His Unexpected Queen

Chapter 5

Reign's POV

I watched Landrey walk away to get my drink and I had to laugh to myself. She was easy to rile up and kind of fun too. I don't know what my new obsession with her was but I couldn't get her out of my head. Ever since I saw her working here last weekend and then at breakfast on Monday with Tate and Ellie.

She had some big walls up and I wanted to break them down one by one and see what was truly underneath that hard exterior she had. Outside of Berkley she is the first girl that I wanted to be around more than to just sleep with. I don't know why but I was going to figure it out.

I was watching Landrey at the bar when a tall red head walked into my vision. I knew this would be a problem and I was going to have to make it clear to her now.

"Hey handsome, didn't think I would see you back here after you were gone in the morning but I'm happy that you are here."

"Don't get too excited. It was a one-night thing only," I said and then Landrey walked up.

"Excuse me," Landrey said and tried to push her out of the way to set my drink down. I sat back just watching how this was going to go down because I had a feeling this wasn't the last of Tabitha I had seen. She was a clinger and I ignored all the signs.

"I'm having a conversation here," Tabitha snapped at her.

"Good for you, I'm working and trying to deliver the drink to Reign," Landrey said and pushed her out of the way and slammed my drink down making some spill over the top and stormed off to the next table.

"Dumb b***h," Tabitha said under her breath but I heard it. I was going to have to keep a close eye on her that's for sure.

"Don't you have tables to tend to?" I asked hoping she would leave and she looked over her shoulder and sighed and walked away but not before blowing me a kiss and shaking her ass as she walked away but my eyes quickly found Landrey. I watched her go from table to table flirting with the guys and telling the girls their outfits looked good, or at least that is what I thought. She would point to their shirt or shoes or something. She was good at getting tips. I would give her that.

She was purposely ignoring me and not refilling my drink. Didn't matter, I wasn't going to leave but I was going to see if I could get her over here by using Tabitha. Was it right, absolutely not but did I care, again absolutely not. I scanned the crowd for the bright red hair and it wasn't hard to find. She was just a few sections away. I watched her for a minute when she finally looked my way. I gave her the most charming smile I could and raised my glass and shook it at her.

She gave a quick wink and finished talking to the table she was at and she went back and got their drinks and then came right over to my table. She leaned down on it like always and gave a full view of her cleavage.

"Is your waitress slacking?" she purred.

"No, I just got your attention first."

"Why don't you move to my section and your drink will never run dry." she said and then was pushed out of the way and glass was slammed down on the table.

"If you would have just waited a few more minutes I could have gotten your drink." Landrey snapped.

"If you weren't such a lazy b***h, I wouldn't have to come over here and do your job." Tabitha said.

"Go back to your section and leave mine alone. I have it handled just fine," Landrey told her and then walked off. It definitely worked to piss her off.

"You better get back to your section or your people might get mad," I told her, trying to get her to leave. I know I'm an asshole but I accomplished what I wanted. She leaned in, kissed my cheek and left and when I looked up Landrey was staring at us and she looked like she was fuming. This just made me even happier. I don't know why but pushing her buttons was fun. I'm learning that she is very different from what I had expected. I took her for this meek and mild girl but I had a feeling that there was fire buried deep inside of her. It's buried within those walls she has up.

She was better about keeping my drink refilled but if I had any more, I shouldn't drive home and so I called her over to settle my tab.

"Another already, you know you shouldn't drink and drive?" she said as I downed the last of my drink.

"Yes mother, how about you cash me out, but before you do, are tips split here or do all of my tips go to you?"

"We keep our own tips and if you want to tip the slut you will have to do that privately," she said, taking the card out of my hand and going to the cash register. When she came back, she slammed the receipt and pen down on the table and threw me my card and then walked off. Damn her and this fire of hers. I f*****g like it a lot. Most girls treated me like a god and would do anything for my attention but with her it's different. She wants my attention but she doesn't want to admit it and it pisses her off.

