Diana woke up exhausted and sated. After her argument with her father, the only way to get rid of her irritation was a frolicking night of amazing sex with J.J., and it worked.

She felt guilty for lying to J.J., but she had a job to do, and her father impressed upon her the ultimate need for secrecy. He couldn’t take any chances of the media finding out and setting off a bidding war which might cause the investors to back out or the company’s stock to plunge.

While J.J. was in the shower, she ordered room service. She threw open the balcony doors, and once breakfast was delivered and set up on the patio table, it was time to start another beautiful day.

Her father had pissed her off, calling her incompetent for not having a full report after just two days at sea. He chewed her out for wasting company money on the excursions. She’d tried three times to reiterate that the purpose of the full cruise experience was to get all aspects before she wrote up her report.

J.J. strutted out of the bathroom, drying his hair with a towel and nothing on. “Are you ready for a fun day? Can I talk you into some sightseeing?”

“We dock in Belize shortly, and I wanted to check out the Mask Temple of Lamanai.”

J.J. pulled her into his arms. “I’ve heard it’s magnificent.” He nibbled on her neck. “Do you have any other plans besides that?”

She kissed him back. “Like I said before, I wanted to try zip lining and tubing. Let’s just play it by ear.” The plan was to try every excursion the ship offered. She didn’t care how expensive they were.

Two hours later, they were happily ensconced in the Mayan ruins, and their tour guide was fabulous.

The bus ride to the boat was a bit long, but the boat ride to the ruins was exciting. Between the bends and turns in the river with huge trees branches draped out over the river, crocodiles swimming or lazing on the shore, there were colorful, noisy birds galore, and the scenery alone was well worth the expense.

It was like a personal voyage into the wild kingdom as they sped along the river in an open boat. Once they arrived at the site, they were led on the tour of the Mayan ruins by their guide, Romero, who gave them a living history lesson sharing interesting stories and information about the Mayan lifestyle. It was an easy walk to and through the area, but it was Romero’s knowledge of the history of the people and the ruins that made the trip special.

The jungle setting they had to pass through to get to the ruins was like a walk into the past. And when they burst through the jungle and captured their first glimpse of the ruins, all Diana could do was to gape as she surveyed the ancient pyramids. They visited three impressive temples; the Jaguar Temple, the Mask Temple, and the High Temple.

Romero was the perfect guide. He loved everything about the ruins, and his passion came through in his commentary of the exhibitions.

“Imagine what it was like to unearth these ancient sacred temples. The Temple of the Jaguar is known for its boxy jaguar shape. The Mesoamerican architecture was well preserved by the dense jungle that protects it.”

Diana took pictures galore, all the while conjuring up the visual and dialog she’d add to her presentation about the excursion.

The mossy covered structures and the ancient crumbling ruins lent a mythical quality to the scenery. Diana wished for a glimpse of what they must have looked like at the time they were originally completed.

At the Temple of the Mask, Romero pointed to a face in the rock. “These structures were carved out of limestone. Each mask is thought to represent early rulers. Notice this one wears a crocodile headdress. Each block was individually cut, one at a time, and please be sure to pay close attention to the flat nose and wide swollen lips. Imagine the time it must have taken each worker to make the intricate carvings to replicate their rulers.”

The highlight of Diana’s excursion was climbing the High Temple. By the time she reached the top, she was exhausted and exhilarated. The view from the pinnacle was worth the exertion. The jungle canopy that extended into Guatemala and Mexico was spectacular. It was like being in a lost world thousands of years ago.

The trip back was even better with the monkeys were swinging from tree to tree, and the boat captain was great pointing out the other forms of wildlife from the litter of baby crocs on the shore to the ospreys and jacanas. But it was the howler monkey that scared the bejesus out of those aboard the boat.

And while there was so much beauty around them, other things stood out. The humidity and the stench of rotting flora dissipated thanks to the breeze whisking through the trees. A baby monkey jumped on the boat and sat on Diana’s lap. She was afraid to touch it, so Captain Jorge Xavier came and took the baby from her. He gave it a banana and set it on the deck.

“The little beggar,” Diana said.

From there, they were led to a restaurant near the boat dock where they were treated to a wonderfully delicious lunch of chicken, red beans and rice, coleslaw, salad, and fruit before they returned to the ship.

“If we get back in time I wanted to participate in the cooking demonstration class.”

J.J. raised his eyebrows lecherously. “Wouldn’t you rather be my dessert back in your cabin?”

She nudged him. “We have all evening for that.” Then to drive him even more crazy she licked her lips while staring at him.

His Adam’s apple bobbed up and down before it got stuck. He swallowed hard, gasping for air.

Diana had to continually remind herself when she was in J.J.’s presence that she had a job to do. If she wanted to succeed, she had to keep her mind on the matter at hand. She had a blast sharing the experiences with him, but having J.J. so close made it difficult for her to get time alone to ask questions. She had to settle for asking for their business cards to contact them later for additional information.

When they returned to the ship, she went back to her room for a shower. The humidity of the jungle had made her sweat like never before.

She agreed to meet J.J. for dinner after the cooking class. There were three categories to choose from: kids cooking, appetizers and wine pairing, and the chef’s table experience. While Diana chose the appetizers class because of the chef, she also wanted to participate in the wine tasting experience that paired hors-d’oeuvres with the perfect wines. The class alone was well worth the money and gave her great ideas for adding to the services of the Tolliver Towers hotels.

After the class, Diana couldn’t wait to write down her thoughts before meeting J.J. for dinner.

A stroll around the deck before they retired for the evening was the perfect end to another perfect day.