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!”

make it through the preliminary selection. Then

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

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

squealed in delight. “He’d make

it seemed as if he was staring straight through

My heart ached.

at the interviewer, and

probably hadn’t thought of me at all since the

my heart, hoping to soothe away the touch

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 didn’t mean

had Anna. I didn’t need

I returned to the dining

the utmost seriousness. This illegal trade

the plate of food in

silenced at once,

any one wolf, weakens the whole

hissed at me,

stood among ceramic shards and ruined food. “I’m sorry.” I quickly set to cleaning it. As I did, I cursed myself so loudly in my thoughts, I couldn’t hear any more of Nicholas’

end of my shift, I was worn down and exhausted. After my accident, I pushed myself as hard as I could, focusing solely on work

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

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

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

Almost always, he was the last to leave

said they would clean the dining room. The lights

I was alone.

back of my exposed neck. The stench of alcohol permeated

the plate I’d been cleaning, I immediately swung around, ready to knock Boss over the head with it. Anything to get

a moment too late. Boss

the plate onto the floor, where

arm circling around my waist, he pressed his hips hard to mine, wedging me

I was trapped.

my shirt, revealing my lacey white bra. He

within me, I struggled against him. He only held

didn’t have the strength to

pressed his nose to my cheek. I felt him smile against my jaw. “You