The Luna Choosing Game by Jane Above Story

It had been three days since Boss made his proposition: either I sleep with him or I get fired.

I needed one more day’s pay to cover Elva’s most recent bill. Once I had that, I could resign and hopefully find something else.

Boss trailed his eyes down the length of my body. Staring openly at my breasts, he licked his lips. “Don’t think I won’t, Piper. I’ll be waiting for you.”

In the restaurant, all of the female patrons talked excitedly about the selection. To cater to them, Boss turned all of the televisions on the walls to the royal consort ceremony broadcast.

“Which one do you think is the most handsome?” asked one patron to her friends.

They’d ordered a plate of loaded nachos to share. I carefully placed it in the center of their table.

Another girl spoke quickly. “Are you kidding? The others are cute, sure, but Nicholas is obviously the hottest.”

The other girls quickly agreed.

Startled, I hovered at their table. They were right, of course. Nicholas was the most objectively attractive, but to hear people talk about him so casually still surprised me.

For three days, I’d tried to reconcile in my mind that the Nicholas I had known was also the eldest prince of the kingdom. But I still couldn’t quite manage it.

Nicholas had always been proper. But a prince?

“Piper, is it?” one of the girls at the table asked me. I jumped, realizing I was still standing there. Yet before I could apologize, she asked me, “Which one do you think is the most handsome?”

“Nicholas,” came my automatic answer. “Excuse me.”

Embarrassed at having been caught daydreaming, I forced myself to focus on work. And I succeeded – until I heard Nicholas’ voice come from the speakers.

“The kind of woman I’d prefer?” Nicholas said. “Someone loyal. Strong. Even tempered. And she has to like to children.”

“Check, check, and check,” came a voice from the table of girls. “He’s describing me! It’s meant to be.”

“Dream on. He’s clearly describing me.”

“You don’t even like kids!”

us make it through the preliminary

interviewer. “Children, hm? Does that mean we can expect you to

his eyes were guarded. “It’s my duty as a prince to continue the lineage. But, yes, I’d like

“He’d make such

a moment, it seemed as if he

My heart ached.

to the side again, looking at the interviewer, and immediately, I felt foolish. Of

thought of me

my heart, hoping to

three years. I couldn’t still be hung up on him. Sure, I hadn’t dated anyone else since,

lonely. I had Elva, and I had Anna. I didn’t need romance

a meal was ready. I went back to retrieve it. When I returned

with the utmost seriousness. This illegal trade of wolves and their gifts

dropped the plate of food in

silenced at once, all eyes

“The weakening of any one wolf, weakens the whole pack. We cannot let that

other waitresses hissed at me,

food. “I’m sorry.” I quickly set to cleaning it. As I did, I

my shift, I was worn down and exhausted. After my accident, I pushed myself as hard as I could, focusing solely on work and

once lift my eyes to the television again, not even when the table of girls bemoaned their disappointment with the selection

on the list. Why even bother

scrubbing dishes in the sink. After washing away a particularly stubborn clump of food from

he was the last to leave at night. But he was nowhere to be

said they would clean the dining room. The

I was alone.

my exposed neck. The stench of alcohol

ready to knock Boss

too late. Boss had been

plate onto the floor, where

he pressed his hips hard to mine, wedging

I was trapped.

shirt, revealing my lacey white bra.

against him. He only held tighter,

I didn’t have the strength to

him smile against