After the glorious night she’d spent in the arms of her phantom lover, her trip had reached its pinnacle. Scrutinizing every male passenger in search of the man that left an indelible impression, she couldn’t get her mind off him, to the point that she had even pressed the rose he gave her, which was totally out of character for her.

Even the afternoon entertainment of watching old movies in the theater did nothing for her. It was time to get back on track. The next five days were about the job, which was equally important in a different way.

The only excursion Diana wanted to participate in at their port of call, Mahahual, was to swim with the dolphins. This was just for her.

She had a list of excursions to participate in and would be reviewing most of them to determine if they lived up to the hype. And while the individual trips had nothing to do with the cruise, she wanted to be sure they were offering the right ones. But this excursion had special significance. She scheduled it for the little girl who never got to experience her childhood dreams.

Growing up, she’d never been allowed to have pets. Nothing that could mess up her mother’s perfectly showcased decor, leave hair on the furniture, or interfere with the endless bouquets of flowers placed around the house.

The only thing she’d been allowed was an aquarium. She was enamored by fish, but she had a special affinity for dolphins.

She privately booked a trip to Costa Maya’s Aquatic Bay on the coast of the Caribbean.

When her mother was alive, Olivia Tolliver spent most of her time gallivanting across the continents to avoid her husband and spend his money. As such, Diana had occasionally been permitted to join her mother. She’d seen the wonders of the world, all the finer things in life, but never things that had truly appealed to her as a child.

Her mother was all about culture, or at least the perceptions she wanted people to believe.

Diana had culture oozing from her pores. What she didn’t have were precious memories of being a child. There were no magical family holiday pictures. No family portraits, nothing. If she’d been allowed to follow her dreams, she’d have pursued a career as a Marine Biologist training dolphins.

But no, that wasn’t good enough for the daughter of Grayson and Olivia Tolliver. The saddest single point of contention she ever had to admit was that she’d never be the debutant her mother wanted her to be, nor would she ever be good enough to take over for her father.

This was her last-ditch effort to prove to her father that she could handle the V.P. of Marketing position he was currently trying to fill. She’d come back from this trip with a very definitive report on the purchase, and at the same time, she was putting together a marketing plan that would blow her father’s mind. It would be so precise and spectacular that when she interviewed for the post in a few weeks, he’d be forced to admit she was the most capable person for the position.

She was determined to provide details on what would appeal to every age group that went on a cruise.

Diana missed Manda and Hunter at breakfast, so she went ashore on her own.

After paying her fee, she got in line with the rest of the tourists anxious to be one with the dolphins.

She brought her camera and took dozens of pictures of others as they interacted with the mammals.

Their docent, Eduardo, was dressed in board shorts and a life jacket. He showed them how to appropriately wear the gear, and gave a brief talk. His accent was almost as sexy as he was. “Dolphins are highly intelligent marine mammals and are part of the family of toothed whales that include orcas and pilot whales. They are carnivores, eating mostly fish and squid. Their coloration varies, but they are generally gray in color with darker backs than the rest of their bodies.” He reached into the water and flapped his hand back and forth.

Two dolphins flew out of the water, did a flip, and splashed the crowd.

“As you can see, dolphins are agile and playful creatures. As such, their behavior makes them a favorite of the aquatic species.” He gestured in a circle then up.

The dolphins raced in a circle and did a flip in the air. “Beatrice and Sebastian, can you say hello?”

The dolphins began to “walk” backward, flapping their fins waving to the group while they clicked and whistled a greeting.

Eduardo encouraged everyone into the water. “Dolphins live in social groups of five to several hundred. They use echolocation to find prey and often hunt together by surrounding a school of fish, trapping them, and taking turns swimming through the school and catching fish. Dolphins will also follow seabirds, whales, and fishing boats to feed opportunistically on the fish they scare up or discard.”

When it was her turn, Diana slowly put her hand out. Sebastian, the smaller of the two, swam closer, and she ran her hand over his body. Sebastian’s skin was smooth and rubbery.

“Physical contact between dolphins is an important part of communication between them. Dolphins will regularly touch each other’s tail flukes, pectoral fins, and other regions.”

She was two for two, a memorable evening with her fantasy man and now living her childhood dream.

Sebastian nodded and clicked.

Eduardo stepped in beside her. “He’s taken a fancy to you. Sebastian wants to give you a kiss. I must say he has excellent taste in women. Go ahead, give him your cheek.”

She did, and the dolphin pecked her cheek. Diana couldn’t stop herself and hugged the mammal. Tears filled her eyes. If only she’d been able to pursue her dream.

Sebastian continued to flirt and play with her, ignoring the orders and further directions from Eduardo.

What a special day. Her interaction with Sebastian was a once-in-a-lifetime experience, something she’d never forget.

When her time was up, she asked Eduardo to join her for lunch. They spent two hours together as Diana picked his brain on what the perfect cruise experience was. What he’d seen and heard from the tourists.

When she was done, she made her way back to the ship to create that part of her presentation. She planned to chronicle her trip and give her father an interview he’d never forget.

She ran into J.J. as she boarded the ship. “Did you enjoy yourself?” she asked.

J.J. had a feral expression on his face. “Oh yeah—loads of fun. I worked on a presentation for a job interview coming up. I’ve been talking to myself all day long, and I’m bored with my own company.”

Diana didn’t know whether to laugh or apologize.

“I had hoped to spend the day with you. It would have been much more pleasurable if I had,” he stated emphatically.

“Me? Why ever would you want to do that?” She didn’t understand. “I had a few errands to run. Would you like to join me for dinner?” she offered.

He gave her a rather odd look then responded, “You’re on.”

“I have a ship-to-shore call to make. I’ll meet you at the purser’s desk in an hour?”

“See you then.”

Diana made her way to the purser’s desk to schedule a call to her father.

If she hurried, there’d be just enough time for a quick shower before her call was ready to be put through.

Then she’d have a nice evening with J.J.

If she were lucky, she’d recognize the Phantom and have another glorious night of guilty pleasure.

There was nothing she wanted more than to find her fantasy man and dance the night away.

She was in such a great mood, even her father couldn’t ruin it today.