Gratitude

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A modest hero gets the ultimate reward for saving a life.
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AUTHOR'S NOTE: There is going to be a bit of story here before we get to the sex parts. I hope you'll stay with it!

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Ten years ago, Cyndi was the belle of our pool club.

She had a full figure that made the guys around the club follow her like a bunch of panting dogs. Her large breasts fairly spilled out of the tiny bikini tops she always wore. She had thick, muscular legs that ended at the skimpiest of bikini bottoms. A large, firm ass that hung out of her bikini, which every guy wanted to grab. Five feet eight, long, curly dirty-blonde hair, beautiful blue eyes, and a pretty face with a warm, inviting smile. All the guys were crazy about her.

It didn't hurt that her daddy was CEO of a large corporation and was filthy stinking rich.

To most of us – me included – that hardly mattered. She was one of the gang. She would join in our bull sessions, sing when one of us had a guitar, played a mean game of volleyball, played cards with the best of us and would sink a beer or three in the park at night.

Chris, the lifeguard that everyone hated anyway for his haughty attitude and terrible work ethic, had claimed her as his own at the beginning of the summer. Even though she had let him know that she wasn't the slightest bit interested, that didn't stop him from pestering her, trying to get her back into the lifeguards' changing room, or being a general nuisance. More than once he'd been told by one of us, "Hey, man, back off. She's not into you." He wouldn't take the hint. All of this created a palpable antipathy between us and him. None of us guys wanted to find out what would happen if one of us was drowning and he was sitting in the lifeguard chair.

I was a college junior, she a sophomore, but I'd been well aware of her since middle school. Although I have to admit to having a HUGE crush on her, I didn't want to upset the balance. I wasn't bad looking, 5'10, 170, lean and muscular. But for now, I was happy just having Cyndi as a pal.

Fate, it seemed, had other plans.

One sun-drenched July Tuesday, I was lying on my lounge near the deep end of the pool, reading a magazine and lost in my own thoughts. I glanced around for a second, surveying the scene: parents and toddlers in the kiddie pool; the usual sun-worshippers spread out on their lounges; some people playing board games; Chris up in the lifeguard tower yapping away on his cell phone and paying no attention to the ten or so swimmers paddling around.

I went back to my magazine, but after a few minutes was jolted from it by a nearby commotion. I heard splashing and grunting, and looked up just in time to see Cyndi in the deep water, about ten feet from the edge of the pool. She reared up with a panicked look on her face, then went under. I waited a few seconds to see if she resurfaced. I looked up again at Chris; he was lost in his phone conversation. That convinced me. I jumped off my lounge, and with three or four lunging steps I was in the water. I dove down, and found Cyndi floating, motionless, about a foot above the bottom of the pool. I grabbed her around the waist, braced on the bottom and propelled us to the surface. Struggling to keep her head above water, I kicked mightily for the side and screamed, "SOMEBODY HELP ME GET HER OUT!!!!"

In no time several helping hands had grabbed Cyndi by the shoulders and pulled her onto the poolside deck. I climbed out, and saw that she was lying flat on her back and not moving. I lifted her arms over her head as my CPR training had taught me, and leaned in close to her. She didn't appear to be breathing. I opened her mouth, breathed hard into it five or six times, and was just about to start compression when she suddenly gagged and vomited out a sizable volume of water. I got her into a sitting position, and gently rubbed her back as she hung her head and puked out some more water into her lap. She was gasping, but breathing regularly. She stayed in that position as several people called 911 on their cell phones.

It was only after the tumult had died down that Chris wandered over, dumbly asking what had happened. A few people cursed at him, and one said to him, "Enjoy your last day on the job, asshole. We ALL saw you talking on your phone in the lifeguard tower while this girl was drowning. You KNOW that the home office is going to know about this before five more minutes is out!" He vainly mumbled some excuse, then bumped off.

As the paramedics came and strapped her onto a gurney, she kept saying "No, I'm fine, I don't WANT to go to the hospital!" I looked on as part of the crowd, saying nothing. Jill, one of her girlfriends who I knew casually, rode along with her in the ambulance.

Figuring I'd had enough excitement for one day, I showered, changed into my street clothes and walked home. I didn't even tell my parents what had happened.

About 9 that night, my friend Ken called me.

"Quite the Superman, aren't you?"

"What do you mean?" I was genuinely curious.

