Love Bug (The Prescotts Book 3)

by Tara Wyatt

  “Wow, that’s quite the portfolio,” said Willa, sitting up straighter in her chair. “Impressive.”

  “Mmm. Yes.” Kelly ducked down and rummaged around in her bag, surfacing with a notebook, pen, and digital recorder. “Shall we get started?”

  “Sure,” she said, folding her hands in front of her so she wouldn’t fidget. She felt like a bug under a microscope with Kelly’s icy gaze trained on her. That penetrating stare wasn’t doing anything to help her nerves. When she’d been told to expect a tech reporter, this elegant, terrifying woman hadn’t been even close to what Willa had pictured. But it was fine. She could do this. Kelly was clearly a professional, and that’s what Willa would be too.

  “Great.” She spoke directly into the recorder. “Kelly Palmer speaking with Willa Banks in her office at Tapp headquarters, May 24th 9:08 AM. So, Miss Banks, tell me about the development of the Blind Date app and how you see it impacting the online dating landscape.”

  For the next half hour, Kelly asked her questions about the app, about how it worked and how they saw people using it. They talked a little about Tapp, the current tech landscape, and the future of apps, especially as to how they could be used to foster personal connections, dating or otherwise. She asked Willa a few perfunctory questions about her background—her education, how long she’d worked at Tapp—and then questions about the development of the app itself, challenges they’d faced, when it might be available. The questions were all straightforward and to the point—until the very end.

  Kelly sat back in her chair, her legs crossed elegantly. “I have one last question for you, and then I think I’ve got everything I need. Is it true that you started dating Tapp’s CEO Max Prescott after matching with him on the app during beta testing?”

  Willa’s cheeks went hot and she ducked her head. She wasn’t sure where Kelly would’ve picked up that tidbit of information, but it also wasn’t like she’d uncovered some closely guarded secret. She cleared her throat and swallowed before speaking.

  “Yes, it’s true. Max and I were both part of the beta test and were matched on the app. We messaged for a while before we started dating.”

  Kelly shot her a skeptical look. “And you didn’t know who you were talking to that entire time? I mean, it’s your project. You could’ve taken a look in the back end to see who’d been assigned that username, right? It’s even possible that you could’ve manipulated the matches. You would’ve had access to all of that, no?”

  Willa cocked her head to the side, studying Kelly and not at all liking what the woman was implying—that she’d somehow used the app for her own gain, to manipulate Max into dating her.

  “Dating the CEO must come with perks,” she continued casually, as though she weren’t backhandedly accusing Willa of serious misconduct. “You’re doing this interview instead of Mr. Prescott, for example.”

  Adrenaline jolted through her and she sat up straighter, meeting Kelly’s eyes. She plastered a smile on her face, doing her best to ignore the way her pulse had just doubled its tempo. “I didn’t know who I was talking to. I take my job seriously, and I wouldn’t do anything to jeopardize the integrity of the beta test, whether that’s finding out the identity of a user or manipulating the matching algorithm. If I did that, the entire beta test would be worthless. I wouldn’t throw away months and months of an entire team’s hard work just to try to make a play for Max.”

  “So you and Max are happy, then? Things are going well?”

  “I’m sorry, Miss Palmer, I really don’t want to talk about my personal life. I’d prefer if we focus on the app.”

  Kelly grinned at her, a toothy smile that sent a shiver running down Willa’s spine. “Of course. Thank you so much for your time this morning.”

  “You’re welcome,” Willa said, standing as Kelly gathered her things. “I look forward to reading the article.”

  Something flashed in Kelly’s eyes, a kind of gleeful mischief, but it was gone as quickly as it had appeared, so quickly Willa thought she must’ve imagined it. That she was just feeling paranoid because of the personal angle Kelly had taken that had left Willa feeling off-kilter.

  Once Kelly had left Willa’s office, she pressed a shaking hand to her mouth, then wrapped her arms around herself, trying to calm the quaking in her stomach. Everything had been going so well until the end. Those last couple of questions had thrown her, and while she’d done her best with them, she couldn’t help but feel that things had gone off the rails a little bit.

