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!”

of us make it through the preliminary selection. Then you’ll

Does that mean we can expect you

his eyes were guarded. “It’s my duty as a prince

delight. “He’d make such a

the camera, and for a moment, it seemed as if he was staring straight through

My heart ached.

side again, looking at the interviewer,

me at

my heart, hoping to soothe away the touch of pain

on him. Sure, I

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

to retrieve it. When I returned to the dining room, Nicholas

is something that the royal family is investigating with the utmost seriousness. This illegal trade of wolves and their gifts is dangerous for every person

the plate of

restaurant silenced at once, all eyes

weakening of any one wolf, weakens the whole

of the other waitresses hissed at me, waking me from my

to cleaning it. As I did, I cursed myself so loudly in my thoughts, I couldn’t hear

shift, I was worn down and exhausted. After my accident, I pushed

once lift my eyes to the television again, not even when the table of

on the list. Why even bother

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

clean the stove, or prep for tomorrow. Almost always, he was the last to leave at

who had said they would clean the dining room. The lights

I was alone.

my exposed

I’d been cleaning, I immediately swung around, ready to knock Boss over the head with it. Anything to

too late. Boss had

plate onto the floor, where

hips hard to mine, wedging

I was trapped.

free hand ripped open the buttons of my shirt, revealing my lacey white bra. He pressed

He only

I didn’t have the strength

smile against my