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

that mean we can expect you

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

“He’d

the camera, and for a moment, it seemed as if he was staring straight through it. I froze in place,

My heart ached.

at the interviewer, and immediately, I

thought of me at all since the

pressed my hand over my heart, hoping to

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 anything. I’d

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

to retrieve it. When I returned to the dining

is something that the royal family is investigating with the utmost seriousness. This illegal trade of

the plate of food

silenced at once, all eyes

weakens the whole pack. We cannot

the other waitresses hissed at me, waking me from my

I quickly set to cleaning it. As I did, I cursed

exhausted. After my accident, I pushed myself as hard as I could, focusing solely on work and forgetting

to the television again, not even when the

hadn’t applied. I wouldn’t be on the list. Why even bother

particularly stubborn

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

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

I was alone.

puff of hot air brushed the back of my

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

late. Boss

plate onto the floor,

circling around my waist, he pressed his hips hard to

I was trapped.

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

I struggled against him. He

have the

be shy, wolf-less.” Boss pressed his nose to my cheek. I felt him smile