Saved By The Firefighter
Chapter 28

Anders Point of View

Grabbing my phone, I check it for messages. I don't know why I am bothering myself, because the message I want to receive is never on my phone, no matter what I try!

It is driving me crazy, other than one text to say she had received the information I sent her last week about the job for Lucy Dixon. There has been nothing but radio silence since.

I had made a sizable donation to the Firefighters Benevolent Fund, not to impress Josie, but because I really did feel s**t about the trouble that I had caused her Station Officer, in my bid to see her again. Also, after listening to Lucy tell me about the fire, and just what the fire crew had done to help her, even after saving her life, I knew that the money I allocated for charitable donations needed to go to help those families who had paid the ultimate sacrifice so that others could be saved. The fact it might score me some "Good Guy" points with Josie was just an added bonus. But she had not even acknowledged what I had done.

I had also sent multiple text messages, like some sap with no game, asking if she was, okay? Telling her I was grateful she had put me in touch with Lucy and that I had given her the Sales Director's position. I even sent one stating I was going to bed and 'Night, Night. What did I get back?

Nothing.

Nada.

Zilch.

It was driving me round the bend that she could just ignore me, when I was trying to be a nice guy for her. I am sure she wants me as much as I want her. Our coffee last week told me as much. The way she flushed slightly, the dilation of her eyes, her fingers twirling around her still slightly damp hair when we spoke, was giving me all the information I needed. So how could she just act like I did not exist? Especially when she was consuming my every thought, every day and definitely every night!

I decided then to up my game, sending some flowers, with a message that I was sure would piss her off so much that she would send me some kind of 'f**k off' message, which would open the lines of communication. But still, she did nothing. Finally, I messaged I would see her today, and now all I could hope was to accidentally on purpose bump into her at the Aquatic centre once more.

Swimming, s**t, my fear of water was not going away anytime soon. The first lesson had been utter torture. Not only did I look like a prize prick in my bright luminous yellow arm floats, but the fact that they tried to get us accustomed to the water, by insisting we place our heads under. I nearly got out of the pool and gave up at that instruction. However, seeing Josie glide through the water, in the fast-swimming lane just beside my lesson section, and just how f*****g gorgeous she was in her swimsuit, I managed to dunk my head in the water, and not run out of the pool, screaming like a little girl being chased around a playground by a little boy with a worm.

I felt my length pulse in my navy joggers, as the image of her in that swimsuit flashed through my mind once more. Damn, it did something for her perfect body, plus the water in the pool, which was supposed to be warm, but clearly wasn't, had made her n****** stand out like pyramids.

I glanced down at my groin that was now protruding outwards, letting out a low groan. This woman was going to be the death of me. I mean, I am sure I read somewhere someone had died from having too many wanks in a day. Granted, that was probably internet bullshit, but still, it was a genuine concern, given how much I had 'pulled my pudd' thinking about Josie in the pool this past week.

I gave my head a small shake, both figuratively and literally, to rid the vision that was playing on repeat, heading into my large ensuite bathroom, grabbing a fresh bath towel, before grabbing my swim shorts, and rolling them up in the large soft bathsheet, then grab my shower gel, shampoo, and deodorant, balancing them on the top of the rolled up towel, which was a lot more problematic than anticipated, given they all fell off after a couple of steps, then add them to my back pack.

Making my way down to my large farmhouse-style kitchen, I grabbed the kettle, and filled it with water. f**k I miss my housekeeper on a Sunday, normally a pot of freshly ground, perfectly made coffee awaits me on a morning, but as it is one of her two days off per week, I am reduced to grabbing the instant coffee out of the cupboard and making my own. Yeah, I know, rich spoil brat problems.

I grab a couple of breakfast bars, not wanting to eat too much, before I go into that infernal swimming pool again, as fear begins to rear its ugly head once more.

I close my eyes and focus on something other than my perceived impending doom heading my way, thinking about Wednesday this week instead.

To say I am happy about Miss Lucy Dixon joining my team is an understatement. She is perfect for the job. Her knowledge of sales is amazing, but more than that, she understands how to package things together and make them more attractive, thus gaining more money from the client. She can also look at analytics, and discern them within minutes, an added bonus when going back to the client after their campaign is finished. She is confident, personable, and when asked some tricky questions about leading a team, she has some innovative ideas that I actually really like. I am more than confident she will do amazing things, and quickly. All I have to worry about is if her doctors will sign her fit for work so that she can start her employment with us this week, as planned. When I had finished the interview and looked out of the window to the car park, I saw that giant firefighter with a big smile on his face greet her. I cannot help but be happy that even though he told me Josie was like a sister to him, he was obviously interested in Lucy, making my path clear to pursue my feisty firefighter, if she ever returns my calls and texts.

