Taming the Beast World with a Frying Pan-Chapter 116: The View from the Bottom

Ren looked up at the dizzying height of the tree, then looked back at Vex as if he had suddenly sprouted two heads.

"Please tell me you’re joking," she pleaded, her voice flat with disbelief.

She wasn’t necessarily afraid of heights—she’d flown on airplanes, ridden rollercoasters, and dated men with egos higher than this tree—but this was ridiculous. It was really, really high. One slippery foothold, one cramp in her leg, or one sudden gust of wind, and she would plummet to her death.

Ren looked at her trembling hands.

’Why do I do this to myself?’ she wondered miserably. ’Why have I been risking my life so often lately? Is it my decision-making skills? Are they dead? Did I leave my common sense in my world?’

She sighed, realizing she had no choice. Kael was up there.

She looked at the indentations in the bark. Then she looked at Vex. A sudden, mortifying realization hit her.

’Wait. I am wearing a coat. And nothing else.’

If she climbed up that tree first, Vex would be right below her. Her legs would be spread to reach the footholds. The coat would flare open.

He would have a front-row, high-definition view of her naked behind, her majestic lack of underwear, and everything in between.

Ren’s face went from pale to a nuclear shade of crimson in a nanosecond. She narrowed her eyes at him into accusatory slits.

"You pervert!" she shouted, pointing a finger at his chest. "I know exactly what you are planning! You want me to climb first so you can look up the coat!"

Vex blinked, placing a hand over his heart in mock offense.

"Me?" he gasped, his voice dripping with theatrical hurt. "I am wounded, Little Rose. I only wanted to ensure I was below you so I could catch you if you lost your footing and fell. It is a safety precaution. I am being a gentlebeastman."

There was a noble, innocent, and completely fake look in his orange eyes.

Ren didn’t buy this perverted fox’s innocent act for a millisecond.

"Liar," she hissed.

Vex shrugged, dropping the act slightly. "Well, if you are so confident that you won’t fall, then I will climb ahead of you. Does that make you more comfortable?"

"Yes!" Ren declared. "Much more."

"Very well."

Vex didn’t wait for her to change her mind. He turned around, walked to the tree, and hopped onto the first few indentations with the grace of a jungle cat.

He climbed up about six feet. Just high enough to be perfectly at Ren’s eye level.

Then, he stopped.

Ren looked up.

And immediately wished she hadn’t.

Vex had one leg propelled up high above the other to reach a foothold. He was leaning forward against the bark. And, whether by accident or by design, his three large, fluffy tails were swishing high and upright.

They acted like curtains being pulled back on a stage.

Revealing everything.

Because of his position, Ren had a direct, unobstructed line of sight to his butt. She saw the crack of his ass, perfectly framed by the moonlight. She saw the dangling, heavy set of his balls. And right in the center, winking at her like a forbidden donut, was the pink, circular muscle of his sphincter.

Ren felt the blood rush to her head so fast she was sure she would’ve gotten a nosebleed.

"AHHH!"

She screamed into her hands, slapping them over her eyes and spinning around.

"You perverted fox!" she shrieked, her voice echoing through the woods.

"Whatever do you mean, Little Rose?" Vex called down, his voice trembling with suppressed laughter. "I’m only climbing the tree."

Ren was sure he did it on purpose. She had seen it! Just before she turned away, she saw him lift his tails higher and arch his back slightly, presenting himself like a prize poodle at a dog show.

This fox was a massive pervert. He was too lewd! He was an exhibitionist!

’I just want to collect my tiger and go home!’ Ren wailed internally. ’I didn’t sign up for a show!’

She kept her hands firmly planted on her face, covering her eyes.

"Get down!" she ordered, her voice muffled by her palms. "Get down right now! I’ll climb first! I’ll go first!"

Vex chuckled. "Very well."

She heard the soft thud of him landing on the grass behind her. He hadn’t climbed very far at all—just high enough to traumatize her.

Ren took a deep breath. She decided she would quickly climb the tree before he even had the opportunity to look under the coat.

She definitely, absolutely did not want to be staring up at his ass and balls for the entire, possibly twenty-minute climb. Her eyeballs wouldn’t survive the assault. Not even bleach would be able to return their innocence. The image of his "pink donut" was already burned into her retinas forever.

’I’ll take the risk of him peeping,’ she decided grimly. ’It’s the lesser of two evils.’

Ren still had her hands on her face, trying to compose herself, so she didn’t see Vex move behind her.

Suddenly, she felt large, warm hands grip her waist through the thick fur of the coat.

Ren stiffened.

"I’ll be behind you the whole time," Vex whispered directly into her ear. "So don’t worry about falling."

His hot breath warmed the sensitive skin of her neck, making the fine hairs stand up. The proximity was electric, his chest pressing lightly against her back.

Ren scrambled away from him as if he were on fire, stepping toward the tree.

She grabbed the bark, putting one foot up into the indentation. She glanced back over her shoulder, glaring at him with as much intimidation as a blushing, barefoot woman in an oversized coat could muster.

"You better not try to look up this coat," she threatened.

Vex smiled his most innocent, angelic smile. But he couldn’t mask the devilish mischief dancing in his orange eyes as he raised a hand.

"Cross my heart."