  Her stomach churned as worry gripped her. She bit her lip, replaying her answers in her mind, analyzing them, trying to pick them apart.

  Maybe she was overreacting. After all, wasn’t it part of Kelly’s job to sniff out stories where she could? Granted, she’d been trying to sniff out a story that didn’t exist in this case, but it wasn’t as though Willa had done anything wrong. She certainly hadn’t manipulated the beta test in the way Kelly had implied.

  She squared her shoulders, trying to shake off some of the tension. She wasn’t going to stand around and let herself get sucked into a worry spiral. She’d go make herself a coffee, stretch her legs, work off some of the adrenaline still pumping through her. Grabbing her employee badge, she started off down the hallway toward the employee lounge, where people often took their breaks, got coffee and hung out in between working.

  As she approached the employee lounge, she heard several voices coming from inside. She smiled, knowing that talking with her colleagues would distract her. But her steps faltered and slowed when she heard her name.

  “…pretty convenient that Willa’s beta test led to her hooking up with Max,” said a female voice belonging to a woman named Mia Willa had thought was her friend. “I mean, come on. In what universe does a man like that end up with Willa?”

  Willa pressed her back against the wall outside the employee lounge, knowing she should leave. She should just turn around and walk back to her desk and not listen to any of it. But her feet felt glued to the carpet, and she swallowed hard, holding her breath so she could hear what was being said.

  “I know, right?” Another female voice, this one belonging to a woman named Krista. “But look how it’s working out for her. She’s dating Max—somehow, God—she’s the one who got to do that Times interview, and Max backed Willa’s project as our next priority in the meeting last week, even though it’s a totally dumb idea.”

  Willa stared at the carpet, her chin trembling slightly. A wave of dizziness rocked her and she clenched and unclenched her fists, trying to anchor herself.

  “Must be nice to be fucking the boss and get everything handed to you,” said a third woman, Cindy, who Willa had never really liked. “I mean…I just don’t get it. She’s a mousy little shrimp who’s so annoyingly nice. That’s got to be fake, right? No one is that nice.”

  “No, definitely not,” agreed Krista. “She’s faking it for sure.”

  “Although I’m sure she doesn’t have to fake anything with Max,” said Mia. “That man is sex on a stick. Good Lord, the things I’d do to him.”

  “It makes me so sad that Willa’s playing him the way she is,” said Krista. “He could do so much better than her. It’s pathetic, really.”

  “You guys,” said Cindy, dropping her voice and forcing Willa to inch closer to the door so she could hear. “Do you think she, like, manipulated the matches?”

  “I wouldn’t put it past her,” said Mia. “Who knows what she’s capable of? She’s so fake. And like I said, they make no sense as a couple. There’s no way that a man like Max chooses Willa of his own free will. She has to have manipulated him or something. Convinced him that they were meant to be with a high compatibility rating. Although how she seduced him is beyond me.”

  “Right?” said Cindy, indignation dripping from her voice. “No tits, no ass, personality like a piece of cardboard, and somehow she ends up fucking Max Prescott. I don’t get it.”

  “I hope she’s grateful that someone who looks like Max ca
n even get it up for her,” said Krista. “It’s just so infuriating. She’s not good enough for him. He deserves so much better. He probably has no idea she’s just a money grubbing, manipulative little whore. Poor Max.”

  They all murmured in agreement and Willa managed to push herself off the wall and start back to her office, pressing a fist to her mouth. As soon as she reached her office, she closed the door and sat down behind her desk, her body feeling as though it were crumpling in on itself, shrinking into something cold and hard. Something ugly and shriveled.

  Was that what everyone thought about her? That she was using Max, manipulating him for her own gain? That she’d somehow blinded him to the fact that he was way out of her league? That any kindness she paid anyone was phony and manipulative?

  Echoes of the interview came back to her, and she sunk down deeper in her chair, spinning to face the window. Was that how the world saw her and Max, as totally mismatched? That she’d tricked him into dating her and that was the only logical explanation?

