Interview with Ev and Adam from Bare

Lynn: Evelyn. Adam. Thank you both for speaking with us today. How has all of the recent publicity been affecting you?

Ev: You can just call me Ev.

Adam: Evelyn is fine, Lynn. Trust me. I don’t think the publicity has affected us much, other than giving us reasons to focus on other things, like work.

Lynn: Ev, do you agree with that?

Ev: Yeah, I do. I haven’t really been paying much attention to the press, or even my own email or social media accounts, especially after everything happened. After I said my part, I felt like the fallout wasn’t really about me anyway, but other people’s reactions. Sometimes it’s best to step back and let things play out without interfering. It’s been all about school for me. Granted, it is kind of difficult to ignore the attention when you’re actually appearing on Good Morning America, so there are some odd days.

Lynn: Let’s take this back a little. Pretend our readers today don’t know all of the juicy details of your story, haven’t seen Adam’s gorgeous paintings—they really were breathtaking—

Adam: Thanks Lynn, I try.

Lynn: Pretend they don’t even know your relationship to each other. Describe each other for me, and what you see in the other.

Ev: Oh no…

Adam: (laughs) Should I answer honestly?

Ev: No! Sorry. But no. Please God, no.

Adam: Should I answer as if I were a Senator’s son, filtering my every thought and feeling for mass consumption and dulling all of the rough, hard edges so no one is shocked or offended?

Ev: Yeah, that’d be much better.

Adam: Even though we’ve agreed truth is our friend?

Ev: See, Lynn, he does this thing where he answers questions with other questions, and it leads down some pretty fucked-up rabbit holes. Don’t fall for it. (clears his throat) So, I’ll start then. Adam Buchanan is… well, he’s colorful. I mean that both literally and figuratively. The fire-engine-red hair and the bright blue eyes. The paint splatters that are always covering his clothes and skin. But it’s in his personality too. He pushes people. Challenges them to think and face things they might never have without coaxing. He doesn’t play things safe and he’s not afraid to offend. I mean, he’s got the whole lawyer side to him too, so he does things in a really intelligent way. It’s always totally thought out. Almost disturbingly so. Anyway, it’s one of the things I liked about him right away, because I appreciated how unapologetic those qualities were. He was visually loud, and messy, and crossed lines I’ve always lived between.

Adam: So, I’m colorful? What does that make you?

Ev: Nope, not falling for it.

Adam: Lynn, I think my work describes Evelyn better than my words ever could.

Lynn: Well, then describe your work for us.

Ev: Oh, he can totally do that. He talks about his work constantly.

Adam: And what are you implying when you say that?

Ev: Are you just doing it on purpose now? I can’t tell. But I’ll answer that one to say that I meant you do self-promotion, which is a necessary part of your job, and something you’re rightfully passionate about.

Adam: And I’m not rightfully passionate about you?

Ev: (groans) Lynn, do you see what I’m dealing with here? It’s impossible not to fall for this crap. Should I answer Lynn’s question for you?

Adam: (pauses to look at Ev, then begins to speak) I’m a painter. I’m also an adjunct professor at Lehigh University, which is where Evelyn and I met. Lately, the focus of my work has been in exploring vulnerability in male sexuality in order to expose the ways our society attempts to force men into rigid gender roles that limit our opportunity to safely and comfortably express broader truths.

Ev: It’s a mouthful, isn’t it?

Adam: That’s what he said.

Lynn: And Ev, how do you factor into Adam’s work?

Ev: He paints me.

Adam: Among other things. Evelyn does inspire me in a wide variety of ways.

Lynn: Ev, does Adam inspire you too?

Ev: (smiles, falls quiet, bows his head)

Adam: (rests a hand on Ev’s knee and whispers) It’s okay, sweetheart. You don’t need to—

Ev: No, I do. It’s an important question. I just—

Adam: You’ve been through a lot. You don’t have to push yourself.

Ev: (struggles to speak and holds Adam’s hand) You have… no idea… how much Adam inspires me. He’s changed my whole life. And I know how corny that sounds, but to know how clearly he sees me, and everything he’s done in such a short time for someone he didn’t even know? The things that inspire Adam are really important. They are. They matter on a huge scale, but the ways Adam inspires me? That’s everything.

