcoal pencils, stubby chunks of charcoal, a kneaded eraser and a thin wooden stick.

He must have changed while I was in the bathroom. He had on some comfortable looking jeans with a few paint stains on them and a soft grey T-shirt. He smiled when he looked up. Oh that smile. It made my knees weak every time. What was I doing here?

I simply raised my eyebrows as if to ask what next? He motioned to the area just in front of the dark backdrop. "Whenever you're ready, Shannon." He said softly.

Oh god. I actually have to do something now. Eeek! My stomach squirmed and my breathing sped up as I walked over slowly. I was standing right in front of him, holding onto his warm flannel for dear life.

He smiled again, grabbed his pencil and started looking up at me and back at the paper. Back and forth rapidly. Eyes on me. On the paper. On me. On the Paper.

"Did you start already?" I was confused.

"Yeah." He said softly as if he was somewhere else, focused on his drawing.

"Well aren't I supposed to be naked for this?"

"Eventually." He said casually. "Whenever you're ready."

"Well what are you drawing now?" I asked.

"Just warming up really. Quick sketches. Noting your height, roughly where your arms fall. Just loosening up."

He made it all sound so casual. I started to gain a little courage. "I've never posed before." I blurted out.

He smiled. I'm sure he was holding back a comment of how he could clearly tell that already. But he just smiled. "You're doing fine."

"I don't know if there's any way you want me to stand..." His lack of direction is what really got to me. "Just tell me what to do, damn it"...I said in my head.

"Whatever you're most comfortable with, for now."

He was no help. This wasn't getting any easier. I finally uncrossed my arms, slid his flannel down over my shoulders and tossed it on the floor. Holy fuck. My whole body rushed with adrenaline. I crossed my arms just as something to do. Effectively covering my breasts again.

He laughed a little. "We don't have to do this." He said gently. "If you're uncomfortable I completely understand."

He eyed me up and down quickly, and I realized I was being ridiculous. This whole thing was my idea. I wasn't going to back out now. "Please tell me how you want me." Those words hung heavy in the air. Completely naked I asked him to tell me how he wants me. Oh boy.

He had a sly grin creep up his face. That was the first hint I saw of anything less than a completely focused and professional artist. But that was probably just wishful thinking.

"I want you to pick a pose and hold it for 30 seconds." He said returning to his calm and friendly demeanor.

"Like this?" I stood there practically like a straight soldier with my hands at my sides.

"That will do." He said as his arm moved across the page quickly. I noticed he was looking at me more than the paper. How does he do that? I wondered.

"Okay, now try turning to your side." He said after a few moments.

"Did you really just finish a drawing of me in that last pose that quickly?" I asked before turning.

"No." He chuckled. "These are just exercises to warm up. Loosen my arm, capture the gestures of your curves. It's really just flowing lines on the page."

"Oh." Was all I said.

"Turn to your right. Twist your upper torso toward me." He said plainly and I followed.

I noticed from this pose he could see both my breast and the crack of my ass. No wonder he asked for this pose. But was that just in my head? So far, besides feeling extremely self-conscious and vulnerable, this just seemed businesslike. I'm not sure what I expected, but this isn't what I had in mind.

"Ok, now turn toward me again. Place your left foot forward and have your hand rest on you upper back. Like you're scratching just below the back of your neck."

I did as he instructed and noticed this position stretched and flattened my breast from my elevated arm. As if they needed to get any smaller. I didn't know what to do with my other hand, so I let it fall naturally. Only then did I notice I had inadvertently covered up my slit. My hand rested on it and I could feel a distinct wetness. Surely he couldn't tell that. Could he?

"Ok now turn so your back is facing me." Was all the instruction he gave.

In a way it seemed like he was just posing me so he could see all of my intimate spots. But again that felt like wishful thinking. We continued this pattern of short poses for another 15 minutes.

"Ok, we can take a little break now." He said setting down his pencil.

I crossed my arms and attempted to cover my breasts in the process wondering what exactly does a model do on a break?

He stood up and walked over to me slowly. He picked up his flannel on the floor and handed it to me. "You don't have to stand around naked on our breaks." He said with a smile. "Unless you want to." He said with a gentle smile, clearly kidding.

I grabbed the flannel, holding back a small giggle and wrapped it around my body without buttoning it. "Can I see?" I asked.

"What, my sketches? They're mostly just flowing lines, but you're welcome to look." He said politely.

I walked over and was amazed to see a series of drawings that were so simple and yet beautiful. With only a few lines he managed to capture the way I was standing. There were little lines that expressed the contours of my curves, my breasts, my butt, my hips. It was like the essence of my body in its simplest form.

"Were you expecting something else?" He asked noting my expression on my face.

"Kind of, yeah." I said. "Not really sure what I was expecting."

"Well these are just warm ups. You'll pose for 15 minute durations next and I'll start to capture more details before we find the pose to do the real sketch of you."

More details. Real sketch. My thoughts lingered on those two points. He's going to be looking at me even closer. My stomach turned again. Why wasn't I comfortable with him seeing me naked yet? He's seen me in the shower. He's seen me here from several angles. I was still on edge though.

"Ready?" He asked as he took his spot behind his easel.

"Ready as I'll ever be." I said nervously as I shed his flannel shirt and walked back to the posing area.

"You're doing great." He said encouragingly.

I stood there with my legs shoulder width apart, arms at my sides. Everything was on display. "Tell me how you want me." I said, realizing I was saying that often.

Again that same sly smile crept up his face. "Place your left foot forward, and your right foot back." He waited until I did that first part. "Good. Now twist your torso to your left, look down and let your arms fall freely."

"Like this?" I asked as I awkwardly got in the position.

"Beautiful." He said as he picked up his pencil and began.

He said beautiful. My heart fluttered. Did he mean I was beautiful? My body? Or was he just commenting on my ability to follow direction? I stood there knowing I had too much time to ponder that.

He took out the thin wooden stick and held if in his right hand toward me. It was upright and he seemed to be sliding it up and down as he viewed my body.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"Just counting your heads." He said plainly.

"Uhhh, pretty sure I have just one."

"No." He laughed. "I mean I'm measuring your body by the amount of times your head fits into it."

"Ooookay?" I said as more of a question.

"It's simple really. I mark on my paper where the top of your head will go and then place another dot where the bottom of your foot will go. I use this stick to size up your head, and then I lower the stick down your body counting how many heads make up your height."

"Oh, right. Sure." I still didn't get it.

"See, I'm placing my thumb on the stick here and from this view it's the size of your head. Then I move that down and start at your chin and see where the next bottom would be. Looks like it would stop just above your left nipple." He paused as he said that.

I blushed a little.

"Basically your nipples are two head lengths down your body. I continue that process down your body and measure off the same proportions on the paper, marking little dots on the paper. It's a simple way to get the proportions right. It's like I have your body's guiding landmarks on my paper to help me." He said.

"So my nipples are your guiding landmarks?" I asked teasingly.

"Among other parts." He said right back.

That made me blush even more. I didn't even want to know what were his other landmarks. Yes I did.

He continued with his drawing, glancing up at me and my body and back down at his paper. He looked so focused, so engaged, so happy. I like to think it was seeing me that made him happy, but I know it wasn't true. This was a passion of his. I was just glad I could help rekindle his love for it.

As I stood there, I had too much time to think about any and every insecure thought that popped into my head. Am I standing the way he wants? Is this pose flattering? Are my boobs too small? Are my hips even fitting on the page?