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!”

which of us make it through the preliminary selection.

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

smile, but his eyes were guarded. “It’s my duty as a

in delight. “He’d

it seemed as if he was staring straight through it. I froze in place,

My heart ached.

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

probably hadn’t thought of me at all

hand over my heart, hoping to soothe away

still be hung up on

and I had Anna.

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

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

the plate of food in my

restaurant silenced at once, all eyes on

any one wolf, weakens the whole pack. We cannot

other 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’

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

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

hadn’t applied. I wouldn’t be on

washing away a particularly stubborn clump of food from a plate,

Almost always, he was the last to leave at

were the other waitresses, who had said they would clean the dining room. The lights in the dining room were

I was alone.

brushed the back of my

ready to knock Boss

a moment too late. Boss had been expecting the

plate onto the floor, where

pressed his hips hard

I was trapped.

the buttons of my shirt, revealing my lacey white bra. He pressed

Panic swelling within me, I struggled against him. He only held tighter, rougher, fingers

didn’t have the

I felt him smile against my jaw. “You have a child, after all. I know you