Lynn: I think we can see what you mean—both of you. Thank you for joining us today.

Adam: You’re welcome. (kisses Ev)

About Bare

Ev Myers was looking for trouble when he signed up to do nude art modeling, but he wasn’t expecting this much trouble. All he’d wanted to do was rebel against the moral limits of his strict religious family and the PR requirements of his father’s senate seat. He saw how much bigger his world could be when Professor Adam Buchanan opened Ev to new passions and new experiences but when Ev’s family learned how far he had gone, they decided to resort to kidnapping and brainwashing to save their son from sin and scandal—even if it kills him.

Available at: Forbidden Fiction, Amazon, All Romance eBooks and Smashwords.

An Excerpt from Bare

“So does that mean you’ll do it?” Hope lingered in the question. Led by instinct, Ev found his answer.

“I think so. Yeah. I will. But…” How to say it? “What are you going to expect here? I’m guessing it’s not just posing.”

“It can just be posing, if that’s where your comfort level is.”

Thinking of his family and church, when he wished he wasn’t and was focused only on his own preferences instead, Ev fought not to get sidetracked by conditioning. What they thought about Ev posing for this man didn’t matter, or so he tried to tell himself.

“I’m not a prude or anything,” Ev clarified. “I was just… wondering. Like, would touching be involved?” The painting Adam had set out indicated one of his last models had been touched.

“Not without your permission.”

He imagined it without wanting to—being touched like the subject of that painting had been, by another man. It made a shiver race up Ev’s back. Folding his arms tighter, he squirmed.

“Would I need to be…” Ev exhaled, tripping on the next word, feeling mortified for even thinking it.

“Hard?” Adam guessed, maybe by reading into Ev’s body language, his arms wrapped around himself, his fingers rubbing his lips.

“Yeah.”

“You wouldn’t need to be, no. But, total honesty, I would be able to work with it if you were.”

Ev blew out a breath. “How old are you?”

“Twenty-five. You?”

“Almost twenty.”

“Okay. No pressure, Ev. If this doesn’t work for you, you can bail at any time. It’s okay. You won’t hurt my feelings.”

“You’re not gonna, like, put my name on these are you? Or tell people?”

“I’ll totally honor your privacy in whatever ways you request. I swear it. My work hinges on honesty. What happens here only leaves this space through the artwork. I do take reference photos, but I keep those locked up when I’m not using them.”

Ev hesitated, mostly because he really wanted to do it, and the realization scared him. It made him question his ability to make rational decisions. There were so many dangers here; he’d be crazy to stay.

Adam just waited, watching.

“I know what they pay at the school for the models,” Adam said, interrupting Ev’s indecision. “Twenty bucks an hour, right? Double that for your hourly rate when you sit for me, and that’s just to start. If this works out, I’ll increase the amount as we go.”

“Adam, that’s insane. I can’t take that much money from you for this.”

“I insist. I’m a professional, hiring you as a professional model. I’ll be photographing you, as I said, in addition to simply using you as a reference for my paintings. The rate I’m paying is not astronomical.”

“Really? Wow, maybe I should’ve just done this instead of go to school.”

Adam just raised an eyebrow at him, looking profoundly patient and equally as determined. “Well, you are suited for it, in my humble opinion, but an education is invaluable. I say do both.”

There was another pause, filled with tense anticipation.

Ev pulled off his jacket. Folding it over his arm, he said, “Okay.”

The idea of getting forty bucks an hour was ridiculously amazing, but that wasn’t what convinced him. It was the temptation—something he’d successfully resisted his whole life, and he was just plain exhausted by the effort. Maybe it was time to take a calculated risk.

“Okay,” Adam agreed. “If you’d feel more comfortable changing into a robe first…”

Steeling himself, Ev took a deep breath, then pulled his shirt over his head. Bare-chested, feeling his nipples stiffen, he said, “Kind of cold.”

“Right. Sorry,” Adam apologized. He pulled out his phone, tapped at it a few times and said, “There. The heat’ll take a moment to warm things up. I’ve got space heaters too.” Walking away, he emerged only a second later, wheeling a small heater up to a bed. Adam shifted the bed slightly under the lights overhead, then turned on a few professional looking large soft box boom lights, shifting them closer and angled to cast light on the bed. The heater was shifted even closer. The set-up was similar to various television and photography studio sets he’d visited as the Senator’s son—though without the bed and nudity—and the familiarity was comforting.

