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!”

see which of us make it through the preliminary

the interviewer. “Children, hm? Does that mean we can

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

delight. “He’d make such a

as if he was staring

My heart ached.

interviewer, and immediately, I felt foolish. Of course, he

hadn’t thought of me at all since the

over my heart, hoping to soothe away the

We hadn’t seen each other in three years. I couldn’t still be hung up on him. Sure, I hadn’t dated anyone else since, but that didn’t mean

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

ready. I went back to retrieve it. When I returned to the dining room, Nicholas was still on the screen, but speaking on

underground market is something that the royal family is investigating with the utmost seriousness. This illegal trade of wolves and their

of food

at once, all eyes on

continued, “The weakening of any one wolf, weakens

waitresses hissed at me,

quickly set to cleaning it. As I did, I cursed myself so loudly in my thoughts, I couldn’t hear any more of Nicholas’

of my shift, I was worn down and exhausted. After my accident, I pushed myself as hard

even when the table of girls bemoaned their disappointment with

be on the list. Why even bother

worked until closing, scrubbing dishes in the sink. After washing away a particularly stubborn clump of

for tomorrow. Almost always, he was the last to leave at night. But he was nowhere

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

I was alone.

the back of my exposed neck. The stench of alcohol

been cleaning, I immediately swung around, ready to

moment too late. Boss had been expecting the

the floor, where it smashed

his hips hard to mine, wedging

I was trapped.

of my shirt, revealing my lacey white bra. He

He only held tighter, rougher, fingers biting

wolf, I didn’t have the

Boss pressed his nose to my cheek. I felt him smile against my jaw. “You have a child, after all.