Lick Me Up If You Can Novel (Completed) - Chapter 174

Koi, startled, frantically shook his head, denying it.

“N-no, it’s not like that. Really, it’s not.”

“Then what is it? Why did the conversation suddenly turn that way? Tell me what happened yesterday, don’t leave anything out, everything!”

Under Ariel’s fierce glare, Koi began to speak haltingly. If Koi tried to gloss over anything, Ariel would immediately press him, threatening him to tell the whole truth. In the end, Koi even spilled trivial details like what they each ate for dinner.

But when it came to how they ended up sleeping together, he couldn’t bring himself to speak. His face burned, his heart pounded, and his hands and feet tingled, making it impossible to think clearly. Ariel, noticing Koi’s predicament, preempted him and said,

“So that bastard assaulted you, is that it?”

“N-no.”

Koi was startled and quickly continued.

“It just, the situation somehow turned out that way. I mean, the atmosphere was like that…”

He asked in a fading voice, “You know what I mean, right?” Ariel, from the other end, mercilessly retorted.

“You’re the one who got carried away by the atmosphere. That bastard wouldn’t be so careless.”

“No, Ash was too. Both of us were, I tell you! You know, Ash thinks of me as a friend.”

Koi desperately denied Ariel’s words, but she didn’t take him seriously. What mattered was what to do next. To think he walked right into Ashley’s lair, she never imagined that bastard would go that far. And to think he’d gobble Koi up as soon as he entered his house.

I let my guard down.

Ariel gritted her teeth, lost in thought. Indeed, people don’t change. She had thought perhaps not, since he only kissed her throughout their dating period, but to think he’d go all the way in just one day.

The fortunate thing was that Koi firmly believed their relationship was friendship. At least he kept his promise with Ariel. There was still a chance. They had only had sex.

The strange thing was how Koi, a Beta, had sex. And not just with an Alpha, but a ‘True Alpha.’

Ariel was curious, but asking about the sex process was an excessive and perverted demand. She had no intention of shaming Koi, nor was it necessary to go that far. Anyway, judging by Koi’s voice, which was no different than usual, it seemed Ashley had kept his boundaries appropriately. If he just did it appropriately, there was no reason a Beta couldn’t have sex with an Alpha.

What’s important is what to do next.

Ariel tried to think as coldly as possible. Should I just observe the situation for now? Koi firmly believes their relationship is friendship, so there’s no immediate rush. I need to figure out what that bastard Ash is thinking first.

“Koi, let me be clear, friends don’t have sex.”

Koi hesitated, unlike other times. Ariel, noticing the unusual silence, asked in a sharp voice,

“Why aren’t you answering?”

“Uh, well, but…”

Koi hesitated, then carefully opened his mouth.

“You and Bill did…”

This bastard.

If Koi were in front of her, she would grab him by the neck and shake him. Are we like you two? Are we?!

But she couldn’t point out the difference here. While it was true that they too had gotten carried away by the atmosphere, there had been subtle emotions exchanged before that, and their relationship was solidified as a couple through sex. They hadn’t pretended to be just friends or anything.

However, she couldn’t risk opening up an unexpected possibility by talking about that now. Just because they had sex didn’t necessarily mean they would become a couple. Ariel clenched her fists, took a deep breath, and spoke.

“Did you do everything I told you to last time?”

“Yeah. Ash thinks I’ve dated a lot of people. He believed me when I said I’d slept with Alphas.”

As if he’d believe that.

Koi spoke confidently, but Ariel had to take another breath to suppress her bursting anger. If it was before sleeping, maybe, but since they had already slept together, that plan was scrapped. Ariel switched to Plan B.

“Koi, how long are you planning to stay there? Did Ash say anything about it?”

Koi made his own guess.

“Uh… probably until I get paid?”

“Tell him to do it as soon as possible. He knows you don’t have money, so just be honest and tell him you don’t even have enough for rent.”

“Okay.”

Having no face or pride left to uphold, Koi readily agreed. Ariel continued,

“And when you get the money, buy me and Ash dinner. It’ll cost twice as much if you buy it separately, so we can just meet all three of us at once.”

“Oh, ah, yeah. Of course, I was already thinking about it.”

Since he was getting the money thanks to them, he naturally had to show his appreciation. But something bothered him.

“Um, are you really okay with it? Meeting with Ash?”

“It’s fine, we can just talk about old times for a change.”

At her readily returned words, Koi felt relieved and deeply grateful to her. He couldn’t help but be touched by her friendship, which put aside her negative feelings for the other person, even considering his friend’s financial situation.

“Thank you, Al. I’m always grateful.”

“I know that, so it’s fine. And take it easy. Unless you want to end up in the emergency room from sex.”

At the last piece of advice, Koi’s face flushed, and he was dumbfounded. He hesitated, then mumbled softly,

“I thought you’d tell me not to sleep with Ash anymore…”

At Koi’s words, Ariel snorted.

“Even if I said that, would you not sleep with him? You would, wouldn’t you?”

Koi couldn’t answer. Just as I thought, Ariel mused. Koi still liked that bastard, so this was naturally an opportunity. She didn’t know what Ashley was thinking, but in the worst-case scenario, even if they became lovers, Koi had to have the upper hand. She absolutely couldn’t stand to see that arrogant bastard in a superior position.

The problem was that Koi was utterly incapable of playing hard to get. Koi, who couldn’t even tell a simple lie and revealed his true feelings, having a relationship where he manipulated the other person was impossible. Ariel knew Koi well, so she used a different approach.

“What happened with breaking your promise with Sarah last time? Do you have any plans to meet her in the future?”

“Oh, of course, I want to meet her again. After I get the money, then…”

As Koi hastily replied, Ariel adopted a gentle tone and continued,

“At least contact her. If you don’t say anything, she’ll misunderstand. Just say you were busy and couldn’t contact her, apologize, and ask when she’s free.”

To Koi, who was about to say it would be difficult to meet right now, Ariel added,

“You don’t necessarily need money to go on a date, do you? Ask Ash, he’s a native of the East, so he probably knows a lot. He must have dated a lot before meeting you again.”

Ariel subtly hinted. Did Koi know that Ashley had almost gotten married?

“Uh… yeah, I guess. That’s right.”

Koi replied hesitantly.

“He probably had people he dated, of course.”

At his vague mumbling, Ariel guessed that he still didn’t know. She decided to save this card for later and changed the subject.

“Then don’t forget to text Sarah. It’s also about my and Garrett’s position since we introduced you, so please.”

“Of course. I’m sorry, every time…”

“It’s fine. Let’s talk again tomorrow.”

Koi quickly nodded.

“Oh, yeah. Okay.”

Just then, a message notification sounded. He hung up the phone and checked, finding three missed calls. All were from Ashley. Koi, who had checked another message before calling him, widened his eyes. It was a message from his boss.

Taking a deep breath with a trembling heart, Koi checked the message, and his face brightened, then hardened with embarrassment. He read the message content repeatedly, then fell into serious thought for a moment.

What should I do?

His brows furrowed involuntarily as he pondered. He rubbed his forehead with his fingers, deep in thought. There was no other way. He just had to do it.

Just as he made up his mind, the phone suddenly rang. Startled, Koi quickly checked the screen and let out a surprised gasp. It was a call from Ashley.