L*ck Me If You Can-Chapter 182

Ashley, silent for a moment, pulled his lips away and lifted his head. An awkward silence settled between them. Koi hesitated, tugged his shirt back down, and muttered quietly.

“Um, I think I’ll just go to bed...”

Without a word, Ashley loosened the arm he had wrapped around Koi’s waist. Koi quickly got up and left the room. Unlike other nights, he didn’t even rub against Ashley’s anaconda on his way out. Watching him scurry away, Ashley’s expression remained unchanged, but the pheromones in the air had thickened even more.

Koi dared to think something like that?

Such an audacious idea couldn’t have come from Koi’s head on its own. Just as the face of a likely culprit crossed Ashley’s mind, Koi popped his head back in through the door.

“Um... do you have time tomorrow? In the evening?”

Seeing the anxious look on his face, Ashley softened his expression and reined in his pheromones.

“Yeah. Why?”

They had dinner together every night lately, so if he was asking like this, there had to be a reason. Judging by the look on his face, it didn’t seem like bad news, so Ashley didn’t feel the need to be on guard. Confirming Ashley’s reaction, Koi relaxed and opened his mouth.

“That’s good. Then... would it be okay if we ate out? I’ll treat you, as a thank-you for helping me.”

So far, so good. But then, just as Ashley let his guard down, Koi landed an unexpected uppercut.

“Elle’s coming too.”

There was a few seconds of silence before Ashley responded.

“...Elle too.”

Koi, completely oblivious to the displeasure in Ashley’s low voice, continued cheerfully with a nod.

“Yeah, I owe her too, so I was gonna treat her... and then she said we might as well all eat together to save money, so...”

As he kept talking, he began to notice something was off. His voice gradually trailed off. Ashley stared at him, biting back an internal scoff. That was quick. Koi, still peeking from behind the door, hesitated before asking,

“Should I cancel...?”

He thought the two of them got along. Maybe not?

Koi had assumed Ashley and Elle were still friends even after breaking up, but it seemed he was wrong. The way Ashley’s expression remained cold made it clear—even as a polite lie, he wasn’t going to say it was fine. Koi, watching him carefully, muttered softly.

“I’ll cancel it then...”

His arms drooped as he turned away, sighing and wondering how to explain this to Ariel. He’d really been looking forward to a dinner with old classmates...

“Koi.”

The voice came from behind the door, stopping Koi in his tracks after just a few steps. He turned back, startled.

“Y-Yeah?”

He peeked in again. Ashley, still seated where he’d been, spoke without moving.

“Let’s do it.”

“Huh?”

Koi blinked, not understanding for a second. Ashley clarified.

“Let’s have dinner. With Ariel.”

“Oh...”

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

The meaning sank in slowly. Koi’s eyes widened.

“Really? Are you sure?”

“I’m sure.”

Ashley nodded.

“It’s not a bad idea to have dinner with an old friend once in a while.”

“That’s what I thought too...!”

Koi lit up instantly. Ashley smiled as well—though not for the same reasons. But Koi accepted it as if they shared the same feelings.

“That’s great, then um, would it be okay if we went to the restaurant we went to last time? It’s the best place I can afford...”

“Of course. Anytime.”

Ashley answered with generous ease.

“If you ever need to go, just use my name. They’ll take the reservation.”

If Koi was bringing anyone to a place like that, it could only be Elle.

Ashley thought to himself. He already knew everyone in Koi’s life. Koi had quit his old job on a bad note, so there was no chance of him meeting those coworkers again. Most of the women he’d dated only lasted a time or two. He wasn’t seeing anyone currently. Which meant the only person left was Ariel.

Besides, Ariel had never once seen Koi as a man—not since high school. To her, Koi was more like a “sister” or maybe a “little brother.”

As expected, Koi was completely overjoyed. He thanked Ashley, utterly unaware of what was going through his mind.

“Thanks, Ash. I wanted to ask you, but I wasn’t sure...”

Of course, it wasn’t free. Koi didn’t know it, but Ashley never offered anything without getting something in return. That was a basic principle of being a cutthroat lawyer.

“In exchange, there’s something I want you to do.”

“Sure, tell me. I’ll do anything.”

That habit of his really needs fixing.

Ashley felt his lips curl in amusement. Maybe spanking him would be a good way to teach him. Koi’s ass was one of Ashley’s favorite parts, right up there with his thighs.

Just imagining smacking that round butt made his thigh feel heavy—his erection swelling again. Still, his voice stayed indifferent.

“Alright. I’ll tell you about it that day.”

And then Ashley added one more thing.

“Don’t forget—you said you’d ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) do anything.”

“Yeah, of course.”

Koi nodded enthusiastically, still clueless about what he’d just agreed to. Watching him, Ashley smiled, and a bit of his true thoughts slipped out by accident.

“Then I’ll tell you when we’re at the restaurant.” 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

It was a mistake, but Ashley didn’t flinch. As expected, Koi just nodded without a second thought. Maybe after a few times, that habit of his would finally change. The thought left Ashley briefly regretful—but another idea came to mind.

No... knowing Koi, he’ll never change. Even after a hundred times.

With a solid sense of certainty, Ashley said sweetly,

“Good night, Koi. I’m really looking forward to tomorrow.”

“Me too!”

Koi replied happily, waved, and disappeared behind the door again. His footsteps sounded lighter than before.

Ashley leaned back into the sofa, rubbing his lips with a finger as a relaxed smile spread across his face. The timing couldn’t be better—it lined up perfectly with the day he’d been waiting for. What a convenient coincidence.

No matter what tricks Ariel tried, Ashley held the trump card. Koi was already his—she just didn’t know it yet.

Koi was probably looking forward to dinner... but Ashley was looking forward to what came after. The fact that they were going to the restaurant tomorrow was perfect. He wasn’t sure he could’ve waited any longer.

Ashley stood and slowly made his way to his room. Alone, in the quiet, he stroked his aroused cock, thinking—

This will be the last time I do this today.

*

“Elle!”

“Koi!”

As soon as they saw each other, they called each other’s names and hugged tightly. To Ashley, who knew the nature of their relationship, they looked nothing short of sisters.

“Have you been well, Koi? Oh my god, you look so pale.”

Ariel, now seated in a chair the staff had pulled out for her, immediately voiced her concern.

“You’re not being tormented by some asshole, are you?”

Koi shook his head, still smiling.

“Huh? Oh, no, the boss wasn’t that bad. And I already quit...”

Ashley turned his head and gave a quiet laugh. Koi wasn’t the only one who suffered from a complete lack of awareness—Ashley had to deal with it too. Ariel ignored him and swiftly changed the subject.

“I’m glad you’re doing alright. Did Ash introduce you to this place?”

The restaurant Koi had chosen was a refined, high-end French place—far beyond what Ariel would’ve expected from him. Could this be the place Ashley had brought him to before? Her suspicion was confirmed when Koi nodded.

“Yeah. We came here together last time, but it’s a membership-only place, so Ash helped me. He said I could come anytime if I used his name.”

“Ah, I see. That’s really great, isn’t it?”

There were two meanings behind her words, but whether Koi picked up on them or not didn’t matter. She could always text him later. Sure enough, Koi looked at Ashley with a beaming face.

“Yeah, really. Thanks, Ash.”

Ashley nodded slightly and sipped his wine. And so began what looked like a cheerful dinner. At least, on the surface.

Though, of course, Koi was the only one genuinely enjoying himself.