Tono

Tono, 24, grew up in a suburb of Bratislava. I had heard about him for years through mutual friends (mainly through Adam and Alys) and caught a fleeting glimpse of him once about six years ago — just enough to notice he looked cute before he vanished into the night.

He’s always been something of a mystery. Even his closest friends don’t know much about his private life, including rumors of past webcam work. Earlier this year, a mutual friend passed me his contact, saying Tono might be interested in a photoshoot. True to form, it took him a month to reply, another month to meet, and yet another before we finally did the photoshoot.

He turned out to be every bit as charming and unpredictable as I’d imagined. Over beers at a pub he reminded me of those wild, carefree friends I’ve admired — the adventurous kind with tremendous sex appeal. During our session he was remarkably photogenic and comfortable in front of the camera, though he couldn’t be still for more than a second — bouncing with energy, eager to put on a show. I often had to gently ask him to slow down and tone it down, but it was all part of the fun.

Tono is that rare, magnetic mix of mystery and playful chaos. Working with him is far from boring, and I’m keeping my fingers crossed that our paths align again soon for round two.