Thirty-Three
Charlie’s gaze sweeps across the expansive lawn of Warren Park, satisfaction and pride threatening to overwhelm her.
The unusually balmy mid-April breeze seems to agree with her, flapping the banners lining the dozen-odd vendor booths while sunlight filters through the towering maples lining the perimeter of the park.
Hundreds of people—students, community members, patients of The Wild Rue—wander along the path, occasionally stopping to talk to volunteers who hand out condoms, pamphlets on STI testing, and free bottles of lube.
The line to meet Betsy Jacobs and Ryder deSusa—a popular nonbinary comedian Betsy introduced Charlie to back in January—winds down the sidewalk, farther than Charlie can even see. Their shows earlier today amassed standing-room-only crowds.
The walkie-talkie at Charlie’s hip crackles, and Carolyn’s voice requests that someone bring one more chair to the stage.
Charlie tries to temper her breathless excitement and disbelief. The day she’s spent months preparing for is finally here. And if she can be so bold, it is a stunning success.
“Charlie, love,” a familiar voice calls. Jessie appears beside her, holding a penis-shaped cookie on a stick in each hand. She passes one to Charlie with a coy smile. “Have you eaten one of these?”
Charlie grins. Ignoring the double meaning, she accepts the treat. “I’ve had a few, yes.”
Along with the taco truck and the wood-fired pizza company providing food for the event, the queer-owned bakery in town was all too happy to set up a booth.
Their quirky themed cookies in the shape of penises and vulvas are a massive hit.
Charlie spots many expo attendees walking around with the treats.
“You deserve all the penis cookies.” Jessie winks and squeezes her arm. “I’ve never seen so many vibrators in one place!”
Charlie laughs, flushing at the compliment. Jessie waves and strolls away, her long auburn hair swishing down her back.
Cleo introduces the lineup for the next panel—a sex therapist in conversation with a sex and intimacy coordinator for film, who will discuss the differences between real-life sex and what you see in TV, movies, and porn.
While the day is everything Charlie dreamed it would be, something feels off, and it has nothing to do with the expo or the fact that she’s barely gotten the chance to breathe for the last several weeks.
“Cleo Torres,” a drawling voice muses. “A little on the nose, don’t you think?”
Theo Fox grins lazily, observing her with something like pride.
“It’s on brand, don’t you think?”
“Immensely.” His eyes dance with delight that quickly transforms into amusement when he spots the volunteer in the inflatable IUD costume strolling past. At the Vibes Come First table, someone laughs nervously as the representative touches the tip of their nose with a clitoral suction vibrator.
A few booths away, a volunteer handing out lube shouts, “Try our different flavors for a better job well done!”
“Congratulations are in order.” Theo strolls beside Charlie, hands behind his back, as she weaves around a group of people approaching the sex toy table.
He’s dressed more casually than she’s ever seen him, wearing a heather-gray Henley, dark-washed jeans, and white sneakers.
“I don’t compliment people often, but you have truly pulled off an incredible feat, Charlotte Rogers. ”
“Excuse me.” A young woman taps Charlie on the shoulder as she pauses next to a table covered in condoms. “Where can we talk to someone about getting prescriptions for birth control?”
Charlie directs her toward the contraception table, where several licensed PAs from the telemedicine company are counseling patients. Before she walks off, Charlie hands her a packet of condoms.
To Theo, she says wryly, “I’m honored.”
He arches a brow. “And yet you look…sad.”
She regards him coolly, neither confirming nor denying his assessment. “Do you need something, Theo?”
“I heard what you did,” he says. “Not many people say no to Gabriel Quinn.”
Charlie focuses on the completely unnecessary task of rearranging the condoms. “The clinic doesn’t need his money. And I can’t be bought.”
“Yes, I gathered as much.”
She faces him, leaning a hip against the table. “Shouldn’t you be preparing for your show?”
“I’m all prepared. Tori, on the other hand, is a mess, and when I asked her if I could do anything to help with her nerves, she snapped at me to get lost.” He wiggles his fingers. “So this is me, getting lost.”
Charlie blinks, processing what he just said. “Tori?”
His mouth quirks. “Short for Victoria.”
“She lets you call her that?”
Theo’s smirk sharpens. “I’m an acquired taste, but I think she likes me.”
Charlie simply shakes her head. Acquired taste, indeed.
