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!”

we’ll see which of us make

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

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

girls squealed in delight. “He’d make such a good

as if he was staring straight through it. I froze in place, like he could see

My heart ached.

at the interviewer, and immediately, I

thought of me at all since

heart, hoping to soothe away the

up on him. Sure, I hadn’t dated anyone else since, but that

I had

I went back to retrieve it. When I returned

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

dropped the plate of food in my

silenced at once, all

any one wolf, weakens the whole pack. We

other waitresses hissed at me, waking me from

ruined food. “I’m sorry.” I quickly set to cleaning it. As I did, I cursed myself

I pushed myself as hard as I could, focusing solely on work

television again, not even when the

I wouldn’t be on the

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

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

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

I was alone.

the back of my

around, ready to knock Boss over the head with

late. Boss had been expecting the

the floor, where it

hard to mine, wedging me against the lip of

I was trapped.

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

me go.” Panic swelling within me, I struggled against him. He

I didn’t have the strength to break

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