"Diving into the pool and saving Cyndi Landau's life. It's all over the fucking NEIGHBORHOOD, bro! Did you really do it?"

I was embarrassed. "Yeah, I did, but so what? I was only doing what that shit-heel Chris should've been. It wasn't that big a deal."

"Tell that to Cyndi and her friends. Or her parents, for that matter. The first thing she and her folks wanted to know at the hospital was who had pulled her out of the pool. Jill told everybody who would listen that it was you, and that you had done CPR on her, too. YOU brought her back! That's all she and her friends were talking about the whole time. 'Mike' this and 'Mike' that."

"Wait a minute, how do you know about it?" He didn't really know Cyndi well, although he would sometimes hang out with her and our group.

"Dumbass. Don't you remember? My dad is an emergency room doctor. He dealt with the Landaus after she was brought in. My dad overheard the conversation and called me when your name came up. You're a fucking HERO, man!"

"Bullshit. It was no biggie."

"Just be ready. A LOT of people think differently."

"Does anybody know why she went under? She's a good swimmer."

"She caught a bad cramp in her leg. My dad said she was limping slightly when she left the hospital. She was discharged a couple of hours ago."

"So she's home."

"Yes. Not only is she home, but she and her friends are asking around the neighborhood where you live. Jason (another of our mutual friends) was on the avenue and saw them. You're fucking set, bro. Big Daddy Landau is one of the richest men in town, and I've heard he's VERY generous with rewards. I can only imagine what kind of thank-you she's going to give you."

"Yeah, right. I should only live so long. Talk to you tomorrow." I hung up.

I really didn't think any more of it as I was walking to the club the next day. That is, until I was a couple of blocks away and saw Chris, head down, trudging along with a gym bag slung over his shoulder.

"Hey Chris, isn't the club THAT way?" I sneered, pointing in the direction of the building.

"Not for me, asshole. I got in just now, they handed me my last paycheck and told me to clean out my stuff and get out. The replacement lifeguard was waiting there to take my locker. Can you believe that shit?"

"Actually, I CAN believe it. People have been complaining about you – your attitude and your inattentiveness to your job – from Day One. Yesterday was just icing on the cake. One of the people who paid your salary with their pool dues nearly DROWNED because you were being negligent!"

"Whatever. Fucking snotty rich cunt shouldn't have been in the deep end if she couldn't swim. Looked right past me when I talked to her just now. All she wanted to know was when YOU were showing up today. She's got the hots for you, I can tell. Enjoy your spoils, 'hero'!" He slunk off.

Fuck you very much, moron, I thought to myself as I continued on to the club.

As I walked past the front desk – everyone knew me at the club, so I didn't need to show my ID card – I saw several long tables with deli, vegetable and fruit platters lined up near the entrance to the pool deck. I asked, absently, "So what's the occasion? July 4th was a week and a half ago. I didn't know we were having another par..."

My thought was interrupted as I saw Cyndi approaching me, wearing a shimmering gold bikini top and black bottom. Her eyes, fixated on me, radiated warmth and love. She wordlessly wrapped her arms around me, opened her mouth and pushed her tongue so far into mine that I thought she could taste what I'd had for lunch. I could hear applause washing over us from all over the club. The kiss seemed to last forever, and had the uncomfortable side-effect of giving me a raging hard-on.

As I pulled away from Cyndi's kiss – but with her still tightly embracing me – I saw a trim early-40ish man with salt-and-pepper hair and a petite red-haired woman about the same age approach us. The man stuck out his hand and, with an aristocratic air to his voice said, "Michael, I'm Donald Landau, Cynthia's father. This is my wife, Elaine. I understand that we are in your debt."

As Cyndi was still squeezing me in her embrace, it was all I could do to wriggle my right arm free and shake his hand. "Mr. Landau..."

"Listen, young man, let's get off on the right foot here. This is my only child hugging you right now. Without trying to sound overly dramatic, you stole her from Death and gave her back to us. My wife and I will be insulted if you call us ANYTHING but our first names."

"I'm sorry, sir. My parents brought me up..."

"Right. Your parents brought you up right, to refer to your elders as Mr. or Mrs. Whatever. But we consider you as family now, even if you aren't in the legal sense. Put that 'sir' stuff in your back pocket."