I signed the receipt and left her very large tip and left the bar with a smile on my face. That doesn't happen often. I was usually broody and moody and that didn't bother me but I felt light and free with a smile on my face from our banter. I went straight home and tried to catch some sleep but my mind wouldn't shut off all night. It was filled with thoughts of a hot blonde who I loved to piss off. These feelings weren't lost on me but what was I going to do about them was the question. Last time I couldn't do anything because she belonged to my brother but this time, she didn't belong to anyone or at least I didn't think she did.

I went to social media and tried to find her but I didn't know her last name and so I went to Ellie's page and stalked through her friends but she wasn't on there either. I was going to have to find out her last name discreetly. I didn't want anyone here knowing in case things went south. I don't do the pity looks or the you need to find someone.

I spent the rest of the weekend trying to figure out her last name but couldn't and when I went to dinner with Ace and Berkley, I tried bringing her up without making it sound obvious but they really didn't say much about her and so it was on to Ellie. I knew she would know but to get that information out of her without poking her nose into my business or I could just come out and ask her but that seems too difficult.

I went into the office early Monday morning still thinking about her and I kept thinking about hacking Ellie's computer system but it didn't feel right. I wasn't sure what system she was in. This was something that I didn't handle. I could have her information at my fingertips and not know it. I slammed my laptop down when my office phone rang.

"WHAT?"

"I'm sorry sir but there is a Landrey at the front desk asking for you?" the receptionist said, and this is my chance.

"I don't know a Landrey, can you please give me a last name?" I told him and I could hear him ask her before getting back on the phone. I could hear the irritated tone in her voice when she told him.

"Landrey Richards," he said as politely as he could.

"Tell her I will be down in a minute." I told him and hung up. Now I at least had a last name to try and find out more about her.

I got up from my desk wondering what she wanted. This was either really bad or really good but I had a feeling it was bad. I knew I had pissed her off by the time I left the bar and I had her number. I would have texted her over the weekend just to get under her skin more. That would be the next step to get her number.

I saw her standing at the front counter, holding something in her hand looking pissed. I put on the cockiest smirk I could and walked up to her.

"Ms. Richards, what can I do for you today?"

"Ms. Richards?" she scoffed and just glared at me.

"What do you need or did you just want to check me out?"

"In your dreams. I wanted to return this," she said, handing me an envelope.

"What is this?"

"It's the tip you left me minus twenty dollars."

"That's not how tips work. You provide a service, usually a better service then what I got but I was feeling generous and I tip you for that service. You keep said tip and go on your merry way."

"It was too much and I won't keep something that I didn't earn." she said and turned to walk off and left me there a little dumbfounded. I had never in my life had someone return money because they thought their service wasn't good enough. The mystery keeps getting more and more with her which is just making my obsession more and more with her but at least I had a last name now.

I put the money in my pocket thinking of a way to give it back to her. It was her tip and I wanted her to have it. I didn't care how bad the service was. It was the best night I've had in a long time. As soon as I was back up to my laptop, I started searching through social media looking for a Landrey Richards but still nothing. I'm beginning to think she doesn't have any and that poses the question why. She is either too broke to pay for the internet or she is hiding from someone. Those are the only two reasons someone wouldn't have one. It was very rare that they didn't have one just because they didn't want one but I guess that could be a possibility.

I closed out of my social media and headed into the meeting room and when I walked in, I was the last one here. I guess I got too wrapped up in looking for her.

"Everything OK?" Tate asked.

"Ya, why?"

"Because you are never late."

"Then you can all forgive me because god only knows we've waited on all of you," I snapped at them.

They didn't say anything to that and we discussed the opening next week. It seemed everything was in order but we had a checklist form our party planner to go over. I could care less about the actual party and more about getting it open and start making money. While it cost us a ton to open the new hotel and did put a little damper on our intake of funds, we still had plenty of money. Our kids and their kids should never have to worry about money. Not unless some really stupid mistakes were made.

As soon as we were done, I headed downstairs in hopes to catch Ellie at the gym and also see Landrey again. When I walked in her smile fell off her face and she fixed it with a glare pointed right at me.

"Is Ellie here today?" I asked her.

"In her office," she said and walked away.