  Her chest hitched and she reached for her phone. Maybe she’d been naïve to think she could date her boss and everyone would just be cool with it. But this was a step farther than being annoyed that she was dating Max. It wasn’t just gossip that she’d overheard. They hated her. Hated.

  Phone in hand, she scrolled to the group chat with Lauren, Theo, Kayla, Brandon, and Dori. She noticed someone—three guesses who—had renamed it “Brandon and Friends.”

  Willa: SOS. I repeat, SOS

  Dori: What’s wrong? BTW, I’m so glad you’re still alive. I don’t think I’ve even seen you in…5 days now?

  Willa: I’m sorry, Dor. I’ve been at Max’s. I’m a crappy friend.

  Dori: Um, first of all, you’re not, so stop that right now. And second, I LOOOOOOVVEEEE having this gorgeous apartment all to myself. So don’t feel bad. Enjoy your sexy boyfriend.

  Dori: Second, what’s wrong?

  Brandon: What’s up?

  Theo: Everything okay?

  Willa: No, not really. I’m having a craptastic morning.

  Lauren: Oh no! Craptastic how?

  Willa: So I had that interview with the Times this morning and it was going great until the very end when she basically accused me of rigging the beta test so I’d deliberately get matched with Max and implied that I was using my relationship with him for some kind of professional advantage.

  Kayla: What? That’s bullshit! I hope you threw her out of your office.

  Willa: That was right at the end of the interview, so we were already done. And then I went to the employee lounge to get myself a coffee, distract myself—because I was freaking out that I’d somehow messed things up—and I overheard three of my co-workers talking about me.

  Lauren: Oh, honey. That reporter sounds like she was just fishing for a juicy story that isn’t there. I don’t think you did something wrong or screwed anything up.

  Theo: What were they saying?

  Willa: All kinds of awful things. They hate me.

  Dori: Who on earth could hate you? You’re like the nicest person ever.

  Willa: Ha, well apparently they think I’m a big phony who manipulates people by pretending to be nice. They kept going on and on about how Max is way out of my league, that I’m not attractive enough or good enough for him and I must’ve somehow tricked him into dating me by using the beta test to convince him we’re a match.

  Brandon: WHAT

  Kayla: I’m getting on a flight right now so I can be there before day’s end to kick all of their asses. No one talks about my friend that way.

  Dori: It’s all jealousy, girl. You’ve got what they wish they had and they can’t be mad at Max because they still want him, so you’re the easy, safe target.

  Willa: I know. I know. But I think what I overheard hit hard because they nailed some of my biggest insecurities and…I don’t know. They’re not wrong. Max *is* out of my league.

  Theo: Okay, I’m going to go ahead and stop you right there. No one—NO ONE—can make Max do something he doesn’t want to do, so there’s no way you could’ve manipulated him into something he didn’t want. It’s impossible. Believe me, I’ve spent thirty years trying to get him to do stuff and he’s like a freaking statue. If he’s with you, it’s because he wants to be with you, plain and simple. And he’s not out of your league, Willa. You guys are great together, and I happen to know that he’s absolutely crazy about you.

  Lauren: It’s true. We video chatted with him a few days ago and I don’t think I’ve ever seen him so happy. He was actually, like, smiling and relaxed. And that’s all because of you.

  Brandon: Forget about the reporter and ignore those jealous bitches.

  Dori: You want to meet up for lunch? Get out of the office for a bit?

  Brandon: Ooh, can I come too?

  Dori: Of course. Just remember your wallet this time.

  Brandon: THAT WAS ONE TIME LIKE THREE WEEKS AGO

  Dori: And the time before that, and the time before that…

  Willa: Yeah, you know what? Lunch sounds nice.

  Kayla: Fuck, I wish I was there. I mean, I love it out here, but I miss you. And I wish I could help you stomp on some heads.

  Willa: I’m not going to stomp on any heads. Brandon’s right, I should just ignore them. Hearing them say that shit sucked, but I’ll get over it.

  Lauren: And Theo’s right. You guys are great together. I swear, you make that man swoon. Are you guys still planning to go away for the long weekend?