Mrs. Landau also stuck out her hand. I took it and shook it lightly. She regarded me with a smile. Cyndi was still all over me like a well-cut suit – unashamedly mauling me in front of her parents.

"Cynthia and her friends told us about what you did yesterday. What an extraordinary, unselfish act."

"Thank you, ma'am, but it really was nothing. I saw she was in trouble, and I helped out."

Mr. Landau snorted. "You call it nothing. I call it heroism. Be modest if you want, son, but I am going to make sure that you are recognized for what you have done. This whole spread here is my wife's doing. There are reporters from the local papers and TV stations here waiting to interview you. And, I promise you, this is only the start. I think a little speech is in order, don't you?"

"SPEECH!!! SPEECH!!!", a large number of people yelled.

Cyndi still hadn't let me go. I whispered into her ear, "Your dad wants me to talk to everyone. Can we do this later?"

She managed to tighten her grip for a moment and purred, "Mmmm, I don't ever want to let you go." But then she did. I managed to cover up my erection by pulling my shirt a bit lower, then addressed a beaming and absolutely silent pool club:

"A hero, I guess, is someone who does ordinary things under extraordinary circumstances. If what I did yesterday makes me a hero to you, then that's what I am. Thank you for thinking of me that way. What I did was dive into a pool and do something that I had been trained to do. I didn't think about it, I just did it. Mr. and Mrs. – I'm sorry, Donald and Elaine – I'm grateful that you feel you owe me something for saving Cyndi, but your words of thanks are more than enough as far as I'm concerned. I'm no hero. I just did the right thing when it needed to be done – something I hope that, given the same circumstances, any of us would have."

More applause from the club members, smiles from Cyndi's parents – and another crushing embrace and lengthy kiss from Cyndi. I noticed, to my left, a person I guessed was a reporter writing in shorthand everything I'd just said.

"What kind of a sandwich would you like, Michael?" Donald asked.

"Roast beef on a roll, with ketchup, pickles and onions, please. And a Coke to wash it down."

"Elaine, you heard the man." She scooted right off to get it.

Cyndi leaned close and whispered, "And a side of breath mints, because I'm planning on kissing you a LOT more before today's over." She then took my face in both her hands and kissed me deeply, while reporters snapped a few quick shots with their cameras. My knees were turning to jelly.

The photos and videos I've seen from that day show me looking embarrassed, Cyndi glowing radiantly, and her smiling parents and girlfriends hovering in the background.

While I was eating, the reporters asked a few questions about my background, my education and goals for the future, my relationship with Cyndi and where I thought it might go. "Well, considering that she and I have never been out on even a semi-official date, I would hardly call what we have a 'relationship.' 'Casual friendship' is more like it."

"Could that possibly change? Are you attached right now?"

Cyndi waited for my answer with baited breath.

"I don't have a girlfriend right now. Change? That is entirely up to Miss Cyndi here. What would she say if I asked her out on a real date?"

She smiled broadly. "Mike, if you asked me right now to marry you and bear your children, you know I would say yes. A date? Small potatoes."

While all this was going on, Cyndi's friends – Jill, a willowy blonde; Diane, a stocky, feisty brunette; Lauren, a toned goddess with long curly black hair; and Becky, tall, brown-haired and smoldering, a budding model – all sat down with us and ooohed and ahhhed over me. Surrounded by five hot barely-dressed women? It was great to be me. Cyndi made sure everyone knew who was ruling this particular henhouse, though, sticking to me like glue.

I didn't even notice her father had been gone, but he came back after making a couple of phone calls.

"I called the main office of the club and got your parents' number, and I just got off the phone with your mom. Michael, I'm surprised at you! I understand that you never even told your parents about what happened yesterday. But they were very proud of you when I filled them in, and didn't even hesitate when I asked them about what I'm about to tell you now.

"We – that is, you, me, my wife and Cynthia – are going out to dinner on Friday night at Peter Luger's. I'm sure you've heard of it, it's one of the best steak houses in the city. You are our honored guest. We also want you to pack a bag, with enough clothes in it for a week. Make sure you have clothes for during the day, and at night. Also bring two bathing suits."

"Sir? What am I going to be doing with the luggage?"

"Don't you even worry yourself about that. It won't be an issue until you get to your destination."