Finishing off my coffee and breakfast bars, I head into the laundry room and grab a white V-necked t-shirt that is hanging on the clotheshorse, pulling it on, then picking up my backpack once more, I head out to the garage and jump into my beloved Porsche 911, rolling down the top, as the weather is still quite warm, a full couple of weeks with sunshine is not a common occurrence, so best make the most of it. I put the bag into the footwell of the passenger side of the car, then reverse out of the garage. As I drove past the beach, I cannot help but wonder what Josie would look like sitting beside me, the wind in her long blonde hair. f*****g hell, I need to stop this s**t, because I am being whipped by a woman who is little more than a figment of my imagination right now! I pull up at the back of the Aquatic Centre, grab my backpack and lock the doors, but do not put the top up on the car. Walking round the building, a small smile formed on my lips. Not long now, till I see Josie and my heart skips with excitement at the prospect. As I enter the changing village, yep, that is what they call it, a changing village! I find a free cubical and get changed. Walking out, I head to the lockers and place the bag in and take my key, before heading to the showers to rinse myself off before going into the pool. Grabbing the f*****g yellow monstrosities and placing three on each arm, I headed out to the side of the pool waiting for the spotty-faced teenager who is my swimming instructor to arrive.

As I wait, I watch both entrances to the pool, hoping to grab a glimpse of the feisty firefighter who has gone out of her way to ignore me. She is not here, and my stomach sinks. Disappointment descends like a cloud, and a wave of anger rises up inside me. My spotty teenage instructor arrives and instructs us all to get into the water. My anger is soon replaced by fear as I walk down the steps, clinging onto the side of the pool wall.

"Okay ladies and gents, if you have arm floats, please can you remove them and placed them on the side. Your feet can touch the bottom of the pool, so don't panic."

Taking a breath for courage, I remove the hideous yellow arm-floats and place them on the side where I am clinging to the edge for dear life.

"Great, now I am going to pass each of you a foam float board. Once you have it, I want you to place your upper torso onto the board, holding it either side with your hands, then using your legs in a scissor motion I would like you all to swim up and down this section of the pool." The pimple faced, pre-pubescent boy smiles at us.

I take another breath for courage, schooling my face, to not show the sheer terror I am feeling and grab the board, placing it under my chest as instructed, then kicking my legs I make my way to the end of the pool, never leaving the edge, so I can grab hold of it if need be. As I turn around and swim back up, I am looking at the entrances to the pool, and still cannot see my feisty firefighter.

"Anders isn't it." The spotty boy from Atlantis shouts over to me.

I nodded my head in response, not really up for a conversation with anyone other than a certain blonde firefighter with long blond hair and the best body I have ever seen in a swimsuit.

"If you can move away from the edge and go more into the centre of the area for me, please," he shouts.

f**k, I don't even think his voice has broken yet! However, he knows how to swim, and I don't, so I move a few steps away, then set off again, clinging to my board for dear life once more. Reaching the top of the area, I turned around, and kicked off again, only I had not centred myself properly. I begin to wobble like crazy.

Panic becomes my best friend as I search for the teenager. Only, he is not looking at me. No, the spotty fucker is too busy flirting with a girl in a two-piece, and I roll over under the water. I gasped, taking in a lung full of pool water. I feel myself sinking to the bottom. Memories flood my brain of being dragged under by the tide in the North Sea, and I am paralyzed with fear. I do not even think about putting my feet onto the floor, as once more I feel like I am drowning.

Suddenly, I am dragged up to the surface of the water, rolled onto my back as a hand clasped me under my chin, and I am dragged to the side, coughing and spluttering half the swimming pool water out of my lungs.

Two more hands reach over and pull me onto the side of the pool, as the instructor from kindergarten rolls me onto my side. I blinked my eyes, and I think I must have died. Stood over me, dripping wet, with her hands on her hips, looking like an angel sent from heaven, but with fire as hot as hell dancing in her eyes, shouting with disgust at the spotty teenager from Atlantis, is Josie. How the f**k is she here, when she wasn't a few moments ago?