While Adam fussed with the arrangements, Ev unbuckled his jeans. It took a flare of courage before he was able to push them down, toeing off his sneakers and socks along with the pants. That left him only in snug, black, low-rise boxer briefs, the thin cotton straining to contain him even though he was completely flaccid. Needing warmth more than anything, Ev walked into the path of the space heater, rubbing his hands together, then rubbing his arms. Right away, he felt more comfortable and less tempted to run for cover.

Once Adam had things arranged to his liking, he finally turned around. His gaze swept down Ev’s body, then upward to his face. Ev tried to read into the look, or the thoughts behind it, but couldn’t.

“I’d like to do some sketches, maybe take some photos, just to see what’s working. It’ll probably take a while for me to narrow it down to one pose. Who knows, maybe I’ll start a few pieces at once. Are you sure you don’t want a glass of water or anything before we start?”

“Nah, I’m good. Um,” he reached for his briefs, stopped himself, then went ahead and hooked his thumbs under the waistband. He felt Adam watching as Ev slid the underwear off. By the time he’d stepped out of them, briefs wadded up in his hand, he was breathing harder. His balls drew up, his skin both hot and cold in places. It felt wrong on many levels, in ways it hadn’t in the classroom earlier that day.

But Adam wasn’t reacting in a negative way, or telling him to cover back up; he just kept scrutinizing the view of Ev’s body. “Would you rather lie down or sit to start?”

“Whatever you want.”

“Okay, then come lie down here,” he said, pointing to the bed. Ev shuffled over, fighting the urge to cover himself with his hands. “Are you okay with me using my hands to help position you? Be honest.”

“Yeah, that’s fine.”

“Okay. If you change your mind, just tell me.”

Ev sat on the edge of the bed, then lay back.

“Shift up the bed a little more.”

He slid upward. Adam’s hand touched Ev’s knee. “Relax your legs. Let them fall open.” Gentle pressure urged Ev’s legs apart. Ev thought his breathing sounded too loud in the quiet of the room. The light touch of Adam’s fingertips on the inside of Ev’s left knee sent a thrill to Ev’s cock. Inwardly, he groaned with dread, his tension reflecting in his expression.

“Bring your arms up so your hands are on either side of your head. Just relax them.” Adam arranged Ev’s hands, letting the fingers curl, and the back of his hand resting by his face. “Good. Keep your head turned to the side.” The curled fingers were by his eyes. His chest rose and fell, with each breath seeming to come quicker than the last.

Watching from the corner of his eye, he saw Adam draw a sheet over, letting the corner of it cover Ev’s stomach, keeping his chest and genitals exposed.

“Nice,” Adam murmured, his eyes everywhere, all over Ev. Ev got the sense that Adam had gone into his head, concentrating on his ideas and plans instead of judging Ev’s body in any way, which helped Ev stay calm. Adam went back to the supply cabinets along the wall and brought out a large camera with a long lens. He moved close again, bringing the camera up to his eye and adjusting the focus. The soft whir of the machinery was a pleasurable little sound, acting like a tickle over Ev’s cock.

About Lynn Kelling

Lynn Kelling began writing in order to tell stories that aren’t afraid of the dark, don’t hold anything back and always strive to be memorable, forging lasting attachments between character and reader. Her inspiration comes from taking a closer look at behaviors and ideas lurking at the fringes of life—basically anything that people may hesitate to speak of in mixed company, but everyone wonders about anyway. Her work is driven by the taboo in order to expose the humanity within it. Lynn is an artist, designer and lover of any form of creative self-expression that comes from a place of honesty and emotion, whether it’s body art or opera. She has had multiple novels published, has written over seventy works of erotic fiction of varying lengths, and always has several novels in progress.

Find out more about Lynn on her Website, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest or email her at lynn@lynnkelling.com.

As part of this blog tour, Lynn is giving away an eBook copy of Bare! To enter, just click the link below!

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Don’t forget to check out Just Jen’s review of Bare to see what she thought of it!

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