I opened my mouth, but he held up his hand to stop me. "Michael, I know you don't think it's a big deal and I understand your reticence and humility. Believe me, they are admirable qualities. But I am a man who is very used to doing things a certain way, as I'm sure you know. And what I do is, when someone does me or my family a favor, I reward them. You've done us about the biggest favor you could have. You gave us back our daughter, safely and soundly, after she had a near-death experience."

Cyndi whispered to me, "Don't try to argue with Daddy on this, PLEASE. He REALLY wants to show his appreciation to you. He goes overboard sometimes, but he means so well. Please let him do this.

"Besides," she added, "I haven't said thank-you yet." She licked her full lips invitingly.

I could only imagine now what that was going to be like.

I spent the rest of the day being interviewed. Cyndi was closer to me than my own shadow for the most part. I thought she was going to drown me with the shower of kisses she poured on me.

It rained on Thursday. Cyndi called me promptly at 10 in the morning. We spent almost the whole day on the phone, discussing our lives practically from birth. It was amazing to me how, considering our differing upbringings, how much we actually had in common. We liked the same music, the same sports teams, had similar views on politics, religion, and the world in general. Hey, I could actually LIKE this girl, I said to myself.

"This upcoming week is going to be a complete whirlwind, Mike," Cyndi told me. "Daddy has pulled out all the stops. PLEASE accept it all graciously. I KNOW the reward I have planned for you will be even more special." I didn't even want to think about it. I just wanted to be with her.

Friday came, and with it a telephoned request from Cyndi to be downstairs promptly at 5:00 P.M. I was dressed in a sport jacket and slacks, and with my luggage neatly packed. A Lincoln Town Car stretch limo that looked like a white tank pulled up in front of my house. I thought I looked pretty good, but what stepped out of the car was something out of Greek mythology. Cyndi was wearing a long white halter-top gown with gold accents, backless, with a slit up the left side which gave me a view of smooth, gorgeous leg. She was wearing four-inch spike heels strapped to her ankles. Her makeup was in no way ostentatious – lip gloss and light-blue eye shadow was all she really needed. Her golden curls – she'd had her hair highlighted – cascaded down her back, in contrast to her bronzed, perfect skin. She wore a beaded gold headband.

I was rooted to the spot, and could barely stammer out, "Cyndi, you look like a goddess."

She wrapped her arms around me again and gave me a long, probing kiss. "And tonight, Mike, you are going to be my king. Lawrence," she said to the driver, "please take Mike's luggage and put it in the back." She took me by the hand and led me to the door, asking me to go in first. I slid in, and greeted her parents who were sitting on the couch-like seat. Cyndi also slid in, sitting next to me, making sure that her gown rode up in such a way that her left leg was exposed to me. I couldn't help but notice its smoothness and perfect shape. She grabbed my right arm and lay her head on my shoulder. She never moved from that posture the whole time we were in the car.

The driver turned to me and said, "If there is anything you require, sir, please pick up the phone in front of you and let me know. I am here to serve you, Mr. and Mrs. Landau and Miss Cynthia." An opaque partition then rose up and separated us.

I shook hands with Cyndi's parents and said "I'm a bit confused - I've never been called 'sir' before in my life. Is this your personal limo? I've never ridden in one before."

Donald smiled. "Yes, and Lawrence is our driver. We DO each have our own cars, but for occasions like this we have Lawrence and this car. He's worked for us for many years.

"So, Michael, tell me – you're going into your third year of college. What direction do you see yourself heading in?"

"Well, I'm planning on getting my Master's in English literature and going into teaching. My mother, my sister and all three of my first cousins are in education."

"A very noble profession, and one that can have a positive impact on many people. The youngsters you teach will benefit from your wisdom, I know."

"Thank you, sir."

He grimaced slightly. "I do believe I said my name was Donald, not sir."

"This is something new to me. I'm not trying to offend you or your wife. And I prefer Mike. My parents only call me Michael when I've done something wrong."

He smiled, patted me on the shoulder and resumed. "Teaching doesn't pay very well, you know."

"To me, sir... I mean, Donald, it's more about turning some lives in the right direction. Idealistic as this sounds, the impact you speak of is more important to me than any paycheck."

"You know that Cynthia is going to be named COO of my company and is going to inherit $5 million on her 21st birthday. Despite that, she is studying accounting and wants to get her MBA. She wants to feel like she earned it. She's told me more than once she doesn't want to be just a trust-fund baby."

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