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!”

of us make it through the preliminary

hm? Does that mean we can

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

squealed in delight. “He’d make such a

if he was staring straight through

My heart ached.

looking at the interviewer, and immediately, I felt

hadn’t thought of me

hoping to soothe away the

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 been too

and I had Anna.

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

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

the plate of food

once, all eyes

weakening of any one wolf, weakens the whole

hissed at me, waking me

sorry.” I quickly set to cleaning it. As I did, I cursed myself so loudly in my

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

lift my eyes to the television again, not even when the table of girls bemoaned their disappointment with the

wouldn’t be on

closing, scrubbing dishes in the sink. After washing away a particularly stubborn clump of food from a plate, I noticed

the stove, or prep for tomorrow. Almost always, he was the last to leave at night. But he

had said they would clean

I was alone.

my exposed neck.

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

I was a moment too late.

the plate onto the floor, where it smashed to

around my waist, he pressed his hips hard

I was trapped.

shirt, revealing my lacey white bra. He pressed his palm

He only held tighter, rougher, fingers biting into

I didn’t have the

his nose to my cheek. I felt him smile