Page 58 of What We Got Wrong

Quinn felt herself turn bright red, but Liv, to her surprise, sputtered out a laugh.

“Something like that,” Liv told her, before she turned and winked at Quinn, melting away the irritation that Quinn was feeling towards Emma.

“All good?” Emma asked Liv, whispering as if Quinn couldn’t overhear, even though they were all standing within a few feet of each other.

And that, too, softened her annoyance. Because Liv had Emma to check in on her, to make sure that she was okay, and, truly, in that moment, Quinn felt unbearably lucky to have both of them in her life.

“So good,” Liv murmured, and Quinn could hear the smile in her voice.

“I want to know everything,” Emma said, speaking at her normal volume.

“I’ll call you over break,” Liv promised, and Quinn caught the wink that Emma shot Liv.

And oh, Quinn wished she could be a fly on the wall for that conversation.

“We’re all just going to act like this is normal, then,” Emma stated. Quinn and Liv just shrugged, so Emma shook her head. “Well, does this at least mean that porn is on the table for movie night?”

They all laughed, but it was Quinn who replied, “Only if it’s ethically produced.”

Liv’s gaze bounced to Quinn’s, eyes flashing. Quinn winked in response, happy to tease.

This was good. They were good, and this was fun, and it was normal. It was a mantra in her head, Quinn’s reminder, that this was what she wanted. It was all she could have, and it was plenty, because It. Was. Good.

And Quinn could continue trying to sell that to herself.

Chapter 21

Quinn

Now

Fuck, that was a good way to start the day.

Quinn didn’t need the reminder of how good it felt to touch Liv, to make her come undone. She didn’t need the reminder, because the taste of her, the feeling of her soft skin, the sounds that she made when their bodies were pressed together, it was indelibly imprinted in her memory.

She didn’t need the reminder, no. But God, was it fucking amazing to experience Liv again.

And, fuck, there had been a moment, in the shower, when Liv got on her knees for Quinn, blinking up at her with half-lidded eyes, as water streamed down her face… Quinn was quite sure she would relive that moment, that look on Liv’s face, many, many times.

She knew that it was a bad idea—such a stupid, incredibly bad idea—but, apparently, Quinn was the kind of person who was going to make the same mistake over and over again, expecting different results.

Such a delicious mistake to make, though, and Liv had even given Quinn her number right before she left. The idea that it was sitting right in her phone, waiting for her to use it, that Liv was hoping that she would reach out…

It was all she wanted to think about.

Quinn tried to set those thoughts aside, though, as she made her way to the conference center of the hotel, attempting to be ready to attend her next meeting. She sat with a few of the members of the Phoenix team, the assistant, Jessica, waving her over, and they spoke for a minute before the speaker started, confirming the dinner plans for that evening that they’d scheduled earlier in the week.

This breakout, titled Managing Mental Health in Dynamic Workplaces, was one that Quinn wanted to attend more due to an interest in the subject matter than anything else. The company’s Employee Assistance Program ran the training, teaching an overview of the resources they offered, along with techniques for creating a culture that supports mental health and tips for recognizing the signs of burnout. If anything, the session was a good opportunity to stretch her psych muscles, and she thought there were interesting ideas for content that they may want to consider weaving into some of their management training materials.

Quinn took a few moments to talk with the vendor, explaining who she was: not an employee, so not a part of their program, but someone interested in the topics as they related to her own management consulting business. The speaker was kind, pointing her in the direction of a few resources that Prism might find beneficial, and they exchanged contact information. It wasn’t exactly the type of networking that she and Mel had discussed in the lead up to the conference. They’d more aligned on goals around specific, immediate business impact type of contacts, targeting connections that may hire them sooner rather than later for their consulting services, but Quinn could still see how even this part of the week could positively affect her company.

From a business perspective, at least, coming to the conference had been the right choice.

“Hey, how was that breakout?” Mel asked, approaching her as soon as she walked into the hallway. She spoke carefully, and that, coupled with the contrition on her face, was appreciated, if not entirely necessary. Mel’s hair was pulled up, highlighting the undercut, wearing silver framed glasses that Quinn had only seen her in a handful of times in their entire friendship, and she was completely sans makeup, though she was still androgynously beautiful in an outfit that included tuxedo pants and suspenders.

“Good, no real new leads, though,” Quinn answered. “We’re good for dinner with Phoenix tonight, though.”

“Good, good,” Mel said, not meeting her eye. “Can we go offsite for lunch?”