Of course you do

“Different ways to do it,” you say. “It all depends on how far you want to take it. The simplest and easiest way to monetize would be to invest in a good logo, revamp the website and put some effort into a decent online merch store.”

“Why would anyone want our merch?” Athena asks sensibly.

“Because we’re going to be cooler and more relevant than we are now. We are going to boost our profile, and it will not be with porn or ****,” you assure her. “I have several plans. We could do one of them, none of them, or all of them. One, we could lean into social media. It wouldn’t take very many funny, viral CCL Tiktoks to sell some T-shirts. Two, we can literally sell the secrets. We have smutty fantasies and stories. We can find a way to package that. Probably not a book, but you get the idea.”

“If not a book, then what?” Athena asks.

“I’m thinking something bigger,” you tell her.

She smiles. “Yeah?”

“Much bigger. But the big thing that I want to do is change our image. Right now, CCL’s vibe is that we’re blunt about being gay and horny. What if we weren’t? What if we played it a little more innocent? A little harder to get. We wouldn’t be trying to fool anybody, but sometimes it’s hotter to tease than to twerk,” you say.

Athena nods encouragingly. “How would you implement that?”

“Bylaws. It would affect who we bring in and the code of conduct.”

“We’ve never had a code of conduct,” Athena notes.

“Maybe we should.”

“That’s not going to help our reputation with the community.”

“It’s not supposed to.” You take a deep breath. “My friend, Colby? Remember her from last night?”

“How could I forget? She’s cute,” Athena says, giving you a knowing look.

“So I don’t know where she falls on the sexuality spectrum, but she doesn’t… hate the idea of a woman’s touch,” you say, trying not to laugh. “If you know what I mean.”

“I might.”

“But this,” you say, gesturing at the room. “Is too much. I think there are a lot of girls out there like that. Let’s make it easier for them. Let’s not scare them off. The horny chicks like me will still come,” you add.

“No pun intended,” Athena says. “You’re talking about reshaping everything.”

“I’m talking about making it better,” you counter. “It’s the natural progression of what you’re already trying to do.”

“I’m just doing damage control.”

“That’s not true.”

Athena stares at you, then reaches over to brush a few hairs out of your face.

“There’s a lot to you, Meri.”

You shrug. “I can’t help it. I have to think about this stuff.”

“Coming for my job?”

“No pun intended,” you say.