She hasn’t seen Victoria since Betsy’s stand-up set a few hours ago. Standing next to Charlie at the side of the stage, she beamed with pride. In a moment of shared cautious optimism, she pulled Charlie into a hug, her gold bangles jingling around her wrist.
“I’m so proud of you,” she whispered, her gray eyes glassy with unshed tears. “No matter what happens, you should be thrilled by everything you’ve accomplished, Charlie. I could not be happier to be by your side and call you a colleague and a friend.”
Charlie’s heart swelled with affection, but she didn’t allow herself to relax. She won’t until this is all over.
“Also,” Theo continues as if she hasn’t said anything, “there’s not much for me to prepare, since today’s live recording of Male Perspective will be my second-to-last show.”
“Oh.” Charlie considers him.“Is that…good?”
He smiles, his expression thoughtful. “I believe it is. You see, someone mentioned once—quite rudely, I might add—that I could use my platform in a much more influential way if I wanted to.” He shoots her a pointed look. “So I’m starting my own media company.”
“Congratulations.” She’s not sure why he’s telling her this. Her walkie-talkie chirps, but she doesn’t catch the words. She scans the crowd, certain she’s needed somewhere.
“Yes. Independent media is all the rage these days, if you didn’t know.
I want my company to function as a source of information across multiple media markets.
Podcasts, of course, but also newsletters, online videos, social media accounts with multilevel branding.
Live shows, eventually. It’s going to be a collaborative effort, providing accurate and engaging content to people of all genders and sexualities. ”
Charlie sighs. “Theo, as much as I would love to hear more about this, you once said that you like things direct and to the point. So if you don’t mind, please get there.” She gestures around her. “I’m a little busy.”
He laughs, and she’s momentarily dazzled, unable to deny how handsome he is. “I know you have a habit of turning down men with money, Curls, but I’m wondering if I can entice you with an offer.”
She eyes him curiously. “Go on.”
“I’m calling it Sex Positive Productions,” he says. “We’ll produce modern, inclusive, pleasure-positive content with the goal of providing comprehensive sex education and normalizing discussing sex and everything that goes along with it.”
Charlie’s heart stalls, her full attention on him.
He watches her knowingly. “I’m hiring a team of sex educators, clinicians, therapists, sex toy makers, and ethical porn creators to discuss topics people want to know about but are too scared to ask and can’t find information about because the internet is a black hole of filth.
Answers for all ages based on science and real-world information rather than shame and scare tactics. ”
Charlie gives her head a slight shake. “What brought this on?”
Theo’s eyes glitter with amusement at her shock. “That’s a silly question. I want to stop contributing, as you so eloquently put it, to the manosphere. I want to change my reputation and put good content out there. But I can’t do that without you, Charlotte.”
“Me?”
He laughs like she truly delights him. “Tori told me about your pilot program for the fall. Did anything I just say ring a bell? These are all your ideas, Charlie. I need you to be the Executive Director of Programming for Sex Positive Productions.”
A surge of adrenaline bursts in her chest, but she blurts, “You’re not serious.”
“Why not? I needed to ask you before I announce it later at the show.”
His gaze moves to something over her shoulder. Turning, she spots Victoria a few yards away, conferring with someone from the press. Wearing a bright pink blazer, she smiles, smooths a hand down her pressed black slacks, and tucks a lock of her hair behind her ear.
Theo clears his throat. “Anyway, please say yes so I can stop complimenting you on how smart and driven you are and how honored I’d be to have you join my team, et cetera, et cetera.”
“I haven’t graduated yet,” she argues.
He shrugs. “You will soon.”
“I’m not good with social media.”
“But you’re good with ideas, with presenting things in a fun way even though I mostly ignored your presentation back in November. I’ll hire people for the other stuff.”
“But I—”
Theo tips his head back, groaning. “Cut the bullshit. Imposter syndrome is not a good look on you, Charlotte.”
Charlie huffs out a disbelieving laugh.
“This is a genuine offer,” he continues. “No strings. Complete free rein. I can send over a formal contract tomorrow. If you really need more convincing, I do have a PowerPoint presentation outlining the different pillars of the company and our philosophy.”
She smiles. “You thought of everything, didn’t you?”
“Not everything.” He winks. “That’s why I need you.”
Charlie gazes across the park, experiencing a mixture of calm and apprehension. Somewhere in the crowd are Sy and her girlfriend. That morning, Sy presented her with an enormous congratulatory bouquet of flowers and shed a tear as she commented on how far Charlie’s come from when they first met.