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!”

well, we’ll see which of us make it through

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

to Nicholas. He gave a small smile, but his eyes were guarded. “It’s my duty as a prince to

in delight. “He’d make such

if he was staring

My heart ached.

side again, looking at the interviewer,

probably hadn’t thought of me at all since

pressed my hand over my heart, hoping to soothe

was wrong with me? 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

had Anna.

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

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

plate of food in my

once, all eyes on

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

the other waitresses hissed at me, waking

and ruined food. “I’m sorry.” I quickly set to cleaning it. As I did, I cursed myself so loudly in my thoughts, I

After my accident, I pushed myself as hard as

eyes to the television again, not even when the

I wouldn’t be on

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 to

the other waitresses, who had said they would clean the

I was alone.

hot air brushed the back of my exposed neck. The stench

swung around, ready to

late. Boss had been expecting

onto the floor,

his hips hard to

I was trapped.

my shirt, revealing my lacey white

He only held tighter, rougher, fingers biting into my hip and

I didn’t have the strength to

him smile against my jaw. “You have a child, after