  Willa: Yeah, Max said he has a little place in the Hamptons, so we’re going to get out of the city for a bit.

  Theo: LOL. I think he’s underselling it

  Willa: What do you mean?

  Theo: His “little” place is a 7,000 square foot waterfront mansion in Montauk. I can’t remember if there are 7 or 8 bedrooms. Infinity pool. Home theater. The biggest bathtub you’ve ever seen in your life.

  Willa: Wow. He definitely undersold it.

  Theo: Maybe he wants to surprise you. So act surprised when you pull up, just in case

  Willa: LOL, okay, I will

  Willa: Thanks guys, I feel better.

  Kayla: Anytime, babe! Don’t let the haters get you down

  Brandon: LAME. But Kayla’s right. They’re beyond jealous, and everything they said is about them, not you.

  Willa: I’ll see you guys for lunch in a couple hours. Thanks again everyone.

  Willa set her phone down on the desk, feeling a bit lighter after talking everything over with her friends. The reporter had just been looking for a juicy angle on what was probably not a terribly exciting story, and Mia, Krista and Cindy had been coming from a place of jealousy, without a doubt. They all clearly wanted Max and were seething that he’d finally started dating someone. It didn’t matter who Max dated, they’d feel the same way about anyone.

  Okay, so they’d hit on some of her biggest insecurities—her almost total lack of boobs and butt, for example—and it had hurt more because of it. But they’d also dredged up something Willa hadn’t been fully aware of until it surfaced.

  Sometimes, she felt a little lost in Max’s world. The man was worth hundreds of millions of dollars and while he certainly didn’t make a big deal of his wealth, his lifestyle and means were very, very different from hers. She fit with Max, but once in a while, she didn’t quite feel like she fit in his world. Maybe it would just take time to get used to things like SoHo penthouses and—apparently—mansions in the Hamptons. And the upcoming gala, an event she’d never in a million years be attending if she wasn’t Max’s guest. If he hadn’t paid for a ridiculously expensive designer gown for her to wear. Sure, she’d felt a little like Cinderella, trying on all of those amazing dresses, but like Cinderella, she’d been intensely aware that this wasn’t her real life. That she was merely playing dress up for a night and would be a tourist in a world that didn’t really belong to her.

  She took a deep breath and shook her head, pushing it all away. All of these thoughts w
ere only there because of the morning she’d had. So instead, she went over what she knew to be true: that she was in love with Max, and he was in love with her. That they made each other happy, made each other laugh, and wanted to spend as much time together as possible. That she’d never had so much incredible sex in her life. Being with Max felt right in a way that nothing else ever had.

  She allowed herself a small smile. Kayla was right. She wasn’t going to let the jealous haters get her down.

  17

  Willa adjusted her sunglasses on her face as Max turned his SUV from Old Montauk Road onto a much narrower one curving away from the main highway. The ocean glimmered peacefully behind them, late morning sun reflecting off the water and dappling the trees shading the road. Airy white clouds were painted across the cerulean sky, barely moving. The thermometer on Max’s dashboard read eighty-one degrees, and Willa smiled, feeling like summer was finally here.

  “Almost there,” said Max, glancing at her with a grin on his face. Her heart kicked up a notch as she waited to see if Theo had been exaggerating or not.

  She hadn’t told him about what had happened earlier that week, beyond mentioning that the reporter had tried to pry into their relationship and she’d done her best to shut it down. She hadn’t mentioned what she’d overheard in the employee lounge, or how it had made her feel. She didn’t want to make it seem like she couldn’t handle dating him, or worse, that she was asking him to swoop in and solve her problems. Max was protective, and she knew that if he got wind of what people were saying about her, he wouldn’t take it well. It would look like she’d gone running to him and would ultimately only make things worse for her.

  So she’d decided to just accept that some people were upset that she was dating Max and that was that. Besides, what other people thought was so much more about them than about her. And any insecurities the comments had dredged up about her body had been put to rest that night when Max had pinned her against the wall in the entryway to his penthouse and practically ravaged her right there, telling her he’d been half hard with wanting her all day, thinking about getting inside her.